Summary [chapter 7]: Waiting for the results of the review test, Masuko continues to make bonds and meet people in the hospital as she recalls of her memories with her friends, especially her two best friends.
Following the canon chronology with some additions for the purpose of the story. Main pairing of the story: Midorima x OC.
Written in the third person. The words in italic are characters' thoughts and the words written like this are said in another language (French or English). No harem x OC.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OCs
[HOSPITAL ARC]
FRAGMENTS
~.~
Chapter 7: chasing visions of our futures
"Ehh? Kagamicchi isn't coming today?"
How could someone be so obnoxious?
Shintaro cringed. He was spending too much time around Kise for his own taste. Even Takao wasn't as exuberant as him!
"Taiga isn't coming today nor tomorrow. Riko-san – Coach – has planned a whole schedule for the weekend to make him cram math and Japanese literature. Izuki-senpai and Kuroko-kun will be a better help for these courses than I am."
"Ah... I thought Kagamicchi would come later. But isn't Masukocchi great in math and literature?"
How stupid from Kise to state that he would Kagami would be late when it was already the end of the tutoring session... However, he had a point.
Shintaro had assisted to her tutoring sessions with those two idiots and despite her unorthodox methods – the girl had lured them into learning Edo period with a cake – she had great knowledge. She had to, to successfully pass the Seirin's admission tests since they tend to be were more difficult for foreigners and returnees.
"Not really. I do enjoy Japanese literature but I still struggle with Japanese sometimes since I have difficulties to read and write with kanji and mathematics is not my forte. I'm doing well because I'm technically a year ahead but I cannot say it's my favorite class."
"I see! Did Masukocchi take an elective at school-ssu?"
"I did or rather... As a foreigner, Seirin did me a favor and let me study two electives."
Was that even possible?
"Heh, is that possible?" Kise asked out loud wht Shintaro had in mind.
"Apparently it is in Japan as well under certain conditions. I've taken Spanish and French literature since I want to take the French high school exam during at beginning of my third year here. It will start next June with French literature." She had funny look while talking. The same one she gave to Kagami. "And in case you didn't know, le baccaleuréat is the French diploma you have to possess at the end of high school if you want to go to universities or get a higher education in a private school there."
"Wouldn't it be too hard to do that with your regular exams?"
He silently agreed. Mock exams and entries to college were the third years' main occupations in Japan. To add exams for the French might be unreasonable.
"I planned as much as I could and I'll be doing French literature exam at the beginning of my second year then all the other subject the following year. As long as it concerns subjects that I appreciate, I can do it. I don't like to leave things unfinished and not having le baccalauréat is simply unthinkable to me."
If anything, he loathed people who didn't do their best, so he felt somehow satisfied to hear that statement from her. Shintaro still couldn't exactly point out why he came every day to visit her.
Perhaps it was because it was because she was one of the only people he knew who was not loud. If anything, he enjoyed her silence. Or maybe... because he was still looking for an answer.
"You'll understand someday."
He still couldn't fully understand what she meant. And he felt he needed that answer so he could truthfully say he had made everything he could. And most of all...
What he heard that night, when he forgot the lucky item in her room, feeling too amazed by Curry's three-pointers at the game they had watched.
That letter.
The almost panic attack she had.
He heard it. He heard everything.
He casted a stealthy glance. Since then, he saw her... differently. He could not find another word.
Differently.
"I have to go the the photoshoot-ssu."
"Already?"
He looked at his phone. It was already 7.30 P.M.
"I don't want to leave but my agent will kill me if I don't go!"
"It's okay Kise-kun, Midorima-kun will stay with me."
What?
Kise's mouth formed an 'o'. "I see..."
"Stop doing such stupid face, Kise," he stated with mild annoyance.
His first option was to correct the thing she just said but the face Kise was doing was just too annoying... It was even more annoying than his usual loud whining.
"Bye Masukocchi, Midorimacchi."
When he finally left the room, it became silent until –
"Is there something bothering Midorima-kun?"
He slightly flinched and turned to look at her.
"Why?"
Her eyes were calculating him as she observed the expression he was making. He hated that. It reminded him of red hair and heterochromatic eyes.
"I've noticed you've been acting... rather strangely in the past few days."
He silently cursed himself. Did she notice?
Of course she did.
"It's nothing," he curtly answered. He didn't want to tell her he partly saw through her façade – her excessive politeness – because she probably saw through his as well.
And that scared him.
She didn't answer back but was frowning as she stood up.
Stood up.
"Masuko-san, what are you doing?"
He knew she couldn't correctly stand up, let alone walk. She said so to Kagami yesterday.
"I'm standing up, obviously," she casually stated.
Now, he could see the similarity with Kagami! Such stupidity was unbelievable.
