Happy weekend readers! Thank you for reading the previous chapter and also for the reviews from previous chap! I truly appreciate it! :D

Rinfantasy: Thanks for your review! LOL! It is illegal XD.. anyway, here is the long awaited chapter! Hope you like it! :D

BabyNightmareLady: Thanks for the review! His new business partner (name and other personal data) will not be mentioned here, but he is a man in his late 40s :D, I am so sorry to make you confused.

Grayscale1227: Good question! I guess, you are right. In the anime, Haizaki always got into a fight with Kise (I think it's in a flashback before their match in WC) . So, there is no way, Kise would respect Haizaki. But in the story (here), Kise respected Haizaki as a talented senpai in the club (especially when he just joined the club). And he continued doing so without knowing anything about his kidnap attempt. Anyway, thank you so much for the question! :D

Okay, here is chapter VII, Happy reading and enjoy! XD


Chapter VII

Golden Time


Akashi woke up early as usual, 05.00 am. He decided to do a little exercise, took a shower and went down for breakfast. He was having one set meal consists of rice, grilled salmon and miso soup. He ate alone slowly, enjoying morning sunshine from a huge window. While having the meal, he was thinking about today. And just for today, he got special permission from the head family. No bodyguard would stick next to him. But he knows they would be somewhere following them later. He didn't care though. He could find hundred ways to make them lose sight of him. But what bothers him now was the bluenette.

Hmm… maybe I should treat him lunch as a thank you? But what would he like to eat? Beside that white creamy unhealthy drink…

He thought for a while and remembered their conversation about Udon. Kuroko said he is quite fond of that dish. The red haired smiled, all he had to do was search for a good restaurant.

"Yuji-san?" He called his headmaid.

"Yes, Seijuro-sama?" a middle aged lady with short wavy hair come close to the young master.

"Do you know any delicious Udon restaurant in the neighbor town?"

"Yes. I know some of them."

"Can you recommend the best one for me?"

"The best one would be Sugihara's diner. However, it is a commoner class restaurant. Is it alright for you, Seijuro-sama?"

"Perfect." Akashi smiled. "Please give me the address."

Yuji was taken aback with the smile. She hadn't seen that in a long time. She decided to pop the question politely. "May I ask something Seijuro-sama?"

"Yes?"

"Please forgive me if I am wrong but are you perhaps going out with someone today?"

"That's correct."

"I see." Yuji smiled gently. "I am glad you finally spare some time to relax."

"Is that so?" He thought it over and realized something. He didn't even remember the last time he went out. All he remembered was burying himself in company work every time he was home.


Kuroko walked out of Maji burger with a large size vanilla milkshake. He found this fast food restaurant because of the trio recommendation. They said that it was usually their hang out place. Moreover, they had their specialty drink, vanilla milkshake.

One day, on the way home, Aomine was carving a Maji's Teriyaki Burger. So Aomnie and Kuroko decided to have a takeout. Aomine ordered 5 teriyaki burgers and Kuroko tried the vanilla milkshake. He immediately fell in love from the first slurp.

He was reading some posters on a wall when he suddenly heard a honk. He turned to see a shiny stylish red sport car stop near him. The window was half open, revealing the captain in casual wear and… glasses? But despite that, he still looked so stunning yet a bit different. Kuroko thought, Maybe because he slightly changed his hairstyle too?

"Good morning, Kuroko. Get in." Akashi greeted him.

Kuroko has expected this. He maintained his expression like usual. He goes to the passenger seat and hop in. "Good morning to you too, Akashi-kun. What's with the get up?" Kuroko asked.

"It's something like a disguise."

Kuroko looks confused. " A disguise? Why?"

"Avoiding people and also because I don't have my bodyguard next to me. But they might be somewhere following us. Anyway, shall we go?"

Kuroko was trying to digest the information. Another thing he knew about Akashi made him think this guy beside him was not suitable as a student anymore. But he decided to discontinue the topic. "Yes."

The toll road to the next town was clear, almost empty. Akashi speeded up to 170 km/h. He seemed to enjoy the journey while listening to classic music. He sometimes glanced at the rear mirror, with a faint smile on his face. Kuroko silently froze on the seat and thought do car racing and classic music go together?


