Right. Guys, remember when I promised you that this wouldn't take another year?

Yeah, I don't wanna promise any more deadlines to meet. =-=

*sulks in one corner*

So! Chapter 5. Here we are again with this wacky fanfic about being gay and loving it. Hopefully, I didn't make this chapter too ridiculous… This was supposed to be released on April 1, making it an April Fool's gift rather than a prank ('cause I'm not too fond of pranks), but unfortunately, my laziness struck again. This is more of a filler chapter (each scene is basically an important scene for each day of the week), but somehow the word count reached up to 25k and I am honestly baffled at this point. Hopefully, I didn't ramble too much. OTL

Good news is: you get more interaction with MidoTaka, KagaKuro, and AoSaku here.

Bad news is: this isn't the chapter for Akashi, Mukkun, and Himuro's introduction yet.

BUT I CAN GUARANTEE THAT IT IS MOST DEFINITELY ON THE NEXT CHAPTER! :D

So, with that, let's get the replies out of the way! I love you, guys. Seriously. Please give me more reviews.

Replies:

Horsemuon17: I hope you'll forgive me once again… o-o *hands out le new chappie*

Guest (1): Oh my god, HELL YEAH I'LL INCLUDE THEM! I'd really like all the characters that showed up in the anime to show up in my fic, so yes, those two cuties will show up~! I've got big plans for Haizaki (huehuehue) while Ogiwara won't be a permanent fixture (unfortunately), but he will influence the story, especially in Kuroko's arc. He'll be a leading character in one of my future fics, though~

Izik Imanity: I love you, too. TTuTT

AmberWarrior: Good news: moar MidoTaka for you~! AoSaku not so much, but there is a subtle movement that will push these two together huehuehue

Takucchi: I'm so sorry. :c I don't do poly ships. But I can do AkaKuro and AkaKaga someday with my fics. Stay tuned!

LZ: I am so sorry Ch. 4 compelled you to not sleep yet. D: Hopefully, it's daytime when I update this. :(

caffeinesugar18: lol I'm glad this got you interested in that corny reverse harem anime filled with bishounen that should've been gay.

MizunashiFuyuko: I think you're really going to enjoy this chapter, in regards to how much you've fangirled over the last one. XD Don't wanna reveal anything, but all I can say is: HELL YES MIGIKATA. PRAISE MARASY8 AND HIS WONDERFUL COVERS! \( * ^ * )/

AJ: Yessu, I am a Filipino-ssu. :3 Also, lol I'm glad you gave another review! I don't wanna reveal anything, but I'm really glad you're curious about the backstories I've created. And music prodigy!Kuroko is my aesthetic yes! "She" is one original character I'm very fond of and that's all I'll say. ;D

LazyAuthoress: I guess I kinda failed in describing Kagami's synesthesia, then. XD It sounded too exact, but honestly, Kagami can't always guess correctly. Most of the guesses he does is just one obvious facet of the person, so it's too stereotypical and he gets in trouble because of treating people stereotypically. One example of not getting it right is Akashi. The first time they met, he couldn't get a clear reading on him at all lol. And don't worry, Takao will suffer just as Midorima did. XD

CrimsonVanilla: Good news for you: this is probably going to reach 20 chapters. o-o The main goal of this story is not just to get Kise and Kasamatsu together, but also ALL of the ships I've listed and hinted at. So yeah, let's just say the whole storyline will reach up to the Third-Years' graduation. TTuTT (ohmygodsomanychappiestowrite)

Baked Soap: Don't worry, I'll write an AkaKuro fic someday. XD Sorry that Kuroko doesn't have much substance here yet, but it'll get better later on. Also, the scoring system that I used is legit, as far as I know, since I got it from a sports news article lol. But yeah, there is the 15, 30, 40 something that's used. I think I'll change it to that. *ponders*

Miki Mae: GIRL YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH AKAFURI I'LL BE HAPPILY SHOVING IN HERE oh whoops shit now I've revealed a secret

kroscetish: lol I was about to type the lyrics normally but then realized they're Japanese.

Guest (2): Sorry, sorry! Just taking a… long… break… OTL

Guest (3): THANK YOU. PLEASE KEEP ENCOURAGING ME.

Bubbles9595: Never underestimate the power of vanilla milkshakes to one Kuroko Tetsuya. ;D

fallenangelsreborncall: Yes, this is still alive! Enjoy the new chapter!

Sapphire Water Maiden: OMG THANK YOU~! I was so happy you recommended Snow Halation 'cause that's my all-time favorite LoveLive song! Misdirection will definitely sing LoveLive songs! :D

Forever In Oblivion: Oh, really? Hmm, I'll check the wikia… Also, no worries about the English songs. I have something planned with… ahem. :D

Yaoi Fangirl: WHERE WERE YOU AND WHY DIDN'T YOU HUNT ME DOWN?!

WhiteShadowedWolf: Your voice wasn't loud enough. Please nag me more! D:

just good ol me: lol yeah it gets a bit OOC at times. I try to keep them in character. XD I won't reveal anything yet. :P

DarkWolf991: Oh man, I'm glad you took a leap of faith with this. But I am sorry this took another year. .-.

semiakesolauca: Sorry there's not much AoSaku here, but there are many more chapters to come!

TO WIERD YUME:

Wherever you are, know that I am sTILL ALIVE AND KICKIN' WITH THIS STORY WHOOO

Important Announcements:

1) As stated in the last chapter, I am no longer The Second Hand of Time. I am now Araminthe Ispwitch, and oh my god, I now have a Facebook account—along with a page for my writing—a Twitter account, and a Tumblr account. Please refer to my profile for the details and also NAG ME IN SOCIAL MEDIA. ESPECIALLY IN TUMBLR—I'M VERY ACTIVE THERE.

2) I now also have an Archive of Our Own account, and all my fanfics will be cross-posted there. Same with Tumblr. The AO3 KnB fandom is lucky 'cause they get to read all five of GHSR's chapters in one fell swoop. Unfortunately for them, they'll have to wait alongside you for Chapter 6.

3) I dedicate this chapter to Andarkness23. She and I got into a brief conversation way back then, and since she guessed something I have planned in Royally Gay correctly, I let her write a scene she wanted to see in GHSR. Amazingly, the MidoTaka scene she wrote solved one problem I had, so I am forever grateful to her. You guys will get this scene later in the chapter. :3

4) The poll for this fanfic is still up. Please vote, people!

5) For the old readers, you'll notice that I've changed the fanfic's summary/plot synopsis. Does the new one sound good? :/

DISCLAIMER: If I owned this anime/manga, we'd all be in hell right now for sinning too much. Fortunately, I don't. :P But let us still thank Fujimaki-sensei for creating this paradise for fujoshis.

Previously…

"Kise… can you stop holding my arm now?"

"Eh? Why?"

"Argh, stop playing so hard-to-get, Yuu-chan! Can't you see the love in Kise's eyes?!"

"It's either the lighting isn't helping or he just wants to ignore what he's seeing."

"Guys. Seriously. How long are we going to follow them?"

The Exaggeratedly Perilous Journey of a Gay High School Romance

Chapter 5: I Want to Know More About You

Tuesday morning came and Kise Ryouta was waiting by the gates of Hiyokoroshi Apartment Complex once again. Kasamatsu figured that he shouldn't have been too surprised. After all, they had parted ways yesterday on good terms and it seemed that Kise had been eager to continue hanging out with him. That, and it was obvious that Kise liked him. A lot.

The black-haired and blue-eyed kickboxer stared at the mop of blonde hair he could see outside the gates and sighed. Yukio wasn't stupid. Anyone with half a brain could easily see that the tennis-player-slash-model was definitely enamoured with him, if the weird sparkly backgrounds appearing around the guy were anything to go by. That's why when he asked Kise's intentions yesterday, Yukio wasn't fooled when the blonde answered "friendship."

"No… I want to be friends with you."

Bullshit. It was painfully obvious that Kise wanted more. His flustered state after Yukio asked him if he wanted to be lovers was solid proof of that. But of course, Yukio wisely stayed quiet and didn't voice his opinion. His immediate reaction had been to be pessimistic and skeptical about it, but his curiosity held him back. Why would Kise not seize that perfect moment to admit his feelings to him? Was he afraid that he'd be rejected, even though Yukio really would've rejected him—or at least, not give the blonde much hope?

Yukio frowned. Alright, that sounded a bit conceited and cruel, but the point is, it wasn't that hard to guess that Kise likes him. Only a few days of getting to know each other and all the guy ever did was smile at him so much.

"Ah, Yukiocchi! Good morning~!" Cue wide smile and faint sparkles behind the blonde teen.

Yukio sighed. See?

