"Is it me or is there something very different happening there?" Kise, Kuroko and Midorima looked at the extremely quick interaction between Akashi and Himeragi, who handed off the notes for the day without even making eye contact. Himeragi didn't even ask a question and walked to the locker room with Momoi. Akashi didn't look up either, as they wondered what could have happened to make the air between the two of them so icy.

"Akashi, did you and Himeragi quarrel?" He chose his words under the assumption that it was a small fight, not something that would last very long.

"Not at all. I would prefer you didn't ask pointless questions, Shintarō." It seemed even asking about what happened turned the mood sour.

"So it's a Cold War…" Kise whispered to Kuroko, who wasn't particularly curious. When Akashi looked at Kuroko, whose gaze was fixed on Aomine leaving the gym with an unsatisfied look, he added a conversation he needed to have, to the queue of things he had to do.

"Azu-chan, did you and Akashi-kun fight?" Momoi was also curious and Himeragi could have told her about her past memories with Akashi but it wouldn't amount to anything.

"No. He made his decision." When Momoi filled in the blanks in thought herself, she pieced together that even when Akashi changed that summer day, he still showed concern for Himeragi and had remnants of his previous personality. But seeing his hardened and intimidating aura today, Himeragi must have meant that he made up his mind about staying aloof and more concretely, distancing himself from her.

"Then have you made your decision?" It was a tricky question; she could say that she did when she didn't chase after him that night but Himeragi was dissatisfied that she was too weak in the moment to reach out to Akashi. Momoi scanned Himeragi's reaction, knowing that she was recalling the moment that Akashi made up his mind. Himeragi didn't look sad or concerned, instead she looked like she didn't have any thoughts on the situation.

"Not yet." Momoi didn't like the answer and knew she shouldn't have expected Himeragi to always have a solution or thinking about the next steps. Therefore, she gave her a hug, as if to give her strength.

"I didn't ask to pressure you into figuring out anything, Azu-chan. But if liking Akashi-kun is making you sad, I'll help you forget about it." Himeragi was happy with her sentiments, until she realized there was a misunderstanding.

"Satsuki, I don't have anyone I like." That was unbelievable to Momoi, whose eyes enlarged. But Himeragi didn't look like she was joking either and their conversation reached a stand-still. There were so many emotions etched on Momoi's face as she recounted the romantic moments between Himeragi and Akashi. It was true that just because your heart raced or your cheeks flushed didn't mean you were in love but she was so sure that Akashi successfully caught Himeragi's attention.

"As expected of the iron wall…" Momoi was trying to process that there existed someone that was so caring, purely out of platonic feelings.

"Perhaps what's more worrisome is where this club is headed." Momoi stopped thinking of love matters and realized that Himeragi was right; Akashi's change also affected the club dynamic. When she scanned the pensive look on Himeragi's face, she worried about their guy friends, who all had looks of reluctance on their faces these days.

"I honestly don't know how long I can wait. Sometimes just thinking about them makes me want to cry." Their intuitions were double-edged swords because they made accurate predictions but also predictions that they didn't want to come true.

"Don't hide your feelings. Be the one that sets the precedent."

"Even if I have to shed ugly tears?"

"None of them would call you ugly except Aomine and when he does say that, he doesn't actually mean it. But the main point here is that your tears have the power to sway others."

"And your tears don't?" Himeragi blinked her eyes and was reminded of Akashi's behavior.

"Unfortunately I'm not as strong as you. I don't plan to cry." Momoi knew there were underlying reasons and habits that stopped Himeragi from showing her sadness to others and just agreed with the idea, not wanting to force her. They walked down the hall and Momoi lightened the mood with a joke.

"We're such good friends but I've never seen you cry. I'm a little hurt, Azu-chan."

"Shall I find some eye drops?" As Momoi yelled that it was implied that she wanted to see real tears, Himeragi giggled, a sight that the three boys around the corner, hadn't seen since they came back from the winter holidays.

