Summary [chapter 17]: Masuko Miyuki Emilie was an enigma that Ryouta could not resolve. If he was honest with himself, he was not sure he wanted to. She was the most honest liar he ever met.

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

[PRELUDE OF HALCYON DAYS ARC]

FRAGMENTS

~.~

Chapter 17: an honest liar

Waking up at 7A.M on summer holidays wasn't what Miyuki pictured herself doing willingly but it didn't change the fact that it was happening. Taiga was more of a morning person than her so he was already awake and making food in the kitchen while humming the song on the radio.

"Yo."

Miyuki rubbed her eyes before replying in a groggy voice, "Good morning Taiga. Is pretty face awake already?"

"Yeah, he's in the bathroom."

Taiga let pretty face borrow some of his clothes to sleep and he didn't bat an eye when she said she would go to Kaijo to scout them.

He really was that desperate...

"What did you make for breakfast?" she asked as she headed for the balcony.

The air was still fresh but Miyuki didn't mind, the breeze on her face helped to wake her up. And the rising sun was a sight she appreciated, if only it wasn't so soon in the morning.

"Pancakes."

"Nice..."

"Kagamicchi, Masukocchi!"

Pretty face was already all smiley and cladded back in his stylish clothes.

"Well, isn't that pretty face? I hope you don't mind eating pancakes, Taiga made them."

"A western breakfast? I'm good with that."

They chatted while eating and purposely avoided any mention of Inter High or Aomine Daiki.

"I'll come back after lunch break, I hope you won't miss me too much," she announced to her best friend in a teasing tone.

Taiga rolled his eyes but she could see a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Did you tell coach that you were goin' to scout Kise's team?"

"Eh?"

"Of course I did, and Riko-san was delighted!"

"Yes! Scouting us!" Pretty face yelled in panic. He was definitely a bad actor. "What is Kagamicchi talking about?" he whispered to her.

"I did say I was going to use than as an excuse yesterday and I meant it," she replied.

"Oh, so it's a lie."

She smirked. "Who said I wasn't going to scout and observe your team neither?"

Good thing that Tetsuya wasn't there, or he would have directly seen through it. Still, scouting Kaijo was also truly part of her intentions.

Miyuki hadn't have the chance to watch them play with her own eyes due to her appointment at the hospital. Watching a team face to face was always more telling, especially when it came to details such as speed on a sprint or little habits players had.

"What're you two whisperin' about? Oi Kise, you better not try to date her or something or you and I are gonna have a talk."

Uh?

Her? Dating pretty face?

She laughed outloud despite herself.

Pretty face pouted and wailed, "Masukocchi is laughing, so mean!"

"I apologize, it's just..." she said, still wheezing. "You really think pretty face would even consider dating me?"

Taiga might be cheesy and sentimental but he had never been interested by the concept of romance or even really thought about it. Mostly.

But then, she remembered the way her best friend looked at pretty face with suspicion yesterday and she couldn't blame him. Although it was harmless, pretty face did flirt with her on numerous occasions and she let him. Sometimes, she would even flirt back.

"He's being kinda weird with you lately so I don't know..." her best friend ended sheepishly.

Pretty face and she looked at each other. So Taiga noticed that something was going on...

He was a good friend despite that bizarre mix of clumsiness and blunt words.

"Don't have to worry about it, I do find Kise-kun pretty but I can assure you he's not the type of guy I would date and I'm not the type of person he would date."

"But I'm pretty-ssu, you said it yourself!" Kise-kun whined. "What's even Masukocchi's type?"

She wondered what the ones she had hold romantic interest in had in common.

She shrugged. "I've never put much thought about it."

She then asked pretty face if he was eating lunch with his team. He looked surprised and said he usually bought food at the cafeteria. He understood how horrified she was at that revelation but assured her he ate healthily and had money to buy it thanks to his job as a model.

Pretty face and she left the apartment after she finished preparing lunch for the both of them.

Much to her dismay, pretty face had to carry her in his arms again in the stairs since the elevator was still not working.

They got on the train only twenty minutes before its departure. To her surprise, the train wasn't that empty despite the fact that it was 7:30A.M... Right, vacation didn't work the same way in Japan. She wasn't even sure adults knew the concept of vacation there.

