A/N: Thank you for all your faves, reviews and follows!
Enjoy!
Chapter 29
I am Your Senpai
…
"Man, I feel like my hands are falling off." Kise whined as he plopped himself into the sofa. "Makicchi is evil."
"Please," Kasamatsu said as he rolled his eyes. "Apparently, you haven't heard the insane guitar solo I had to play."
"But Senpai, you're better off than the rest of us." Kise countered. "You know how to play your instrument. It's second nature for you, isn't it?"
Kasamatsu faltered. "I…" he trailed off, unable to counter. "…fine."
"So, it kinda shows how much work we've got to do." Kagami sighed.
"Yup! A whole lot!" Takao chirped. "But it'll all be worth it at the end when we début as Alter-Ego!"
"You know, I wonder how Kasamatsu-senpai will perform as a frontman." Kuroko said, tapping his chin in thought. "When I watched some of the lives, I can't see Kasamatsu-senpai screaming his throat out and behaving like those frontmen."
Kasamatsu smiled knowingly. "Well, only time will tell."
When all four boys saw the expression on the captain's face, they noticed that there was something behind it. Could it be that there was a side to Kasamatsu that they've yet to see?
"But anyway, at the moment, we have bigger fishes to fry." Takao sighed as he opened a textbook that was nestled on the coffee table before them. "Like that game show which has the capability of making us look like idiots on national TV."
"Right. So let's get cracking!" Kise grinned. "I don't want to seem dunce when I'm not."
xxxx
Inside the office was quiet, four young men stood facing and older male who sat behind a desk. He was dressed formally; the only thing missing was his jacket. He was the President of Cinq —Asahi Masataka.
"Boys, how do you feel about going on a quiz show?" Masataka asked. But the tone he used was more of a command than a question.
Osamu snorted. "I don't have time for that."
"Yeah, plus, I'm still pretty upset about MusicStock." Takuma grumbled. "I still hate Catal Rhythm for stealing our thunder."
"Well, this could be a chance to take revenge." The President smiled. Oda-san, who had come in after the boys, started to fret. This would not end well for the boys of Aihara.
"How?" the four asked.
"You go on this game show and put them to shame."
The four stilled.
"But…it's a quiz show. We'll look like dunces!"
Oda-san, who was standing behind him, rolled his eyes. Well, you are dunces anyway.
Wordlessly, he pushed an envelope to the boys which Osamu opened. When he saw the contents, a smile appeared on his face.
"What is it?" Enya asked, tipping to look at the documents.
Without replying to the shorter male first, Osamu looked to Masataka and said, "We'll do it."
xxxx
At long last, the day of the quiz show came. Catal Rhythm were both nervous and fired up, but most importantly, they wanted to get this over with. Neither of the boys was fond of going on TV to do games, but one of this nature could spell their end if they messed up.
After they had gotten dressed and eat breakfast, they left home, and during the two hour long drive, they couldn't keep still. Kise and Takao as usual belted out their favourite songs, Kuroko read his novel, Kagami was watching a video on his phone, and Kasamatsu was listening to music.
Kenji chuckled at their behaviour but there was a part of him that was worried. At the outset, when Kiyotaka told them that Catal Rhythm were invited to a quiz show, they had all agreed to let the boys go. But then, they found out that N.O.T.E. were added to the list as well. To Kenji and the rest of the dream team, having their boys in the space as N.O.T.E. was a recipe for disaster.
Furthermore, it wasn't as though they could have cancelled, when Kenji saw how his boys were putting a lot of effort into studying; he couldn't let their efforts go to waste. He just prayed that he made the right decision.
Soon, they've reached the studio where it'll be held —Kanagawa Broadcasting Station.
"Okay, so remember, just go out there and do your best." Kenji said to his boys before they exited the van.
"Hai!" Kise and Takao perked up, answering for the rest.
So the six exited the van and were led inside the studio, where they saw the other participants in waiting. The set was pretty normal —on a grand stage were two long tables, seemingly where the participants would be standing during their battle. They faced the audience seating, and at this point, Catal Rhythm had gotten even more nervous. But one thing they were glad for, they wore their dark glasses, so that no one could see their faces.
To the left of the stage was a wooden pulpit, where the quizmaster will be, in full view of both participating teams and studio audience. However, above the audience was a projector screen, in case the participants got a question which required them to view an image.
But that said, the studio was noisy and busy.
The five boys could see different groups nervously reading flash cards, trying their best to calm themselves down, the camera crew and stage crew running about to get everything in order. The audience weren't allowed inside as yet, but that was the least of their concerns.
