A/N: Really sorry I haven't updated in so long. I underestimated just what the workload required from me and I got too tired to write as I tried to cope with the curriculum. I've adjusted well enough now, though, and I've gotten back the drive to write, so here's another chapter, and I promise not to make you guys wait this long again :(( As such, chapter 8 is also in progress and will hopefully be published in two weeks :((
*It should also be noted that I suck at writing basketball scenes, but for the sake of this chapter (and future chapters), I will try my best.
Chapter 7
She gazed out of the window and observed the clear blue waters that they were passing by from way up above in the plane. Beside her, her father was reading through some papers in preparation for today's meeting — not that he needed to, considering he was always and more than enough prepared for everything. It was also just another check-up meeting with the American company they had met up with before. Business was good, but Masaomi wanted to oversee the progress with his very own eyes.
Seijuuro sighed then turned to the book in her hands, a book about business economics. As Elise, she may have always wanted to become a doctor, but now, in a family who was pretty much ruling class in the business world, learning more and more about that world would help. She supposed she was just disappointed that she had to leave on the day that she, Shuuzo, and Shougo — he was Shougo to her now — had wanted to try out that new ice cream store down the street.
Guess I have to wait, she grumbled in her thoughts. Not that the business meeting was a hassle as she learned so much from it, but she just didn't like it's timing.
Soon, the plane began to descend and Masaomi turned to her expectantly, as if saying 'You will behave as an Akashi will behave in today's meeting'. Translation: show them all up despite your age.
Seijuuro smirked. That, she could do very well.
The meeting went well. She was just a little disappointed that Furihata Kouki wasn't there. She would have wanted to see what kind of impact her words had had on him, to see if there were any improvements in how he carried himself. It seemed she would have to wait for that opportunity some other time.
As she and Masaomi walked down the bustling streets of the city, she heard the sound of a ball swooshing inside a net. She perked up and whipped her head around, looking for the source of the sound. Her attention zoomed in on a nearby basketball court deep inside one of the alleys in front of her.
She ached to play — she hadn't been able to play basketball with Shuuzo and Shougo lately, as they were all usually just doing homework somewhere but together — but she didn't know if Masaomi would let her go. As if on cue, he turned towards her with a raised eyebrow.
"You are aware that we are in a foreign country."
She didn't really know if that was a statement to tell her that she should know better than to go off on her own in an unfamiliar place where she could easily get kidnapped by someone, or if that was his way of telling her that he would be worried. Knowing Akashis, it was probably the former.
"I know the way back to the hotel," she offered.
He stared at her, as if weighing his choices. She understood, though. She was only six, turning seven in a few months. What parent would let his six-year old daughter roam around the streets of a place she didn't even grow up in? 'Akashi Corps.' wasn't even a household name here. Yet.
"One hour," was his ultimatum and she readily agreed. Once he nodded, she walked off towards the basketball courts with an excited skip in her steps.
The court was just like a regular court in Japan, but this one had more people in it than the one in her neighborhood. People were cheering for whoever was playing, placing bets on the sides, smiles on their faces.
She curiously walked over towards the game, forgetting her initial purpose of asking to join and play. Her eyes widened as she watched Himuro Tatsuya and another kid fighting against two older kids. Himuro, like in the anime, was quite good at it at this age. His teammate wasn't at the same skill level as Himuro was, but they were both fighting well against the older kids.
"He's going to tire out soon," she mumbled out loud, eyes locked on Himuro's teammate.
"The other kid? That's true. You're quite perceptive for a little kid," someone told her.
Seijuuro turned her head to the left and saw a blonde woman wearing pink framed glasses next to her. Oh.
Alexandra Garcia stood before her with a curious look on her face. Seijuuro felt intimidated. She wasn't as good as Alexandra at this point in time, and she could feel the strength from the older woman.
She could easily beat you. Doesn't that hurt your pride?
Seijuuro blinked at the sudden voice, looking around for whoever had spoken to her, but there was no one else near her. She hummed before turning back to Alexandra, who now looked at her weirdly.
"You lookin' for someone, kid?"
"No, sorry. I just thought…" she trailed off. 'I just thought I heard someone speak to me' was going to be weird to hear. I must have been imagining things.