"Wasn't your middle school located in Tokyo? Kanagawa Prefecture isn't that far but still," shed asked.

"It's in Tokyo, yeah. I was scouted by Kaijo so I went there-ssu."

"What was your middle school's name?"Miyuki asked.

She had heard the 'Generation of Miracles' nickname several times but that was the only thing she knew along with the fact that they were a bunch of basketball geniuses playing together.

There had to be a reason why they all went to different schools. Given how Midorima's, Tetsuya's and pretty face's personalities clashed, it wasn't that surprising.

Pretty face was looking at her as if she just told him a bad joke. "You mean you really don't know? For real?"

Miyuki frowned. "No... I was still in France until April and I was busy with Nationals among other things." 'Other things' included not being found out she was a girl by students from her school for a very long moment, and of course Nationals' organizers and most of the other teams. "Taiga himself didn't know about you and your former teammates until he went to Seirin. I apologize if that offends you, I'm still trying to get used to living in Japan and–"

"Masukocchi doesn't need to apologize!" pretty face interrupted her. "It's just... weird to have someone who doesn't know about us and Teiko."

"Tetsuya and I don't talk much about anything related middle school," she said. Kise-kun looked away.

Ah...

She knew that face. Miyuki could recognize the poorly hidden guilt on Kise's face. Tetsuya knew that she didn't like talking about middle school and vice versa thus the mutual silence. The best choice was to avoid it there once more, at least for now. The timing wasn't right, Kise-kun already had to deal with his foot injury at the moment.

"So how is Genta-san?" she inquired instead. "I haven't seen him face to face since I was six."

It had been in the United States, after the birth of her little sister. She had only seen him through pictures since then. She knew from experience that people changed over the years. Distance only made it more noticeable... From the haircut to the way they spoke.

While some changes were subtle, other were drastic.

From what she had seen in the pictures, Genta-san had quite changed physically... Not that it was surprising since he had always been so lazy, to Eiji-san's chagrin.

"Coach trusts Kasamatsu-senpai and the other third years a lot... Wait, how do you know coach?"

She expected that question sooner or later but pretty face probably was too shaken up by the fact that she knew about his foot injury to even think about it before now.

"My parents and him are old friends, he used to be their senpai," she vaguely explained.

Miyuki felt bad for that half-truth but she couldn't afford to repeat the same mistakes as before. He would know who she really was evantually but she cowardly wanted to avoid the questions and the confusion while it was still possible.

"Genta-san will probably scold me more than you," she said, to try to make him feel better.

"No way-ssu!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Kasamatsu-senpai the one always scolding you, rather than Genta-san?"

A few seconds of silence passed before pretty face realized she was right. His face fell, now pale. "Oh."

"Don't worry, you're in good hands. From what I can tell, you have good senpais. Genta-san can look like a laid back person but he deeply cares about his team and he has high training capacities."

It wasn't Miyuki's place to say how she knew how competitive Genta-san used to be when he was still part of Japan's basketball national team. How nervous he was when he started his second career as a highschool teacher and basketball coach and how excited he had been the first time Kaijo had reached Inter High's semi-final to the point that he had called her mother at 2A.M.

Masuko Miyuki Emilie was an enigma that Ryouta couldn't resolve. And if he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

She was simply the most honest liar he had ever met.

She sometimes avoided telling the whole truth in her answers. She wasn't necessarily lying but she had to be good at lying if she managed to play a whole season in the men's high school championship without any players from the other teams noticing it.

And a very good athlete with that.

His eyes went on her knee once more. She took it off after taking her seat, leaving the fading scar from her surgery along with two other older scars visible to his gaze.

Could that be his future?

Sure, he intended to hide his injury from everyone but it wouldn't have ended so bad, would it?

But then, apparently Masukocchi had done the same thing as him and ended up like that.

"Kise-kun, it will be okay. Frowning doesn't look good on your pretty face," she whispered as she leaned towards him.

Her fingertips delicately brushed his hand, making him shiver.

Masukocchi was so kind. She always supported him in her own quiet way, from the drawing to that warm hug. Even last night's talk at the balcony was full of warmth and compassion despite her blunt threat.

