I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thank you, thank you sooooo much for all the follows and the faves and the reviews. Every single one of you guys motivate me to write more. I'm so happy, you guys don't know how happy I am. I am extremely grateful to all of you.

I present to you, the first chapter of the main story! I hope you all enjoyed the prologue. I'm sorry it was really long, but it was necessary. I hope you like the new chapter, let me know with a review!

Recap:

And today was the day. Today was the day Kirimi would enter a high school for the first time and officially start her work as Kuroko Tetsuya's personal coach.

End of Recap.

Kirimi walked along the pavement as the sakura petals danced to the rhythm of the voices of all the high school students walking along the same path as her. They were all at a head or so taller than her and they all wore identical uniforms. The girls had a blue sailor sweater and a white shirt underneath with a white skirt with a green and black border plus a green scarf while the boys all had a white shirt and black pants, while some wore the black pants with a black shirt with a blue border.

They were all laughing, smiling and joking around. Kirimi couldn't help but feel envious of them. She had to stay cooped at home most of the time while these people could meet with their friends every day. Well, Kirimi wasn't so cooped up anymore. She now had permission from her parents to actually visit the school when she wanted as long as her grades stayed up.

Today was a bit special though. This was Kuroko's first day in high school and the day he would sign up for Seirin High's basketball club. Kirimi felt excited and scared at the same time, wondering what Kuroko's teammates would be like. She hoped that they wouldn't mind her sticking by Kuroko's side.

She was searching and immediately spotted the familiar cotton candy like teal colored hair and its owner.

"Tetsuya-kun!" she called, running up to him. "Good morning!"

Kuroko looked in her direction at her voice. As always, he couldn't help but feel amazed at how she had spotted him of all people amongst this crowd. Everyone else just didn't notice him.

He gave her a small smile, visible only to Kirimi.

"Good morning, Kirimi-san," said Kuroko. "I hope you found the school easily enough?"

Kirimi nodded.

"Don't worry, it was quite easy to find," said Kirimi cheerfully. "People not noticing you as usual, huh?"

"That's right," said Kuroko. "Shall we go then?"

Kirimi looked at the entrance of the school which was decorated, with a sign welcoming the new students.

"Yes, let's go!" she replied.

So the Miracle Girl and Shadow Miracle stepped inside. It felt like they were entering a battle field.

"Rugby! Aren't you interested in Rugby?" shouted one boy.

"Do you want to play Shogi?" said another.

"If you're Japanese, then you should play baseball!"

"Swimming! It feels super!"

Kirimi wasn't really used to crowded places. But strangely, she wasn't bumping into anyone. It was as if they didn't know she was there. Part of it might be because she was smaller, but maybe Kuroko's lack of presence was protecting her as well. The other students didn't even see him. Some students couldn't move because of all the school clubs asking them to join but Kuroko and Kirimi seemed to glide past them.

Kirimi was scanning the board which was displaying all the clubs. Football…baseball...ah, there it was! Basketball!

"Tetsuya-kun, I found it. The basketball team should be somewhere further ahead," said Kirimi.

"Right. I'll go drop in my form and then I'll come back, Kirimi-san," said Kuroko.

"Ok," said Kirimi.

As Kuroko went ahead, Kirimi looked all around her. So this is what a normal high school was like. Middle school would have been similar as well, right? She wondered which school Shizuo had enrolled in. Her eyes started to get misty. She shook her head. No. Shizuo would be fine. And if she became the best in Japan with Tetsuya-kun, she'd definitely meet him for sure, somehow, somewhere. His brother, Shige-nii would be in high school as well right? And Shizuo would be in his middle school's team too…

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice a big, tall, red haired boy towering above the rest carrying another boy by the collar with him. She only felt a slight chill as he passed by, which she thought was the wind.

"I'm back," said Kuroko.

Kirimi turned around.

"Welcome back, Tetsuya-kun. How was it?" asked Kirimi excitedly.

Kuroko cocked his head to the side.

"They didn't notice me putting my form in," he said.

Kirimi sweat dropped.

"O-Oh, I see," said Kirimi, exasperatedly.

"Well, I have to get going to my classes," said Kuroko. "I'll see you this evening in the basketball club,"

"Ok, good luck with your first day in high school!" said Kirimi, waving as he went inside the school.

Kirimi exited the school premises and started to head back home, where her studies were waiting for her. She couldn't wait till this evening!

…or maybe she could. It was now the time for the basketball club to gather and Kirimi was feeling a bit nervous thinking about all those older people in there. Why did she have to get attacked by nerves right now? What if completely screwed up everything for Kuroko?

Suddenly, she felt someone rub her head affectionately.

She looked around.

"T-Tesuya-kun?" she said.

"Are you nervous, Kirimi-san?" asked Kuroko.

"Well, yes, I am. Though I wish I wasn't," said Kirimi awkwardly.