"With this, the head coach and I have approved of your breaks." Aomine and Kise were the ones with Akashi and they both nodded. Akashi didn't have anything to say after handing them their approved absence forms and they watched him head to finish up more work.

"Finally, freedom~ Things were getting so boring." Aomine didn't reply to Kise and felt that even if he skipped practice, he wouldn't be motivated to do something about the void in his heart. Kise could feel Aomine's melancholy and shrugged his shoulders, as it was something he couldn't relate to or help him with.

"Why are you doing this now? After all we've been through?" Momoi hadn't heard from the duo themselves that they were taking a break and now that she found Aomine about to skip class, she let loose a barrage of complaints, ranging from his propensity to do as he pleased to his indifference in even telling her.

"What is the big deal? It's three weeks." They hadn't talked in a few days and were getting increasingly fed up with one another, just looking at each other. With no one there to moderate or at least keep their filters in check, the two of them continued to argue, going as far as to start labeling one another.

"Arrogant jerk."

"Meddlesome brat."

"You're the brat!" When Momoi tried to bring up the teammates that were waiting for him to come back, Aomine snickered.

"You really think I care about them? Who do you think I am, Satsuki?"

"Well you're clearly a self-serving fool now."

"If you're aiming to piss me off, scram now. I'm not in the mood. Go bother Tetsu."

"You're the one that should stop bothering Azu-chan." Aomine stopped for a moment, not thinking that Momoi would bring Himeragi into this. Momoi had the last word in the matter and she ran off with a pout, leaving him to think about his decision again. As much as he didn't care for Momoi's objection, the very thought of Himeragi yelling at him and calling him an idiot made him wince. Down the hall in Himeragi's classroom, Momoi began to rant to Himeragi, who was looking over event proposals before classes began.

"Azu-chan, did you know that Aomine-kun and Ki-chan are taking breaks from practice?" She stopped moving the papers and stared with an unreadable expression. It wasn't too far from her predictions but Kise's break was anticipated to be later. Not having Aomine around to aggravate her, Momoi began to feel the sadness she initially felt when she heard about the change from Sanada. It was as if all the progress to bring them together disappeared after break. Himeragi could feel her worry emanating out: it was right for them to speak to Sanada before they were fed up but if they continued to go in different directions, then any progress of uniting them would be reset. Seeing the toll that Aomine and Kise's breaks were taking on Momoi, Himeragi wondered how to proceed, as she believed that Momoi would have been the one that could get through to Aomine. "Azu-chan, are you not worried about this?" Momoi's voice snapped her out of her roaming thoughts but she didn't have an answer. After dealing with her memories of Akashi resurfacing over break and having to take a step back to respect his wishes, Himeragi thought it was best not to irk the other hotheads either.

"I need some time… to process." For Himeragi, it was headache after headache and she wondered how to revamp the plan she had in her mind to accommodate Momoi's increasing distress. "These idiots…" she mumbled, as Momoi felt a bit comforted that her best friend was still able to insult them at a time like this.

"We can only wait, right?" Himeragi nodded, although she thought that the time they were waiting for was long ways off, after their middle school days. But she couldn't say that to Momoi, who they relied on for moral support. It was best that she remained hopeful. When Midorima came to collect the papers from Himeragi, Kise also came by, feeling anxious that she didn't respond to his text over break.

"Are you angry, Azu-cchi?" Rather, she was extremely calm. Midorima stayed quiet, having a feeling that Himeragi wanted this conversation wrapped up quickly. When Aomine separately joined the conversation because he saw her not responding to Kise's question, she shook her head.

"You two decided this was the best course of action and Sanada coach approved of it. Why would I be angry?"

"Then why do you look so distant? Why do you seem like you don't care?" He was going to bring up her not answering his texts but it was already concerning enough that she didn't seem bothered. Midorima and Himeragi wondered if he knew how much work she had for the new semester and stared at him with disinterested looks.