"I know what you're doing but why–"
He moved as quick as he could to hold her. Her face twitched in pain before he placed his arms on each side of her shoulders, her left arm gripping his right one.
"Are you stupid?" he immediately yelled.
She was so frustrating that it was infuriating. And the calm in her eyes just increased his anger.
"I'm just worried about a friend."
"BUT YOU'RE NOT MY FRIEND!" he yelled.
However, the words that went out of his mouth left him a bitter taste.
That time, these words felt so wrong and yet, he found himself unable to say anything to correct his own words. He couldn't even properly look at her in the eyes anymore.
He screwed up. He screwed up, he screwed up.
Damn it.
He felt horrible without exactly knowing why.
Her voice filled the heavy silence.
"I knew I would have probably fallen."
Waiting for her to end her sentence, he casted a furtive glance. All he saw was confusing blue eyes before staring the window again. The bright array of pink and orange outside only confirmed he had indeed stayed longer than he thought.
"Then, why did you try to stand up?" was the only thing he could say.
He wanted to inquire why he was coming every day. Why he was still here. Why she wanted to befriend him so much... So many 'why' he had in his mind but couldn't voice.
She lessened the grip on his right arm without letting go neither and he felt her hand gently turning his face to make him look at her.
What he saw was a smile, the same smile she has while tutoring, she same one she gave to Kagami every time he was saying something idiotic and he didn't know whether he should feel offended or not.
"Because I knew you would catch me."
Did she... trust him?
How?
Why?
They stayed in the same position for seconds when she made a sudden small cry. He realized he had unclenched the grip on her shoulders after what she said, making her lose balance. She tried and failed to grab back his right arm, causing her to fall on him.
"Merde– Did I hurt you, Midorima-kun?" she immediately asked.
"... No," he managed to mutter, too stunned to move.
He was mostly okay, the only thing was he couldn't see correctly anymore, his pair of glasses not being in its place.
He could feel her hair brushing his cheeks softly as her face was resting on his shoulder.
She laughed quietly and he felt her warm breath on his neck, tickling him. She lifted her head. All he could recognize was her blurry form watching him as he felt delicate fingers putting his glasses back, her fingertips touching his skin like a feather.
"Here. It's better this way, right?"
The first thing he saw clearly was that smile again. That strange and warm smile.
"See, Midorima-kun did catch me here as well," she giggled, speepishly rubbing the back of her neck as a slight blush appeared.
Her remark got him a small smirk. It might have been the lighting but she looked redder before her face went back on his shoulder as she whispered, "I apologize for asking you this but could you help me to lift me up, please?"
It was only in that moment he fully became aware of the position they were. He felt himself blushing, suddenly so aware Masuko was a young woman, an attractive one at that. Feeling her breath on his neck instantly became disturbing (and distracting).
"Hmf... Very well."
A few seconds later, Masuko almost fell again, as he averted his eyes, distracted by the fascinating furniture.
Yes, fascinating.
He would compliment his father on his furniture choices.
After what happened yesterday, Midorima-kun looked less tormented by his own thoughts, Miyuki mused.
She was relieved to see his stoic calmness come back but she knew there was still something in his mind.
She didn't say a word though, deciding that she would wait for him to talk if he wanted to... That and also the fact he looked terribly embarrassed by what happened when she fell (understandable given that their position after she fell was up to... non platonic interpretations).
"Midorimacchi already left?"
Kise-kun's energic voice brought her back to reality.
She nodded. "Hai. He said he had familial obligations and apologized for leaving so soon."
Of course, the last part was her own interpretation. He wasn't a talktive man.
"I see..." Kise-kun seemed pensive before he went back to his energic and bubbly usual self. "What are we tudying today? World History? English conversation?"
"None. We'll be doing nothing during this afternoon."
"EH?"
Amazing how pretty face could show too much yet too little emotions on his face.
"Kise-kun, you've worked more than enough for your exams. So for today, you can do whatever you want. You can go outisde to see your friends."
Of course, the thought of spending the afternoon alone in that room wasn't something she was looking forward to but the only people she knew in Japan were basketball related and her family was still in France.
She hoped Riko-san wasn't killing Taiga, that would be unfortunate with the Final League getting closer.
"Masukocchi is my friend too so I want to spend this afternoon here!"
"Oh..."
Did her tone betray her feelings? Did he see she was feeling lonely?
It was quite strange to explain but if anything, she liked being alone sometimes.
She wasn't like part of people in her middle school who were frightened by the sole thought of being alone because of social standards – it appeared being alone meant having no friends thus led to being labeled as 'weird'. –
She didn't care about being mocked by other students because she enjoyed staying by herself to read books sometimes. It even made her laugh to see how ironically, these people who looked the most popular and full of friends were, in fact, the loneliest ones.
