"Momoi-san, please stay with us." Midorima looked at him with wide eyes. What happened to their well thought-out plan?
"Kuroko, hold on, this was not what we discussed—" Momoi disregarded Midorima's words and stepped closer to Kuroko. Boys looked on in shock; when Momoi wouldn't even look their way, she was happily speaking to two boys, one of which they couldn't really tell was there or not.
"Why 'us'? Not 'me'?"
"You hold on too, Momoi. This is not what he meant."
"Well then, please stay with me, Momoi-san."
"With pleasure!" she said immediately, before Midorima became haggard with concern. It was too obvious that Kuroko was saying it out of politeness and possible lack of foresight but they only had one mission.
"Then give us that resignation letter, Momoi." The flowers disappeared around Momoi's head and she pouted, not enjoying Kuroko or Midorima's company anymore.
"Don't play with the heart of a maiden! It's not even my resignation letter."
"Then entrust it to us, to give to Himeragi." Kuroko also gave Midorima the look that told him that he didn't recall this being in the well thought-out plan either. The latter had nothing to say, as they already deviated too far from their original plan.
"As if. This is a problem between girls. Guys shouldn't meddle." As expected of Himeragi's influence, Momoi was not giving in, even with her beloved Kuroko asking for the letter as well.
"Just to confirm, you're not fighting with Himeragi are you?"
"Of course not!" As Midorima reached to grab it, Momoi immediately began to fast walk down the stairs, realizing that Kuroko was dangerous not only because she liked him but because he knew how to divert her attention.
"Tetsuya, Shintarō, you know you should not be running in the hallways." An unexpected interference came in the form of their captain, who didn't mind leaving them to their own devices, as long as they were abiding by school rules.
"But Akashi! If we're too late, Momoi will quit!"
"You've both become weak, I see." He had an ice cold reaction to their concern for Momoi and before Midorima wrote it off as his second personality's aloof behavior, he discerned the hidden intention behind his words. Why was he relying on Momoi for support?
"Are we chasing after Momoi-san as friends or as players?" Kuroko read his mind as well, knowing what Akashi meant but was unable to say anything because the look in Akashi's eyes was fear-inducing.
"Well I'm not about to onboard another manager."
"Midorima-kun, you should be more honest." Akashi heard the rest of their conversation and thought about where those words of his came from. In truth, what he said to Midorima and Kuroko, were words he needed to say to himself, in regards to Himeragi. Speaking of which, two more of his troublesome teammates and Himeragi were down the hall.
"I'm sorry, Azu-cchi! I'll take responsibility!" With girls in every direction wondering what was going on and hoping that Kise wasn't confessing to Himeragi, a popping vein appeared on the side of her head.
"Take responsibility for what?" She asked cautiously, hoping it wasn't something that would invite misunderstandings.
"You know, your neck—" Himeragi flashed a look at Aomine, who couldn't read the atmosphere. As soon as he said neck, Himeragi knew the girls were ready to bury her alive.
"Do you really have time to be worrying about others? Also what about Satsuki?" Midorima had sent them a message about also helping out in charming Momoi, realizing that it must have been difficult, even for Kuroko.
"That's what lunch break is for!" Aomine said. Before she could reply, Akashi came into the conversation.
"You'll both be benched for the upcoming game." Himeragi gave him a look that told him to be less direct with his words but he found that the easiest way to make these two listen was to give it to them straight. "Your test scores are poor across the board. If you continue to rely on the Vice-President's and Momoi's notes, you won't be able to stay on the team, with your efforts." Akashi always phrased things in a way in which it was hard to have a rebuttal and they stayed quiet. They both looked worried and quickly left the scene, telling Himeragi that they'd come back later after persuading Momoi. "How is the situation with the tennis club coming along?"
"We know who the culprit is and are in the process of writing the misdemeanor report. There is an unrelated individual involved though." When she turned her head, Akashi saw a boy waving frantically at her, hoping that she had updates for him.
"When do you think it'll all be resolved?"
"With the culprit or the entire situation?"
"Both."
"The culprit will be dealt with right after school. As for the other two, I'd give them until after practice."
"In your eyes, do you think she's fit to be a manager?"