"Kise. I can't cite that policy to make you come to practice, especially since you received permission from the head coach." She said with a raised eyebrow, sensing that they wanted her to stop them from distancing themselves. Watching them look unsure of how to proceed, Himeragi understood Sanada's intentions: if they attended practice just to satisfy an unfounded desire to keep the team together when that wasn't a priority to any of them, they'd fall further into a rabbit hole of intentions they didn't care for. That wasn't to say that they'd figure out something in the next three weeks but it was better than shackling them, even if it was temporary.

"Do you want us to come back?" Just because they came to practice didn't mean the situation was resolved at all. If their reason for returning was for someone else, then she'd rather they were demoted.

"Don't come back to practice for someone else. Do you want to be demoted?" Midorima agreed, looking at Kise with a frown for asking a question that put their decisions into the hands of Himeragi. Aomine in particular, scrutinized her, looking for something about her actions to point out. But he couldn't find something to critique, since they were the ones that voluntarily took a break.

"I thought you'd say something different or at least something more."

"Why do you expect so much from Himeragi?" Midorima was the second person to pick up on Aomine's expectations for Himeragi's actions. Kise followed soon after, realizing that the one-on-one match he heard about likely increased Aomine's affections toward Himeragi. Fortunately for Aomine, she missed the hidden agenda altogether.

"It's not like you three are going to avoid each other, right?" While Aomine had a rather ambivalent answer, Kise nodded his head. Midorima didn't answer.

"It's unlikely we'd be able to go even a day without seeing each other's faces, unfortunately."

"You say that but you miss us already don't you, Midorimacchi?"

"Stay away, Kise." Although she didn't get a unanimous affirmative answer, their reactions were enough to keep her from asking more.

"Then it's alright." Aomine wanted to yell that it wasn't but wondered why he was about to throw a tantrum in front of Himeragi. When he stopped himself, Himeragi's gaze softened. He was learning to control that temper of his. Just as Himeragi's image of him was changing, no one expected him to grab her hand and look at her with an intense gaze.

"One-on-one." In addition to her mental fatigue, there was no way she could risk physical fatigue too.

"No." She rejected, as they all wondered in what scenario he thought she would have said yes.

"Why not?!"

"Are you really throwing a tantrum before class?" When she tried to pull her hand back from his grip, he went as far as to interlock their fingers, bringing back memories of what Akashi did. Midorima and Kise noticed how she flinched and wondered if Aomine made her feel nervous. If so, that was bad news for them.

"Tch. I'm not giving up." Himeragi wanted to discipline him for being so childish but he had already left and the bell was set to ring in a minute. The other two starters were worried about Aomine's last statement, wondering in what sense, Aomine was not going to give up. Himeragi's mind was thinking about someone else however, someone who hadn't spoken to Aomine in a while.

"Azusa-san? Why have you called me?"

"You've hit a few roadblocks right?"

"Why are you helping me so much?"

"You're the only one whose capabilities I can't predict. The mystery surrounding you is your weapon."

"Do you have high expectations for me?" He didn't know where he was headed or what he was doing in the present. Even during the break he asked for, he didn't know how to strengthen his abilities or increase his morale to at least want to devote himself to misdirection, when no one seemed to need him.

"What do you mean high expectations? It's in your personality." Himeragi was a proponent of the personality tests and she already knew which category Kuroko fit into. Given that hard-working personality of his, he was the one with the highest expectations of himself.

"Then do you know any way that I can stop having these self-loathing thoughts…" His depressed demeanor reminded her of Aomine. Although the three of them were all similar in the fact that they hated to not be doing nothing when something was wrong, Himeragi wondered what more there was to Kuroko's feelings, for him to be feeling this terrible.

"We're going to do some predicting. Then you can tell me how you feel afterwards." After finding an empty classroom, Himeragi pulled out unlined paper and began to write team formations on the papers. Kuroko understood what she was trying to replicate, taking note of where the other starters were stationed. "If the opponent is looking at Midorin but your pass to him has the highest rate of success what would you do?"