But at the end of middle school, she discovered the meaning of being lonely.
Being alone and being lonely were entirely different.
Being alone was a choice. Being lonely wasn't.
It was something that had caused despair and anger because she felt like nobody would understand. But then, she made a new team as she entered high school and she met people who understood her and she now had Taiga back with her and a few new friends in Japan. But sometimes, while she tried and failed to walk normally, she felt the same kind despair she had felt in middle school.
The fear of not being able to play football like she used to was louder when Taiga was not there, or when Kise-kun and Midorima-kun weren't there. It generally happened the morning, during her daily reeducation: it was the fear of being lonely.
Perhaps Kise-kun got it. Perhaps he was feeling lonely as well.
The small yet genuine smile he had told her he lacked of true friends. She gave back a smile even if it was a bit forced like his, the loneliness haunting them.
"Then we should go outside, perhaps. I've never visited the hospital's garden."
'I need fresh hair' was left unsaid.
"Never?! Masukocchi has to see the flowers there, they're so pretty!" the blond told her with his usual energy back.
"I love flowers!"
He carried her delicately before putting her in the wheelchair and rolled it.
She suspected he was enjoying rolling her wheelchair more than she did, the way he was walking – skipping would be more appropriate – only confirmed it, as every woman they met glared her with open hostility.
Of course, Kise-kun was completely unaware of the unwanted attention – or maybe he was too used to it, there was a reason why she nicknamed him 'pretty face' – but she pretended not to notice anything neither.
"How are you and your team doing?"
"We got qualified for the Final League-ssu!" The fondness on his face at the mention of his team made her feel a rush of tenderness for him.
"You look happy," she said almost absently.
"Of course, we got qualified!"
She cleared her voice, "I mean... You look happy whenever you talk about your team."
Kuroko-kun told her how Kise-kun was someone who loved basketball from the bottom of his heart. That moment made her fully believe it.
Kaijo was the perfect team for him. She realized that during her daily observations of some of the strongest teams outside of Tokyo – being in a hospital didn't make her forget her job as Seirin's manager –
Kasamatsu Yukio was one of the best point guards in the country as well as Kaijo's captain. Riko-san told her he fullfilled every qualification needed to be a good captain: responsable, strongwilled, ambitious and encouraging yet voicing his disapproval when needed.
That was exactly what Kise-kun needed.
"Well..." He slowed down the pace of the wheelchair. "I love playing with Kaijo more and more."
He looked absently at the cherry blossom tree and she figured out he was probably thinking about playing with them.
"I see what Kise-kun means. I'm still very attached to my previous team. I had fun with them." The fact most of them were in exam period reminded her she should send something to encourage them but since papa was still there to help them with last minute cramming, They would be okay. "I would have loved to see your match against Seirin. Taiga told me you're one of the best players he ever met."
He finally stopped nearby a bench, "He did?"
He sat to be on the same eye level as her.
"Hai. But don't repeat that to Taiga, will you? He would get flustered."
She could already see Taiga deny it with stubbornness.
"Kagamicchi really is surprising."
She nodded vigorously. "Taiga has always been pure and caring even if he now looks... physically intimidating."
Taiga got so tall in less than two years that it was becoming depressing.
"Neh, can Masukocchi tell me stories about Kagamicchi?"
At least, Kise-kun wasn't as stubborn as Taiga or Midorima-kun and willingly admitted he considered them as his friends.
"What does Kise-kun want to know?"
"How was Kagamicchi when he was a kid?"
An image of a smaller and younger Taiga came to her mind. He was still that boy she met years ago and yet so different.
"When I met him, he looked lost because he was just coming from Japan and he was naïve. Really naïve. Not that it was necessarily bad, in fact, I appreciate that. I still do."
No matter how hot-headed he had become, he still was so, so naïve on a few subjects.
"Masukocchi told you two know each other since third grade! How did you meet?"
"We..." She stopped, feeling it was the moment to ask about what was in her mind since weeks. "Could I ask you a question first?"
Pretty face noticed the sudden seriousness ( and he might have even noticed the sadness in her voice and in her eyes).
"Of course."
She hesitated.
Should she really ask it? Whatever, she needed to know.
"Is... Is one of your former teammates part of Yosen High's basketball team?"
The face he was making was already enough.
"I see. In what position does he play?"
"Center-ssu. He –" The change must have been visible because she felt cold yet delicate hands on hers. "Masukocchi, are you okay?"
"Uh...?"
"Your hands... they're shaking."
She looked at her hands. He was right. She gritted her teeth.
Not this again.
She thought it would get better after months of progress and yet... "I apologize, it's just –"
"Masukocchi, don't apologize." He patted her right hand with hesitation and she felt like crying.