"Never mind," Seijuuro said. "That kid over there's doing decently, but he just doesn't have the endurance to keep it up. He has some potential, though."
"You're right. Although, the one with black hair stands out more, don't you think? There's a certain fluidity in his movements. Makes him look graceful while playing," Alexandra commented.
Seijuuro nodded. "That's true."
A buzzer then rang throughout the court, signalling the end of the game. According to the nearby scoreboard, the game ended with 20-14 in favor of the older kids. Not bad.
"That's why you shouldn't think you'll ever be as good as us, brat," one of the older kids smirked at Himuro and his companion.
"We played well, though!" Himuro's companion piped up before sulking. "If Tatsuya was playing with someone better, they would've pulverized you."
"Please, even if he's obviously better than you, he still would've lost. Why would we ever lose to a kid?" the other older boy laughed with his friend.
Himuro started glaring at them, but he didn't make any move to defend himself or his teammate. Seijuuro knew that the Himuro in the anime would have been more vocal about them looking down on him, but he wasn't that Himuro yet. This was a younger Himuro.
Without thinking, she walked forward, and the crowd started whispering about what a little girl was doing on the courts, but she kept walking until she reached Himuro and his companion. She stood in front of them and gazed at Himuro's dark gray eyes, saying, "If it is acceptable with you and your friend, I'd like to play with you and beat those guys" as she pointed at the older kids.
Her statement was met with laughter from the older kids and some people in the crowd. Even Himuro and his companion were looking at her oddly, as if doubting her. As a female Akashi, she was used to the doubt that came from her father's business partners until they actually had a meeting with her and their thoughts about her took a quick one-eighty.
"I'm not joking. If it's alright with you," she said, looking at both Himuro and his companion, who debated on it before the latter shrugged and said "As long as they lose, I guess."
Himuro still doubted her from the look in his eyes, but he agreed. He then looked at the older boys, "Would another game be okay with you?"
"We'll play. Wouldn't hurt to humiliate you guys again," one of them said while the other guffawed.
"May I know your names first, though?" Seijuuro asked them.
"Why?"
"I'd like to know the names of the people who would lose to me today," Seijuuro smiled at them angelically.
This got them pissed off.
"Watch your mouth, brat."
The other glared at her before nodding to whoever was refereeing them a while ago. "Reset the scores to zero, will ya? These brats want to lose again. First to ten wins."
As the older kids warmed up, Seijuuro was doing her stretches. Himuro was still looking at her. Huffing, she asked him, "Did you want to say something? Your staring is quite irritating."
Himuro blinked before apologizing. "Sorry, it's just… girls don't usually… you know."
"I think it would be easy to forget my biological make-up if you just focused on what the goal here is: beating them."
"But you didn't have to help us."
So perhaps that was it. He was suspicious of why a girl of all people wanted to help them out when there was no reason to.
"You're right," Seijuuro told him, smirking a little. "I honestly just wanted a good game, and if helping you out is going to get me that, then so be it.
Besides, you're pretty good. If it helps, I'll just be your support. This is your match, anyways."
Himuro Tatsuya was a calm, collected person. Most of the time, that is. He and his friend, Josh, were playing basketball at one of the streetball courts when two older kids from the school they went to, Kyle and Damien, came in and demanded they leave, that they wanted this court immediately even though he and Josh were here first.
Josh, understandably, got visibly annoyed and was rather vulgar when telling the other two to go away. This angered Kyle and Damien, who then challenged them to a basketball match. Suddenly, many people began to spectate, maybe to see the possible humiliation they would receive once Josh accepted the match.
Tatsuya sighed and just hoped that they wouldn't lose immediately. He knew Kyle and Damien played basketball all the time for their class during sports tournaments in school, and he knew they were good. Josh was just starting out, and that was why they were here in the first place: to teach Josh some tricks or some exercises.
He honestly hoped Josh would have backed out instead, but another part of him was annoyed at how Kyle and Damien just belittled them — belittled him. He may not be a pro, but he was sure his fakes and ability to shoot were at least something.
Some random guy in the crowd volunteered to referee, and with another volunteer doing the scoreboard, they were good to go.
