This update will be the last before Christmas' updates~! On the 25th, I will be updating all three stories plus 'something' new. Rainbow Drops will have one more update before the triple-chapters update later on the 25th.

There's also an important question I want to ask. Seeing how Rainbow Drops and My Dignified Imouto is a Romance-centred story, I'm planning to change this story more Friendship-oriented. There will still be implied romance, but I will most likely explore the stories in a way of how it would be if there's a pillar that held all Generation of Miracles, Momoi and Kuroko back in Teikō.

What do you think? Better for this story to stay Romance-centred, or Friendship-oriented?

Pairings : Undecided

Warnings : Teikō Middle School Days.

Disclaimer : I own only the OCs.


Chapter 5 - Out of frying pan and into fire


Teikō Junior High 1st Aptitude Test Results

1st Year (Out of 312 Students)

1st Akashi Seijūrō

2nd Midorima Shintarō

3rd Manai Yume

4th Sasaki Chiaki

5th Momoi Satsuki

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...

...


"You did it! You get third, Yuu-chan!" Momoi cheered as she clasped Yume's hands and shook them repeatedly.

Yume could feel all the stares directed to them - Momoi is most likely the cause here. Almost all of Teikō's freshmen is here, to know of how well they did - some couldn't care less.

Yume smiles sheepishly, trying to ignore all the obvious stares. "Thanks, Sat-chan. You did well, too."

Momoi smiles sweetly, resulting in some guys having a heart-arrow piercing their heart.

"Ah!" Momoi exclaimed suddenly, before pulling Yume to the other end of the list. "I need to look for Dai-chan's scores!"

Yume let herself be dragged along as she blinked in confusion. "Sat-chan, shouldn't we start looking from the front?"

It's common sense to start looking from the top and not the bottom, right? Although, when you had an inkling of where it could be, you could just start there directly.

Like in this case.

"There's no way Dai-chan would be there!" Momoi huffed. "He's an idiot, remember?"

Why would that brawn-for-a-brain childhood friend of hers be somewhere closer to the top than the bottom? Momoi has made it clear that she spends her summer holiday drilling primary lessons to what he got as a head to enter Teikō.

Yume could feel herself sweat dropping at that. This 'Dai-chan' must be born under a lucky star to have a faithful and loyal childhood friend like Momoi.

She can't help but wonder how he'll be like if Momoi stops caring for him - disastrous is the only word she could think of to describe that situation.

Momoi then halted on the other end, bringing Yume to a stop. Momoi is about to run her eyes through the notice when she found it unexpectedly quicker than she initially predicted.


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308th Aomine Daiki

309th Hayama Akita

310th Kurosawa Gorou

311th Tachibana Moto

312th Yamamoto Kenta

End of the List


Momoi's expression is, for the lack of better word - colourful. There's anger, annoyance, despair, resignation and even disbelief all twisted into one.

'Uwahh..' Yume found herself staring at one name Momoi was glaring hole at - Aomine Daiki.

'He's 5th from the bottom whereas Sat-chan is 5th from the top..' Yume is amused somehow.

How could she not? Two closely related people sharing the same number, yet completely different meanings.

Nevertheless, Momoi really is not exaggerating when she said 'Dai-chan' is that difficult at studies. This is beyond worse.

Momoi felt herself stoning and fading away as she lost her words, facing her childhood friend's terrible, horrible grades.

Who could blame her? It's an aptitude test - a test of your existing knowledges, simply put - primary grades' lessons. It is held to serve as a prediction on how well students would do in their school years.

Momoi spent her entire summer holiday to teach him those lessons and it has now vanished to who know where?

The aptitude test is special in that there's no penalties exacted for scoring below the averages. Exams and quizzes do, though.

Oh. She could foresee herself trying and failing to teach this idiot ganguro all throughout her middle school life.

Joy.

Yume could only feel pity and sympathised for Momoi. Well, she could at least get them out of here and off those curious stares.

"Let's go, Sat-chan.." Yume gently hooked her arm around Momoi as she softly pulled her back to class.

She dragged Momoi off the area and the stares diminished, the students minding their own businesses.

What Yume failed to notice, is that amongst those curious stares, there are two pairs of eyes that are scrutinising her every moves.


Momoi sighed for the umpteenth time since that huge shocks she received earlier this morning.

It's not that it is an unnatural, impossible occurrence.

She just found it compelling that he could do that horrible, and she's stunned because there's a chance of it's going down-hill rather than up.

"Tell me I'm having a day-nightmare!" Momoi sank her head into her folded arms on the desk.