"All I know is that if she quits, someone will be sad. So I'll observe them for a bit longer before making a decision."
"Does it really make you happy to make others happy?"
"Not really." she confessed, making Akashi's eyes widen. "But happiness and having the right people by your side leads to an overall higher quality of life." Because she was quoting something right out of a textbook, it reminded her of when they quoted Kant, a slightly embarrassing memory. She chuckled and Akashi didn't look away. "After all, the rules for happiness are: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for. I'm certainly not trying to take that away from people." When Himeragi winked, Akashi realized she intentionally changed the conversation to be more lighthearted.
"So, treat people as an end, and never as a means to an end."
"Since you understand that, show your concern in a nicer way!" she complained, telling him that he was being too blunt with people that weren't planning even in their dreams, to overthrow him.
"Man must be disciplined, for he is by nature raw and wild." When he held up her water bottle, Himeragi only stared in disbelief.
"Are you discipling me right now?" It was true that she was feeling thirsty but how would he have known that? Akashi didn't answer and smirked while walking away, to his next class. On the way, he saw Kise publicly declaring to Momoi, to eat lunch together, as Momoi flusteredly told him not to eat with her.
"Don't say no, Satsuki! I'll be there too!" After seeing Aomine and Kise making a scene, Akashi could only send his condolences to Momoi.
"Mukkun, Midorin! Stop following me!" Not having time during lunch because she had been running from Kise and Aomine, Momoi scheduled to meet Himeragi right at the end of classes. Midorima and Murasakibara figured that'd be the case and came rushing out of their classrooms after Momoi.
"Murasakibara-kun! Midorima-kun! Stop running in the hallways!" In the split second that Himeragi and Momoi met, Momoi dropped the envelope in Himeragi's hand and she handed it off to her committee member that was standing to her side. Murasakibara and Midorima did not see the interaction pinned Momoi to the wall. Girls everywhere marveled at the double kabedon* as Momoi felt so burdened by their gazes. What were they thinking with flowers around them?
"Sa-chin, I don't want any other manager except you."
"Momoi, believe us when we say we trust your skills. Stay our manager." Himeragi stifled a laugh. This must have been Kuroko's idea.
"Momoi-san! Who will you pick?!" Students asked, as Momoi pleaded with everyone to not jump to conclusions.
"Haven't I told you both that it's all a misunderstanding?! I'm not quitting!" After remarking that they needed more training, Himeragi confirmed the contents of the document.
"Can you leave this in my bag? I need to take care of something before signing the misdemeanor report." Her committee member nodded and Himeragi headed to the courtyard, knowing who was chasing her.
"Azusa!"
"What happened to your neck?!" Kise couldn't hold in the urge to ask any longer, not bothering to beat around the bush.
"I scratched myself." It was the full truth and yet to Kise and Aomine, it was unbelievable. They stood there in silence, as if it was really true, they wasted time trying to figure out what happened to her neck, when they could have stopped Momoi from giving the envelope to Himeragi.
"... Are you serious?"
"Yes I am serious."
"Then show us proof!"
"I don't have a band aid on hand right now and I have an appointment in ten minutes, so no."
"Alright, enough of this!" Aomine decided he couldn't handle not knowing what was going on with Himeragi's neck and forcefully took the band aid off, unveiling the cut that was still red.
"You wanna be written up huh?" Aomine was not expecting it to actually be an injury and immediately trembled, realizing at this moment, that he was screwed. Himeragi's committee members were nearby and saw the interaction, storming in to kick Aomine out of the way.
"How dare you—!" As they fussed over Himeragi, Kise and Aomine had cold sweat dripping down their faces. Kise was partially responsible for not having stopped Aomine.
"Why do you have to be so shameless, Aominecchi?!"
"What?! You had a better idea?!"
"We could have asked better questions!"
"You should have said that earlier, damn Kise!"
"You didn't listen to me! Like you never listen to me!"
"Because you're an idiot!"
"Are you two fighting?" They stopped when they saw her frightening smile, one that told them that she decided their punishment.
"N-No?" Kise answered but Himeragi's expression didn't change.
"Vice-President, please don't move. I'll put another band aid on right away."
