"Don't smile at me. If I get attached to you, I'll become sad."

-Big Bang (Let's Not Fall In Love)

"Kou-kun! Please, hurry up! I want to get good seats!"

The taller, chocolate brown haired male frowned a bit when his shorter companion pulled him by his arm through the entrance of the seating area of the stadium. "Mizuki-san, not trying to be rude, but… Remind me why you're bringing me here? You know I hate basketball…"

Mizuki pouted a bit while looking up at Kou with her best puppy dog eyes. "Aww Kou-kun, pleeeeeaase? Umi-chan didn't want to come out today since she's still jet lagged and you're my only other close friend… It's lonely coming here by myself! Just this one time, I promise!"

He just shook his head as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I love you, Mizuki-san. I really do, like seriously, I'd marry you… But this is just one thing I-"

"You!"

The two of them exchanged confused looks before turning towards the source of the unknown voice. A boy with short greenish black hair wearing what they both recognized as Kaijo's uniform approached them. This stranger took one of Mizuki's hands in both of his before looking down at her with a charming smile. "My friends made a bet that I couldn't talk to the prettiest girl I see today. Would you like to use their money to for our date tonight?"

"Eh? U-Um…" Mizuki was struck speechless in that moment. No guy has ever approached her like this before, so she wasn't sure how to react. "I… Uh… Well…"

Even though she was visibly uncomfortable with the situation, he still persisted. "C'mon, let's get dinner before you have to go back to heaven, angel- DWAH!"

Kou's fist made contact with this stranger's face and knocked the poor boy to the ground. Kou's jaw was clenched as he shot a heated glare at the boy on the ground. Walking next to her, Kou wrapped an arm around Mizuki's shoulders protectively. "Hey shithead, couldn't you see how uncomfortable you were making her?! I swear, if you lay a hand on Mizuki-san like that again, I'll make sure you regret it!"

"C'mon Moriyama-senpai, let's go back to the others before Kasamatsu-senpai gets mad and kicks me again!" A tall blond wearing the same Kaijo uniform as the black haired boy approached them.

The teen named Moriyama sulked as he walked away from them. The blond turned towards the two of them and scratched the back of his head, giving an apologetic look. "Hey, I'm really sorry about Moriyama-senpai! He's always like that towards girls- Huh?" The blond stared at Kou with curious golden eyes. "Have I… Seen you before?"

"Geh!" Kou quickly pulled down his fedora and looked away in an attempt to hide his face from the blond.

Mizuki looked at Kou with a scrutinizing gaze as she removed his arm from her shoulders. "Kou-kun? What's wrong?"

Kou clicked his tongue, cursing quietly under his breath. "Fuck!"

"Ah, Seocchi!" The blond exclaimed happily while placing both of his hands on the shoulders of the brown haired boy.

The white haired girl cocked her head to the side as she looked up at the tall boy beside her. "'Seocchi'… Does he mean you, Kou-kun?"

Kou's eye twitched in annoyance as he brought his fedora back onto his head, brushing his hand through his light pink highlighted bangs to fix his hair. "I thought I told you that we aren't friends outside of work, Kise…"

The cold words caused the tall blond to pout like a puppy. "Aww Seocchi, why're you always so cold to me?"

Mizuki put her hand to her chin as she stared at the pouting blond named Kise. "Do you know him? I feel like I've seen him before, but I can't put my finger on it…"

Scratching the back of his neck, he sighed. "Sure, you can put it like that… Mizuki-san, the blond idiot is Ryota Kise. You remember when I got scouted to be a part-time model for Zunon Boy a few years ago? That's how I met this annoying bastard."

Ah, that explains why he looked familiar…

Mizuki wasn't really interested in models, but she only bought Zunon Boy magazines if Kou was on the cover to show her support for her friend's career. However, she does recall seeing Kise in those magazines whenever she would scan through them on her free time. Now that she was actually seeing him in real life for the first time, it was hard to think that such a cool looking model was actually so…

Kise had tears streaming down his frowning face in a comical manner as Kou pushed his hands away from him. "So mean, Seocchi…"

…Flamboyant in real life.

Then again, the same could be said about Kou-kun… Maybe it's a modeling thing?

Kou's cerulean eyes glared at Kise with a fire hot intensity. To Mizuki, it felt off seeing her friend who's usually so bright and cheerful around her look so angry towards someone. "Does it look like I care? I'm only buddies with you when we're both caked in the face with makeup and in front of a camera. I know I made it very clear to you that I don't think of you as a friend, nor am I interested in being friends with someone like you." With those cold words, Kou quickly walked away from them. "Mizuki-san, you can go pick the seats, I'm going out for a smoke. I'll make it back before they start."

"Ah, Kou-kun! Wait!" She reached a hand out to grab him, but he was already out of arm's reach. Once he was gone from their sights, Mizuki turning towards Kise and bowed deeply with a small frown on her face. "I-I'm so sorry about Kou-kun… I swear, he's not usually like that…"

Despite how he was treated, Kise just shook his head and gave a small smile towards the older girl. "It's fine. He's always like that with me, so I don't really mind it too much. I was probably pushing my luck there… Uh… Mizuki-san, was it?"

Raising her head, she nodded. "Ah yes, I'm Mizuki Kuramochi!"

