Chapter 3: Summer Training Camp
Little did Itō Saya know that being a temporary assistant manager also meant overseeing fangirls who had enthusiastically volunteered to help out in the summer training camp.
"Momoi-san, are you sure that I'm needed for the camp? There seems to be plenty of people who could replace my spot..."
"I...I didn't expect this either…"
With a heavy basket of towels on their hands, Itō and Momoi walked pass the open gym doors where they could hear a dozen of girls squealing names of the regulars.
"It's always been like this."
"N-Nijimura-senpai!"
"Ya. How's everything going?" The ebony-haired senior waved casually behind the two startled girls. "A few girls offer to help out in the training camp every summer. How could I refuse when all these cute girls are so eager to help." He let out a big laugh.
A dozen is not a few, the two friends thought, a sweat drop hovering over their heads.
"Besides, Akashi personally asked me to allow these girls to help out. He rarely asks me favours so I thought why not? The more the merrier, right?"
Personally? The word rang in Itō's mind.
Nijimura pulled out his phone from his pocket. "Oh, it's already this late! Sorry, guys. I've got to go. Keep up with the good work!" He lightly patted his juniors' backs and jogged into the gym where two giggly volunteers were exiting. Noticing the manager and her assistant manager standing awkwardly outside the gym doors, the two volunteers approached them.
"Momoi, are you childhood friends with Aomine-kun?" asked one of the curious girls.
"Mm? Well, yes…"
"I'm jealous that you're childhood friends with Aomine-kun!"
Jealous? More like bothersome.
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
"Eh?" Momoi blinked blankly. Who would want to date an idiot like him?
"Did you see the practice match he had just now? He totally shined!"
An image of Aomine playing magnificently on the court indulged their minds. "He's so cool!"
C-cool? Are you guys...in your right minds?
A towel began to slip off one of the baskets the girls were holding as they continued to swoon over Aomine, only to be stopped by a hand that belonged to a red-haired boy that the four girls immediately recognised.
"Whoa. Do be careful." Akashi held the towel and kindly smiled, causing the two girls' hearts to flutter...again.
"Thank you for volunteering. I appreciate how you support our team in the camp."
"P-please don't say that! It's our pleasure to be here!"
Momoi and Itō had already got used to the glittering eyes fixed on all the regulars of the basketball team, so, with an unconcerned look on their faces, they stood there awkwardly like Midorima, who was behind Akashi. Midorima sometimes wondered whether his teammate had ever realised that his politeness would gather unwanted attention from the opposite gender. But then again, Midorima did not care, and he knew for sure that his teammate did not either.
Akashi turned to Momoi and Itō, giving a nod and a smile. "You guys too. Thank you." The two friends nodded back.
"Let's go, Midorima."
The two volunteers continued to fawn over the vice-captain who had just left the scene. "Akashi-sama sure is fine too."
"S-sama?" Momoi and Itō blurted.
"Well, he's already vice-captain as a first year!"
"Both Aomine and Akashi-sama are so cool~ Aaaah, I can't decide which one to support if they were to play a match against each other!"
Itō and Momoi blinked at each other. "H-haa…"
The two friends had certainly underestimated the basketball club's popularity, particularly among the girls.
Itō would be the last person who would want to hand the players towels after their match had ended, especially when she could feel the envious glances casted at her on the other side of the court. The girls had actually desperately fought for Itō's position, up to the point where some had pulled on each other's hair and screamed at each other, leaving Momoi no choice but to ask her reluctant friend to do it since this decision would receive the least complaints, at least that was what she had thought.
"Here's your towel, Akashi-san. Thank you for your hard work." Itō handed the towel to the sweating redhead.
"Thank you, Itō-san." Akashi raised his head and paused.
"...Is there something on my face?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
"By the way, Akashi-san," continued Itō, "Thanks to you Momoi-san seems happier than before."
Wiping the sweat off his face with the towel, the vice-captain opened his left eye and took a brief look at the smiling assistant manager.
"You were the one who asked Nijimura-san to let the girls help out, weren't you? You knew that she has always been alone at school and that this is a great opportunity for the girls to get to know Momoi-san, am I wrong?"