Thinking about Taiga and Tatsuya's broken relationship hurt.
"Do you remember when I talked about my other best friend, Tatsuya?"
She needed to talk.
Talk to forget the bitter taste of her best friends' relationship's nearing end in her mouth.
"Hai."
"You have probably noticed Taiga's strange behavior that time." A nod. "That's because..." Should she really tell him? She trusted him enough now and she knew that despite what Taiga said, he now considered Kise-kun as a friend too. "While I consider Taiga and Tatsuya as my best friends, they considered each other as brothers."
She played with the ring around her finger and remembered the promise they had made the day she left.
Lies.
Despite that fact, she felt no anger –not at them, at least– nor betrayal. She had realized it was bound to happen.
Miyuki had had time to think about everything rationally and it had always been obvious. Alexandra probably realized it as well.
"... It has always been this way since they met."
"Are you sure you don't want to play with us, little bird?"
Miyuki had a vivid memory of that summer day.
She was hanging around with Tatsuya, their elbows linked as they walked, looking for someone for a basketball game.
"I'm fine with being the referee."
Thinking about her past self's obvious fake smile almost made her want to laugh.
Of course, she remembered how Tatsuya made that frown he had every time she was lying to him.
"Miyuki..."
This memory made her realize how far she came from.
"I know! Fine, I'll play a one-on-one against you after this."
"Hey, little bird." He was now holding her hand tightly but softly like he always did whenever she needed reassurance. "I'm not angry at you. I just want you to be happy and play freely." The smile he made at that moment was still one of her warmest memories. It was the thing that made her believe freedom might exist.
She almost could feel the wind her seven-year-old self had on her face while she was running.
"Come on, we need to find someone, everyone is waiting."
They only used Japanese when they were alone. It was still the case though English sometimes got mixed in.
"Miyuki, slow down or we'll miss out people!"
"You're no fun, Tatsuya."
"I know," he laughed while not letting go of her hand.
Taiga immediately caught her attention with his red hair and the gloomy and confused aura around him.
He looked lost. She remembered that he was in fact her new classmate who never talked to anyone (she had thought he was too shy when at the time but later discovered it was in fact because he didn't really know how to speak English yet).
Tatsuya saw who she was watching and ran towards him.
"Hey. We're short-handed, want to come and join us for a game of basketball?"
"What? Y-yeah... Great." His eyes widened. "You speak Japanese?"
"I thought you might be Japanese too! I've been living here for a while..."
Taiga finally noticed her. "Hey, I know you! You're from my class, aren't you?"
"Hai. My name is Masuko Miyuki, I've lived here for three years."
"Your name is...?"
"Kagami Taiga."
"Himuro Tatsuya. Nice to meet you."
Tatsuya always looked so cool and so serious while he was, in fact, one of the biggest dork she knew (the fact he was now sixteen accentuated that thing... not that it bothered her. She could be so much worse when people knew her enough).
"Tatsuya is from the same school as us but he's a year above us."
"Really?"
Tatsuya nodded. "You know basketball?"
Tatsuya had kept the habit of spinning the ball with his finger. She found it almost fascinating since she only managed to do it at ten years old.
"Yeah, a little from sports class..."
"Tatsuya, Miyuki, you found someone to join?"
"Yeah, his name's Taiga!"
"Great, Taiga will play on Tatsuya's side then!"
Before meeting Tatsuya, she didn't enjoy being the referee. She loved playing but her fear was above that love she had for basketball she just watched.
Tatsuya changed that – to a certain degree since the change mostly came from herself –. Although she still wanted to play, she came to love observing games too.
The way Tatsuya dribbled smoothly and full of confidence was the definition of beauty.
"Did you make the teams?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Let's begin."
And she saw the way Taiga watched Tatsuya. It was the same way – no, it was slightly different from the way she looked at him.
While she looked at Tatsuya with fondness and tenderness, he watched at him with affection and admiration. That was why their respective relationship with Tatsuya was different. It was obvious since that day he was worshipping him and the discussion they had after only confirmed it.
"Why? You're asking me how to make friends?"
"Himuro-kun looks like a brooder and yet everyone hangs around with you!"
She laughed. He was right. Taiga was bit too much honest even when he was a child.
"That was uncalled for..."
She was sure he heared her whisper something along the line "Kagami-kun is right..." to tease him but ignored her on purpose.
"I talked with people, but somehow they don't feel like close friends to me! Like, there's some distance! Is it because of racial dis... Ah... !?"
"Ahaha. I think it's nothing of that sort!"
There was nothing of that in Los Angeles, not when they were kids anyway.
"Don't worry Kagami-kun, it's not that," she confirmed.