"Well Kuramochi-san, if you're okay with it, my teammates and I have two empty seats near us if you can't find any other seats." Kise offered with a smile as he pointed towards a group of boys wearing Kaijo's uniform.

Wow, he's really offering us seats even though Kou-kun was so rude to him earlier? He's so mature… If only Kou-kun would foliow his example.

She nodded. "If you don't mind. Thank you so much, Kise-kun!"

As the two walked towards the area, the blond decided to ask questions to strike up conversation. "So I'm assuming you're older than you look? Moriyama-senpai was going on about how he saw an older beauty in the distance before he ran towards you and Seocchi."

Mizuki chuckled nervously as she recalled the strange event. "Yeah, I'm 19 years old and cursed to be 152 cm for the rest of my life. I'm honestly surprised he noticed considering most people just assume that I'm 15 or 16 because of my height and appearance…"

Kise chuckled, hiding his handsome smile behind a hand. "I thought the same at first, honestly. But I guess you could say he found out because he's girl crazy…" As his words trailed off, a thought popped up in his mind and he decided to bring it up. "By the way, Kuramochi-san… Is there any specific reason you came to watch today's game? I know Seocchi isn't really a big fan of basketball, so I was really surprised to see him here today."

She nodded with a small smile on her face, her cheeks tinting a slight pink color as Kuroko's face flashed in her mind. "Oh yeah, I'm here to watch the game today. I have a friend on Seirin's team and I told him I'd come to cheer for him, but I felt lonely coming here on my own… I asked Kou-kun to come and keep me company and he surprisingly agreed to it."

"I'm impressed you got him to agree… Usually when I ask him to come hang out, he never agrees to it and just leaves me." Kise's lips pursed into a pout as he recalled all the times Kou slammed the door in his face whenever Kise asked to talk to him after photo shoots. "Ah, but before I forget to ask, who's your friend?"

The moment he asked, Mizuki's cheeks felt a tad hot as she looked down and nervously stuttered his name. "T-Tetsuya Kuroko-kun. Do you know him, Kise-kun?"

The part-time model stopped walking before looking at her with an expression mixed with surprise and excitement. "No way! You know Kurokocchi?!"

"Eh?" The affectionate nickname caught her off guard. "'K-Kurokocchi'…? I-I mean, yes, I do know him. You two also know each other?"

Kise puffed his chest out proudly. "Indeed we do! He was my personal instructor for basketball back in middle school."

She hummed in amusement over Kise's overdramatic actions. "I see, then that means you also went to Teiko…"

I wonder if that means he met Umi, Kou, and Setsuna while he was there…

Brushing away the thought from her mind, Mizuki looked up at Kise with curiosity. "Hey Kise-kun, is there any reason for the nicknames you give people? You refer to both Kou-kun and Kuroko-kun with '-cchi' so it got me a bit curious."

"Ah, I give those nicknames to people I respect." He explained, as he remembered the days he first referred to Kou with the nickname. "I know Seocchi doesn't like the nickname, but I can't help it. When I first met him, I didn't expect much. But as I worked with him, I learned that he's amazing at everything he does! He did his own makeup for the first photo shoot we did together, he's a natural at modeling, and he even knows how to fix clothes! He's really talented and I found so many reasons to respect him."

Mizuki giggled. "Haha, I see. Kou-kun is indeed very talented. His talents expand even beyond what you just said, so I agree that he's a very remarkable person." A small smile curved on her face as she looked up at Kise. "Well, I know he's a bit rough around the edges around you, but don't let Kou-kun's attitude affect you. He's very kind and caring once you get to know him, kind of like an adorable little brother! Though, for you, I guess he'd be an older brother… But you know, I honestly think he does consider you a friend."

Those words caught Kise off guard and he looked down at Mizuki with slightly wide golden eyes. "You think so, Kuramochi-san?"

Confidently, Mizuki nodded her head. "Yeah! If he didn't think of you as a friend, he'd just ignore you. He probably just acts this way around you because he hasn't had many male friends before." As the two of them approached the seats, Mizuki looked at Kise with a gentle smile. "Kise-kun, if you don't mind… Please continue to be friends with Kou-kun."

After a few moments, Kise just returned the smile. "Of course."

The Kaijo ace greeted his teammates before introducing Mizuki to them. He was entertained as each of his teammates introduced themselves to her, most of his amusement coming from his usually composed captain becoming a stuttering mess as he struggled to introduce himself to her.

"Mizuki-san… What the hell is this?"

Mizuki just smiled at Kou, who had approached the group with a frown. "I found us seats! Now before you complain, I'll be sitting next to you, okay? So don't pout."

Despite her attempt at a compromise, he still pouted. She couldn't help but find his expressions cute, as it reminded her of her own younger brother. The boy sighed as he pressed his hand against his forehead. "Like I said earlier, Mizuki-san… I love you, and yes, I mean I'd marry you, but-"

Rolling her eyes, she silenced him by taking his other hand and holding it tightly. "I promise I'll hold your hand the entire game, okay? So no more complaining, please?"

And here it comes…

Kou blushed heavily as he stared at their joined hands. Avoiding her eyes, he used his other hand to try and hide his glowing pink cheeks from view. "…Y-You promised, okay? No complaining if I seriously don't let go for the entire game."