But what he couldn't understand was why it was him, of all people. What was it about him that attracted someone like Kise Ryouta? His looks? Yukio would sometimes garner admirers outside of his idol fanbase, but he couldn't exactly say that he was charming. Unlike Kise, he knew that he was gruff and blunt, often to the point of being physical with his friends. His face wasn't beautiful like the blonde model's. He looked intimidating and fierce most of the time—a joke Takao Kazunari never failed to mention. Probably the only redeeming trait was his eyes. Kazunari and the others had admitted that his eyes were very piercing with their shade of blue. Maybe that's what got Kise interested?

Or perhaps it was his personality? But whatever on earth would be so attractive about his rough attitude?

Meanwhile, Kise averted his eyes in embarrassment and unease as Kasamatsu continued to stare at him. Was he too early? Was there something wrong with his appearance? Or maybe Kasamatsu didn't really want to see him so soon in their newfound friendship? Had he made a mistake in coming here? There were so many questions in need of an immediate answer that it made Ryouta's head swirl. He had always heard that love was complicated and confusing, but he didn't think it would be this much. Shouldn't it be just as simple as getting the girl—or boy, in this case—and living happily ever after?

But no… If it was that simple, then it wouldn't be half as fun and invigorating. Ryouta snuck a glance at the shorter teen beside him and hid a smile. It was a challenge, yes, but it was definitely a fun one. Being with Kasamatsu Yukio was an adventure all on its own, and if Kise could easily claim his beloved, then there would be no point to all of these feelings burning up inside him.

"Guys, I'm aging here. Can we go now?"

Both boys flinched in shock as the impatient voice of one Takao Kazunari broke their musings.

"T-Takaocchi! You're coming with us to school?" stuttered Kise, surprised at the arrival of the raven-haired idol. He should've expected that his and Yukiocchi's walks alone together wouldn't last. Well, at least it's Takao.

"Of course I am. I need to graduate, ya know?" joked Takao, playfully poking an elbow against Kise's side.

"So you finally decided to join us, huh?" said Kasamatsu, turning away from the two to start walking towards Kiseki no Sedai.

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss about yesterday. I leave you on your own every now and then, don't I?" bantered Kazunari, slinging an arm on Yukio's shoulder as he caught up and slinging the other around Ryouta's. "At least you had Kise to keep you company~!"

"I'm not a sourpuss," grunted Yukio.

"Please excuse my best friend, Kise. He hasn't taken his daily dose of Takao Kazunari Huggles yet."

"The fuck is that?!"

Ryouta didn't know whether to laugh or be jealous as Takao proceeded to bear-hug Kasamatsu while the other tried to strangle him. The scene was reminiscent of Alex-san, Kagami and Himuro's American basketball mentor, trying to kiss Kagamicchi—and by that memory, he couldn't help snorting in amusement. In fact, it also reminded him of the times he tried to be affectionate towards his own friends and most of them ended up wanting to kick him to the curb.

Funnily enough, the number of times that scene happened with Midorima occurred less than the others. Despite his claim as the green-haired teen's best friend, Ryouta knew that there was this invisible boundary in which he needed to follow most of the time. Shintarou was never really all that comfortable with physical affection, even amongst friends and blood relations, and so Ryouta never tried to push his luck much. As a kid, he grew up always chattering to the other and the amount of hugs he gave were moderate enough that his best friend never got too bothered. In fact, it was the kind of moderate amount—half of which he asked permission to do and another half of which he gave as a surprise—that made Midorimacchi gradually open up to him throughout these years. Ryouta knew he couldn't do it the way he befriended Aominecchi because Midorima was the introverted type.

There were times when he'd go too far and end up angering the green-haired boy, though. And it would always leave him depressed because Shintarou was the first true friend he'd ever made in kindergarten and he hated the thought of losing him. He'd grown to love having him around, despite the other's eccentric hobbies. Because underneath all that unapproachable aura was a loyal friend who mothers him through denial and secret acts of kindness.

Because Midorima Shintarou was the first person to look past Ryouta's apparent beauty.

"What'cha thinking about, Kise?"

Ryouta blinked in surprise. Takao was looking at him curiously—while being headlocked by Kasamatsu, who was also staring at him.

"Ah, no, it's just…" The blonde chuckled quietly, before breaking into a wistful smile. "You just remind me of how I am with Midorimacchi."

"Really…?" said Kasamatsu, looking warily at the raven-haired boy he was holding and back at Kise.

"Our best friends are such tsundere jerks, aren't they!?" whined Takao, pouting. To which Kasamatsu tightened his hold in response.

Ryouta laughed then, thoroughly amused by the two's antics. Yes, they were somewhat similar to him and Midorima, with a hint of Aomine and Kagami's friendship. The bond was quite strong for two boys with opposite personalities such as them, though, and that made Ryouta wonder how long they have been friends.

"I've known him since we were kids and we've been together through thick and thin."

The words echoed in Ryouta's ears and he couldn't help remembering how serious Takao looked back then.

"He's my family, my brother, my sidekick—sometimes, my mother, even!"

So they're really, really close, then. If it's like that, then they must've been neighbors or maybe even connected by relatives. It was possible since the two have physical similarities, but Takao seemed like the type to boast about stuff between him and Kasamatsu, and the silvery-eyed teen would've informed him from the start if he and Kasamatsu were related in any way or had met through relatives.

So the best bet would be is that they grew up as neighbors and stuck together ever since. Kinda like how he and Midorimacchi happened.

"Just ask about it, Kise."

The blonde model started, eyes focusing back on Kasamatsu. The blue-eyed kickboxer was smirking as he dusted off his hands—a coughing Takao squatting on the ground beside him. Damn it, how many times had he spaced out today?

"W-What?" he asked hesitantly.

"You looked like you're curious about how a banshee like him managed to stay alive around me," replied Kasamatsu coolly, jerking a thumb towards his raven-haired best friend.

"More like how a flagpole like you managed to stay straight around me," came the low mutter from the ground. A kick to the ass followed almost instantly.

"A-Ah well…" Ryouta hesitated in answering—and thinking deeper about the "straight" comment—and instead opted to help Takao up as he whined, pouted, and childishly blew raspberries at Ryouta's crush while they continued walking. I guess it wouldn't really hurt to ask something like that, he concluded.

"From what I saw, you guys and Sakuraicchi and Kurokocchi looked like you've been friends for a while now," he started, licking his lips. "But Yukiocchi seems closer with Takaocchi while Kurokocchi seems closer with Sakuraicchi…"

"That's because the four of us were dynamic duos first," answered Takao, slinging his arm around Kasamatsu's shoulders once again. "Yuu-chan and I were classmates way back in elementary school. In fact, we grew up in the same neighborhood in Kanagawa."

"Kanagawa Prefecture?" interrupted Ryouta, surprised at the tidbit.

"Yep. We only moved when we reached middle school. Now, Tetsu-chan and Ryou-chan were the same as us. They knew each other in kindergarten and went to the same middle school, too. And that's where we met them."

"It feels like only yesterday when we had to save them from those stupid bullies," remarked Yukio casually. But he was pulled away from his reminiscing when the arm on his shoulder suddenly tensed. Yukio's steel-blue eyes swiftly looked down at the hand dangling on his left and noticed a slight twitch of the fingers.

"Bullies?" repeated Kise, but Yukio was too busy with staring at Kazunari's hand to notice.

"Yeah, it happened just after the first week of our freshman year," replied Takao. "Some idiots decided to pick on Ryou-chan after school while he and Tetsu-chan were walking home. Long story short, Yuu-chan swooped in to save the day and rescue the two princesses!"

At Kise's noise of awe, Yukio forcefully dragged himself away from staring and levelled a look at Kazunari. "No, you swooped in. And by 'swooped in', I mean you literally jumped onto them. I had to take down all the others who hadn't been frightened away by your crazy cawing. And you better pray that Tetsuya won't find out that you called him a princess."

"K-Kise won't tell!" assured Kazunari. "Right, Kise!?"

"Why? Is Kurokocchi scary when—" The memory of last Saturday morning, when they had to face off against a sleep-deprived Kuroko Tetsuya, popped up into Ryouta's head and he now suddenly understood why Takao paled a moment ago.

"Ah… n-never mind. Yes, I won't tell on you, Takaocchi."

"Thank youuuu~! You're a lifesaver, Kise!"

Yukio found the question's retraction strange, though, and commented on it. "Sounds like you've already seen him angry," he joked.

"Well, I did wake up him at—" And for the second time, the blonde tennis player faltered as he only now remembered as to why he woke Kuroko up that time. Suddenly panicking, he couldn't think of a good excuse to replace his words quick enough.

"Oh, you mean last Friday when he took a nap at the clubroom and you accidentally spilled the milkshake that I bought him?"

Startled amber eyes rose to lock gazes with silver-blue ones and one of the latter orbs quickly winked at him. Oh, good god, Ryouta could actually kiss this guy!

"Ahahaha! Man, that was a riot!" laughed Takao boisterously, gaily recounting the fake tale of how Kise accidentally incurred Kuroko's wrath to Kasamatsu. To his credit, Kasamatsu actually gave Ryouta a sympathetic cringe of a smile and several warnings on how to best avoid angering their short blue-haired friend.

