Another day, another chapter.

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EDIT - review corner removed after the end of the story for a clearer look - EDIT

Phew, I'm splitting it up again. I thought I wouldn't do stuff like that again but damn, too many events and stuff happening in a single day. And I don't have that much time if I really want to keep up the daily events so I had to cut it. Hope you won't hate me for that, haha.

Thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

DAY ONE HUNDRED SIXTY NINE I

"Satsuki-san is late, isn't she?"

Aomine snorted at her words, frowning at the strangers which walked past them. The two of them were waiting in front of the train station, waiting for no one else than the pink haired girl who had been bugging them the last few days to definitely come and watch the match today with her. Seirin High was playing against Yōsen High, a high school which was pretty far away from Tokyo in her opinion. But important nevertheless, an old friend of them attended it which made the match crucial as well.

"'Can't believe that I'm actually punctual this time..."

The blue haired teen shifted on his two feet, his attention slowly landing on the girl beside him who had started once more to rub her hands against another. Mia had started wearing gloves already, but the clothing somehow lacked the warmth and safety it promised.

"Still cold?"

"All the time." Mia replied with a sheepish smile. "Just the hands 'though."

Aomine watched her antics in amusement, pulling out his hands out of his parka's pockets as he offered them for her to hold on. A bit too eagerly, she thought, she pulled off the useless gloves. Stuffing them into her bag before she laid her hands in his. Her gaze landed on his long fingers which easily curled around her smaller palms, the familiar warmth engulfing her limbs.

Mia smiled into her scarf, cherishing the way her freezing fingers immediately seemed to melt. In the cold it was easy to excuse her rosy face, even more when she could bury most of it in her grey muffler. Although she couldn't suppress the shudder which accompanied the sudden change of temperature the teenager in front of her brought with him, something which didn't go unnoticed by Aomine.

"Ya sure ain't freezing?"

The orange-head shook her head mumbling a quiet 'I'm not.' because he interpreted the tiny gesture wrongly - thank god for that. But it wouldn't be her tall classmate if he wouldn't bend down, nosy enough to make her repeat her murmuring.

"Hah?"

Mia wanted to strangle him sometimes for acting like it was nothing. His actions so smooth and intimate while her heartbeat picked up, helplessly. Her nerves tingled in anticipation as she swayed between the comfortable zone they had created over the weeks and the still unknown area which was so far away with its labels. A line which could be broken easily, shattering the thin glass floor they were walking upon - something the girl didn't dare to approach just yet.

"I'm not." The girl repeated a bit louder, lifting her chin to free her mouth from the soft fabric of her muffler.

The blue haired basketball player finally understood her, her voice loud enough this time to convey her message. But instead of retreating, he stayed right there. His body slightly hunched forward to share her eye-level nearly completely - he was just too tall. Always towering over her and everyone else, except some other basketball players and her father, of course - the sport was filled with titans.

Aomine's hands shifted ever so slightly. His thumbs were brushing over her palms, following the long line in her skin unconsciously. It was a sly move, just everything else he did. Naturally. And the tension slowly returned because he was just so close and it was hard to ignore the way his breath hit her face in slow puffs.

Mia blinked at him, her weight rolling back onto her heels. It was just like when they were in her room. It was hard to look elsewhere when her heart pulsed loudly in her head, the focus lying somewhere between their eyes and the certain color which suddenly stood out. It was making her nervous. Holding hands, standing close - she found comfort in all of those things. Warmth and shelter were connected with them in her mind, followed by a shaky fluttering of her heart because her emotions had all started to find those sensations delightful with the lazy classmate of hers.

But this silence was still different.

Not comparable to anything before, foreign and new. And her gaze flickered helplessly down to his lips because she couldn't keep their eyes locked like that. It was only making it worse. Mia was sure she was already burning up; blushing as her thoughts took turns to fluster her further - distracting her enough so that she didn't notice the slow shifting from the teenager in front of her.

The bubble bursted, however, the second a high voice called out. Delighted and shrill.

"Mi-chan! Dai-chan!"

Mia jerked back harshly, taking two steps back to create a safe distance between her and Aomine. Her whole body had received a harsh hit, she believed, the skin buzzing in a sudden rush of adrenaline as if she had watched a horror movie late at night. Oh god, her face must be steaming. Hectically she lifted her muffler, burying her face in the soft fabric until half of it disappeared in an instant.

Satsuki arrived at their side, panting heavily from all the running she had done.

"I'm so sorry for being late! I really thought I wouldn't miss the train..."

Her rosy colored orbs wandered between her friends, her face grimacing in a plea for forgiveness. It had been her who had wanted to watch this match so badly, although the manager was sure that her childhood friend wanted to see it as well - he was just too stubborn to really admit it. But in the end it had been her though who arrived too late. A little blow to her pride, Satsuki had always considered herself as a very punctual person.

Mia nodded deeply, pressing her muffler closer against her face while Aomine frowned at the pink haired girl.

"Satsuki, you're always damn annoying."

Her apologizing expression quickly formed a sulky glare. "What is that supposed to mean, Dai-chan?"

Aomine turned away from the girls; his feet dragging him down the sidewalk. They had already missed the first quarter - that much was obvious, and the blue haired teen easily ignored the familiar wailing of Satsuki who threw a few half-hearted insults after him.

"Why is he always so..." She grumbled to herself, pursing her lips as she turned towards Mia who hadn't moved a single centimeter away from her spot. "I'm sorry you had to wait for so long, Mi-chan! You forgive me, right?"

