As agreed, the three of them met in front of the library. Akashi set foot in first and came after Murasakibara and her. She studied the place trying to catch sight of the two remaining colorful head. The place was practically deserted, even the librarian wasn't on duty. Only the whispers of a solemn voice and the protest of a raucous voice broke the silence of the place, which belonged without an ounce of doubt to Midorima and Aomine respectively.

"Keep quiet, would you? We're in the library." said the greenhead.

"Screw you! We're the only one studying in this freaking library! Even the librarian isn't even doing his job!" fumed Aomine.

"Aomine, shut up and focus on your exercise." reiterated his teammate.

"I don't get a damn thing!"

A heavy sigh ensued. "I told to use this formula to resolve this problem. What's so complicated in it? Moreover, we saw it this week, if you weren't in sleeping in class, you should have learn it."

"Tsk. It's useless to learn that! I know how to sum, multiply and divide, that should be enough!"

"What are you, a grade schooler?"

"Your teaching sucks."

Moving past a bookshelf, she spotted the two boys studying on a large table along the windows.

"Because you're an idi–" Midorima went quiet as he noticed the redhead, his brow slightly twitched at the sight of the two extra people. The greenhead glanced at them without deigning to turn his head at their sight. Despite the cold welcome, Ritsu greeted them like usual, with a simple smile. "Why this study session gets more and more people over time?"

"It can be pleasant with more people and this can create a good atmosphere."

"Akashi, this is not a party." He replied back, having less and less patience in dealing with the redhead's «whim». "I'm not consenting to that. The more people there is, the more troubles there are."

Paying him no attention, Akashi pulled the chair and sat quietly beside the green-haired boy who kept glaring at him. Ritsu occupied the seat next to Aomine who was sat across Midorima, while Murasakibara choose to stay away, at the table extremity, leaving one vacant seat between Ritsu and him.

"Oi, Midorima, nobody care if you're agreeing to it or not. It's because of you, we're all here. I told you to turn down this tutoring thing!"

"Allow to me to correct. «This» is all your fault." countered glasses boys, his frown deepened. "If you hadn't scored so pathetically on mid-term exams, I wouldn't be here."

"Mido-chin, Mine-chin, you're too noisy. I'm only here because of Aka-chin." Murasakibara butted in, fixing with bored eyes the books on the shelf in front of him. "I didn't want to be here too."

"So no one wish for this study session?" asked Ritsu as she was uninformed of Midorima's duty that was related to Aomine's studies.

"The hell Akashi! You even force them to come!" bellowed Aomine who misunderstood her question, thinking that the «no one» included her as well.

"I didn't force anyone." The redhead answered in poised voice.

"He didn't. In fact, I'm rather happy to be here."

"Hey, do you realize we're here to study, Asaka? STUDY! There's nothing to be happy for!" Aomine highly emphasized on it, like to hammer this taboo word into her head, but she only reacted with a simple tilt of the head.

"Maybe, but it's a good occasion to share study methods, especially when we got top-ranked students with us."

On the mid-term exams results day, a two points difference had Midorima placed second and had opened the way to the top for Akashi who ranked first with a perfect score.

"Tch, don't try to play smart when I'm damn sure your score is not that high." retorted the tanned boy, putting his elbow on the table and rested his head on the hand while staring at her. "Just admit you need their tutoring."

"Aomine." Akashi broke his silence. "Why don't you aim for Asaka's rank or even surpass it? It would be rather exciting."

Ritsu widened her eyes in shock. That was some crazy thing to suggest. She gawked at him who only closed his eyes with satisfaction. At his reaction she quirked an eyebrow, wondering what he had in store for the poor Aomine.

"Asa-chin, what was your rank?" enquired Murasakibara, slightly interested.

"Oh. Eighteenth." Out of two hundred six. That is to say a score that Aomine couldn't even dream on attaining in his life.

Aomine leaped off his chair in shock. "What the...! What about aiming the top hundred?!"

"I was only joking." Though his jokes never sounded like one and never made someone laugh. Akashi didn't really know how to joke, observed Ritsu, sighing inwardly. And for a simple reason, it was nearly impossible to take him lightly whenever he spoke.