"First two twenty wins," Kyle smirked at them as he positioned himself a few steps behind Damien.
The tip-off started, and Damien, being the tallest one there, easily got the ball and ran towards Tatsuya's side of the court, easily dodging past Josh as he went for a layup and earned himself and Kyle the first two points of the game.
Josh looked frustrated with himself and tried to focus more, but Tatsuya knew that he himself would have to be the one to carry this game. The ball was in Damien's hands but Tatsuya skillfully stole the ball away from him, running past the half-court line and preparing to shoot.
Or at least, that's what he made Kyle, who was guarding him, think. Kyle jumped up to block it, but Tatsuya smirked as he made a fake.
He shot the ball and watched as it gracefully soared in the air and into the hoop, making the score 2-2.
"Yeah!" Josh cheered.
The game went on like that, with each Kyle and Damien scoring first and Tatsuya and Josh (mostly Tatsuya) placing another tie once more. At 14-14, Tatsuya was confident that they would win if Josh was just able to get him the ball.
Unfortunately for him, Josh was just not like him.
Tatsuya was preparing to receive the ball from Josh, but Josh was sweating profusely and panting. When Josh passed the ball to him, it was weak and slow, and so Kyle was able to steal the ball from them and score again.
16-14.
"It's fine! Let's keep going!" he told Josh.
Josh appeared dejected, though, and disappointed in himself, but he still tried to push on and go.
It didn't work, though. As much as Tatsuya tried to carry the game, fighting against two older kids and having to be concerned about Josh wasn't helping.
They lost 20-14, and he would have accepted it with grace, knowing that they were at a disadvantage from the start — really, eight-year-olds against twelve-year-olds? — but Kyle and Damien were gloating, mocking them for losing, mocking them for being weak, and he
Hated
It.
"That's why you shouldn't think you'll ever be as good as us, brat," Kyle smirked at them.
"We played well, though!" Josh piped up in their defense before sulking. "If Tatsuya was playing with someone better, they would've pulverized you."
True, Tatsuya almost said out loud, but he knew better. Had Josh been playing for as long as he himself had been playing, they might have actually beaten them. Besides, he was probably just bitter about the loss for him to be thinking about these things.
"Please, even if he's obviously better than you, he still would've lost. Why would we ever lose to a kid?" Damien laughed.
Tatsuya started glaring at them, but he didn't make any move to defend himself or Kyle. What good would it have done anyways?
The crowd's chattering toned down, though, and he heard soft footsteps coming towards them. He glanced up and saw a little redheaded girl walking towards them. She stood in front of him and said, "If it is acceptable with you and your friend, I'd like to play with you and beat those guys" as she pointed at Kyle and Damien.
Kyle and Damien and some people in the crowd started laughing at what she said. Even he was looking at her oddly. Did she even know what she was saying? Her, a what, five-year-old against them? She had no chance.
"I'm not joking. If it's alright with you," she spoke again, looking at both him and Josh.
"What do you think?" Tatsuya mumbled to Josh with curiosity.
Josh shrugged and said, "She may be a little girl, but as long as they lose, I guess."
Tatsuya still doubted her though, but he agreed. He then looked at the Kyle and Damien, "Would another game be okay with you?"
"We'll play. Wouldn't hurt to humiliate you guys again," Kyle said while Damien laughed again.
"May I know your names first, though?" the girl asked Kyle and Damien.
"Why?"
"I'd like to know the names of the people who would lose to me today," she smiled at them angelically, and that honestly almost made him laugh out loud at her sheer audacity. He just hoped she'd be able to back it up.
The tip-off started again, and of course, Damien was able to get the ball and, as if it were a replay of the first match, Kyle and Damien got the points first. Tatsuya grumbled as he looked at the girl. He was seriously starting to regret his decision because she really didn't seem like much. How were they to win at this rate? He didn't want to be humiliated again.
Why did he ever agree to this in the first place?
As Kyle and Damien prepared for the next clash, she jogged over to them and told him, "That was my bad. I was trying to gauge how fast he was. Do you mind handing me the ball this time?"
He rose an eyebrow at her. "We're losing. Do you really think I trust you enough to give you the ball when you let him past you in the first place?"