Thank goodness Yukiocchi believed it! He couldn't just let the other know that he had discovered that side of Kurokocchi when he had been visiting in regards to the Taekwondo kickboxer, after all! That would be a hard story to explain without revealing that he was there because he was interested in Kasamatsu.

"Well, that's pretty much the gist of it," said Takao, continuing their story about meeting Kuroko and Sakurai. "After that, we kinda just found ourselves hanging out with the two and deciding to go to the same high school."

"You went to Kiseki just for them?" asked Ryouta incredulously. He would've understood if it was just between the two of them, but to choose a school based on where Kurokocchi and Sakuraicchi were going?

"Ah, actually, it was just a coincidence with that," answered Kasamatsu. "I got an offer to enroll in Kaijou and it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. When I got accepted in Kiseki, I knew I had to go to Tokyo for high school."

"I just wanted to follow wherever Yuu-chan went," quipped Takao nonchalantly, crossing his arms behind his head.

Kasamatsu snorted. "You just wanted to leave Kanagawa."

"Of course I do! It was boring there!"

Ryouta chuckled as Takao started pouting once again. "And Sakuraicchi and Kurokocchi?"

"Tetsuya and Ryou just happened to choose Kiseki no Sedai. Tetsuya was going to live in Tokyo after middle school anyway."

"So just imagine our reactions when we found out that we were all aiming for Kiseki," Takao said, laughing.

"That's an amazing kind of coincidence…" commented Ryouta in awe. "But I'm surprised they chose Kiseki. I mean, it's only been about three years since the school was built. It's just so popular here because of the facilities and all of those competitions we've won lately."

"Well, Tetsuya and his mom were on the move for a while during his grade school and middle school days. But when she had to go overseas, he decided to stay behind in Japan—and right here in Tokyo. I guess it just kinda helped that a family friend had recommended Tetsuya to the school because of his musical prestige."

"Why not our neighboring academy, though? If Kurokocchi's that good, then I'm sure they would've offered a scholarship to him or something. There's no way they would've missed him… right?"

Takao laughed at Ryouta's uncertainty. "Tecchan doesn't have low presence when he's playing the piano, so of course he's popular. But he chose Kiseki no Sedai instead because of Ryou-chan."

Kise turned to Takao, confusion evident in his eyes.

"Ryou-chan tried to aim for Geijutsu Academy for Tecchan's sake. He failed the entrance exam there, but he managed to pass Kiseki's."

"Somehow."

"Yeah."

"So… Kurokocchi chose to go to Kiseki… so he can be with Sakuraicchi?" concluded Kise, a bit surprised.

"Really romantic, isn't it?" commented Takao, wiggling his eyebrows.

Kasamatsu quickly glared at him. "Don't you dare say it."

"Say what? That it sounds just like us—ow ow ow ow OW!"

Ryouta could only smile apologetically as the raven-haired teen was subjected to a painful-looking head grip. But it was really amazing to know that he and his friends actually had a lot in common with Yukiocchi and his friends. They had all enrolled in Kiseki for the same reason, too: to be with each other.

Ryouta had no doubt in his mind that whichever school Midorimacchi had chosen, he would've chosen it, too. Himuro and Kagami lived in Tokyo, and Kagami had heard about Kiseki no Sedai's specialty in sports, so there was no other choice to think about. Aomine, who had become quite close to the two ever since they returned from America, decided to follow wherever Kagami was going to harass him further—though he'll never admit that he just didn't want to be left behind by the brothers again. It was miraculous enough that they were reunited after their elementary school days. Momoi, the ever-faithful and vigilant keeper/surrogate sister of Aominecchi, had decided to continue being by his side. She and Himuro had become quite close, anyway. Akashi and Murasakibara, on the other hand, already had their own spots in the academy even before its construction. After all, the owner of the school was Akashi's own father.

"Would you guys believe that my friends and I all know each other since middle school, too?" asked Kise, eager to share his story.

"Wha—all four of you, too?!"

"Technically, there're eight of us in our circle of friends," corrected Ryouta with a grin.

Upstairs in Room 2A, Kuroko fondly stroked Nigou's fur as the puppy happily ate his breakfast. The blunette always made sure to accompany his dog every day at this time of the morning. He himself couldn't tell the exact reason why he did the daily ritual, but Kuroko was content enough to leisurely pass the early hour without any hurry—the sight of his lively Tetsuya No. 2 chowing down food never failing to make him smile.

"Tetsuya-san, we'd better go or we'll be late."

Kuroko looked up to see Sakurai entering his kitchen with his school bag in hand. "Alright, let me just finish up here." Nigou was almost done with his meal; he couldn't leave without making sure that the Alaskan Malamute was settled for the day.

Licking up the last bits, Nigou moved to his water bowl, letting his master deposit his food bowl on the sink for later. Tetsuya then went to check on his bag and the rest of the apartment before he locked up. He scanned the spot his dog usually preferred in the living room. All his toys were out and the litter box on the balcony was freshly-cleaned. The pet-friendly food and water dispenser were also ready for lunchtime. Perfect.

Sakurai stood next to the blunette as he cuddled a goodbye out of the fluffy puppy as soon as he was done drinking. "Nigou's still not used to it?" he asked concernedly, stroking the tail.

"He's getting better," answered Kuroko with relief. When he and his friends first found Nigou inside a tattered box by the sidewalk a month ago, he hadn't expected the pup to adapt to a new environment so easily. Living here in his apartment—which Tetsuya will forever love and be grateful to, as pets were allowed—hadn't been such a daunting task for Nigou, who was practically an orphan. But Tetsuya discovered just recently that abandonment actually was a big issue with the Alaskan Malamute, as Nigou came to dislike his new owner leaving for several hours almost every day. He'd grown accustomed to Tetsuya being with him during the spring that it had greatly upset him when the teen had to attend school once April rolled in. Fortunately, the puppy hadn't displayed the usual signs of agitation by thrashing his apartment, but he was still worried as he always found Nigou dejectedly lying around whenever he came home.

"He really needs to have company whenever I'm not around," added Tetsuya. "He gets lonely easily."

"Maybe we can leave him with Haru-san and Mio-san?" suggested Ryou. "I don't think they would mind so much since that would mean Pachinko-kun will have a playmate."

Tetsuya had been considering the idea, as well. Pachinko, their landlord's 5-year-old Akita, liked Nigou well enough and the suggestion was viable—but the blunette felt like he would be a burden to the elderly couple. It was bad enough that they were managing a three-storey building and the vegetable garden beside it all on their own.

"Maybe…" Tetsuya glanced at his front door. "Maybe I can just install a doggy flap."

Sakurai looked at the entrance and cocked his head in thought. "Hmmm… that would mean that Nigou can leave the apartment so he won't be alone…"

"And yet still be able to come back inside without bothering anyone," finished Kuroko with a smile. "He can come and go as he pleases."

"That's perfect!" replied Ryou excitedly. "Why didn't we think of that sooner?"

Tetsuya shrugged and put his dog back down on the floor. "Getting it installed might take a while, but I'm sure we can manage. Right, boy?"

Nigou, sensing the relief from both teens, barked happily in response.

"By the way," began the blunette as they moved to the entrance hall, "Kagami-kun texted me about our training with him and Aomine-kun. He says we can start later after practice."

Remembering that and what happened last Saturday made Ryou sigh exasperatedly. "Honestly, Kazunari-san didn't have to do that."

"But we can't deny that we do need help," admitted Tetsuya, feeling chagrined.

"True."

They quickly left the apartment with a last goodbye to Nigou and then to Haru-san by the gate, and headed to school in a leisurely walk. "With Kazunari-kun busy in making Kise-kun and Yukio-kun busy, we have no one else to turn to," continued the blue-haired pianist.

"That can't be! Surely there's someone else that we know!" protested Ryou, suddenly feeling helpless.

Tetsuya raised a brow. "You don't want Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun to help us? They would be better teachers in basketball and soccer than Yukio-kun ever could be."

Ryou pressed his lips into a thin line, darting his gaze away. "I know that. And I'm grateful. But I just wish it wasn't them."

His best friend clapped a hand on his shoulder, his voice a gentle contrast to his previous demeanor regarding the Thursday fiasco. "I'm sure Aomine-kun won't tease you about it. He doesn't like to remember what happened either."

The brunette could only smile ruefully. Oh, he definitely won't talk to Ryou about it, alright. But that wasn't what concerned him with their current setup. Ryou had been hoping to minimize their contact as much as possible—him only having to interact with the dark-skinned soccer player as a classmate and temporary club member. But now he had no choice but to meet him outside of the school, too. And to have him as a coach, as well!

Hopefully, Ryou won't regret agreeing to this.

