Hello, guys!
A double update...again! Next time I shut my mouth about the chapter length. I never keep my original plan anyway. In my mind, this chapter was rather short in term of events and I still manage to write too much. That won't do...
So, are you ready for some Akashi and Asaka time ALONE? Those two interactions are so tiring and at the same time so pleasant to write. But they really gave me a headache.
After a plain first part, the end has to leave some impact!
Hehe, good reading~!
Akashi was making his way toward the classroom in order to inform his friend of the changes concerning the volleyball practice. The last time he saw her, she was speaking with Honda and Yoshiwara.
"We're really going to do this?"
"I'm not happy to cope with this situation either. I don't want to waste my time with a hopeless case as you."
On the first-year floor, Akashi caught sight of Midorima who was walking out of his classroom and was followed by his classmate and teammate, Aomine.
"Then, it'll make things easier for us. I'm going to take a nap for now. See you later in practice." Aomine told while yawning loud enough that even Akashi could hear it in spite of the distance. In a sluggish way, he folded his arms in the back of the head, proceeding to a quieter place where he could rest.
However, Midorima had none of it. "Hold on a second! Hey!"
The navyhead paid no heed and continued on his track until he was confronted to his vice-captain. Aomine's face screwed up for a couple of second at his sight, not very happy to see him.
"Akashi, don't let him get away!" spoke up the glasses boy while he stomped to their direction.
The red-haired boy threw a glance at Aomine whose eyes was roving around the hallway in search for a way of escape. The latter swung around, ready to dash in the opposite way, when the metal blade of a shovel popped just before his face. He cringed and took a glimpse over his shoulder where a tuft of spiky red hair seemed strangely closer than earlier. At that moment, Aomine wondered when this guy even got there so fast as he was still meters away from him seconds ago. He could get rid of Midorima anytime but with Akashi as a support, escaping was hardly worthwhile considering what could happen to him later since now his vice-captain was involved.
"What's the matter?" He enquired to the both of them as Midorima kept his shovel high to Aomine's face, wary of his wild and unpredictable behavior.
"I was assigned by our advisor to help him in his studies." The green-haired glared at his troublesome classmate. "He failed his mid-term exams and since the final ones are one month away, I have to tutor this idiot as requested."
"It's just mid-term exams. No one cares if I'm doing well or not in this! Only final exams count! Even I can manage a good score on my own!" countered Aomine, displeased by situation he was in.
"That would be the case if the teachers didn't always see you sleep in class! When do you ever take notes, tell me!"
"Mind your own business. I have Satsuki for that."
Midorima grunted in disapprobation.
"Anyway, we don't have to do that stupid tutoring thing. With her notes, I'm sure I can aim for the average."
"That's what you're defining as a good score?"
"What's the point of aiming higher, huh? It won't change anything whether I'm in the top hundred or barely passing. At least I don't have take suppplementary classes." Aomine made his point in a laid-back attitude.
"So you can do better than average marks, Aomine."
At the faint but sharp voice, the navyhead and greenhead froze instantly and they stared at Akashi who didn't even stir an eyelash, remaining as composed as ever.
"The question doesn't need to be asked, Akashi." said Midorima as he snapped out of his bewildered state, wondering what he was about to scheme.
"I never asked, I was concluding."
"What the...Is there anything to conclude from what I said?" The tanned boy scoffed at him. "Don't tell me you're planning to raise my rank to the top hundred!"
Akashi's eyes that were on the greenhead slid very slowly to his wild teammate.
"You're very perceptive." On that praise – no, statement, Aomine pressed his lips for being too talkative. He just had to catch that little glint in his red eyes to know what that sly redhead had on the back of his mind. "Actually, I'm rather curious to know how far you can go, Aomine."
The moment their eyes met, Aomine cursed himself and by the way Akashi since he knew intuitively that this was bad news.
"According to your words, you only content yourself with average marks given the fact you deem meaningless to work hard for something that basically doesn't hold any importance to you, which I can more or less understand in light of your character." He marked a brief pause. "However, it also means you have the capicity to aim higher."