"For research purposes," she defended herself. "Well?"
"Whatever," he grumbled and went over to guard Kyle. Damien passed the ball to Kyle but Tatsuya intercepted it and against his better judgement, passed it on to the little girl. She easily caught the ball and Damien hurried over to intercept her, quickly getting there with his longer legs and strides.
Tatsuya winced but kept up his guard on Kyle. He, and the girl, were going to be beaten so badly.
But that didn't happen.
As if in slow motion, he watched as the girl did a quick crossover dribble that caused Damien to fall down, out of balance, before she drove past him and shot the ball.
A perfect, clean ankle breaker.
2-2.
Damien and Kyle looked at her in shock, and so did he, and so did Josh and the other spectators. None of them expected that from her, and just how was she able to do that?
She blinked and glanced back at them. "What?"
Kyle and Damien shook the shock out of their faces before they positioned themselves to play again, but Tatsuya noticed that they were being cautious of the girl, and he knew they were planning to never let the ball get to her.
That meant there would be a double screen on him.
Great.
As if she had read his mind, she told him, "Don't worry. We can do this."
The ball was in Kyle's hands, and Tatsuya did his best to block Kyle. He was doing pretty well, pressuring Kyle enough that Kyle had no choice but to pass the ball to Damien. With his height, Damien easily caught the ball but found himself blocked by the little girl. Damien did a crossover, but the girl kept up with his movements, never taking her eyes off of him or the ball. Annoyed, he decided to take his chances with a shot fake.
When he shot the ball though, the ball didn't go in smoothly, as it ran circles around the hoop before falling inside.
They were doing pretty well so far, with the score reaching 8-8. She and Himuro weren't much of a team, but they at least knew when it was time to pass the ball to someone else if they were being guarded or pressured.
It was down to the final shot, though, and she was getting a little tired. She was used to playing with people her age and with small gaps in height differences, but she now she was playing against people two heads or so taller than her.
As she guarded one of the older boys, she watched as Himuro dribbled the ball, hoping to get past his screen, but when it seemed difficult to do so, he glanced at her. She nodded at him and gazed at the boy blocking her.
She angled her body to the right, and he quickly went in that direction in order to stop her, but she was able to quickly move to the left and catch the ball Himuro had sent at her. She dribbled the ball but the boy she passed, her previous screen, had managed to get in front of her again. He was becoming more aggressive in his attempts to get the ball from her, but she wouldn't let him.
Her pride — and Himuro's pride — was on the line here.
She wasn't sure if she could do another ankle break, though. The first one was just pure luck. The adrenaline had rushed through her, and it had given her the confidence to attempt something she hadn't practiced much before.
She also couldn't attempt shooting a three-pointer because there was no one hundred percent guarantee at the moment that it would go in. She wasn't a Midorima Shintaro, after all.
While she contemplated her dilemma, Himuro was able to break past his screen, eyes on her. Quickly, she passed the ball to him and though unsure of his actions, he took a shot. His form was so graceful, just like how Alexandra said it was, just like how it was in the anime.
And thankfully, his form was perfect.
The ball bounced against the backboard and went in the hoop.
10-8.
A small smile blossomed on Himuro's lips, eyes wide with the announcement of their win as Himuro's companion ran over and hugged him.
"You won, Tatsuya! You actually won!" he cheered.
Seijuuro herself was rather pleased with the turn of events, but the reality was that there was so much that she was lacking in, so much to improve on. She shouldn't be rushing, but the game was a reminder to her that in just a few years, she would be in Teiko Middle School and she had to be as good as, if not greater than, the Akashi in the anime.
She had to be.
"Hey, I'd just like to say 'thank you'. I honestly couldn't have done it without you," Himuro told her, the smile still on his face as he lifted a hand to her.
She shook his hand and gave him a smile of her own. "It was no problem. Thanks for giving me a chance to play."
"I'm Himuro Tatsuya, by the way."
"I'm Akashi Seijuuro."
"Do you live around here?" he asked curiously.
She shook her head. "No, my father's here on business. I just asked for some time to check out the basketball courts."
"Oh," his tone sounded disappointed. "Well, would you like to have some burgers with me and my friend, Josh?"
