On the other side of the world, a woman with a slender figure and clothed in denim jacket, shirt and ripped jeans has been standing somewhere in Scotland while looking at the surroundings filled with wheat fields and trees. For some time now, she was busy contemplating some things in life as though she was filled with a lot of regret.
Perhaps, our best choice right now is to go back to Japan.
"Priestess-sama," a girl with blackish-purple hair, well-endowed bosom, and double eyelids, called her out, "Your things are now ready!"
"Yes, Itsuwa," the tall lady replied as she closes her eyes and mutters a small prayer.
As their priestess, I'll take them home to safety.
#
"Such a cold night…"
Kamijou Touma, the Seirin point guard, said to himself as he is currently taking a walk in the dimly-lit streets of his town towards the bust station where he was supposed to meet with Fukiyose. Oh yeah, how's Tsuchimikado and Aogami doing lately? I haven't heard from them since my last day in Academy City? He then groans as he feels the cool wind breeze past him despite the fact that it was nearing summer time and he had to hug himself just to keep his body warm.
He then remembered his national basketball teammates and their stories about their teammates (referring to the Generation of Miracles) and somehow, he smiled as he recounts that one moment a while back when they were all sharing their experiences in basketball and in life. And that big man besides me? Uh? What's his name again? Okamura-san? He looks like a gorilla and a bit childish too, probably almost Index-ish. But I can tell that he's strong. I can say the same thing with Takao, Himuro, and Kasamatsu-san. They are all strong and I didn't even realize that the latter was a nationally-recognized point guard. He was so busy day-dreaming that before he knew it, he just bumped into a post and by the time he realized it, he had already been knocked down to the ground due to the impact.
"Ouch!" the boy wailed as he holds his forehead to see if he had gotten any serious injuries. After seeing that he only had a light scratch, he then stood up but before he could walk on, he realized that he was now on the bus station. "What a strange luck, this time," he whispered to himself as he then rolled his eyes around to see if his intended objective is already here.
"Hey…"
The spiky boy then turns around upon hearing the familiar, cold voice and was less then surprised to see Fukiyose in jeans, blue blouse, and her shoulder bag already walking towards his way. "You're so slow, you know," the busty girl complained as eventually reaches the boy.
"Eh…I'm sorry, Fukiyose," Kamijou sheepishly apologized, "You see…we have our first practice with the best players from all over the country and currently, every one of them is in my house for a little gathering. So I was late…"
"Geez…well, I guess I called you too late and too soon," the girl with large forehead sighed as she pushes her shoulder bag into the hands of Kamijou, "You said your mom wants to see me, right? Then let's go."
While they were walking silently and in peace, Fukiyose then began to watch Kamijou's face and in doing so, she bit her lip. Needless to say, she secretly likes the boy so much despite the hatred she was harbouring outwardly for Kamijou's apparent laziness and so much scepticism in life. Whether she admits it or not, her perception of him got changed drastically ironically after the boy had left their school to enroll and play for Seirin High School and it took that game between Seirin and Shutoku to finally make Fukiyose realize her mistake at branding the boy as a hopeless and good-for-nothing idiot. Come to think of it, it was already obvious from the start of that match that he was the best among his teammates. She then thought that there might be more that what meets the eye since it was just a single basketball game.
While they continued to walk, she then remembered something.
"Kamijou," Fukiyose called out the boy in her left side, prompting the two of them to stop in the sidewalks.
"Hnn?" the spiky haired boy responded.
"You see," the girl at first hesitated to say it aloud but wanting to get it over, she decided to get it over with already, "Komoe-sensei and our classmates have discovered that you are already studying and playing in Seirin and as expected, your two friends back there already freaked out the moment they watched you play on livestream."
"Huh?" while he knew he should be surprised, Kamijou just can't bring himself to be shocked. I mean, if Fukiyose and most especially, Misaka, learned about it, it would be hardly surprising if my former classmates knew it as well especially that it was broadcasted. "Eh…so what's the problem there? It's not really surprising to me."
"Well…" Fukiyose stuttered a bit, "You see…our school, or in your case, former school has decided to build a basketball club as well…"
"Heh!?" Now this one was what surprised the spiky haired boy, "You mean, they'll have a basketball team as well?"
"You can tell that was the case," Fukiyose sighed, "In fact, we had a Saturday classes this morning and coincidentally, our physical education class happened to be none other than basketball and guess what? Yomikawa-sensei is going to be the head coach though I suspect that she was just forced into it.
"How did this even happened?" Kamijou asked.
"You see…"
Swoosh!
The sound of the basketball was heard hitting the ring all net as everyone in shorts and white PE shirts is busy learning the basic fundamentals of that very sport that their former classmate has mastered and is playing outside Academy City.
"Hey! You shot so low! Get a grip! Your release is wrong!" Yomikawa shouted to a certain spiky haired girl in glasses as the latter had just made an airball, "Bend your knees more!" Currently, their class is learning basic basketball and they were told before the session that after this one, they would have advanced basketball as their next lesson.
"Can't you believe it? We're learning the very sport that Kami-yan's been making a career out of it," Aogami said with a chuckled as he then tried to shoot a three pointer five feet from the line—in vain.
"That would be interesting," Tsuchimikado replied with a maniac laugh as he kept dribbling a ball in his hands.
"Wow!" the rest of the girls (except Fukiyose) said in awe as they are watching a certain male classmate calmly sinking his free throws perfectly, "Kashiwaki-sama is so good!" Yes, he was Kashiwaki Ogiwara, their new classmate who had just arrived from America a week after Kamijou had left for Seirin. Standing at 178 cm (5' 10"), he was an elegant man with a slick black hair and well-endowed athletic body which is the main reason why he can play basketball—well, decently, from the eyes of Fukiyose, who actually thinks low about him.
"Didn't you hear? He was already receiving offers to be a model on TV!" one girl, who became an instant fangirl, squealed in delight.
"I see. Hey, Fukiyose-chan, aren't you delighted about our new classmate?" another girl then asked the Iron Walled Girl, who was busy watching the boy with disgust.
"I'm not even slightly interested in him. Not at all," Fukiyose answers with contempt as she crosses her arms.