"I think you didn't 'appeal' enough."
"Appeal?"
"What are you good at, what do you like... You need to show something that makes people understand who you are. For me, it's basketball!"
"Tatsuya is right. Having a passion in common makes it easier to make bonds."
It was also what brought her –them– trouble in more ways than one but she had no regret over it.
"You need to know yourself before trying to make people understand who you are! If you're strong, people will repute you for that!"
"I have nothing of the sorts..."
She had always found Tatsuya's kindness as his best quality.
"...Then why don't you try basketball?"
"Eh?"
"I'll teach you!"
"This is a good idea. Kagami-kun is good at sports and Tatsuya is a good teacher."
"I'm sure you'll play well!"
Taiga seemed to think about it. "... Basketball."
It was clear he never considered this possibility yet he was not unhappy. Just surprised.
"I'll do my best!"
"They spent weeks, months... even years playing basketball together. Ironically, basketball was also the thing that has caused them to part away." She tried to smile but she was sure Kise-kun wasn't fooled by her laughable attempt. "The odds to have Yosen High as Seirin's opponent for the Winter Cup are high and because of the relationship they used to have, I fear Taiga would unconsciously... hold himself back."
It was probably already too late but she would try to help him.
For his sake and for Seirin's sake. She knew Tatsuya would agree as well, knowing he wanted to face Taiga at full strength unlike the last time.
"But... What about Inter-High?"
"Tatsuya will not make it in time for Inter-High, I think he'll come just after Inter-High and... Taiga doesn't know about Tatsuya coming back to Japan yet nor the fact he will be at Yosen High."
"Why don't you tell him?!" She could hear a hint of anger and irritation in his voice.
She found it touching to see he genuinely care about Taiga.
He was angry because Taiga was his friend as well and she felt angry at herself for hiding Taiga all of that too.
"I want to tell him after the Final League!" Her voice went higher but she wasn't screaming neither, not yet. "I know Seirin will lose but I don't want him to lose focus."
"Ah..."
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
"Seirin is a good team but it's still not enough. Especially with Aomine Daiki as their opponent."
"How–"
"Kise-kun, I'm Seirin's manager. Being in the hospital doesn't mean I don't know how to read the situation." She knew that she was being harsh but it was apparent Aomine Daiki was a sensible subject for all of them –Kuroko-kun, Kise-kun and even Midorima-kun– and it caused her to feel animosity towards him. She noticed how uncomfortable they were at the simple mention of Aomine Daiki.
How Kuroko-kun dropped his gaze. How Kise-kun attempted and failed to laugh. How Midorima-kun's knuckles became white as he gripped his bag.
It only meant one thing: he was strong. Really strong.
"I see..."
Kise-kun's still pretty face never looked so unpretty and she wished she never saw it again.
"Kise-kun... If you want to talk about whatever happened between you and Aomine Daiki, I'm here for you. I'm here to listen to you just like you're listening to me."
It wasn't much but she knew how hearing those words could change things.
"Masukocchi..." He delicately brushed off the petals that fell on her head. "Thank you."
They spent a few minutes in silence and observed the traditional garden before she spoke again.
"Kise-kun, can I ask you something?" Kise-kun's face reflected his surprise and a hint of relief about the change of subject. "Obviously, I can't ask Taiga so could you send the letter I wrote to Tatsuya for me, please?"
He nodded, with a small yet genuine smile on his face. "Of course."
"The next reeducation session will be tomorrow at 9 A.M, Masuko-san."
"Duly noted."
For the first time in her reeducation, she felt satisfied with how her session went. She only tripped twice and she could walk more or less normally while holding the guard rails.
A knock stopped her thoughts.
"Come in."
It must be one of the nurses again...
"Hey!"
... Or not. It was the very tall young man with the goofy smile who helped her when she was about to fall from last time.
"Good morning."
"You're the girl from the last time, aren't you?"
She nodded. "Indeed."
"Since the old man in my room left the hospital, I'm looking for someone to play hanafuda with me. Do you want to play?"
It almost looked like her prayers had been fulfilled. Something was telling her boresome will only be a memory from now on.
"I... don't know anything this game, but you could teach me the rules... if it doesn't bother you of course!"
He beamed at her. "Sure!"
"May I ask you what's your name?"
"No need to be so formal." He kindly smiled as he closed the door. "I'm Kiyoshi Teppei, how about you?"
"I'm Masuko Miyuki."
She might have been mistaken but for a second, she was almost certain a brief smirk appeared on his seemingly innocent face.
"You're new here, right?"
"I am. I had my operation a few days ago and I will probably stay here for two weeks or three. How about you, Kiyoshi-san?"
"I told you don't need to be so formal, you know. Call me Teppei since you're probably used to call people by their first name."
