"You're going to attempt the love jinx about the Third String gym?" Himeragi remembered that the Third String gym was where Kuroko and Aomine met, wondering if the gods of love were shipping them too.

"If you give a handkerchief to a boy there, you will be able to be lovey dovey with him!" As Momoi excitedly yelled that she wanted to give one to Kuroko, Himeragi connected the dots, realizing that her best friend asked for advice on handkerchiefs for this reason. Himeragi asked about how this all came to be, since it sounded like a magic spell.

"I heard from an upperclassman that they saw a couple become closer after a girl offered the boy a handkerchief. It happened at the beginning of the semester." Those words jogged Himeragi's memory. Although the story sounded bogus, it remained that she did give said item to Kuroko and he proceeded to hug her afterwards, at the beginning of the semester. She would have attributed it to Kuroko just being more affectionate when he cried but that wasn't any better than attributing his hug to the jinx.

"Azu-chan, what happened? Did you perhaps complete the jinx?" Arai caught on, as Himeragi readied herself for Momoi's yells.

"When? To who and why?!"

"A few weeks ago… To Kuro-kun because he cried…" Momoi was turned to stone, being unable to even utter a word of protest. Himeragi made possible love developments turn platonic but the same couldn't be said about the person making the moves. Why was Kuroko there with Himeragi, alone? And why was he crying? "But I already fulfilled a favor to make it up to him so don't worry Satsuki~"

"Does that mean you two went on a date?" Momoi asked, skeptical of what was going on between Himeragi and Kuroko.

"No? We just went to quickly buy something after school one day." In everyone else's mind, that was a date, as Momoi laid her head on the desk, ready to cry. Himeragi quickly tried to mitigate, while also asking a question she wanted to know the answer to. "By the way, does it count if a boy gives a handkerchief to a girl?" Arai nodded her head. Because the love charm was more well-known to girls, most determined that the highest rate of success would be if the girls made the move, although the boys could too. Himeragi smiled and her friends wondered why she had a satisfied look on her face, before turning their heads to Momoi.

"Don't worry, Satsuki-chan! The love jinx only works if the two people already like each other!" But Momoi's brain was already suggesting that Kuroko liked Himeragi. Himeragi couldn't even tell her about the hug that happened afterward.

"But isn't that to say that since the two already like each other, anything they do will make them closer, anyways?" Her logic was right but the girls weren't pleased to hear her debunking the myth.

"Don't crush our dreams of romance, Azu-chan!" Kikuchi yelled, as Himeragi forgot to hold her words, as she usually disproved love myths because she didn't believe in them.

"I'd argue that Kuro-kun thinks highly of Satsuki though."

"Why?"

"He showed you his special place, no?" Himeragi winked, making Momoi blush. Her heart felt warm just thinking about seeing the beautiful sunset with the content Kuroko, who was happy that Momoi dedicated time to being his partner for the Stamp Rally. "Besides… he's the type to appreciate honesty." Himeragi thought back to all the times when Momoi displayed her emotions, something most in her friend group were not apt at doing. It was because she had the courage to cry, that Kuroko and Himeragi agreed that she was a strong woman.

"Azusa-san." The rest of the girls were scared by his sudden appearance before he greeted them all. "May I borrow your English dictionary?" Since her class did not have English today, she nodded, handing it to him.

"There are notes everywhere, sorry about that, Kuro-kun."

"Not at all, your notes are very helpful, Azusa-san." Momoi was slightly jealous that he asked for Himeragi's English book instead of hers (which she didn't bring) and slightly pouted.

"Tetsu-kun, I can help you study for English as well!"

"Oh is that so? That'd be very helpful, Momoi-san. Thank you." His mellow smile soothed her mood, as Himeragi flashed a knowing smile. Momoi was the initiating type, which was a good foil to Kuroko's more passive personality.

"Azusa!" The rest of her classmates also looked at Aomine, who was by the doorway. When Himeragi had an inkling of what he wanted, she stood up with her math notebook.