"Do you think this'll work? N-Not that I'm saying Yukio-san and Kazunari-san had taught us so poorly, that is!"

"While it's true that we've managed to pass last year thanks to our friends, it's still not enough," answered Tetsuya. "We need help more than ever and it's about time that Kazunari-kun and Yukio-kun took a break from us. I'm confident that we'll improve greatly under Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun's tutelage."

"Even if they're considered… idiots?" remarked Sakurai hesitantly, afraid that voicing the words would summon the two.

"Even if they're considered idiots," agreed Kuroko impassively.

But the conversation, despite light, reminded them of their inability to be physically daunting and useful in sports, and so the rest of the walk was spent by Kuroko thinking of ways on how to exact petty vengeance upon one Takao Kazunari while Sakurai tried his best to save their raven-haired friend.

They arrive at the academy fairly quickly and were greeted by the sight of several colorful booths and stands lined up on the walkway to the entrance. It was the second day of the club bazaar but things were still as lively as ever. Various shouts and hollers of info regarding different clubs and organizations sounded off between loudly and distantly as the pair proceeded inside the gates. From the famous Basketball Club to the infamous Otome Club, every booth represented all of Kiseki no Sedai's student organizations.

With the exception of one, that is.

Kuroko and Sakurai stilled as they found Takao, Kasamatsu, and Kise ahead of them get intercepted by two students from one of the booths. The blunette pursed his lips when he recognized them.

"Oh, good morning, guys!" said the guy between the two. "How've you been?"

"Fine, fine. Looks like you guys are, too," answered Takao amicably.

"Yeah, we're hoping to have a huge turn-out this year," replied the female student this time, wearing a coy smile. "What about you guys?"

"Oh, you know…" Takao rolled a shoulder into a noncommittal shrug. "Just hanging out in our HQ, waiting for your scraps."

An awkward silence settled between the five of them. The two students' faces blanked out, but one could see that both confusion and irritation were swirling within their eyes. They weren't expecting their chance to mock to be stolen by their very target—nor were they expecting Takao Kazunari to anticipate their intentions.

Kasamatsu gave Takao a chiding look. When he moved to leave and his other two companions decided to follow, the male student quickly piped up. "I'm sure you'll get new recruits, too."

"Yeah. After all, we'll be getting a lot of newbies ourselves, so we'll have to let some people go."

The words were clearly meant to be insulting, but it didn't yield the effects they were hoping. Kasamatsu raised a brow and cocked his head to the side. Takao rubbed his chin as if pondering some great mystery. Only Kise thinned his lips and appeared to be holding back his tongue.

"You guys are new, aren't you?" said Takao with a slight frown.

"New at bullying, at least," muttered Kasamatsu under his breath.

The two Second-Year students appeared both peeved and embarrassed at having been called out. But when the girl opened her mouth to continue, Kuroko darted forward with single-minded determination.

"Sakamoto-san, Hyodo-kun, that's enough," Tetsuya said, his voice laced with such steely edge that Kise started and looked shocked at him. Or perhaps that was because he appeared out of thin air again.

"K-K-Kuroko-senpai!" Sakamoto the girl and Hyodo the guy stood up straight and stared at him in horror and surprise.

"Please tell Nagoto-senpai that if she wants to inform the Glee Club of her opinions, then she should do it on her own—not command two of her kouhai to force themselves to adopt her way of thinking and do her dirty work like common lackeys."

The two looked at the ground, guilt and deference written all over their forms. "Y-Yes, Senpai…"

"Now please go back to your booth and help out. Also, please stop addressing me as your senpai," asked Kuroko gently, but firmly.

"Y-Yes, Sen—K-Kuroko-san!" replied Sakamoto. Hyodo bowed deeply. "W-We're sorry, Kuroko-san!"

They quickly went away, back to the brass-themed booth on the left of the walkway.

"What… was that?" asked Kise as the two were out of hearing distance, still feeling awkward and just shy of raging at the confrontation.

Kuroko turned to him with guilt and shame in his calm eyes. "Please excuse them, Kise-kun. It seems the Music Club's president had ordered them to mock any member of the Glee Club that they will cross paths with today."

"Or any other day," added Takao with a snort.

"They're from the Music Club?" asked Kise. "But hang on, why were they calling you 'senpai'? Aren't they Second-Years, too?

"Yes, that is why I asked them to stop. They do that because…" Kuroko trailed off awkwardly, a small frown marring his face.

Kasamatsu leaned towards Kise as if parting a huge secret. "It's their way of saying '-sama' to him."

"Eh?!"

"Not necessarily," Kuroko said hesitantly. "As arrogant as it sounds, I was their star pianist until I switched clubs. They recognize members who have exceptional skills as above their… status… and thus, defer to them with reverence and strict formality. President Nagoto wouldn't have it any other way."

"They have that kind of hierarchy system…?" Kise looked both troubled and a little bit dazed.

"Unfortunately, yes. But please don't fault Hyodo-kun and Sakamoto-san for what they did," pleaded the blunette. "They are not truly against our club, but Nagoto-senpai has a tight rein on them and the others."

"That girl is so dead-set on hating us that she's not above poisoning others and telling them to join her," growled Takao. "And all because she can't accept the fact that Tetsu-chan left her club on his own."

"Was Kurokocchi their only good musician, then?" asked Kise, confused about Nagoto's dislike of the Glee Club. Sure, he had expected some form of enmity coming from the Big Three, but he was thinking more along the lines of haughty behavior rather than aggressive tactics. It seemed strange to think about the elegant and sophisticated Performing Arts clubs that way.

"No, she's just angry 'cause she has a crush on Tetsuya," explained Kasamatsu with a smirk.

"Wha—really?!"

"Unlike Momoi, though, Nagoto liked his music skills first before his gentlemanly ways," added Takao with a chuckle.

Kuroko quietly huffed in annoyance at his friends' leering smiles. "Either way, you shouldn't have provoked them like that, Kazunari-kun."

"Hey, if Alpha Bitch wants to mess with us, then I can't just stand by and watch," countered the raven-haired teen with nonchalance.

"But Sakamoto-san and Hyodo-kun hadn't even insulted you yet."

"But they were going to try anyway, right? So isn't it great that I can beat them to it?"

Kuroko just shook his head. "Copying them isn't going to make things better. In situations like these, you should just be passive."

"Like you?" teased Takao.

"He's right and you know it, Kazu," said Kasamatsu firmly, gesturing for them to continue walking towards the front doors. "We're in a delicate situation. The Student Council may have helped us form, but they can't save us if we get in trouble with any of the other clubs. So stop picking fights and focus your energy on dishing out charm on-stage instead."

"Yeah, yeah, I kno—hey, wait. Where's Ryou-chan?"

The four boys halted and looked at each other with wide eyes. "Sakuraicchi? Was he here with us?" asked Kise in confusion.

"Yes, Ryou-kun and I walked to school together. He was right beside me when we found you three," answered Kuroko, mystified as to where his best friend could've gone without excusing himself. It wasn't like the brunette to disappear like he does.

"Come on, don't tell me he's learned misdirection now. He was with Tecchan just a while ago!"

"Ah! Sorry! Were you guys waiting for me?"

The four turned in unison as Sakurai Ryou jogged up to them. "Where did you go?" asked Kasamatsu, surreptitiously observing every detail he could scour from Ryou's panting form. He didn't often play detective when it came to the brunette—the action better suited to mischievous Takao—but his gut told him that things didn't seem right with Ryou disappearing all of a sudden.

Something had happened.

"Toritsuka-sensei had dropped her items on the way. I went to help her pick them up," Sakurai responded with an apologetic look.

Yukio fought the urge to share a glance with Kazunari. He couldn't rely on his observation only. He, Tetsuya, and Kazu—even Hyuga-senpai who was acquainted with Ryou's skills—all knew how talented of an actor Sakurai Ryou actually was, despite appearances. The only reason why he didn't make the cut in the Drama Club was because of their favoritism towards richer members. The brunette was usually transparent with them—and Hyuga-senpai once remarked that there were other, better actors than him, unfortunately—but he could still fool the best of them if he set his mind to it. Right now, Ryou was the image of an innocent angel, but Yukio knew how deceiving that façade could actually be.

To think that this brilliant actor was the same stuttering and timid teenager that they had come to know…

A familiar face by his peripheral view caught Yukio's attention. The president of the Drama Club stood next to his club's booth some distance away, glaring at them. He started moving to stalk their group. Alarmed, the kickboxer flashed his gaze back to his brown-eyed friend. Surely he hadn't…?

But then Hyuga and Imayoshi, along with Aida-senpai and the members of Sei Rin Sanctum, came up to the Drama Club's booth and seized their attention. Hyuga locked gazes with Yukio and sent a silent command to leave.

Yukio nodded tersely. It was a good thing that they looked out for each other. Hopefully, the group will be okay without them.