In trying to find a suitable place, Catal Rhythm stumbled upon N.O.T.E., who they didn't know was going to be here. Thank God they weren't in such a close range to actually bump into each other, but they were still within eye shot.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Kagami hissed in anger.
"Now that they're here, I want this to be over and done with." Takao said bitterly. "And honestly, I hope we never see them again after this."
"Agreed." the others mumbled out.
But soon, they were guided to the lodging area by a staff member where all the other groups were supposed to be as well. However, not everyone had arrived as yet, so it was just Catal Rhythm and another all male group —F.A.T.E.
"Hello," the five from Aihara greeted.
The boys from F.A.T.E. looked up to meet their gazes, but they all wore a sour expression. Catal Rhythm drew back, silently praying that they hadn't unknowingly stumbled upon another bunch of assholes.
But luckily, F.A.T.E's expressions softened and they replied with a "hello" as well.
"Sorry about that, we're just miserable that N.O.T.E's here too." the tallest of the bunch said when Catal Rhythm sat down. "They sick my stomach." he then spat with the others nodding in agreement.
"They sick everyone's stomach." Kagami grumbled out.
"Well, let's just hope that today runs smoothly, right?" another joined in.
"Pfft." Kise said. "With N.O.T.E., nothing will ever run smoothly."
"That's true. But enough of them, who are you guys? I don't remember seeing your faces any at all on TV." the tall one said again. "I'm Arata, by the way."
"Oh." Takao said, realizing that they had taken off their glasses and was now barefaced before the other group. "We're Catal Rhythm."
F.A.T.E's eyes widened. "You're the ones who nearly killed yourselves!"
"Eh? When?!" Kagami asked. Kuroko looked up from his novel with a worried gaze.
"At MusicStock when you entered the crowd." Arata answered. "How is that not classified as suicidal? Idols don't do that shit."
"Ah, well, we had rehearsed something but then N.O.T.E changed their choreography so we had to do that to not look like shit." Kise replied. "It was either that, or fading away to the side or someshit."
"Eww. You'd look tacky if you did that." another —Ryuji joined with a cringe. "But once again, N.O.T.E or rather a group from Cinq strikes." He rolled his eyes with disgust, "Can't we just deep-six them one of these days?"
"It's impossible unless we enlist the help of some Yakuza or something. No crime is perfect, you know?" Arata sighed with disappointment.
"Or you have superpowers and can strike from a distance." another —Masato pitched in.
Catal Rhythm just sat there and watched as F.A.T.E went through the different ways of hopefully killing N.O.T.E without leaving any evidence. It was then that the boys from Aihara realized how hated N.O.T.E and by extension, idols from Cinq were.
But later, the other participating groups entered the room and various conversations were held. Chatter and laughter were abundant; Kise had the most attraction given that some of the idols recognized his face from the posters and magazines he's been on. Kagami, Takao and Kasamatsu were hounded as well, as another group —Digital Club, were actually fans of basketball and often times watched the high school tournaments.
And of course, Kagami would drag in Kuroko, and then all hell broke loose. As usual, no one noticed him which caused the shrieks, and screams and the "almost got heart attack" to occur.
Soon enough, it was time for them to head out onto the stage at the start of the show. So in good faith, all the groups wished each other good luck; although they knew that they were battling for second place as with N.O.T.E here, no doubt, they'd be given first by illegal means.
...
The Challenge is a quiz show that airs weekly that tests the intelligence or stupidity of Japan's celebrities. Although it's something to be taken seriously, there were many comical moments which usually leave the audience and viewers across the country cracking up with laughter.
"Good day everyone! Yet another thrilling quiz show awaits! This time we've got eight teams ready to entertain you all!" MC started with enthusiasm to get everyone hyped up. He introduced the groups one by one, and as such, for each name called, the group made a step forward and greeted the audience and those who were watching at home.
That said, Catal Rhythm took the safest route, when they were called, they simply bowed in unison and waved when they straightened. They weren't going to be flashy like the other groups.
"So let the first match begin!"
At this, Catal Rhythm and the other six teams left off the set and headed to the lodging room while N.O.T.E and F.A.T.E. battled it out. Of course, the five boys didn't care about the group from Cinq, but since they had nothing better to do, they decided to watch and maybe pick up on some tactics to use when answering.
But, being perceptive as they are, Kasamatsu and Kuroko noticed something about N.O.T.E.
"Is it just me, or is F.A.T.E.'s buzzer not working properly?" Kuroko asked.
"It isn't working." The captain replied with folded arms. "I don't know why they're doing this, but it pisses me off to no end."
"Agreed." Kuroko mumbled.
The other three heard their conversation and their faces twisted with disgust immediately. It reminded Kagami and Kuroko of their match against Kirisaki Daiichi in some sense, but either way, they weren't amused.