"Eh? But think about it, he's actually courting you! It seemed that he can pierce your heart of iron with his smile. I think he's even better than Kami—"
"I suggest you better stop that ridiculous comparison," the Forehead Deluxe shot down the girl, who got scared at the scowl she received, "And what are you saying about him being better? In basketball or in looks? Because if you're referring to the former, then I can say you're probably out of your mind. And I can't respect a suitor whom I heard so many bad things about."
Apparently, the day Kashiwaki had arrived at the school, stories about him being rude to some of their male classmates, canteen staff, and a few teachers has been circulating around the campus as well as rumors about him being physically violent to some girls who fallen for him. While they were dismissed as nothing but baseless gossips at first, it was discovered that there must be some grain of truth about those talks because he was once already summoned to office for kicking a first year student in the canteen line, which was unfortunately caught on cam. Why he was only given a light punishment is a mystery but Fukiyose suspected that he had bribed the authorities in exchange for modelling for the purpose of promoting their school.
And right now, she was even dragged into these rumors because of the fact that when he first entered their class, he was immediately attracted to the Forehead Deluxe, whom it reminded him of the very first woman that he loved dearly (or so he claimed). And there was not a day that he didn't nag the busty girl into dates, which she resisted despite the fact that she haven't even beaten him to the pulp, a fact that shocked the whole populace and this prompted some to think that Fukiyose is actually falling in love for him. The truth is, she was already warned by Oyafune Suama about hitting the one student who can make their school famous.
"Hey, Seiri, my love!" Kashiwaki casually called her out using her given name, to the chagrin of the girl, "Don't you want me to teach you how to play this magnificent sport?" He proudly showed off by rolling the ball in his hands, which sent the whole female populace, apart from Fukiyose and Himegami, who was just quiet all the time, screaming with "Gyaaah!"
"Shut up…" the busty girl coldly said, her fists clenching while her brown eyes were narrowing with anger, "I don't need your help. I'd rather have Kamijou to teach me."
"What? Why someone else? Besides, I could probably be better than him…" the ikemen said as he just smiled sweetly at Fukiyose, who didn't even flinch at his little playfulness.
"You don't hold a candle against him," Fukiyose calmly explained to him, "In fact, you wouldn't even reach his feet. I admit you'll do well in this sport but when it comes to that guy, he transcends above you."
"How so? Are you even paying attention to the little scrimmage a while back?" Kashiwaki, now getting enraged and desperate that his plans into luring the Iron Walled girl into his own territory has so far been a disappointment, scowled, "Did you even see that I was the one who scored majority of the points for our team, huh!? I was the one who had to carry these scrubs to a tie!"
"For starters, you were a horrible teammate," Fukiyose then rebutted back, "Instead of encouraging your teammates, you were shouting back at them and demanding to give you the ball everytime that I can't even recall if they manage to even touch the ball for themselves. Then your shooting percentage is very awful as you took a lot of shots and even forced some attempts. You were also too lazy to even defend and you're complaining at the calls you received."
By this time, everyone is now gathered between the two as their little argument has somewhat becoming a shouting match. But even so, no one wanted to intervene between the two. Kashiwaki, for his part, is now getting livid and incensed at the fact that Fukiyose, aside from rejecting his attempts to be his girlfriend, seemed to be far more interested with a guy that he didn't even meet. Unable to contain his anger, he attempted to charge towards the busty girl, who got alarmed by this and was already prepared to raise her fists when they heard a whistle blown.
"That's enough!" Yomikawa, who was observing the two for some few minutes, whistled to catch the attention of the two, "Stop the argument or I'll send you two in the office!" Immediately, Kashiwaki and Fukiyose dropped their stances as everyone eventually was ordered to seat down on the gym floors as the Anti-Skill lieutenant seemed to be announcing something very important.
"I don't know if you know this but the school has created a basketball club just a week ago for reasons that I don't even understand," Yomikawa sighed as everyone was shocked at the statement. Whispers of "What!? We have a basketball club in this school now?" was heard flying all over the class.
"Right now, we already have a roster and good news, Kashiwaki, your classmate, had just made it to the final twelve," Yomikawa announced.
"Hmmph…I wouldn't even be here if I wasn't good enough," the model said it loud enough for Fukiyose to hear it, not that the latter even care. Meanwhile, some of his fans in the class just squealed in glee and even congratulated him.
"As a first step, we planned to take the whole class this week for the first tune-up game of the club, though we haven't found any school that is willing to play with us. So we might…"
"I know, sensei!" Tsuchimikado suddenly shouted, interrupting Yomikawa, "Why don't we play Seirin High School!? Think about it, it's Kami-yan's school so we might be able to strike a deal with them!"
"Now that I think about it, you're right, Tsuchimikado," Aogami agreed and immediately, the rest of the class agreed that this should be the right path to take and once again, the male populace were chanting "We want Seirin! We want Seirin!" Yomikawa can only sigh as though she felt like the whole class had a point about familiarity. But before she could even say something else, Fukiyose already started speaking.
"Sensei. I don't want to sound discouraging but can't we at least find a school that's a low-tier one if it's just a tune-up game?" she asked.
"What made you say that, Fukiyose?" Yomikawa asked.
"Since the club is just new, it would not be surprising if the familiarity of the system isn't yet there so I think fighting an average school would be the best decision for now since it would give the players a grasp of team concept," Fukiyose explained, earning the stares of the whole class, "Besides, don't you think it would be an overkill if we fight them with the likes of Seirin High School, which is one of the top eight high school teams all over Japan. Not to mention, the other seven had the Generation of Miracles in their lineups."
"Hold on, dear…" Kashiwaki interrupted her, seemingly getting annoyed, "I just noticed something fishy. You sounded like you're praising the other schools for their teams but you were looking down on our club. What's wrong with you? Can't you see that we had a fighting chance, especially with me on the team?"
"I'm not being a sceptic, moron," the girl spat back, "Rather, I'm just being realistic for the sake of the club. As far as I know, you're now the tallest in the whole student body of our campus. In contrast, the team that you all wanted to fight had three or four players over six feet tall and two of them are renowned nationally, not to mention that they also had a player who came from those feared Miracles." At this point, she was referring to Mitobe, Kiyoshi, Kagami, and Kuroko (and probably Yagi Yuta).