It almost felt like she was the one who was joining the club.

Kuroko continued to rub her head.

"It's ok. I understand. It's normal to feel nervous. But you'll be fine, Kirimi-san," said Kuroko. "Just think of the basketball,"

Kirimi nodded. She took a deep breath.

"Right! The basketball, yes!" she said determinedly.

Kuroko opened the door to the basketball gym and Kirimi stepped inside, following him. It smelled like something she had never smelt before. Rubber, sweat, sports drinks, wood…it was a whole different feeling, yet Kirimi liked it. It reminded her somewhat of her happy times with Shizuo. She felt her nervousness disappearing slowly but surely.

No one noticed Kuroko getting in. There were high school boys, a whole lot of them. Some looked timid. Kirimi assumed that they were first years like Kuroko. Others looked excited while some looked frightened. In the middle of all this, Kirimi saw a high school girl with short brown hair. Who was she?

They noticed Kirimi immediately though.

"Huh? Who's that girl? She's not in uniform…"

"Don't be stupid! She's too young to be a high schooler! She looks like she's in elementary!"

Kirimi twitched. Did she really look…that tiny?

She was about to give those boys a retort when she saw that another boy was approaching her.

"Hi there! What can we do for you?" said a boy with a cat face coming towards her. "Are you here to look out for your big brother?"

Kirimi saved the retort for later.

"Ah, no. Well, he's not my brother, but I am looking out for him. Actually, I'm his-"

But Kirimi was cut short.

"Sorry! We don't have much time for chit-chat right now! Why don't you sit down somewhere over there and look out for him?" said the boy with a cat like grin, clearly not paying that much attention to her words.

"But he's not my-"

The cat-like boy was already heading towards his team members.

Kirimi sighed. Oh well. She could introduce herself later. She turned towards the brown haired girl with the freshmen. At least all the boys who were gawping at her earlier were paying attention elsewhere now.

"All the freshmen, come this way," said the brown haired girl.

Kirimi started to hear whispers.

"Hey, isn't that manager cute?"

"She's a second year, right?

"If only she was a bit sexier-"

THUNK!

Kirimi's eyes widened. A boy with glasses suddenly thumped the first years on their heads.

"You're wrong, idiots!" he said.

He had short spiky black hair and had a slight scowl on his face.

The brown haired girl faced the freshmen.

"I'm Aida Riko, the boy's basketball club coach. Nice to meet you!" she said cheerfully.

Kirimi's eyes widened even further. A girl as young as her could be a real basketball coach? Was that even allowed? Not that Kirimi knew much about these things though…

Kirimi wasn't the only one who was surprised. All the first years, excluding Kuroko all let out a huge 'Huuuuh?' when they heard that. It was obvious that this wasn't common.

"Alright then! First things, first! Take off your shirts!" she exclaimed.

This was followed by another 'Huuuuuh?' and others going 'Why?' But it was soon revealed that she had her reasons. The reason being that, she could analyze their muscles and tell each prospective player his weakness and how to improve on it. Kirimi was more than impressed. This girl meant serious business, and Kirimi liked that.

It was soon revealed that Aida Riko was the daughter of a sports trainer. She had picked up this skill by observing her father's workplace every day. She could see a person's stats and abilities by looking at their bodies. But even she was gob smacked when she approached a very tall boy who had very good muscles for a high schooler. Even Kirimi could tell that this guy was special.

"Coach, that's the last guy here," said the bespectacled boy.

Kirimi suddenly perked up. Wait, what? She got up from her chair.

"Ah, but what about Kuroko-kun?" asked the Coach.

"That guy from Teiko? That famous Teikou?" exclaimed one boy.

They started calling for Kuroko even though he was right next to the Coach. Kirimi couldn't understand why nobody could see him. He had been there since the beginning! They were even calling out for him when he was right there.

"I guess he's taking the day off today," said Coach Aida. "Well then, let's start practice-"

"He's right there, you know!" said Kirimi from her seat in the corner.

The second-year group who hadn't really paid attention to her looked at her. It seemed like only the boy with the cat ears had noticed her at that time, other than the freshman. The said freshmen were gawping at her again.

"Who's that kid?" asked the bespectacled boy bewildered.

"Some freshman's little sister," said the boy with the cat face. "At least, I think she is?"

"Huh?" said the bespectacled boy.

Kuroko, who was right next to them all this time, was silently observing everything. He felt that he should make his presence known but he decided to wait a little while more.

The brown haired girl who was the coach sighed. Oh boy, first this Kagami Taiga guy from America, then this boy from Teiko who wasn't here and now some kid to deal with. Still, she was the coach and she had to set things right. She faced Kirimi.

"I'm sorry, I just noticed you. I saw the freshman making a slight commotion earlier but I thought Koganei-kun would have dealt with it," she said, her eyes glancing at the cat-face boy.