"Asaka is in the top hundred, idiot. And your joke was in bad taste, Akashi." Midorima spoke up as his patience ran very low. The study session didn't get anywhere since the little group had joined them. "If you're here to chit-chat, do it later. We're in the middle of studying and this is our main focus!"

A strange guy like Midorima could hardly bear any disruption in his stringent daily routine. He seemed to put himself under a strict way of life – always following the same and repetitive routine he had established himself. His lucky items and Oha-Asa horoscope were a part of it, though she didn't solve this mystery as for why he relied on these on daily basis. However, this particular character could make him quite reliable in time of disorder. Midorima was a boy who only followed his path and others were beaten tracks that bordered his own. He couldn't get sidetracked and would always keep focus of his daily objectives, which were right now the study session that turned out to be a chatting group, much to his displeasure.

Therefore, that's when his strictness became a necessity. Like an authorative figure, he would condemn those who strayed away from the right path. But in spite of that, people hardly listened to him as his scolding sounded more like a complain than a demand, and created unintendedly more trouble.

"If you like studying so much, do it alone!"

"Yeah, I'm not in the mood to study." declared Murasakibara in lazy manner, almost letting a yawn slipped his mouth.

"Then get ou–"

"Aomine, Murasakibara. I leave you the choice." The redhead delibarately cut him off before the greenhead provoked the purplehead. He examined his two fellow teammates across the table. "I will exceptionnally let you study on your own instead of keeping you against your will."

"What are you saying Akashi?"

The latter threw a brief sideway glance to the perplexed green-haired boy and smirked. "However, do not assume, I would allow any slacks in your revisions. The week before exams, I will test you personally and if I were to judge your level insuffisant, I will take the necessary measure by turoring you everyday till exam days. Moreover, I do remember that club activities are suspended one week before exams...So we'll have plenty of time to «study»."

The emphasis on the last word wasn't a good omen. Sensing the pending danger, the two boys in question prevented themselves to reply something stupid.

"Or choose this current option, that is, reviewing lessons little by little."

Even if Akashi presented it as a choice, to everyone this was clearly a threat. Aomine and Murasakibara wouldn't choose to be teached by this demon every single day, hour, minute and second just before exams; it was absolutely out of the question.

Upon reaching this conclusion, the giant boy averted his eyes with annoyance and the tanned boy was irked.

"Let's start."

...In that field, there was only boy she knew that had this authority in him and it was Akashi.

Scratching down her answers on her notebook, Ritsu perked her head up and glanced around the table. Starting with Murasakibara, he seemed to be more concentrated on fighting drowsiness than his actual exercise; then her gaze fell on the red and green duo in front of her, Akashi was currently correcting Aomine who stared blankly outside the window in wait, while Midorima had his nose on his study, his green eyes switching restlessly from the textbook and his notebook, not caring about his surrounding since the vice-captain was supervising everything.

"Aomine, I should say you exceed my expectation."

The silence broken by this incredible claim, the whole bunch shifted their attention to the placid redhead who kept his eyes on the notebook he had in hand.

"I've never seen so many wrong answers in solely one english exercise."

"I'm japanese. I don't care about english."

"Even if you said that, you write all your answers in katakana. Your japanese is far from being correct, maybe we should make you learn the very basis of it before learning another language." noted Akashi as he raised his eyes up from the notebook.

"Ah? Whatever you say, I know how to speak and write japanese!" protested the navyhead, annoyed by the remark. "I'm not that stupid."

"Then tell me how you did come up with this answer in question seven. When they asked how the character's day ended, you answered «With a headache». You even misspelled the word."

"What, he didn't? That text was too long so I thought the dude must have had a damn long day! And look, I still correctly answer the question."

Akashi heaved a sigh. "Basically, yes, you're not wide of the mark but it is meaningless if you don't get a point."

Like the two others, Ritsu was amazed by what she just heard. No offense to Aomine but that was some high-level of stupidity, and everyone could agree on that. Writing everything in katakana, this could only be thought and done by him. Even Akashi was unable to stay quiet about this prowess. Indeed, he did exceed his expectation – in the wrong way though.