After 45 minutes, they finally could see some shops. Akashi slowed down the car and started looking for a parking lot. He spotted one and parked it perfectly. The two went out of the car, Akashi stretched himself.

"That was fun. I haven't done it in a while." He looked very happy about it

"Akashi-kun, do you know that you just passed the maximum speed limit in toll road?"

"Yes."

Kuroko inwardly sighed. "I wonder how Akashi-kun managed to get a driving license."

"Don't worry, I didn't bribe anyone. I passed the test with my own ability. And for your information, there is no police in that toll road during weekends and it is also CCTV free." Akashi smirked.

"You amazed me as always."

"Likewise. Now, should we go to the first store?"

They walked out of a small road to the main road where different kinds of store can be seen. Kuroko leaded the way to an old book store. They entered the store and saw some people inside, looking for a certain book. Even though the entrance looked narrow and small, the inside was wide and big, with a lot of bookshelf. They even had a second floor.

Kuroko walked straight and turned left. He kept walking then stopped one row before the last one. There was a board written 'Mystery and Horor' on top of the bookshelf. Both of them entered the isle. Many books were classified according to the publishing year. Kuroko was looking through the shelf and scanned down a group of books that belong to the 1960s. After some time, he took on an old but maintained book, checking the inside and the back side. He smiled and hands it over to the red haired. Akashi took the book and looked at the front cover. It was red with a big tree on it.

"To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I am amazed the store still has a copy. It's hard to find the original these days."

"You read this before?" Akashi opened the book. It was in English.

"Yes. I found it in a library in US. It is an American literature masterpiece. It tells you about a simple love story with complicated story line."

"I see." Akashi nodded. He knew some Japanese as well as foreign literature. He also read this before and he found it very inspiring. He had to admit Kuroko has a good taste. "Ok then, I will take this one."

"Let's search for another one. Hopefully they have it too."

They walked through some isles and search for a certain title, but so far, they couldn't find it. Kuroko pulled out another book but Akashi shook his head, the teal haired also agrees. After searching for more than an hour, they decided to pay for the first book and went outside to find another book store.

They were walking slowly, enjoying the surrounding area. The town was less crowded and more peaceful compared to the town where they live. Not much people could be seen on street. If there were, most of them were doing grocery shopping. Akashi concluded that Kuroko himself was quite an explorer when it came to books. Remembering it was only a few months since he started living in Japan again. They walked pass a few blocks and then Kuroko pointed at another book store.

"This store also has some interesting books but most of them are modern classics. But we can try and see what they got." Kuroko explained.

They entered the second book store. This store was slightly smaller than the first one but still full of bookshelves here and there. Once again, Kuroko leaded the way. Both of them entered an isle with 'Mystery' written on top of a shelf.

He scanned through some books. It took him quite a while and he pulled out a dark colored book with red streaks. It was written 'And Then There were None'.

"And Then There were none by Agatha Christie. It's a book about justice and punishment, isn't it?"

Kuroko nodded. "You've read this before Akashi-kun?"

"No. But my literature professor used this book in class as an example of a topic."

"I see."

Akashi flips through the book. It is another original with English language. "Okay then. I will buy this one."

After finding the book, they went to search for one more books. But it was the same case as the first store. They couldn't find a good book that caught their attention. After almost an hour, they gave up. Akashi went to a counter and purchased the book. After receiving the book, they went out of the store

Akashi looked at his watch, it was almost time for lunch. "Kuroko, as a thank you for today, I will treat you a lunch."

"Thank you but you don't have to trouble yourself, Akashi-kun. I am just accompanying you to find something. It wasn't a big deal." Kuroko rejected him politely.

"No, I insist."

They argued for a while before it was decided that Akashi won the argument. So, they headed back the parking lot and drove. It took them 20 minutes to reach Sugihara's diner, a common looking Udon restaurant. By that time, it was already packed with people and long queue. Akashi parked the car onn the other side of the road. They walked across the road and they were greeted by a long queue.

However, Akashi just went straight in, confusing his companion and the people in queue line. Kuroko thought, Akashi-kun knows the rule how to eat in a diner right?

"I hope you don't mind having Udon for lunch?" He turned back to ask, Kuroko shook his head. "No, I don't mind." He replied.

Akashi then turned forward looking for the waitress. Just before Akashi spoke, the cook from the kitchen greeted him.

