Chapter 35

~Teiko Days~

Shirane's POV

"Once all of you put your belongings in your respective rooms, head to the assigned gyms."

Coach instructed all of the basketball club members before he started announcing the room assignments and handing out of keys. Today is the first day of the training camp and we had just arrived to the training campsite about 20 minutes ago.

All of us, the girls, had already been given the key to our rooms before Coach started instructing the guys. We were given much earlier because the 2 other managers needed to head down to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

And now we were heading to our assigned room.

Opening the door to our room, Momoi and the other 2 managers were awing at the room. It just was a Japanese style room. I didn't understand the need to get excited.

"…Are you guys done yet?"

Looking at the 3 girls scattering across the room, I placed my bag down at the side of the room. They weren't going to be done anytime soon.

"I'm gonna to head to the gym then…"

Seems like they didn't hear me at all… Well, knowing that I can't stop them, I sighed and left the room.

"Sorry that I am late!"

Momoi came running to me and the 2 Coaches. We were having a discussion on the training regime for the camp.

"Ah, Momoi. Not to worry, Shirane told me about you."

"Eh?"

Momoi looked at me, puzzled but I just gave her a shrug. I only told Coach that Momoi would be coming down later.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we will be focusing on the basics first. On the third day, we will have practice matches with the other 2 strings. I have already informed the other Coaches for the arrangement. Momoi, do record the data from the guys."

"I understand."

"Sanada will be in charge of their training. As for Shirane, I will teach you the strategies and techniques personally for the rest of the camp."

"Eh?"

I gave Coach a confused look.

"Follow me."

Ushering me to follow him, I did as I was told, leaving Momoi and the other Coach behind.

Coach led me into a Japanese tea room in another building. There was a fireplace with a kettle hanging in the middle of the room. Also, there was a familiar board placed near the fireplace.

Coach sat beside the chess board as I stood there, completely stunned.

"We are not going to do that right…?"

Coach just smiled at me in return.

"Yes we are. We are going to play Shogi."

My worst nightmare has come true.

The plan was that for the rest of the camp, Coach and I will be facing against each other, alternating between several board games like Shogi and Chess. My goal was to defeat Coach within a certain amount of moves.

For the past 2 days I have been failing terribly because I suck at these games. Thus I began to look forward to preparing meals. That is until it was Momoi's turn to cook for that evening…

I heard that some guys who drank Momoi's sport drinks were pretty much immobilized with just a sip. And the effect lasted for 3 hours.

I sighed as I made my next move on the chess board.

"Checkmate."

Coach smiled at me as he knocked off my king off the chess board. I placed my hand on my head, tired from playing.

"My head hurts. Can I take a break?"

Looking at the wrist watch that he has, Coach nodded.

"A half an hour break, probably you will play better the next round."

"I doubt so…"

"And take this."

Coach handed me a piece of paper game.

"Okay…?"

Getting up, I left the room and decided to have a walk outside. The air in the mountains was fresh and cooling despite being in the summer.

As I pass by the gym in my walk, I bump onto someone without looking.

"That hurts…"

Rubbing my head which was hurt, I thought that voice sounded very familiar. I look up to find Kise.

"Shiranecchi?"

Kise looked surprised to find me here. Then again, who wouldn't be since I was shut in to that damn room for the past 2 days playing board games.

"Kise."

"What are you doing here?"

"Taking a break. What about you?"

"Same here."

Kise seemed to realize something when he looked at me and chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?"

I tiled my head, puzzled with his actions. All of a sudden, Kise pulled me close to him.

"Kise?!"

I started to panic when I realized he did that.

"Stay still."

Sweeping my bangs to a side, Kise took out something from the top of my head. Showing it to me, it was a leaf. I started blushing in embarrassment.

How long has that leaf been stuck onto my hair? Did anyone saw it?

"If it was autumn, you would probably have a head full of leaves."

Kise chuckled once more.

"Shut up."

I retorted back at him in embarrassment.

"Anyway, I am going to get a drink from the vending machine. Want to come along? My treat."

Nodding back at him, Kise held out his hand for me to hold on to.

While making our way there, Kise began asking me how was my training was Coach as far.

"It's horrible. I really suck at this kind of games. If I were Akashi, it will be a piece of cake."

"If that's the case, why don't you ask Akashicchi for help?"

Kise suggested to him. It wasn't something that I didn't think of.

"I wish I could but you guys are busy in your training too, so I didn't want to bother him. Besides, asking him for help wouldn't serve the purpose for my training would it?"

"True."

The both of use finally reached the vending machine.

"What do you want?"

Kise asked as he inserted the coins into the machine.

"Green tea please."

Hearing me, Kise pressed the button and a can of green tea drop out to the pocket at the bottom of the machine. Taking it out from the pocket, Kise handed the drink over to me.

"Thanks."

I thanked Kise as he began to do the same thing to get his drink.

"By the way, did anyone drink the sport drink today?"

I asked as I opened the can drink that Kise gotten for me.

"Actually we were debating what to do with it after Momoicchi left the gym for a moment. Unfortunately, some guys didn't knew about it took and drank it. They fainted immediately after taking a slip."