Midorima, picked by little curiosity, glanced over some of his answers and regretted it soon after.

"Did you even read the text?" He asked, unable to repress the question after witnessing the epitome of idiocy.

"I don't bother reading what I don't understand."

The greenhead was about to snap anytime but he lifted his glasses up his nose bridge and let the silence do the talk.

Hopeless was the word that crossed everyone's minds.

Akashi gave the notebook back to the tanned boy and called out the purplehead. "Murasakibara, lend me the Modern Japanese textbook you're working on and take the english one."

"Eh, but I'm still using it."

"Yes, still using it and still at the very same point you were fifteen minutes ago." Murasakibara pouted his lips as the red-haired boy had noticed him dozing off, and he slid the textbook to him. The vice-captain opened it, flipped the page, skimmed through it before he turned it over to Aomine. "Comment this. Write it in correct japanese this time, no katakana."

The latter looked askance at the literary text, full of japanese characters and words he didn't even know. "Oi, what are you playing at, Akashi? Since the start, you just keep changing subjects"

"Evaluate your level in every subjects. I am merely observing today. The next session I'll teach properly."

The next session? Aomine was getting lifeless, understanding he would never have peace if he didn't study a little to get rid of Akashi. He groaned loudly and looked into the text that was nothing more than gibberish.

Upon seeing his teammate study, the red-haired boy shifted his attention to the girl in front of him.

"Have you finished, Asaka?"

"...Not yet. I have the..." Ritsu stated with no conviction. She had been stuck for almost ten minutes with the most nerve-wracking exercise of all.

"...The MCQ to answer. I know."

His accute observation made her gasp in surprise. To say he even noticed that...No details slipped from his eyes. Ritsu closed her eyes in exasperation and gave a vague sigh.

"T-Then why are you asking?"

"You are taking too long time on it. MCQ are supposed to be answered quickly."

"It's easier said than done, Akashi-kun." The latter didn't press on, just keeping his gaze on her. Ritsu stared back in reflex and went on, uncomfortable by the long gaze. "Some questions are really tricky, no, the given responses are. Don't you question yourself when the answer is too obvious or hesitate between two answers?"

"I don't." He threw off his short response. Ritsu expected no less from the honor student. She never saw him hesitating and it wasn't a MCQ that would be the first thing to shake his confidence. "But, I must say, overthinking is a nasty habit you have, Asaka. You're wavering quite easily."

She didn't negate it.

"You're no good." At the remark, Ritsu pulled a long face, foresighting an immediate lecture from Midorima. "Your doubts are only revealing a lack in your study. MCQs are on tests to make you gain quick and easy points, not the contrary. Either you know or not the answer, just decide on an answer, don't dwell on it."

"That's pretty half-assed."

"What is half-assed is hesitation."

She lowered her eyes down on the textbook and looked over the multiple choices – One correct and four others wrong. Could this choice be made this lightly?

"...You deserve your second place."

The boy remain unaffected by the praise, seemingly taking it more like an obvious praise.

"You have some self-confidence, Midorima. Since I met you, I have never seen hesitation in your eyes."

Midorima drew his lips into a thin line and continued to glare at her, like she was bothering him with stupid statements. "Confidence are not enough to reach the top, it's just a factor among others."

"What about the other factors?"

A blank ensued. From his silence, he didn't want to carry on. He wasn't shy about it but lazy to tell the obvious, well what he thought obvious. Ritsu didn't press on and stared at him delibarately, wondering if this could work on him. Since Akashi always managed to make anyone spill everything by a single eye contact – A bit embarrased to admit it, it worked on her as well – she wanted to test it on him. And to do it, she amusingly decided to perform a little imitation.

Eyes to eyes, Midorima slightly frowned with annoyance to be outstared in this strange manner. Her face was blank, her gray-blue eyes kept pressing him to force a word out his mouth as she was trying hard to not blink too much. Each second, his irritation built up, more and more, to the point he couldn't hold it. This was getting on his nerves.

"Don't look at me like that, Asaka. I don't know who you're exactly trying to imitate, and if my guess were to be right, your imitation of Akashi is terrible."

"Oh. So it was convincing enough for you to recognize him?" She chirped, proud of herself.