"I would pass to Kise-kun. Midorima-kun only takes shots that he knows will go in."

"Then if Kise is able to break through this double team but wants to drive through the inside to dunk, what would you do?"

"Let him?"

"Nope. You, who has a calmer head on his shoulders, should tell him to pass, so that you can pass to the hoop for Mukkun."

"Why is that?"

"From this angle, he'd have to drive through again. That wastes time for the others that also need to fulfill their quota. Besides would he be happy if he passed to Mukkun?" The answer was clearly no and Kuroko understood more specifically, what he could add to the team after all. Even if the others wouldn't pass, he could get into position to change up the plays, without making all of them upset and forced to pass to one another.

"It's a compromise I see." Himeragi agreed with him. Even if he and others thought of him as dispensable, he had the power to change the course of the ball. "Then given this scenario where Midorima-kun is marked but it'd be risky to pass to the inside, would I pass to Akashi-kun?"

"That definitely makes the most sense but Kuro-kun, in actuality, you don't have to let the President choose what's best for the situation."

"Then I'd like to pass to Aomine-kun." Himeragi nodded, since Aomine was likely to finish matters quickly. The ball would go to Akashi afterwards, leading to another formation. Even if Kise and Murasakibara were heavily marked, Kuroko's lack of presence would send balls to them. Another option was to pass right back to Akashi.

"It's fun isn't it?" Once she saw that she didn't need to prompt him anymore, Himeragi remembered his words from before. "What about loving basketball because it's fun? Because the teamplays are so varied and so interesting to create?" Although Himeragi had been intentionally insensitive to force him to answer her, she recalled his passionate words.

"If you remember what we all say, why do you pretend to be cruel?" With the papers shifted to the side, Kuroko's focus was on Himeragi. His cyan blue eyes were always a beautiful color but with the sunset illuminating his pale skin, he looked even more ethereal. If he had more of a presence, Kuroko would surely have girls after him as well.

"I'm sadistic by nature, Kuro-kun." He couldn't deny that and nodded with a stoic face. "When you look like you're not sure of what to say or have nothing to say, I want to tease you." But because she was so helpful, Kuroko knew she had good intentions, even if she would help Kise up after laughing at him first.

"Thank you for doing all of these things in our best interest. Please allow me—"

"If you want to show your gratitude, then think about yourself and what you want." It was a request that wasn't befitting of her sadistic nature but Kuroko knew that this was her true desire. Her mentorship was truly heartwarming, making him smile like he never did. Himeragi joined in before realizing one important thing that only Kuroko could do.

"Azusa-san is someone that can't ignore her friends after all." Her personality was what tied them all together but in return, the instigators were falling in love with her. "Azusa-san, only one person besides Momoi-san, can be special to you. Once that person makes it pass your iron wall, you'll know." His words were nice to hear but Himeragi couldn't help but think that he was talking about the conversation she and Momoi were having.

"You overheard… huh?"

"I actually wanted some guidance earlier but didn't want to interrupt."

"I can't promise that I'll reach out first all the time, but I'll be here, Kuro-kun." When he saw her look out the window with an apathetic look, he noticed what was different about her: she didn't exude the same warm air. Kuroko could read into her intentions but Himeragi wouldn't be honest, not right now, as she was testing the waters. Kuroko's reply was halted by a knock on the door. Akashi came to see Kuroko and Himeragi nodded her head, bidding them both goodbye. Before Akashi stepped into the room and Himeragi left it, they held eye contact for a few seconds, knowing what kind of conversation ensued.

"Tetsuya." It was rare for Akashi to come look for Kuroko first. It was the first that they had spoken since before the winter holidays and as expected, his captain emitted an intimidating air.

"It's been a while, Akashi-kun."

