Reliability

By: Aviantei

12—Hallway

A tempest doesn't form on its own

The venue for the Inter-High was crowded. Way too crowded. People covered every centimeter of the area outside the venue, only parting when the obvious mass of color indicated a basketball club entering. Rakuzan, in its stark white and blue rimmed uniforms, cut open a path the moment they stepped off their buses, though inside the venue was just as crowded. Teams from across the entire country worked their way to their locker rooms, a variety of coaches and managers shouting out instructions. The amount of pressure coming from them was incredible, every single team ready to win.

Not a single member of Rakuzan was out of line, following Shirogane's lead. Near the front of the throng, Megumi fidgeted with the buttons on her own jacket over her school uniform. It was nice to be acknowledged as part of the team, but she could've done without the pressure that any mistakes she made could be tracked back to her club without difficulty. Having Akashi right in front of her didn't help matters, either. Not that he was even looking at her.

Higuchi took note of Megumi's gaze, that same small twitch of frustration slipping onto his face. Megumi hadn't told him about what Akashi had said, but he still suspected. She didn't want to be the cause of any discord, either. "You don't have to worry about me, Senpai," Megumi said. It was hard to find the balance between speaking loud enough to be heard over the bustle of the crowd but not enough to catch Akashi's attention. "Your lessons have been perfect. I know just what I need to do."

"Yeah. Right," Higuchi said, sounding the most distracted Megumi had ever heard him. It was strange, to see the upperclassman who always had things together appear so normal. "Are you feeling in a better mood, then?" It was the easiest way he had come up with to ask if she was pushing her limit without being too obvious.

There was a coil of anxiety in her gut, but that was her norm. Megumi nodded. "I'm ready to go." She patted the bag she'd hefted over her shoulder, which held the school banner. "We'll get set up in the stands and cheer you on. So do—" Saying Do your best seemed childish given the team's standards. "So make sure everyone can play to their full capacity, Senpai."

Higuchi blinked, then breathed out a chuckle. "Now you're getting it, Kaizuto-san," he said with a smile. "But watch and learn. I'll show you just how a manager handles a real game."

"I'm looking forward to it."

When the time came for Rakuzan to play their first game of the day, Megumi didn't feel so bad being left to the stands with the rest of the club.

The experience of keeping track of the club members was something that Megumi could handle. It helped that there were enough third years not on the first string that were all responsible enough to make sure their underclassmen didn't get too rowdy.

But watching Rakuzan play was another story.

Their presence hadn't faded in the slightest, and Megumi knew enough to recognize their opponent as something out of their league. But when it came to the real court, and not a practice match, the aura that Rakuzan had on a regular basis somehow managed to multiply. It took all Megumi had to keep up with the score, let alone the actual level of play. It served as a reminder of her sports ineptitude, but that wasn't all it did.

Rakuzan was strong.

Her team—even if she didn't feel like she had any part in making it that way—was strong.

It's a good thing I'm not on the bench. I'd never be able to keep up with this.

Megumi leaned forward in her seat. It was nice to have a view from above the game, but it made it hard to pick up the level of detail she'd gotten used to from on the bench. But she didn't need to be close up to tell where each the starting lineup's strengths lied. It was a bit easier in that there were three main players that carried most of the weight.

Mibuchi Reo wasn't the Vice Captain for nothing, his skill more than earning his place. As the shooting guard, he could pull of great three-pointers, plus had the capacity to make his opponents second guess themselves and their blocks.

Nebuya Eikichi stood out the most from his dark skin and massive bulk for a high schooler, but his strength contributed to his Center position well. Each time he scored a dunk, the rattling of the net echoed all throughout the stadium.

And, last of the three, Hayama Kotaro, also easy to keep track of through his blonde hair, which was good because of how fast he was. He could zip through opponents with ease, as expected of a small forward.

It could've just been the three of them playing against their five opponents, and Megumi felt the result would've been then same. Recalling the member book she'd been studying, Megumi knew them all to be second years. She also remembered Higuchi had left a note by their names that hadn't appeared anywhere else in the member roster.

Is this what he meant by Uncrowned Generals?

By the time she'd made the connection, the match was already over, and Rakuzan had won. Reaching for the small tournament packet Higuchi had given her, she marked out the results of the other matches, marking out the next tournament block.

Their next opponent was Yosen High.

"So, what did you notice about today?" Higuchi asked from the bus seat across the aisle from Megumi. Unlike the practice matches, the bus was filled to the brim, and Megumi could feel the laughter through the seat behind her. It seemed even the confidence of victory didn't stop them from reveling in it. Megumi turned sideways in her seat to face her senior manager.

"Um, everyone's really strong?" she tried. Higuchi gave her an amused smile. "Sorry, things went way too fast for me to do better than that. I'm used to the second and third string's pace, so a proper tournament is on a whole other level. But the second years regulars were incredible, weren't they?"