The buzzer sounded, signaling the start of the game. She just sighed and nodded her head as they both sat down. "Alright."

The Seirin vs. Kirisaki Dai Ichi match was too hard to watch. The Kaijo boys felt distraught watching Mizuki flinch and cover hers eyes every time she witnessed someone getting hit. Meanwhile, Kou just watched the match with cold eyes while he held Mizuki's hand in a tight grip.

When the game was officially over, Kou quickly stood up from his seat before people began to leave. "Mizuki-san, we're going."

She wasn't even given time to protest as he pulled her out of her seat. The girl quickly gave her thanks and said goodbye to the Kaijo team before she was pulled away. Kou was walking fast, but he still walked slowly enough for Mizuki's shorter paces to keep up with his longer strides.

Once they were outside of the stadium and in a designated smoking area, he let go of her hand. Digging through his pocket, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter before putting one of the sticks to his mouth. He flicked the lighter a few times before he lit the cigarette, taking a deep breath before blowing out a cloud of smoke in frustration. Only after taking a drag did he notice that Mizuki's hand was red from how tightly he was gripping it earlier. "…Sorry about that…"

Looking down at her red hand, she shook her head. "No, I understand… I'm sorry… Watching that must've been hard for you."

"It's hard for both of us considering what we had to watch her go through before…" Kou corrected as he flicked the cigarette, letting the ash fall to the metal dish before pulling it back up to his lips to take another puff. "I know I was closer to her before, but she's just as much of a friend to you as she was to me…"

Their eyes met, Mizuki's dark red eyes reflecting regret while Kou's eyes shone with determination. "I-I understand that, but…"

"Mizuki-san, stop." Kou interrupted her before taking another drag, exhaling so the smoke also escaped through his nose. "That match today just brought up bad memories, that's all… It's not your fault, Mizuki-san… From your looks, I don't think you knew it would play out like that either."

Nodding her head, she took his free hand in hers. After examining it, she took note of the red crescent shaped marks on his palms and gently closed his fist. She held his closed fist with both hands and looked right into his cerulean blue eyes. "Kou-kun, I-"

The girl brought her hand to her mouth to cough as she accidentally inhaled some of the smoke. Reluctantly, he took his hand out of her grip and used it to wave away the smoke from her. "Mizuki-san, you don't have to stay here with me. I know you hate the smoke, so it's alright for you to go on ahead. I'll just head home when I'm done."

"…Are you sure?" She questioned quietly.

Nodding, he flicked away more of the ash that gathered at the end of the cancer stick while waving her away his other hand. "Go on. Just be sure to message me when you make it home, alright?"

Reluctantly, Mizuki bid Kou farewell as she walked away from him. Like Kou had said, she hated cigarette smoke. She always felt light headed whenever she was around it. Since she still felt a bit dizzy, she decided to take a seat somewhere and get some fresh air to clear her head before heading home. As she looked around for a place to sit, she spotted a familiar figure with light blue hair on the basketball court near the stadium. While his back was turned towards her, Mizuki silenced her steps as she walked down the cement stairs. Once she was close to the bottom, she took a seat on one of the steps as Kuroko dribbled the ball.

However, he stopped dribbling and just held the ball in his hands for a moment. "Hello, Kuramochi-san."

She laughed since he didn't even have to turn around to know she was there. "Haha, I've been noticed… Good evening to you, Kuroko-kun."

After spending many dinners together and even hanging out with each other on their weekends, she managed to get over her shyness around him and the two of them have developed a comfortable friendship. Yes, she still had some feelings towards him, but she didn't like him and she wasn't in love with him.

At least, that's what she believes.

Kuroko had a small smile on his face as he turned to face her. "What brings you here?"

Humming, she shrugged her shoulders as she pushed herself off the steps and slowly made her way towards him. "Just getting some fresh air before I head home… What about you? You just played, didn't you? The match wasn't enough for you or something?"

After putting his basketball away in his bag, he held his right hand up for her to see. "I did, but… Now that Seirin won the preliminaries and is advancing to Winter Cup, I don't know why, but I just can't stop shaking."

Mizuki stared at his shaking hand. Smiling, she placed her hand in his and held it gently, feeling every little shake between her fingers. "You're excited, that's why. You're slowly making your way towards your dream and this shaking is your anticipation." Looking up, her dark red eyes met his cerulean eyes. "Good job, Kuroko-kun. I knew you could do it, so keep it up."

"Thank you, Kuramochi-san." Kuroko unconsciously held her hand back and the two of them lowered their hands, standing a bit closer to each other. "Ah, before I forget… I'm sorry, but I'll be away at a training camp for all of next month, so I won't be able to come over for dinner."

After hearing the news, she pouted and puffed her cheeks up slightly as she looked away from him. "Aww, so you're leaving me all alone next month?"

Kuroko looked a bit panicked at seeing her pouting face. "I'm really sorry… Please don't be upset, Kuramochi-san. I promise I'll make it up to you with anything."

Mizuki couldn't help but think it was cute seeing her usually composed friend looking so panicked over the thought of making her upset. She decided to push her luck and continued to pout. "…Anything?" A smile slowly replaced the pout on her face and she chuckled, looking into his eyes. "Then just be sure to call me at least once while you're away at your camp. That can be our substitute for the next month while you're away. Does that work?"