"What Fukiyose wants to say is that the Kami-yan that she's speaking about a while back is also playing there and I had to admit, he's light years ahead of you," Tsuchimikdo chuckled as he shrugged off.
Suddenly, Kashiwaki was internally livid again as he felt Fukiyose resisting his attempts to seduce him as in his point of view, someone else had already hooked her heart already. "And that runt happens to be in that Seirin school or whatever place that is," he internally raged inside his mind.
"Well…I'm designated to be the head coach so I'll see if that's applicable," Yomikawa said in exhaustion as she crosses her arms in weariness.
"Hey, sensei…" one male student suddenly voiced out his opinion, "I'm not trying to be rude but since Seirin is strong, then would that be finer? I mean, it's better facing off against stronger opponents rather than weak ones."
"You got a point there…" Yomikawa replied as she whispered to herself, "Damn it…I don't know why am I being tasked to coach the team and here I end up asking their opinions."
After some time, and with the influence and charisma of Kashiwaki, Yomikawa eventually relented that they have a practice match with Seirin High School in Wednesday morning and she had already called the principal by phone about the said game. Fukiyose sighed at this as she knew there is no way to stop the idiots in their class when it comes to events like these. But as she stood up to change her sweaty clothes, she then noticed Kashiwaki looking at her with an expression that she can't describe if it's because he wanted to show something to her or simply because he has this this killing intent that says, "You can't run away from me, dear." Either way, she had to admit that it was intense that she immediately moved away.
"I probably need to talk to Touma…I mean, baKamijou over this…" the busty girl said to herself as she goes to the infirmary.
"And that's what happened," Fukiyose sighed as she holds her forehead with her right hand while Kamijou was just listening with an awkward expression.
"I…I see. So in other words, you don't like this Kashiwaki guy?" Kamijou asked.
"Nope," Fukiyose replied.
"Well…" Kamijou scratched his head in his back, "At least, someone's showing interest in you. But don't you have any plans to…"
"I'll never reconcile with him in this lifetime," the Forehead Deluxe huffed, cutting off the spiky haired boy. Hearing this, Kamijou suddenly smiled and found the courage to actually teased her, "Hey, didn't you say the same thing to me during the Daihesaisai Festival last year."
"H-Huh!?" Fukiyose then was reminded of that moment when she scolded the boy for his apparent "laziness" during the games and was blushing as she retorted back, "W-Well…that was a different matter, you idiot! I did tell you that because at that time I…uh…I…" Realizing that she didn't have anything to retort back, he decided to headbutt the boy, albeit lightly but strong enough to push off the boy out of balance.
"H-Hey, I'm just joking," Kamijou defended himself but inwardly, he was actually getting a lot comfortable around the girl she called the she-devil just two weeks ago.
"Whatever," Fukiyose said, her arms crossing as they continued to walk, "By the way, I hope you do kick Kashiwaki's butt on Wednesday. I really can't stand him much longer."
"Well…ok but…"
"Don't worry, we will win that game…"
The two was surprised to hear that voice suddenly answer and when they turned their backs to see who is it, Kamijou was shocked to see a familiar pair of blue and red.
"I'm sorry, Kamijou-kun. We just discovered something and we wanted to talk it out to you."
It was Kuroko and Kagami.
Some Ten Minutes Ago
After excusing himself to go outside of the house, Kuroko found himself running as fast as he could as he was headed into a certain bus station. Why he was doing this, he himself doesn't know but the moment he heard Kamijou's story (though he really didn't understood it all) snapped something within the heart and soul of the Phantom Sixth Man. I'll leave his story as it is but at the very least, I want to tell Kamijou about something.
It wasn't long until he finally reached the bus station. Luckily, the whole station was surrounded by Sakura trees and shrubs so he was able to dunk into one of the larger plants just in time to see his teammate meeting with that familiar lady with a large forehead. That's Fukiyose-san, right? As he moves discreetly in his hiding spot, he could swear that he could hear the bush suddenly rustle and crackle as if someone else is also in the same spot. Undeterred, he then took a look at the spot where he heard the sound and from there, he noticed that someone else is watching at the two.
"Kagami-kun…"
"Teme…how did you know I was here, you little runt!?" the red headed power forward, who actually followed Kuroko just moments after he left, raged as his cover got blown.
"Shhhhh…" the tealnette shushed the Seirin ace and together, they watch the Kamijou and Fukiyose speak with one another, "By the way, how did you know that I'm going here, Kagami-kun?"
"Your timing to leave the house is well too coincidental, Kuroko," Kagami explained exasperatedly, "Besides, knowing you, I'm thinking what you're thinking as well…"
"I never knew Kagami-kun can be smart sometimes," Kuroko bluntly commented, prompting a tick to appear on Kagami's forehead as a sign of irritation. But that didn't last long as they noticed the two already walking outside the station and to the path leading back to the house of the boy.
Following stealthily, Kuroko and Kagami had to hid in some of the garbage bins (and trees in the latter's case since he was too tall and big) as to be able to avoid being detected by the two while they were able to spy (though Kuroko wouldn't want to put it that way) their best friend. As they were following, they manage to hear snippets of the conversation of the two, and when they hear Fukiyose said, "Whatever. By the way, I hope you do kick Kashiwaki's butt on Wednesday. I really can't stand him much longer," Kuroko just decided to interrupt their conversation right now to end this ridiculous spying (and since they were just a few meters away from the house of the spiky haired boy). Even before Kagami could object, Kuroko went out of his hiding spot and startle the two with his response, "Don't worry, we will win that game…"
Suddenly, the atmosphere tensed up as in the split of the seconds, Kuroko found himself staring into the wide eyes of the two but if acting as if he didn't care, he spoke once again, "I'm sorry, Kamijou-kun. We just discovered something and we wanted to talk it out to you." Hearing his best friend spilling it out right now, Kagami had no choice but to follow up as well and say, "I know we shouldn't pry on it but I think it would be the best not only for you but also for the three of us and for the rest of the team.
Sensing as if this is a privy matter that she shouldn't butt on, Fukiyose whispered to Kamijou, "Sheesh…I'll step out of this for a moment so you can talk among yourselves and sit on that bench near your house." But she can't help but be curious as well. What do they want to talk about? Nevertheless, she then walked away from her secret crush, leaving the three boys by themselves.
