For the umpteenth time that day, I stared at the scene before me with a blank gaze, shifting my gaze towards my team next second, then back at the scene at hand. Wondering how my day turned out like this would give me a headache, so I settled for reaching forward and hitting the triple aces at the back of their heads to hopefully knock some common sense into them.
Currently, we were all gathered inside the bathroom stall trying to fix the broken lock of the door in order to get us all out. "Ahominecchi! This is why you should have let me go first instead!"
"What do you mean? It was Haizaki's fault anyway that we're trapped in here in the first place! If only you didn't knock that drink into Akashi's clothes..." Aomine-kun replied, which Kise-kun took as an opportunity to argue with him once again.
Before he could retaliate though, the other aforementioned teen chimed in. "Hah? Could you really blame me? Kise was on the way and I just happened to trip on him-" Shougo-kun retorted, but he was dead focused on picking on the screws to tighten it and open the door.
"Would you all please just shut up and get the door fixed already? It's getting a little cramped in here." I stopped all three of them from engaging in their convo further so they could focus on getting us out of here. "Not to mention warmer. We all brought our jackets inside and the heat system is too strong it even reaches the bathroom stalls." The other three more logical people of the group simply stared at the triple trouble in front of me who were at fault, matching looks of boredom evident on their faces. I stared on with a matching blank face, silencing them into working faster.
"Well, we really didn't have to stuff ourselves inside of this stuffy place, Murasakibara just insisted on coming because he said the soap here smells nice and he would like to taste it..."
"It is nice though." Murasaki-kun pouted, an act I caught in the corner of my eye. He quickly looked away on my brother's reprimand that 'no, Murasakibara. You do not eat fancy soap regardless of how good they smell,' making him back away in defeat. He continued whining like the overgrown child he is but never tried to do what he intended to the moment he stepped in.
"Either way, we need to get out of here as soon as we can because we'll die of over heating first before any natural causes gets to us." I said bluntly, making the idiot trio shiver even though we all knew I was exaggerating.
I turned to Shin-kun who had his phone out now, idly scrolling through his feed. Taking a peek at his shoulder, I saw what he was looking at, piquing my interests. "So it's Touou winning against Shutoku this time," my brother said from Shin-kun's other side. When he got there, I had no idea.
"They have that scary mind reading first year on their side so it's no surprise." Shin-kun offhandedly commented, though he kept scrolling. "Ah, but it's a close call. Shutoku also has some big shot first years, and they won't be called kings if they lose just like that nanodayo."
"I think Touou has a long way to go," I added, noticing the amount of effort Touou was putting for the game. The kings were barely getting started, it was only the first quarter. "Look, the big guy is subbed in now." I pointed towards the center of the screen where a scary looking guy with a number 5 on his shirt was coming in.
Sei-kun glanced at me, before looking at the green head between us. "Wanna bet on it?"
My eye twitched at hearing those words. Whenever he says that, there's always a catch. Shin-kun caught on as well, hesitant on accepting the offer, but Sei's pointed gaze made him cave anyway. I sighed, peeking back to the trio who succeeded in putting the handle back at least.
Not paying attention to the bet my brother and our childhood friend made, I stopped Murasakibara-kun from almost taking the bathroom stuff into his mouth before observing the three idiots. When the locked click after they finished with the handle, we all cheered, running out immediately.
Finding some seats in the cheering crowd of a sold out game was harder than expected. Touou versus Shutoku was an unexpected match, seeing as Touou was the dark horse of the inter high for this year, and going against a king while keeping up with their score was one thing. The key to catching the crowd's attention though was the 10 point lead Touou held against Shutoku.
I sipped on a new milkshake calmly, one that we bought on the way from the concession while observing the benchwarmers. They were average at best, from what I could tell. Sei seemed to think the same since he barely batted an eye at them. "Did you end up betting on it?"
"The results of this game is already decided, there is no point in betting on it if Shintarou does not choose the opposing side." His left eye twitched, an annoyed look passing his face. That made me snicker, "Of course he wouldn't. Even I could tell who'll take the win for today." I saw the Touou coach raise his hand for a time out, but I knew it would be pointless. "And it looks like he caught on already." Sei nodded but said nothing. I eyed the scoreboard with blank eyes.
Touou has potential, but just that was not enough.
