"I just don't understand him at all! He gets me the assistant coach position, then he says something like how I need to be mindful of the Rakuzan method. But I thought I was supposed to contribute my own experience!"

Riko slammed her fist on Hayama's table, gritting her teeth in frustration. She had turned around to vent to Hayama during the brief recess before homeroom started. Ever since the Shirtless Incident (as Riko had started to dub it in her mind), she had started thinking of Hayama as someone she could pour her frustrations to, even if he was still stuck with the Rakuzan mentality. She felt that she could trust him somewhat.

Riko had been thinking all about the disastrous first practice session for several nights, and throughout the other practice sessions she attended. The memory kept replaying in her mind like a broken projector, evoking bitterness and shame in herself like sinister vines stretching and entrapping her heart. Akashi demonstrating to her the Rakuzan way and Mibuchi, Nebuya and Hayama actually willing to succumb to it rattled her. It brought out all the feelings she rarely felt: insecurities, vulnerabilities, self-doubt. It made her wonder if she could even coach in a place like Rakuzan.

But her pride was stronger than that. After the initial shock, she felt it stir from where it had shrivelled up deep within her, with every time she reviewed the memory of Akashi's demonstration.

And she felt her need to coach Akashi rise even stronger than it was before. His phenomenal stats aside, the more she remembered his cold, hard gaze, the more her pride rose, and the stronger the need became. It was strange to her...she was initially so shaken she wanted to give up. But she still wanted to coach him, even if she didn't understand him or his motivations in the slightest.

"Whoah there," Hayama said, grabbing her fist when she wanted to slam it down again. Sighing, he leaned back, and then said, "Well, then, so why are you even trying to understand him? Akashi's just...no one can understand him." He shrugged. "You don't know if you can really believe what he's saying sometimes. He just says things. You know?"

Riko stared at him with a slight frown. "And you're just okay with that? With listening to everything he says without even trying to understand why he says them?"

Hayama shrugged again. Crossing his arms, he continued, "Yeah. You just gotta follow what he says. He has his own reasons. Why would I need to question what he thinks? I trust him, you know."

Riko gaped at him. "You trust hi-"

"Yeah, I do," Hayama said immediately, cutting her off. "All of us do." He leaned forward eagerly, and then said, "So why don't you just do the same? He gets you the assistant coach position, you be assistant coach. He tells you to follow the Rakuzan way, you just follow the Rakuzan way. Easy." He leaned back again, his signature impish smirk back on his face. "And then you can have a happy high school life."

Riko bristled at his words. "No!" She slammed her fist on his table again, and he jumped slightly at her action. "I won't! It's wrong!" She glared at Hayama intensely. "I'll prove it to you."

Then she whipped around with a huff, and concentrated on her textbook even though Hayama kept trying to get her to turn around again, kicking her chair and chanting out her name with increasing volume, until the whole class was looking at their corner.

But Riko didn't notice, because she was gritting her teeth in determination. She was going to make Akashi acknowledge her, and her methods.

When Riko entered the Rakuzan gym later that day for another practice session, she found that all the players were already lining up in front of Shirogane-sensei, and the assistant coaches as well opposite the players and next to Shirogane-sensei. She quickly fell in line with the assistant coaches, quirking a small smile at Mibuchi and Nebuya, who were waving discreetly at her as they spotted her. She hid a snigger as she noticed Hayama already spacing out, but stopped immediately when she spotted Akashi right in front of everyone, serene as always.

"Mm...okay...the reason I wanted to gather all of you here is to announce two things," Shirogane-sensei said, eyebrows furrowed and looking at a clipboard in his hands.

"First are the dates of our training camp. It'll last one week, of course, and it will be held about three weeks before the Interhigh. It is mandatory for everyone to attend." He stopped here to glare sternly at all the players.

"Second, we will be having a practice match next Saturday. As befitting of our reputation, the school that'll be coming to practise with us is also of a certain level." He took a breath, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned. "Shuutoku High."

