3rd chapter~!

To Guest: I like their interactions too! It's one of the things that actually liven up the characters. Kuroko's next appearance is already planned, but I'm not sure about Kise's in the Cultural Festival arc.. I was just thinking of mentioning him in a passing. Should I include Kise?

To Shiori: Another AkaYume here! First, and again, attraction will be subtle. And I personally think a single person won't suffice for his happiness, so all of his friends will participate! Oh, yes, I have lots of ideas, not sure if you would find them interesting though. Too many in fact that I'm not sure to position the scenes~

Pairings : Undecided

Warnings : Teikō Middle School Days.

Disclaimer : I own only the OCs.


Chapter 25 - Speed of love is measured in blushes per hour.

Teikō's Cultural Festival was bustling with various activities and the students were having fun as did the guests. Every year, hundreds of potential students were entranced with how lively the festival was. Everywhere was filled with laughters and friendly noises. Despite its high prestige, Teikō offered every students an equal chance at attempting the entrance exams. Admission however, would depend on the student's performance and of course, talents.

On this day, Teikō's gate was open for every person to venture and see. To those who failed to enter the renowned establishment at the beginning of the school year, it was the day to relieve themselves of their past resolve and a chance for them to earn recognition through the many clubs' challenge to prove the challenger's worth. It wasn't unusual for a new student to transfer sometime after the Cultural Festival. In truth, there're actually scouts wandering around the ground seeking for hidden talents that would be beneficial for the institution.

In these happy times, a certain redhead was having the time of his life while the subject of his amusement was berating herself for reacting in a way the redhead wanted her to. It was a joke! She knew it with absolute certainty, but it still took her by surprise when Mr. Perfect actually had the audacity to verbalise it.

Her embarrassment morphed into slight anger and annoyance when she recalled that satisfied look on his face. He toyed with her! Akashi Seijūrō was enjoying her mortification. Even in her emotional state, Yume still couldn't help the shivers when the image of the regal redhead came to mind.

Thankfully, the ever-cheerful-Momoi made her appearance as she neared her classroom. "Yuu-chan! You're done? Oh, well! Let's change! We're opening soon after this!" she spoke excitedly.

Yume flashed a grateful smile to her bestfriend. Any anxieties and worries she had was washed off completely. She nodded. "Mm. Is everyone here?"

The one to answer her was her classmate. "Manai-san! You're finally here! Get in and change! You're the last one!" she motioned for the two girls to hurry since Momoi insisted to wait for Yume.

The pinkette grinned and snatched the brunette's hand as she pulled them both to grab their outfits before heading off to the girl's restroom to change. Following the class' unanimous decision, Momoi was a definite waitress for her attractiveness as one of the cafe's sell-points. The girl was dense however, so only her friend got the idea.

Momoi and Yume's class, 1-B, decided to open a cafe with sweet-classy themes and the employees were wearing animal-ears that best suited their personality. For practical reasons, the chefs were not included. Also, due to the pinkette strong demands, her friend was also made waitress when she was better off as a chef.

The choices were; both as waitresses or both as chefs. And after a round of trial-run, the whole class decided that the second choice was out of the question if they were to open a cafe with edible foods to serve the customers. The brunette was as perfect for the job as her friend was not.

Anyway, Momoi had cute bunny-ears, baby pink in colour with white earlobes. She was wearing the same colour for her dress. While Yume had adorable deer-ears and tiny horns, light brown in colour with white spots. She was wearing the same colour for her top and bottom. In the end, she did end up with the deer-ears and she still had mixed feelings about it.

On a side note, 1-A was doing the ever-popular Butler Cafe to showcase their shares of good-looking boys, 1-C with the classic Haunted House and the help of a ghostly presence, while 1-D had a unique Photo-booth Stand complete with props and costumes. There were many other food stands and fairs as every classes and nearly all clubs participated as the former was mandatory.

The Choir Club was holding an afternoon performance in the auditorium after the Drama Club's play. The 1st string of the Basketball Club had a Teach-and-Learn Basketball experience with Teikō first stringers. The 2nd string was a Compete with Teikō's second stringers in a shooting competition. While the 3rd string was an Escape-the-Maze, partnered with the third stringers to find clues and exited the maze.

With so many events going on, it was no doubt that the hallways were flooded with people and the noise level was the highest since the school year.