"How does Kiyoshi-san... how does Teppei-san know that?"
"You said something that wasn't Japanese like the other time."
He was right. Thankfully, he didn't seem to understand she had said 'shit' in French.
"You're right. I'm French as well." He was definitely more than he let on to remember that kind of detail.
"I've always wanted to go there! French basketball is amazing."
"Absolutely. We have one of the best national teams in the world." Of course they weren't as good as the U.S national team but they could easily the second or third best team in the world and though football would always be her favorite sport, watching basketball was almost as enjoyable as watching football. "Did you get your injury during a championship?"
She was curious about it since he was the first person around her age who could understand her since he too had an injury. She hoped it wasn't inconsiderate from her... But it was too late anyway.
He shrugged. "During last year's preliminaries... And you?"
"Anterior cruciate ligament tears, during French Nationals' final. I did a 'pretty stupid thing' according to everyone but I have no regret. We won."
She knew she kept repeating it. To the medical staff, to someone she just met, to her friends.. And to herself...
But it was the truth, she had no regret over what she did, even if it meant having to go through a longer reeducation than she would have had if she would have been subbed out.
"You did?"
"We became France's Inter High champions and I'm happy though it might... have consequences on my future." She scratched her head, ending sheepishly. "I guess that saying it out loud makes me look stupid."
"You're not." His goofy look was gone, leaving her in a puzzled surprise. "There's nothing wrong about wanting to win with your team."
So he did understand, after all. His team was lucky to have someone like him. "You're right. I was glad they let me do it... I think they let me because they knew I didn't want to leave them with regrets. It was my last chance."
Teppei stayed silent and she felt it made him thoughtful. He finally spoke again but his voice was like a whisper. "How long will your reeducation last?"
She blinked. Why was he suddenly so serious? That guy was enigma. "Around six months. My aim is a new title but on an international level this time so I'm preparing myself as much as I could. You didn't have your operation, did you?"
He didn't even look surprised by her deduction and answered, "I've been on rehab since practically a year so I'll be leaving in three weeks."
"Is that so? Well, I hope in that time, I'll be able to teach you some card games in return as well."
"You play card games too?" he inquired, his cheerful aura back.
"I had to occupy myself during bus trips."
"So I heard about a game where..."
Teppei and she had played hanafuda for hours and she even was able to learn him how to play la bataille, A French card game. He was a delightful person to be with, especially in that place. And he strangely made her feel at ease though she felt he could as sly as her if he wanted to: call it feminine intuition but sometimes, it felt like he was observing her.
He left the room twenty minutes ago for his daily reeducation.
And now, there she was, waiting for the results of the review test with apprehension. She knew she did well but she was worried about Taiga and Kise-kun.
She hoped she had helped them enough, especially Taiga.
"Masuko-chan, how are you?"
She smiled. Riko-san went to see her almost every night, sometimes with Hyuuga-senpai to discuss training schedule for the team and to start organizing the next step of her reeducation and it was, in fact, an efficient system because she now did most of the video observation necessary.
"Riko-san, you came sooner today."
"Hyuuga-kun is leading today's training, he should be okay. I'm here to bring you your exam results as the Vice-President of the School Committee."
"I see... What about Taiga?"
She took Riko-san's smile as a good sign.
"He said he wanted to tell you personally after training but I think he'll be able to play with us."
Miyuki exhaled. "That's a relief."
She knew he could do it and she even hoped he got more than average marks.
Taiga, contrary to popular's belief, wasn't an idiot (not academically a least)... It was just that he focused all his attention on basketball.
He lived basketball, breathed basketball. He was the definition of having passion for basketball.
"Here. Open it."
She took a breath before opening the envelope and read its content with Riko-san eyeing it with as much, if not with more impatience than her.
"Fourth best student of Seirin?!"
"Kami, that's amazing Masuko-chan! I knew you were perfect as my manager!"
"Thank you but I'm not as good as you, Riko-san..." She reas and read again her marks. She gasped. "89 IN MATH?"
"Masuko-chan... You got 100 in English."
"But I got 89 in the math test. MATH TEST, RIKO-SAN! ISN'T IT AMAZING?!"
Riko-san patted her head, "Yes, of course, Masuko-chan. Of course..."
She felt so proud about her 89 at math that she wanted to jump everywhere.
"I'm so happy it went well, especially with this 82 in Japanese."
"Well, I'm more impressed about the fact that a first-year could get a 100 in half of all subjects."
"I don't think it's that impressive, you do know I'm just a year above them. And I think French tests are harder."
"Are French test different?"
"MCQs aren't frequent unlike there, we have to be capable of writing dissertations divided into three parts and several arguments with examples in them each time. It's nearly impossible to get a 20 with that."