"Don't be full of yourself...! It was only my guess." He replied at his wit's end.

"But the fact remained you thought of Akashi-kun!"

Midorima threw sidelong glance at boy in question. "Why are you staying quiet?"

"Well, she managed to make you talk. So, it's not bad." Put bluntly the red-haired boy, knowing of her intentions.

"Don't encourage her, Akashi." He huffed, irritated to have been made a fool of. "Really, I think we should keep our conversation to a minimum."

"It is already this way between us, Midorima-kun. That's why it's pretty awkward when I talk to you."

"Because we have nothing in common."

Ritsu shrugged her shoulders and gave up on the greenhead's case.

"As if you even have anything in common with people in general. You're the weirdo." spoke up Aomine, way too casually for his teammate to keep a cool head.

"I'm not here to make friends, unlike you." Midorima answered back in a condescending tone.

"Hm, I come too. I'm hungry." Murasakibara pushed back his chair and got on his feet without having their vice-captain's permission.

"I guess it's about time. We've been at it for almost fifty minutes." The latter simply nodded in agreement. "You can take a break, just make it fast. "

Right after he said that, the green-haired boy to his left followed the movement under the gaze of his comrades, feeling oblige to justify himself to clear the situation.

"Why are you coming?" exclaimed Aomine, annoyed to have him on his heels.

"Club activities will start soon, I need to eat a little before."

"Just do it before we go to practice!"

"Why are you so against the fact I– Wait, you're not planning to run off, are you?"

As Midorima gave him a black look, the navyhead made a face and hurried himself to the exit along Murasakibara, followed promptly by the glasses boy after he picked up his shovel. Their loud bickering kept on until Akashi and her heard the door closed.

During those few seconds of silence, the rain that she completely forgot of was still pouring outside. She stood up from her chair and advanced toward the window, looking dejectedly at the morose scenery.

"It doesn't want to stop. I hope it'll calm down before the end of club activities or it will be awful to come home under this rain."

On the window reflection, she saw Akashi perked his head and slowly turning it in her direction.

"By the way, Asaka, your vice-captain had charged me to inform you of a change regarding practice." Facing the redhead, she waited for him to deliver the message. "Exceptionally, the volleyball club practice will take place in the same gymnasium as the basketball club second-string. But changes might occur before then."

"Huh? Is there some problem with the gymnasium we're using?" inquired Ritsu, startled by the information.

"Not one that requires the transfer of the volleyball club to another gymnasium." He thought pointless to go into details since her captain was certainly negociating with the studend council and set up a new deal. But as the quizzical look on Ritsu's face didn't fade, he explained it briefly to her.

"For sure, Hibari-senpai wouldn't let slip that injustice. Especially if it hinders our practice before the Nationals."

"Now, I can understand the rise of the volleyball club to national level. Hibari-san and Kazehaya-san are emanating rather strong auras. Likely, your team have promising elements."

"You could at least say «players»." remarked Ritsu, faking a pout.

"I didn't say it in a bad way. Elements are undistinctive pieces that are put together to create harmony as a whole; in this case, a team. While players characterize oneself, one ego." He looked into her gray-blue orbs and then his gaze slightly averted to the rainy scenery. "A player doesn't need a team to exist."

She didn't stir an eyelash.

"You're part of the harmony team, but your ability as a player is what decide whether you break it or maintain it. Perfectly well-balanced teams are rare nay they are an ideal simply because there are all kinds of players. Weak, strong, prideful, indecisive, straightforward, introvert, etc... all this sorts of characters influence the team you're part of as an element."

She couldn't comeup with a decent reaction, apart silence. His words were awfully wise and pragmatic. Like most of the time, she talked to him. Akashi always had this matter-of-fact attitude and tone but this objectivity that most of the people couldn't have to put things into perspective without a certain amount of time, Akashi had it. Although this may make him extremely unsensitive and distant, wise words were always spoken to help and assist people, in whatever form they were said. That's what she convinced herself of whenever he became this sharp. He wasn't basically bad, he was just too rational to the point of creeping people out. Because being overrational is not normality.