"Also, speaking of Shin-kun," I grabbed one of the duck chains in my pocket, handing it over to him. Sei eyed it a bit suspiciously but took it anyway. "Is it our lucky day yet?"
"Not quite. It's exactly the opposite, so he gave us these to make up for it." And we have the rest of the day to make up for it. Well, in Sei's case anyway, since I didn't have much problems with the double charms safely kept in my pocket. Not that either of us believed in Oha asa- but sometimes, Shin-kun's predicaments are very true, it's quite nerve wracking.
"Ah."
The game ended with a 20 point lead from Shutoku, surprising no one.
"So, children, what did we learn here today?" Kise-kun earned a jab from his rival at that remark and an eyeroll from half of the team including myself.
"You're barely a few months older than us, Kise-kun." I told him.
"Not to mention, you act more of an overgrown child that the oldest one in this group nanodayo." Kise-kun cried some more crocodile tears at that, accusing us of being mean again, but none of us paid much attention to him anymore.
We got to the restaurant in record time which Sei promised to treat everyone in, as per usual apparently. I sighed when we everyone fussed over my brother like he was some king, and him sitting in the side taking in all the glory of his treat with a smug air around him. It looked like a comical scene from an anime in all honesty. Everyone turned to me expecting me to do something about it. After all I was his brother and we're using the 'Akashi riches' to pay for whatever expenses we'll be having here. "Actually, Sei-kun is only paying with his allowance. I never agreed to anything- if anything he'll be treating me too."
"Eh?!" was the collective response. "How much allowance do you even get to be able to afford everyone's food? Especially Murasakibara- he eats like a monster too!"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Both of us answered at the same time, making the ace's eye squint at us before going to scan his menu. I shook my head, deciding to just order a small meal and a milkshake. While half the team fussed over the menu, to which Shin-kun and us twins merely peeked at with uninterest, I caught my brother's gaze, already fearing the worse. "...no, Sei-kun. I eat what I want."
"You can't call milkshake and fries a healthy lunch. Not to mention you've already had two cups, so no, Tetsuya, you're getting something else." He said with finality in his tone. I argued anyway for the sale of it, "Sei-kun, I can just pay for my own food! I have the same allowance as you, before you forget."
"It's not about the expenses, little brother." I felt the other's gazes on us by then but I was too stubborn to acknowledge them.
"You're just being stingy, nii-sama."
I turned away from him, not without huffing dramatically. I didn't get any milkshakes though. Water will do for now, I guess.
The meal went peacefully without any of our friends interrupting the peace, fortunately. Out of nowhere, I said, "They let their guards down too much." Kise-kun was the first to reply in a playful tone, even though his expression didn't match it.
"Maa, maa~ Tetsuyacchi you noticed it too didn't you?"
"In any case, it's their loss. They were too greedy." I excused myself to the bathroom, just before Aomine-kun said something about Touou's advantage which I didn't quite catch.
After the meal, we were then gathered in an arcade, with me being the one on the spending end this time. "Six packs of the one hundred deal, please." That should be enough. It took her a while to notice me, but then I saw the clerk's eyes widen, staring at me as if telling me that that was more than enough. I mentally chuckled, "I'm with big boys, you see." Pointing towards the direction of my team, she blinked, disbelief etching on her features. I think I even heard her mutter 's-scary' while handing me an extra pack.
Stopped by a hand- the clerk's hand on my wrist just before I turned back to them, I let out a snicker at her whisper. "Hey... if you're being forced here against your will, I'll gladly hide you."
"Thank you, and no, they're not bullying me or anything. Please don't call the cops on them. I'll stay safe."
There were a barrage of questions when I got back to my team. Things like 'did she harass you Tetsucchi?!' and 'why was she flirting with you, Tetsu?!' but all I gave was a hum, telling them not to worry to much about it. It was funny how similar the accusations were but very off the hook.
It wasn't long until the gaped at the amount of coins in my hands which I handed out to them confusedly. Was this too much? I didn't think they would like sharing with one another so I bought us all packs just in case. Shin-kun was about to share a pack with us since he didn't seem interested either, so the extra pack of coins went to him.
Sei and I shared the last packet of coins, not exactly sure where or how to use them. It's not every day we were given the chance to go to an arcade after all, given the household we live in.