He noticed she never asked about the match. None of them did and he was grateful for that.

It still hurt, in more ways than one.

"I'm not frowning," he tried to deny.

"Sure. And you were admiring how pretty my legs are instead of looking at my scars and wondering whether or not you would end up like me," she snorted.

"Your legs are pretty," he automatically answered back.

She did have nice legs. But the accuracy of her deduction was too frightening for him. It was better to try to change the subject now, he didn't want to deal with that.

She huffed, visibly not impressed. "Don't use that on me, pretty face."

He was used to praising ladies with smooth comments to avoid having to deal with deep talks. They only cared about his job as a model anyway, which was why he had no idea how to deal with her witty words. She wasn't letting that go and that irritated him.

So he brought his face closer to hers. He wanted to get a reaction that would make her forget her sharp words, to fluster her.

They were so close that he could see the light freckles dusting her cheeks, the bridge of his nose softly bumping hers. He noticed how her elongated nose highlighted the elegance of her face. It was something very French that Ryouta could distinguish thanks to his part-time job as a model...

That, and the fact that he was intently staring at her nose to avoid meeting her in the eyes again.

That was such stupid move from him.

How did his attempt to unsettle her turn into that? Not only Ryouta miserably failed but it also backfired. Terribly.

"Is flirting and using your pretty face the only things you use to lie?" she asked in a low voice, her breath tickling his mouth.

Yes?

"Yes! Uh, no! I mean I'm not lying..." He could feel his face getting hot and red as she brought her face even closer. For one moment, he thought she would close the gap between them and Ryouta found himself wondering whether he would mind it or not... But Masukocchi finally took pity in him and averted her mouth to leave a peck on his cheek.

"You're right. You use your pretty face to get away from unwanted situations but you're bad at lying," she retorted with a glint of amusement in her eyes. She laughed prettily at bewildered expression.

Really, Masukocchi was full of surprise.

That version of Masukocchi was better than the Masukocchi he had met at the restaurant after Seirin's match against Shutoku. She was witty and she called him 'pretty face' whenever they were alone or with either Kagamicchi, Kurokocchi or Midorimacchi.

"So mean!" Ryouta tried his best to gain back some composure despite the fact he was still blushing.

"It was a compliment," she corrected.

He tilted his head in confusion.

How was telling someone they couldn't lie even a compliment?

He threw his hands in the air, outraged she managed to make him a blushing mess. "Isn't Masukocchi even slightly affected by my charms? I'm pretty!"

Ryouta had certainly been affected by her charm albeit he had no romantic interest in her.

"Very pretty," she agreed, to his relief. "And with very soft hair and pretty eyes as well, may I add but I grew up with Tatsuya, I'm now immune to pretty boys."

'Tatsuya.'

Masukocchi's other best friend and Kagamicchi's big brother.

Masukocchi had showed him some photos when she was still at the hospital and Ryouta had to admit the guy was very good-looking. He was even on par with Ryouta's beauty and that was saying something.

"By the way, I've been wondering..." Masukocchi started. "Why did you blush last night?" she whispered so nobody but him could hear her.

She knew he wasn't a novice at flirting with girls, and she even let him do that with her sometimes, meaning that she knew he didn't blush due to some lack of experience. Hell, Ryouta even had had a few relationships.

"It's... I don't know how to explain... Masukocchi's eyes..." He hesitated, not sure he could find the right words.

"My eyes?"

He nodded. "Masukocchi's eyes are intense."

Masukocchi always watched people in their eyes while talking to them. She was the most honest liar he had ever met because her eyes didn't lie.

He never had someone watching him with such honest fondness other than his family until now. It was even the first time someone told him he was a 'good guy.'

Even if he didn't care whether he was a 'good guy' or not, he wanted to try to be one for Kaijo and for his senpais.

"Does it bother you? My mother said that it's different in Japan and that making eye contact with the other person can come off as rude but I tend to forget it since we value it as a sign of honesty in France."

"No, it's just..."

Momocchi used to look at him and the other guys of the team right in the eyes too. She had been the only one to do that... Until their third year.