"Don't they say that hugging is a good way to relieve stress and make up? Go on." After he caused the disturbance, Aomine had no right to fight against her wish, even though the three of them knew that she suggested it just to mess with them for bothering her in the first place. Himeragi didn't look like she was joking and because she was refusing treatment until they hugged, the two other girls stared them down with death glares. "Beware that if you don't listen now, divine retribution will be imposed later, by Sanada coach." If Sanada heard that Momoi wanted to quit being manager, he'd know who to blame for it.
"No no no, Aominecchi!" Kise cried, knowing that he didn't have a choice either. Kise and Aomine had to endure wanting to hold each other by the collar, to hug for the first and last times of their lives. With their souls escaping their bodies, they leaned their heads on each other's shoulders in a tight embrace that brought all the fangirls to the yard. As Himeragi thought that this should quiet them down for a while, her cut was covered again.
"Keep at it boys. They say you need to hug for a minute to feel the beneficial effects." With the duo of wild beasts having figured out the truth, there was one less thing to worry about. The next stop was to meet the culprit of the tennis team's vandalized clubroom.
"Are you going alone, Vice-President?"
"Yes. I will deal with it as swiftly as possible so can you both wait for me at the entrance?" They were enamored by her smile before she caught sight of Momoi fast walking down the adjacent hallway, still trying to evade Murasakibara and Midorima.
"How have they not realized that the envelope has already been handed off…" It was almost saddening how well Kuroko's plan was unfolding. It was the right choice to make him the accomplice. Himeragi approached the meeting place, the back side of the school that had a secret surveillance camera on the left side.
"Heh, so the Vice-President came by herself. How bold."
"What would you like to say before I give you your choices?"
"Choices? You speak arrogantly for a girl that can't even hide her hickeys. Seriously, you're just flashing it for everyone to see, you promiscuous girl!"
"Should I entertain that thought?" When she pinned him to the wall, his heart skipped a beat and he hiccuped, not being able to look away from her gaze.
"Wow, you're sly. If you think this is enough to unnerve me, you're wrong."
"I simply want to hear that you ruined your previous club's clubroom. I could care less whether you're nervous or not."
"Don't get cocky, second year!" She moved her head to the right and he missed his punch and she side stepped away so that he couldn't pin her to the wall. As expected, he was the type she didn't like dealing with. She thought so when she heard him pushing blame on the girls that "let themselves be harassed" and she thought so now.
"So you're not going to apologize?" Himeragi could care less what judgments he had for her and was more annoyed that he wasn't owning up to his behavior when he clearly did it. "That's fine since an apology won't suffice anyway." Even though she was tired, Himeragi didn't look any different when she dealt with delinquents that tested her patience. "There are only two options from here: I write this off as a first offense so you can graduate in March or I submit the evidence and have you expelled by the end of the day. Choose one, now." Anymore time wasted here was less break time for her.
"Isn't your first offer too lenient?"
"The first option can easily lead into the second." It was a threat. One wrong move and all that was waiting was expulsion. When she pointed above them and the student paled when he saw the camera, he knew he'd best comply. After dealing with that scenario, Himeragi passed off her clipboard with her signature on the misdemeanor report. Submitting this would be enough to scare him into obedience, at least until the end of the day when she could deal with the other tennis club members.
"Vice-President, what will you do with that letter you received from Momoi-san?"
"Hm… I'll hold off on an action for now."
"Shall we deal with that student for you?" After looking at the name on the resignation letter, Himeragi confirmed her hunch. Momoi wasn't the one resigning as manager of her club and the person who was, was the person that boy cared for. That was why he kept chasing after Himeragi all day, to make sure she didn't sign off on the letter and submit it to the board.
"No, let's play with him for a little longer." Because she involuntarily became Cupid, Himeragi believed it was her right to also have some fun while she was at it. On cue, he came running toward Himeragi, only to be stopped by Akashi.
"You're from the tennis team, correct?"
"Y-Yes, President?"
"When someone is trying to help you, it's best to not bother them." Himeragi and her committee members heard their conversation, realizing that Akashi was advocating for Himeragi to be left alone.