"This is the last time this week okay? Your class will catch up in math today, anyways."

"Thanks." he said, reaching a hand to ruffle her head. All the students looked at the interaction in interest, as there were rumors circulating that the two of them were the secret couple of the basketball team. Since Himeragi was relatively approachable, a fellow female student asked her about her relationship with Aomine.

"Are you two dating?"

"Is this about that dumb rumor?" Both of them chuckled in unison. Both parties already chucked the idea of a relationship between them, out the window. It didn't matter that other people were spreading false ideas about them because they thought it was humorous to an extent.

"Did you ever ask him what his preferences were?" Himeragi asked, clearly not bothered about the rumors to avoid talking about them. Aomine was slightly flustered, as Himeragi didn't understand why he was embarrassed now. "What, now you're uncomfortable talking about your type?" It was no secret to the basketball team that Aomine's type of girl had to have a big bust, curves and ideally, look similar to his favorite gravure model.

"No! I'm all for—" She smacked him in the face with her math notebook, disciplining him as a friend that knew his preferences and did not match said preferences.

"Distasteful." she rebuked, not about to listen to him talk about girls' body parts. The students in the hallway laughed, as Aomine clearly didn't look as scary as many assumed him to be, especially when he stood next to Himeragi.

"It's reassuring to see the influence you have on Aomine-kun, Himeragi-san."

"Oh no, you misunderstand. I just intimidate him into listening to me."

"Damn right. You wouldn't let me go without some sort of revenge, Azusa." The rumors were quickly shut down when Himeragi asked him about the laps he was going to have to do and he shuddered in response, mumbling that Akashi was also evil. When Aomine was about to head back to his classroom, another basketball team member came.

"Azu-cchi!" The girls all became enamored seeing Kise, before he stopped in front of Aomine and Himeragi. "Aominecchi! I was going to ask for Azu-cchi's math notebook!" They began to fight for ownership of it, as Himeragi told either one of them to bring it back to her by fifth period. When her phone buzzed in her cardigan's pocket, they all checked the message from Murasakibara, who was asking if she could give him the sweets she'd make in home economics class. She also recalled that she was supposed to hand her clipboard with the patrol checklist to Midorima, who was on duty today. "Wait Azu-cchi, I'll give it to Midorimacchi for you."

"And this is why Midorima and Kise aren't ever going to get along." Kise also knew that he was being meddlesome but he could handle Midorima's animosity, as long as he didn't have to see a warm scene of Himeragi smiling at Midorima.

"You all get along, in your own strange ways and it's best that way." Himeragi mused, giving the clipboard to Kise. They couldn't deny her statement and didn't make a ruckus, when they headed back together.

"This handkerchief craze… is becoming a bit burdensome." Everywhere Himeragi looked in the gym, she saw people exchanging handkerchiefs after finishing their vault jumps. Sure they were viable alternatives to towels but handkerchiefs were smaller and less useful. Momoi also saw the chaos and felt uncomfortable on top of the fact that she disliked fitness tests; she had yet to give Kuroko hers and expectant boys were looking at her. Himeragi also found their gazes to be uncomfortable but was next in line to jump the vault, unable to help Momoi. After performing a flawless jump that cleared the vault, she looked for Momoi again, before boys crowded her. Although Himeragi got away without accepting anything, she and Momoi could feel the intense faxes of the boys who weren't going to give up. It was soon Momoi's turn to jump and she hated the attention as Himeragi sighed.

"Satsuki-chan has it rough, in a lot of ways." Kikuchi said, as Himeragi picked up on the innuendo. Boys would be boys after all. Himeragi got up to go to Momoi before she was stopped by Kise's voice, who was telling Momoi to watch out. When she realized a dodgeball was on its way to hit Momoi, Himeragi was about to step forward but to her surprise, Akashi was the one that stopped the dodgeball from hitting Momoi. Just as she was becoming self-conscious of her gym uniform, he stepped in front of her to block other people's view of her, as Himeragi was oblivious to the fact that he did all these things while looking at her, not Momoi. Himeragi smiled, as it was quite the suave move that only he could have pulled without a bat of an eyelash.