Immediately, some of the newer third-string players started murmuring among themselves. Riko noticed Akashi's brow furrow imperceptibly. Interesting.

"One of the Three Kings of Tokyo," Shirogane-sensei continued in a slightly louder voice above the murmurs. "You should be aware of the school already. They will be sending their regulars and their first string, so only our first string players will participate in the match. But the second and third string players can watch after they have finished all their basic stamina exercises and shooting drills."

He glared at all the players again, and then said, "You are all dismissed. Return to your training."

As the players bustled to do their respective exercises, Riko stood there for a moment. The memory of last summer was running through her mind, like a tidal wave. The numbers 141 and 45 were flashing in her eyes. Hyuuga's face, so determined, so resolute, was clear; she saw Izuki in her mind's eye, desperately passing the ball to him for a three-pointer. She saw Tsuchida frowning as he tried to grab a rebound and compete with the overwhelmingly strong Center, Taisuke Otsubo.

Then, the vision was gone. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath. She was in Rakuzan now. This was an opportunity.

Riko quickly rushed towards Shirogane-sensei, her heart beating in anticipation. She couldn't believe she would get the chance to observe such a high-level match not only in person, but in the capacity of assistant coach for one of the teams. Only Rakuzan could have offered this to her.

"Shirogane-sensei," Riko called out, gaining his attention as he looked up from the clipboard at her. She noticed him sigh discreetly and she frowned at that. Why did he always seem so weary around her?

"I would like to respectfully request for me to assist you during the practice match between Rakuzan and Shuutoku," Riko continued. "I believe that I can contribute because I have had experience coaching a win against one of Tokyo's best eight-"

"You are not permitted," interjected Shirogane-sensei, a hint of weariness in his tone.

Riko gaped at him. "Why not, Sensei?"

"Riko-san..." Shirogane-sensei exhaled loudly through his nose. "There are so many assistant coaches at Rakuzan. A lot of them would want to assist me." He looked at her sternly. "And a lot of them have more experience than you, a high school student."

His words stung. Riko felt her heart throb with anger. He definitely meant skill as well.

"I'm afraid I can't permit you to assist me in coaching just because you request me to. You can watch just like everyone else. That should be good enough," he said. Turning around to walk towards the first string players, he said with his back facing her, "Now go do your job with the third string players."

Riko blinked in surprise at his retreating back. This was the first time he had outwardly ordered her to coach a particular string. She had been spending the practice sessions since the first one going to all three sections, trying to analyse what would be most needed in each string.

Although she knew he meant it in a derogatory way, she felt happy that she was going to get the chance to do her job with one of the strings. The third string players were good to her.

But...she frowned bitterly at the thought that she wouldn't be able to coach the Rakuzan-Shuutoku match. She shouldn't have been surprised at his words, but it was still difficult to hear. She felt someone approach her and put a hand on her shoulder.

Turning, she saw that it was Mibuchi. Nebuya and Hayama were behind him.

"Riko-chan, do you want to help me do my stretches?" Mibuchi said, with gentle eyes. "You can let me know if I've done them enough to begin practising."

"I can't because I have to help the third string instead," she replied. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nebuya shaking his head in sympathy and Hayama swallowing, thinking that she was angry. Why would they act that way? The third string players were still teammates.

"I'm just disappointed that I won't be able to coach the first string during the practice match," she told them with a sigh.

"I hope you weren't expecting to coach the first string so quickly." His voice came from behind her, even and impassive as it always was. She turned to look at Akashi striding towards their group.

"You have only recently started. You have not proven your worth." His steely gaze bore into Riko, and she felt like she was struggling to stay afloat in a sea of water. "Rakuzan rewards winners and high performers. Prove to us that you are one."

He turned to Hayama, Mibuchi and Nebuya. "Come with me. We will practise our formations after stretching. Stop doing such unnecessary things." Stop this useless encouragement nonsense. Riko could hear the heavy implication in Akashi's words. This is the Rakuzan way.