As suspected, 1-B's Animal-Ears Cafe had quite a bunch of customers vying for a certain pinkette who looked absolutely stunning and adorable in her rabbit-get-up. While that was expected, it seemed that a certain deer earned herself few stares as well. Then again, all the waitresses did. It wasn't until noon that the two girls were cleared off their shifts and done for the day.

Yume had initially decided to shed off her whole animal-get-up before walking around the festival, but at Momoi's insistence and puppy-eyes, reluctantly kept her deer-ears while the pinkette herself wore her rabbit-earls proudly. It also worked as advertising for their class and since her classmates were working hard to aim for the win, she couldn't refuse when the idea was brought up.

"Ah, Sat-chan." Yume turned to her friend who hummed. She averted her gaze uneasily as she played with her fingers. "Tomorrow... Do you want to go watch the Choir Club's performance with me...?" she braved a side glance at the pinkette.

Momoi paused noticeably, her eyes wide. The sudden silence unnerved the brunette slightly, before she beamed. "Of course! It's the first time you invited me to something, Yuu-chan!" she replied vibrantly, her pink eyes sparkling with bliss.

The positive response relieved her. For a moment there, she thought her friend would refuse. Rejection hurt. That's one reason why Yume treaded cautiously even in a friendly relationship. Because sometimes, even the smallest details could ruin the strongest bond.

"Oh, right. Yuu-chan, do you want to check out the boys' class? Dai-chan's doing Haunted House... I think I'll skip that. Mu-kkun's is Butler Cafe, right? Midorin and Akashi-kun too." Momoi suggested as the two loitered around aimlessly, glancing left and right to see the various stands.

The moment the redhead's name left Momoi's lips, she flinched and could only hope the pinkette didn't notice it. She quickly shot down the idea though. "U-Uh.. I'd rather not, Sat-chan..." she trailed off unsurely. At her friend's questioning stare, she tried to look for an alternative.

"I-Instead..! Why don't we go to the Basketball Club 3rd strings' Maze? A f-friend of mine was a member..." Yume met the girl's eyes this time, hoping that her reluctance before didn't shine through. She wasn't lying, she was indeed interested in Kuroko's club. And she would like to avoid the redhead for as long as she could until she couldn't anymore.

Fortunately, Momoi was under the impression that the brunette was flustered for a different reason. She would usually analyse the situation more accurately, but what she witnessed days ago influenced her line of thoughts. She smiled knowingly, almost like a maniac. "Eh..? Friend? Are you sure he's not your crush, Yuu-chan?" she asked teasingly.

The mere thought of her and the babyblue-haired boy interacting in such a way had her head exploded and her cheeks hot. "N-No!" she denied amidst her stuttering. "He's just a friend!" she blushed beet red.

Of course she wasn't convinced, instead she further believed the romantic ideas. Momoi didn't push it though, because she had an idea of her own. "It's okay~! Let's go to the 3rd Gym then. But! We will go to the 1st Gym after we're done there, okay?" she grinned.

Thankful that her bestfriend dropped the subject, she only nodded without asking why the 1st Gym. Her guess was since it's her club, also the boys'. Perhaps she wanted to check on her trouble-magnet of a childhood friend, to make sure he wasn't slacking off. She could only hope that a certain member's shift wouldn't coincide with her time of visit.

On the other hand, Momoi felt relieved at the prospect of her shy friend interacting with her peers outside of the small social circle she introduced the brunette into. Since this 'friend' was a part of the Basketball Club, no doubt he was a boy. A member of the 3rd string? His basketball skill mustn't be good then. That didn't reflect any of his personality though, so for now, she would give him the benefit of doubt.

Yes... Momoi had other things in mind at the moment. Her smile grew as her brows began wiggling in a suggestive manner. And it involved a certain brunette. "Oh~! I can't wait! You must meet him, Yuu-chan!" she sang-sung, skipping happily on her feet.

Confusion coloured her face as she contemplated her friend's statement. Him? Was she referring to the first years group that were her friends-acquaintances? Or was it Kuroko? Which him was it? There was no other him... was there?

The grin on her face stretched to her ears at the thought of her bestfriend and a certain ravenette senpai. Momoi saw it. The two teens' dreamy interactions. And now she felt responsible to push the two together after witnessing such heartfelt moments. Said 2nd year had his shift around this time, so he would be there along with the 1st years boys. It's the perfect cover.

Woman's intuition... was a motto Momoi Satsuki lived by. And her intuition was tingling when she saw the teens together. There was something else between them. Something more. The chance for her to test her match-making skills had arrived.