Then, she tended to look down to read her notes and data without making any direct eye contact with them. Ryouta couldn't have been the only one in the club to notice that, right?

And while Akashicchi looked at everyone in the eyes too, it felt like he, the second Akashicchi, the one after that one-on-one against Marasakibaracchi, wasn't really looking at him but through him. It made Ryouta feel like he was nothing, that he didn't matter. But with Masukocchi...

"Really, I don't mind," Ryouta insisted.

She opened her mouth before closing it again. She looked at him suspiciously but relented. "Fine."

Masukocchi started scribbling something on a purple notebook that was in her bag while Ryouta listened to the music on his phone. She stopped scribbling on her notebook after receiving some texts.

"Pretty face..."

He raised his head at the nickname.

"Don't you think this puppy exactly looks like Tetsuya?"

She showed him a photo her phone and she was right.

How was that possible? The doggie displayed on the photo sent to Masukocchi's phone had the same blue eyes as Kurokocchi!

"Eh? Where's this doggie from?" he asked.

"Tetsuya just found this puppy in the parking near our school. He and the team already named him 'Nigou'. But I wonder..."

She replied back quickly and got another text 30 seconds later.

"Ah, that's what I thought..."

"What?"

"Taiga is still scared of dogs."

"EH?"

It was hard to imagine Kagamicchi being scared of anything but Masukocchi's wrath (and also that lady coach they had... even Midorimacchi was terrified every time her name was even mentioned).

"A big dog bit him when we were kids in Los Angeles. I was there, it was quite the story."

"Tell me that story!"

So she told him as they shared his earphones and listened to his playlist.

It took them twenty more minutes to arrive to the train station. Masukocchi looked around with interest before he told her to follow him.

It was a good thing Kaijo was close, since he didn't want Masukocchi to make a long distance. Fortunately, Kaijo was almost empty during summer vacation. There were only a few clubs, including the basketball club there.

"I'm impressed, your school is enormous compared to Seirin, it's probably easy to get lost here," she said.

"I forgot Masukocchi wasn't there for the practice match between Kaijo and Serin-ssu! It took place here."

She nodded as she continued to gaze the buildings around them. She didn't ask about the outcome of said practice match. She must have known since Kagamicchi is her best friend and she was Seirin's manager.

It had been Ryouta's first defeat... It didn't hurt to think about it anymore. In the end, it was just a practice match but he really wanted to get his revenge at the Winter Cup.

"It's amusing," she started. "I arrived in Japan one day after this match. I didn't tell Taiga so he was quite shocked when he found out we would be classmates."

"EHHHHHH?"

Masukocchi laughed. "We're best friends, but we didn't text each other every day... We still don't. He's bad at it and I prefer sending letters. Sometimes, we spent a whole month without giving news to each other... And I wanted to make a surprise."

He stopped walking. They were standing in front of the gymnasium.

"It's here," he said. His stomach dropped.

The sound of the woden floor creaking under basketball shoes could be heard from where they were standing. They both stared at the door.

"Are you scared?" she asked him.

For someone so smooth, her words could be as sharp and brutal as Kurokocchi's sometimes. There was no point in lying to her though.

"I am," he whispered.

"It's okay to be scared, it means you care."

'It means you care.'

That one setence warmed his heart. Someone cared about what he felt... He took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Ossu!"

"Kise, go change your clothes!" Kasamatsu-senpai shouted. He froze when he noticed Masukocchi on Ryouta's side.

"Good morning! I apologize for interrupting your practice, senpai-san," Masukocchi greeted him before bowing.

Ryouta forgot how formal she could be with people. It sounded so wrong now that he knew her better.

"What..."

That was bad. Kasamatsu-senpai forgot how to speak in front of Masukocchi, it always happened whenever he was standing next to a girl. Ryouta promised to himself he would help senpai on that matter later.

"Who's that charming girl with you?" Moriyama-senpai asked, ready to flirt with her.

"You don't usually bring girls here, they usually just follow you. Is that your girlfirend?"

He could see Masukocchi was trying not to laugh out loud again.

So mean!

He was pretty! Very pretty! She said it herself, damnit.

"I'm Masuko Miyuki. I also happen to be Seirin's manager." Masukocchi definitely looked amused as she presented herself. Was that a provocation?