"Anyway," she continued. "What business do you have here, um…?"

Kirimi realized that she was being disrespectful. It was high time that she introduced herself. No, why did she wait this long again? She bowed down.

"I'm sorry for my late introduction," she said. "I'm Ayasaki Kirimi. I truly am sorry for not introducing myself earlier,"

The bespectacled boy and the cat-face boy exchanged glances. The coach nodded.

"Ayasaki-san, was it? As I was saying, do you have any business here? If you're here to cheer for your older brother-"

"No, no!" said Kirimi, shaking her head. "I just wanted to say that Kuroko Tetsuya-kun isn't absent and that he's right there, next to you,"

The coach's eyes widened.

"Huh? But we've checked everyone and there's no one else here-"

"-Excuse me, I'm Kuroko," said Kuroko with his usual deadpan expression, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

The Coach let out a screech which was followed by others asking him when he had gotten there. Kuroko introduced himself amidst shocked looking second years and first years. They looked even more shocked when he said that he had been a part of the Teiko Basketball Club.

"But you weren't a regular right, Kuroko-kun?" asked the bespectacled boy, with a casual face.

"He was a regular!" piped up Kirimi. "He regularly played in matches as well,"

They turned towards her. Everyone in the court had their eyes on Kirimi now. Some in the corner were only just noticing her.

"Ah, Kuroko-kun's younger sister, you should probably patiently wait there while we talk to your brother-" started the boy with the cat face.

Kirimi snapped.

"He's not my older brother! He's Kuroko Tetsuya-kun, who was a part of the Generation of Miracles and I'm his personal coach, Ayasaki Kirimi!" she shot.

…

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" went everyone.

Even Kirimi was surprised with her voice. She hadn't meant to be that loud. Kirimi had expected this though. She had expected this much. She stood her ground.

"P-Personal Coach?"

"This kid?"

"Are you serious?"

"A-Ayasaki-san, was it?" said Coach Aida, still a bit shaky after getting two shocks in five minutes. "W-What did you say you were again?"

Kuroko decided to intervene here.

"My personal coach," said Kuroko. "She will help me with my basketball,"

He had known that this would happen as well. What he had suggested had been an outrageous thing. There was silence in the court. Nobody knew what to say. Kirimi decided to break the silence.

"I know this is all very shocking, and I apologize for that," she said. "But it's true. I am Tetsuya-kun's personal coach. I will be there to guide him, if it's alright with you,"

She bowed to Coach Aida. There was more silence. This time, the boy with shocking red hair, Kagami Taiga spoke up.

"Huh? What did you say?" he said with an incredulous expression on his face. "This guy(Kuroko) is tiny as it is and then you come out and say that you're his coach?"

Kagami Taiga couldn't believe this. Here he was thinking that Japanese basketball was boring and then suddenly there was this talk about some Miracle guys and that there was a guy here who had been a part of it and it turned out to be some pipsqueak who looked like a gust of wind could blow him away. And then this kid suddenly declares that she's this pipsqueak's 'personal coach'!

Kirimi twitched again. She wished someone else would speak up.

Everyone else didn't know what to say.

"A-Ah…" started Coach Aida after a few moments. "A-Ayasaki-san, you're obviously not in high school, nor are you part of this high school, right? You must be in elementary school or maybe middle school. Um, I don't know if you can-"

"I checked the rulebook and there was nothing there which said that an outsider can't accompany a basketball player after school hours and in matches, no matter how old they are," said Kuroko, surprising everyone again.

He had to get through them. He had to.

The boy with the cat face and the bespectacled boy looked at each other again.

"W-Well," said Coach Aida utterly confused. "That's true. But I just…I don't know…I mean…ah, I…this is just not normal at all! I know this sounds rude, but it's hard for me to believe that you have any coaching experience, Ayasaki-san,"

Were they going to get shot down on their first day? Kirimi knew that this sort of thing was not common but still, she didn't want her new journey in basketball, her new aim to help Tetsuya-kun with his goal end here. She had to do something.

"I beg of you," said Kirimi. "Please, please give me and Tetsuya-kun some time to prove ourselves that we…that I am worthy of being here. Please!"

Aida Riko scrutinized Kirimi. She looked like just any other ordinary kid and she didn't have any professional aura around her. But the kid looked totally serious about what she was saying and it didn't feel like a prank. Still, what the heck was this? Who had ever heard of a high school boy being coached by a girl probably in elementary school? This screamed weird from all over. Yet, the kid didn't look like she was lying or joking. Her eyes looked dead serious. She closed her eyes and thought about it.

After a short while, the coach sighed.

"Very well, then. You can join the team as Kuroko-kun's personal coach. But you have two days to prove yourselves. Understood? Or you'll have to leave, ok?" she said.

The condition was harsh but it was better than nothing. Kirimi had to prove herself that she was worthy and show the people who didn't believe her that she was serious.