The girl started to relax, her flustered face cooling off thanks to the vanishing tension in the air. And Mia couldn't help but smile as the basketball club manager threw herself around her neck, going and on how she was sorry for being late and that Aomine was always so rude. It was easy to forgive her and return the hug before they trailed after the tall teen who had already won some distance between them.

If only Satsuki knew how she saved her from another heart attack.

"Eighteen to Zero!?"

It was hard to believe it as they finally arrived at the gym. The match was well underway, the audience talking to another. Cheering, watching in anticipation how the game would develop. While the teenagers moved across the court, uniforms in black and white mixing with the brighter ones. White and rose. Obviously the color of Yōsen High.

Mia leaned onto the railing in between her friends. Her dark eyes ghosting over the court in hope she could see Kuroko and Kagami anywhere, they were the only players she knew anyway. And it was always amazing to see someone you knew participating in something as big as a tournament.

"There he is..." Aomine mumbled quietly behind her.

Did he already see Kuroko?

"Where?" Satsuki wondered as she appeared at Mia's side, copying her as she leaned against the railing. "Ah. There he is, Muk-kun!"

"Who?" The girl beside her asked puzzled as she tried to find who could maybe have such a rather silly nickname. But none of the many strangers she saw stroke her as a certain 'Muk-kun'. The club manager smiled at her though, pointing at one of the moving forms beneath them who definitely belonged to Yōsen High.

"There, that's Muk-kun - I mean Murasakibara-kun. He went to Teikō with us."

The orange-head finally settled her gaze on one of the tall players whose long, violet hair nearly reached his broad shoulders. At first her mind concluded that Aomine's friends were really filled with a colorful, strange bunch of people. That guy looked so tall - even from the distance. But then her memories suddenly hit her and she opened her mouth, gaping at the titan on the court.

"No way!"

Out of reflex Mia suddenly crouched down, hiding from the basketball player who'd never even notice her. This action though earned her a curious glance from her friends, who both furrowed their brow. It was certainly a reaction they hadn't expected. Satsuki crouched down next to her, her round eyes blinking at her in confusion.

"What's wrong, Mi-chan?"

"I saw him before." The orange-head gushed, slightly embarrassed by her own outburst. "In summer, I mean. I, I had that chocolate and he...I mean he wasn't threatening me but- you know him?"

The pink haired girl started giggling, bumping into her friend with a sudden broad smile. "You've met Muk-kun before! He surely has his quirks, hasn't he?"

"I...I guess..."

How come Teikō Junior High had so many strange students? That guy was so tall! And the bright girl beside her called him by such a silly name as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Was it even possible to be so tall like he was? Murasakibara. How were Kuroko and Kagami supposed to get past someone like him? Mia hadn't been able to utter a single real word as she had stood in front of him because his whole stature had knocked the air out of her lungs.

"Doesn't look good for Seirin." Aomine murmured beside them and both girls looked up, their previous topic forgotten as they stood up once more.

"What do you mean?" Satsuki asked him.

The blue haired teen shrugged with his shoulders, his navy colored orbs focused on the game in front of them.

"They went to give the final blow."

"What?" The orange-head whispered baffled, her attention quickly shifting back towards the court.

It was hard to watch how the gigantic basketball players of Yōsen High moved against the defense of Seirin. The height and strength were easily over-powering. The score on the broad display an easy indicator how much trouble the teenagers had to fight against the strategy of their opponents. But for Mia it all still looked too chaotic, the positions were vague and the final blow her classmate talked about unclear for her untrained eyes and knowledge.

Curiously she turned towards the blue haired teen, blinking at his bored expression.

"How do you know?"

At her question he looked at her, his attention shifting between her and the match. It was as if he debated whether or not to voice his thoughts. But maybe it was her question had sounded earnest, Mia really wanted to understand what he had seen she had failed to notice, Aomine moved towards her other side. His sharp eyes staring back to the teenagers in uniforms.

"The score shows it. They haven't been able to land a single hit. If they won't break the offense now - when will they?

Mia quickly turned back towards the court, keeping his explanation in mind. Her mind was mauling over his gruff words until she slowly but surely understood the reasoning behind his brief explanation. If they wouldn't be able to stop their attacks after they already failed at that in the first quarter...they'd surely lose hope.

"Yōsen wants to crush their optimism."

"Exactly."

Rather proud the girl smiled up at the tall teen beside her. Aomine still watched the match in front of them but she could see the light twitch in his lips, the weak curl in the corner which indicated a light grin. Mia still didn't understand many things about the sport, the basics were still blurry in her mind after the few times she played basketball herself or watched a match. But it felt good to be able to at least be able to follow the knowledge of Aomine or Satsuki.

"Ah, Tetsu-kun got the ball!" The bright haired girl beside Mia gushed, easily steering the alertness back towards the basketball game.

The pale boy was indeed in the possession of the ball. His short form was moving from one spot to another as he definitely focused on the hoop, his comrades were dodging the titans of the other team to keep their attacks at bay. The orange-head leaned onto her toes in hope she could see better what was happening. That was what Aomine had been trying to teach him the previous days.

Kuroko was going to throw the basketball.

And the girl could remember so well how his first try had looked like a few days ago. The way he held the ball looked weird to her, his body tensing as he stood in front of no one else but Murasakibara. Aomine narrowed his eyes at the display, muttering to himself that the violet haired teen won't be able to stop this ball.

And just like he said, he couldn't.

That titan tried, he really did.

But before Mia knew it, before she could even really see it - it was over. The orange ball had landed in the hoop, bouncing onto the floor beneath it. And just like that Seirin earned their first two points of the whole match.