The sun was at his highest point, the sky was clear blue and people's voices echoed happily around the school. A perfect spring day.

After eating her lunch, Ritsu decided to take a walk around school since the weather was getting warmer each day.

Habitually she either stayed in her classroom chatting with other girls or she went to the music room to be alone. She lead a quiet school life, punctuated by funny moments just like yesterday when she encountered Midorima Shintarō on her way home.

Remembering that, she couldn't help but laugh inwardly. Midorima was a little difficult to deal with at first because of his sensitivity, making him rather easy to tease, and he had a sharp tongue which could either annoy, intimidate or make the other party cry. Patience was needed but it was worth the effort. He was a nice guy deep down.

Yesterday, they had gone to several shops before finding his precious lucky item. She had thought their time together was up and they would go on separate ways, but since it was already dark, he awkwardly suggested to escort her to the train station by explaining how dangerous it was for a girl to wander alone at night and that she ought to be careful in the future. On that (heartwarming) note, their day ended.

Ritsu enjoyed her quiet life, leisurely observing her surroundings and yet, sometimes being part of the scenery she would usually gaze at wasn't a bad feeling. Maybe that was curiously enough one of the reasons she played a team sport like volleyball. She gave a faint smile as she laughed at herself for being that sentimental at times.

But it was spring.

And generally spring meant love. As she walked outside carefree, she sighted two students under a tree, a radiant blond boy and a small girl facing each other. From what it looked like, that was a confession scene. Not wanting to peep on other people business, she continued to walk until a faint gasp made her stop.

"That's spring for you. Being a model sure makes it easy..." muttered the voice.

A tanned boy with dark blue hair was leaning on a window with his right hand resting on his cheek watching the two teenagers under the tree nonchalantly. Noticing her presence, she caught a glimpse of surprise on his face for a second before he began talking to her.

"You're the mysterious girl from yesterday!" He exclaimed with a grin.

"Mysterious? Have we met before?" She raised an eyebrow, clueless. If she remembered correctly it was actually the first time they met.

"You were shopping with Midorima."

At the mention of Midorima's name, she slightly inclined her head to the side and asked: "You happen to know him?"

"We're in the same class and I'm in the basketball club too."

"Oh, I see." she replied plainly, "So you're also in the basketball club."

"Yup. By the way, I'm Aomine."

Aomine Daiki. There's no way she didn't hear about him since the basketball club was a hot topic at school. He was one of the four first-years along Akashi and Midorima who managed to get into the first string of the basketball club.

She was a bit stunned by his outward appearance; unlike the other two she knew, he was a kind of different. His juvenile features were accentuated by his big and wide open blue eyes filled with dreams and passion. A playful aura was emanating from him, making him someone really easy to approach.

It was actually refreshing to have a boy like him around. She used to think that the first string members in the basketball club were a bunch of cold monsters, given how powerful the club was. Her opinion of them had been shaped by rumors but also indirectly by Akashi, being in the same class and sitting behind him, she had all the time in the world to watch him. That guy was a real mystery, scary in a way for a minority and admired by many given his perfection. The way he spoke, his manners and overall attitude were very formal, never letting his guard down and treating everyone equally.

"Asaka Ritsu. Nice to meet you."

"Asaka? You're in the volleyball club, right?"

"I wasn't aware I was known for being in the volleyball club." She said in disbelief. It wasn't unusual to be recognized because of her family and her piano skills, but rare were those who heard about her for being a member of the volleyball club.

"You're kidding! You became a regular a week ago! I heard about it from my classmate…what's her name again?" He paused for a second, tilting his head and scratching his chin as he tried to remember. "Oh, Yagami, she got promoted too. I heard her talking about it."

Yagami Kimiko was a hard-working girl who got to join the team after the trial period along with her.

"You're awesome!"

"You're even more awesome Aomine-san, being able to play as a starter for such powerhouse."

His eyes stared contemplatively at her, his mouth shut.

"I just happen to have the required skills. And honestly, I don't even care about those things as long as I can play basketball!...But well, being in the first string sure has its own advantages..."

His spontaneity made her smile. He spoke his thoughts without bothering to care if he looked stupid or not. He was a bright boy, almost dazzling to her. The way he spoke about basketball showed he loved it a lot. His blue eyes burned so strongly with passion that it almost seemed unthinkable that this light would ever come to fade over time. As one looked at him, they couldn't help but admire him, blinded by his light and being drawn in by his burning passion. Ritsu was no exception. From what she heard, his style was so atypical that he could even give experienced players a hard time. One day she would like to see him play.