"Geez, Ryou-chan! Warn us next time, would ya? It's bad enough that Tecchan can do that, but you, too? We won't live to see the next sunrise if you keep that up," exaggerated Takao and, having seen his upperclassmen's looks at them, turned to continue walking.

"I'm sorry, Kazunari-san," appeased Sakurai with a smile. "But then how come you're still alive with Tetsuya-san's pranks?"

As laughter rang out from Kise, Yukio relaxed and joined them. But he quickly took the lead and ushered the group into a safer path when he noticed a Dance Troupe member obviously waiting for them to pass by his spot.

He shouldn't have been surprised that the morning turned out like this. Ever since their club was formed, a lot of people were against them and had been quick to oppose them at every turn. Of course, it wasn't visible to most of the students since the Big Three were currently in hot water with the Student Council, but the dislike was still there. So he should've expected them to show up in the club bazaar and try to humiliate them in public.

Yukio expelled a soft sigh. How long would this thing last, exactly?

The better question is how long can we hold out before things get ugly?

Takao Kazunari sighed as Hyuga-senpai finally dismissed them for the day. While they had been informed last week that practice would last until eight in the evening, their bespectacled president was being merciful for once and was letting them go once six struck on the clock. But he knew the mercy wouldn't last. Come Monday next week, the hellish practice regime will start once again. Better to savor the relief while they can.

The raven-haired teen stretched on the dance floor, groaning as his sore muscles strained and sighing in bliss as they relaxed. While fun and upbeat, "Dream Girl" had wicked choreography—enough to leave them all sore tomorrow. Or rather, him and his best friend only, that is. Technically, it's mine and Yukio's fault since we're in charge of the dance, but still… He had been bored while they were just practicing the vocals, and decided that an impromptu dance battle against the blue-eyed kickboxer sounded like a great idea.

He now admits that he was wrong.

Kazunari sat up after several minutes of stretching and inwardly cursing. Right. What should he do for the rest of the day?

Silvery-blue eyes glanced at the blonde and black-haired teens near the refreshment table. He could join Kise and Yuu-chan again. At least with that, it wouldn't so look suspicious to Yukio that he was plotting something concerning him and the charming tennis player-slash-model. But he wanted to give Kise the chance to have his best friend all to himself again.

Kazunari snorted. Years ago, he would've smacked himself thinking that very thought. Let no one claim that he wasn't possessive of the people he cherished.

Shaking his head, he crossed out the two lovebirds. Better to leave them on their own this time. If he and the others kept following the two, Yuu-chan might finally notice that they were being stalked. His gaze drifted to Kuroko and Sakurai chatting with Kagami and Aomine. According to the two during lunch, Tetsu-chan and Ryou-chan's training would start after club practice. Kazunari felt a childish pout coming on, but he withheld himself. It was his brilliant idea to get the two athletes to tutor his friends, so he had no right to lament his decision. May the Lord have mercy on you guys, though, thought the raven-haired teen with a wince. Knowing how totally opposite on the spectrum of sports the four were, the training would take quite a while.

The raven-haired male cocked his head. He could watch their training and walk home with them… But then that would mean seeing Ryou and Tetsuya flounder with their feet and Aomine and Kagami most probably tearing their hair out, and he had winced enough in his lifetime, thank you very much. Why is it that two good dancers can't seem to play a sports right?

Looking around, he couldn't see anyone else to walk home with. Despite what people know of him, it would be awkward to hang out with his seniors. And he still wasn't acquainted enough with the Music Club reps to join their circle.

Damn. Looks like I'm on my own today.

The teen clicked his tongue. Well, at least it meant some time alone to muse with his thoughts while he walked. But he had already gotten used to having company that whenever he walked alone, he didn't want to dawdle any further and hurried his pace. Disappointed, Takao moved to clean himself up in the boy's shower room right next door, when a shock of verdant green hair tugged his gaze back. Silvery-blue orbs slowly widened along with lips forming a small "o", until a delighted and impish grin crossed Kazunari's face.

Of course! How could he have forgotten?

It took several more minutes than he first anticipated, but he managed to exit the showers and leave the school in record time. He looked around the road, trying to spot the same shade of green hair. Dammit. Did he see me smiling diabolically and decided to bolt while he could?

When he came back inside the dance studio, Midorima was nowhere to be found. Koganei-senpai and Tsuchida-senpai said he already left. The raven-haired idol couldn't fault the green-haired teen for that. He hadn't exactly been politely cordial to him. There was just something about the guy that made Kazunari want to heckle him. He reminded Kazunari of Yukio, but even stiffer.

Kazunari stifled a snort. It'll definitely be fun proverbially poking him with a stick.

But like hell was Midorima Shintarou getting away from him. They made a deal last Saturday that whenever Kasamatsu, Kuroko, and Sakurai were all occupied, then the archer had to walk home with him. If he thought he could run away from someone as sharp-eyed and nimble as Takao Kazunari, then he had another think coming.

Kazunari quickly recalled the other boy's route to his home residence. Yesterday, when they had stalked Yukio and Kise on their way home, they had all split up at the intersection just a few blocks from the basketball court. It was the same one when they all went to pick Yukio up from Kaijou. If Midorima had left about 10 minutes ago—and if he was confident enough in losing Kazunari that he didn't bother taking a detour, he could still catch him at the border of the residential district.

Kazunari quickly darted towards the correct path and sprinted. There were several people along the way, but they were nothing he couldn't dodge without stopping. Snapping apologies and excuses left and right, his heart burst into triumphant joy as, after several minutes of jogging, a familiar tall form finally came into view. He could probably spot the archer a mile away, even without his sharp eyes.

"SHIN-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN~!"

Midorima swore he jumped at least a foot up into the air as the abhorred nickname reached his ears. He quickened his pace while trying not to run, but unfortunately, Takao Kazunari reached him before he could take more than six strides. Shintarou had been all but ready to hurl his book bag and a reprimand if Takao so much as humiliatingly glomp him in the middle of the street like Kise sometimes would. But the raven-haired idol surprised him by just stuttering to a stop a few meters ahead of him and shooting him a victorious grin over his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" asked Takao slyly, making sure his silvery eyes were glimmering in deviousness and devilish delight despite the exhaustion creeping in. To his credit, the green-haired teen looked torn between appearing cowed, appearing indignant, and appearing horrified.

"I suuuure hope you weren't thinking of leaving me behiiiind~," said Kazunari in a sing-song voice, tucking his arms behind his head.

"Surely you could've sought someone else as your companion?" shot Midorima back, not bothering to deny that that had been the plan.

"Ah-ah! A deal's a deal, Shin-chan. I promised that I'd help your friend, so you gotta pay for him."

"And by paying, you meant suffering as I let you dog my every step?" scowled the archer.

Takao rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have had to chase you down if you had just let me tag along like any normal person. I just didn't want to be alone while my friends are out there having the time of their lives."

"Maybe you should've thought of that first before you decided to take up Kise's offer."

Takao blinked in surprise at Midorima's retort. He hadn't expected the other teen to be so cynical and so against this arrangement. Granted, Midorima would be, but not by this margin. And he didn't want to admit it, but the statement stung. He did agree to his current situation and now, he was stuck with this sardonic, horoscope-obsessed boy who didn't want him around.

You could always just go home alone.

Takao gritted his teeth and fell into step beside Midorima.

No thanks. Not Wednesday yet.

"Oh, lighten up. You'll only have to 'suffer' in my presence for less than 20 minutes. Don't tell me you can't hold out that long?" taunted Kazunari, flashing the other a challenging look. As expected, Midorima narrowed his eyes.

"And besides, I just want someone to talk to."

Shintarou glanced sideways at the raven-haired teen. He was actually… behaving, for once. Apart from the nickname, Takao hadn't started to try annoying him as much as he usually did. The idol was actually trying to bargain with him about the benefits of their walking home together without acting like a hooligan. Of course, his reasons all sounded ridiculous and made Shintarou want to roll his eyes, but Takao sounded so unassuming and normal—not leering and teasing—that for once, the green-haired male just listened without any reply in mind. He really didn't know what to say to this person. He didn't know what to make of Takao Kazunari. He was happy-go-lucky, yes—and annoying, too. But then the teen would also display cunning and a hidden depth of mild-mannered charm in brief moments that left Midorima utterly baffled.

It was like Kise all over again, but even more confusing.

And was that a hint of loneliness in the other's tone?

Shintarou sighed, not bothering to hide his frustration. "Why do you even wish to be near my presence?" he asked, pinning the raven-haired teen with a sharp, emerald gaze. "I can see that you're not stupid and you know I care not for company, so why do you insist on befriending me?"

Takao shook his head as they turned into a residential street. "I'm seriously admiring Kise right now. To think he actually had the balls to want you as a friend, of all people," he said, both mocking and awe-sounding. "Do you even consider him your best friend, like he does?"

Shintarou opened his mouth to automatically dismiss the claim, but quickly closed it. It had been ingrained in his mind to always dismiss it out of embarrassment, but in his heart, Shintarou knew what Kise Ryouta truly was for him.