"There was one school I wanted to ask about, on that report I made you compile, Momoi." As expected of Akashi; he tied two things he wanted to happen into one scenario and no one thought it was strange.

"Akashi-san and Momoi-san look like a picturesque couple." Girls commented and Himeragi agreed, relieved that there was no ill will toward either of them. She nodded her head, watching them from the side. The way Akashi looked at Momoi was devoid of restraint and Himeragi preferred to see him this way. It'd be nice if Momoi was his rumored fiancé.

"By the way, Akashi-kun, you stepped in so Azu-chan wouldn't have right?" Momoi explained that given the distance between her and Himeragi, the only way Himeragi could have saved Momoi was if she got hit instead. Akashi didn't answer as Momoi smiled. No one knew what they were talking about but there weren't any qualms. "But also, Azu-chan looks like she has the wrong idea." Akashi sighed when he saw Himeragi smiling at them. The students' reaction to Akashi and Momoi was very different from their death stares when any girl got close to Kise—

"Kise-kun, please take this."

"No he's going to use mine!" The trio watched the girls fight about whose handkerchief Kise was going to use with deadpan expressions. What an unnecessary dilemma. When they could have avoided conflict and given him towels, the girls were all ready to battle it out with small napkins that weren't going to do the job as well as towels. When Momoi sneezed, Himeragi put a hand on her forehead to check if she was burning up. She wasn't so they figured it was just a single sneeze and not a cold.

"Is your hand okay, President?" Akashi was exceptional at being able to stop a dodgeball without prior preparation but if he hurt his hand in the process, it was better to know now. Just as Himeragi reached to hold his hand because she was used to treating injuries, Akashi recalled his mixed feelings toward her.

"It's alright. Let's head back now." he said, turning away, as Himeragi sighed. Was he really going to be stubborn about this? Momoi could tell that this wasn't the first time Akashi rejected Himeragi's concern and wondered what made him act this way when he was always the closest to Himeragi. When Himeragi also let out a dainty sneeze that barely made a sound, Akashi side glanced, hearing her tell Momoi that it was nothing and that she wasn't cold.

"Why does Akashi-kun treat Azu-chan so coldly?" When Kise recalled Akashi and Himeragi in the Student Council room a few days ago, he had a hunch that Akashi was showing as little concern as possible because he worried about getting too close to Himeragi. Even if Kise gained opportunity in this case, it irked him that Akashi wasn't being honest and still held a good portion of Himeragi's attention. Nonetheless…

"Cover up, Azu-cchi. I don't want you to catch a cold." If Akashi wasn't going to use his chances, then Kise would take them starting from right now, by draping his hoodie around her shoulders. They both realized it was the wrong move though: girls were sending burning stares at Himeragi's back and Kise was going to be punished by the male students if he did anything further. Momoi laughed, as there wasn't a dull moment when these two were involved.

"Himeragi-san, do you have a handkerchief?" A First String player asked. She sighed once more; it seemed it didn't matter which gym this situation happened in: they all worked.

"I'm sorry, I don't. But I'll help you bandage your forearm, so please don't move for a minute." Once she was done tending to the wound, Momoi pulled on Himeragi's arm and whispered to her, as the boys wondered what they were talking about so avidly.

"In the First and Second String gyms, if a guy successfully receives a handkerchief from the girl he likes in front of that evergreen tree, then it counts as completing the charm!" Himeragi could only think that everyone was changing the myth to fit their needs and sighed. When did a commonplace evergreen tree become a cupid of love?

"Ridiculous." Well it didn't concern her since she didn't have a handkerchief to give.

"The girls have been going crazy today about handkerchiefs… I didn't even have time to talk to Azu-cchi about the photo shoot…!" Kuroko usually ignored Kise but today the latter could see that he was looking at Momoi. Wondering when Kuroko's feelings for Momoi changed, Kise blinked, before being hit by a basketball thrown by Aomine.