Realizing her pouts earlier were just a playful act, he smiled slightly and looked back into her eyes. "Okay, I will."

While there were no more words exchanged between them, the two of them just continued to stare into each other's eyes as their hands remained connected. Suddenly, a strong breeze blew and loosened the already loose hair tie holding up Mizuki's hair in her usual bun.

"Ah…" The tie holding her up snapped, causing her hair unraveled from the bun and cascade down her back. She broke her gaze away from his and used her other hand to hold some of her hair back behind her ear. A frown etched onto her face as she looked at the broken tie on the ground. "Dang it… I don't have a spare tie…"

Kuroko continued to stare. Under the light of the moon, she seemed to glow. The wind continued to blow while her bangs gently caressing her face. Unconsciously, he brought his other hand up to push her bangs away from her face. "…There."

Looking up at him, she only now began to feel the slight heat in her cheeks when she realized he was staring at her so intently. "Hmm? What's wrong, Kuroko-kun?"

"Nothing's wrong. I was just looking at your hair…" He tucked her hair behind her ear and pulled his hand away with a gentle look in his eyes and a matching smile on his lips. "It looks prettier when you let it down."

Mizuki's eyes widened and attempted to hide her red cheeks by avoiding his gaze, only to catch sight of their joined hands. When she noticed that, her blush intensifying tenfold as she hesitantly pulled her hand out of his grasp. Nervously, she intertwined her hands behind her back while praying and hoping that her hands weren't sweating while they were unconsciously holding hands. "R-Really now…? Then I… I guess I should consider wearing it this way more often then…"

…No. No, she did not like Tetsuya Kuroko. She was not blushing because the guy she likes just complimented her. She's just blushing at the fact that she got a compliment.

Yeah, that's all it is. It's nothing more than that.

By that time, she could no longer use her fingers to keep count of how many times she managed to convince herself.

"I'm glad to see that you're back to your usual self." Mizuki commented as she strained the pot of tea.

Umi was sitting at the dining table, smiling happily while she kicked her feet under the table. The platinum blonde looked a lot more energetic than the last time the two of them saw each other. "Well the time we met up, I was still jet lagged. Now that I've had some time at home to adjust, I'm back, baby!"

Yes, this is the same Umi Takahashi from last time in the coffee shop. Umi's personality is actually a lot more energetic and cheerful. That time at the coffee shop was probably one of the few rare instances that Umi would be quiet and serious around her. Mizuki couldn't help but smile at seeing the bright cheerfulness of her best friend. "Welcome back, Umi-chan."

The platinum blonde smiled widely. "Thanks. But moving on, how has the love life been? Last I remember from your emails, you were crushing on your senpai from high school… Ugh, what the fuck was his name…?" Umi's brows furrowed together as she snapped her fingers trying to remember. "Oh, Kurosawa, right?! Any progress? C'mon, give me the details. I want to hear about everything."

Mizuki hummed as she poured two cups of tea, mixing in small amounts of milk and sugar in both of them. "Actually, about Kurosawa-senpai… I gave up on him."

"…Excuse me? Did I hear that right?" Umi stared at the white haired girl with a look of disbelief.

The older girl just sighed as she placed the cup of chai in front of Umi and the other in front of her own chair. Taking her seat next to Umi, Mizuki nodded as she used a spoon to mix her tea. "Yes, you heard me correctly. I gave up on Takumi Kurosawa-senpai."

Umi stared her down, her mouth curved in a frown. "…Who are you and what did you do with Mizuki-san?"

Groaning, Mizuki glared slightly at the younger girl next to her. "Is it really hard to believe that I'm over him, Umi-chan?"

"No, but…" Continuing to stare at her with narrowed eyes, Umi pressed her lips together tightly before speaking up. "…Hey, is there something else you're not telling me?"

After taking a sip from her cup and setting it back down on the table, Mizuki shrugged with her eyes closed. "Like what?"

"You see, I've known you for a long time, Mizuki-san. The Mizuki-san I know would be torn up about rejection for a long time. Then she would lock herself in her room and not bother coming out for anything except school. While in her room, she would shovel down bowls of jajangmyeon or cartons of ice cream while watching k-pop music videos and playing otome games until she found a new guy to crush on." Umi said as she casually took a sip of her own cup of tea.

"Umi-chan, I'm 19 now. I've matured since then…" Mizuki sighed as brought her cup back up to her mouth.

Staring the older girl down, Umi's light blue and dark pink eyes widened as she slammed a hand down on the table. "No fucking way, you already have someone else you like?!"

Mizuki kept her eyes closed but felt her face warm up as she avoided Umi's suspecting gaze, continuing to sip at her cup despite there being little to no tea left inside of it.

Umi rested her head on her propped up arm while her lips curved into a mischievous smirk. "…Seriously Mizuki-san… Even to this day, your poker face still sucks. Now out with it missy, what's his name? If not the name, then how old is he? You better tell me right now or else."

Silence.

The platinum blonde's mouth hung open in shock. "Dang Mizuki-san, he my age?!"

Mizuki flinched and quickly put her empty cup down, Umi smiling widely when she realized she hit the nail on the head. "I-It's not like that, Umi-chan! I don't like him! He's just… He was just nice to me after the whole deal with Kurosawa-senpai and he's just a friend! I promise you, I don't like him! B-But his name is… Tetsuya Kuroko-kun…" The older girl could feel her face getting redder after saying his name.

