A/N:

Hello again!

Thanks for the fave and follows! I really appreciate it~ ^0^

This chapter will mostly be about her games in the third-string. I'm not an expert in basketball, so please forgive me ;A;

Don't worry, next chapter will be some sort of an interlude! ;)

Ikebana or Kadō (華道, 'way of flowers') will also be shown here for the first time! I also know a little about it, so, again, please excuse me.

Feel free to drop reviews (I really want to know what you think.. T-T)


"Do you understand?" a feminine voice was heard in the middle of a group of boys huddled together.

"Yes!" the group of boys, who she had randomly drawn from a box containing all the names of the third string members earlier, shouted in response.

"Let me see you all play, then"

With this, five boys went inside the court, while the rest sat on the bench.

Tsumiko looked around and saw Coach Shirogane arriving just in time to watch the practice match. She then took a glance to the coach of the opposing team, Coach Matsuoka. He looked calm, as expected. She tried to mirror his expression, only for hers to falter.

It couldn't be helped. After all, it had only been slightly more than a week since she started training the third-string members.

The game started with a tip-off , which was won by the opponent. For a first-timer, that forecasts an ominous end. Tsumiko knew this, but she stayed positive.

They got the first basket, and the next and the third. They got this, she believed.

Beginner's luck, they say.

But maybe, beginner's luck only worked at the beginning of the practice match.

The opposing team scored a three, a two for the next, another three for the next, and – they all stopped counting.

Only the scoring board remained.

Timeout.

Tsumiko called for a timeout. She needed to pause for a while and change their strategy.

Halfway through the second quarter, most of the players were already panting.

Almost all of the third-string players –even those of the opposing team – needed some rest too. A lot of them were also new to this. If Tsumiko's heart was wildly beating, their hearts were probably aggressively chasing its own pumps.

Coach Matsuoka called for a timeout. Tsumiko took this as a chance to do some changes.

"Takagi Gin, keep it up, but I need you to shoot from the outside more. With this, Hotta Jun be prepared to rebound if the ball misses."

"Kuroko Tetsuya, go in and assist Takagi Gin"

Kuroko had already noticed the way their coach addressed the players by their full names when she was giving instructions before the game started, so he simply nodded and prepared himself to finally play in the game.

"We have to narrow the gap by the end of the second quarter, better yet, if we can at least end with a tie"

With a 12-point disadvantage, and the state of the players, she knew that it was impossible to be in the lead by the end of quarter two.

By the last 3 minutes of the second quarter, she had subbed out Kuroko when he started puking sparkly stuff.

The second quarter ended with the opponent down to a 7-point advantage.

"Number 5 is their main scorer. Nagano Toru go up against him. Make a steal and pass it to Takagi Gin. Everyone, be ready for a fastbreak"

Number 5 was a first-year named Kogure Hisashi. He's a very fast-learner and also considered to be a possible candidate for the second-string, along with the second-year, Takagi Gin.

Of course, she knew all of the players, including those of the opponent's team. Along with Coach Matsuoka, she has been training them ever since she was assigned to the third-string.

In terms of skills and experience, the third-string players were around at the same level. That is why it was really on the coach.

She knew this.

She knew what they needed to do.

But it wasn't enough.

The game ended with a 53-40, in favor of Coach Matsuoka's team.

Her team lost.

What was she expecting, anyway?

But still, she was upset.

It sucked to lose.


"Irosuzuka-san, I'm really sorry for earlier."

Light blue and silver were currently passing by the school gates.

"It's fine, Kuroko-san. Are you sure you're alright already?"

"Yes, but.." he sighed, words left unspoken, but they both knew.

It sucked to lose.

For Kuroko, what was even more frustrating was that he didn't even get to play properly.

She felt so bad for the boy, for her team, and for herself.

"Hey, it's only the first game, Kuroko-san." she tried to cheer them both up, making an effort to tug her lips upward.

Light blue irises saw through sad dark ones – that was in contradiction with the girl's bright smile – but he decided to ignore this, as he nodded at her with a small smile.

Tsumiko placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I'll be going ahead, Kuroko-san. See you next practice."

She then went inside the car waiting near the gates. There, she had replayed in her mind all the lectures and advice Coach Matsuoka and Coach Shirogane had given her after the practice game.


The following week ended the same. Her team, which now consisted of Kogure, lost.

But, she wasn't feeling as upset as last time.

52-44

They were getting closer.

Coach Shirogane even mentioned that Coach Matsuoka seemed to be put into a pinch, as he made sure to maximize his strongest players, like Takagi, and put the others, such as Kuroko, on bench almost all the time.


The day after the second practice match was a Saturday.

A silver-haired girl found herself picking stems and flowers in their garden. Most of the flowers of spring were already in full bloom, but there was one kind that caught her eyes.

Nemophila.

'Baby blue eyes' she thought, as she was reminded of a certain person with baby blue eyes.

It was decided.

She would use this flower for her Ikebana.