"Oi, Akashi, you're reading too much into things."
"Am I?" His smirk caused Aomine to let out a light grunt of exasperation.
This sudden interest that sparked in him was genuine and didn't mean any ill by it. Never would he ever look down on him; on the contrary he respected him. His navy-haired teammate was definetely a boy who had a predilection to practices more than theories, hence his lack of motivation for class lessons. He just went through the motions. Nevertheless, this fact didn't undermine his likely potential capacity to aim higher than he was willing to, and by taking this into consideration, Akashi only speculated on what would be the outcome if Aomine tried harder than usual and how far would he get with the required education.
"And what will you get from my getting in the top hundred? It's just a waste of time and energy."
"Nothing, of course."
But this way, the upcoming exams seemed very exciting. In general, Akashi saw those as nothing more than a formality. He was confident in his own ability, and the result he foresighted was only natural because of his elite mindset and by far uninteresting since the goal remained unchanged. Therefore, even though it wouldn't change anything for him, he was quite pleased to have something spice up his exam prospect, in the person of Aomine.
"Still, I find rather exhilarating the challenge you can offer me regarding the final exams."
"You can't be serious!"
"Akashi, are you, by any chance, suggesting the very idea of tutoring him?" Midorima tried to conceal his astonishment behind a clear tone.
"Yes, I don't mind helping him in his studies."
For a short instant, the greenhead narrowed his eyes, feeling slightly provoked by the full-confidence he was displaying regarding the final exams, although it was unintentional from Akashi.
Since their first meeting, Midorima has never contested his intelligence and aptitudes. In most likely every fields, he was always above and do better than others in such a natural way that frustration and jealousy could eat one away, in the same way as admiration that could blind one, because of such perfection. However, what he felt toward Akashi was neither of those feelings, but rather the right middle to those two extremes, which was respect. This feeling inside him was born solely from that mutal aspect of their relationship. He highly esteemed his teammate, and when respect was involved, somehow a singular desire could grow in somebody – the need to stand on equal ground.
Although they respected each other, Midorima was conscious of this latent gap between them. To date, he never managed to get the upper-hand on him, but there was no matter to frustration because he was confident on his very own aptitudes and to say to the least, self-confident in his ability to surpass him one day.
Hence the reason he took offense in the redhead's initiative as he got the feeling that Akashi took for granted his first place in the upcoming exams. It was certainly not the case, and Fate only rewarded those who achieved.
"What about your own, Akashi?" He delibarately remarked sending a glare to the latter, to only get a subtle smile from him.
"I appreciate the concern, but despite my interest in tutoring Aomine, I won't make you reach the the top so easily, Midorima. That, I can assure you."
Upon hearing his claim, the green-haired boy stared him down with his head held high, the opacity of his glasses due to the dim light reflection accentuated his solemn expression that didn't move the slightest to utter a word or show a reaction.
"Hey. I never said I was agreeing to that." Aomine intervened, not the least excited by having the two of them tutoring him. Really, what sort of bad luck was that? He should have had forced his way against Akashi earlier even if it had meant having his life shorten by half due to a spartan training. At least, that fellow would have let him be instead of meddling with his studies. "If you're bored Akashi, just go find someone else. There's a ton of dudes that are as hopeless as I am."
"You have a point. My curiostiy may be the main reason, but a secondary one drives me into supervising your studies as well, which is your presence at the Nationals. I reckon your strong will to participate in the championship and the fact you wouldn't be foolish enough to fail at final exams. Still, my supervision is only a simple caution." The red-haired boy explained clearly his intention to sweeten the pill.
"Say, Akashi, are you looking down on me?" scowled the navyhead.
"Don't misunderstand me, Aomine." said sharply the redhead, but the navy-haired boy didn't care at all. "Your hopelessness in study is only a direct consequence of your lack of motivation. According to me, if you were to put the same resolve you have in basketball, I'm certain you can attain a good score. Nonethless, I'm not saying that you can easily reach the top hundred even with my tutoring or Midorima's, but you won't barely passing either. Put it bluntly, you will achieve a score that reflect your own capacity. That's what I want to see instead of satisfying yourself with an average score."