Akashi shut his eyes again and smiled at Itō's usual perception; he was confident that she would find out eventually, and his intuition had never stirred him wrong.
"Who knows."
Itō chuckled at his reply. "You're such a strange boy."
By now she had realised that the vice captain of Teikō's basketball team was someone who would work behind the scenes not only so that things would go smoothly as he had planned, but also for the sake of people he cared about. The results of his decisions would always be highlighted by everyone, but his intentions would often be left unnoticed, possibly much to his desire.
Akashi's calm smile remained. It was his first time to hear someone calling him strange, and he somehow liked the refreshing feeling attached to it. "Now am I?"
The peaceful air between the two teenagers was suddenly disrupted by the pounding sound of heavy footsteps from the gym entrance, along with a peculiar scraping sound of shoes scuffing on the wooden floor.
"Oi, I've brought this guy back." Nijimura dragged his junior into the court. With a huge grin on his face, the captain looped his arm over the disgruntled boy's shoulders, the other hand dishevelling his silver hair. "A second-stringer found Haizaki in the arcades. He seems well despite the cold, so I brought him back to the camp. Don't worry, he's completely healthy, so he'll be joining the practice from tomorrow on." He heavily patted his junior's back. "Oi, Haizaki, come on, say hello to everyone!"
"H-he-y-ya…"
All the first-stringers gave a sympathetic look at the injured Haizaki. But now he's on his last breath…
Haizaki used up his remaining energy to tilt his head slightly upwards, only to find an unfamiliar face next to their newly promoted vice-captain staring blankly at him—it was a face that he was rather interested in.
"How's the preparation going?" Akashi stepped into the empty kitchen and looked around. "Where are the rest of the volunteers?"
Itō lifted her head from the stockpot to the red-haired boy. "Ah, Akashi-san! Everything's going well. I told the girls to go on a short break since I have everything on ha—"
No, Itō did not have everything on hand. The extremely hot lid that she had just lifted slipped out of her hand and fell onto the ground with a clatter, along with a bowl of chopped vegetables her elbow had knocked over the counter. She had always been a clumsy person, Momoi knew that, but she did not want people to know how clumsy she could actually be, especially not someone who had trusted her to do her job well.
Akashi walked towards Itō, his concerned eyes on her embarrassed ones.
"You don't look well."
"I-I'm completely fine!" Itō stammered. Just clumsy. A bit clumsy. "Don't worry, dinner will be served on time." She lied. At this rate, both teenagers were fully aware that dinner would certainly not be served on time.
"Is that so." Akashi remained impassive. "Please excuse me for a bit."
What Akashi did next took Itō by surprise: he placed his hand on her forehead. His hand was cold, comfortably so, and it gently soothed the heat of her skin.
"You don't seem to have fever. That's good to know."
Itō's eyes flickered for a moment. "I-I'm fine!"
"But your cheeks are turning red."
"I really am fine!"
The flustered girl did not know whether what the redhead had just said was purely out of concern or a light tease at her. But then again, he did not seem to be a sort of person who would tease people, at least not for the fun of it. Or perhaps he was?
"When did you start realising," Itō muttered under her breath, "that I…" She paused, hesitant to confess that her body had always been weak, that she failed to perform such a simple task of preparing a meal for the first-stringers who had trained harder and endured far longer than she had. She did not want to disappoint the players who relied on her to replenish their energy. She must continue her work.
Akashi shut his eyes and smiled gently. "Since you handed us the towels the other day. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You've been working nonstop since the start of the training camp. It isn't strange that your body has not adapted to it yet."
There. He said it. Was there anything that could escape from his scarlet eyes?
Itō let out an awkward laugh, followed by a heavy sigh. "It is embarrassing when you already asked the girls to help us out in the training camp. You were also worried that we couldn't handle the training camp ourselves, weren't you?"
"So you realised." Akashi picked the lid up from the ground and handed it to Itō. "Well, I just wanted to be prepared for the worst case scenario, and it seems like I made the right decision, as always."
As always. His conviction hung in her mind. Had there really never been a time when this boy was wrong?
"What if...someday...someone makes you realise that you've made the wrong decision?"