Riko watched them as they left. Then, she turned as well, to walk towards the third string gym. So it was the Rakuzan way to leave people alone to solve their own problems, rather than doing it together.

A flash of Hayama, in the Shirtless Incident, ran through her mind. She furrowed her eyebrows in determination.

This was fine. She was strong enough to handle it without the support.

Riko entered the third string gym to see them already warming up with the jump ropes, and jogging around the gym. She walked around the players, scrutinising them carefully with narrowed eyes. That player needed to build stronger calf muscles. The one next to him needed to improve his running technique. The one in front of them would need to improve his stamina.

As she continued walking, she felt a sudden contact on her knee. Looking down, she realised that she had accidentally bumped into the shoulder of a grey-haired boy, who was already doing his stretches on the floor. He was glaring at her for interrupting.

Riko blinked. She hadn't realised he was there. "Oh, I'm so sorry." She squatted down to his level and smiled. "I hope I didn't disturb you too much."

The boy's frown disappeared and his face became impassive, smooth and clear like crystal. "No, it's fine." He turned away from her to continue his stretches.

Riko frowned as she watched him stretch. She extended an arm and placed her hand on his back, as she said, "You're not stretching your hamstrings enough. You have to lean forward more." She applied a little pressure on her hand.

The boy blinked at her actions, and then did as she instructed. After remaining in that position for several seconds, he switched position. As he did so, he said, "I suppose you're not actually a random passerby then?"

Riko smiled, and she moved her arm away. "No, I'm not. I'm Riko, one of the assistant coaches."

The boy nodded as he continued his stretches. "That's strange. I didn't expect to see someone practically my age coaching at Rakuzan." Riko was wondering if there was any insult behind that statement (his voice was as emotionless as his visage), when he continued, "I'm Mayuzumi Chihiro. Third year. And third string player."

This time, Riko could sense some bitterness behind his words. She frowned inwardly. What was there to be so disappointed about? The Rakuzan players were confusing her. Outwardly, she cheerfully said, "So you're my senpai then. Nice to meet you, Mayuzumi-senpai! I hope we can get along well."

Mayuzumi nodded. "Yeah, I hope we will. Since I assume you'll be stuck coaching us third-stringers for a long time." The way he said 'third-stringers' rattled Riko again. He spat the words out like they were poison.

Riko frowned at him. "There's no shame in being one of the third string. You're all very good players." She saw him scoff at her words, and she continued with slight irritation, "It's true. Your basic fundamentals are strong."

"There's no point in having strong fundamentals if you're outshone in every other way by others. Those Uncrowned Kings," said Mayuzumi, a trace of bitterness in his voice. "With them there, there's no way I can get to play in a match."

Uncrowned Kings? Was he talking about Hayama and the others?

Riko knitted her eyebrows as she looked at him, and said, "It's not about playing in a match, isn't it? It's about supporting your team, even when you're in the third string." She saw him look away from her. She wondered irritatedly why Rakuzan people were so individualistic. "Anyway, it just takes some time. You just need to keep working hard, and eventually the coach will recognise your abilities and put you in a match, even if you're not a regular starter."

She tried to smile encouragingly at him even though he was still looking away from her and she had the urge to force his face towards hers. "That's what I'm doing too. We can both do it together! I'm going to work hard coaching the third string so that eventually I will get the chance to coach the first string in actual matches. And you can work hard with me so that you will eventually be put in a match."

Mayuzumi snorted. "How naive are you?" He stopped his stretches and stood up. "I'm a third year. I've been working hard for longer than most people here." He looked at her from above, eyes narrowed but still revealing no emotion. "I sincerely wish you luck in your endeavour. It will be hard for you. But for me, my time is almost over. I don't think I can attend practice for much longer."

After he finished, he walked away from her without looking back once. Riko ground her teeth at his retreating back. What was with his defeatist attitude? It infuriated her.

She stood up, shaking her head to try to clear her mind of Mayuzumi. She would have to try talking some sense into him once he was less angry and bothered.