"You're completely twisted, did anyone have already told you that?" The blunt remark made Akashi crack a smile.
"So, where are you going to study?" The spiky redhead shifted his attention to the glasses boy.
"The library."
"Understood. I join you after I gather my things."
"Yeah, yeah, you two can just go on your own."
Aomine heard enough and decided to cut short the discussion. Hands in his pockets, he walked past Akashi who followed him with a long gaze that he completely ignored.
"Have fun. I'll study la– Gaaah!" Aomine choked up his words as a hand swiftly seized him by his shirt collar and pulled him back. The navy-haired boy was bellowing his rage at Akashi, supposedly thinking he was the jerk who was dragging him off to the library. But it was none other than Midorima.
"Alright, but we'll start without you." queried Midorima as he paid no heed to Aomine's bark.
"Do as you will."
He gave him a nod, then the green-haired boy tightened his grip around his teammate's collar that was struggling like some wild cat that fell into a trap and meow-ed in anger, while dragging him to the worst place ever in this school, the library.
After regaining his own pace, Akashi ignored the distant shouts that even rain didn't seem to muffle them and walked up to his class, only a few steps away.
When he opened the door, his red eyes roved around the place and stopped over one particular empty desk. She wasn't there.
In light steps, he went over his and grabbed his notebook and pencil case. Having no longer purpose in the classroom, he moved away from his desk, yet his eyes were stuck on the vacant seat, mindful of the volleyball vice-captain's message he had to relay to Ritsu.
He retraced his footsteps to the exit and before he even got to put his fingers on the embedded door handle, someone slid it open and came face to face with a familiar form that let out a yelp upon noticing his presence.
"Oh, good timing!"
"Yoshiwara-san." He politely adressed the girl whom graced a smile in return. "Are you in need of something?"
The class representative hummed her response.
"By any chance, are you going to find Asaka-san?" His eyebrow twitched at the mention of the girl's name. He didn't answer on the spot, instead he waited for her to tell her purpose. "I need to give her this."
Yoshiwara raised up her arm and showed him a small envelop and a cd inside a plastic sleeve she had kept in her hand. He examined those, though in fact he only took a glimpse as he already identified these two items. The cd was a record of their play and inside the envelop were photos of their class at the school festival. This morning, the photography club shared their festival shots to each classes, triggering a strong reaction among the studends who were happy to remember this event. When Yoshiwara came with those, it had caused quite the commotion and had continued all day long.
"Asaka-san asked me to pass them to her so she can make a selection of photos she wants, but I only retrieved those from Himeno-chan minutes ago." The girl let out a faint sigh like she was tired out just by recalling the hardship she had come through. "Unfortunately, I don't have the time to find her, I have to go home immediately due to family matter. I'm very sorry to inconvenience you like this, but can you please give these to her? You're the only one I can ask!"
"Sure. I also have some business with her." As Akashi got hold of the envelop and the cd, Yoshiwara smiled in relief upon having him to take care of this.
"By the way, Akashi-kun, you didn't get the chance to have a look at them too, right? You should take the time with Asaka-san to made your own selection if you're interested. Just write down the number of the pictures you want on a paper and I'll take care of everything once everyone in the class have seen them!" said the class representative enthusiastically. "They're great, you'll see! But for now, I have to go!"
Yoshiwara winked at him and began to skip straight to her desk. Quick as lightning, she packed all her things up and passed by him once again.
"It's still raining down, Yoshiwara-san." He told her.
"Don't worry! I have THIS!" She shoved a black umbrella up to his face, with him having no choice but to stare at it and keep his thoughts to himself as she seriously intended to brave the raging nature outside with it. Under this heavy rain, an umbrella was hardly an option, since she would eventually be soaked to the bones. "Well, see you tomorrow, Akashi-kun! Have fun with basketball practice!"
The girl jumped to her feets and set off, clomping down the hallway and disappeared after a sharp turn.
The classroom reverting to its peaceful atmosphere, the red-haired boy reexamined the two items that she entrusted him.