I giggled after hearing Kise telling me that.

"We had to drag the guys to somewhere to hide them from Momoicchi. It was really tough."

"What happen to them after that?"

"Since the effect lasted 3 hours, the guys woke up. But they had no memory of it, weird right?"

"And nobody told them?"

"Yup."

Should I tell him about Momoi cooking for tomorrow's dinner? Maybe not.

"Well at least I finally relaxed. Playing board games really strain my head."

I took a sip of my drink as Kise opened his.

"Come to think of it, how are board games going to help in strategies and techniques? Probably does in strategies, but techniques…?"

Kise took a sip from his can.

"That's what I would want to know too…"

I sighed. Coach refused to tell me about that too. However he did give me a piece of paper with scribbles every time I finished a game with him. He told me to study it carefully. However no matter how much I tried, I could figure out what the scribbles on the paper mean.

Taking out the paper that I have just gotten from Coach earlier, I tried looking at it carefully again. However, I failed once more.

"Well, it time for me to head back now."

Kise came close to me and peck me on the forehead, earning a blush from me.

"See you at dinner."

Give me a wink, Kise ran off.

Reaching back much earlier than the stated time, I sat on the cushion and took out all the paper that I have gotten from Coach. I scattered them on the floor and look once more.

"Maybe I should look at it in a big picture?"

I muttered to myself and stood up to take a look. Suddenly, one of the papers caught my eye.

I sat back down and began rearranging the papers.

"I got it!"

I smiled to myself and look at the papers again. It was actually a chart of several game plans with key points at the side. Coming to think of it, they look kind of similar to how Coach was playing with the board games.

So this was the techniques that Coach was talking about.

The next day during preparation for dinner, the three of us were trying to reduce the damage that Momoi is doing to her curry.

"Ai-chan, why don't you go and get our back-up meals?"

Mi-chan, as Momoi like to call her, whispered to the said person. Ai-chan, hurried off without saying a word.

"I think we need to get ready to carry the guys."

"We could just leave them here. It doesn't matter anyway since we are leaving tomorrow."

"Right…"

"Mi-chan, Jun-chan, mind trying the curry?"

The both of us glanced at the pot of boiling curry. The colour seems a bit off.

"No thanks!"

We answered in unison. Just then, the guys started coming into the cafeteria and queue in line for their food.

"I'll say my prayers for them."

Mi-chan announced to me and began praying. I stood there and sweat-drop at her.

"Something smells weird."

Aomine who was queuing in line, sniffed.

"It smells very familiar."

"Aominecchi must have missed your mother's cooking."

"Shut up."

"I'm hungry."

"Wait just a bit longer Murasakibara-kun. It will be your turn soon."

Kise's POV

After everyone took their food and seated, we were all going to announce that we were going to start eating.

"Shiranecchi, why is your food different from ours?"

I glanced over at Shiranecchi's food.

"That's because there wasn't enough to go around."

Shiranecchi sheepishly smiled at me.

"I see."

"Wait a minute. This looks very familiar…"

Aominecchi stared at his tray of food.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Thanks for the meal."

Murasakibaracchi dig in to his meal.

"Atsushi, you shouldn't start eating before…"

Before Akashicchi can finish, Murasakibaracchi collapsed.

"Murasakibara-kun?"

Some of the guys near him went to help him up while the rest of us who were sitting on the same table wondered what had happened to him.

"Thanks for the meal!"

At that moment, everyone else around us who didn't know a thing started eating, including Momoicchi. Even Midorimacchi who didn't care what happened to Murasakibaracchi followed along. Not long after, everyone started collapsing one by one like Dominoes.

"Eh?! What is going on?! Why is everyone fainting"

"I knew it!"

"You know what?"

"Satsuki made this right?"

Aominecchi pointed at the curry before looking at Shiranecchi and the other 2 managers who were starting to get a bit nervous.

"Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"Sorry!"

The 2 managers looked away from him in guilt. Shiranecchi didn't flinch at all and just smiled. I guess she was used to Aominecchi threatening looks.

"What are we going to do with them?"

I looked around the amount of corpses lying around the room. All the Coaches were out too.

"We will have to carry them to their rooms."

Kurokocchi stated.

"What?! All of them?!"

"Do you have a problem, Daiki?"

Aominecchi and I started carrying the guys back into their rooms as Akashicchi and Kurokocchi led the way for the rest of the night. Carrying Murasakibaracchi was no easy feat.

Shiranecchi and the 2 managers carried Momoicchi back into their room before heading back to the cafeteria to clean up. They made up some food since we haven't eating anything yet.

And the next day, no one knew what had happened to them or how they ended up in their rooms. Aominecchi and I had not enough sleep because of it but Akashicchi and Kurokocchi seems like they did. I bet it was because they didn't do all the carrying.

Sorry for the late update guys! I was really out of it for a while. I think I'm back now. Well, we will see.

Anyway, I needed to end the camp part quickly since I am more into writing the next part of the story. I have ideas flowing through my head now after reading the recent depressing chapters of the manga. Lol.

By the way if you didn't know, I started a new fan fiction on Brothers Conflict. But don't worry, I will only work on it if I feel like it. This story is more important.

That's it from me.