"Thank you very much!" said Kirimi and Kuroko, bowing.

Both the purple head and the teal head felt a small sense of relief. At least they hadn't been totally shot down. Riko looked at Kirimi skeptically. Really, what was up all these new kids this year? Did other coaches have to deal with this?

After practice, Kirimi and Kuroko decided to go to a place called Maji Burger. Kirimi had seen it on her way but she had never been inside. But Kuroko insisted that it was a great place and that they had the best milkshakes ever.

"Thank you very much for waiting, here is your order," said the shop attendant handing over a tray with a vanilla milkshake and a choco-banana milkshake.

Kuroko and Kirimi headed towards an empty table and settled down there. Today was unexpectedly crowded.

"You really like vanilla milkshakes, don't you, Tetsuya-kun?" said Kirimi, who found his obsession a bit unnerving.

Kuroko sipped at his milkshake.

"Maji Burger has the best vanilla milkshakes I've ever tasted, Kirimi-san," said Kuroko. "You should try it too,"

Kirimi found vanilla a bit bland and went for the choco-banana flavor.

"So, Tetsuya-kun," said Kirimi. "What do you think?"

Kirimi looked at Kuroko, waiting for his response. Kuroko sipped some more of his milkshake. It was obvious that they were both thinking of the Seirin basketball club.

"I think they're a good team," said Kuroko.

"But…do you think they're good enough to face the Generation of Miracles?" persisted Kirimi.

Kuroko shook his head.

"No. Right now, all of them would get annihilated," he said bluntly.

Kirimi's expression turned a bit grim.

"But," continued Kuroko. "They all have the potential to become much better. Don't forget that they had an impressive feat in last year's Interhigh with only first years"

Kirimi's face relaxed a bit.

"You're right," she said. "I keep forgetting that,"

"Also," said Kuroko. "I think I've found a person who can take on the Generation of Miracles. A light for whom I can be the shadow,"

"A light?" asked Kirimi, curiously.

"Yes," said Kuroko. "I use my lack of presence to bring out the best in others and aid them in a game. And the stronger they are, the stronger my misdirection is, but for the ultimate effect, I need a light,"

The cars outside the restaurant were going up and down while Kirimi's head was going up and down as well. A light. Kuroko had mentioned this to her earlier during one of their sessions in the basketball park. He used his lack of presence in games to support his teammates from the shadows and make them 'shine' brighter, which is, make them stronger.

But who was this 'light' Kuroko was talking about? Kirimi had only seen the Generation of Miracles in one match and while she had mainly focused on Kuroko, she knew that the others were very powerful. Kuroko had found someone who could potentially beat them in Seirin. Who was he?

As if on cue, a huge boy with shocking red hair suddenly appeared with a plate full of burgers. He must have enough to fill at least five people. Was he really going to finish it all by himself? He was about to throw himself on their table when he noticed Kirimi.

"You!" he said pointing at Kirimi with one hand, the other hand holding the plate of burgers.

Kirimi nodded at him.

"Hello," she said. "That's quite a lot of burgers you've got there,"

The red haired boy narrowed his eyes at her. He sat on the opposite side of her table.

"Hey!" protested Kirimi. "This table is already occupied,"

The boy shrugged.

"Too bad. All the other tables are occupied as well. So I have no choice," he said nonchalantly. "You're almost finished right? So it's fine-uhooooooh!"

He had only just noticed Kuroko sitting next to Kirimi.

Kuroko sipped on his milkshake.

"Hello," he said. "You're still growing up to be a big boy, aren't you?"

Kirimi had to bite down a laugh. Her face still showed signs of laughter though.

The red haired boy spluttered, looking around.

"Where…no, wait, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm been here since the beginning, watching people," answered Kuroko.

Kirimi could tell what was running through this big boy's head. He was staring at Kuroko thinking how in the world Kuroko could be part of the best from Japan. The big boy couldn't tell but Kirimi could see that Kuroko was staring at the big boy intensely. Her eyes widened. Was this the special 'light' that Kuroko was speaking of?

Certainly, he did emit a powerful aura but he seemed horribly arrogant and too confident of his abilities. But Kuroko didn't seem to mind that. In fact, he seemed to be really interested in this boy.

"Hey," said the big boy. "Tag along with me for a bit after I'm done eating,"

Kirimi blinked. Hm? What for? Did he want to test Kuroko's skills or something? But Kuroko couldn't really show his skills in a one-on-one match. They'd have to decline. But to Kirimi's surprise, Kuroko accepted.

"Alright," said Kuroko, his milkshake nearly finished.

They were now in a small basketball park. It was a bit cold with the frequent breeze. The red haired boy's eye twitched.

"Hey," he said. "I said I wanted you to tag along. Not the little kid you're babysitting,"

Kirimi huffed in annoyance.