"Yo Kise, there's only one more exercise left. Come on, show me some resolve."

"Aho-mine, don't go around injuring people or else~" Himeragi called, as Aomine quickly walked away not wanting to be dumped outside. None of the starters could ignore the obvious looks in Momoi and Himeragi's direction by other players.

"I heard that Azu-chin already completed that love charm though." Midorima wondered who she gave her handkerchief to, before Akashi told them not to let their guards down, even though their last exercise was the one they all could do: the consecutive layups.

"Is it just me or is Kuro-kun exceptionally bad at this exercise today?" The basketballs he tossed were hitting the hoop's net instead of the backboard. As Murasakibara and Midorima judged him for his worsening shooting skills, Akashi turned a blind eye, since Kuroko's forte wasn't shooting. When Himeragi looked at Momoi blushing and not knowing where to look, she smirked. The surprise was still yet to come. Practice finished on time and as the players retreated to the benches to rest, Himeragi and Momoi supplied the water bottles and towels.

"Say, Himeragi-san, who did you give that handkerchief to?" It was the question the starters also wanted to know the answer to.

"Kuro-kun." He coughed on some water, realizing that the incident where Himeragi made him cry was more noteworthy than he initially thought. They exchanged looks and Himeragi shrugged, as if to tell him not to worry about it.

"Kuroko…!" Murasakibara and Midorima joined in on the blazing glares in his direction. Kise felt betrayed and gasped. But what was surprising was Kuroko's next move.

"Momoi-san." She immediately turned around and blushed, as anyone could tell the general direction of this interaction. "Will you please come with me to the Third String gym for a few minutes after practice?" She gasped, never imagining in her wildest dreams that Kuroko would ask her first and agreed. The other players were shocked; he was going to complete the love charm with both managers?!

"Is there something we're missing? When did Tetsu care about this stuff?"

"There are lots of missing pieces. But that's for them to find out." Himeragi said, smiling at them getting along very well. She looked like she was particularly in a good mood, likely having done the behind-the-scenes matchmaking. When it was finally quiet, Akashi called Himeragi over to review the notes for the day.

"I'll leave checking on Kise and Aomine's conditions to you." She received the clipboard from him and took a look at his hands.

"Are you okay now?" Himeragi had been wondering since earlier in the day and now that she saw Akashi switch hands to hold his water bottle, she confirmed something was wrong with his left hand. "Will you let me see it now?" Akashi didn't answer. Disregarding everyone looking at them, she held his left hand, hoping he didn't injure it. As she examined it, Akashi just looked at her with an undisturbed look, even though he was pondering why she never asked him to clarify his actions a few days ago.

"I'm fine." Midorima and Murasakibara were the first to notice the strangely flowery ambience between the two of them as Himeragi continued to massage his left hand. Weirdly enough, Akashi trusted her not to make the muscle pain worse, even though he only ever experienced an impromptu massage from her once before. He winced a little when she pressed on the middle of his palm and she did her best to ease the discomfort.

"This won't really keep your muscles from cramping so I should bandage it in case." She used up the bandages on hand earlier so she came up with a spontaneous solution. When she took out the blue ribbon in her hair and wrapped it around his left hand, everyone watching gasped. Little did Himeragi know, she was in the process of creating another jinx.

"Screw the handkerchief…! Himeragi-san's ribbon is so much better!" When Akashi glared at everyone to leave, they turned their heads.

"Ice it for a few minutes when you get home, okay?" Akashi agreed, feeling oddly calmer after her display of concern and when she stepped away from him, he stopped her with a question.

"Will you not ask about what happened that day?" She pondered it for a while and still couldn't come up with an answer.

"I think we were both confused that day. But it's not as important to me to know what exactly happened and why, as knowing that you're okay now." Since he allowed her to show concern for him, she was fine with not talking about what happened before. The other starters couldn't hear their conversation but were not pleased to see her hand still holding his.