It seemed that he was bound to find her. His lips shaped into a crooked smile.
Those turns of event, however insignificant it was according to him, were like a nice change of pace. Habitually people scarcely ever requested his help for trivial business, preferring to leave him alone and rely on somebody else to do the job. Inadvertendly kept away from those ordinary social interactions, he kind of found it a bit regrettable for things to be this way when it came to him, but truth to be told, he didn't truly seek their attention either.
Since all the requests were leading to her, Akashi began to walk with a precise destination in mind. If she wasn't spending her time chatting in the classroom, there was a place she would most definetely go when alone – the music room.
He left the staircase and reached the floor where the music room was located. He walked along the hallway as the faintly audible sound of a piano skimmed his ears. Akashi smiled inwardly for his right guess on Ritsu's whereabouts and headed quietly to the said room. Getting closer, the tune that was played on didn't figure on his musical repertoire, much to his surprise since Ritsu generally stuck to classical pieces. Even closer, the repetitive melody was accompagnied by a voice, though from afar he hardly admitted it as a singing voice, he was unable to catch one single note in tune. After walking past the back door of the music room, he proceeded to the front one that was deliberately left open, but stopped midway upon noticing Murasakibara through the window panes that gave onto the room. The singing voice belonged to him, the purplehead was actually striking up an unknown song and this image of him, he must admit, rendered him rather speechless. While the ash blond-haired girl accompagnied him with piano, making a funny face from what she was currently hearing.
A flicker of a smile passed on his lips.
"...All-Star Rangers! We know no limit, only the will to fight! Fight, it's our destiny! Fight, it's the path of glory! And vainquish all~! All-St..."
Those were the lyrics that Murasakibara was singing, or rather was trying to, before Ritsu brought an end to this ear torture session and eyed the giant boy in silence until her mouth slightly opened to speak up.
"You really can't sing, do you, Murasakibara-kun?" The girl turned her blunt statement into a question, to not offense the giant boy who slightly bobbed his head.
"It's too tiring to reach high notes."
"The other way around would have surprised me." commented Ritsu, a beam of statisfaction on her face. "And also, even if you did reach high notes, the result would have been the same. You're too out of tune when singing."
"You're making fun of me." His expression darkened.
"I've never meant to. Furthermore, there is nothing to be shy of being bad at singing."
The purplehead furrowed his brow and glared at her. "Even if we're friends, I won't mind crushing you."
At the threat, the ash blondhead didn't flinch, simply looking at him, believing she wasn't in her wrong. Neither of them were though, so it only resulted in mere child's threat from Murasakibara. In spite of his short-tempered character, his teammate had the smartness to keep his theats only to words compared to a certain greyhead on the team. But he didn't fully negate the fact that he could crush anyone who go against him if the taunt was to work on him. Regardless of his laid-back attitude and contrary to general opinion, Murasakibara had an explosive side, and Akashi acknowledged this side of him as he always witnessed it during games. Although it could lead to reckless strategies, what is treacherous would be to underestimate him.
"And I won't mind you keep on singing." She replied and gave him a smile to lighten the mood. "I was the one who wanted to hear you sing and it wasn't to mock you. On the contrary, it gives you a cute side."
"...It's the first time at school I'm being told I'm cute. It's really strange..." He admitted, giving minimal consideration to the compliment. "I should be happy about that?"
Ritsu chuckled to herself. "It depends on how you feel about it. If you're inconvenienced by it, I won't say it anymore."
Murasakibara plunged into meditation, he stopped blinking during those long seconds – ten, to be precise – and seemingly coming to a conclusion, he nodded nonchalantly.
"Hm...I'm cute."
His innoncent answer almost threw her into a fit of laughter.
"If it's you, I don't mind."
"Oh."
Shades of pink were coloring her cheeks while she exulted silently. Akashi looked at the both of them, whom had yet sensed his presence, and decided to break in right at this instant.
Ritsu had been defeated by Murasakibara, she found herself at a loss of words by the situation. His sweet words had taken her aback, though there was absolutely nothing sweet in them on the surface. But the feeling they conveyed was warm and pretty genuine.