She turned back to the other third-stringers. They needed her too, and she would do her best to help them, even if some of them were even more demotivated than Mayuzumi.

In subsequent practice sessions Riko tried looking for Mayuzumi, but he was very difficult to spot. And in the times she did spot him, she was immediately dragged away by Hayama ("Am I doing my stretches alright, Riko? Huh, Riko? Riko, you're not looking!") so by the time she rushed back to the third string gym to talk to him, she couldn't find him anymore. She had never met anyone so easy to lose track of.

And so, as the week wore on, Riko busied herself with researching Shuutoku. They must have changed from last year. While she might not get the chance to coach the Rakuzan team playing, the research would still be useful. And it was Shuutoku High. Granted, she was at Rakuzan, which was arguably more prestigious, but she was still filled with anticipation of seeing Shuutoku's team in action this year.

She found out that they had obtained one of the Generation of Miracles too. Midorima Shintarou. The former shooting guard of the Miracles. She couldn't wait to see his technique to compare it with Mibuchi's. Mibuchi had shown her his shooting style during one of the earlier practice sessions and she had been blown away. It had been so beautiful, and so fluid, his motions smooth and certain, the ball completely within his control despite the distance from the hoop. His form was so effortless too, it was utterly breathtaking to watch. And it looked a little familiar – with a pang, she thought it reminded her of Hyuuga.

But if Mibuchi, as an Uncrowned King, already had such an impressive technique, she wondered how much better Midorima Shintarou could be.

When Saturday came around, it was with great anticipation when she entered the Teikou gym. She could feel the buzz in the air, the murmurs of the players as they did their exercises, and they were normally so silent like disciplined soldiers. Glancing over at the first string as she made her way into the third string gym, she saw Hayama excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet and shouting at Mibuchi, even more hyperactive than usual. Mibuchi was trying to calm him down, and Nebuya was munching on an energy bar. She wondered if he was nervous to be matched up with Otsubo.

As she entered the third string gym, she automatically glanced around to look for Mayuzumi. She couldn't see him anywhere. Frowning, she scoured the whole gym to find his signature grey hair.

After nearly half an hour of looking, some of the third stringers already moving into practising drills, she still couldn't find him. Approaching one of the other assistant coaches who was perusing a clipboard, she tapped his shoulder to gain his attention. When he turned to look at her, she asked him, "Excuse me, I'm looking for Mayuzumi Chihiro? He's a third year student in the third string. I can't find him anywhere in the gym. Could you tell me where he could be, if you've set him any training sets apart from the others, perhaps?"

The assistant coach frowned in thought, scratching his head slightly. "Mayuzumi Chihiro...I don't really remember him. Hold on a moment." He flipped through the documents on his clipboard, trailing his finger down the list of names.

"Ah, yes," he finally said, jabbing his finger on the clipboard. He read from the notes, "Mayuzumi Chihiro. Third string player. Zero matches played. Little chance of being promoted to the second string." He looked up at her once he was done. "He quit the club recently."

Riko blinked. "What? He quit?"

The assistant coach nodded his confirmation. He rustled the papers on his clipboard. "I suppose he couldn't handle the training menu." Turning away from her to walk away, he continued as he left, "That's fine, Rakuzan doesn't need players like that anyway."

Riko continued gaping as she stared at the assistant coach's retreating back. She had known Mayuzumi was already disillusioned, but she didn't know it was to this extent. He was very difficult to read.

But she couldn't ponder on the issue any longer, because there was suddenly a commotion somewhere in the first string gym. She heard snatches of "Shuutoku" in the murmurs and, feeling her heart leap in her throat, she made to stride towards the first string gym. Shuutoku was here! Mayuzumi flew out of her mind in her excitement.

But before she could make a step, she was suddenly called out by an irritatingly familiar voice, "Riikoo!" Turning her head towards the voice, she saw Hayama sprinting at full speed towards her. Holding out her hands as he skidded to a stop right in front of her, she quickly said, "Hayama-kun, please, I know-"

But she couldn't continue because he had grabbed one of her outstretched hands and started dragging her over to the first string gym. As she felt herself being dragged like a sack of potatoes for the how-many'th time, she sighed inwardly.