Umi's eyes widened a small fraction. "…The phantom sixth man of the Generation of Miracles, huh? Dang Mizuki-san, you and I both know that you've always preferred older guys… So, any reason this one caught your attention?"

The intensifying blush on the white haired girl's face confirmed everything Umi wanted to know. "…W-Well, it's hard to say why… We just met on accident and he just happened to be there when I needed someone to comfort me, and I was lucky he was kind enough to let me cry and stuff. But l-like I said, he's just a friend."

Shaking her head slightly, Umi gave her older friend a small smile. "So, you won't try to go past the friend zone?

The blush on Mizuki's face died down and her expression hardened. "Umi-chan, we're just friends, okay? I really don't intend to be anything more than that."

Giving a firm nod, Umi's expression hardened to a serious one as she placed a hand on Mizuki's shoulder encouragingly. "Okay, good. I was hoping you'd say that."

Curious, the white haired girl looked up to meet the platinum blonde's heterochromatic eyes with slightly narrowed eyes. "…Why's that?"

"Hmm? So the coach's dad said you'll be hitting a wall soon?"

"Yes. He said it's up to me on how I overcome it, but…" His voice trailed off as he continued to walk around the gym.

Mizuki closed her eyes and lied on her side, humming in deep thought as she held one of her pillows close to her chest. "Well, I can't give you much advice when it comes to basketball… But I can offer some general life advice if that might help."

"Honestly, any advice at this point would be appreciated."

She giggled. "Alright, let's see if I can help you here…" Mizuki closed her eyes, humming slightly as she tried to think of any encouraging words she could offer him. "…Well, the only walls that hold you back are the walls that you put around yourself."

"'Walls that I put around myself?'" He questioned as he stopped by a vending machine.

She nodded as she sat up in her bed. "Yeah, the walls you build around yourself. In others words, what you believe are your limits. I guess what I'm trying to say is… Tear down the expectations you have of yourself and go farther, maybe somewhere outside of your comfort zone. Push yourself harder than usual and prove to yourself that you're capable of more than what you originally thought. Something like that, you know?"

Kuroko smiled, imagining the encouraging look on her face based on her tone. "I see what you're saying… Thank you for the advice, Kuramochi-san."

She also smiled as she held her phone closer to her ear. "You're welcome, Kuroko-kun. By the way, I'm surprised that you've actually been called me more than once while you're away at training camp… I did tell you just one phone call while you're away would've been fine, right?"

Maybe it was because he wasn't standing in front of her at that moment, but Kuroko allowed the embarrassment to show on his face. "Well… I miss having dinner and talking with you, Kuramochi-san. Your food is always delicious and I enjoy talking with you, so I guess I just feel a bit homesick in a way."

Not expecting those words, Mizuki felt her chest and cheeks grow warm. She shook her head from side to side to shake away the feelings as she calmly exhaled a breath. "I also miss eating together. Oh! When you come back, let me know so we can go back to having dinner together like usual. Also, when you win your first match, tell me what you want me to cook for you, okay? Every time you win, you get to request something as a reward for all your hard work!"

Kuroko's eyes widened when he realized what she said. "'Every time we win'… You have a lot of faith in us."

Mizuki nodded with a smile on her face. "Of course. I believe in all of you, so go and win your first match, okay? Make me proud for putting all my faith into Seirin from the start."

He nodded despite the fact that she couldn't see him. "Okay." Suddenly, he heard his name being called. "…I have to go back now. I need to rest before training tomorrow, so I'll have to end the call soon."

Before he started saying his goodbyes, Mizuki opened her mouth. "Wait, Kuroko-kun! Before you go, I have something to ask you!"

Kuroko raised a brow at the sudden increase in volume and urgent tone of her voice. "What is it, Kuramochi-san?"

Her mouth was open, but no sound came out. After what felt like a minute of silence, she bit her lower lip in frustration before smiling bitterly at herself. "…Sorry, it's… It's nothing. I'll ask you another time, so you can go to bed now. Haha, sorry about that!"

Even though he wasn't there, he could tell just from the way she spoke… She was lying about it being nothing. "…I see. Well, I'll be going now then. Good night, Kuramochi-san. Sleep well."

Lowering her head, her lower lip trembled a bit. "Y-Yeah… Good night, Kuroko-kun. Good luck with your training tomorrow. Sweet dreams."

With that, the two of them hung up. Setting her phone to the side and plugging it in the charge over night, Mizuki closed her eyes and pulled her pillow to her face. The question that got stuck in her throat continued to run through her mind and haunted her into her sleep.

Do you have feelings for a girl named Satsuki Momoi?

Mizuki panted heavily as she rested her back against the mirrored wall of the small dance studio. The music continued to play as she wiped the sweat away from her face and chugged half a bottle of water.

So what exactly was she doing in a dance studio? Well, it's a bit of a long story…

"Please Mizuki-san!"

Said white haired girl had her back to the wall outside of her apartment, waving her hands in front of herself frantically. "N-No way, Kou-kun… I just can't do that…"

The tall part-time model then got on both of his knees in front of her. "Mizuki-san, please! I'm asking this far in advance to give you time to prepare! I'm just asking for just one performance! Just one song is fine! C'mon, think of the orphans!"