"Welcome! A table for two from Yuji-san?" A middle aged man in kitchen attire greeted him.

"Yes." Akashi replied. Kuroko is getting confused. Who is Yuji-san? He mentally asked.

"Alright, a table for two is coming right up! Yako-chan, escort them to that table please."


The waitress walked them to a small corridor. Then she opened a sliding door for them and let them in. it was a simple Japanese style room with a small window and some classic Japanese ornament. A dining table and two cushions were prepared nicely for them. Akashi took a seat and Kuroko sat on the opposite side.

She poured them some hot green tea and asked them to kindly wait for the meal, which earned a nod from Akashi. After that, she left the two alone. After she closed the door, Kuroko sipped his tea. Silently complimenting it. Soon after that, he began interrogating him.

"Akashi-kun, Can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"We are having a meal in a normal diner right?"

"That's correct." Akashi smiled while sipping his tea.

"Then tell me, how can we cut lines and sitting in a private room? I thought it is only in a five star restaurant?"

"The cook, Sugihara-san, is an old acquaintance of my family chef. I simply asked my head maid to reserve us a table."

Kuroko pouted in response. "I didn't know you can do such thing. Just how powerful is your family, Akashi-kun?"

"More than you can imagine." Akashi said in an unusual lonely tone.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's complicated." He said as he put his tea cup back on the table. "But, let me tell you something. Sometimes, being a powerful person has its flaws."

Before Kuroko could ask further, the waitress brought them two set of meal and put them on the table. On the tray, there were an elegant set of Udon in big bowl, two pieces of ebi tempura and other fried vegetables on a plate and a bowl of tofu soup.

"Well, shall we eat?"

"Yes."

"Ittadakimasu." They said at the same time.


Akashi had finished his meal 10 minutes ago while Kuroko was still struggling to finish the rest half portion. Akashi was enjoying his tea, sometimes stealing glances at his companion. Deep down, he knew Kuroko wanted to give up minutes ago. But on the other side, it was amusing to see him struggle without saying a word.

On Kuroko side, He wanted to stop eating long time ago. But he knew it would be very rude to leave this much. Moreover, it was Akashi who invited him. But then again, he might puke on the way home later. And that was the last thing he would ever want to do!

"Akashi-kun, I apologize. I can't finish this." He looked apologetically to the red haired. Looking at that, Akashi decided to tease him a little.

"And why is that? Does it taste that bad?" He calmly asked.

"No! Of course not! It's… It's just that… I really have little appetite." He sighed.

"Little appetite? It's like you have nothing for lunch. You hardly even touch the side dish."

"I know. But, honestly, I might puke on the way back if I finish this. I don't want that to happen." He stated the truth.

Akashi let out a laugh which made the other confused, again. "It's alright. I know you have little appetite. I am just amused to see you struggle without a word."

Kuroko pouted. "Akashi-kun, that wasn't a nice thing to do. If you do that to your date, she will leave right away, you know?"

"Is that so? Then why don't you leave me yet?" He kept teasing the teal boy.

"Huh?" He blinked in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" He asked, clearly confused.

"I asked you, why you don't leave me? I just teased you right?"

It took a few moments before Kuroko got his message. "We aren't even dating, Akashi-kun."

"Two people, going out on Saturday and having lunch, according to society, that is a definition of having a date." He smirked.

"I believe in society, dating is a couple of opposite gender and we are both men." He said deadpan.

"Society changes over the years. These days, they begin to accept marriage of same genders. I hope you are aware of that, since you lived in America before."

"Of course I am. But the problem is right now we are in Japan. In here, society doesn't work the same way as in other countries."

Akashi laughed. As he thought, his little companion was a very interesting stubborn guy. "Alright. But let me warn you, Japanese people tend to say and do opposite things, Tetsuya."

Kuroko widen his eyes. He was taken aback when Akashi said his first name. For some time he couldn't find a word to retort him back. But Kuroko wasn't a kind guy that would let Akashi had his fun. So, he decided to break the silence. "S-since when we are on first name basis again?" He shuttered.