"Everyone has a place as an element, but those are limited for players. You have gained this priviledge, Asaka and it is the best for you to fight for your position as a player."

This bitterness she felt deep within, was it a sign of her weakness? If he felt the need to say it, it meant she had yet to show him what he expected of her, and more the fulfillment of this promise was still far away.

"Say, Akashi-kun, you said I was neither weak nor strong back then. Is this still the same now?"

"Why do you ask?" replied back the redhead, piercing her with his gaze.

"No, never mind. I was just wondering at where my current level is." She admitted in defeat before turning back to the window. This was a stupid question, so of course he wouldn't bother to answer it. She breathed a long sigh that was overlapped by Akashi's voice.

"You're on the right track." She slightly raised her head and looked his reflection on the window pane. "It is your sole path anyway. Since you're not weak, your evolution prospect only allow you to become stronger, not weaker. It is only when you reach the top that you can learn of weakness."

Since they were no need to grow stronger when they were no more goals nor challenges, concluded Ritsu inwardly. So she could only become strong. They stared at each other through the window reflection. No wonder Akashi and the other had this strengh in them. It was their only path.

That thought made crack a smile, she swung around and faced him.

"Then, in your case, is your evolution bound to grow stronger or weaker?" Akashi turned to be surprised, which stretched even wider her smile. "Your perfection is one factor that makes me wonder about you. Is your perfection a way to reach the top or a fact that legitimate your place at the top?"

"That's an interesting point." He finally said as she managed to force a soft smile out of him. "If so, let's keep an eye on each other's progress and see how this will turn out."

"Oh, you're unsure of your own path?" She asked in a teasing manner.

"No, this is just a way to confirm it to you."

They exchanged conniving looks, both accepting this little secret between the two of them.

"Or putting it more bluntly, this is just a way to teach me a lesson." Ritsu declared with a mischievous smile while walking back to her seat.

"Recently, you're being less formal with people."

"Do you want me to be with you?"

"No. I did state one day I find you cute this way."

Shocked, Ritsu almost missed her chair as she was about to sit down. "D-Don't say that out of the blue!"

Akashi vaguely tilted his head and quietly looked at her in a satisfied way as she sat down, flustered by his words.

She sighed under her breath, regaining her composure, and looked at the scattered textbook and pens over the table as the chairs remained vacant.

"They're taking a while."

"It leaves me time to give you this then." Her red-haired friend opened his copybook and handed her the envelop containing the festival photos and the play record. Ritsu inspected them with surprise. "Yoshiwara-san asked me to give you these since she had another commitment."

"You're doing the errand boy today?"

"Most likely."

She chuckled and thanked him after. Without waiting, she opened the envelop and took the photos out. As she was about to view them, she sent a look to him. "Have you seen them?"

At his negative response, Ritsu stood up once again and went to sit down beside him.

"Let's watch them together."

And so began their photo views. Quietly at the start, then livelier as they went on on their little activity. When they came upon the pictures of the play, she couldn't help but have a smile graced her face. She took a peek at him and closed her eyes in happiness. It was a moment full of passion, be it Akashi or her, they had both lived this instant to the fullest; and seemingly it was an event he actually cherished.

Ritsu continued to view the photo in a cheerful mood until her smile faintly faded. Yet there was one regret she had about this festival, even though she didn't want to admit it.

"Look, they even manage to take a photo of your dance with Himeno-san." With the same gaze that she had at the end of the festival, she looked on them in a vivid memory of it. Despite the fact it was a distant shot, the blissful face of Himeno and the quiet expression of Akashi was clearly read on the it.

The redhead made no comment upon the photo nor the event. He didn't need to add any to something that had been settled days ago. After the festival, the whole class had learnt from Himeno mainly that even after suffering a proper rejection, she still hadn't given up on her prince.

"I never had thought you would go for a dance with Himeno-san." insisted a little Ritsu, to have at least one reaction from him concerning this event. Since the festival end, she didn't ask him anything related to it .

"It would have been rude of me to turn her down after the effort she made to talk to me again."

"If I knew you were so compliant that day, I would have invited you to dance." She jested to cheer herself up.

"I wouldn't have minded."