They both arrived in the first string gym to see several of the players gathering around the entrance to the gym. Hayama, still dragging Riko, rudely pushed players aside to get to the front side of the entrance. In the midst of the "hey!"s and "watch it!"s, Riko quickly apologised, bowing her head at every player who glared at them. Her fingers were starting to feel numb in Hayama's grip.

They reached the side of the entrance to see Akashi shaking hands with Otsubo, captain to captain. Hayama squashed Riko to the side of the door, very much like that first time in their classroom, and muttered to Riko, "Move a bit, will you? I want to see Midorima."

Scowling as she pressed her hand against his chest while he craned his neck above the other players around them, Riko tried to poke her head and peer through the crowd around them. Glancing behind Otsubo to the players behind, she finally saw him. Midorima Shintarou. He was standing next to a shorter, black-haired boy who was elbowing him incessantly and whispering something to him. And Midorima was carrying a...what? A neon pink lipstick? Huh? It was lying flat on his palm. And his fingers were...taped?

But before Riko could scratch her head in puzzlement, she saw Akashi turn towards Midorima, and Midorima did so too. They both looked at each other for a while. Riko suddenly felt the temperature drop, in the silence. It seemed as though everyone was holding their breath. She could feel the awkwardness, even when she wasn't even next to them. She saw Akashi open his mouth, and strained her ears to listen to their conversation.

But all he said was, "Shintarou.", and he gave Midorima a nod. Riko caught his gaze – it was heavy, and measured. She felt the pressure from it creep over her again. But she couldn't discern the slight emotion in it.

Midorima, meanwhile, had used a hand to push up his spectacles, so she couldn't see his eyes. He nodded as well and said, "Akashi."

At this point, Hayama patted Riko on the head from above where he was leaning over her and pointed at Shirogane-sensei next to Akashi. Shirogane-sensei was also locking eyes with Shuutoku's coach, both of them giving steely gazes at each other. Glancing upwards from the corner of her eye at Hayama's face, she saw his eyes bulging with suppressed mirth.

Both pairs continued looking at each other for a moment.

"Why are they acting like scornful ex-lovers?" Riko whispered to Hayama, and he immediately cracked up, stuffing his fist into his mouth to hide the sounds.

Then, the black-haired boy next to Midorima, who had previously been looking between the both sides curiously and with badly suppressed excitement, suddenly cleared his throat and said, "Ehh, weelll, I'd like to put my bags somewhere now, so...locker room, or benches?"

And then Akashi and Midorima blinked, and Shirogane-sensei and Shuutoku's coach stirred from their positions, clearing their throats. Shirogane started gesturing and walking to lead Shuutoku over where they could put their things, and as everyone started moving, noise filled the gym once again.

"Maan, that was awesome," Hayama said, wiping mirthful tears from his eyes. Then, a cocky smirk arose on his face. "I can't wait to play them. They look strong."

"That's good, now get off me now," Riko said grumpily as she shoved him away from her. He had still been leaning on her despite the dispersing crowd.

Ignoring Hayama's immediate whines and protests, she looked towards Shuutoku's retreating backs, her eyes shining with anticipation. Because he was right, and she couldn't wait either.

After Shuutoku put away their things, they came out to the court to stretch and warm up. Riko was over in the third string gym, trying to concentrate while she helped a group of third stringers with their stamina drills, blowing her whistle for every set. However, they were distracted as well, and eventually Riko and the other assistant coaches relented and all of them filed into the first string gym. Fortunately, the Shuutoku players were still warming up by performing layup drills.

The Rakuzan players, having warmed up, were in a huddle by their side of the court. They were deep in discussion. She was about to move over there too, when she passed by the Shuutoku side and overheard someone saying, "What, Shin-chan? You're not playing?"