"This is not like you." Himeragi knew he was referring to her letting this go, when she was the type to boldly ask questions to satisfy her curiosity.

"Will you take responsibility for confusing me then?" If he had an answer for her, then she'd give him one too. Before answering, his bandaged hand squeezed her hand and he stepped closer.

"Yes. I don't want you to be close to anyone. Rather it'd be nice if you were close to no one."

"... That's not a very nice thing to say."

"Is it surprising to you? It's mostly the truth."

"Will you tell me the whole truth?"

"I… cannot." At least for the time being, Akashi couldn't. Himeragi indicated she understood before looking into his eyes once more. She wasn't so dense that she didn't know that he only had this conflicted expression when he talked to her. Considering that Akashi told her that he didn't want her by his side but didn't make a huge effort to avoid her or reprimand her for not listening, Himeragi came to one conclusion.

"If I ever hear the whole truth, will I be hurt by it?" Akashi wasn't someone that wavered this much, unless like any normal person, he was far too invested. Kise and Midorima could see the change in Akashi's expression, as he finally showed a glimpse of anxiousness. Himeragi didn't want him to react this way and quickly stopped guessing. "I won't say anymore so don't look so worried, okay?" There was an implicit understanding between the two of them: Himeragi could continue asking but Akashi wouldn't disclose his reasons. It wasn't the right time.

"I can't say anything, not right now." He mumbled and Himeragi squeezed his hand in response. She figured Akashi wouldn't repeat it but wanted him to stop worrying about this, about her.

"Okay." she said, smiling up at him. If he deemed she didn't have to know now then she'd trust him. "Kise! Aomine! Sit down for a minute." They gulped one unison, sitting side by side on the bench. She checked on Aomine first, making sure his left calf was not still showing signs of pain from bumping into the wall earlier. Aomine was deemed fine and dismissed, before Himeragi turned her attention to Kise.

"I apologize for asking you to come here so suddenly." Kuroko was always polite but right now, anyone would mistake the situation as a confession, not that Momoi was complaining. She shook her head, completely in favor of the location, since she had her gift to Kuroko, hiding in her school bag. "I've been meaning to repay you for your help during the Stamp Rally. I'm sorry this is long overdue." As she figured, it wasn't a confession. Momoi retraced his words and understood them to mean that he was busy the last few months, albeit with so much to figure out, with the changes to the team. Even if he was attending practice diligently, it didn't mean he was necessarily figuring out the things that worried him. Not knowing exactly what things Kuroko was thinking about, Momoi clenched her hand into a fist.

"The Tetsu-kun that can't smile because he doesn't enjoy basketball at the moment… I don't want to see you like this but it can't be helped right? With Aomine-kun still being stubborn?" She took a guess, hoping that she didn't say anything to hurt his feelings further.

"I'm still trying to figure out the middle ground between Aomine-kun and the others who don't need passes anymore and my basketball style. Because I'm not good at anything else in basketball, it will take a while." He already came to terms with this after talking to Himeragi and arguing with Aomine. Right now was that period of self-discovery.

"Don't sell yourself short… okay?" Momoi couldn't help him discover what he could bring but she didn't like him downplaying his achievements or abilities. What he didn't have in physical ability, he had in analytical ability. Kuroko smiled because as Himeragi had said to him before, Momoi really did believe in him. It wasn't a cumbersome kind of trust; it was more one of genuine support, with no expectation of something in return.

"With the support of you and Azusa-san, I think we all will get through this period and discover how we want to grow." Kuroko hadn't believed that things would change for the better until Himeragi succeeded in bringing Aomine back to practice. If she could strain herself to go against Aomine, then he could also tirelessly develop his misdirection for future use.

"That'd be for the best. And hopefully… We'll all still be together." Momoi looked up at him, hoping that he wouldn't disagree and was stunned by his kind smile.

"As long as Momoi-san stays that way, it will be okay." His words reminded her of Himeragi's, reminding her of something she wanted to confirm.