Everyone around tensed and started looking at her warily.

"Kise, are you crazy? Why did you bring our rival's manager here? And since when Seirin has a manager?"

"Wait, you're that 'Masukocchi' Kise keeps blabbering about all the time?"

Masukocchi turned her head. "You talk about me to your senpai?"

"Yeah, kinda."

Ryouta talked about her almost as much as he talked about Kurokocchi but she didn't need to know that. Usually, he wouldn't have minded but his current situation was embarrassing.

"I wish to talk to your coach and Kasamatsu-senpai, please." She bowed and his senpais noted the seriousness in her voice.

"Follow me to the Coach's office. Everyone else, continue your warmup," Kasamatsu-senpai finally replied without stuttering. Ryouta was impressed.

The prominent blush was still there and he avoided looking at her but he talked in his captain business-like voice.

Kasamatsu-senpai didn't utter another word and simply guided them to the Coach's office.

He was still so bad with girls... He knocked on the door before going in.

"Kasamatsu, Kise? And... Who's with you? I hope it's not another student who wants to be a manager just to get closer to Kise again," coach grumbled.

Lots of his fans tried to become the team's manager but Kasamatsu-senpai and coach refused every single time.

"Hello, Genta-san. I know it's been a while but I'm almost offended you can't recognize me either. And no need to worry about that, I'm already Seirin's manager," Masukocchi casually said with a half-smile.

Coach's eyes widened. "You... Miyuki?! Is that really you?" he spluttered.

She grinned. "Indeed. It's good to see you again."

"Coach, you really know her?" Kasamatsu-senpai interrupted.

"I know her parents," Coach replied. That was the first time he saw him so surprised. "Your father wasn't exaggerating when he said you got badly injured..."

How much did Masukocchi's dad tell him about Masukocchi's injury?

Come to think of it, Ryouta had no idea how that injury happened. He knew that it happened during Nationals' final and that she knew something was wrong beforehand but that was all.

She rolled her eye and almost sounded... childish with that pout. "I was prepared for the consequences. You can scold me later, Genta-san because I'm here to talk about something else."

Coach sighed. "Take a seat. Kasamatsu and Kise too."

Masukocchi seated and wedged her crutches on the wall.

"What's this about, Miyuki? It's about Kise, isn't it?"

That was the only way to explain why Masukocchi wished to talk to Kaijo's coach and captain in private.

"Hai." Her eyes went on Ryouta. It was the first time she looked at him since they left the train. Her eyes were screaming 'sorry' and Ryouta had never felt so compelled to genuinely hug someone until now. "Do you want me to tell them for you?"

He hesitated before nodding, looking down.

"Tell us what?"

Masukocchi took a deep breath. "Kise-kun sustained a foot injury during his match against Touou and his numerous one on one against Aomine Daiki in particular. Take him to the hospital for a radio and make him rest."

What she got was incredulous looks in return.

"WHAT? You're kidding right?" Senpai looked angry but Masukocchi was determined.

"As an athlete who is also currently injured, I would never joke about that, Kasamatsu-senpai," she replied, her eyes set on Kasamatsu's stern scowl.

"Kise... Is it true?" Coach finally asked.

Ryouta had no other choice than to tell the truth.

"Hai." He still couldn't look at the in the eyes, too ashamed by his own weakness. He braced himself for the scolding and clenched his fist. He was ready to accept the consequences of his failure.

"I'm truly sorry for coming here to make such an upsetting announcement," Masukocchi continuced. "I don't want to see Kise-kun go through a long reeducation as I am. I want to see him play at his full capacity at the Winter Cup and I want to see him play against Seirin."

"Why didn't you tell us, idiot!" Senpai snapped.

"Because it''s my fault we lost against Touou!" he shouted, tears burning his eyes.

Crap.

He intended to say that to Kasamatsu-senpai in private only, instead of blurting that now.

"I'm really sorry about that," Ryouta finished, his lips trembling.

"Dumbass, what are you saying?"

He raised up his head. Kasamatsu-senpai didn't look angry anymore, his face almost soft. It looked like he wanted to add something but stopped himself at the last moment.