"I will make this quick. Give up on Daiki." In his heart, he relied on the guidance of two people: Himeragi and Akashi, with the latter being the person that taught him misdirection. When Akashi suddenly said the exact opposite as Himeragi, Kuroko faltered in the trust he had in Himeragi's words. "Rather, give up on the notion that our team will ever be the same as it was before Shirogane coach collapsed."

"Why do you force yourself to say cruel things?" It was a question that Himeragi would have asked him. Akashi's frown deepened. If possible, he would have liked to have left her out of the matter altogether, knowing that he and her ideologies were in conflict.

"Do you think that if I phrased it more sanguinely, it would change the outcome? Daiki is irritated with everyone regarding something he cannot obtain, regardless of who is to deal with it." Kuroko was reminded of Himeragi's smile, one that told him to give it his best shot. But that was also a matter of a couple months ago. In today's session, she didn't smile like she did before. All the previous resolution he gained from spending time with her came crumbling down at the hands of Akashi. "While you are busy observing others to enhance your misdirection, you can't assume a role that can help anyone else. Even when you do come back to practice, you shouldn't expect a change in dynamic. It's more beneficial for all of the starters if you don't get attached to worthless matters like friendship." Besides Himeragi, the one other person that could have held the group together was Kuroko and because he already kept her at arm's length away, Akashi was here to deal with Kuroko. All of the words Akashi used were debilitating, making Kuroko look at the ground with tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you are the one with the highest chance of getting demoted if you don't keep up with the pace of practice." Kuroko knew the answer but he had hoped that Akashi wouldn't say it.

"... Who are you?" From the day he fought with Aomine, Kuroko had wondered who this new Akashi was. The previous Akashi had been blunt as well, but there was concern behind his harsh words. But for the current Akashi, he just didn't care. His wry smile sent chills down Kuroko's spine.

"Of course I'm Akashi Seijūrō, Tetsuya." Kuroko's lips trembled, not knowing how to reply. The captain of the basketball team looked frightening with his mismatched eyes and wicked smile; Akashi was not here to cheer him on but to tell him to give up his beliefs. With none of his friends here, he felt alone. Even if he approached Himeragi for comfort, what could she say? She didn't sugarcoat and may also say merciless things, even if it was for his own good. "Don't disappoint me, Tetsuya." Kuroko meekly nodded, crumpling the papers with formations he came up with, with Himeragi. Down the hall, Himeragi leaned her head upwards and sighed. Knowing Akashi's personality, she could have prepared Kuroko for the harsh words by reframing them beforehand. But the more she thought of Akashi, the more she thought that it wouldn't help him if she spun his words optimistically because he didn't mean for them to be taken as just advice.

"I'm sorry Kuro-kun." There were two people in particular that she wanted to protect but shielding them from Akashi was impossible. In fact, she wasn't immune to Akashi's cruelty either, anymore.

Needlessly to say, Aomine was true to his words. Just as practice had finished and she was ready to head to the Student Council room, a familiar face popped out from the gym entrance. Aomine looked conflicted even coming to her first but called her name anyways. Everyone froze, as they weren't expecting to see him, since he stopped coming to practice.

"Could Aomine-san like Himeragi-san?" Momoi also thought it was likely but she wondered why Aomine was so insistent on a match against Himeragi.

"Good work everyone. See you tomorrow." She said, grabbing her bag and heading down the hall with him. If he came to find her first, then he probably had some sort of answer to what he was doing, now that he wasn't coming to practice.

"Can we battle again?" Or not. Himeragi was not impressed by his answer.

"You want to depend on me when you won't even depend on Satsuki? Don't be stupid, Aomine." What she did that day was mainly to calm his anger. Himeragi had no intention of being his one-on-one partner when the situation didn't call for it.

"I'm not depending on you! That day—"

"I told you that there is a limit to what I can do for you. I can't light your fire and you know that too."

"I'm not asking you to!" They stopped walking down the hallway and Himeragi could feel the air freezing over.