"I just want to know if Himeragi-san has submitted the manager's resignation letter… I didn't mean to be a bother!"
"If your manager filled out the form out of her own volition, why hasn't she gone to the Vice-President about it? Everything is more credible when the person involved is upfront with the truth."
"I can't say for certain but she may feel helpless against the person that she was harassed by! That's why, I want to buy some more time! At least until after tennis club practice ends and I can persuade her to talk to Himeragi-san!"
"To persuade your manager, does that require a conversation with the Vice-President, who hasn't submitted the resignation?" Akashi glanced at Himeragi, who walked into the conversation, having heard everything.
"Shall I submit it in the next few minutes?" He looked like he was ready to cry as Himeragi internally chuckled. "Or shall I listen?" She was in the mood to give choices and smiled when his face brightened up.
"I'll figure out something! So please wait!"
"Thank you for stopping him, President. "
"You will still have to conclude the situation by talking to the both of them after practice." She agreed, before they headed to the gym together. Outside the gym, they heard Kuroko and Murasakibara groaning about their laps that Akashi forced them to do since both had less stamina than he deemed acceptable. When they went inside, everyone was fixated on one scene: Aomine and Kise warming up with a one-on-one.
"Azu-chan, I don't know what happened to them but they suddenly came in and declared they'd go against one another!"
"... It seems that forced hug deepened their dislike for one another." Himeragi looked away from Akashi's suspicious eyes, having been the person behind it. Aomine's dribble was still too fast for Kise to keep him from driving past him but he shocked even Akashi with his quick side steps that put him right in front of Aomine. But Aomine reacted quickly, performing a cross over that almost tricked Kise into defending the left side. Kise wasn't fooled and took a deep breath, attempting to cut the ball out of Aomine's right hand. He was close but Aomine managed to break through without having the ball stolen. Without blinking, Kise ran after him and blocked his formless shot with sheer will, jumping to a height that shocked all of the Generation of Miracles too. The ball landed out of bounds and it was Kise's possession. Aomine grinned, purposely trying to cut the ball at every chance he could but Kise rallied with him. When Aomine blocked Kise's three pointer, Kise returned the favor by blocking his layup.
"Wow this isn't a fist fight…"
"It's an all-out brawl!" Himeragi said excitedly, as Momoi couldn't share her enthusiasm.
"Don't look so happy about it! We have to stop them from overexerting their bodies!"
"Give them another two minutes." Akashi and Himeragi said in unison, agreeing that they wanted to see how this would pan out. Murasakibara and Kuroko finished their laps and also watched the match, realizing that Kise was improving at a frightening speed. His desire not to lose to Aomine put him in some sort of trance that almost matched Aomine's; with no hesitation, they would take shots without looking at the hoop. When the two minutes were up, Akashi clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention.
"We'll continue this later. You two have warmed up enough. Get ready for the next exercise." They stopped in their tracks and obeyed, before Kise walked up to Akashi.
"Akashi-cchi, please don't take this as undermining you." Kise had a knack for not properly phrasing his words, as Himeragi sighed. "But I want to challenge you to a match later too! You'll outsmart me but it'll help me improve so please!" Aomine was all for it too, since he never got to see Akashi play a one-on-one.
"Yeah bring it on, Akashi!" Momoi cut in that Aomine wasn't the one challenging Akashi so he shouldn't be the one to say "bring it on" but was stopped by Akashi's smile. He almost looked like his old self. Kise challenged him to show their respect for his skill and when he thought of it this way, his competitiveness appeared.
"I'll grant your request, at a later time." Momoi could only see it as ending with another fight but Himeragi knew the hidden feelings behind Akashi's smile. The Generation of Miracles all wanted rivals that had passions as strong as their own and were connected by this desire to battle and win. Once they took questioning his authority out of the equation, this Akashi was a strong basketball player that worked hard to win and didn't mind friendly battles. "Even if it's a short term measure, it's better than not giving them any motivation." Himeragi heard Akashi's words, realizing that he knew the general trend of the Generation of Miracles' behavior.