Once they were alone, Kuroko didn't hesitate to ask and quickly fired his question, "Kamijou-kun, what really happened to you in the past? I know it's too private but…"
"Hey, hey…" Right now, the spiky haired boy felt like he was getting cornered by the two as he quickly searched his brain for some excuses, "Hehehe, I don't know what you're talking about. If it's my high school life, it's fine. If you're talking about my childhood was just as normal as yours for sure…"
"Yeah, right," Kagami felt like he wanted to face palm, "If you can call being stabbed by someone for his own debt normal like what that journal said normal…"
Suddenly, Kamijou felt like he was about to flop in the ground the moment he had heard what Kagami said. I know my memories didn't remember that but my father did. How did you know that? Wait…the journal…you can't be saying…
From ten feet away, Fukiyose wasn't able to continue walking anymore as she heard what Kagami revealed as if she got hit by a bomb. Seriously!? She basically felt her feet froze that she had to drag herself out of the scene so she can comfort herself. But as he sat at her seat, she was basically shaking. Is this what he really have to deal with as a child!?
"Yes, Kamijou-kun," Kuroko said, as if confirming the boy's suspicions, "Unfortunately, Takao-kun found your green notebook and at his insistence, he read it aloud. Please, forgive him for his lack of delicacy but at the same time, it had revealed some few things we didn't know about you though I had to admit some of them are things that we didn't even fully understand." Especially about that thing where you said you can't remember anything.
At this, Kamijou knew he can't hide it anymore. From that moment, every block that he had built for the sake of protecting Index's sake and his idealistic nature of making everyone happy has been ironically torn down by none other than his two Seirin teammates, basketball idiots, and most especially, his two friends who just wanted to know every shed of Kamijou's identity.
(A/N: I know it's cheesy but it would be better if you listen to Toaru Kagaku no Railgun OST 17: Chiisana Nozomi while reading the next sets of paragraphs since it would add effect)
"I see…" Kamijou said in a low whisper that eventually grew louder as he looks away from his two friends, "So you have read that journal, huh? I'll tell you something. Ever since I was sent to Academy City after graduating in kindergarten, I always wonder at first why they have to send me in that place when in fact, I didn't do anything wrong. The truth is, I'm always on the receiving end of everyone's mockery, always getting thrown rocks and when I'm badly wounded, they would say that why didn't I die. It was basically miserable." Though that was what my journal and father said during that Angel Arc incident.
Kuroko and Kagami listened closely. And the Imagine Breaker user was loud enough to be heard by none other than Fukiyose, who was listening with disbelief…and worry.
"So that's what sent me to that city," he continued, "But still, my misfortunes didn't stop there. I was getting chased by criminals, always getting called out even if I didn't do anything wrong." He then smiled, "But you know, I'm happy that I'm what I am today. They can call me anything they want but that won't stop me from looking positive in life." If there's any, that's you guys.
Kuroko sighed before speaking once again, "I'm surprised you could say that especially since you claimed you can't remember anything at all."
"Kuroko…" Kagami eyed him with panic as though he was trying to warn him about something he thought is too sensitive.
Once again, the spiky haired boy was once shocked once more but he recovered from it, "Yeah…it's true. I suffered amnesia…"
Even if they have an idea, Kuroko, Kagami, and from a far, Fukiyose, were all stunned to hear something so ridiculous.
"That was one of my biggest misfortunes…" the boy said in a loud whisper, "Not being able to remember your friends…your family…everything. It sucks." He then stopped when he realized what he was saying. Dammit! And to think they would know it as well. But on the other hand, he decided to continue, "But you know, that's one reason why I wanted to see other people smile. Maybe that way, I can help other people be happy, even if means risking my own and be on my own. If I'm unlucky, I can't help that so I find my joy in making other people happy and safe from their own worries, whether it's small or not." The two light-and-shadow duo could feel both the pain and sincerity of the voice of the boy.
Finally, he concluded, "I'm sorry guys. I'm sorry if I didn't immediately trust the two of you with stuff like this. I felt by doing that, I would only burden our team and get affected by it so I chose to keep it by myself." After he said those words, he hung his head in an effort to hide the tears that were threatening to escape his eyes from his friends. It's just painful for him to remember those bad moments (or what's left of it) from Academy City.
After some seconds, Kagami then spoke up, "Taku…you're really stupid."
"H-Huh?" Kamijou said in surprise as he stopped crying by wiping off his tears with his hands.
"First, you said you were bullied, then you were unlucky that you even lost half of you goddamn memories, and third, you bottled up your pained expression to yourself? Dammit, you have us," Kagami said in a frustrated voice.
Kamijou can only stare as his two friends began to speak.
"Kagami-kun is right," Kuroko then followed, "So what if you really said your problems to us, would that burden the whole teams? No but instead we'll be here to pick you up when you fall down. Judging by the journal, you did faced some unnatural battles but I won't anymore delve on them since that's Academy City at all. But please, trust us."
"Guys…" the spiky haired boy can't believe what he heard. Misaka and Index had just basically told me the same thing before we went to Hawaii!
"Besides, it's stupid if you kept thinking about the bad things that happened to you," Kagami said as out of nowhere, he offers a bro fist, "Amnesia or not, I'll kill you if you think you're a burden to us. Come to think of it, you've been in the Seirin club for almost a month already. Are you still seeing yourself as an outsider?"
"After all, you can make new memories," Kuroko said as he also offers his fist bump, "I don't know what it's like to have amnesia but that's terrible to hear. So that's why we are here to help you create your new moments. You might not be the Kamijou Touma-kun of Academy City anymore but certainly, you are now the Kamijou Touma-kun of Seirin High School."
Hearing this, the boy replied, "Yes…but still…that would mean troubling the two of you…"
"That's what we're here for, baka," Kagami replied immediately, "So what if you have problems? We'll share your burden. I don't know what you're thinking right now but let me tell you this: the moment you donned the Seirin jersey with us, we've been friends from that point. Didn't you even realize that?"