"Don't you find it exciting?"

"You bet." She nodded at the boy who happily grinned at her answer.

"Oh and I thought you weren't the type to like challenges!"

"Isn't it normal to feel competitive in sports?"

Aomine burst out laughing because of her naive question.

"Look at your face! You're way too calm! Oh, maybe that's why you get along with that freak! That Midorima guy doesn't seem to like rambunctious girls."

"«Get along» is not exactly the term I would use, it's more like «struggle»."

"Oh! As expected of his friend!" He excalimed like he totally understood her.

Ritsu was startled, being considered Midorima's friend, but Aomine did say he saw them together yesterday.

"Midorima-san and I? No. We're not on such regular basis. Yesterday we were just looking for his lucky item."

"No kidding! You went along with him knowing that he's a horoscope maniac?!"

"I had a fun time."

Aomine gave a nervous laugh, wondering who, between that quiet girl and his teammate, was the weirder one.

"Asaka you're a weird girl."

"But less than someone we know."

"Couldn't've said it better. The way he speaks is so damn annoying! What the hell is with that strange speech?"

"I wouldn't go that far but yes, sometimes it's quite painful to deal with him."

They both laughed about how they were on the same wavelength right now.

"Aries and Cancer are not compatible. Do not talk to me again." Going with the flow, she imitated Midorima's voice and manner by pushing invisible glasses up with her middle finger. Aomine couldn't stop laughing; it was just like him.

"Asaka, you're full of yourself today. Who were you trying to imitate just now?"

"Dai-chan! Why did you run away when I said I prepared you lunch?"

A pretty girl with light pink hair with her hands on her waist and an irritated Midorima beside her were standing by the door of the empty classroom Aomine was sitting in.

"I run for my life, idiot!"

"How mean!"

As they took a step in, the young boy instinctively stood up from his chair, his reaction being so abrupt that the chair toppled to the floor, and jumped out the window waving at Ritsu while he fled like a thief.

"Ah!" The girl leaned over the window ledge, watching helplessly as the running boy gained distance quickly. "He ran away...AGAIN!"

Tired from all the running, she let out a deep sigh and collapsed on the window, her eyes dropping on the desk next to her where she spotted a plastic bag full of snacks and a banana milk drink.

"And to say that I woke up earlier to make it." Her innocent pout showed affection for him.

"You're too soft on him, Momoi."

"Midorima-kun, did you already eat?"

His body stiffened suddenly at her question.

"I-I did."

At his shy reply, she tilted her head, a finger on her cheek. She also had had lunch already, but what would she do with the lunch box she prepared with love this morning? Suddenly an idea popped into her mind when her eyes stopped on Ritsu.

"Here, I'll give you this. Dai-chan won't eat it anyway." The girl handed her a lunch box wrapped in a cute pink cloth with sakura flowers on it. She was about to refuse but Midorima was faster as he gently lowered her hand.

"Keep it. By the end of the day, Aomine will probably get hungry. You should just leave it on his desk."

At his suggestion the girl's face brightened and she nodded in approval. She took the plastic bag with her and both of them were about to leave the empty class, when all of the sudden the light pink haired girl turned back around and waved at her. "Let's talk another time, Asaka-san! Midorima-kun told me about you! Ah, I'm the manager of the basketball club, Momoi Satsuki! Don't forget it!"

"Don't say unnecessary things!" The boy yelled shyly at Momoi.

"See you soon!"

The girl cheerfully left the classroom, followed by Midorima who glanced at her over his shoulder. "You're lucky I was here, Asaka. You should be grateful." That being said, he left the class as well.

Alone, Ritsu was stunned by all of the sudden fuss. The basketball club, in spite of its austere reputation, was quite lively. She never doubted the fact they were having fun like any other school club, but their nationwide prominence must have kept them under pressure and forced them to undergo thorough training, forgetting how to enjoy themselves during their hard work and aiming only for victory. In fact, her opinion would still be the same if she hadn't met them.

However, gathering together a mysterious Akashi, an ever serious Midorima, a passionate Aomine and a cheerful Momoi, club activities were bound to be fun or so she thought to herself. Maybe she was wrong, but that silly thought just wouldn't leave her alone.