"As expected of our captain." Himeragi said cryptically, knowing that he'd understand her words to mean that he made informed decisions for his teammates' well-beings. Akashi didn't answer, knowing that she didn't want an answer, as they stood in front of the starters. Momoi looked at their back views, thinking that it was a reassuring scene that she also wished would last.
"Just to confirm, Momoi, you aren't resigning, correct?" Having gone the entire day without asking, Midorima needed confirmation now. The girls nodded their heads, hoping that in the future, he wouldn't chase Momoi so fervently. After getting that response, all the starters knew who to go after for the rest of the answers.
"Why are they all looking at Tetsu-kun with such scary glares?"
"Kuro-kun helped me to trick them all day." Momoi gasped, yelling that she felt wronged for not being a part of the fun and being the victim. Himeragi let her shake her by the shoulders while Aomine, Kise, Midorima and Murasakibara were out for blood, specifically Kuroko's blood.
"I won't permit injuries." Akashi let them glare but if they acted violently, Himeragi was going to hurl them out. The end of practice was a race out the door, as the four people who had been tricked lost sight of Kuroko. When they set their sights on Himeragi, they also found that she was missing.
"Azu-chan went to give back the resignation letter." They couldn't speak proper words as fires blazed around them. She headed to the music room, where the female manager was waiting for her.
"Himeragi-san, I'm sorry for all the trouble."
"I appreciate your courage in taking the fall for someone else but I've looked into it and the vandalism wasn't your fault."
"B-But… How else could they have gotten in? It was my mistake..."
"There was a duplicated key inside of the mess that the culprit forgot to take with them. I've already spoken to that person and given him a warning that if he does heed to, will result in expulsion." A person popped into the tennis club's manager's head: the person that was recently taken off the team partially because of her testimony. "That's why, as to not worry someone that cares for you so much, I'm giving this back to you." Himeragi figured that the problematic group of five athletes wouldn't know better and would attempt to do some damage but what she didn't calculate for, was that her committee wouldn't need to protect the victims of harassment: they were already being protected by people by their side.
"Himeragi-san, why would you do something like this on my behalf…" On cue, the person Himeragi saw way too much of in one day ran into the room, trying to stop Himeragi. When they blushed in each other's presence, Himeragi covered her mouth, as to not reveal that she really wanted to laugh.
"Don't give away your position so easily by admitting to something you didn't do. I was able to find the truth this time but next time, I'd appreciate it if you told me first. It'd also be nice if the person that is on your side would stop running after me all day." They made eye contact and looked away in unison, as Himeragi left the room. When she looked back at them having a hard time putting their thoughts into words, Himeragi smiled. She wasn't supposed to encourage romance between club members but when someone ran around the school to stop his manager from being kicked out of his club, Himeragi found it hard to penalize that concern. Besides, Akashi kind of supported it as well. Momoi emerged and figured from the smile on Himeragi's face that the incident was resolved. The two girls reunited in front of the classroom, watching the couple hug.
"I really don't want you to quit. Seeing your smile gives me strength so please…"
"I don't want to stop seeing you play tennis either. So please let me continue being your manager." Momoi admired their affection for one another and wished she could also experience it, with the person she liked.
"Tetsu-kun…" Himeragi laughed nervously before their friends came down the hallway toward them. Himeragi put a finger to her mouth when Midorima tried to yell at her, so as to not bother the couple inside. When the couple kissed, Momoi blushed, hugging Himeragi as the latter told her not to say whatever she was thinking about, out loud. She admired Momoi for looking forward to her own first kiss and smiled with her.
"I'm glad that after all the teasing, they found their way back to each other." When Kise and Aomine heard the word "teasing," they thought back to their humiliating hug before practice, yelling at Himeragi for teasing them too. But they couldn't fault Himeragi for the look on her face: she looked so happy for the couple that was reunited. When Kuroko arrived and received forehead flicks and arm holds, the girls laughed.
"It hurts. I'm sorry. Please stop hitting me."
"Don't laugh, Himeragi. You were the mastermind behind this."
"But you all finally showed your appreciation for Satsuki, no?" The point of Kuroko deceiving them was to make them flustered enough to show that they care for Momoi. They couldn't deny her words and sighed. Seeing Momoi smiling was enough to wrap up the incident. They also found out the truth behind Himeragi's cut.