Kamijou gaped in both shock. And I'm overjoyed. When he thought it would just be the same as Academy City, both Kuroko and Kagami tore down that perception. "Thanks guys. I'm glad I have met you, my friends." He then also bares his fists and the three of them fist bumped each other.
"With the three of us, we'll take the whole basketball world by storm," Kuroko proudly declares.
I was stupid once again, Kamijou thought as they proudly lock their fists, I didn't realize that they do care at all. I'm sorry, guys.
But as he finally made up with both Kuroko and Kagami and together, they walked back to the house, Kamijou noticed Fukiyose looking at him with some mized feelings of hurt and anger. Sensing this immediately, the red head and tealnette whispered, "Looks like you pissed of someone as well. We might as well leave the two of you alone to talk among yourselves," Before the spiky haired boy can say anything, the two hurriedly left him and went back inside the house, leaving the Forehead Deluxe and their teammate alone outside the house.
Once they were all along, Kamijou can feel the gush of the cold wind breezing and whistling past him at he looks at the girl's brown eyes with a blank expression. Please, don't tell me this is another round of scolding…
"Did you really lost your memories?" Fukiyose's voice was cold as ice.
"Well…uh…yeah…in an accident," Kamijou partially confessed as she knew it would not be wise to reveal anything about magic to someone who is a firm believer of Esper abilities.
Hearing his response, the girl's fists clenched first before opening here hands and raising them up in an apparent attempt to slap the boy hard in his cheeks. But even then, she cannot bring herself to do so after all what hearing all the terrible things that happened to the boy. Slowly, she puts down her hands.
"Are you lying?" the girl then stared hard at the boy's eyes.
"Heh? What? No…I really did have amnesia…" Now, he was getting nervous.
"Let me ask you then. You still remember the remainder of the first year, don't you?"
"Yes, I remember those things. Don't worry..."
"Shut up!" Fukiyose yelled with rage as the boy flinched back, "How can I calm down and not worry when I don't even know what really is happening to my former classmate back then!? Do you know how painful that is…huh!?" She stopped ranting as suddenly, the boy pats her head with his right hand, "Baka, what are you doing?"
"Calming you down, of course," Kamijou said as he pats her head, "I hate seeing you go off like this."
"Because it's your—" Fukiyose wasn't able to finish what she'll about to say when suddenly, the spiky haired boy let go of her head and in an instant, he hugged her tightly while wrapping his arms fully around her. She instantly got flustered in embarrassment as he can feel the abs of the man she secretly likes pressing against her chest and the radiant heat of the muscles engulfing her.
"I'm sorry to make you worry. I was a terrible classmate," Kamijou confessed and apologized sincerely to her, "It doesn't matter if my memories were washed out by a disaster. We can always make new ones, right?"
Fukiyose can only stare at him in his blue eyes as she can't help but feel weak from his hug. Is this something I should confess to him? Should I? But before she can say anything, they were suddenly interrupted by Kamijou's phone suddenly ringing.
"Nani? Who could this be?" the spiky haired boy said to himself as he use his right arm to pull out his flip phone from his pocket and when he did read the message, Fukiyose swore he was a priceless reaction from the boy's face.
Oi, baka. How are you now? I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to come to your school on yesterday.
~ Misaka Mikoto
Great timing. The boy groaned as he types in his phone keys.
You don't really need to go to my school, Misaka. That would only be a hassle on your part.
~ Kamijou Touma
After this, he decided to turn off the phone's batteries so that he'll not be able to reply to her immediately and to cut her off, at least until the part has finally ended.
When they finally entered the house, Kamijou and Fukiyose was greeted on the door way by none other than the former's mother, who was excited to see whom she claims to be her future daughter-in-law, "Come, Seiri-chan!" his mom really had taken a liking on the girl, "We can talk about the future of you two in the kitchen." And before she can even protest, she was dragged on the hand by Shiina, who cheerfully pulled her inside the house. Her son then followed suite and as soon as he entered, he then realized that the food consisting of the main cuisine Yakiniku, Sukiyaki, and Nikujaga has been served already and almost all of the people invited have started to eat.
"Here," Kagami, whose mouth was again filled with meat, suddenly gave a plate filled with barbeque, "I know you're very tired from working up your ass with Akashi and those Generation of Bastards."
"Thanks," Kamijou can only say as he reaches out for the plate.
The rest of the evening was very fun. The Generation of Miracles and their Phantom Sixth Man plus Momoi are happily and endlessly chatting about the good days to come which is none other than fighting the best basketball players from all over the world. Meanwhile, the Seirin team and all of the partners and former senpais of the prodigies were all gathered on one corner talking among themselves about random stuff. However, one topic that unnerved the spiky haired boy is the Forehead Deluxe that arrived with him and is currently with his mother on the kitchen where they are exchanging stories.
"So is she your girlfriend, Kamijou?" Kiyoshi asked as he flashes his trademark but stupid smile.
"Huh!? No way, senpai," Kamijou vehemently denied as he takes a bite of roasted pork.
"Of course, that's how married couples usually start off. They always deny it the first time," Izuki said while drinking a cola.
"You're talking as if you're speaking from experience," Hyuga gave their Eagle Eyed point guard a blank look.
"Nevertheless, it seems Kamijou-kun and Fukiyose-san would end up sealing the deal," Aida teased her kouhai, earning a stare from the spiky haired boy, "If that happens, I can guarantee that he would be the first to have a girlfriend before Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun does."
The Generation of Miracles somehow caught wind of what the Seirin team was talking about.
"What? Bakagami having a girlfriend?" Aomine was genuinely shocked as he drawled out, "That can only happen in his delusions…"
"What'd you say, bastard!?" Kagami was annoyed that the Touou ace is again picking on him and he was itching to stand up and strangle his counterpart but was restrained thanks to Kiyoshi and Hyuga, who chops his head, saying, "Sit down, bakayarou!"
"Riko-san! Tetsu-kun have me!" Momoi yelled, "I'm his future wife!" Everyone from the rainbow miracles only gave her a stoic look. And yet, Kuroko/Kuro-chin/Kurokocchi/Tetsu doesn't see you as his potential partner.