Higuchi nodded, flipping through his notes. Megumi noticed several pages of what looked to be fresh but hasty scribbles. "Those guys are something else, without a doubt. They're top players, and we're lucky that we got three of them, really." Megumi's confusion must've been showing on her face, because Higuchi tossed his book aside. "Right, we were so focused on the rules that we didn't even get into player analytics, did we?"

"Sorry for the trouble." Higuchi's mouth opened, then it shut as he thought over his next words. Megumi pulled her knees up to her chest. "You know, I won't be offended if you just say what you're really thinking and don't try to sugar coat it. It's easier for me to figure out what's expected of me without any games."

"You can say that, but we know it's not best for you." Choukou must've made an impression. Megumi would have to thank her again later for the help. "Like I said, you're part of the team, and as manager, it's my job to work with you."

"As manager, it's my job to perform the best I can," Megumi said. The bus ran over a pothole, jostling her in her seat. She leaned against the back for extra support. "I still have more to learn. I can't do that if you don't tell me, Senpai."

They looked at each other as if caught in a staring contest. Higuchi didn't blink, but he was the first to speak. "It's inconvenient how much time we've spent on it, but you're picking up things well enough that I'll allow it." The middle ground seemed to work best for both of them. "In any event, you already know that we're the top school, but there's certain top players that are in the high school circuit right now."

"The Uncrowned Generals?" Megumi asked, glad for a chance to ask about the term. It was easier knowing that the boys in question were on the other bus and not just mere meters away.

"Well, yes, them." Higuchi sounded surprised that she'd even remembered. Megumi counted that as a victory in itself. "Mibuchi, Hayama, and Nebuya are part of that group, and there are two others that attend different schools. But 'Uncrowned' is in their name for a reason, you know? Because there's another group that cropped up in middle school around the same time the Generals were starting to hit their stride:

"The Generation of Miracles."

Megumi wasn't quite sure if she was supposed to laugh or not, but Higuchi's serious expression assured her that it wasn't a joke. Then again, compared to Rakuzan's moniker of the "Emperor of Creation," it wasn't very much out of place. And if she thought back, there had been talk of something like that amongst the club members, hadn't there?

"So these Generation of Miracles." The name sounded ridiculous even coming out of her mouth. There had to be a less embarrassing way to say it. "What exactly makes them so…miraculous?"

Higuchi's lips quirked into a small smile. Maybe Megumi wasn't overthinking how the whole thing sounded. "Well, they're prodigies for starters. All five of them went to Teiko Middle School. Most of them were regulars by their first year, and they pushed their team to the top of nationals all three years. They're so stupid good that I bet most high schoolers wouldn't stand a chance against them back then. And, well, this is the year they all enter high school."

Megumi swallowed. She didn't even have to play on the court, but the whole concept was just too intimidating to think about. "If they're better than our Uncrowned Generals, doesn't that mean they're a team we might have trouble with?" She believed in Rakuzan, but the whole affair still sounded like trouble to her.

Her worries seemed trivial the moment Higuchi snorted.

"Sorry," he said at her hurt look. "We're lucky enough that for whatever reason, the whole Generation of Miracles ended up going to different schools. Kaijo and Shuutoku, where two of the Miracles went to, already got bumped out Inter-High in their prefectural matches. We play Yosen tomorrow, then Touou will most likely be our opponent in the finals."

Megumi went for her tournament bracket, tracing the kanji on the edges. Sure enough, Touou was on the opposing side, their semi-finals match against Onita High. She committed the other teams to memory: Kaijo, Shuutoku, Yosen, Touou…

"Senpai, that's four schools," Megumi said, holding up a matching amount of fingers. "Isn't there a fifth? Or did two of them enroll in the same school?" That sounded like double the challenge if it were the case.

Higuchi stared for a moment before blinking. She had to give him credit for catching his laugh that time, but that didn't stop the rush of blood to her face. Wasn't there some way she could ask a question without sounding so stupid?

"No, there's not a fifth one or some super team. If anything, that super team is us." With a grin, Higuchi shifted to the edge of his seat right beside the aisle and pointed out the front window. The first string bus idled ahead at a stoplight. "Three Uncrowned Generals plus Akashi. We've got the Generation of Miracles' Captain."

The first thing Megumi did when she got home was drop her bag at the door and head for her stack of reference materials next to the window. It was dark outside, with the faintest pinpricks of light that substituted for stars hanging above. Taking care not to topple the stack of books, Megumi slid out her separated First String roster and flipped through the opening pages.

Even in just a photo, Akashi's image sent a shiver down Megumi's spine. His words from before whispered somewhere in the back of her mind, but she dragged a finger across the paper to focus her thoughts. Sure enough, in the former school's section was Teiko Middle School, and his prior club experience noted his former position as captain as well. He had lead a sort of urban legend team and hadn't missed a step in reclaiming his role upon entering high school.