A smirk slipped through Akashi's lips. "Then I look forward to that day. However, in the meantime, it seems impossible for me to be wrong."
"Your confidence…"
"It's not confidence—it's a fact."
"A fact can be proven wrong though," Itō firmly stated. "Someday, I'll teach you what uncertainty is. I promise." She wanted to introduce him the meaning behind this word before he could make a similar mistake his father had made, one from which her family never managed to recover.
Akashi was rather curious about the glimmer of determination in her eyes. But before he could reply, the two teenagers noticed the soup boiling rapidly from the stockpot again, leaving Itō to tend to it.
"Anyway, sorry for making you worry, Akashi-san. The food will be ready soon. I can definitely handle this myself. I'm stronger than you think!" Itō grinned, lifted the bowl of diced vegetables, and gave a thumbs up, only to find the bowl slipping away from her wet hands again, the chopped pieces back where it had come from—the ground. Actually weaker…but I guess he already knows.
"Aa, I'll leave this to you then. But remember to get some rest after this, Itō-san," said Akashi as he headed towards door, his tone slightly worried. "And remember not to serve food that's been on the floor. I don't want any of the members to get sick."
"U-understood!"
Yet another heavy sigh spread across the silent air at night. Itō had lost count the number of sighs she had heaved since the beginning of the summer training camp, each time would be because of a mistake she had made: breaking the plates, handing the players empty bottles of water, misdirecting them to the wrong matches, awkwardly calling both the first-stringers and the volunteers the wrong names, and the list went on. This time was no exception: she had lost the notebook including the match records that Momoi had asked for; she knew for sure that she had left it somewhere in the building in which meetings took place. Itō had underestimated the responsibilities of an assistant manager, but she was getting better with the number of mistakes declining as the days passed.
A tiny light flickered from a distance, glowing brighter as Itō approached the building. There would be only one person who would be inside the building this late—for once this was something that she was confident about.
Itō walked into the classroom where the same light that she had seen was now shining on the busy red-haired boy and the notebook on which he was writing.
"Ah, Akashi-san? You're still here?"
"Mm? Itō-san." The red orbs were still locked on the notebook. "Did you forget something?"
"Yes, just a notebook that contains the records I took for the matches. It should be in this room where we had a meeting this evening."
"If that's what you're looking for it's on the desk at the right far end of this room."
Itō shifted her eyes to the notebook in question.
"It has been lying there since I came to this room. I actually wanted to bring it back to you when I return to the dorm."
"I-is that so…" There was a slight embarrassment in Itō's tone. Without doubt, he had known that the notebook belonged to her. To her dismay, Akashi would be the first person to figure out her mistake every single time. When she had broken the plates, the vice-captain was the first one to enter the kitchen and help clean the broken dishes; he was the first person to whom she gave the empty water bottle; he was also the one who had pointed to the first-stringers the correct location for the matches after she had misdirected them. And each mistake would be followed by a string of apologies to which the vice-captain had become far too accustomed. However, he did not seem that bothered by her carelessness—perhaps it was because things would be boring if everything had gone smoothly. It was surely not the case that he liked it, but it might be because he subconsciously found it amusing that Itō had managed to disrupt the flow of his plans in the past days.
This time, Itō's apology turned into a question.
"Akashi-san, why are you still here?"
"I'm just planning a training menu here since I don't want to distract anyone back in the dorm."
As expected.
"Ah, I see. If only I could help..."
"No, it's fine. I'm about to finish writing my notes anyway. "
Itō turned her attention to the pile of papers on Akashi's desk that contained a handwriting she had seen everyday in class; an irrational sense of jealousy crept into her mind upon the acknowledgement that her bubbly friend was far more capable and useful to the team than she was.
"Are they notes that Momoi-san has analysed for you through the practices all the first-stringers have had the past days?"
"Aa. I need them for the training menu so that I know what sorts of areas for improvement are needed for each member in the team. Of course, myself included."
"You think to that extent all by yourself?"
"Yes, it helps me to understand each player's style so that I could bring them to harmony along with mine to create better teamplay; that way the training menu will be more effective."