"Next time, don't trick us. Just tell us if you're having second thoughts."
"Is that a guarantee that you'll listen?" Himeragi asked for Momoi. The latter was the type to not express her feelings and would worry about things on her own. Just because they'd be there to listen didn't mean they could reassure her.
"Azu-cchi is Momocchi's knight after all." Kise mused, before kneeling on one knee and grasping Momoi's hand. "Azu-cchi's right. Just because we'll listen if you come to us, doesn't mean you will. We'll look out for you, Momocchi."
"Ki-chan… I can kind of see why girls like you now…"
" 'Kind of'? Hey!"
"I'll listen when you say something, Momoi." Midorima admitted that besides believing Kuroko, he failed to listen to Momoi all day.
"I won't deceive you anymore. I promise, Momoi-san." Kuroko said, also kneeling and taking her other hand. "Please continue being our manager, Sa-chin~" Aomine didn't know how to follow up, scratching his head.
"Yeah Satsuki, keep being our manager… please." It worked out even better than expected; all five of them surrounded Momoi and she looked like a princess encased in the affections of five princes.
"Oh, the reverse harem has officially begun!" Himeragi let slip, as Momoi's blush intensified, telling her not to label it. "Where did the sixth person go?" Himeragi asked, knowing that Akashi also liked Momoi as a manager.
"Akashi-cchi said he needed to talk to the coach for a bit. But he said I could challenge him afterwards!" When Kise's eyes beamed in delight, Himeragi and Momoi only had one thought.
"Are you sure your favorite is not Akashi-kun?" Momoi asked.
"How can you say that? We're rivals!" Because she had some work to finish, Himeragi declined the offer to watch them, anticipating the outcome. It was a learning experience for both of them and just knowing that, was enough.
"Akashi-cchi, I'm going to make it past you!" He didn't say anything to the provocation. Aomine and Kuroko watched their exchange, interested in how useful Akashi's eye was. Kise wasn't a pushover and was getting faster with each game he played so the match-up was interesting. When they faced one another, Kise understood what made Murasakibara afraid to move. In front of Akashi's eyes, he felt like prey that already had its future predicted. To test this theory, Kise dribbled the ball, knowing that Akashi's eyes were following his every move. He couldn't break through Akashi's defense, realizing that Akashi could tell his movements because he practiced with him for so long. When he jumped for a three pointer, Akashi cut the ball out of his hands before his feet left the ground, shocking Kise. The ball went out of bounds, as Akashi rebuked himself for using too much strength and sending the ball out. Instead of showing off, Akashi also took this time to figure out what he lacked. Kise was fired up to defend when Akashi had possession of the ball. But Akashi had different plans than just driving past Kise.
"It's good to see that you've noticed the quirk in your feet, Ryōta."
"Oh you knew too, Akashi-cchi? Azu-cchi told me!" Kise was just saying it but Akashi felt some type of way when he heard Himeragi's name being mentioned. That was a detail only someone that was on the court with Kise would have the access to know. After taking a good look at Kise's right ankle, he used the moment before Kise turned his feet to the left side to perform a speedy dribble. The result was Kise falling to a sit and Akashi having no defense to bypass, to shoot a three pointer. Kuroko had read about this technique, as Aomine confirmed that there was no point in him and Akashi facing off.
"Ankle breaking, huh?" Kuroko looked at Aomine's relaxed expression.
"It's not a technique Akashi-kun would use on you, right Aomine-kun?"
"He needs space and an opponent that guards the outside. Yeah someone like Midorima." If Akashi was forced to drive into the inside, as a point guard, he'd know to pass to someone else and since many players typically crowd there, he wouldn't have the space to trip up opponents. "But Akashi isn't stupid. Since he knows the problem with me is my formless shots, he'll focus on predicting those instead of using this trick." Kuroko filled in the rest of the statement for the yawning Aomine. Akashi and Aomine knew their match-up would be pointless because as much as Akashi could predict when Aomine would aim for the hoop, it didn't mean he could stop him, himself. "So? How have you been doing, Tetsu?" The Generation of Miracles noticed that Kuroko was laying low, going through practice completing the drills and just watching his teammates.