Even the other groups could see it.
"If I had known a group from Cinq was going to be here, I would have never allowed us to come." A tall young man hissed in bitterness. He was Dan, the Leader for a five-man group called "Digital Club". "I mean, it's obvious that they're giving N.O.T.E the upper hand!"
"I can't believe this! It's obvious F.A.T.E.'s buzzer isn't working, why the fuck don't they do something about it?!" another screeched. She was the main dancer of an all girl group —Risa. "I bet the producer and everyone was paid off by Cinq."
"As usual." Dan said with an eye roll. "I don't why I'm surprised. I should have known."
Catal Rhythm didn't say anything. For once, Kise and Takao didn't know who these groups were in detail. Sure, they knew their groups' names, and maybe a song or two, but they haven't followed them up like they did with Yume or Tensei or any of their other favourites.
And so the matches continued, ultimately, with a faulty buzzer or the whatnot, F.A.T.E. lost to N.O.T.E. The next match was against the girl group "Dress Code" and another four male group "Kingz". Their match went on pretty smoothly, but sadly Kingz lost to Dress Code in a pretty close battle.
But now, it was Catal Rhythm's turn to head out. When both groups had assembled on the stage, due to the set up, Catal Rhythm entered from the right while the other group —Shockwave, entered from the left.
"Now, the third match will be between Catal Rhythm and Shockwave!" the MC said, "Well then, let's get started! Question 1!"
« History. In which year was the new constitution promulgated by which the Emperor of Japan lost his political power and became the Symbol of the State and Unity of the People? »
Kise swiftly pressed his buzzer and whispered to the others, before they all answered, "1946!"
« Correct! »
The other four high-fived Kise, yet another thing stemming from their habits in basketball. And as much as the blond was an idiot in first year, he was strangely good in History. Coupled with Kenji's threat this year, he had sharpened his abilities.
But without hitch, the second question was asked, « Question 2 —Math. What do the numbers 16, 25 and 36 have in common? »
Kasamatsu pressed his buzzer the instant the quizmaster finished the sentence. Once again, the five huddled up and when Kasamatsu told them the answer, they all gave out, "they're all square numbers!"
« Correct! »
And like with Kise, Kasamatsu was given high-fives from the others.
"Catal Rhythm is on a roll here!"
« Question 3: In Chemistry, the nucleus of an atom contains… »
"Protons and neutrons!" This time, Shockwave had beaten them to this, but either way, Catal Rhythm didn't mind. They still had seven more questions to go.
"Oh and Shockwave is quick to answer this time!"
« Question 4: Translate to English: "Konnichiwa, boku wa Hiroto-desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu". »
Kagami slammed his hand on the buzzer so hard that the others thought he may have broken it.
"Hello, I'm Hiroto. Pleased to meet you." Kagami answered swiftly. The others didn't join in like usual because Kagami's pronunciation is perfect while theirs, especially the L's, aren't.
« Correct! »
"Such a perfect pronunciation from Taiga-san! He sounds like a native!" the MC screeched to hype up the crowd even more.
"Are you going to break it, huh?!" Kasamatsu hissed to Kagami. "Look, this isn't a basketball court ―"
"Or Kaijou." Kuroko added, remembering Seirin's first practice match last year.
"—so handle with care!" Kasamatsu finished as though he wasn't interrupted. "You don't know how much one of these things cost!"
"Sorry, I was just excited, I guess." Kagami shrugged.
« Question 5: Pop Culture. Complete the lyrics — » Here, they played an audio clip and as soon as Kise and Takao heard it, they pressed the buzzer and sang out loud:
"I came in like a wrecking ball!" Kise sang while turning to Takao.
"I never hit so hard in love." Takao added, placing the back of his hand to his forehead and making a dramatic expression. He had turned to Kise as well.
"All I wanted was to break your walls!" Kise added yet again.
"All you ever did was break me!" This time, the two sang in perfect harmony, holding each other on their shoulders. Their expressions were rather...dramatic, seeming as though they truly had been hurt in love or something.
Kuroko inched away from the two, going closer to Kagami, while Kasamatsu looked rather annoyed. Their "inner fangirls" as they'd put it was really something he will never get used to.
« Correct! »
"Well, it seems that Sunn-san and Taka-san are a passionate duo!" The MC joked. "You broke each other, huh?"
« Question 6: General Knowledge. What is the capital of Luxembourg? »
"Luxembourg City!" Shockwave responded. However, the boys from Aihara hadn't budged as they didn't know the answer.
« Correct! »
« Question 7: General Knowledge. Along with Luxembourg City, name the other two capitals of the European Union. »
Shockwave pressed the buzzer. "Brussels and Strasbourg!"