"But you seem to enjoy it better than MCQs," her senpai deduced.
She nodded. "I like writing and debating so it helps."
"So you write stories?"
She started playing with the ring on her finger. "It's not exactly what you can call a story. Before you ask, it's not a diary." Not really. It had some of her most intimate thoughts although they weren't directly about her most of the time. And it was written not day by day but like a book. "I might... lend it to you one day."
Riko-san's eyes softened before she lelt a light kiss on Miyuki's forehead, near the arch of her eyebrow.
"I have to go before the boys do something stupid. Take care, Masuko-chan."
Her mouth quirked at the corners as Riko-san left.
Ten minutes later, her phone buzzed. It had to be Kise-kun.
'Hello Masukocchi (◕‿◕✿)
I'll come to see you later than usual today since the senpai want to celebrate my good results at the review test at the place where we usually go (▰˘◡˘▰) Kasamatsu-senpai didn't believe the marks I got were true at the start (⌯˃̶᷄ ﹏ ˂̶᷄⌯)
I won't tell you the marks I got here because I want to show them to you personally ｡◕‿◕｡
See you ( ◜◒◝ ) '
"He sure loves emojis..." she muttered to herself.
It was almost refreshing to see that compared to the very short answers she got from her other friends.
Boys.
To a 'how are you?', they answered 'Good. You?'. To 'tell me what you do you think about today's training!' she received five 'Meh' and eight 'Cool'.
At least they always answered quickly... She was the opposite.
She wrote like she was speaking (ironically though she didn't speak much, her texts looked really long) but answered very slowly.
She sighed. "Time to watch tapes from old games."
In parallel to her part as Seirin's manager, she also did preparation for her personal goal and watched different matches from the season that just ended, from both men's and women's championships with a pencil and a notebook in her hands.
There was something melancholic in watching her middle school teammates playing. While they all had improved, most of them were in different high schools (sometimes, it was better this way). She still hadn't watched the finale game Tina's letter was referring to, feeling not ready yet, knowing how a slaughter it was.
"Let's watch... Departmentals."
She was rather fond of the memories related to Departmentals, it had been the first step to the Nationals.
It felt like it was a lifetime ago when it had only been four months ago...
Four months ago, her team was still considered as 'losers', their school's bad reputation following them. Four months ago, her hair was still short. Four months ago, she still had a boyfriend but above all, she discovered that her team was the one.
That team was the one that could make her laugh and dream again. It was the team that would make her want to win again and again.
"Amazing how things changed." She giggled before playing the video.
She missed the smell of the grass around her, the feeling of her cleats on the pitch, the cheers from her team's supporters... Everything that made football so enjoyable.
Without knowing it, she watched one, then two videos before watching the final on her laptop's screen.
The way they had improved between Departmentals and Nationals was objectively impressive. It was one of their best games, not only a technical level but also on an emotional one.
That victory felt their dream wasn't impossible if they truly wanted.
Everyone thought they were the broke kids from the deprived area of their city except their coach... Papa.
She missed everyone at home so much.
Taiga said it was normal to feel homesick at the beginning, the void in you was always there and she understood what he meant.
"Cheer up Emilie, it's not the time to be like this," she recalled to herself, her voice echoing in the empty room.
She sighed before she heard someone slam the door abruptly, making her jump in surprise.
"MASUKOCCHI!"
Kise-kun ran before jumping on her bed.
"Oi, get out of here Kise! I'm first!"
"Kagami-kun and Kise-kun should stop."
"Idiots."
"Say that to Kise, I didn't do anything!"
She looked at the colorful heads entering her room: red, yellow green and blue, Kuroko-kun being an unusual but welcome addition.
"Uh... Could you please tell me what is happening at the moment?"
She looked on her computer: it had already been almost four hours since Riko-san left.
"The review test results were announced!"
"Yes, you're right. I heard from Riko-san that you did well. Show me your results, Taiga."
She saw Kise-kun pouting, "Why is Kagamicchi first?"
"Because I need to know if I should punish my best friend with laps," she smirked and he gave her the piece of paper, a sheepish look on his face. She gasped. "That's... amazing."
80th. He was in the top 100! She almost couldn't believe it.
"98 on Japanese? How is that even possible?"
The 'no offense but you suck in Japanese' was clear and loud to everyone in the room. Taiga didn't even bother to look offended since he knew it was the truth.
he looked away. "I don't wanna talk about it..."
She raised his eyebrows and looked at Kuroko-kun for an explanation.
"Kagami-kun has–"
"It's Kise's turn now!" her best friend yelled.
Did something happen? Or it might be because Kise-kun and Midorima were there as well?
Men and their pride...
"Alright Masukocchi, look! You're going to be proud of me!"