But that didn't mean he had to divulge that to Takao, of all people.

"Besides," continued Takao. "Who said I wanted to befriend you?"

That stopped Shintarou up short and he was surprised to see that he actually halted in walking. Takao looked back at him with a wink. "Maybe I just wanted someone to bicker with."

Midorima didn't realize he had a stunned expression on when Takao turned away, looking pleased and humming under his breath. Shintarou clicked his tongue and walked quickly, trying to dismiss the heat rising to his cheeks.

"Hey, where do you even buy those kinds of lucky items?"

The green-haired teen blinked as Takao pointed to the antique-looking abacus in his arms. "In antique stores, of course," he replied with a sniff.

"But that would've had to cost quite a lot. Do you ever try to find cheaper ones?" Takao asked once more, sounding strangely curious. "Like, does Oha-Asa ever recommend cheaper alternatives?"

Midorima felt one eyebrow slowly cocking. He didn't try to stop feeling curious himself as he answered the query. Perhaps this arrangement wouldn't be as bad he initially thought.

"Alright, let's see what you guys got."

Kagami slipped out of his black school blazer and tossed it onto his bag. As Sakurai and Kuroko took off their own blazers, the redhead scanned the empty basketball court and folded his sleeves up. When they had discussed about how they were going to tackle the training, the two Glee Club members quickly requested for basketball to be the first sport, since it would be in PE this semester while soccer was for the second semester. So they went to Taiga's usual haunt—the b-ball court near that playground where Kise and Kasamatsu had their "shoujo manga moment", as Takao called it. The place was surprisingly deserted at this time, but Taiga didn't bother to dwell on it. The sooner he could get Kuroko and Sakurai to play good enough, the better.

That was why he had contacted them as soon as possible. Fortunately, the two at least knew how the sport worked.

When his two students—to which Taiga felt both trepidation and pride thinking about—finally readied themselves in passable stances to start playing, the redhead took out his basketball from his sports bag and did a bit of dribbling. "Okay, we'll start with this. One lap of dribbling around the court, then try to get past me to do a lay-up or shoot inside the three-point line. You can do that much, right?"

Sakurai chuckled nervously. "W-We'll try."

That doesn't sound good. "Don't worry. I just need to see what we have to work on with you guys," placated Taiga. A series of electronic beeps caught his attention and he found his best friend sitting on the bench, typing away on his phone. "Oi, Ahomine, watch. You're gonna have to teach them, too, you know," he scolded with a frown.

Aomine didn't even look up. "You're playing basketball; I'm teaching them soccer. Big difference, Bakagami."

Taiga rolled his eyes and shook his head. Maybe so, but there were still key similarities between the two, and it would be the blue-haired teen's loss if he didn't watch them play. Just like Daiki, Taiga may not be as enthusiastic in having to tutor someone, but he at least didn't want to half-ass the job.

"Kuroko, you go first." He tossed the ball to the pale blunette. Kuroko caught it easily with little fumbling, which was a good sign. As soon as Sakurai moved to the sidelines, the blue-haired pianist started walking while bouncing the ball with his right hand. It slipped out of his grasp on the fifth bounce—to which Sakurai winced at—but Taiga simply told him to continue until he completed the circuit. Eventually, the teen managed to jog around without any more problems with the ball, but the redhead noticed that his handling still wasn't the best that it could be. Taiga moved to guard him as he attempted to get near the basket.

Don't be aggressive. Just keep him on his toes, he told himself, trying not to steal the ball. All he had to do was block so he could observe how Kuroko would react to pressure. For once, he was grateful that he had had training on that. After last year's Winter Cup, Coach had assigned him to help one of his teammates in getting past guards. The trick was to pressure his teammate into finding another way to tackle the situation. Of course, in a real game, you couldn't just use that line of thinking for the opponent, so you had to give everything you've got into blocking and guarding. But since Taiga was just giving an evaluation test, there was no reason to be hard on Kuroko.

Yet.

The blunette quickly moved the ball closer to him and away from his reach. Good reaction. He could see the figurative gears moving behind the other's head as sky-blue eyes darted to and fro, trying to spot a chink on the wall Taiga had created. But Kagami wasn't just going to give him an opening. He moved towards the other, mock-reaching for the ball. Kuroko moved his arms away and headed to the opposite direction, but Taiga quickly blocked his path. Usually, this distance would already give him a strong whiff of the person's scent. But as he guessed, Kuroko smelled of nothing. The vanilla essence from last Saturday was gone and Taiga had to wonder if this teen in front of him wasn't an illusion. Weak. He smells too weak. It seemed like his theory was correct.

As Taiga guarded Kuroko, the redhead belatedly realized how much of a disadvantage Kuroko was actually in—Sakurai, too. He was a foot taller than them and bigger in size. Of course, there were some basketball legends smaller than Kagami, but given their huge differences, the two would be hard-pressed to face him head-on.

But that's not the point of this, he berated inwardly. You just need to give them something to overcome. So when Kuroko finally backed away to shoot, Taiga couldn't help feeling proud—doubts of the pianist's strength notwithstanding.

He moved to block the shot, but the blunette managed to move faster.

The ball arched… and quickly fell to the asphalt ground, barely reaching half of the journey to the basket.

Kagami stared at the ball, vaguely hearing a slap and a groan coming from Sakurai. Even Aomine stopped typing. "What happened?"

The redhead looked back at the impassive Kuroko. "Uh… let's try that again."

Once more, Taiga blocked him, trying to coax a reaction to shoot or drive past him. And once more, Kuroko chose to shoot. The ball sailed into the air… and missed the goal just short of a meter up. The redheaded basketball player stared at the orange thing once again, feeling his brows scrunching down. "Um…" he voiced, uncertain. "Why don't you try shooting by the lane line?"

The blunette moved to shoot again, Taiga suddenly reluctant to try blocking. The ball arched, as it should, but it still didn't reach the basket.

"Put more power in your shot. Flick your wrist with force, but be careful," he instructed. Perhaps Kuroko was just weak with his hands—but wasn't he a piano prodigy?

Kuroko did as he was told, giving his shot an added speed. The ball arched higher and faster… but then it still completely missed the basket. Taiga could feel the start of an unpleasant emotion swirling inside him.

"Kuroko… can you please do a lay-up?"

The teen jogged towards the goal, performing a perfect jump-and-release sequence for the trick. The ball hovered in mid-air next to the basket for a split-second just teasingly so… before crashing back down to earth. The blatant lack of a scent irked the redhead's nose.

Taiga didn't even realize he was staring at Kuroko in bewilderment when a hand clapped gently on his shoulder. The redhead turned to see Sakurai wearing an apologetic smile. "Kagami-san, it's no use. Tetsuya-san really can't shoot." The brunette frowned when Kagami just looked even more bewildered. "Didn't Kazunari-san tell you this?"

At the name, Taiga jerked from his shock and quickly strode to his bag, ignoring a flabbergasted Aomine looking at his two students. He rummaged for his phone and swiftly looked for the raven-haired idol's contact number—internally grateful that the teen had insisted on exchanging numbers with them all. It took only two rings for Takao to pick up his call.

"Yo, Kagami! What's up?" The voice on the other end sounded tinny, yet loud.

"What the hell does Sakurai mean that Kuroko can't shoot?!" Taiga didn't have time to feel embarrassed that he sounded scandalized and disconcerted. Takao burst into hearty laughter.

"Oh, right! I didn't go into the details, did I?" He laughed even harder and Taiga couldn't find any words to say for a while, confusion and dread churning in him.

"Details? What details?"

"Why Yuu-chan and I had a hard time teaching Tetsu-chan, of course~!"

Taiga groaned, cradling his forehead with his free hand. "So it's true, then? Kuroko doesn't know how to shoot?"

"Oh, he knows how. The problem is that no matter how many times he practices, not a single ball goes in."

"WHAT?!"

The redhead was surprised to find someone that sounded peculiarly like Midorima voicing the same sentiments next to Takao.

"That's impossible!" he pointed out, nearly sounding hysterical.

"Trust me, we thought so, too. But we've been trying to teach him for nearly five years now. Nothing. Not a single basket," declared Takao grimly.

"Well then, what do you want me to do? Were you hoping I could fix that?"

"Honestly? Yeah, I was. You are the basketball club's star player, after all."

Taiga sighed, feeling drained all of a sudden. Sure, he was the famous power forward, but that didn't mean… "I can help him with his fundamentals… but I can't promise any results on his shooting. I'm not so good at in-depth coaching," he offered.

"I'll take what I can get."

"But you do realize shooting is a part of his exam, right?" reminded Kagami, suddenly feeling worried. "How is he going to pass if he can't even shoot a ball in?"

"Don't worry. Just let Tecchan handle it. Trust me," added the raven-haired teen quickly, sensing that Kagami was going to press the subject.

