Kuroko didn't know how to admit it, but he was nervous.
In all the excitement of winning the Winter Cup, there wasn't much he remembered. It was all a blur, from the moment the buzzer sounded to when Kagami brought him to bed and showed him the true meaning of 'trembling with excitement.'
However, there was one moment in all of that he remembered clearly.
He'd just been talking to Kawahara when he'd felt someone hugging him from behind. "Later, Kagami-kun," he'd said, only for Kawahara's shocked expression to tell him that he'd been wrong.
"Um, Kuroko, that's not Kagami. I actually don't know who this is. Also, gross."
Just then, Kuroko heard a laugh that he never thought he'd hear again. "Surprise!" It was Ogiwara, his childhood friend. After confirming that their phone numbers were still the same, they promised to hang out again, "just like old times! It'll be great!"
Which leads back to today. How do you talk to someone you haven't hung out with in five years?
Looking back, he wanted to hit himself. He really should've realized that Ogiwara would have done most of the talking from the beginning. Sitting in a booth at Maji Burger, it was like nothing had changed at all.
"…So, anyway, I ended up tagging along with my cousin on his volleyball training camp this summer, and I had fun, but it just wasn't the same. It only made me miss basketball, especially after they started bumping the ball into the net. It just made me sad."
He had so many questions. How can you not despise me after that? How can you be that big of a person? Ogiwara somehow saw the questions on his face.
"I knew when it was time to forgive. It was around the time you beat Touou when I heard what you and that guy were doing. Somehow I knew it was for me, and that was when I forgave you. I figure, since apparently the Generation of Miracles are learning to play as a team, I'll be able to forgive them someday too. I've joined my school's basketball club for next year, so you better get ready for me!"
"Yes. We still haven't had our game like we wanted."
"I really want to go against that boyfriend of yours. He looks really strong! I'd almost forgotten what that felt like, to want to face off against someone else. It really is a good feeling."
"You should come to Seirin and meet everybody. I'm sure they want to meet you, too. We could probably play some, too. I'll make sure that Kagami and I are on the other team. We'll have fun."
"I want that, too."
Ogiwara! I remember first reading the chapter when he comes back, when I was on my break at work. I started crying, and I was afraid that somebody would find me.
Next time, we have Murasakibara and Akashi, just in time for Valentine's Day.
Thanks for reading!
~Aurora