Ikebana, also known as Kado (華道), is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Tsumiko has been studying the art ever since her grandmother introduced it to her in Kyoto, several years ago. Her grandmother , a master Ikebana artist, teaches her the techniques whenever she visits Kyoto.

As she placed the jar of stems and Nemophila flowers on her workplace at their balcony, she opted to do a Moribana style, which was one of the basic arrangements.

First, she inspected the stems and flowers that she got. She removed leaves that were damaged and fixed the cuts of the stems underwater. Next, she filled the suiban, a shallow type of container, with water. She then analyzed the flowers and stems, pondering about the design.

Once she had settled on her plan, she began taking her first stem and pinning it on the kenzan, a pin-holder tool used to support the stems and flowers. She examined the stem from different directions, and adjusted the angle and position of the stem until she was satisfied. This stem is shin (真), which represents heaven.

Afterwards, she took another stem and cut it to make it shorter than the first one, making it the soe (副), which symbolizes man. She placed the stem on the kenzan, but it wouldn't stand upright due to it being slightly bent. Since she couldn't find the best position as she adjusted the stem, she finally changed the stem with another one.

When she was contented, she arranged the Nemophila flowers, the hikae (控), which embodies earth. The baby blue color and smooth petals complemented with the rough woody stems.

After placing other stems and, the jushi (樹枝), or supporting stems, she scanned it as a whole – from different distances, from the left, the right, the top and the bottom – and did some minor changes until she was pleased with the outcome. Finally, she placed it on the living room table.

Success.

For her, that was what the arrangement meant.


The third practice game started shaky for Tsumiko's team. They were down by 9 points at the end of the first-quarter.

"Let's do a Single/Double." She announced, as she showed them the formation on the coaching board. This strategy is usually used to free up a team's shooter. In their case, it was to free up Kogure Hisashi.

By the end of the second quarter, they managed to close the gap.

"Good job everyone. Kuroko Tetsuya go in"

During the beginning of the third quarter, the main scorers of the two teams, Kogure and Takagi were neck-and-neck. However, halfway through the quarter, Kogure was being double-teamed by Takagi and Nagano, until Takagi stole the ball from him, causing a turnover. The double-team continued, until the ball went out-of-bounds–

Almost .

Kuroko caught the ball.

Finally having possession of the ball, the other players had finally noticed his presence. Seeing that Kogure was still being double-teamed and taking advantage of the shocked expressions on the players' faces, he dribbled the ball then fired.

'Baby blue eyes' Tsumiko thought, as she recalled the Nemophila flower arrangement that meant 'success' for her.

The ball flew mid-air and everyone tracked its trajectory – jaws dropping lower in every second.

It was reaching near the hoop –

Almost.

Hotta of the opposing team, who had recovered much quickly than the others, jogged towards the teal-haired boy and easily caught the ball mid-air.

Jaws dropped to the floor in an instant.

The shot was barely even an almost.

Timeout.

After Hotta effortlessly scored a basket – while everyone was still in a daze – the white-haired coach called for a timeout as she decided to sub out the poor boy with baby blue eyes, who remained frozen in his spot.

"I'm so sorry, Coach"

"Don't be. If you can recover enough, I might consider putting you back in."

"Yes, Coach"

The third-quarter ended with the other team leading with 5 points.

In the fourth quarter, they did more inside shots and increased their defense.

Having a sudden gut-feeling somehow, she had placed the recovered Kuroko back in at the last 3 minutes of the game.

By the last 1.5 minutes of the game, they were only behind by 2 points. However, it was the other team's possession.

Takagi, who had the ball, was having a one-on-one with Kogure. Takagi dribbled, trying to waste time, and looking for an opening to shoot.

'Please steal it' she prayed

The ball flew.

Takagi had passed it to his teammate on the right side. When everyone's eyes were on the ball, he took it as a chance to drive inside.

'No'

She knew what's gonna happen next.

Takagi's teammate passed the ball back to him, after seeing him driving inside and away from Kogure. Kogure knew it was too late to steal. They can only rely on a block before the ring, but Hotta was there for a possible rebound.

There was no timeout, anymore.

The ball flew.

It magically flew away from Takagi's hands.

Kuroko stole the ball.

'Baby blue eyes'

"Kogure-san!" he shouted as loud as he can, as he ran towards the other side of the court and passed it to a thankfully recovered Kogure. Kogure immediately got into shooting position and in one swift motion, he fired a three.

Everyone hitched their breaths, as they watched the ball in anticipation – unsure of what it's arc may bring.

The scoreboard, on the other hand, mercilessly continued displaying the seconds left.

Buzz.

As if the bee that had stung and stunned everyone had now buzzed away from them, they woke up in their trance and gazed at the ball that was now bouncing directly below the ring.

The scoreboard finally stopped.

57-56

Her team won.

Success


"Everyone, you all worked hard. Today, we have decided to move Irosuzuka up to the second-string" the head coach declared. With this, the gym was filled with sounds of awe and praises.