"You said that back at school too! I told you there, didn't I? I'm Tetsuya-kun's personal coach, of course I'd tag along!" she shot at the big boy.

"Tch," said the boy. "Whatever,"

He ignored her and looked at Kuroko.

"You…" said the boy. "What the hell are you hiding?"

Kuroko looked at the boy with a slightly puzzled face.

"I was in America till my second year of middle school," said the big boy, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "I was really shocked when I came back to Japan. The level here is way too low,"

Kirimi glared at him.

"That's not very nice, is it?" she said coldly.

But the boy didn't even glance at her direction. He was really being cocky. He spoke as if he was the best around the place.

The big boy continued.

"What I'm looking for is not playing basketball for fun," he said, with the eyes of a tiger. "I want to play in matches that make my blood boil,"

Kuroko was staring at the big boy, not saying anything. Kirimi kept quiet as well, observing him.

"I've heard about it," said the big boy. "Apparently there are some strong guys in our year called the 'Generation of Miracles' or something. You were in that team right?"

Kirimi couldn't help but feel even more annoyed. This guy was completely and totally ignoring her. The red haired boy passed the basketball in his hand to Kuroko. He said something about how he could guess the strength of an opponent to some extent. He also said something about strong guys having some particular smell among them.

"But you're weird," he continued, looking at Kuroko. "Even though you should reek of weakness, you don't smell like anything at all. You're odorless,"

A strong gust of wind blew, making a few leaves in the trees dance in the air. The big boy's face changed to that of a tiger once again.

"I want to see for myself," he said, almost growling. "I want to see what a guy from this 'Generation of Miracles' is like,"

The wind blew even harder. Kirimi looked at Kuroko. It was hard for her to tell what he was thinking right now. Kuroko finally spoke up, after observing the boy after all this time.

"What a coincidence," said Kuroko. "I was thinking of playing a one-on-one against you myself,"

"Huh?" thought Kirimi.

But how would he? Kuroko didn't have any skills for playing in a one-on-one, he himself had told Kirimi that. And there was no way he could win against this tiger like monster! What was he thinking? Then it suddenly occurred to Kirimi. Was Kuroko perhaps, testing how good this tiger boy was? Is that what he was doing?

The match started as expected, the tiger boy was beating Kuroko in every aspect, be in dribbling, shooting or tossing. But his eyes were observing the tiger boy all the time as he was playing against him. Kirimi didn't know much, but she could tell that this tiger guy was probably the strongest one in Seirin right now, maybe even stronger than the experienced second years.

He looked increasingly disappointed and annoyed as he played against Kuroko. He must have thought that Kuroko was some amazing player or hiding something up his sleeve. Well, too bad for him, but Kuroko was nothing like that. Well, not in the way the tiger boy was thinking. Kirimi had to grin. In a way, the tiger boy had been brought down a few notches.

"Don't mess with me!" he shouted at Kuroko. "You think you can win against me like that?"

"Of course not," said Kuroko, still with his deadpan expression.

"It's obvious that you're the strongest right, tiger boy?" said Kirimi giggling.

Huh. For however strong he was, this tiger guy had been fooled. He hadn't realized that Kuroko had been analyzing him all this time.

"You looking for a fight?" he yelled at Kirimi, finally acknowledging her. "What the heck is up with you, anyway? Introducing yourself as this guy's coach when he can't even score properly. I don't know what kind of coaching you do but you suck! And the name's Kagami Taiga!"

Kagami Taiga, huh? Kirimi cocked her head at him.

"Haven't you realized it already? Tetsuya-kun just wanted to test your strength, Kagami-kun," said Kirimi.

"HUH?"

Kagami looked like he'd just wasted his time. He picked up his bag, ready to leave.

"I'm not interested in weak guys or the little kids they're babysitting," he said. "Let me give you one last piece of advice.

Oh? He was going to give them advice?

He looked straight at Kuroko.

"It's better if you give up on basketball. No matter what kind of stuff you say about effort, in our society, you need talent. You have none," he said.

Kirimi narrowed her eyes at him. Kuroko narrowed his eyes as well.

"I have to say no to that," said Kuroko.

Kagami looked back at him.

"Tetsuya-kun really loves basketball, you know," said Kirimi. "Besides, Tetsuya-kun sees things differently than you do,"

"What Kirimi-san said," said Kuroko. "I do not care about who is the strongest. I am different you,"

"Huh?" said Kagami.

What the heck were these two idiots talking about? It was obvious that this Kuroko guy sucked at basketball, yet him, along with his little sidekick were so convinced that he had talent! Their looks of conviction were so serious; anyone else would have believed them.

"That's right," thought Kirimi. Kuroko was different. He was…

The breeze blew even stronger, but no one shivered. Each was looking at the other. Kuroko at Kagami, Kirimi at Kuroko and Kagami at Kuroko and Kirimi.

"I am a shadow," said Kuroko, his hair dancing in the strong breeze.