"Mm.. I don't know." He gave a victorious smile. He didn't plan to use the first name attack but since he had used it, he liked the sound of it. It was a hundred times better than calling him 'Kuroko'. But he wondered if Kuroko would give him permission to let him use his first name. He was back to his serious face and asked "Do you mind if I call you Tetsuya from now on?"

"What? Are you teasing me again?" He asked with knitted eyebrows.

"No. I am asking you seriously."

Kuroko slightly blush. He thought that the guy in front of him was always full of surprises. First he was in a mood to tease him and later suddenly he was in a serious mode, popping an embarrassing question with a straight face. He sighed before replying him. "It's okay to call me that. I don't mind."

The red haired smiled. "Thank you, Tetsuya. In return you can call me by my given name too."

"W-what? I can't do that!" He exclaimed.

"Why not? I think it's a fair trade."

"But no one called you that in school. Even Midorima-kun and the others called you by your family name."

"They had my permission but I think it's their choice not to use it."

"Then I will do the same."

"You truly amused me, Tetsuya. I will let this go for now but I expect you to call me 'Seijuro' in the future." He smirked and left to settle the bill.


They went out of the restaurant not long after he paid the bill. Akashi suggested to explore the area for a little exercise, before going back to the book stores. Both of them walked slowly, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Sometimes they would go inside a store to check some interesting stuffs. They soon walked to the end of the road. At the far end, Akashi noticed a small park, he turned to his companion, asking if he wanted to sit there for a while.

However, when he turned to ask, he saw the smaller teen was holding his nose with one hand and the other was rampaging his bag. Akashi also noticed a small amount of red liquid dripped from his nose. Akashi quickly pulled out a white silk handkerchief from his pocket.

"Here use this."

"It will get dirty. I got some tissue in my bag." He said still looking for it.

"Just use it, I don't mind." He said as he removed his hand and pressed the handkerchief over his bloody nose. Then, he led Kuroko to the empty bench in the park.

"Tetsuya, lift your head for awhile, I will put a cold drink behind your neck. It will help to stop the nosebleed." Akashi said after he went to the nearby machine. He put his palm against the soft blue haired and held it steady. Then stick the cold drink under his neck.

Akashi used the opportunity to put a hand on his forehead. It was slightly warm. He mentally blamed himself for not noticing his condition.

"You have a fever. We are going back now."

"It's only a slight one. It will go away soon. Besides, you still need to find another book."

"Forget about the book. You are sick and you need to rest."

"It's… something usual. It will go away after I rest." Kuroko reasoned out.

"And that's the reason we are going back now, so you can rest properly. But you should've just told me next time. I'm calling my bodyguard to get the car here."

Akashi dialed a number and told someone on the other of the line to get his car. Two minutes later, a man in black suite greeted him and escorted them to the car. Akashi adjusted the seat so Kuroko could lie down and slept through the journey. He decided to comply since he didn't want to puke because of his driving skills.


They arrived in town one and a half hour later. This time, Akashi slowed down. And now they were in an argument, again.

"Tetsuya, When I said I will drive you back, It means literally to your house. In front of the gate."

"Akashi-kun for the umpteenth time, it's no need. I already feel better. Besides, I don't want my neighbors to talk about a fancy red car in front of my house."

"I don't care about gossip. It will die in a couple of months."

"I do care." He said deadpan. "Just let me off here. I will text you after I arrived." He tried to make a deal.

Akashi sighed. "Alright."

Kuroko smiled at him. He opened the door and closed it. Akashi rolled down the window glass. "Tetsuya, thank you for accompanying me today. We should hang out again some time."

"Thank you too for taking care of me." Kuroko smiled a little. "We can find another time. But please have a safe drive back home, Akashi-kun. I don't want you crash into something."

"Don't worry. I won't crash. I am an Akashi and Akashis are always absolute."

"And next time we hang out, I prefer to use public transport." He stated deadpan which made the other laughed.

After that, they bode their good bye. But unknown to them, a pair of sharp black eyes were watching them from a window glass.


End of Chapter VII: Golden Time (I hope you like it)

I'd like to thank Dominique Scamander, IllegalAsian, mimi2316, pinkprincesa13, aero1234541, song min ah, Animaddict, KmotgrassKoala008 for adding the story in your follow and favorite list!

And also thank you for all silent readers out there for reading this story! If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask! And All reviews are always welcome!

Have a great day! See you all on the next update!