« Correct! »
"Shockwave will not be ruled out!"
« Question 8: Literature. From which Shakespeare book did this quote come from? "The course of true love never did run smooth". »
Kuroko pressed the buzzer and they all huddled up again. When he shared the answer, they all answered:
"A Midsummer Night's Dream!"
« Correct! »
« Question 9: Sports. Are the balls used in women's and men's basketball the same size? »
Takao pressed the buzzer. "No, women's balls are smaller." The five gave out. Even Takao was the one who pressed it, they all knew the answer.
« Correct! »
"Looks like Catal Rhythm are gonna take this one!"
« Question 10: History. What were the early rulers of Japan called? »
"Shoguns!" Catal Rhythm screeched when they pressed their buzzer.
« Correct! »
"And Catal Rhythm are the winners! They move on to the next round!"
"Yosha!" Kagami shouted. The others high-fiving each other as they've been doing throughout the match. It made the audience get an idea of their camaraderie, their closeness with each other.
Soon, they left off the set and headed back to the lodging room, while the final match of the round was being played. However, before they could return to the room, they saw Dress Code who had played earlier and won beckon to them.
"Don't go in there. N.O.T.E.'s in there and it's stifling." Risa said with disgust. "Trust me; you don't want to be in there."
"Ah…right." Kise nodded. The five followed the older woman to a balcony, which was overlooking the back car park. The eliminated teams were seated in the crowd as was instructed so it was just Catal Rhythm and Dress Code. Kasamatsu thanked the heavens for Kise and Takao's chatty nature, because at the moment, he was a nervous wreck.
It puzzled him as to why he's able to speak to Reiko with ease —although that ball night he was still nervous— but every other girl; he didn't have the courage to even look them in the eye. And he knew it wasn't because Reiko was Kise's sister, because although she looked like her little brother, there were blatant differences...
...Like the fat in her round cheeks...
...or the way her eyes widen with amusement...
...or the way she smiles and laughs...
...the way she walks with such elegance...
...the way she —
"Oh God." Kasamatsu gasped as he shook his head the rid the thoughts. He grabbed the fabric at his chest and panted heavily, causing his fellow bandmates to worry.
"Are you alright?" Risa asked as she leaned over to look around Kise.
"Ah yeah, I just..." the captain started. "...remembered something." his face was red, and the troublemakers —Kise and Takao had mischievous grins on their faces. The Blue Elite was in for hell the moment they got back into their van.
Turning to the group, he then said, "I'm going to watch the other matches, and probably tell the others where you guys are." Was his excuse.
"Oh, okay." Kagami nodded.
But Kuroko, being the observant shit that he is, turned to look at Takao and said, "We're going to get to the bottom of this."
"I have a feeling of what it is already~" he said in a sing-song voice. "And it's probably his new text-buddy who we all know as Reiko~" he added, "I mean, you saw how red his face was right? Only one person can do that..."
"You're evil." Kagami chuckled.
"Nope. Just perceptive." the two boys gave out.
And true to his word, Kasamatsu did watch the last remaining match between Digital Club and Amour. The match was pretty funny, being that both teams sometimes didn't know the answer but thought they did. The answers that were given were hilarious, coupled with the teams' look of disbelief when they got it wrong.
After the match concluded, they went to a commercial break, and during this time, the teams were told when they were going to play. Yet again, N.O.T.E were going to play first against Dress Code and then Catal Rhythm against Digital Club after those two matches would be the final.
When they returned from the commercial break, the quiz continued, this time Catal Rhythm and Digital Club had to wait in the wings instead of the lodging room. They watched with horror as Dress Code lost to N.O.T.E, the boys weren't even waiting for the quizmaster to finish reading the question.
"It's like they already knew what was coming." Dan said with gritted teeth. "Fucking cheats." he seethed.
The match blew off rather quickly, given that the quizmaster hadn't needed to read out the questions in its entirety. That meant, it was now Catal Rhythm's turn.
"Alright! Let's go! Question 1!" The MC prompted.
The match started with normalcy, as they neither of the two teams felt as though they were fighting each other. As soon as a question was thrown out, both teams pressed their buzzer, thinking that they knew the answer.
At about the sixth question, due to the length of it, Kise had accidentally pressed their buzzer, when neither of them knew the answer. And given their personalities, they ended up arguing before they even attempted the question. The MC had to remind them that the clock was ticking, so quickly, Kuroko had said:
"Ice."
Everyone roared with laughter.
The question had been "give a brief explanation of the term "hard water"."
Needless to say, they got the question wrong, but it was a good laugh for everyone. But at the same time, Kagami had given out, "But isn't "hard water" ice?"