'Yuu-chan and Nijimura-san would make a lovely couple!' Momoi hummed happily, barely repressing her inner urge to squeal. In her excitement, she clasped the brunette's hand - not too tight but not loose enough for the girl to slid off her hold - and sped off towards the gyms. The latter was bewildered, but was already used to her friend's behaviour when she was high.

On another note, the two girls attracted quite a handful of stares from people along the roads. Obviously, the animal-ears decorating their head was the major cause. Even without those, the pinkette had her fair shares of blatant stares. Yume had to swallow her embarrassment as a walking public display while letting Momoi tugged her forward as her gaze was casted on the ground to avoid catching anyone's eyes.

Yume couldn't help but wonder how her pinkette friend could be so dense to realise the attention she received whenever she walked by. Like now, Momoi only strolled past the crowds without even glancing around. Was it because she was used to it? Or maybe the girl was just an airhead when romantic feelings were involved?

With Momoi's super speed, they soon arrived at the 3rd Gym. The place was nicely decorated and they could see the front of the huge maze with the club members standing by the entrance. It wasn't overly crowded, but there're still few numbers of customers waiting in line. Yume recognised one of the members standing from her last visit, the 3rd string's Captain, Kawada Eiji.

"Ano... Kawada-san?" she called out hesitantly, seeking the comfort of her friend's hold as she slowly approached the older boy.

Kawada turned at his name and his eyes lit up in recognition when he met the refreshing green pools. "Manai-san. Hello there." he smiled. His eyes then wandered to the faux ears on her head. "Uh..." he blinked in bewilderment. If it was any other days he would have asked what's with those were, but since it's currently the Cultural Festival, he didn't.

As usual, Momoi wasn't bothered with the curious gazes while Yume was thankful he didn't question her about the ears. It was embarrassing enough. "Err... I-Is Kuroko-kun here...?" she asked, sincerely wanting to escape the attentions soon.

"Kuroko?" Kawada echoed. He scrunched as he tried hard to recall the hardly noticeable boy. When his efforts were fruitless, he swiped the list on the desk beside him. "Oh, here he is. Kuroko's shift starts at 2. That's one hour from now." he informed with a small grin.

The revelation instantly deflated her mood. And here Yume was planning to postpone the dreaded meeting with the redhead who was without an ounce of doubt, present at her next destination. She was dejected she missed Kuroko, but was more annoyed that she had to follow through her words to her bestfriend.

Momoi was going through her mind database, looking for a specific data of a boy with the name 'Kuroko'. She didn't find any, to her exasperation. An investigation was in order. First though, she had something to see. "Are we done here? Can we go to the 1st Gym now, Yuu-chan?" she asked sweetly, her excitement bubbling within.

"...Sure..." she finally had given up hope while trying hard to keep her tone neutral. Although, if she knew her bestfriend well enough, then she didn't notice a thing. Momoi was observant, when she was in her right mind. Yume forced a smile at the older male. "Thank you, Kawada-san." she thanked him with a small nod.

Kawada nodded with a grin. The girls then went on their merry way for one, skipping as she neared their location and trudging for the other, her steps appeared difficult and heavy with each steps she was forced to take after her friend's happy paces. Yume was very much hoping to miss the redhead. He was a busy student after all, with how his class had garnered tonnes of customers who were there to soothe their weary eyes.

But of course. In the end, hope was merely that; hope. The moment a familiar crimson tuft was spotted amongst the other colourful heads, said hope was mercilessly crushed.

"Minna!" Momoi greeted the group cheerfully, her hand upped in the air while the other was busy leading her friend. She stopped before the boys who were looking at her curiously, mostly her head. She twirled. "Cute, isn't it?" she prompted.

The first one to speak his opinion was the tallest of the group as he munched on what treats he had on hands. "Cute, Momo-chin. Mana-chin too. Like macaroons." he commented, his mind wandering to the sweet and tasty desserts the girls reminded him of.

Midorima scoffed. "You look ridiculous. I expected better from you, Manai. You both aren't children. Aren't you embarrassed?" he frowned at them, his one hand on his glasses while the other was preciously holding a den-den daiko. (1)

In response, all of the teens levelled him a long stare as if to question his intelligence. They all recalled the day when a certain greenhead carried an adorable rabbit plushie everywhere he went. And he himself was currently in possession of a kid's toy. They wondered if the Cancer boy even realised what he said.