"I'm still observing everyone's habits."
"Hm…" Aomine always knew that Kuroko and Akashi grasped the flow of the game well, as much as he didn't care for it. They were all coming to practice, thanks to the rules being enforced by Sanada but Aomine wondered if it was beneficial to talk to the head coach about taking a break from practice for a while.
"Akashi-cchi! You're merciless!" When they looked at the match again, they found that Akashi blocked all of Kise's shots and not breaking a sweat. "Why didn't you take that shot earlier?"
"Because this is a demonstration for you, Ryōta. What will you learn with a three pointer when your forte is dunks?" Akashi visibly smiled when he saw Kise trying to copy his high speed dribble; if he could copy the Generation of Miracles' techniques, then Kise Ryōta would surely have limitless potential. "But, it's still too early." Akashi said, knocking the ball out of his hands once again. As Kise watched the ball roll away, he sighed in disappointment, thinking that if given just a bit more time, his rhythm would match Akashi's.
"I need to observe more…"
"Indeed. But otherwise, you're progressing." Akashi complimented, as Kuroko and Aomine were disturbed by his sudden kindness. They quickly wiped their looks of disbelief when he turned to them and Kise sank to the gym floor, laughing.
"Did you get a little serious after I brought up Azu-cchi, Akashi-cchi? I promise it was by pure chance~" Kuroko thought so too, when he saw Akashi's eyes narrow at the sound of her name earlier.
"Keep practicing, Ryōta. I will excuse myself now, as I have Student Council work to finish."
"What—Answer the question at least, Akashi-cchi!"
"Dang, Kise, you got your ass kicked. Forget getting Azusa, you gotta get past Akashi first."
"Shut it, Aominecchi!" Akashi left them with all sorts of questions, before he saw his family's guards outside of the Student Council room.
"Young Master, your father told us to come find Himeragi Azusa and bring her to the company." When he confirmed her whereabouts, she surprisingly got herself out of the invitation by falling asleep in the room and locking the door, making it only possible for Student Council members to enter the room.
"I apologize, it seems she has fallen asleep."
"Our orders didn't say anything about waking her up if she was sleeping so we will take our leave." Akashi nodded, telling them that he'd be heading home after finishing up Student Council work. As much as it was a smart decision to lock the door, he was a danger to her and she was defenseless at the moment. When she let down her hair, it reminded him of her younger self, who used to visit his home in the half year they played together. Just like this, she'd fall asleep, waiting for him on some days.
"But you couldn't have been waiting for me, right?" There was no response as she rested her head on the top of the sofa and leaned to her right. Since he needed to file a few things away, he decided to ignore the current issue and revisit it, once he was done with work. But the organization only took a few minutes and he was back to looking at Himeragi fast asleep in front of him. His next decision was to let her sleep for another five minutes, taking a seat at the far end of the sofa while he waited. Soon after, the allotted time passed and Akashi was put in the same position, yet again. He sat closer, looking up at her peaceful smile with his own uninhibited one. With no one except him knowing of this exchange, he acted in accordance with his true heart. "... Azusa." he whispered while softly tapping her cheek with his knuckle. He also rested his thumb under her band aid, not wanting to disturb her cut. Akashi was quickly brought back to reality when her phone's alarm resounded through the room, making Himeragi wake up for a moment to turn it off.
"It looks awfully like Akashi-kun… But that can't be~" Hearing her say his name made his eyes widen. Feeling his heart beat faster, Akashi admitted that he missed hearing her call him that.
"Let's go home, Vice-President—" Instead of waking up, Himeragi hugged him, wrapping her arms around his back, believing this was a dream. The events unfolded almost exactly as they did in the past. When the younger Himeragi didn't want to move and the younger Akashi got too close to her, she had used him as a pillow too.
"But why is this bolster not soft at all…" she mumbled, as she leaned forward. Akashi had his hands up, not wanting to give in to his desire to hug her back and let her pin him down before realizing it was a bad idea after all. When he held her shoulder to put some distance between them, Himeragi rubbed her eyes and registered that Akashi was in front of her, or more precisely, under her.