"Apparently not." Kise shrugged.
"Hard water is when water has a high mineral content, guys." Dan said as he came out of his laughing fit. But what made it extremely funny was Kuroko's serious tone. He sounded confident in his answer, as though no one could tell him that hard water wasn't ice.
"But that doesn't make sense!" Kise said. "Isn't ice hard?"
"Ice is frozen water. It's solid, Sunn." Dan reasoned.
"All solids are hard." Takao joined in. "Ice is solid, therefore ice is hard."
"Well..." Dan couldn't really refute Takao deductive reasoning.
"You needn't to say anymore." Kise grinned, changing his style of speech to get his point across. "And as such, ice is "hard water"."
The crowd was stunned. Catal Rhythm were what many dub "wrong and strong". It was amazing, seeing them fighting out the reason, and trying to see how they could've gotten the answer incorrect.
Couple minutes later everything went back on track, luckily for Catal Rhythm; they hadn't encountered another situation like that again, and ended up winning the match. It was a close one with Digital Club, having both teams tied on five points each and having to go into a tie breaker.
But since Catal Rhythm won, that meant, they had to face N.O.T.E. For once, they've never been so down about winning. It was better if they had lost instead, that way, they wouldn't be burning with anger at the moment.
Like, with prior matches, there was a commercial break to get everything in order for the final match. Backstage, Catal Rhythm were preparing to out on the stage once they had been given the signal. A part of them were pretty anxious, as they had no idea what trickery N.O.T.E has up their sleeves.
"Yuki-san?" a voice called from behind them.
Hearing his stage name, Kasamatsu turned around and asked, "Hai?"
"Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you won't be going on stage."
"What?" The other four hissed, scaring the poor backstage crew member.
"To ensure fairness, one of you will be removed so that it would be four vs. four."
"But why Senpai?!" Kagami roared and almost grabbed her by the collar. "Why not me or someone else?!"
"Yeah!" Kise joined in. "Senpai is the only third year here! N.O.T.E has a third year, and a university student with them! It'll be unfair to us!"
The crew member shrugged. "That's what I was told."
"I'll leave in Senpai's place." Kagami said. "Can't we do that?"
She shook her head. "If you do, you'll be disqualified."
The five drew back in shock and knowing what his friends were like, Kasamatsu intervened. "Alright. I'll stay here." But obviously, he didn't want to. He could smell N.O.T.E's black magic at work.
"But —!" the others tried to argue.
"Just go out there and show them what you're made of. I don't want our hard work to go down the drain just because…" He trailed off but the others got his message.
And with that, Kasamatsu remained backstage, while the others headed out onto the stage. But their faces were darkened with rage. As it is, no one can tell them otherwise that this wasn't a plot by N.O.T.E. While they understood that it wouldn't be fair to have five vs. four, but removing Kasamatsu from the team isn't fair to them.
"And now we've reached the final!" the MC started. "We have these two fiery teams —Catal Rhythm and N.O.T.E! Who will win!?" MC then continued when the audience noticed that there were only four for Catal Rhythm. "But first, in order to ensure fairness, Catal Rhythm was reduced to four. So onto Question 1!"
« Chemistry. What is the density of carbon dioxide at STP? »
"What the hell is that?" Kise gasped.
"0.00196 g/ml." Osamu of N.O.T.E answered quickly.
"Whatever, let's get it back." Kagami snarled.
« Question 2: Who is the father of the Social Conflict Theory? »
"Karl Marx." Takuma answered as soon as he pressed his buzzer.
"What's social conflict theory?!" Takao nearly screeched.
« Question 3: Biology. What are the three main shapes of bacteria? »
"Round, rod-shaped and spiral." Nobuhiro answered.
"What's happening?" Kuroko asked in complete shock. None of these questions, neither of them knew the answer. Not because they didn't study these subjects in school, but these were questions of a higher level than they.
Meanwhile, backstage, Kasamatsu was livid.
After the third question, the captain realized what was going on...and he needed to get his boys out of there.
"Hey! Can't you do something about this!?" He asked a nearby worker. "These questions aren't for second years like them! Do something! Get them out of there!" he nearly screeched like Kise.
"I can't. I'm just a stage manager." The male replied.
"Shit!" The captain hissed. But time was of the essence, and Kasamatsu was determined to not let his boys get humiliated any further. He whipped out his phone to message to Kenji, but he heard the manager's voice in the distance shouting —barking out inaudible words. Kasamatsu figured that Kenji had noticed what was happening and was trying to stop it.
So, seeing that Kenji was backstage, Kasamatsu decided to handle things out there...