Taiga didn't want to worry about Kuroko, but he did—and for once, he understood all the coaches he had had and their concern with some of his weaker, less skilled teammates. After a moment, he exhaled gustily. "… If you say so."

Takao started giving his good-byes and good-lucks when the redhead suddenly remembered another issue. "Wait! What about…" He glanced at the brunette shaking his head as Kuroko attempted another three-pointer. "Sakurai?"

"Oh, Ryou-chan? You won't have any problems with him," chuckled Takao. "Like I said, he's decent enough in basketball, so all you need to do is strengthen his fundamentals, help him condition his body, and raise his stamina—for both of them, actually."

Well, that sounded easy enough. But now, Taiga's learned not to trust things so easily until he could see them for himself. "You know, when you said he was bad at basketball, I wasn't expecting it to be this bad."

Sensing his gaze, Sakurai and Kuroko turned to look at him—the brunette casting him a sheepish smile and the blunette slightly canting his head to the side with a blank expression.

Takao just laughed, clearly amused at his expense. "He knows how bad he is, so try not to rub in it or else I can't guarantee that a jab to your side won't come," teased the other teen, to which Taiga only grimaced at.

The redhead finally let him end the call and turned back towards the court after storing away his phone. Aomine, who had been quiet the whole time, quickly gave him a look that was both alarmed and anxious—something that almost made Taiga snort in amusement despite the situation. It wasn't like the dark-skinned soccer player to suddenly look so afraid of two lanky guys who didn't even reach past his collarbone.

Wait, no, Akashi's an exception.

"T-Taiga…" started Aomine hesitantly, looking he wanted nothing more than to bolt. "There's no way, right? I mean, maybe Kuroko's just got weak hands…?"

"I can assure you, Aomine-kun, that piano keys are as hard as basketballs, if not more," quipped Kuroko unamusedly.

"T-Then you've at least got good legs, right?" pressed Aomine, daring to look hopeful.

"Do you mean aesthetically or physiologically? Because Momoi-san once told me that I have nice legs."

"I'LL KICK YOU."

Taiga sighed and shook his head. "I told you that you needed to watch."

As Aomine continued to look horrified at the prospect of having to coach someone as inept as Kuroko, Sakurai finally stepped forward and tried to placate him. "D-Don't worry, Aomine-san! I'm okay in soccer, too, so you won't be alone in teaching him. I-I'll make sure he improves under your care!"

"Don't lie, Ryou-kun. We all know you can't score a goal to save your life," retorted the blunette flatly.

"N-Neither can you!"

Taiga rubbed his neck, watching as his friend continued to express his disbelief at Kuroko's apparent lack of skill while Sakurai was trying to diffuse his own friend's simmering need for retribution. Honestly, the redhead was in shock, too—but he quickly remembered that these two weren't the athletic type at all and thus, obviously lacked the skills needed to be really good players.

For now.

Taiga felt apprehensive at having to teach Kuroko where his friends have failed, but if there was one thing the basketball junkie loved more than the sport itself, it was a challenge. And Kagami Taiga was never one to back down from a challenge.

"Okay, okay, we've established that Kuroko can't take a shot for the life of him. Enough yapping," he ordered. "Kuroko, come here and do a shooting stance."

Surprisingly, the teen did as he was told without complaint—except maybe eye him with a sideways glance that looked a little annoyed—and held a pose with the ball between his hands.

Burgundy-red eyes scanned his form, adjusting an arm or leg when needed and stepping back once he was finished. "Alright…" murmured Taiga, pursing his lips. "As far as I can tell, your form is good—almost perfect, actually. But you still can't shoot a basket?"

In response, Kuroko jumped and released the ball. It anticlimactically dropped to a steep curve and bounced dully to the ground, missing the goal completely. "Yes," he answered after a beat, turning to Kagami with a blank—almost unamused—face.

Taiga held back a grimace. There was a lot of work to be done. "Well, your dribbling and footwork are okay, but we still have to develop them. Plus, you're almost out of breath. That's not a good sign."

Kuroko looked up at him with such exasperation in his eyes, that when he moved to open his mouth, Taiga quickly cut him off to save himself from a sharp retort. "W-We'll work on your stamina, okay!?" He turned pink at the loudness and coughed. "Hopefully, 30 minutes of jogging every day for the whole month will be enough to start a change."

Kagami didn't want to believe it, but for a moment, Kuroko seemed to pale at the statement.

"Do you think you can help Tetsuya-san with his shooting, Kagami-san?" Taiga turned to Sakurai, who looked about ready to use a pleading face with him. Despite wanting to assure the other, he didn't want to lie.

"I can't really promise anything with that," he answered with an apologetic frown, "but I can promise that his other fundamentals will improve after I'm done with him."

"Atta boy, Red! Hone his skills so I won't have to worry too much," cheered Aomine with an excited grin—to which his best friend glared at.

"On second thought, I'll leave the conditioning to you."

"Oh, c'mon! Do me a favor, will ya?"

"You want Kise to owe you? Then work for it, you lazy ass."

"What about Ryou-kun, Kagami-kun?" asked Kuroko. The redhead jolted at the reminder.

"Oh, right! Sakurai, your turn!"

"Ah! I-I'm sorry!"

"Eh?! Why are you apologizing?!"

Desperate to stop the other teen's apologetic spiel, he hurried after the ball and tossed it to the brunette. Without missing a beat, Sakurai stopped in his ministrations and copied Kuroko's actions a while ago—one lap of dribbling around the court—but unlike the blue-haired Glee Club member, Sakurai didn't have any problems moving with the ball in hand. He quickly positioned himself to the other end of the court and Taiga dutifully intercepted him, hoping to all deities that Takao hadn't been lying about the brunette's skills.

When the shorter of the two tried several times to drive past him with both caution and curiosity, the basketball player almost wept in relief. Sakurai had a good grasp of the footwork and a steady grip on the ball. He was a finer polished pearl than Kuroko was, yet was still in need of improvement. But for once, Kagami wasn't feeling apprehensive about coaching him. There was finally a scent in the air—the combination of ginger and… cinnamon? Taiga blinked. That was an uncanny pairing. But it smelled subdued and aromatic. If the redhead concentrated hard enough, he could find traces of familiar spices and sweet, baking ingredients.

This was interesting. They were all blended together, meshing well with each other, but also distinctive enough for Taiga to identify. A strange scent, but one that was befitting of Sakurai. There was something about the mousy teen that piqued one's curiosity.

The brown-eyed teen looked around to gauge his situation. Then, just like a snap of the finger, he took a step back and jumped, shooting the ball high up into the air. Taiga didn't have time to fully extend his blocking arm, but he quickly turned around to watch the basket. For a split-second, he was afraid to see a disappointing sight of the ball missing it yet again, so he couldn't help feeling stunned as the round, orange object not only hit the ring—it also circled it before falling in.

He didn't bother suppressing his whoop of joy.

"Nice, Sakurai!" He clapped the other's back good-naturedly, pleased to see the brunette looking proud of his success. Even Kuroko appeared happy.

"Holy shit."

The three teens turned to the navy-haired soccer player, who suddenly jumped to his feet from the bench. Aomine then levelled a stunned gaze onto Sakurai. "How the hell did you do that?"

Taiga quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "By shooting, idiot."

But Daiki just shook his head. "No, I meant, how did you release the ball so quickly like that? I've never seen anyone take a shot that fast and still land a three-pointer!"

Now stunned himself, the redhead turned to stare at Sakurai, as well. The teen only blushed and stuttered another out-of-place apology.

"He was super-fast, I tell ya! As soon as he jumped, he shot the ball! I didn't even see him taking a stance!" explained Aomine further, complete with wild hand gestures.

Come to think of it, I didn't even get to raise my arm… thought Taiga, recalling the blurry moment in his mind.

"What I lack in shooting, Ryou-kun more than makes up for with his quick releases," quipped Kuroko, smiling lightly at his friend.

"I-It's not really a skill, exactly!" said Sakurai, waving his hands dismissively. When Kagami looked at him expectantly, he mumbled, "I-I just don't like getting blocked, so I tend to shoot earlier than most… I-I'm sorry!"

Taiga smiled wryly. "I'm not really sure why you're apologizing about your shooting skills when it's actually a good thing."

"S-Sorry! It's… a habit… I'm really sorry!"

Kuroko moved to rub circles on Sakurai's back, relaxing the other teen into silence. "Please excuse him. He tends to do that when his nerves get frazzled or excited around strangers. He'll get better after a while with you two."

"I sure hope so. Otherwise, we're gonna have a problem once I'm teaching you how to score goals," remarked Aomine, reclining in his seat and shooting Sakurai a wry glance.

"Well, anyway," cut off Taiga, "Let's do it one more time, Sakurai. You get two more tries."