Aomine shook his head, deeming the Shooting Guard a lost cause. He turned to his childhood friend. "You do look childish, Satsuki. Why wear them here?" he arched his brow. He wasn't really curious, just not wanting to deal with the greenhead's eccentricity.

"Advertising, obviously!" she chirped, not even the slightest bit offended. Everyone here knew that Midorima was just awkward and tended to spout hurtful words without actually meaning to. The popular belief around was that the greenhead was a 'tsundere'. And Aomine was just being Aomine.

Momoi engaged in a lighthearted conversation with the boys, smiling and giggling as she spoke. Her childhood friend had realised early that the girl was currently in a mood where the sun was shining and rainbows were painting the clear blue sky. In other words, this would be the time to apologise for his mistakes and leave unscathed. The perfect opportunity, yet Aomine didn't think he had done something of such scale lately.

All the while, the other animal-ears wearing girl was trying to steer clear out of everyone's line of sight. Reason being the intent gaze she felt boring into her head. Akashi and Yume hadn't said a word since the latter's arrival, but he had that triumphant smirk as soon as he saw that brown accessory on her head. Of course he didn't choose wrong. But she would be damned before she admitted. Her little bit of pride wouldn't let her to.

The redhead was so determined to get her attention that she was actually thinking to cave in, only for a familiar voice to do so first. "You four... It's your shifts! People were lining up, get back to work!" he scolded.

Nijimura had a scary expression on his face as he approached the first year boys, some gulped at his entrance and the black aura oozing out from his posture. "Aomine. I've been telling you again and again... Teach, you idiot!Do your job properly!" he snarked pointedly.

The tanned teen had actually begun his shift earlier than any of his peers. He actually botched out his class's Haunted House to be in the gym soon after the gate was opened. Although, instead of teaching basketball, he was playing. The boy couldn't really be bothered with long lessons, he was just impatient. 8 out of 10, he left his mentees in the dust and played by himself.

"And Midorima." Nijimura resumed his lectures, this time facing another individual, his tone disapproving as the younger male flinched imperceptibly. "How can you teach when you're holding that stupid thing?!" he angrily pointed at the toy in his hand.

Nijimura had known his kōhai's weird behaviours involving a random items every single day. But he so wished that the boy would call it a temporary quit at least during the festival. The club needed all the help they could get. Teikō's Basketball Club was a reputed powerhouse in the middle school district. After the match where the first years played, they were even in the spotlight. This year, the club had at least twice the amount of the customers last. And it's still the first day.

"...Murasakibara.." his tone was bordering fatigue now, his stern posture was slouched as the addressed boy merely blinked in response. "Please... just stop eating.." he nearly begged.

Even during practice times, Nijimura had extreme difficulties to get the taller boy to listen when his snacks were involved. The more he talked, the less he listened. And even his infamous hotheadedness lost in the face of the aloof and uncaring purplehead. He had given up to tell Murasakibara to stop leaving crumbs in his trail. Akashi was the only one capable for the job to subjugate the giant.

In his exasperation with his kōhais, the ravenette wasn't aware of the extra presences amongst the group of teens. One was delighted at his appearance, as he was the person she was looking forward to see. The other perked up at his voice and her gaze slid over to him, heat rising up her cheeks.

As if sensing the heat radiating off her face, the older male then turned at her. He noticed her reddened cheeks first; nothing unusual as of now. Then his eyes roved up to what lied on top of her head; deer ears.

The brownish leathers with white spots coupled with mini ivory horns complimented her honey-amber tresses, almost as if they belonged there in the first place. Lime-green pools blinking at him bashfully, staring straight into his onyx orbs with clear hesitation but showing no signs of averting her gaze. Healthy shades of red brushed her pale complexion, accentuating her babyish features.

Needless to say, Nijimura was throughly surprised – a nice surprise nonetheless. He felt his own cheeks warmed as they gazed into each other's eyes, captivated. He could hear the irregular rhythm of his heartbeats, how it was abnormally slow as if time itself had slowed down. He knew the cause. He suspected the reason. But he wasn't sure if it was what he thought it was.

'Manai Yume... what had you done to me...?'


(1) Den-den daiko: Japanese pellet drum. It has two heads and is suspended on a rod, with beads or pellets hanging on thread on either sides of the body of the drum. (Wikipedia)


So yeah, how is it?

Reviews are very much appreciated!

Next time, someone realised that there's something new! Will Yume venture the unfamiliar path or will she stop advancing?