« Question 6: Math. When two straight lines 3x — (a — 3)y—6=0 and (a+1)x + y — 1 = 0 are vertical to each other then the fixed number a equals...? »
Catal Rhythm's buzzer was pressed.
"Five."
Everyone stopped. Kasamatsu was the one who answered it and even though the answer was correct, the quizmaster was stunned.
"You can't be asking these questions." Kasamatsu started, his voice was actually calm. "These are third year and higher, my boys are only second years. Add to that, we're in June. School hasn't reopened for a proper two months yet. How would they know these things?"
"Yuki-san, you shouldn't be —"
"You shouldn't be doing this." Kasamatsu replied, cutting the MC off. "Backstage they told me I couldn't go on because five against four is unfair, but look at what you've done." he hissed. "They clearly have the advantage because they have a third year and a university student present."
The audience roused up at Kasamatsu's statements, as for Kenji, he had heard the commotion and headed to the wings to see the situation unfolding.
Trying to keep his calm, the MC asked, "What are you implying Yuki-san?"
"I'm not implying anything. I'm saying that asking these questions is unfair to my boys. Do something about it."
"But it isn't our fault that your teammates can't answer."
"But it is your fault for taking me out, the only one who can answer." The captain quipped.
The MC was silenced. Some people in the audience —like the eliminated idol groups—knew that Kasamatsu was in the right, and wondered just where this was going. To make matters worse, this was live television, so the entire nation was seeing what was going down.
"I see someone's a sore loser." Enya started with a condescending smirk.
"Excuse me?" Kise said, his voice entering a falsetto. The others were ready to pounce, but thankfully (knowing that Kagami, Kise and Takao could literally rip N.O.T.E limb from limb and Kuroko could verbally destroy them), Kasamatsu held his palm up, to indicate to his boys not to move an inch. Frankly, if this wasn't live TV, Kasamatsu would have let them loose.
"Alright, how about this? The questions remain, but you, Yuki, will have to play in your precious boys' stead." Osamu joined in with a smirk. "I mean, the script writer can't possibly change anything now."
Catal Rhythm sans Kasamatsu gasped in shock.
How cruel can they get? To their understanding, they were asking Kasamatsu to play against the four of them, by himself without even support from either of them. Kagami was this close to punching them squarely in the face. Kise, on the hand, was torn between marching over to N.O.T.E and strangling them to death or actually capturing them for torture.
"You're on." Kasamatsu hissed. No one was going to get away with making his boys look like idiots on national TV. No one.
"But Senpai..." Kise started. "...can you really do this?"
Kasamatsu turned and ruffled his blond locks with a smile. "Leave it to me. I'm your Senpai, am I not?"
Their exchange was adorable, and sadly for the two, this was caught on camera which meant, the entire of Japan saw it. Which meant, the drama queens were ready to start something.
When the other four headed backstage, Kasamatsu did his usual breathing exercises to calm his nerves down. To be frank, Kasamatsu was just as worried as the others were. He didn't know what he was doing, or if he'd be able to answer the questions given.
"Since Yuki-san had answered question 6 correctly, that point will be omitted and we'll ask another set of five questions. If Yuki-san gets all five correct, then he'd be tied with N.O.T.E., but if N.O.T.E. gets even one correct, they'll be the winners!"
"That's wicked." Takao almost tore up. Their leader would have to get every question right, if he was to redeem their name. The slightest slip and it's over.
"Kise, call Ruiko-san." Kagami said, "anger" couldn't describe what he was feeling.
Kise smirked. He knew what Kagami meant. "I'll tell her to bring gloves, kerosene and matches."
"Are we burning them alive?" Kuroko then asked.
"Oh yes." the blond grinned deviously. "We'll give them a taste of hell before they actually descend."
« Question 6: Math. sin30 degrees + cos120 degrees + tan45 degrees equals...? »
Kasamatsu pressed the buzzer with one hand, while using the other to work out the math. "The answer is 1."
« Correct! »
« Question 7: Japanese. How many strokes does this character have? »
On the projection screen, a picture came up and the instant Kasamatsu saw it, he pressed the buzzer. He was still thinking of the meaning, because if he knew the meaning, he'd be able to remember the stroke count. And he did.
"The answer is 56."
« Correct! »
« Question 8: General Knowledge. What is the flower of Kanagawa? »
Yet again, Kasamatsu pressed his buzzer. He's lived in the prefecture all his life, so this is something that he'd know. "The answer is the Golden-rayed lilly."
"Wow! Three straight in a row! Yuki-san is not going down so easily!"