"Our time limit is two days, remember?" said Kirimi as she picked up her bag as well. "We'll be showing you what we mean soon,"

And with that statement, Kuroko and Kirimi left the park.

The next day, Kirimi was not very pleased to see it starting to rain. She didn't hate it, but she did not like rain either since rain only brought sad things for her most of the time. So it was a total surprise to her when today's rain was actually useful for Kuroko and her.

She was sitting on a bench with the Coach. Admittedly, things weren't looking good for her since most of today's training had been individual training. Kuroko was not good at them. So of course, it was natural that the person sitting next her, Coach Aida Riko was really starting to doubt Kirimi's strong words from the day before.

To Riko, Kirimi seemed to be just sitting there, observing her surroundings. She once again tried to think of why a middle school student would want to be a coach for a high school student. Kirimi didn't have a very athletic body either.

Coach Aida looked outside the window. The rain was now a heavy shower. They wouldn't be able to do any outdoor exercise today, which was unfortunate. She sighed.

"Horrible rain, isn't it?" said Kirimi, after what seemed to be a long time.

Riko blinked.

"O-Oh, yeah. Yeah, today's rain is really putting a damper on things," replied Riko. "We won't be able to do outdoor training,"

"I don't like rain very much either," said Kirimi. "It always dampens my mood,"

"I see," said Riko uncertainly.

She seemed like a nice young girl, but what were her intentions really? What were she and this Kuroko boy hiding? Why would someone from the prestigious Teiko have a personal coach? Was she really his personal coach? There were too many questions running in Riko's head.

Kirimi turned her eyes away from the window and looked towards Riko and smiled gratefully at her.

Eh?

"Aida-san, thank you so much for giving me a chance to prove myself," said Kirimi, bowing her head.

"A-Ah, well, it didn't seem like a prank and you looked really earnest about it so I trusted you. But if you can't prove yourselves today, you have to quit ok?" said Riko a bit sternly.

Kirimi nodded.

"Of course, I understand. That's what I agreed to after all," she replied.

Riko looked at the window again. She looked at Kirimi. She suddenly had a brain wave. She rose from the bench.

"Let's have a 5 vs. 5 minigame! The freshmen against the second years!" she said cheerfully.

Kirimi's eyes widened. This was a great opportunity for Kuroko to show his skills, this was wonderful! But most of the freshmen didn't think so. After all, as Kuroko himself had said earlier, last year, they had made it to the final league with only freshman. That was an amazing feat indeed.

Riko looked at Kirimi. She seemed to have forgotten about the rain for now. Her spirits seemed to have lifted and she was looking determined. Riko smirked. Time to see how good this year's freshmen were…and to perhaps finally see what the mysterious duo Kuroko and Kirimi were hiding as well. Today was the last day to prove themselves. This was Kirimi's last chance.

Kirimi glanced at Kuroko. He looked back at her and nodded. He knew it as well. This was make or break time.

Kagami Taiga seemed quite confident; his cockiness was actually inspiring the other first years. The freshmen and the second years positioned themselves. And it started, the tip off!

Kirimi's mouth opened when she saw Kagami jump so high that he actually got the ball instead of the second year boy. She barely blinked but without waiting for anybody else, he just went straight for the basket and dunked. She wasn't the only one amazed. All of them, Coach included were amazed by this boy's insane power. Kirimi was starting to see why Kuroko had chosen this boy as his light. If these guys from the Generation of Miracles were really that strong, if anyone on this team had a chance of going against them, it was Kagami. The freshmen were now in the lead, though it was mainly due to Kagami scoring one after another.

Kirimi wasn't so amazed after a while. This Kagami guy was overpowering everybody that he wasn't giving a chance for the other guys, including Kuroko to have a moment to shine; which of course, resulted in balls being stolen one after another. She could sense the other freshmen's irritation. Darn it. If only Kuroko could get the ball…

The second years were now formulating something. After all, they couldn't just let this freshman, no matter how good he was waltz around them! Kirimi slightly rose from her seat. A three-man defense! It made sense. This way, Kagami couldn't get the ball plus no matter how good he was, he couldn't stop three of his seniors by himself. Now that Kagami was shut down, the second years had more than doubled their score now.

"They're really strong after all…" said one, exhausted.

"Well, there was no way for us to win from the start," said another.

"Enough already," moaned yet another.

This obviously did not set well with Kagami the tiger. He grabbed one of the freshmen by the collar and was shouting something to him. Kirimi had to shake her head. No matter how strong this guy was, he didn't really have much of a team spirit. He was way too cocky.

All of a sudden, Kuroko suddenly bumped his knees with Kagami's. Kirimi had to stifle a laugh. The way Kuroko could get Kagami off guard was hilarious. She shook her head. Back to the game, back to the game! She could laugh later.

As the dispute with the first years continued, Riko herself was exasperated.