Turning her head to look at the Shuutoku group, she saw the black-haired boy talking to Midorima. Midorima shook his head, adjusted his spectacles and said, "No. After speaking with Rakuzan's coach and Akashi, Nakatani-sensei decided that it would be better for me to sit out this match, and let the other Shuutoku players get the practice." He looked sternly at the other boy. "Now continue your layup drills."

Riko frowned in disappointment as she heard him. She felt the bitterness creep over her like a fog. She had been so looking forward to seeing him play against Akashi. It had been all she had been thinking about all week. Glancing over at Akashi at the Rakuzan side, he was calmly explaining something to the rest of the Rakuzan team. She supposed he wasn't going to be playing either. She couldn't help wondering if this was a deliberate decision. She looked at Midorima, who was carefully inspecting his taped fingers and holding his lipstick primly. On both their parts.

"Jeez, Shin-chan, it's going to be really difficult to beat them without you," the black-haired boy was whining. He stretched his arms, pouting slightly.

"You have to win anyway, Takao," Midorima told him with sternness in his voice. He frowned at the boy called Takao. "Now go do the layups with everyone."

Takao sighed, then with an impish grin, suddenly ran over to the hoop, cutting through the queue of players. He grabbed a ball, and did a powerful layup. He laughed merrily as he landed on the ground after his jump.

Riko blinked. As the other Shuutoku players started berating him, Riko couldn't help but be impressed with the boy's skill. He really was very good, she could see just from the layup alone.

She smiled slightly at this display of basketball ability, and the smile widened as she saw the boy's antics uniting the team as they irritatedly told him off. Midorima even wandered over to Takao and the group from where he had been slightly isolated by the benches.

Still smiling, she continued over to the Rakuzan side. Sitting down on the benches behind the group huddled together, she overheard Nebuya saying, "So, Akashi, you're not playing, so it's just going to be Kotarou, me and Reo, and then any two first string players?"

Akashi nodded at Nebuya, and then said, "That's correct. We will alternate between a few first string players for the remaining two spots, so that they can get the opportunity to train themselves against a team like Shuutoku. You three, however, will keep playing throughout the game."

"Alright!" Hayama shouted, pumping his fist in the air. He grinned deviously. "This is gonna be fun."

Akashi directed his even gaze at Hayama, and said, "I am expecting you to win, even without me. The three of you should be enough to guarantee victory against Shuutoku without Shintarou. That is Rakuzan's strength."

Riko saw Hayama swallow, and Mibuchi saying, "Of course, Sei-chan, don't worry," as he lifted a hand to pat Akashi on the shoulder, but he withdrew it when Akashi turned his gaze onto him.

After looking at all three of them in the eye, Akashi turned around and moved to select the first string players who would play in the match. Riko saw the boys release breaths of relief, and she frowned. Akashi had no qualms about intimidating his teammates.

What was Shirogane-sensei doing? He seemed to be leaving all the decisions to Akashi. She glanced at him next to Nebuya, his arms crossed. He had just listened to Akashi's words. While Riko could see the logic behind Akashi's decisions, she wondered about his motivation methods. It was completely alien to her. How could the team be excited to win after a speech like that? Glancing at Hayama, she felt slightly sad that all his enthusiasm for the match had gone, and was now replaced with seriousness. He looked completely focused.

But the two aren't mutually exclusive, Hayama-kun.

After the Shuutoku players finished their warm up and drills, both teams lined up opposite each other. One of the Rakuzan assistant coaches was going to referee the match.

After the bowing and formalities, the teams got into position. The assistant coach held the ball, the whistle in his mouth. Then he threw the ball high into the air, and blew the whistle.

Riko sat forward, her chin on steepled fingers, and started to watch the match, her eyebrows furrowed in her focus.

Note: Thank you so much for the reviews! I treasure each one. ^_^

Also, I can't remember if Riko was aware of the existence of the Uncrowned Kings before meeting Hanamiya for the second time in the manga, so in this story, it's hinted that she's only slightly aware of it.