She couldn't help but feel bad as she looked down at Kou who was literally putting his face to the ground as he begged. "Kou-kun, I'm not who I used to be… I've changed so much since I graduated… My skills are sloppy now. You're better off asking someone else…"

So what was this favor? To put it simply, the coffee shop Kou worked at was planning a charity event on December 21st. The charity event was a talent show for something about helping an orphanage raise money for the holidays. Apparently, Umi told Kou about her history as a dancer and this was why he was currently on the ground, begging her to do a performance for the event.

Kou got off the ground, wiping his face with his shirt collar as he dug through his bag. "Alright, I didn't want to do this… But you've forced me, Mizuki-san."

Her dark red eyes widened and she took a step towards him. "No way… Is that what I think it is?"

He nodded with a determined look on his face. "Yes, it is… An album from B.A.P. It's signed by all members."

Mizuki bit her lower lip, trying her best to restrain herself. Letting her self control take over, she just walked towards her apartment door and dug through her bag to get her keys. "W-Whatever, that doesn't ma-"

"Ah, did I forget to mention that I've also included another album into this deal?"

She stopped digging through her bag and slowly pulled her hand out. "…And what would that be?"

Kou nodded with a triumphant smile etched onto his lips when he saw her turn towards him. "EXO, also signed."

She stood in front of him, holding back the biggest urge to hug Kou and squeeze the life out of him. "Done!"

Mizuki let out a heavy sigh as she looked down at her body. Despite still being on the petite side, she could see the little jiggles around her tummy from the excess weight she gained from not exercising. On top of that, her movements appeared sloppy. "Looks like I'll have to go back to working out if I want to even manage a decent performance…"

"You need help there, Mizuki-san?"

The white haired girl just sighed as she closed her eyes. "Umi-chan, if you offer to train me back into shape, then forget it. You'd kill me…"

Umi clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she sat besides Mizuki, digging through the tote bag she brought with her. "Hey, when Kou told me that he managed to get you to do a performance for that charity, he was also kind enough to ask me to help you out. Look, we both know you haven't been keeping yourself in shape since you quit going to dance school. Now I know my training regimes are intense, but you'll get ideal results within a week and have more time to focus on practicing your performance. Besides, I think I have something to convince you."

Pushing herself off the ground, Mizuki began to walk towards the small speaker sitting on a chair across the studio. "Oh great, another bribe? Thanks, but no-" Her eyes widened as she saw what Umi was holding in her hand. "Is that a signed Big Bang album?"

The platinum blonde nodded with a triumphant smile as she playfully waved the album. "Yup, and I believe this is their latest album. If I remember correctly, this was the band that started your k-pop hype, so I picked this up while I was traveling. I also have a signed poster waiting at my place, but since it looks like you don't want it, I'll just-"

Groaning in annoyance, Mizuki began to stretch her arms. "Alright, I get it! I'll let you train me into shape!" When she got onto the ground to stretch her legs, she looked up at Umi with a frown. "…I hate you and Kou-kun sometimes, you know that?"

"Well the two of us will love you no matter what, so you hating us will balance it out. Now then, let's start with those legs. You're already warmed up, so let's start off with one hundred squats, right now! No breaks, Mizuki-san!" Umi ordered.

"Uhhh… So Umi…"

"Hm? What's up, Kou?" Umi questioned curiously.

Kou scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, I know I asked you to help Mizuki-san with getting her back into shape, but… She literally looks like she's gonna collapse just trying to stand." He had a worried expression on his face as he watched Mizuki whine while Umi massaged her shoulders.

Umi sighed as she applied salonpas patches over the area she just massaged. "Well, she just finished her training regime yesterday. I've covered this girl in salonpas patches in the areas where she said she felt the most pain to help her feel a little better, but knowing the recovery rate of Mizuki-san's body, she'll be in top condition by tomorrow."

Mizuki sighed with relief as she felt the patches cooling her sore muscles. "Ahhh… Thanks for these, Umi-chan… I-I think I'll be okay now."

"As long as you're okay…" Kou smiled with relief before his phone beeped to notify him of a message. Pulling the device out of his pocket, he quickly read the message before putting it back in his pocket. "Well, I've got to go see someone before the matches start. I'll be sure to meet up with you guys before the Seirin match."

The two girls both nodded at him, Umi shooing him off while Mizuki waved goodbye. "Okay, call if you can't find us."

Kou responded to Mizuki with a wink and a charming smile. "I'll always be able to find you, my princess- DOH!"

Umi's eye twitched slightly as pushed Kou away. "We get it, just go already!"

After Kou walked off, Umi turned to face Mizuki and held a hand out for her. "So what about you? Anything you need to do before the match?"

Taking her hand, Mizuki used her to pull herself up and steadying herself in case her legs gave out from pain. "I… I think I'll go find Kuroko-kun and wish him good luck. What about you, Umi-chan?"

Umi shrugged her shoulders indifferently, her eyes scanning around the area before returning her gaze to Mizuki. "I think I'll probably just stay out here for a bit before we all go in, if that's alright with you."

"Sounds good. I'll send a message when I'm ready to meet up." With that, she walked off and pulled out her phone to look at the message Kuroko sent her earlier. "Let's see… He said to meet up around here? Hmm?"