Oh, just shut up. Kasamatsu thought bitterly. Being here was pissing him off, given what they did to his fellow bandmates and felt no remorse from it. He was silently seething with rage, and made sure to find out who the hell was behind this before they left here. Not even Kenji could stop him from unleashing his wrath.
« Question 9: Geography. What are the three main influences of river discharge in a drainage basin? »
Kasamatsu knew this one. He didn't suffer through social studies for nothing. "The answers are Evapotranspiration, Precipitation and storage factors."
« Correct! »
"Oh my! One more question and they'll be tied!" The MC screeched.
But really, no one could believe it. Not even Kasamatsu himself. Over the weeks leading up to this quiz, he and the others swatted, studied just to make sure that they'll win or at least make it to the finals. They had even watched some past episodes of the show to see if there was a pattern in the questions. To think it actually paid off.
However, N.O.T.E. were so stunned that they didn't realize what was happening. Unlike any other group, they were given the questions and answers weeks before, in order to win. So, seeing Kasamatsu, alone, answering all these questions left them in awe and shock so much that they hadn't heard the tenth question. As a matter of fact, with them brimming with confidence, they weren't as "sharp" as they had been before, so Kasamatsu was able to rack up the points.
« —geneticist died from starvation? »
Their minds snapped back to reality upon hearing the quiz master's voice but it was too late. By the time Enya pressed the buzzer, Kasamatsu was already acknowledged and was answering.
"Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov!" Kasamatsu answered.
"Good God!" The MC shouted, the surprise was clear in his voice. "It is a tie! Who would have thought?! The leader of Catal Rhythm is amazing! Five points back to back?! Just how smart are you, boy?!"
Kasamatsu didn't even flinch. He wasn't in the mood.
"Now folks, it's time for the tie-breaker! Whoever gets this, will win! Who will it be? N.O.T.E or Yuki-san?!"
"It's Catal Rhythm, not Yuki." Kasamatsu finally said, his voice was as cold as ice. "Get it right."
The MC and everyone could feel it; the cool gentleman of Catal Rhythm had gone ice-cold. But what they should be glad for was that Kasamatsu's eyes were hidden underneath dark glasses. His piercing steel-blue eyes would have left them petrified.
"R-R-right..." The MC stuttered out. "So...so! For this final question, if one party answers incorrectly, the question will be passed to the other. And if they answer correctly, they will be the winner! Now! Let's go!"
« Final Question. Music. Who composed "Moonlight Sonata"? »
Both Kasamatsu and N.O.T.E. pressed their buzzer.
But seeing this, the captain had a feeling that they'd choose N.O.T.E. Given that he somehow managed to get all five questions, they'll try everything in their powers to give N.O.T.E. the advantage.
And that they did.
"N.O.T.E., please answer." the quizmaster said when the five boys from Cinq seemed to have frozen up. But truly, they didn't know the answer. They wracked their brains in order to remember, but the answer just wasn't coming. Going with one of the most famous names in the business, they gave out:
"Mozart!"
Kasamatsu exhaled a relief. Their answer was incorrect. It was Beethoven, not Mozart. But, today was just not meant to be their day.
« Correct! »
"What?! Moonlight Sonata is written by Beethoven! It's Piano Sonata number 14 in C# minor! Their answer is clearly wrong!" Kasamatsu said, unable to believe what was unfolding before his eyes.
"Yuki-san, if the quizmaster say it's correct, then it is correct." The MC replied.
Kasamatsu crumbled to the floor in utter shock. Not because he didn't win, but because of this blatant cheating. This is what the entertainment industry was truly like? What the hell? He couldn't wrap his head around it. He just couldn't.
"Senpai!" a screech took him out of his thoughts. There Kise was, sprinting towards him before the blond launched himself onto Kasamatsu. The two tumbled to the floor, but because cameras were everywhere, Kasamatsu grabbed both Kise's arms, and had a foot under the taller boy's chin. He couldn't allow Kise to hug him on the floor. Crazy, drama-thirsty fans live for moments like these, and frankly, he wouldn't want to encounter one of those fanfictions about him and Kise. He'd die.
"Oi! Get off of me!" Kasamatsu hissed.
"Never!" The blond screeched. Takao then fell onto Kise and with his added weight, Kasamatsu couldn't keep it up. The two boys fell onto the captain, almost squeezing the life out of him.
"You're going to kill him you fools!" Kagami shouted.
"Oh."
Promptly, the two sprang up and aided Kasamatsu to his feet, ignoring everything else around them.
"You were amazing! You're the best Senpai ever!" Kise chirped, locking Kasamatsu in an embrace.
"But I didn't win..." Kasamatsu frowned. "We still lost."
"That's because they're dumb. I mean, how the hell Mozart composed Moonlight Sonata when he was already rotting in his grave for a decade already?" Kagami hissed with an eye roll.