"You'll stay on the bench and we'll take you to the hospital after practice," Coach added with a sigh. "I need to talk to Miyuki in private, you two probably have things you want to say in private as well."

They nodded and exited from his office. Senpai made a few steps before he stopped.

"You're our team's ace. Did any of them say that it was your fault after the game?" Senpai asked. Ryouta shook his head. "It's the ace's job to lead us to victory. But don't shoulder the responsability when we lose on top of that. That's my job. The ace only needs to look forward."

He didn't know what to answer. He knew that Kasamatsu-senpai shouldered all the burden. He knew that senpai had cried alone in the locker room after the match.

Senpai made a step towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Kise... As your captain, I'm really sorry. I saw your overworking yourself during practice but I didn't do a thing to stop you, because I was... satiffied to see you see invented. I can see your dedication to the team but you need to be more reasonable."

RYouta had never head his captain apologize to anyone and he felt even more guilty for being such a burden to everyone.

"Hai." He bit his lips to stop himself from weeping and embarrassing himself even more.

Senpai sighed. "You could've told me directly, you know. I only thought you were just tired after the game."

"But senpai, I didn't tell anyone," he defended himself. He didn't like how disappointed in himself senpai sounded. "Masukocchi only found out because she had done the same thing."

Just as he finished his sentence, he felt a pain in his foot. His balance wavered.

"Shit!"

Senpai continued to watch him during a few seconds before sitting on the floor, his back leaning on the wall. Ryouta didn't need to be told to do the same.

"So... Seirin's manager, uh? She's cute," Senpai commented, the fierce blush on his face back.

"Senpai met her at the restaurant! We became friends after her tutoring lessons."

"Friend?" Ryouta nodded with enthusiasm. That word had a nice ring. Friend. "I thought she was your girlfriend."

Ryouta gasped. "Masukocchi? Absolutely not! But she starts laughing every time someone says that, that's so mean! I'm very good-looking!"

Senpai smiled. Ryouta should feel offended senpai seemed to approve Masukocchi's position but it wasn't so often that senpai looked so relaxed. It was even the first time he saw him smile. It suited him.

"She looks like a nice person, I shouldn't have been a jerk to her just before."

Masukocchi probably took no offense since she managed to somehow make Midorimacchi (!) less grim.

Still. "Senpai should apologize to her," Ryouta casually suggested.

"You know that I'm bad with anything that has to do with girls," Senpai told him in a deadpan voice.

Of course Ryouta knew. Anyone who had seen Kasamatsu-senpai anywhere around a girl knew he simply forgot how to talk or how to act. They waited ten minutes until coach and Masukocchi exited from his office.

"Miyuki will stay the rest of morning practice with us. She'll stay on the bench with Kise while Kasamatsu and I will break the news to the team."

Ryouta wondered how she managed to convince coach to let her scout them so easily. He also hoped no one would be too angry for hiding his injury.

Coach explained the situation to the rest of the team meaning Yukio had to deal with everyone's questions afterwards. He dealt with it the same way he had dealt with everything ever since he became Kaijo's captain: with a mix of irritation and resignation.

After having enough of answering to everyone's questions, he ordered them to continue the warmup exercices.

Seirin's manager (THE 'Masukocchi' Kise kept blabbering about every damn day) was facing curious glances from the other players. She spent the next hours watching Kaijo practice while chatting with pretty face about nothing and everything and smiled in return whenever Moriyama was looking at her (which was once every seven minutes approximately, not that Yukio was counting).

Shit, Yukio really had to apologize to her now... Why was he Kaijo's captain, again?

After announcing they would resume training in two hours, Yukio walked towards the bench where Kise and Seirin's manager were sitting.

"Morning practice just ended," he informed them.

"Got it!" Kise weirdly looked happy despite having to stay on the bench doing nothing for hours.

Seirin's manager flashed him with a small smile. He looked away and he could feel his cheeks turning crimson red.

"Say, Kise-kun... Do you mind eating here?" Yukio heard her ask.

"Nope! I usually eat my lunch here with my senpai whenever we have practice the whole day-ssu."