"I'll never get used to this," Kasamatsu mumbled to himself as he was still shocked to see that this was the team which he and Kaijo lost to in the semifinals of the Winter Cup last year. Meanwhile, Shiina and Fukiyose were busy sharing pleasant stories, with the former learning that the girl's family live in Chiba, which is not part of Tokyo Metropolis but is within the Greater Tokyo area, and that she had a younger brother who happened to be attending a school there as well.
"I see he was really having a good time in Academy City," Shiina said while drinking tea with the girl with large forehead, "But having my son back here is even better. By the way, Touma dear's school is quite the sadist, Seiri-chan."
"What do you mean, Kamijou-san?" Fukiyose asked.
"You see, before Touma dear became a regular in the Seirin line-up, he was made to shout an oath of promise to the whole school," the mother replied.
"For what reason?"
"My son said that it's a school tradition so he can't do anything about it but apparently…" the young mother hesitated to answer before she summoned up her courage, "If my son and his team loses, they would be forced to confess to the girl they like their love bare-naked."
Hearing this, Fukiyose almost choked into the cookies that she was eating as she cannot believe at the brazenness that the Seirin coach had just displayed. And what's more, Kamijou and his so-called friends just accepted it without qualms! Now, her shock was actually replaced with the feeling of curiosity as she knew that the boy was particularly dense when it comes to women. If ever, who will she even confess? I know Aisa had feelings for him but still, his density…
Bam!
Her monologue was disrupted by the sound of the door leading to the kitchen suddenly slamming shut and from there, Shiina saw Index and Othinus chasing each other after the latter suddenly took away the drumstick that the English nun is eating, "Sphynx! Come back here!" The silver haired nun cried out aloud as the kitten was running throughout the kitchen.
"Oh…another interesting moment in our house…" Shiina sighed as she watched the two run like fools.
After another hour, all of the guests then knew it was getting late and as the unofficial (or official) leader of the group, Akashi stood up and went to where Kamijou's parents were standing and politely bowed, "We're grateful for the food that you served to us. We will look forward again for a similar event in the coming days. Arigatou!"
"Uh…sure, young man," Touya sweat dropped as the guy whom the father described as a red headed devil just bowed to him, "You all can come here anytime as long as you inform my son and please, take care Touma very well."
"Of course, Kamijou-san," Akashi replied as he leaved his presence to rejoin the other players, who are now standing up and helping in fixing the utensils that they used. Meanwhile, all the Seirin regulars and Kamijou are gathered outside the house so that they would have their last meeting, "Oh my, Kamijou, thanks for the free meal!" Koganei said.
"You're welcome, senpai," the spiky haired boy replied.
"Taku…" Hyuga was obviously embarrassed by the cheesiness of his team and decided to get to the main point, "Now, we suddenly got a hurried text from the principal saying we'll have a…"
"Practice match against my former school, right?" Kamijou completed it for him.
"Eh? How did you know that it was from Academy City? Or more importantly, how did you know it was your former school?" Aida was quite surprised.
"Hmmm? Fukiyose told me a while back," the Imagine Breaker boy said, earning attention from the whole team, except Kuroko and Kagami, "They're strongest player is someone I didn't even meet since he's a new student."
"I see but…" Izuki then tapped his shoulder, "Just remember this: you're in Seirin now so we expect that you'll still give your 120 percent. We're counting on you."
Kiyoshi then rubbed his hair to, "You know, if you're having problems, just speak to me."
"Where did that come from, Kiyoshi?" Hyuga stared at him.
"What's the problem, Hyuga?" the second best center after Murasakibara spoke, "I'm speaking as his senpai so I don't see any problem."
"Anyways, we have to get home so I'll expect to see the all of you on Monday," Aida said as eventually, all of the GoM and their respective teammates are now going out of the house after helping out in cleaning the house.
"I can't believe that Aominecchi just helped in sweeping the floor," Kise was heard talking so loudly as they all filtered in the door.
"Say that again, you dumbass blondie!" the tanned power forward growled as Kise got frightened by his dark aura and quickly hid behind Midorima, who scowled at the annoying Kaijo ace while holding his lucky item. Murasakibara was already getting sleepy while Akashi merely kept his composure.
"Forgive this idiots," Kasamatsu said as he then taps Kamijou's shoulder, "Thanks for the dinner, kid! Let's play on our next practice…"
"Uh…okay…" the boy wasn't sure on how to respond to the former Kaijo captain.
After everyone had already left, with Kuroko merely having to cross the road to reach his home in the other side of the street, Kamijou then went back inside and was met by his mother, father, a blank-faced Fukiyose, and a still-munching Index, who wasn't finished wiping off the remaining meat in some of the plates. However, there's something wrong with this picture.
"Uh…where is Otohime?" Kamijou asked as he scans the whole living room.
"She already went home with her parents, Touma," Touya replied as he pats the shoulder of Fukiyose, who was actually startled in his touch, "So I think that this young lady needs to go home as well, son. It's getting late alrea—"
"Seiri-chan can sleep here with us for the night!" Shiina suddenly squealed with glee, catching both the cat-quick Kamijou and the busty Fukiyose off-guard, "We can't simply send out a young girl especially in dark nights like this! Seiri, please you can sleep with Touma dear in his room."
The spiky haired boy wasn't able to reply due to his shock at hearing her mother decided something so touchy quick, "But Kamijou-san…are you sure about this?" Fukiyose asked seriously as the boy looked at her with a strange expression, "I mean…"
"It's fine then, young lady," Touya then changed his mind and quickly agreed to let the girl stay with them for the night, "Besides, I'm sure Touma's mom have some spare clothes for you to wear in this house, won't you agree, Touma?" The elder Kamijou then looked at his son, who felt like he just wanted to die at the scene unfolding before his eyes.
"I'm pretty sure Touma dear would be glad to have his future wife beside him," Shiina smiled while she grabs Fukiyose's hand and led her away.
#
Arriving at their humble house reminiscent of traditional Japanese architecture, Kiyoshi had thrown himself carelessly in his bed as he lay to get some rest. But still, the Iron Heart's mind was actually full of thoughts, especially those concerning his kouhai which is none other than Kamijou.