Just as I thought we were all going to separate, everyone headed straight for the basketball games, dragging me along with them. I stared at it blankly. Why did we go to the arcade when we'll be playing basketball anyway? The questions in my head were left unanswered because the three idiots positioned themselves on the edge of the game, challenging each other first.
"Man, that game had me all fire up!" Shougo-kun said, his hand shooting as quick as he could. We all knew when it came to these triple aces, it was a battle of speed instead of precision. All of their shots were destined to go in. Not bound, destined.
What a crowd we gathered when they were done. Whispers about the Generation of Miracles soon started to circulate around the arcade, giving us more attention than I was comfortable with.
"Murasakibara-kun, you're not joining them?" I gestured towards Sei and Shin-kun preparing for round two.
The giant merely scoffed, munching on his Maiubo. "But it's such a pain, we already play basketball in school." I nodded in understanding.
Somewhere in the sidelines, Aomine-kun just had the urge to rile up the purple head, "oh, is it that you forfeit from the match, Murasakibara? Well, not like we have any problems taking out the competition- I win either way." A twitch in the corner of my eye, "Oh, the prize would be anything you desire, courtesy of our captain. I can't wait to add to my Mai-chan stash." Another twitch, and the final blow that delivered to it was: "Atsushi wouldn't have won it anyway," Shougo-kun chimed in.
I felt the seat beside me lift at the loss of the giant now with his hair tied up, standing at the far end of the basketball row of machines. All three inserted their coins, ready to begin at any time.
We all watched in fascination once the game started. I wouldn't be surprised if this game gets even more attention than the one with my acting lights earlier.
All three of them were concentrated on making the shots. Their match up was unpredictable in it's victor, it was a very close call. Shin-kun landed shots perfectly, not missing any- none of us expected him to. His form was perfect, and he was swift in shooting the ball because it was his natural area. Sei was average in shooting, although what drew him attention was his grace and posture when landing the shots. His aura was that of a perfect captain, where nothing was going against him, and neither was the ball. He was absolute, after all. What gained the most attention though was Murasakibara-kun, using one hand to pick up the ball and the other to dunk it in, repeating the process with speedy transitions. All of us looked on with matching hanging jaws when the buzzer rang, his score being double of the previous high score.
When it ended, he merely turned to Sei, saying, "Aka-chin, I expect my mountain of Maiubo in the gym tomorrow." Sei nodded in amusement, panting a bit.
The rest of the arcade escapades were normal- with the occasional yells of challenges because what else would you expect from a group of basket ball airheads who were competitive to no ends and thinks they can be the best at anything? Which is probably true if they set their minds to it.
Once the crowd dispersed, everyone went to do their own things. Sei pulled me towards the shooting games before challenging me to a dance off for a game called Dance Dance Revolution. He won that one too, of course. Kise-kun and surprisingly Shougo-kun joined us halfway through. The last game we went to were the claw machines.
Sei, being the perfectionist twin that he was, had very little trouble getting the prizes. He would try just once for most of them, though he'd take a turn or two for some, but that was mostly to create bridges and gaps that only people with experience and good intellect would be able to think of. He had the good intellect part down to a cinch, only relying on good instincts to pass for the rest. Of course, being on par with his intelligence and observation skills for years also made me capable of doing as he did with the claw machines.
The rest of the Miragen stared at us in bewilderment. Or maybe it was directed at the prizes I held in my arms as Sei finished the last of our tokens by getting another to add to my collection. For once, I stood smug at the fact that the tickets in their hands did not compare.
Kise-kun turned away first, a hand on his nose. Shougo-kun spoke in a way that I almost didn't hear him say: "Tetsuya, too adorable."
"Do you need help carrying those?" Aomine-kun asked, but he was already taking some of the load off my arms.
"Hey! I wanna help Tetsuyacchi too ssu!" The obnoxious blonde stole the other half, leaving me with no prizes to carry. I stared at my arms, feeling lighter than they were since they were now empty.
"Is it just me, or did Kise get even more annoying?" Aomine-kun said, balancing the stuffed toys in his arms. "Ever since he got to play that idol game- he even started to use 'ssu'!"
"Mean Aominecchi! It's a good game!"
While they were arguing, Sei tapped my shoulder, signaling he already finished, and handed me a stuffed Siberian husky. "It reminded me of you," was all he said before turning away.