"Do I look like a punching bag to you?" It wasn't the right moment to provoke him but after seeing him constantly trying to contain his anger, Himeragi knew he was just becoming a ticking bomb whose fuse would go off on the wrong person.

"Do you want to be?" He took the bait and punched the wall next to her face. He was being a bit more violent than expected but Himeragi overlooked it. "I'm trying to figure out something but nothing is working…!" he said, frustrated with himself for becoming bored of everything.

"Stop explaining yourself to me. I can listen but we both know that won't satisfy you." They shared one trait in common: not wanting to say or do something unless it yielded results and she could relate to wanting to take some sort of action if she was frustrated too. But he was asking the wrong person.

"So just because I'm done with this team, you're done with me too, Azusa?" Himeragi wanted to fire back that he was truly a knucklehead that couldn't read between the lines but decided not to go that route.

"You want me to step on your toes that much?" Since he wasn't paying attention, he didn't realize she meant it in the literal sense, actually taking a few steps forward and onto his toes. He yelled in annoyance; it didn't hurt that much but Aomine wasn't expecting it. When she clung to his sleeve, he reflexively wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from falling. "You know that I can't alleviate your worries right now, right?" Her stoic expression struck a chord in his heart; he didn't mean to bog her down with his qualms. Their argument came to a stalemate and he hated this silence between them.

"But you're my…!" He couldn't complete his sentence because he didn't even know what he was trying to say. The support he received from Momoi was different from what he looked toward Himeragi to receive. She didn't follow either but ignored words in favor of actions. She leaned on his chest expecting him to recoil and cringe in disgust.

"Hurry up and push me away." When he heard her words, Aomine was reminded that he was the type of person that hated to be hugged but in this moment, with Himeragi, the sensation was different. Knowing he'd be thought of as strange, he wrapped his arms around her back, reciprocating the hug. Their heartbeats were steady and Himeragi suddenly thought of her hug with Akashi, the person that ended up pushing her away. At least in this moment, she wasn't being rejected, even though she hugged Aomine for a very different reason.

"I don't hate this. I don't hate you or any of them. Things are just… dull."

"Then fill your time with stuff you want to do, even if it's just sleeping." Himeragi stopped herself from hugging him tighter, as her reason for doing so had nothing to do with Aomine. She didn't want to use him as a substitute and stepped away first. "Don't punch the wall next time, Aomine. If I hear any more complaints from Satsuki, I'll have to deal with you as the head of the Disciplinary Committee." When she turned around to leave, he stopped her.

"Then who were you acting as, when you hugged me?"

"Someone that cares for you." His heart raced and he was left in even more confusion over his feelings.

"I'm only going to continue to bother you!" Momoi had been right after all but after recalling the feeling of Himeragi in his arms, Aomine didn't care. Himeragi on the other hand, was feeling somewhat lethargic, not having any of her previous worries dispelled by what had just happened. Himeragi was set on not accepting Aomine's request for at least another week but it was becoming more likely that she'd have to battle him, especially since Akashi made an opposing move.

"Azusa—" Having seen him for the nth time today, Aomine finally struck a nerve. After putting the basketballs into the bins, Kuroko and Momoi watched her drag him by the arm without a word.

"Why does Azu-chin look like she's going to make Mine-chin minced meat?"

"That's a question to Aomine, who has been annoying all day." In that same moment, they all decided to go check out the impending match and if needed, would see to it that Himeragi did not kill Aomine.

"What made you say yes?" It was after practice hours in the Third String gym and instead of Kuroko, Himeragi was with Aomine. Himeragi was able to hold up against Aomine's antics for another week, until she lost her patience with the number of people that kept asking her to elaborate on her relationship with Aomine, who bothered her at least three times a day. Midorima was also going to yell at Aomine himself, if the latter continued to wait for Himeragi after Student Council meetings. Before that fire was lit and Aomine was thrown into it, she thought it was best to deal with it herself.