He showed the piece of paper in his hands with pride and she smiled. 88th in a prestigious high school like Kaijo was more than honorable... It was even good.
"Kise-kun really is amazing!"
"It's all thanks to Masukocchi."
"No Kise-kun, it's all thanks to your hard work."
"Emilie... Coach gave you your results, right?" Taiga sat on her bed and looked at the notes she took. "Still doing this, uh?"
She dropped the pencil she was holding to look for the paper in the middle of what was beginning to be a mess.
"I'm spending hours watching basketball matches and football matches every day and as you can see, I'm taking notes."
"Aren't you a good manager..." Taiga teased her while reading part of her notes. "What's that?"
His eyes widened and she saw the reason of it in his hands.
Oh.
"Your stats and Tatsuya's stats."
"But how's that..."
She took it back and put it somewhere else. "It's only mere estimation but I can assure you this is the truth." Tatsuya is stronger than you. That was the truth. "As I said, I'll tell you everything after the Final League."
Kuroko-kun's cryptic look and pretty face's almost sad one were almost as obvious as Taiga's mixed feelings but she ignored them. She was almost grateful for Midorima-kun's apparent lack of interest since he at least pretended nothing was happening.
It wasn't the fact two of them were from rival teams that bothered her, it was the matter of their discussion itself.
"Okay, fine," Taiga said after a heavy silence.
Finally finding back the results of her own review test results in the middle of her othe notes, she showed it to him.
"Here you go!"
Taiga found back his smile and she would have been completely satisfied if the sadness would have left his eyes.
"Can't say I'm surprised since it's you but... 89 IN MATH?"
"I know, right?!"
The others took a look at the paper. "Masukocchi is the fourth best studen of all Seirin students?"
"Indeed."
Neither of them looked surprised.
"Masuko-san really is clever."
"Maybe... but I think it's mostly because I'm technically a year above you so I already know most of these things we got at the tests. What about Midorima-kun and Kuroko-kun?"
"I did well."
"I got my lucky item and I did everything I could."
Part of the tension in her shoulders left.
"Then I'm glad."
"I'm hungry, let's just go to the cafeteria."
"Fine Taiga, but you're paying for me."
"What, but..."
She sighed, "I'll pay next time we go to Maji Burger."
He complied without question. "Deal."
It was the calm before the storm, she thought.
The five of them ate dinner and Kise-kun, Midorima-kun and Taiga's loud quarrel was paradoxically relaxing.
It was lively, it was lovely, it was everything she loved about her friends.
A/N: This chapter's title is a reference to Daughter's song 'Youth' since it fits with Masuko's present situation (since she feels unsure about her future career) but also Kagami and Himuro's broken bond, as she recalls with nostalgia the old time.
I really had some trouble about writing the flashback in a good way, since it was something revealed through present!Masuko's eyes but it was fun to give a 'sneak peek' of her dynamic with Himuro as best friends. I think it's interesting to see how though she has two best friends, her dynamic with each of them is different and when the three of them were together, it was once again different because each friendship is unique. For example, I love writing Masuko/Kise dynamic because once he considers someone as worthy, he reveals himself completely and the contrast between her calm and his bubbly attitude somehow works.
As for the Masuko/Midorima scene, I wanted to write something sweet between them where Midorima finally opens himself a little more, marking the step from acquaintances to friends.
This chapter is a transition before the aftermath of the Final League so I played with how time goes on (as you may have noticed, three hours for her might have passed really quickly while when she was bored minutes feels like hours) so be prepared for the scene announced since chapter 5: Masuko telling everything about Himuro to Kagami.
Though the site had major issues (the login...) making the previous chapter less seen than other, I had two really lovely comments:
TheLunaGoddess: Your comment was a serious motivation to finally finish this chapter, haha ! Sorry for the late update, I'm in a new school (more like college) so I have less time but the 2-3 chapters should be updated more quickly since I already wrote most of them (I just have to do some proof-reading + change details). I hope you enjoyed the Midorima/Masuko scene in this chapter ;)
magane-chan: Thank you, I'm so happy you like Masuko, since I really try to make her believable as a character. Macchan sure is a lovely nickname, I might use it later in the story lol. Kagami is indeed an amazing friend and you'll discover later to what extent in the story. Masuko/Midorima is developing slowly but surely, I'm building here a friendship before having the possibility of a romance. And don't worry your English is good :D
I would like to thank the people who have favorited or is following this story after I published the previous chapter: TheLunaGoddess, ladyparty123,Mari Clair Roemaji, MISCharacter, woofbot, Aku Tora, Ao Yukihira.
Once again, thank you for the fav/following guys ! Don't hesitate to post comments, I'll make sure to answer them on next chapter's A/N :)