After turning at a corner, she spotted the familiar figure with light blue hair wearing a Seirin jacket. Smiling, she brought a hand up to wave at him.

"Tetsu-kun~!"

'Tetsu-kun'…?

The smile on her face immediately wiped away and she brought her hand down when she spotted a beautiful girl with bright pink hair wearing a green jacket run up to Kuroko and hug him. Out of instinct, Mizuki quickly hid herself behind the corner and peeked around to watch the two of them closely.

Kuroko looked at the girl with a kind smile. "Hello, Momoi-san."

So that's Satsuki Momoi? Well, she certainly is pretty…

Mizuki could now understand everything Umi warned her about. Of course he would be have feelings for someone so beautiful. The facts were obvious… That girl has an avid interest in his favorite sport, she was pretty, has a slender figure, she's not too short for her age, her breasts were large, and she's got a cute, bubbly personality. She's a nice girl…

Someone I have no fighting chance against…

With those thoughts in her mind, she closed her eyes and sighed quietly while completely hiding herself behind the corner. With her back leaned against the wall, she just continued to listen to pair talk.

"Even though I like you, Tetsu-kun… I'm afraid I won't hold back this time."

"I would prefer it that way, Momoi-san."

She could hear Momoi giggle. "Let's have a good game, okay?"

Once she heard Momoi leave, Mizuki opened her eyes to stare up at the sky while placing a hand over her chest. She could feel a familiar, dull ache where her heart is. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself away from the wall and turned the corner. As she walked towards Kuroko, she waved her hand and smiled brightly to betray the pain she felt. "Kuroko-kun!"

Huh…?

What was this pain she felt in her heart? She shouldn't be feeling like this in the first place. Besides, things wouldn't work out between the two of them… She was three years older than him, she was in college and he was in still high school. What guy would want a girl who's always been rejected her entire life?

C'mon Mizuki, you said it yourself…

Tetsuya Kuroko is just a friend. He has feelings for a cute girl named Satsuki Momoi, so you should support his feelings like a friend should.

A friend…

Yes, she was just friend to Kuroko and that's all she would ever be to him. She would not let herself get any closer than this, she will be there for him and support him through anything.

It was a harsh truth she came to terms with that day: all she would ever be to Tetsuya Kuroko is a friend. The feelings that she thought she had for him would be a secret she carried to the grave.

Yeah, that's all it was. It was nothing more than that.

For the last time, Mizuki was able to convince herself.

"And it's done!" Mizuki cheered happily as she placed the plate of tonkatsu on the table. Taking her seat next to Kuroko, she raised her glass high and cleared her throat. "Now then, congrats to you and Seirin for making it to the quarterfinals! Cheers!"

Kuroko also raised his glass with a smile. "Cheers."

Their glasses clinked against each other before each of them took a big sip from their glasses. She chugged her whole glass and set it down on the table with a satisfied sigh. "Phew, that hit the spot! Ah, since you're not old enough, this will have to suffice since you're not of legal age."

Kuroko chuckled a bit as he looked down at their champagne glasses full of apple juice. "Is there any particular reason we're drinking from champagne glasses?"

Swirling around the apple juice in her glass with a fond smile, she nodded her head. "Yeah, this is a tradition I have with my family… Whenever we're celebrating something, we would drink from fancier glasses. I think the last time I was with my family doing this, I had just graduated from high school… It's honestly hard to believe it's been over a year…"

"…Since graduating high school or seeing your family?" Kuroko questioned as he set his glass back down on the table.

"Both… High school went by so fast for me… Before I knew it, I graduated and was preparing to find move into this apartment. As for my family… My parents are both living in Osaka for their jobs while my younger brother is currently living with our, uh…" Mizuki put some rice in her mouth, frowning as she tried to think of the right word. "I guess you could call her our aunt, but she's not biologically related to us. But yeah, he lives with our aunt in Saitama."

After swallowing the food in his mouth, Kuroko raised a brow. "He doesn't live with your parents?"

Mizuki nodded as she got up from her chair to put more rice in Kuroko's bowl. "Yeah, my younger brother wanted to continue attending school at Teiko, so the commute is easier on him if he lives in Saitama instead. Our aunt offered to let him stay with her in Saitama so my parents wouldn't have to worry about him living on his own. At first, the plan was for him to just come live with me, but he didn't want to."

"Do you two not get along or…?" Kuroko asked as Mizuki handed him his bowl.

She chuckled and shook her head. "We do get along, but I think he didn't want to live with me because he was worried about being a burden. I always took care of him back when I still lived with my parents, so I think his decision to move to Saitama was his way of saying that I shouldn't worry about him and that he'll be fine on his own."

A small smile curved on Kuroko's lips as he stared at the happy look on Mizuki's face. "It sounds like he loves you a lot."

Mizuki just nodded before emptying the rest of the juice in her glass. "Oh, sorry for rambling on about my family… I just got so caught up talking about my little brother…"

Kuroko shook his head as he finished the rest of the food on his plate. "Don't worry about it, Kuramochi-san. I had no idea you had a younger brother, so it was interesting to hear about him."