Strange. There was no need for Akashi to explain so much to a person who was not involved in what he was devising, yet he did, willingly and naturally.
"You're working this late and putting so much effort for the team. And yet I…" I couldn't even perform such simple tasks without mishaps.
Itō had realised the difference between herself and Akashi ever since the beginning of the summer training camp. If his words were absolute, then hers would be uncertain; if his mind were resolute, then hers would be wavering.
A distant conversation with Momoi flashed across Akashi's mind as he looked at the self-conscious girl, her head facing the ground. Which word did Momoi use to describe her eyes again? Ah, yes. Lifeless.
"And yet you have done a lot for the team." The redhead smiled. "Haven't you seen the satisfied looks across the members' faces after every meal you've cooked for them?"
Itō tilted her head up, her mouth gaping at what she had just heard. After all the mistakes he had witnessed, she thought he would show at least some signs of disappointment and advise her to reflect on her mistakes. Perhaps he already knew that she was reflecting on her mistakes? Then again he had always been like this, even when some first-stringers had not performed up to par in the practice matches. But yes, she remembered clearly the smiles the first-stringers had after devouring the food that she had put a lot of effort in preparing, the odd feeling of her hard work being appreciated, and the feeling of wanting to dedicate everything into a task without thinking about the results.
"I do."
"Then that's good. Besides, I don't usually stay up this late. But since the Nationals are approaching I need to be more attentive to everyone's performance so that the team would remain victorious."
"Is it really for victory alone?" Itō asked. "If that's the case wouldn't you have joined the shōgi club instead?"
"That wouldn't be fun since victory would be ensured."
"Then what you're doing for your team isn't for just victory."
"What else would it be, if I may ask?"
Itō paused. For what reason would he dedicate so much time and effort into the basketball team?
"For fun?"
"Fun, you say?" A glint of confusion lit Akashi's red orbs.
Itō nodded, recalling the carefree expression on Akashi's face as he played on the court. "I mean, wasn't that the reason you started playing basketball?"
A distant memory of the days he had played basketball with his mother ran across his mind. Basketball had just been something he genuinely enjoyed playing with his mother as a pastime, something in which he had not felt obligated to excel, at least not back then.
"...Maybe."
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound of Itō's ringing phone broke the calm atmosphere.
"Hell—"
"SAYA-CHAN~!" A high-pitch scream filled the entire room, causing Itō to jerk away from her phone.
"Are you okay? You didn't reply to any of the text messages I sent! I was so worried about you because you've been taking so long! I told you it'd be much better if I went with you! Did you find the notebook?"
Itō did not know which question she should reply first.
"Momoi-san, don't worry, I'm fine. I found the notebook. I'll be back soon."
"Oh, so you found it? Yipee~ But you're alone, aren't you? Stay there! I'll walk with you!"
"Please don't. I'll be back before you know it!" Itō did not want to cause anymore trouble for her friend, not when she was the one who had lost the important notebook.
"A girl shouldn't walk alone in the dark!" Momoi exclaimed.
"But you're about to do that yourself."
"But I—"
"She'll be fine, Momoi." Akashi's firm voice travelled to the other end of the phone.
"W-was that Akashi-kun? I thought you were alone!"
I didn't say that I was alone…, Itō thought. "Anyway, I'll be fine! Just wait for me in the dorm."
"Well, if Akashi-kun is there with you, I guess it's fine. I'll leave her to you then, Akashi-kun!"
"Aa. Don't worry about us. We'll be back soon."
Itō wondered how the two teenagers could hear and talk to each other when he was nowhere near her phone.
"Well, I should go now." Itō frankly did not want to bother the vice-captain anymore, believing she had been quite a nuisance to both her friend and the vice-captain. "I'll see you later then, Akashi-san. I'll make up an excuse with Momoi when I'm back in the dorm. Don't stay up too late working!"
"I thought it was quite clear what I meant when I told Momoi we'll be back soon." Akashi rose from his chair and started to gather the already organised sheets on his desk. "Besides, Momoi's right, it's dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night."
"But you're still working and—"
"Didn't you just tell me not to stay up too late?"
A small sigh passed through the surrendered girl's lips. "I can't win against you, now can I?"