I spared a look at the husky in my arms, not sure what the resemblance was between the two of us. Still, I wasn't about to give it away. I failed to notice the stack of boxes on the side of the machine, causing me to trip on them. My teammates were quickly by my side, causing an unnecessary fuss because of the scene. I huffed, thankful for the husky Sei gave me otherwise I would have had my nose crushed at the fall.
The husky survived, but it now had a tear at the side of it's stomach. Sei promised to have the maids mend it when we get home.
"This is why I told you, you should be careful today nanodayo." Shin-kun stood up first, helping me up along with him. "You were lucky you had the inu at the right time. Good that you kept your lucky item with you too nanodayo."
I shook my head in exasperation. "Shin-kun, just say you were worried too and go." He did nothing but turn red at my statement.
"Aomine-kun, you're hesitating." I pointed out during our third game.
The scoreboards showed a twenty-six point lead in our favor. Briefly, I was reminded of the game we watched recently.
"Ah, sorry. Just thinking." He shook off the towel that was tossed on his head at the start of the time out, completely ignoring coach as he went on with the plan. "Don't worry about it, Tetsu."
"...Okay. Don't let your guard down too much, the game isn't over yet."
We won with a forty point lead.
"Yo, Tetsuya!" Shougo-kun greeted me the moment I got to the school gates, pulling me away from the student body and the gym where the others should be practicing in by now. "Mind if I borrow you for a bit?"
I shook my head, smiling up at him. "It's alright, Shou-kun. What do you need me for?"
People wonder how we got to the first name basis of familiarity in just a short amount of time, and we would tell them the same thing: both of us met in America and bonded over American culture since Shougo-kun was too uneducated in his own native culture, courtesy of his full blooded Japanese parents. That was also why he easily slipped to calling the other Miragen with their respective first names.
"I wanted to ask if you mind practicing with me. Alone." At that, I froze, staring at him stunned. He looked to the side, rubbing his nape while he continued. "I-I mean I understand you always practice with Daiki but I want to improve and be as good as he is. Ryouta as well; both of us have a long way to go. I figured practicing with you and your passes would make me better even in one aspect."
I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it immediately. I didn't have time to reply before he continued, "Anyways, just a thought. I hope you consider it. Lets go to practice now before your demon brother hunts my ass down for keeping you away." He let out a shudder, pulling me along back to the courts. I nodded at him, promising to think about it at the very least.
Aomine-kun ruffled my hair as we tried to catch our breath from the exhilarating practice. It made my heart jump, smiling up at him in appreciation. "Keep up Tetsu, it only gets worse from here. The closer we get to championship the harder the practice becomes." I only groaned at his declaration.
"Aka-chin, I'm gonna die. I don't have any more snacks left either." Murasakibara-kun followed, a string of complaints trailing not far from behind him. "Can we take a break?"
I turned to my twin who was also panting, already drinking from my water bottle. Briefly, I wondered if he had any shame at all reusing all of my things, especially after what we do nowadays. "Sei-kun, I can't do this anymore."
Sei turned to me, looking me straight in the eyes. He gave me a smile, one of that he uses only when he's been scheming something. "Tetsuya, don't slack. Just another lap and we're finished."
I moaned in dissatisfaction, snatching my water bottle from him before running ahead to finish this dreaded thing already. Only, I was still very slow, and they still very much caught up with me, and they still very much left me behind. Or well, the second stringers did- and so did the third stringers. All the members of the first string slowed down, almost matching my pace.
Most of them wore matching lazy smiles- all with the exception of Shin-kun and Murasakibara-kun who were tight lipped and focused the whole time. I looked ahead in wonder. My teammates maybe blockheads, but they're kind hearted blockheads and I'd rather finish laps with them than head home early.
"Tetsucchi, wanna go grab milkshakes in Maji after ssu?"
"There he goes with the 'ssu' again."
Ignoring my light, I smiled up at Kise-kun. "Sure, your treat."
"It's funny how the twins probably has more wealth than the rest of you combined nanodayo, yet they still coerce you into treating them any chance they get." Shin-kun huffed, making the others whine in agreement. I knew he was still salty over the amount of times he had to treat us, making me giggle at the side. Sei mirrored my reaction, giving off a smug aura around him. At least I had the decency to have a wee bit of shame.
"...demon siblings indeed."