Before she could agree, Seijuuro asked one of the bystanders, "Excuse me, what time is it?"
"It's four o'eight right now," the bystander replied.
Seijuuro's eyes widened before she turned to Himuro. "I'm sorry, but Father is expecting me back at our hotel soon."
But then, she did want to get to know this Himuro more. It was changing the course of the timeline already, but she already ruined it by being reincarnated, didn't she?
"I could meet up with you guys tomorrow, if that's okay?"
Himuro nodded at her. "Sure, same time tomorrow? Right here, that is."
"Okay."
Meanwhile, Furihata Kouki sat in front of his computer, fingers hovering over the keyboard hesitantly. He wanted answers, but wasn't this just… weird?
Beside him, his father, Furihata Kouji, looked at him expectantly. "Kouki, you know that this will smoothen relations with Akashi Corp. further."
"Yes, Father," Kouki responded immediately, but this was honestly weird. They weren't even friends!
"Kouki," his father stressed before he turned back to his newspaper.
He gulped before typing his e-mail.
To: Akashi Seijuuro
From: Furihata Kouki
Re: How are you?
Good morning, Akashi-san!
How are you?
I hope you do not find this e-mail to be odd. I simply believe that having a friendship would prove to be beneficial for both Akashi Corp. and Furihata Corp.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
Furihata Kouki
Kouki squirmed when he finished. It was way too formal than what he was used to. He was allowed to be casual with friends, but he was reminded time and time again of how important a person Akashi Seijuuro was right now, and how more important she'll be in the future.
He glanced at his father's stern face once more before hitting send.
He then excused himself from the table and went to his room, hiding under the sheets as mushrooms grew on him.
He just hoped she wouldn't find him weird after this.
The next day was a Saturday, and Kouki dreaded going to the dining hall, but he did anyways. His father sat at the head of the table, and his mother sat to his father's left. He took the other seat next to his father and ate. Unsurprisingly, once he was almost finished eating, his father had asked one of their maids to fetch Kouki's laptop.
Kouki felt nervous. He didn't have to read the exact e-mail, but his father wanted to know nonetheless what the reply was.
Once the laptop was placed in front of him, he opened it and logged in to his e-mail. He was surprised to see that she had replied.
To: Furihata Kouki
From: Akashi Seijuuro
Re: Re: How are you?
Good afternoon, or is it morning already in Japan? I apologize as I am in America right now, and I am not fully aware of the time difference between these two countries.
I am fine, thank you. Basketball continues to be an enjoyable sport regardless of the country it's being played in. I have actually found two new friends here in America who I try to find the time to play basketball with while considering that I am only here for a week.
While surprising, I do not find the e-mail to be odd as I also see the benefits in a friendship with Furihata Corp. However, I'm afraid we'll have to leave out personal matters until a later date, as we are just starting in this friendship.
Nevertheless, this email has been a pleasant surprise, and I now turn the question to you: how are you?
Regards,
Akashi Seijuuro
"Well?" Kouji asked him.
Kouki had forgotten that he was supposed to inform his father immediately on the e-mail's contents as he was surprised that she didn't find him to be weird at all. She even accepted!
"She is also interested and has accepted this friendship for the benefit of Akashi Corp." Kouki replied.
His father directed a pleased smile at him, one so rarely directed to him, and Kouki felt his previous nervousness wash away.
Kouki returned his attention to the e-mail, and internally agreed with her that it was too soon to talk about personal things. They could talk about those some other time.
"Has she mentioned anything that will help you get closer?" Kouji asked.
Kouki scanned the e-mail once more before 'basketball' made him pause. "I think it would be basketball. When talking about it, she seemed to have been more vocal and expressive."
Kouji hummed. "You will be learning basketball soon, then."
Kouki had never played sports before, but if it would take time away from his heavy workload on subjects he wouldn't even need to study yet, then that was completely acceptable.
A/N: So no Nijimura and Haizaki for this chapter, sadly, but hey, Himuro! WOO! Sorry if the basketball match scene wasn't really good, lol. And I'm so excited because we are 2-3 chapters away from Teiko Arc!
See you in a few weeks! :