"Thank you so much, coach!" Tsumiko said, as she went for a deep bow.

"Takagi Gin, Hotta Jun, and Kogure Hisashi, you'll be joining her in the second-string." Coach Matsuoka added. The two second-years, Takagi and Hotta, and the first-year, Kogure all bowed down as well. More words of admiration were exchanged inside the gym.

Coach Shirogane ended with a reminder, "To the others, train even harder, and prepare yourselves for the assessments. That's all."

"Yes, coach!" various voices echoed within the walls of the third-string gym.

Among the roars of the students inside the gym, one voice tingled the girl's ears.

"Congratulations, Irosuzuka-san."

Looking at the source of the voice on her right, she earnestly spoke, "Kuroko-san! Congratulations to us. We couldn't have done it without you.", while staring straight at his baby blue eyes.

"Yeah Kuroko, that steal was amazing" Kogure, who was at her other side voiced out.

"Congratulations, Kogure-san. I just happened to be lucky."

After a little giggle at his remark, she gave him a little motivation, "Don't worry, Kuroko-san. I believe that with your dedication, you'll soon be part of the second-string too"

Accepting her words of encouragement –even if he honestly didn't believe that he can do it – he still replied, "Thank you."


She was so excited to bring home the good news that she ran straight to the gates, without passing by the first-string gymnasium. As soon as the car halted in front of their house's front entrance, Tsumiko ran inside, giving the butler, who opened the door for her, a slight bow before rushing towards the living room.

Catching a sight of her mom's white hair, she exclaimed, "Mom! We won! I made it to the second-string!"

Her mom turned to face Tsumiko, wearing a startled expression that turned into a proud one, as the news finally dawned upon her.

"Woah. Congrats!" a deep voice interrupted, and that's when Tsumiko saw the black-hair that contrasted with her mom's white hair.

"Yuuta-nii!" she squealed, before rushing to take the seat next to her brother.

"Oh honey, I'm so proud of you" the older lady, who sat at the opposite side of the raven-haired boy, gave her daughter a sweet smile and continued, "and I am also happy that your brother finally decided to go home" slightly pouting at her son.

"Mom, it hasn't even been that long." Yuuta said, mirroring the pout his mom had.

"Oh, go get dressed, you two. I told your dad that we'll be eating outside since Yuu-chan's home. But now we'll also celebrate Tsu-chan's promotion!" Eri gracefully clasped her hands and flashed the siblings with a bright smile.

Taking one last glance at the Nemophila flowers proudly decorating the table baby blue, her lips let out a 'Thank you.', voice soft and careful – not wanting to disturb the structure that displayed success.

Up in her room, Tsumiko was busy picking between a black and a red dress when her phone went off. She then proceeded to retrieve her phone from her desk and read a message from a certain dark-haired senpai.

"Hey, I heard from the coach. Congrats."

"Thanks, senpai! Yuuta-nii's home too"

It took a minute or two before a reply came in,

"Say hi to the bastard, I guess?"

She chuckled while typing in a response.

"Sure, senpai"


On the way to the restaurant, Tsumiko was playing on her phone when she blurted out randomly,

"Oh right, Nijimura-senpai says hi."

When there was no response, she paused her game and received a confused look from her brother. She then continued "I told him you were back", gesturing to her phone.

"What, you guys are texting now?" he showed her a look that was both playful and threatening. It was a good thing that their mother was busy talking to someone on the phone at the passenger seat, or else she would've gladly joined in the conversation to tease and question her.

Refusing to surrender under that look, she calmly answered, "It's not like that. He just congratulated me." Seeing that her brother was still not convinced, she defensively added "And of course we text. I'm a manager slash coach, and he's the captain. You know this, former captain" answering the unspoken question that exuded from her brother's gaze.

Fortunately, Yuuta didn't pry any longer, but unfortunately, his hands were reaching to ruffle his sister's hair, much to her displeasure.

"Fine. Ask him if he's free tomorrow. Oh, and if you can ask the others too, that'll be great. Let's all hang out tomorrow, okay?"

Still a bit irritated by her now messy hair, she was tempted to snap at him and tell him to go tell them himself since he also had their contact numbers. However, the idea of having a reason to text the black-haired second-year was much more tempting to resist. With this, she simply grunted an 'okay', while fixing her white tresses that shone even more brightly against her black dress.

By the way, she wanted to sport a classic look for tonight .

And yes, she chose the black one.


Back in the Irosuzuka living room, the Nemophila flower arrangement was still proudly painting the room baby blue.

However, it was still lacking.

One stem, the soe – representing man– stood out. That stem was the replacement of a stem that was slightly bent.

If the girl were a much experienced Ikebana artist, she would'nt have replaced the bent branch. Instead, she would've learned to adjust to it – utilizing its unconventional beauty.

Likewise, if she were a much experienced coach, she would've realized the potential of one baby-blue-eyed boy, who had very little presence, based from the steal he had made.