Yeah... Yukio had been weirded out the first time Kise had respectfully asked him if he sit there and could eat lunch with them. Key word on 'respectfully' because until their defeat against Seirin, Kise spatted the word 'senpai' in a way that sounded like in insult.

Yukio agreed thinking that it would only be a one-time occurence but that damn first year ended up coming to eat with the rest of the starting team in a corner of the gymnasium every single time. He would even sometimes join the table he shared with Kobori and Moriyama at the cafeteria the days where they didn't have to eat in the gymnasium since they only had practice before and after class.

"Kasamatsu-senpai, I hope you don't mind my presence either."

He could hear all the assholes (his own teammates) stopping whatever they were doing to watch their interaction.

"Yes– I mean no!" Yukio didn't manage to meet her eyes.

"Thank you!"

"Masuko-chan, are you sure? Don't you mind having to sit on the wooden floor to each lunch?" Moriyama asked.

If Yukio wasn't so embarrassed, he would have rolled his eyes at Moriyama's antics.

"Of course not, I do that often with Seirin, senpai-san."

"Ah, my name is Moriyama Yoshitaka, Kaijo's–"

"Shooting guard and third year with a high calibre technique and a modified underhanded set shot that could get better with more wrist exercices for the flexibility. It's a pleasure to meet you." She slightly bowed to him and Moriyama looked flustered with a girl for the first time in... Well, for the first time ever probably.

"Wow..." Moriyama whispered.

Wow, indeed.

They hadn't even played matches in front of her yet. They just did simple drills from laps to passes and shooting.

That girl was terrifying, Seirin definitely had another weapon with them. She and their coach probably made a deadly duo.

"Did I startle you? If so, I sincerely apologize, Moriyama-senpai. It was just amateur observations." She bowed again before turning her eyes to Kise.

She was such a polite kouhai, something Yukio thought it was impossible to see until now. Her Japanese vocabulary was a bit too formal and outdated for a highschool kid too. But despite her genuine humble apology, Yukio also knew her observations were everything but 'amateur' ones.

"Not at all! Don't apologize, Masuko-chan, let's eat!" Moriyama said.

She nodded slowly as everyone sat. Kise was on her left as he put his arm on her back to help her to crouch down and sit with them.

"Thank you."

She unfastened the velcro of her brace and stopped once she felt everyone's eyes on her. They looked away, ashamed. He kinda felt like a voyeur.

"It's okay, I don't mind. I got that from an ACL intervention. I play... played football, in case you're wondering."

ACL injury? Rough.

That one looked bad. Kise kept blabbering about 'Masukocchi's painful reeducation' but Yukio did feel for her now. At least the injury scar she had was healing and slowly fading away.

"Football? I play futsal sometimes, it's cool," Moriyama said.

For once, he wasn't lying to impress a girl. It really was Moriyama's hobby and he was even good at it.

"Really? That's great, I really admire futsal players, they have incredible technical skills!" Moriyama looked delighted by her indirect praise.

"Masukocchi, what did you make for lunch?" Kise asked.

"Tomates à la provençale and bagels with smoked salmon," she replied

"I didn't understand at all the first part but I'm sure what Masukocchi prepared is delicious!" Kise reminded him of an overexcited puppy sometimes. He was sparkling even more than usual in Masuko's presence.

"I put it in the bag. Here!" She unzipped her back and opened the lunch box to present colorful food. Did she really cook that herself?

"Masukocchi is amazing!"

"I made canelés as well, I made enough for everyone! It's a French pastry."

They spent the rest of the time chatting about school and food. Yukio didn't talk a lot since he was still unsure how to properly speak to a girl but Masuko was polite and amiable. And she was an excellent cook, the pastries she had made were delicious.

That was annoying because not only he had to apologize, but he also had to thank her.

"I have to leave to take the train now, but thank you for taking care of me!" She bowed before smiling at them.

"Come back whenever you want, Masuko-chan," Kobori happily replied. Yukio looked at him in betrayal.

Kobori, what the hell?

"I intend to. Please, inform me with the diagnosis once you'll take Kise-kun to the hospital! If I'm correct, he'll have to rest between two and four weeks but in the meantime, I'll come here around once a week and Kise-kun can come to Seirin once a week. Both coaches have already agreed upon this."