"Hey, Ayasaki-san," she said wearily. "Don't you ever lose sight of that guy?"

Kirimi turned towards Riko.

"Not at all. I can always spot him, anywhere, anytime," said Kirimi.

"Are you serious? How?" shot Riko.

Kirimi smiled sheepishly.

"I really don't know myself, to be honest," she said. "But, you know…"

Riko glanced at Kirimi again. Hmm?

"The fact that you can't see him is one of Tetsuya-kun's strong points," said Kirimi smiling slyly.

"Huh?" said Riko confusedly.

"You'll see," said Kirimi confidently. "Tetsuya-kun's counterattack will be starting any moment now,"

Riko just stared incredulously at Kirimi. What was she talking about? She was the referee and yet she had forgotten him-

Wait. Since when had she forgotten him? What..? It couldn't be…!

Kirimi exchanged one last glance with Kuroko. She was paying full attention to the court now, her fists clenched in concentration.

"Excuse me," said Kuroko. "Could you pass me the ball?"

The other freshman blinked.

"Huh?"

He looked at the score board. There were only three minutes left. Tch. Whatever. He passed the ball to Kuroko. He hoped that that at least he wouldn't lose it.

Kirimi felt a familiar feeling in her heart again. This was it; this was what she had experienced on that fateful day when she had seen Kuroko for the first time. Even Riko felt a chill. Something unthinkable was about to happen!

Kirimi watched as Kuroko held the ball in his hands for literally a second and in the next fraction of a second, it was in the hands of the freshman behind him. To others, everything seemed like a blur though. Even the freshman who had the ball in his hands hadn't recovered from the shock. He regained his senses at the last second and scored.

"Eh…."

"Wha…What?"

"I-It's in? How did he get that pass through just now?"

"I don't know! I didn't see!"

The mysterious passes continued with no one else knowing how it was happening except Kirimi. The freshmen were all flabbergasted. They couldn't understand these passes at all, even if they were helping them score. But it was too early to breathe a sigh of relief. They still had to score more to win against the second years.

Riko looked at Kirimi who in turn looked back at her and smiled happily.

"This guy…he's already hard to notice from the beginning! Does he become even more invisible the more he plays in a match or something?" she asked Kirimi.

"That's right," said Kirimi, nodding. "He uses misdirection,"

"Misdirection? You mean that technique to fool the senses of the opponent?" asked Riko.

"Yeah," said Kirimi. "Using this technique, he leads the opponent to think not of him, but another player will get the ball,"

Riko just stared open mouthed at Kirimi.

"In other words," continued Kirimi. "Instead of saying that's invisible during matches, you could say that he's encouraging the opponent to focus on other players other than him,"

Riko couldn't believe it. She had heard the rumor. The rumor about the former regular from Teiko's team who specialized in passing without being seen…but to think that it was actually real! He was the Phantom Sixth Man of the Generation of Miracles!

"It's working!" said Kirimi excitedly. "The second years are focusing too much on Tetsuya-kun! They've forgotten about Kagami-kun!"

Kirimi was feeling really good right now. Ah, she really did love this atmosphere. She loved watching a basketball game. And now, not only was she watching it, but she was also a part of it, albeit from the sidelines. She touched her heart. This feeling was really great!

There was only a one point difference now. And as if on cue, one of the second years in his confusion, lost the ball. Kuroko caught it!

"But wait, he can't do anything," thought Kirimi.

And just like clockwork, Kuroko didn't score. Kirimi had to giggle. But it wasn't the end. Kagami was on his tail. He jumped, took hold of the ball and did one of his fearsome dunks again.

"That's why weak guys piss me off!" he said. "Score properly, idiot!"

Kirimi was the only one who noticed Kuroko's small smile. He noticed Kirimi looking at her and smiled at her as well. Kirimi grinned back at him.

The freshman won. The second years did feel a bit resentful, but they got over it soon enough. After the match ended, and people started cleaning up, Kirimi decided to speak up.

"Excuse me!" she said. "About what you said earlier, Aida-san..."

The second years and the first years and Riko looked at her.

"Yes, what about it?" asked Riko sternly.

Kirimi shuffled a bit in her pose.

"Are we….me…I…I mean, did Tetsuya-kun do according to your expectations? Can I stay on the team with him and continue to be his personal coach?" asked Kirimi a bit anxiously.

The second years looked at each other. Riko was enjoying bullying this kid.

"Come on, Coach, give the poor kid a rest already," said the captain, whose name was Hyuuga.

"Yeah, yeah! Kuroko really surprised us all! Besides, it would be nice to have another girl in the group!" said Koganei, the second year with the cat face excitedly.

Riko looked at Kirimi's face which was a mix of determination and anxiety. Kuroko was watching the scene intensely as well. Today had been a success. But it was all up to the coach to decide whether Kirimi could stay or not. He was crossing his fingers, hoping for the best.