From having been stabbed in his young age and getting being bullied to experiencing such discrimination in Academy City, it's pretty terrible, Kiyoshi thought in is mind as he kept lying on his bed, And not for Takao's accidental discovery of that journal, we might never learn of things about Kamijou. It's as if we were just getting know him yet. Or perhaps, he was still getting accustomed to Seirin that he was hesitant to open with us. Come to think of it, Kuroko was just the same last year before our match with Rakuzan when he finally opened up to us. Maybe it isn't really the time yet for Kamijou to do the same.
Nevertheless, he was determined on one thing. That's why we're here as his senpais. I know we cannot anymore change his damn past but if anything, we'll just have to win our next games for his sake. Ah, this is getting stressful. I need to rest as well.
He then turned off his lights and immediately, he was heard snoring.
#
The moment Fukiyose had entered Kamijou's room, he was expecting to see a topsy-turvy catastrophe typical of boys with a careless sense of cleaning. But she was surprised when she saw that the room was fairly clean and well-organized, not to mention that it is well-ventilated, with its own air conditioning unit and a large window which can receive fresh air. It's quite good. She then sat on one bed, which happens to be the bed of the boy she secretly likes.
"Hey, since Fukiyose would be sleeping with us for the night," he heard Kamijou spoke to the English nun she always encounters whenever she would visit their school last year, "So that would mean either you would be sleeping on the family couch or I would be sleeping on the sofa."
"I'll sleep on the bed, Touma!" the nun immediately answered as she huffs and crosses her arms.
"Well…I actually expected that you'll say that…" the spiky haired boy replied as he scratches his head.
"No one would be sleeping on the couch or sofa!" Shiina suddenly entered as she is holding a towel and a bar of soap, "It's quite dusty right now and besides, it should be fun if you three are all here. Ahhh…I have decided—Seiri-chan would be sleeping besides you in your own bed!"
"Eeeeeehh!?" Kamijou and Fukiyose can only reply in shock as the mother then threw the towel and soap to the latter.
"Oh, what's with the reaction, son?" Shiina smiled innocently as she then was moving towards the door to leave, "You're thinking slightly disturbing things, no? You really are a carbon copy of your father." With that, the mother finally left the three of them.
When they were alone, the busty girl was the first to recover from her state of shock, "W-Well, since it's your mother saying it, then let's share your bed together. But I warn you now, I'll kick you out of it if you do something perverted to me."
That's my bed, for your information and besides, it's not like I wanted to do it. Kamijou groaned inwardly as he then nods, "Okay. Okay. So why don't you take the first shower first since I'll have to review something on my personal computer?"
"Sounds pretty good to me but…" Fukiyose then smells herself and said, "Do you have an extra shirt that I can use? I have nothing to use for sleeping since I only have this blouse to use for going back to the city."
"Well…" Kamijou then stood up and he went to his closet which he opened. After scanning the clothes, which consisted of his Seirin uniforms, playing jerseys, casual clothing, and other stuff, he sighed as he realized she can't use his black sleeveless t-shirts as he's using them for his practice purposes and on the darker side, he might end up feeling his boner stand up while they are sleeping.
But seeing that he had little options, he decided to hand her one of his playing jerseys, "Huh? Don't you have any clothes there?" Fukiyose raised her eyebrows sceptically as the boy merely scratched his head.
"Most of my other clothing there is sporting clothes so you'll really have to use my jersey. I can just wash them thoroughly after you left," he said carelessly.
His wordings somehow offended the girl, "What do you mean, thoroughly!?" She attempts to raise her fists in the blunt comment.
"Ah…no, no, no," Kamijou sighed as he waves her hands, "Okay, just take your shower now, hehehe…"
After going in the bathroom, Fukiyose then saw the large bathroom was quite roomy, with a shower which was separated by a folding door, a bathtub, a sink, and of course, a toilet with an attached bidet beside it. Filling the bathtub with lukewarm water, she then dipped herself in before letting herself slightly float into the bubbling liquid. As she sat there, she suddenly realized than her stay with the Kamijou family had actually given her an opportunity. This was her chance…
Her chance to know what the hell is with that journal that his two friends in Kuroko and Kagami ranted about.
Her chance to finally figure out if the rumoured bad luck that he claimed her had is actually true.
Her chance to finally get to know how he actually feels about his past and present friends.
And most of all, her chance to actually know him better.
She won't let this rare chance pass her by. Not anymore.
#
While the Forehead Deluxe was at the bathroom, Kamijou was finished reviewing a tape about basketball strategies and is now just lying on the bed waiting for her to finish. First, the whole team learned about my amnesia and right now, Fukiyose is sleeping with me and at my bed!? He thought it was a ridiculous luck once again as he rolls in his bed. On the other hand, he was quite happy as well that he finally got to trust Kuroko and Kagami fully. I just hope nothing bad happens when Tsuchimikado and Aogami and the rest of the class troops to Seirin for the tune up. That would be too much to bear on my part.
"Hey human," Othinus suddenly squeaked as she sprouts out of her dollhouse, "I like the taste of your mother's barbeque. It was pretty tasty and the tenderloin is very soft. I would wonder when she would cook another one batch."
"Oh it's you," Kamijou replied as she looks at the tiny Magic God, "I dunno. Maybe when we finally win the Olympic medal. Oh and by the way, you'll have to endure staying there for long hours since we have a guest that might be shocked if she sees you." Grumbling beneath her breath, Othinus drags herself back inside the doll house, just in time to see Fukiyose now going out of the bathroom, her hair still wet and sticking to the oversized jersey that she borrowed, which made the boy yelp. And because it was oversized, she didn't actually need to wear shorts or pajamas, which is what she exactly did.
"I'm finish now," Fukiyose said as the boy stood and hurriedly ran to the bathroom before shutting it close. The Iron Wall Girl then sighed as she looks around and discovers that Index is already asleep. Walking around as if she owns the room, she then looks around and checks the closet for some interesting stuff. She then surmises that the spiky haired boy must be a Kobe fan judging from the brand of Nike shoes he is wearing in addition to the pair of Air Jordans beside the two shoes. And here, he had also had basketball leggings, Nike socks, a ball, a bundle of basketball magazines, a poster of Kobe Bryant…hey! He thinks nothing except basketball!