Denial will never solve anything, though. It just postpones things and makes it worse.

"Why.." Momoi wheezed weakly. "Why does Dai-chan has to be so lazy and dumb in anything that involves words and numbers..!"

That's almost everything.. Yume noted. She is actually a bit amused at how dejected Momoi is being. She can't help but let out a quiet giggle.

Momoi looks up at the sound of light giggles and pouts. "Is it that funny, Yuu-chan?"

Yume stifles her giggles as she meets Momoi's peachpink orbs, demanding answer.

"Are you sure he's not your boyfriend, Sat-chan?" Yume jokingly asked.

"No way!" Momoi exclaimed loudly as she stood up from her seat, before quickly sitting down, embarrassed.

"I'll never like that sleazy, dumb and one-track mind brat..!" Momoi hissed in a whisper.

Her mood then quickly brightens as her eyes seems to sparkle. "My kind of guy is the dreamy and mysterious kind that's like magician - like he could appear and disappear from your view if you take your eyes off him..!"

While Momoi is busy fantasising, Yume blinks in realisation. Momoi's ideal guy's description somehow matches the babyblue-locks boy. He is mysterious, quiet and he has a lack of presence.

"If I meet such a guy, I will never let him go!" Momoi closed her eyes to picture her imaginations more vividly.

Her eyes then opened with a strong determination on them as she chirped. "I will latch into him!"

Maybe Yume shouldn't tell Momoi about the poor boy after all - it won't feel nice having someone attached to you, does it? Even if it's a pretty girl? At least the babyblue boy doesn't seem like he'd appreciate that.

"Won't he be bothered?" Yume asked warily.

Momoi puffed her chest, her hands on her waist as she declared happily. "It the power of love, Yuu-chan."

Right.. Yume could only laugh shakily at that. From what she knows, the power of love didn't work that way. Also, from what she knows, love comes in many forms - the blissful one and the harmful one - she knows both exist.

"How about you, Yuu-chan? What kind of boys is your type?"

Yume stiffen, her fringes shadowing her eyes. She never thought about such thing before, and she doesn't really want to think about it.

But... If Yume said so, wouldn't it be weird? Shouldn't a girl her age have a preferred type and squeal over cute boys?

Still, Yume couldn't really lie since she doesn't even have a boy in mind.

Momoi can see that Yume's in a bind, she's having trouble answering. Perhaps, she should give her a starting point?

"Ne, Yuu-chan. There's this Kise-kun in our grade, and I heard he's popular with the majority of the whole female students body. He's princely and charming." Momoi finished with a smile as she tilted her head. "Perhaps, you like that kind of guy?"

Yume looked up, her eyes confused. She realised Momoi must have help her to finish the conversation. "P-Perhaps.."

She answered hesitantly. That kind of question won't be unusual in a girl-girl conversation. Maybe Yume should've prepared an answer just in case.

"Ah! Do you want to go out together after school, Yuu-chan?" Momoi shifted the topic. "I can take a day off from practice today~!"

Yume blinked at the sudden turns in conversation. She appreciates Momoi picked up her discomfort and proceed to steer into another direction. Sat-chan is nice, isn't she?

Yume doesn't have any part-time works today, and she also doesn't have more leads to progress further in her search. Reviews can be done after she got home. She never plays with 'real' friends either.

"Okay. That sounds good, Sat-chan." Yume smiled as she agreed.

"Yay!" Momoi squealed as she glomped Yume in excitements and delights. "Yuu-chan, you're adorable, lovely, cute and the best!"

Yume blinked at that. It's an exaggeration, isn't it? She's not even pretty. Yume returned the hug gently.

"That's not true." Yume spoke. "Sat-chan is the adorable and pretty one."

Yume is pretty much above-average looking. Her features are very Japanese-y, her figures isn't exactly an hour-glass either. Her hair is a boring and dull brown colour.

She knows she's not pretty, so she doesn't need someone to compliment her appearances.

Although, Momoi seems to disagree.

Momoi lifted her chin as she stared at Yume and huffed. "Yuu-chan is cute and adorable. I won't accept anything but that!" Momoi pouted. "You just have to be more confident in yourself, Yuu-chan!"

Yume blinked again in bewilderment. Sat-chan is nice after all. She can tell Momoi really thinks that she's cute, but that doesn't mean the world will agree.

"Thank you, Sat-chan.." Yume smiled as her gaze soften.

Momoi smiled, too. But she knows, Yume hasn't changed her mind about herself. Momoi can't help but wonder, why can't Yume see how wonderful she is?