"Well, I've never l—"
"Lost. I know. But that's not what I meant!"
Another sigh.
Another pause.
"Thank you, Akashi-san."
Another smile.
"I should be the one saying thank you." The redhead was now face-to-face with Itō. "It's been a while since I've had a conversation that doesn't serve any particular purpose."
"That doesn't...serve any particular purpose, eh…"
"Did I say anything wrong?"
"N-no…" As far as Itō knew, the seemingly aimless conversation they just had was indeed different from all the ones Akashi had exchanged with people. "The same for me. It's been a while."
Another chuckle.
Darn that Nijimura bastard.
Haizaki strolled alone outside the dorm, his mouth blurting nothing but muffled curses at the captain of Teikō's basketball team. That second-stringer had found him at the worst possible time when he was about to beat the highest level boss and woo the junior high girls who were intensely watching him play in the arcade. Not to mention these girls immediately diverted their attention to the annoying captain who was only slightly more good-looking than him as he dragged the delinquent away from the arcade in the most embarrassing way. He would definitely get a revenge on Nijimura—it was only a matter of when and how. If it were not for him and that second-stringer, he would now be hanging out with cute girls rather than be stuck with basketball and a bunch of unattractive and boring guys. Not that he disliked basketball, but he would just rather spend his time doing something else, something more—
Interesting. Before his silver eyes were two juniors walking to his direction, heading back to the dormitory. The red-haired one must be the vice-captain; his red hair stood out among a sea of dark brown and black heads in the practices he had been forced to attend. He turned his attention to the girl beside the vice-captain, recalling a familiar face he had seen the day he had been dragged to the camp. Nobody could stop Haizaki once he had set his target. After all, he had never failed to steal away delicious-looking things that he had seen people enjoying.
He began licking his thumb, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Author's Note:
Aaaand we won't have an answer to this chapter's cliffhanger until a few chapters later. Sorry, my dear readers! But everything in this story is in chronological order (except for the prologue) so I won't focus on Haizaki until Kise arrives at the beginning of their second year at Teikō. On the bright side, Kuroko will make an official appearance next chapter!
My life has also been pretty busy lately but I'll still make sure a chapter will be up every one or two weeks. I really enjoy writing this story so instead of trying to update it on time I'll focus more on its quality.
I've got to know much more about Itō this chapter so hopefully all you lovely readers did too! She is (sometimes overly) polite; she is observant; she is pretty; but she is human and has flaws that will be explored further as the story progresses, the same goes for Akashi.
One thing I am struggling right now is trying to switch between the viewpoints of Akashi and Itō (and occasionally other characters such as Haizaki in this chapter) through third person writing without confusing you all. I think I'll get better as I write more chapters so please bear with me for the time being! T_T
And now on to my favourite part: reviews!
Wikked: Gosh, I'm so slow with the development between Akashi and Itō. XD But, as you've mentioned, I think it's more important to build trust between these two characters than to have them enter the love zone straight away, especially when I think what Akashi needs the most right now is someone who would understand him as a person but also add some unpredictability to his life (even if he does not seem to be aware of that). Hehe~ Thanks to you the story will go on smoothly!
lili: It is indeed interesting to see the GoM change. I'll try my best to show how and why they've turned into selfish players as the story progresses. It's rather sad, but some aspects of them never change. ;)
babypanda468: Congrats on completing season 3 (my favourite season because Akashi is heavily featured)! I know, right? Their Teikō days are just…*cries in happiness and sadness* No worries, I'll make sure both the poor readers and Saya will have a hard time seeing and dealing with the GoM fall apart. I'm evil, but I won't disappoint you! :)
Again, thank you so much for the follows, favourites, and reviews! They are all greatly appreciated and motivate me so much! Please look forward to the next chapter. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke written by Fujimaki Tadatoshi-san. All credit to the wonderful people that contributed to the creation of the manga and anime for this series, and to the translation team for their hard work in putting on subtitles for the anime that are used in this fanfiction. Also, there are two scenes in this chapter that are very loosely based on a high-quality Japanese fanmade Kuroko no Basuke otome game called Restart! made by Brilliant-colors. Thank you!