But as she was walking idly in the room, she then noticed a green notebook with the name of Kamijou Touma written on it lying on the PC desktop. Suddenly remembering the rant of Kuroko and Kagami, she immediately picks it up as she then realized it must be the journal that they were talking about earlier. Flipping the pages, she then read the first page and from the moment she scans the first paragraph, she began to finally understand why his two teammates were worried in the first place.
April 20 XXXX. Hello, diary-san. It's been a while since I was forced to move here in Academy City. I guess mom and dad can't just stand it anymore. It was okay for me. I mean, who wouldn't get concerned after your own son got called a god of pestilence by your neighbors. In fact, who would even want to play basketball with me since they kept staying away from me…
Her brown eyes widened with shock as she cannot help but feel shaken by what she read. Is this what he had to endure in his younger days? Though there was one part that she actually got confused. If it's true that he had lost his memories, then would it mean that he's really destined to play basketball even if he had amnesia?
She then flips another page and read.
It's really lonely. I wished I have friends who won't turn you away even if my bad luck won't run out in no time. But right now, I have to be content with this. This is finer than getting my parents hurt from what the people in our town is telling about me. This is better than the time when they have to worry since there was a time a man tried to stab me for reasons that I don't understand…
She had to calm herself down when he read that part where Kamijou got stabbed by a superstitious man for allegedly making him fail in business. She wasn't able to speak as she finally realized that all the time, she was very wrong in hitting the boy. Sure, her former classmate might be an idiot but at the very least, she could have helped him get back to his feet rather than to mercilessly lock him up violently. Not having the strength to continue reading on for fear it might break her down, she decided to skip some few pages randomly and surprisingly, she landed on a page where Kamijou actually dedicated a page for the people whom he had met in his life. And to her shock (and delight), he had dedicated a page just for her and it was even complete with a picture.
When she scanned it, she almost got embarrassed as the picture he used was actually dating from the time they took the only photo they had together alone in third year middle school. The profile then read, "Fukiyose Seiri. I'll be honest, she was the first prettiest lady that I met in my entire life at middle school. She did lack sex appeal but everything with her is just perfect." She felt a little thrill the moment she had read that.
"But for some reason, she hates me for my bad luck that she can't even understand," the diary narrated, "And she's also very hot headed that she thinks she's the best. Maybe if she becomes gentler, she'll have that sex appeal and that waifu character that I've been wanting. I did say I prefer onee-san types but she would also be perfect. But that's impossible for now since it's Fukiyose."
What the hell!? The busty girl wanted to rip it out by controlled her temper and continued reading.
"But I consider her as one of my friends. Maybe we're not close that much but I wish I get to know her more even if it's a once-in-a-blue-moon chance. Well, maybe…" At that point, she heard footsteps coming from the bathroom. Quickly, she returns the journal and quickly runs back into the bed as Kamijou was coming out now. The boy, wearing a black t-shirt and pajamas, is oblivious to what Fukiyose had done and was on his way to turn on the air con. After doing so, he then sat beside the girl in his bed and was about to prepare to sleep when she cut him off.
"So what was that journal they're talking about?" she asked carefully as she didn't want to let the boy know that she secretly peeked on that notebook.
"Ah…that…" Kamijou tried to sound calm, "Well…my old self must have written that as a way to pour out his grievances. Since it was there already, I might as well continue it though I had to say I only update it every once in a while except for the time when I transferred in Seirin."
"To tell you honestly, if I haven't known about your amnesia," Fukiyose replied, "I wouldn't notice anything differently. It's like you losing memories is totally pointless since you were still always the same person."
"Is that so?" Kamijou shrug it off as he lies into the bed, "Then it's all's well that ends well."
"So let me get this straight, your bad luck that you're complaining about always, has it been with you since you were young?" Fukiyose inquired, hoping to get some answers. For some reason, he boy tensed up the moment she asked that. Had I hit the bulls eye?
"Hnnn…you could say that," the boy replied, directly into her brown eyes, "For as far as I could remember, it has been with me for so long."
For some reason, Fukiyose's sense was telling her that that's just half of the answer but she decided to ignore it for now.
"You know, Kuroko and Kagami looked to be great friends," she said, "I might have not yet interacted with them that long but judging at how they chased you out there a while back, I can tell they're true friends. I also like your seniors and their attitude towards discipline. I kinda envy you because unlike there…" She was tempted to drop Kumokawa's name but she held it off for now.
"Yeah…I guess that for a change, I'm lucky," Kamijou smiled, "Kuroko, Kagami, captain, Kiyoshi-senpai, coach, everyone in the Seirin team, Akashi, Kise, Aomine, Murasakibara, Midorima…they're all great excluding their weird behaviour."
"By the way, about this Kashiwaki dude, you did say you hate him a lot," the boy then played with Fukiyose's hair strands, not that she minded at all, "To be clear, I'm playing for Seirin now so even if it's against my former school, I won't hold back against you guys and the same goes with Kuroko and Kagami."
"Bring it on…" Fukiyose smirked at him as she drops and lies on the bed as well, facing the boy, "I know Yomikawa-sensei had some tricks up her sleeves to counter the three of you." But still, I plead you kick his Kashiwaki's ass for me.
Well, good luck to her trying to figure out how to stop Kuroko's misdirection and Kagami's jumping power. Kamijou made a tired smile and soon, he was fast asleep. Fukiyose followed and by the time the hour hand of the clock had struck 11, both of them were sleeping peacefully, with the girl's body motioned towards the boy. Soon enough, she was hugging tightly into the body of the boy and in bodily response, the boy's arms wrapped around hers.
An hour later, Shiina, who woke up to go to the washroom, decided to check on the two. When he peeked into the room of his son, what she witnessed almost made her mouth drop dramatically as she saw their body language indicating something. "Oh my…they turned on the air conditioning unit in such low temperature." She then tiptoed inside the room to get a large blanket and instantly, she covered the two with it to keep them warm. And prevent them from using it as an excuse to do something that I can't tolerate.
"Still, my son is really growing up," the mother said as she softly and lovingly puts a kiss on Fukiyose's large forehead, "And from this moment, you're now a part of our family, Seiri-chan…"
#
Meanwhile, back in Academy City, a certain electromaster was raging angrily as she kept staring at her phone.
"Why the hell is he not responding!?"