Ritsu awkwardly gasped in shock and gawked at him. "Y-You don't have to say it... But is that true that you would have accepted? I mean I'm taller than you, so it would have been awkward...for you, right?"

"Asaka." While sighing, he pushed back his chair and leapt to his feet. "Stand up."

"W-Why? Don't tell me you're offended by what I said?"

"Stand up."

After breathing a sigh at her turn, she left the pictures on the table and did as she was ordered. Akashi placed himself between the windows and the table as she looked askance.

"Do you think I'm small?"

She didn't dare to reply. "...I-Is that a trick question?"

Akashi didn't bat an eyelid and passed over her reaction. "Then I'll rephrase it. Do you think you are tall?"

Unable to catch his intentions, she went with the conversation flow. "I am..."

"But for me, you're not. Physically speaking, I won't deny the difference, yet you're far from being superior to me."

"Ah?!" she exclaimed confusedly. The moment she was about to retort, Akashi suddenly pulled her by the hand toward him. Their bodies close to one another, he put his right hand on her waist and raised his left one up. Being this close made her heart leapt and stared blankly at him, having no clue he was scheming as they were likely in a dancing stance.

"W-We're not going to dance, are we?...In the library, to booth."

The latter didn't respond immediately which rendered even more nervous.

"It is true that for the bonfire dance, our slight height difference would have been obvious, just as in this configuration, when we are face to face. However, there really is not much difference between us like this."

Up close, his head stopped to her eyes level, but she couldn't call him small when his red eyes stared deeply into her gray-blue ones – in actual fact, she didn't even find awkward to be like this with him.

"If neither of us think of it as awkward, do you think people will even remark this small detail? Before paying attention to others, you should only think of yourself."

Ritsu gaped silently. What a stupid girl she was, blaming herself for this sad note at the end of the festival. She was too kind as she had guessed upon watching the dancing couple, and certainly too conscious of others to act. Maybe becoming a bit more arrogant wouldn't do her any harm.

"You're ri–"

"Mine-chin, is it me or your bump on your head has gotten bigger?"

"This is what happened when you can't stay still."

"How could you hit me with the shovel? At least, apologise to me, you mor–"

The three loud voices suddenly fell silent upon crossing gaze with the weird couple. Ritsu and the three others widened their eyes in shock as no sound could come out of their mouthes due to the extremely embarrassing moment.

Midorima closed his eyes to gather the necessary patience to cope with the situation, Aomine was utterly confounded as his eyes were so widened they could pop out and Murasakibara blinked and blinked to no end.

"...W-Why...when you two are left alone, I happen to see you two glued together...?" inquired the greenhead, unable to accept this kind of reality.

"You guys come at the perfect time." declared Akashi, paying no attention to the awkward situation. "Asaka needs to learn a few things. So, I will ask you, do you find our position awkward or natural?"

"W-W-What the...! Is that some kind of punishment you do to her? Look at her!" shouted the navyhead as he pointed his finger to the ash blond-haired girl.

Ritsu burried her face with her hands and was so confused she didn't hear the rest of their conversation. And the cause of it didn't felt any embarrassement from it.

Truthfully, only him could manage to ignite so much emotions in her. And even on rainy days, a fire could be lighted.

So, did you enjoy this chapter? Hehe, Akashi and Asaka's relationship progress smoothly, which makes me quite pleased by how this chapter turned out, really (maybe some passages were a bit rushed, if not that would have been very long) It was one of the few ones I apprehended, but much to my relief, I managed to put all the elements that I wanted for this chapter.

Hehe, that's a lot for Asaka's character developpment and it's only the beginning. It continues on the next chapter (more lightly).

Aha, that's all for now guys. You all are my support! Thanks you very much for keeping reading this story this far and for new readers, glad you join in! This story still has a long way~ before it comes to an end!

Feel free to leave some reviews!

See you at the next update!

To Oneworld111 : Aha, what a coincidence! I like these kind of coincidence! And Happy birthday to you! (I'm very late though! Sorry!) But I hope you had enjoy the second part of the present! To learn you read such a plain chapter for your birthday had made a little bit guilty, haha... Anyways thank you for your cute review, it had made my day when I was writing!