Was it what she and coach were talking about in the office?

"Really? This is so cool, I won't get to be bored then," Kise shouted.

Kami, he really had noisy kouhai in the team but at least, it was better than the guilt he could read on Kise's face at the corridor though. Pretty boys weren't made for frowning but that made him realize Teiko really did a number on him.

"I'll accompany Masukocchi to the station."

"I'll... go with you too," Yukio said before his brain caught up with his mouth.

"Eh?"

"Kasamatsu... Are you sure?" Kobori asked.

Now Yukio was getting offended. That was how his teammates reacted to him finally tried to make an effort to talk to a girl?

"Thank you, Kasamtsu-senpai."

That was the first time of his highschool years that he heard a kouhai thank you so many times. What a weird day.

It only took them a few minutes to arrive to the station but Yukio still hadn't manage to utter a single word to her.

"Uh... Masuko-san," he started.

"There's no need to add '-san' with me, you're my senpai."

"Yes, I mean... Right. Ma– Masuko. Sorry... for uh, you know, shouting at you in– in Coach's office."

Although it hadn't been on purpose, he had been an asshole with her.

"It's okay. I meant it when I apologized to you for telling you about Kise-kun's injury. I know it can come off as disrespectful and make you feel guilty because someone from another team found out before yourself. Especially when it's related to your ace. From captain to captain, I understand."

"Captain..." he whispered.

What she described was exactly how he felt when she told them about Kise's injury.

It wasn't even a question, he knew she talked from experience given her tone and the way she worded it.

"Well, I'm a former captain now but I do know how it feels," she ended.

Just when he was about to ask more details, the announcer on the speaker invited the passengers to go to the train for its departure.

"Th– thanks for the food, it was very good and for taking care of my idiot kouhai, sorry for Moriyama's harrassment, he's always this way this girl but he's a good guy and reliable and... Yeah, thanks I guess," he ended sheepishly.

Well shit, that was a mess and his face was red from talking so quickly without breathing.

Masuko blinked a few seconds before answering, "Anytime, Kasamatsu-senpai," before bowing again, but in a less formal way that time.

She went aboard after leaving two pecks on Kise's cheeks (Yukio looked away, embarrassed).

It was only at that moment that he realized that Kise looked shocked.

Was it because of Masuko's pecks on his cheeks?

"Senpai..." Kise started after a long silence. "Senpai talked to a girl! That was a mess but senpai did it! Kobori-senpai and Moriyama-senpai will be so proud!"

He kicked Kise by reflex.

"Ouch," his kouhai screamed with crocodile tears in his eyes.

"Are you sure you two are not together?" Yukio asked to change the subject.

"Eh? Masukocchi is cute but... Oh, that! Masukocchi is half-French and they greet people and say goodbye like that there."

"Ah..." That explained a lot.

"Masukocchi really is interesting."

There was something unnerving about the way Kise that simple remark.

Yukio now knew his kouhai was more than good looks and pure talent. Kise was a fairly good at observations given how it was necessary to copy techniques on the court. Kise was a member of the Generation of Miracles and Yukio sometimes forgot that the flashy name wasn't there for nothing.

Really, that year's kouhai were tiring. But Yukio didn't mind... most of the time.

As long as they weren't playing against his team, it was fine. That was what he kept repeating to himself...

Being a captain and the only normal person in the team was hard.

A/N: I'm posting this chapter one week later than planned. I said that Himuro and Murasakibara would appear in this chapter but at last, it will happen in the next chapter since I wrote about Kaijo and it would have made this chapter too long (and with no transition).

The purpose of this chapter was to show the Masuko/Kise dynamic when they were alone. Both know that the other isn't as nice as they appear (Kise flirts to avoid deep talks and Masuko is the specialist of omission of some truth) but accept it. It was also to give Kise his arc mini arc and character development since he's one of the main characters of the story.

I would like to thank the people who has favorited or/and is following this story after I published the previous chapter: nguyenthanhtam, Firegirl4343, chartline97, harudha558, alessia904, Stawps...

Once again, thank you for the fav/following! Don't hesitate to post comments, I'll make sure to answer them on next chapter's A/N or through PM :)