"Do… you like Azu-chan?" Kuroko never considered the question but smiled because he intuitively knew the answer when he recalled how helpful Himeragi was.

"I'm not sure. But I'm leaning towards thinking of her as a great friend and mentor."

"Then what about me?" Momoi couldn't have known that Kuroko's love for Himeragi was more rooted in how much he trusted her advice, not feelings of interest.

"I won't compare Momoi-san and Azusa-san." When Kuroko stepped toward her, Momoi blushed because he never took the initiative. They exchanged simpers. Even if he didn't answer her question, she was happy enough that the man she fell for wouldn't compare her to another girl. He had that much respect for women. "Momoi-san is Momoi-san. Just as you love Azusa-san very much, she loves you just as much. Isn't that good enough?"

"Yes!" she said, leaning close to him with sparkling eyes. Kuroko slightly smiled, happy to see her mood improving. When she repeated her affirmation, Kuroko took out the gift he got for her. "Momoi-san, here." He held out a small, baby pink colored gift box. She opened it to see a light pink handkerchief with a yellow flower embroidered on the edge. Overjoyed that she received a handkerchief in front of the Third String gym, Momoi fondly held the gift.

"Tetsu-kun, this is a… daffodil right?" He nodded, telling her that in the language of flowers, daffodils symbolized admiration and respect for the recipient.

"Yes. Azusa-san helped me pick it out." Momoi giggled when she realized Himeragi was teasing her when the latter said she went on a date with Kuroko. "You seemed to have really wanted a handkerchief and I am very thankful that you are supporting us all so I asked Azusa-san for some advice. Please take it as a late gift for helping me during the Stamp Rally." The way he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and avoided her gaze made Momoi teary. For the nth time, she thought he was a wonderful person. "She also told me to give it to you in front of this gym, for whatever reason." Momoi mentally noted that she was going to need to return the favor to her best friend, who had been secretly helping her.

"I'll treasure it, Tetsu-kun. Thank you for thinking about me." Momoi chuckled when she also unveiled a cyan colored box of similar size, from her bag. "This makes two of us. I also asked Azu-chan for help." They both laughed, as Kuroko made Momoi's heart beat faster when his fingers touched hers at the hand off of the present.

"Momoi-san, what flower is this?" After hearing what Kuroko had to say, Momoi was even more sure of her choice and what she wanted to convey to him.

"It's a gladiolus flower." She told him that in the language of flowers, they symbolized strength and integrity, purposely leaving out infatuation, another underlying meaning.

"Strength huh…" Momoi could feel that he was still beating himself up about not having found an answer and grasped his right hand. "Not to say that everyone else's smiling faces are not uplifting but I really think that this team looks most happy when you smile brightly, Tetsu-kun."

"You're making me blush, Momoi-san." he confessed with rosy cheeks, as she blushed with him.

"That makes me happy! Please blush because of me, Tetsu-kun!" He laughed at her honesty; indeed, this was what he admired about her.

"Thank you, Momoi-san."

"Azu-cchi, are you really okay with being treated that way by Akashi-cchi?" It was true that she couldn't read him these days and he was confusing her but she promised herself that she would still treat him the same way, for treating him differently would only push him farther away. After speaking to Akashi earlier, Himeragi confirmed that she was missing something.

"This doesn't sound great when I say this but it's the best compromise I could come up with."

"For his sake?" Kise asked, knowing the answer. Why else would she subject herself to this constant rejection, if it wasn't for Akashi? When she leaned over and checked his left shoulder, he couldn't keep his composure, trying to hide his flushed cheeks. Even though they were so close, he knew that he was still not the closest person to her and that irked him.

"Hm… It won't give you problems for now but it'll be good if you stretch regularly. Do you know the across the chest stretch and neck release exercises?" He nodded and she recommended the two stretches for the next few days, before leaning back and grabbing her clipboard to note it down. "I need to take my own advice. I also need to stretch since I'm still sore." she said, as Kise felt the impulse to be closer to her. Leaning over, he put a hand on her shoulder and gently nudged her backwards so that her back was laying on the bench. The view of her questioning gaze and exposed earring studs made him lick his lips.