Momoi is a girl, and not a boy, but even she can tell that Yume's soft-limegreen Is alluring and inviting. Her earthly coloured locks is straight and flowing. Yume is cute.

Why doesn't Yume think so?

Momoi decides that it's her personal goal to convince Yume that she's cute and to be more self-confident.

For now, though, she will just think of the hang out.

Momoi clasped her hand as she smiled. "We will go visit cute stores, have an ice cream or crepes - maybe both, then we will have karaoke~!"

Yume can't seem to keep up with Momoi's excitements. She's also looking forward to it, but Momoi is being too hyper about it.


"Okay, class. That's all for today, I will see you tomorrow." Yoshi-sensei spoke as he left the class with a smile - he is always the friendly-chirpy kind of guy.

As soon as the words left Yoshi-sensei's lips, Momoi stood right up from her seat all ready.

"Yuu-chan, wait by the gate and I will quickly tell Dai-chan and the Coach about my absence today. See you later!"

Momoi spoke so fast, before she bolted past the door. Yume could hardly register her words, but she did catch enough to know the gist of it.

If friends eventually became similar to each other, and Momoi gets that energy from 'Dai-chan', will she be that energetic later, too?

'..Sat-chan is a good runner..'

Yume then turned to her desk and tidied her stuffs to her schoolbag. She then slowly walk to the gate.

Even if Momoi did run all the way through, there still will be time between when Momoi arrived and Yume waited.

Yume halted suddenly as she whirled and quicken her pace to walk the other way round.

Why? She saw a pale-babyblue haired ghost-like presence with a book-covered face.

Yume wishes to save herself from the embarrassment had she met the boy. Taking the long way round to the gate seems like the better, best option.

She can't help but wonder if fate is really dead-set on making her intertwined with those students she's been meeting this past week.

Yume is actually going to the same direction Momoi went to, but Yume will turn left in the form, whereas Momoi turn right - to the First Gym.

Yeah. Teikō has Three Gyms dedicated for basketball club - they have amazing history - and they provided two more Gyms for other sports like volleyball, badminton and others.

Yume is not sure why is there a need for so many Gyms just for one club. Though, Momoi did say the basketball clubs housed hundreds of students, so that's probably why.

Yume turned left and walk in her pace, nice and slow. It was, until her eyes caught someone.

There, in the corridor, are two students walking side-by-side towards her direction. A redhead and a greenhead.

Yume feels like digging a hole and sinks herself in if only to avoid meeting these two people.

Yume had to remind herself that interaction is unlikely since they don't know each other and so they won't bother her.

She regained her composure and about to walk past those students; unfortunately, they had different things in mind.

"Manai Yume-san?"

Yume paused, she knows she can no longer exit the stage unnoticed. She is forced to turn and face the redhead and replied.

"Hai (yes)?" Yume tried her best to maintain her expression so it won't twist.

The redhead, otherwise known as Akashi Seijūrō, the top ranked student, smiles to Yume. "I would like to congratulate you for your outstanding scores on the aptitude test."

Says he who scores complete 100s.

"You must be the Special Academic Excellence Scholarship Student the Principal was talking about."

Yume flinched at that.

The Principal? What is the talk about? Her privilege to do part-time works? The decree for her to enter the next Student Council? Whatever it was, she's sure it's nothing pleasant.

"Thank you. Akashi-san did better." Yume smiled politely as she pointed out Akashi's results.

Said boy chuckled. "Akashi is fine. We are both first years, after all."

This might be what Momoi meant when she said he is 'okay' despite his intimidating nature.

"Ja, Akashi-kun."

Akashi smiles approvingly as he then motions to the guy next to him - the librarian Yume met the other day. "This is Midorima Shintarō. He's also a first year."

Yume bowed curtly. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, my name is Manai Yume."

While it's obvious that they had known her name - Midorima read her Student ID, Akashi addressed her earlier - Yume still did the customary introduction.

Midorima nodded wordlessly. Yume mentally noted that he's bringing another weird thing today - a frog figurine.

"Well, it is nice meeting you, Manai-san." Akashi spoke before he turned on his heels, followed by Midorima.

Yume nodded as she watched them leave. When they're out of sight, Yume heaved a sigh of relief.

It might just be her imagination, but the air surrounding them is repressive. Their aura of supremacy is radiating all over and it pressures her.

Yume shivered slightly. If she had to work with the redhead, she might as well die standing.

She quickened her paces to the gate, Yume refuses to encounter anymore weirdness.


Author's note:

So yeah, how is it?

Please leave a review regarding the question I asked above, about how this story will be.

It will be very much appreciated since I can't tell which one is best.

Read and Reviews~