"That's a relief… I thought you would've gotten bored hearing me ramble on about him." Realizing the two of them had finished, Mizuki got up and began to clean up the table. "Kuroko-kun, you can go ahead and rest on the couch. I'll wash these dishes first then join you later."

He shook his head and stood up, taking any dishes she didn't already have in her hands. "No, I'll help you clean. Please, let me do this to repay you."

She sighed and decided to relent, knowing how persistent he's been about helping her every time he comes over. "Okay then. I'll wash while you rinse."

When he agreed to the compromise, the two of them stood next to each other in front of the sink. Mizuki would hand Kuroko the washed dishes and he would rinse them under the running water before setting them to dry on the dish rack. Sometimes, she would peek towards him out of the corner of her eye and smile before returning her focus on washing. She couldn't help but think that him and Momoi would look good next to each other like this.

"Kuramochi-san, be careful, you're holding a-"

"Huh?" She felt something slide against her palm and heard something fall back into sink. Looking down, she saw red covering her palm and felt a painful sting. "Oh…"

Kuroko looked distraught before quickly taking her hand, using a nearby dishcloth to stop the bleeding. "Mizuki-san, you should be more careful. Do you have a first aid kit?"

Numbly, she nodded her head as she stared down at his hand tightly gripping hers. "Yeah… It's in the bathroom, in the first drawer under the sink."

"Keep holding it down and raise your arm up, okay? Go sit at the table." He quickly ran out of the kitchen to retrieve her first aid kit.

Meanwhile, Mizuki did as he instructed and held her arm up while pressing the cloth against her palm. In that moment, she felt a familiar warmth in her chest that she hadn't felt in a while. Pressing her lips together tightly, she shook her head. "…No. Stop it…"

Running back into the kitchen holding a small white metal box with a red cross on it, Kuroko quickly set the kit on the table. Sitting in the chair next to her, he held his hand out to her. "Kuramochi-san, please give me your hand."

"Okay…"

He actually didn't wait for her and took a hold of her arm before gently pulling her towards himself. Slowly, he removed the bloody cloth and took out a small bottle of antibiotic spray. A frown etched onto his face at seeing the slightly deep wound. "It's going to sting, okay?"

Taking a deep breath, she nodded as she braced herself for the inevitable pain. He sprayed the medicine and she whined while small tears forming in the corners of her eyes at the stinging pain in her palm. After cleaning the wound, he began to wrap bandages around her palm. Though he was a tad clumsy at wrapping, he managed and properly wrapped the bandages around her hand. She just stared at her hand, turning it over a couple of times. "…Thank you, Kuroko-kun."

He just sighed while putting away the medical supplies. "Please be more careful, Kuramochi-san. I worry about you, you know. Oh, let me finish the dishes. You just relax in the living room, okay?"

She nodded and walked out of the kitchen while staring at her bandaged hand. Mizuki felt speechless after witnessing Kuroko worry about her like that.

Did that mean anything? Did that mean he considers me as something special? A close friend? Maybe something more…?

Mizuki quickly shook her head as she felt her chest warm up like it did earlier. She had to remind herself that she wasn't supposed to feel this way towards Kuroko. She wasn't allowed to have romantic feelings towards him anymore and would have to only think of him as just a friend from now on.

However, the feeling got hard to shake away when her eyes shifted over to him. She stared at his figure in her kitchen, washing her dishes and she couldn't help but think about how kind he is.

Stop, he likes someone else.

It became hard to ignore when she woke up the next day and looked at her bandaged hand, remembering how caring he was about treating her wound. She couldn't help but think that he was so admirable.

Stop it, he likes someone else.

That feeling surfaced again when she went out shopping, opening her wallet and catching sight of her ID card. She remembered how these hard piece of plastic were what let her meet him again.

Stop it, you know he likes someone else.

Just when she thought it wouldn't get harder, life just loved making this feeling even harder to forget.

Mizuki just stood and watched him from afar as he practiced his shooting with his former teammate, Daiki Aomine from Touou. After he finished that round of shooting, Momoi ran up to him and hugged him tightly with a huge smile on her face. She couldn't help but think that they looked good together like that.

They would make a good couple…

Looking down at her bandaged hand, she stared at it for a while before making a fist. Closing her eyes and leaning her head up towards the sky, she brought the back of her injured hand up to cover her eyes as she smiled bitterly.

Since when did it become so hard to stop having feelings for someone?

Author's Note:

EDIT (November 5 2015): In response to rukiruki86's question in reviews, this story is NOT haremxOC.

EDIT (December 30 2016): Edited to fix any errors. Added and replaced any lines that I felt needed to be fixed. Changed the beginning quote to something better. Also changed some of the scenes and added dialogue.

Fun Fact for this chapter: Yes, Kou has feelings for Mizuki. Yes, his feelings are meant to be obvious.

Okay, so this chapter ended up way longer than expected. Sorry about that. But I'm happy that I got this chapter out so I can finally start working on probably my favorite part of Mizuki and Kuroko's story. It's the part I'm looking forward to the most!

I'd also like to take some time to thank all the readers of this story! A big thanks to those that took the time to favorite, follow, and review. It makes me happy knowing that there are people enjoying my work. I'm happy I decided to go through with making this series.

If you enjoyed, follow and/or favorite the story and leave a review to let me know what you think of the series. I want to hear from my readers!

Anyway, thanks again for reading!

-Ari