"It doesn't matter why, does it? Let me off the hook if I block two shots." He smirked, as it wasn't his intention to go easy on her. Himeragi braced herself, having ran more than usual in the last week to build up her stamina and practiced more karate to help with her reactions. Although she could see his dribbling, it wasn't enough to stop it or the dunks that followed, since she couldn't jump to his height in time. The rest of the starters and Momoi came to spectate, after hearing the squeak of shoes on the gym floor. It was surprising for them to see Himeragi standing still, as Kuroko had hoped that Aomine didn't make even her feel like it was impossible to beat him. After a series of failed attempts to cut the ball or even catch up with him, Himeragi stood still to recall the sensation of having Aomine in front of her.

"What, you've given up Azusa?" Kise and Midorima looked on worryingly; they didn't care if she did give up but it wasn't fair from the beginning, for her to have accepted a challenge from a prodigy. She opened her eyes and exasperatedly sighed.

"No, I'm going to block two of your shots." Akashi recalled the same determination from the last time she battled Aomine. Having not been the object of her willful acts since his birthday, Akashi felt slightly ambivalent, watching her work so hard for someone else's sake again, something he complained about before. He looked at the positioning of their feet and confirmed that the previous attempts were all to scout out Aomine's quirks after all.

"Azu-chan will block this drive." Momoi declared and Akashi nodded. They watched Aomine use one of the fastest dribbles they had seen and for those that stood on the same court as him, they predicted his motive was to distract Himeragi long enough to get the ball behind her. But she had been waiting for that moment, quickly turning around and cutting the ball out of bounds. Aomine was stunned for a second, as he watched the ball roll away.

"How did you know, Momocchi?" Momoi nervously laughed and they were afraid of her subsequent response.

"Azu-chan's strongest karate move is the spinning roundhouse kick." The air around the six people in the audience turned apprehensive; it all sounded innocuous but they were frightened for whoever was unfortunate enough to be the victim. But Momoi knew that the constant jumping and concentration wouldn't last much longer. Himeragi had to block the second shot soon or she'd overexert herself. Aomine scored the next few shots, knowing that she didn't have the strength to jump to stop a dunk. But Himeragi had a plan, beginning from stopping him from going to the inside. They were shocked by her increase in speed and Aomine pulled back for a moment, opting for a long shot. Himeragi didn't jump as soon as he did and he wondered what her plan was, not knowing that she was looking at his knees. Once she confirmed that he wasn't pulling a fake or a formless shot, she also jumped, shocking him the second he released the ball. Their friends were left speechless by her block and Aomine didn't know what to say, as Himeragi wiped sweat from her forehead.

"How did you know it wasn't a fake?" In actuality, he could have easily brought his feet back to the ground and throw off her sense of gravity but it would have strained him more than just shooting the ball.

"You've put enough strain on your ankles with the dunks." There were many routes she could've taken and she had three choices of shots to block. Once she disregarded his dunks, then she focused on stopping him at the three point line. "Don't be outsmarted during the next practice game, Ahomine." she said, walking toward the locker room to change. The rest of the details were omitted for him to think about his quirks himself.

"So that's what happened last semester too." Kise smiled, being the only one that was happy to see Himeragi fare well against Aomine. Midorima, Akashi and Momoi had other thoughts, knowing that Himeragi chose enduring another few days of soreness to make Aomine happy. Momoi didn't expect the conflicted expression on Kuroko's face, as if he was falling deeper into that abyss he opened because of the recent series of events. Even though she was only trying to help, Kuroko didn't respond to Momoi and the starters all went in different directions, to all different destinations.

It's gonna get angsty up in here….. But before that :)

This was entirely out of boredom but when I did some analysis of the GoM's personality types, I made this chart:

Kuroko - INFJ

Aomine - ESTP (debatable)

Kise - ESFP

Midorima - ISTJ

Murasakibara - ISTP

Momoi - ESFJ

Akashi - INTJ

Can you guess what personality type Himeragi falls into? ;) (I found this out as I was making this chart)