"Ano...can we get off this set and go home?" Kuroko finally spoke up. "I really don't want to be in this putrid atmosphere any longer."
And as such, they disappeared backstage, totally ignoring the MC's calls for them to remain on stage. They were not in the mood. Standing beside N.O.T.E was not going to happen. Ever.
Kenji wanted to tell them, out of good grace to head back out there, but his boys were pissed. Sorely pissed to the point where their rage was emanating from their bodies in thick waves.
"This is going to be a long ride home."
xxxx
When the boys entered their house, they immediately headed to their room and jumped into their beds. Kasamatsu was the only one who stayed in the living room, not knowing what to do to cheer them up.
There was nothing he could've done.
It was pretty awful, and what actually made Kasamatsu feel worse was that it seems as though he was a genius. In fact, he wasn't. He just happened to know the answers to the questions asked. That's it.
As the time went by, the captain got really worried for his boys and messaged them from his phone as they had locked the door.
—Dinner? A) Yes. B) No, not hungry.
Within a split second, their answers came in, —B.
Sighing in distress, Kasamatsu tried something else.
—Basketball?
Once again, with swift answers, they texted, —NO, in all caps.
Kasamatsu was at a loss.
They were basketball idiots. For them to decline playing the sport was unimaginable. Still, a part of him understood. Now, it seemed that they were dunces to the entire nation. While they weren't the brightest crayons in the box, they sure as hell weren't the dullest either.
To ease his troubled mind, Kasamatsu took up a ball and headed to the basketball court located on the apartment complex. He too, needed to clear his head. He was angry, sad and all sorts of different emotions mixed up in one.
"Eh? What are you doing here?" a deep voice said to him.
Kasamatsu's head snapped up to see the leader of D:FI, Nakajima Egao. He had been practicing shooting not too long now.
"To cool my head off." The captain shrugged.
"At a basketball court?"
"Yeah, I play basketball."
Nakajima looked surprised. "Really?" he then added, "Not that I care anyway."
Tsundere, aren't you? Kasamatsu thought, Takao's daily talks about Midorima made him able to pick up the behaviour any where.
"Oh." Kasamatsu could only manage. He then began dribbling slowly towards the net, given that his mind was still in a daze. But even so, Nakajima saw that Kasamatsu's dribbling was pretty good, better than he and the other boys who had to take up the sport.
"Pretty good dribbling you have there." He commented.
"Ah, thanks?" Kasamatsu wasn't sure of how he should answer. Didn't Nakajima know that he was the captain of Kaijou's Blue Elites for two years now? Was he that ignorant?
"By the way, I watched that abominable quiz show," he started. "And as much as I don't like you guys for coming in through the back door, I have to admit, they did you dirty." Nakajima said as he made a three. Of course, the ball rebounded off the net, and bounced to the fencing.
"Yeah, they really did." Kasamatsu agreed albeit absentmindedly.
"So what are you gonna do now? I mean, the others must be pretty devastated."
"Frankly, I don't know. That's why I came out here in the first place."
"Then why don't you use their favourite thing to cheer them up? Like, I don't know, their favourite food, maybe?" Nakajima shrugged. "Food works wonders you know?"
"They're not hungry. Plus, this is their favourite thing and they declined."
"Oh." The raven-haired nodded. "You're on your own then."
"Yeah."
But throughout their conversation, Nakajima had trying to shoot threes and kept on missing. The ball rebounded off the net so many times that Kasamatsu lost count. And for that, the captain looked Nakajima's posture and kept cringing. "You're doing it wrong."
"Huh?"
"Threes need a delicate touch; they won't go in if your shoulders are all tensed up like that."
"How'd you know that?"
Kasamatsu said nothing more. He simply took his ball and headed to the three-point line, took his stance and made the shot. It went in with a "swish", smooth and unhindered.
"Still feel like questioning me?"
"You…" Nakajima didn't know what to say, instead, he gaped at the captain like a fish out of water.
"Anyway, if you want to make threes, take my advice." Kasamatsu drawled as he walked away from the court. With Nakajima there, he wouldn't be able to concentrate and maybe he'll end up coaching the other male on how to make threes.
At the moment, Kasamatsu was too lazy and too worried about his boys to be thinking of anyone else.
"I wonder if Reiko would have any ideas on how to cheer up Kise." He mumbled to himself as he scrolled through his contact list. "I'll probably have to call the Takao and Kuroko's parents too…"
This was definitely going to be a long evening.
Thank you for reading! Don't forget to leave a review! And sorry Hiro-chan about not using your suggestion, we had already planned out this chapter before we saw your review...next time, ne?