Riko's face finally broke into a smile.

"Of course you're in, Kirimi-chan!" she said cheerfully. "Welcome to the Seirin Basketball Club! We're looking forward to seeing you grow in our club!"

Kirimi's eyes widened and sparkled with delight. She looked back at Kuroko who gave her a small thumbs up. She looked back at Riko and bowed down.

"Thank you very much for accepting me, Aida-san!" said Kirimi gratefully.

Riko grinned.

"No need to be so formal. 'Riko' is just fine, Kirimi-chan," she said.

Kirimi grinned back at her.

"I look forward to working with everyone!"

Everyone in the team couldn't help but wonder at what had happened today. They were probably the only team in Japan with a middle school student as a personal coach for one of its members.

Kirimi was smiling yet again. It was like dejavu. They were at Maji Burger again and once again, Kagami had decided to occupy the table Kirimi and Kuroko were in.

"Why are you two here again?" he growled.

"You're the one came to sit at our table," said Kirimi, sipping a choco-banana shake.

"And it's because I like the vanilla shake here," said Kuroko.

"Don't think we're friends now!" Kagami growled again.

Some more growling and glaring ensued. Kirimi smiled yet again. She hadn't smiled so many times in one day in ages.

Then, Kagami did something surprising. He grabbed two burgers from his own enormous pile and threw one each to Kirimi and Kuroko.

"I'll give you both one," he said. "I'm not interested in weak guys, but I'll acknowledge that you two are at least one piece,"

Kirimi pouted.

"One piece?" she said with an annoyed tone.

Kuroko on the other hand was polite.

"Thank you," he said.

As they exited Maji Burger, Kagami asked them a question.

"So how strong are the Generation of Miracles?" he asked Kuroko. "If I were to go against them right now, what would happen?"

"You would be instantly killed," came Kuroko's blunt, dead pan reply.

"Can't you say that in a different way?" asked Kagami, his eye twitching.

"On top of that, the five geniuses have all joined veteran schools this year," said Kirimi, remembering what Kuroko had told her.

She looked at him.

"There is no mistaking that one of them will be standing at the top," continued Kuroko.

Kirimi waited for Kagami's reaction. He wasn't afraid at all.

"Hahaha! Nice, I'm burning," he said. "I've decided. I'll take all these guys down and become number one in Japan!"

"Hey!" said Kirimi. "Who said you're doing it alone?

Kagami looked at her.

"Huh?"

"That's going to be impossible," said Kuroko, blunt once again.

"Wha-!" said Kagami annoyed.

"I don't know about the potential of your abilities," said Kuroko. "But right now, you don't hold a candle to any of them,"

"That's what I was getting at too," said Kirimi. "You can't do it alone, Kagami-kun,"

"That's right," said Kuroko. "That's why, I have decided as well. I am a supporting actor, a shadow,"

Kirimi stared at both boys as Kuroko continued. It was almost as if a spark was illuminating right in front of her.

"A shadow becomes darker as the light becomes stronger, and it will make the white of the light stand out" continued Kuroko.

He looked at Kirimi who looked back at him determinedly.

"With Kirimi-san as my personal coach, and as the shadow of the main actor, both of us, Kirimi-san and I, will make the light, the number one in Japan," said Kuroko, the light in his eyes shining brightly.

Kirimi nodded as well.

"I still have much to learn, but I will do my best by supporting Tetsuya-kun, thereby supporting you, Kagami-kun," said Kirimi staring at him intensely.

Kagami looked at both of them. A pipsqueak of a player who was supported by supported by an even tinier pipsqueak was going to make him the number one in Japan, huh? Yesterday, Kagami might have laughed his head off but today was different as he looked the two pairs of determined eyes, one pair emerald green and the other teal blue.

"Heh! Nice words there! Just do what you want!" he said, grinning.

"I will do my best," said Kuroko.

Kirimi nodded as well.

"What's your name again, pipsqueak?" asked Kagami. "Man, you're tiny! How old are you anyway? 9? 10?"

An angry vein popped on Kirimi's head.

"I've been meaning to say this from earlier but I am not a pipsqueak or a little kid! I'm Kirimi Ayasaki, a first year in middle school!" said Kirimi hotly.

"Middle school? Stop lying. You can't be more than 11," said Kagami.

"Shut up!" snapped Kirimi.

Kuroko smiled a silent smile.

Well, then. Thus started the epic journey of a light, his shadow and the shadow's shadow aiming to defeat the strongest high school basketball players in Japan. Unbeknownst to Kirimi, her love life was beginning from today as well. But that's for another day.

I hope this was a good chapter and you all liked it! Let me know what you guys think of it. I'm sorry if there isn't much romance yet but I want thinks to be gradual. Also, look forward to the next chapter, because in the next chapter, Kirimi finally meets Kise Ryota! See you guys later!