Murasakibara held her in esteem. That's what it implied. And nothing else could make her happier right now...
When she heard light tread on her back. She directed her attention to the source, noticing Murasakibara's unfazed look as she turned around. The upstanding silouhette of Akashi came into view.
"Akashi-kun! The meeting with your captain has finished?" Ritsu sat up properly to speak to him.
"Yes, not long ago." Akashi stopped near her and greeted with a simple nod of the head Murasakibara who gestured his hand in return.
"Aka-chin, are you free then?"
"It depends on what you're going to ask."
"Why don't we go eat snacks? I'm feeling a little hungry."
"Only a little?" He smirked. "That's rare."
"I ate a lot at lunch. Thanks to Asa-chin." The redhead's eyebrows arched up incredulously, he pressed his gaze on his teammate to further explanation. "She gave me her limited card for free meals."
This limited card was a one of the prizes they won for completing the Haunted house at the school festival.
"So, here the reason why you seem so satiated these days." Ritsu faintly colored up with embarrassment when Akashi's eyes flicked at her. His smirk still plastered on his lips. "You're spoiling him, Asaka."
"Just a little. Since I don't have any real use of it, I thought it'd be a waste to keep it for myself when Murasakibara or somebody else can make a better use." She sent a conniving look to the giant boy who supported her. "I don't regret it, he made the most of it."
"I see, even you can't help it." Ritsu grinned when he alluded his soft spot for the purplehead. "But I'm afraid I have to decline your offer, Murasakibara. I have other obligations."
The latter became sullen, his lidded eyes narrowed even more as he lost interest in Akashi.
"You're busy as always, Akashi-kun." She stated the fact and didn't add more. No reprimand, no piece of advice, no sarcasm, he didn't need to hear any. To the best of her knowledge, Akashi was not a pitiful boy. As surprising as it may sound, he was actually someone who went at his own pace – beyond a doubt a faster pace than common people, but pretty ordinary and established for and within him. So there were no meaning in pitying him. "Is that related to basketball?"
"Not this time. I'm going to study with Midorima and Aomine at the library."
"You're going to study? / Aomine-kun is studiying?" The two voices got mixed up with one another, both hinting their astonishment.
"Final exams are one month away. Now is the perfect time to start revision."
"But Aka-chin is very smart."
"Even so, it doesn't mean I can indulge myself strictly to compulsory education and just be satisfied with common knowledge when I have the capacity to extend it." Murasakibara communicated his thoughts by sending a jaded look to Ritsu who was looking at him with the same intention. No words were exchanged but their eyes told of each other's thoughts : How typical of him. "Maybe you two should also join this study session. This might help you."
"We can?"
"You're free to join."
"I take you at word, then." Ritsu was looking forward to it. After one hour of piano practice, studying was certainly not the first thing that would cross her mind to relax, but with this colorful bunch, this was bound to be amusing and she was sure to learn a few things from Akashi. "Murasakibara-kun, are you coming too?"
The giant boy wasn't up for it for a fact. "Nah, I can study later...much later."
"Murasakibara." Akashi called him out, earning the purplehead's attention. "At this rate, you will end up passing your last days in studying nights and days which could actually drop your efficiency and concentration during exams, and in the worst case, make you fail. I assume I don't need to remind you of the consequences of your failure."
Relunctantly, the giant boy stood up from his chair, walking up to his vice-captain.
"Tiny and too strict..." mumbled the purplehead as he moved past them, proceeding to the exit where he stopped, slowly turned around and said, "I'm going to take my things."
Then without more formality, he began to clomp away.
"Oh, Murasakibara-kun, wait for me. We're going the same way!" She shouted, however the giant showed no sign of waiting. In a flash, she stood up, gathered all the music sheets and hurried to the exit. Despite her precipitation, she casted a last glance at her red-haired friend, not forgetting about him.
"Akashi-kun, are you waiting for us?"
"In front of the library."
She shot a smile and ran after Murasakibara, leaving him with the message and the items he had yet to give her. Alone, Akashi sighed.