Megumi let the binder slip out of her lap with a groan. "He really is some sort of superhuman, huh?" No wonder he looked down on her so much. Megumi let herself fall backwards at the door and stared at the ceiling. "He's done so much already and I need help to even know what direction I'm supposed to be looking." Tears started to sting at her eyes, and she dried them up with her jacket sleeve.

Well, I can sit here and whine or I can do something about it.

Her current weakness was her cluelessness. Higuchi was helping, but she couldn't just let everyone else hand things to her. She had to play her part as a manager. Research on other players was part of that.

For lack of having a computer and it getting too late to go to the local library and make any decent headway, Megumi went for her phone. She hadn't expected a search for the Generation of Miracles to be too fruitful, but several news articles appeared without much prompting. She dug in as far as she could, tracing their history from the first few mentions of the title to its explosion as they dominated the middle school basketball circuit. There were even a few interviews, and, while they were short, Akashi's responses were given with the confidence he still carried himself with.

Even in middle school he'd been so self-assured. It must've been nice.

Going past Teiko, there were still a number of more recent sports articles that mentioned the Miracles, and the Inter-High matchups seemed to be of great interest to everyone. Former teammates were competing against each other, and there was much hype over seeing who would prove to be the strongest. Not once had Akashi mentioned anything, but Megumi felt herself worrying more than she needed to. How would he feel, knowing that he would be playing against his friend in the next match?

Megumi didn't have any old friends to compare the experience to, but she imagined it must've been something awful.

It ended up not mattering, because Murasakibara didn't play in the semi-finals match. And neither did Akashi.

It was a closer game than Megumi had seen anyone else get to with Rakuzan, though there was still a ten point gap in place. Yosen, as Shirogane had warned, had a very tight defense, making it harder for even the trio of Uncrowned Generals to do as they wanted. It still resulted in a victory, so there wasn't much reason to complain. Part of Megumi was relieved to see that the others could have something like a difficult time, that they were just normal kids with a bit of sports talent and maybe she wasn't so different from them.

The other part of her was stuck in a state of unease that didn't come from her usual anxiety. Not having it a name for it made it more intimidating.

As Higuchi had predicted, Touou won their match as well, with a much more impressive point gap. The whole of Rakuzan watched from the stands, the players making comments between themselves with the occasional input from Shirogane. Aomine, Touou's Generation of Miracles member, was fast on a par with Hayama, and played unlike anything Megumi had ever seen. According to the others, it was a less structured street ball style of play. All Megumi knew was that it hurt her head to even try to keep up.

But Akashi didn't seem impressed, or even paying that much attention. It should've been a good thing, to see their captain so unintimidated by the opponent before them. But something sick coiled inside Megumi, and it followed her all the way up to the opening of the Inter-High finals.

Akashi didn't bother to play then, either.

At first she'd thought it was because he was preserving himself into top condition for the endgame. But seeing him watch the semi-finals, she knew it was something different. He didn't even consider his former teammates—the other top players from the middle school circuit—to be worth his effort.

The victory of his current teammates wasn't worth his effort.

When the game called for halftime, Megumi shot up from her seat, fists clenched in her skirt. It was strange to be moving with such purpose that wasn't about getting away. Her early exit meant she managed to miss most of the halftime crowd, and it took just a few minutes to make it towards the locker rooms. Her footsteps pounded against the empty halls, and by the time she rounded the nearest corner, she was almost out of breath.

But she still went forward.

One step at a time.

In the hallway, not even with his team, Akashi was hunched over a water fountain. He still managed to look like the king of the world in his club sweats and wiping stray water from his chin. There was no doubt: he was from another world, and his claims of being absolute seemed legitimate.

Somehow, Megumi stepped forward. Her hands were still balled into fists, the nails stinging against her palms. Her mouth was dry, but that didn't stop the words from coming out.

"Akashi-kun, I'd like to have a word with you."

Akashi looked up, his mismatched eyes narrowed in a glare. Megumi jutted out her chin and didn't back down from looking in his eyes. Because the feeling in Megumi's gut hadn't been fear, but anger.

[Author's Notes]

This is the best coverage of the Inter-High from Rakuzan's perspective I could muster, considering the limited canon information we get on them. Of course, the focus is on some different developments. Megumi's gone through a lot of different emotions in this chapter. Goodness, the things I do to my characters...

Lots of love to TsumugiSora and meslens for the favorites and follows since the previous chapter. You guys rock my world!

But, goodness, did I leave off on a rude cliffhanger again? Sorry about that (kind of). It's extra rude because...this is the last of my queued up chapters for this story! As I mentioned before, I plan to keep up this story to the very end, but I also have other fics I've left unattended to. As such, I'll be focusing on updates for those for a while. But never fear! I have plenty of ideas for where Megumi's journey is going (especially next chapter), so it will come with time!

Thanks again to everyone for their kind words and support on this story so far. I'll see you again when I return for unlucky chapter 13. Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[07.02.2018]