"If you're feeling sore, want me to help you?" His golden eyes looked into her cerulean ones, searching for an affirmative answer. He didn't know what exactly he meant by this question but being alone in the gym with someone he was interested in, made him forget his self-restraint. Kise already put Himeragi in a compromising position so if he wanted to make a move, the time was now. Himeragi didn't pull his ear just yet, feeling that he was conflicted and unable to fully pinpoint why he pushed her down.

"What are your instincts telling you to do?" Himeragi knew that this position was not good for many reasons but still didn't move.

"Don't provoke me, Azu-cchi." He looked like a predator that could gobble her up within seconds. Himeragi's eyes widened when he leaned in closer; unlike Akashi, Kise was serious about making a move. When her vision was filled with only the color of his eyes and he touched her soft cheek, Kise caught himself and leaned back, ashamed that he didn't think before pinning Himeragi down. "I'm begging you, Azu-cchi. If you don't like it, hit me, say no, do something." Having done something wrong, Kise was ashamed and on the verge of tears, asking for forgiveness. Seeing how remorseful he looked, Himeragi suddenly realized that she didn't draw the line in the situation with Akashi either. It wasn't a stretch to say that Akashi was just as, if not more, dangerous than Kise. The former had also been even more physically close to her and yet she barely thought about moving in that situation. Rather, she even stopped talking, relying on her perception that Akashi wasn't going to do anything to her. Just as Akashi's recent behavior was baffling, Himeragi was realizing that she wasn't making sense either. With enough confusion as is, she needed to define her boundaries.

"Then here's your punishment." She said, leaning forward while raising her hand. He readied himself for the slap and was instead flicked on the forehead. The pain was comparable, as Kise fell back on the bench in pain. "Look at me, Kise." They made eye contact and this time, she didn't look clueless. "I didn't say anything because we're friends but now that you've cooled your head, you know that you have to ask for consent. Right?" He fervently nodded. It relieved Kise to know that Himeragi was not afraid of him and told him that she was someone that needed to be asked first.

"Then…" Although he felt bad to ask for something else on top of what he already did, Kise couldn't get the image of how close Akashi and Himeragi were, out of his mind. "Can I please hug you for just a little while?" Himeragi didn't say "ask for consent" just to be asked a question immediately.

"Thirty seconds." She said, opening her arms. His eyes brightened up before he scooted closer. This time, he was careful to keep his emotions in check, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. But Kise couldn't make his move fast enough to evade Momoi's interruption, who came to pick up Himeragi.

"Azu-chan! Aomine-kun says he'll do whatever you want for a day!" Momoi's instinctive reaction when she saw Kise leaning over toward Himeragi was to smack him out of the way. Himeragi didn't even ask about what Momoi meant, as she didn't want to enslave Aomine for a day.

"Dai-chan! Ki-chan is doing improper things to Azu-chan!"

"Wha—No no!"

"Well, at least not at this moment." Kise was glad that Momoi hadn't shown up earlier or all hell would have broken loose.

"Eh Kise, you've gotten bold." Kise couldn't deny the allegation, remembering that if he hadn't stopped himself, he would have done something outrageous to Himeragi.

"But he asked for my permission first." Himeragi said, as Momoi asked her to clarify. Kise, realizing just how kind Himeragi was, immediately glomped onto her, appreciating that she was the way she was. "Aomine, that's not where the trash goes!" she called, watching Aomine fan something in front of the evergreen tree.

"I'm not taking out garbage!" he yelled, as she noticed Kuroko by Aomine's side, with a finger to his lips. A closer look showed her that Momoi and Kuroko corroborated to control Aomine by almost burning his favorite magazine. Himeragi didn't know that this was Momoi's repayment for creating such a heartwarming situation with Kuroko and facepalmed.

I promise that the long awaited developments with Akashi will happen within 3 chapters lol