The next two face-offs went far better than the redhead could have hoped. Granted, Sakurai only managed to score once after that—his second attempt at shooting derailed as Taiga's pressure disrupted his shot—but so far, the teen displayed promising potential at being a good player.

Taiga was finally starting to have a good feeling about his temporary job.

After a few more minutes of the sun setting deeper into the horizon, the group all sat on the benches as Taiga checked his phone. "Okay, we're gonna have to set up a schedule for this," he declared, pondering over his digital calendar. "We can't train on weekdays since your club practices will last until 8 in the evening, right?"

Kuroko nodded. "We have two months to prepare for the June fundraiser concert, so our practice time will be consumed to the limit. Hyuga-senpai is only letting us off this week because there were problems with the paperwork and he needs to personally fix it." The blunette could remember how visibly pissed off their president was as he muttered about delays and excuses during their practice today. There was no doubt of who was to blame in the situation, as much as it made Kuroko uncomfortable to even think about.

"And then we have the end of April to factor in," added Kagami. "Once May rolls in, Aomine and I will be back in our teams, so we can't train as much with you either. You're gonna have to do conditioning on your own in your free time."

"We could join Yukio-san whenever he jogs," pitched in Sakurai, taking out his own phone.

"Yeah, do that," agreed Taiga. "But for your training, we're gonna have to do it on the weekends. Until what time is your practice on Saturdays?"

"12 noon. It might get extended, though."

"That's okay. It happens to us, too. We'll have to adjust come May."

Beeping noises soon followed and several boxes on Taiga's calendar were marked with "Train Kuroko and Sakurai"—some having the note of "Get Blue to come watch. Use blackmail if necessary. Ask Momoi." The redheaded teen wasn't all that good with dates and appointments, so he made it a habit of jotting down important stuff to do, after barely missing one of his dad's big shows and forgetting a street court match in LA. Tatsuya had never him live that one down.

Burgundy-red eyes blinked as the name flitted in his mind. An idea suddenly sparked to life.

"Okay… so we'll train on Saturdays after your club practice," he said first slowly, still mulling the idea over. "Maybe until 6?" When the two idols nodded, he typed some more. "We can do Sundays, too, if you'd like. Maybe in the morning, until 12."

"We don't usually have stuff to do on Sundays anyway, so I guess we can schedule it in," replied Sakurai. "If anything comes up, we'll just let you know."

"Oi, I can't come with you all the time, alright?" interrupted Aomine, lounging on his seat. "I still need to practice while I'm away from the club."

Sakurai smiled sympathetically. "It's alright, Aomine-san. We understand. We're only studying basketball for now, anyway."

Aomine only grunted in satisfaction. Marking the dates, Taiga let his thumb hover over the black and red phone, humming in thought. It sounded like a good idea, but then there were complications and other factors to consider and overall, his brother's opinion to know.

"Is everything alright, Kagami-san?"

Taiga looked up to see Sakurai frowning in concern. "Ah, yeah! Yeah. Just, uh… was thinking of something. That maybe… it could help Kuroko…"

Said pale blunette looked up in curiosity. "You believe it could help?"

Taiga shrugged. "I think he can do something about your shooting skills, at least."

"He?" voiced the brunette and blunette in unison.

Aomine shifted his gaze onto Kagami's, eyes slightly narrowing. "Tai…"

Uncharacteristically, the redhead timidly glanced at the navy-haired teen. "You think Tatsuya can do it?"

Ignoring Sakurai and Kuroko's baffled looks, Taiga opted to watch Daiki's reaction carefully. He wasn't too sure of his idea, so he needed another opinion on the matter—one that was as close to it as he could be.

Daiki appeared somber for a moment, before flicking him a serious expression. "I think he can help," he replied slowly and lowly. "But honestly, I don't think it's a good idea. You'll need to have a long talk with him about it if you really want it, though. And besides…" The blue-eyed teen looked away, muttering so softly that only Taiga could decipher it. "Is he even allowed to play?"

The comment struck Taiga like he knew it would, and he suddenly felt bad just conceiving the idea. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy. There were a lot of things to consider—one of which would be his brother's feelings on the subject. He should never be so callous and cold about it. Despite his love for the sport, Tatsuya might not even want to help him coach two scrawny teenagers in basketball.

"Um, are you talking about Himuro-san?"

Kagami and Aomine turned to face Sakurai so fast that the mousy brunette almost squeaked in surprise.

"You know him?" asked Taiga, surprised himself.

"Y-Yes, I'm s-sorry," stuttered the chocolate-eyed teen. "I used to be in the Drama Club, after all..."

At the remark, Taiga could almost swear that Daiki wanted to slap his forehead. He did, too. Of course! How the fuck could he have forgotten?!

Seriously, how the fuck?! Of course he would know Tatsuya!

"So you guys are close, then?" asked the redhead, though he doubted that was the case. If they were, he would've met Sakurai a long time ago.

Shaking his head, the brunette confirmed his thoughts. "Just acquaintances. I can't really say that we're friends or something like that. I'm mostly doing work in the background while Himuro-san always gets a front-line role in the production number. Though hopefully this year, he won't just be a side character anymore. Hyuga-senpai had high hopes that he'll bag a leading role someday," said Sakurai, smiling.

Taiga had been hoping, too. His surrogate brother was a great actor and he has the face to go with it. The only reason why Tatsuya was still the sidekick, rival, or villain in any Kiseki no Sedai play was because Kasamatsu was right and the Drama Club was corrupted from within. They would always be hearing from the olive-eyed male about how the richer students would get to play the main characters and the less-fortunate ones would need to fight for the roles they wanted. His brother was lucky enough to get by with his adoring fans—who only bother to watch the club's shows because he was going to be in them.

"How did you know I was talking about him?" he asked.

Sakurai offered him a sad smile. "I'm sorry. We all know that he used to play basketball. And everyone in school knows that you two are very close."

The brunette's expression confirmed Taiga's suspicion. It shouldn't have been surprising to know that the entire school was aware of who Tatsuya had been before they transferred here. It was already one year.

"Yeah, well… He's pretty good," he said, annoyed that it came off as lame-sounding rather than proud. "Maybe he can teach Kuroko better than I can."

The aforementioned teen stared at him for several moments, effectively unnerving him, before he finally spoke up. "I was going to reassure you that you'll do just fine…" said Kuroko, "but then I remembered who you are."

"Ha?! The hell does that mean?!"

"N-Now, now!" interjected Sakurai hastily. "R-Regardless of whether Himuro-san helps out or not, we still need to meet up every weekend to train. R-Right, Kagami-san?"

The redhead growled in irritation before looking away. "Yeah," he grunted. He could see Kuroko's powder-blue eyes sparkling in the dimness of the court, and the sight made a vein on his forehead tick angrily. Oh, he was so going to make the little shit regret his life choices.

"It's getting late. We should go. You said today was just an evaluation, right?" said Aomine, yawning. Taiga looked up to find the sky almost dark blue and a few stars twinkling above them. "Yeah. We'll play for real on Saturday," he confirmed. And with that, the four boys packed up and headed back out onto the streets.

As his best friend chatted with the other two about good burger joints around the area, the redhead looked back on the court. He could still hear the buzzing of the cicadas, the squeaking and grinding of rubber shoes against the pavement, and the flawless swish of the basket as a pale hand deftly flicked and released the ball—his signature move glimmering for the untrained eye. Taiga's eyes blinked and the memory faded, leaving behind only the image of the empty, desolate place.

The redhead sighed. He was starting to miss his older brother.

Walking down the street, Takao idly wondered why he was all alone again on such a fine Wednesday afternoon. There was always something about Wednesdays that made the raven-haired teen seek solitude. He didn't know why that was, but even after meeting new people, the routine hadn't changed. There were some Wednesdays where he had company, but mostly, it was a day for himself—a day where the feeling of loneliness didn't bother him as much on other days.

I bet Midorima's happy today, snickered Kazunari inwardly.

Today went well for "Operation: Make KiKasa Ship Canon." This time, Tetsu-chan and Ryou-chan accompanied Kise and Yukio on the way to school. The two lovebirds were getting to know each other more and more, and Yukio was kicking Kise more often now. Of course, that sounded like battery, but it was the steel blue-eyed teen's way of showing his affection, so Kazunari wasn't too worried. He knew for a fact that the guy wasn't all that serious about it anyway. None of his kicks ever bruised.

They hung out in lunch break again—with Kawahara, Fukuda, and Furihata of the Music Club this time—and now, his three best friends were all together back at the school while Kise's back to hanging out with his own BFFs to throw off Yuu-chan. So far, Yukio didn't seem suspicious in the least, but Kazunari knew it was just a matter of time before he caught on. The Taekwondo kickboxer wasn't stupid, after all. Hopefully by then, Kazunari wouldn't be in too much trouble and the KiKasa ship would be well on its way.

And honestly, he was really proud of that operation and couple name. It came to him by stroke of pure genius.

The only lamentation he had today was that Midorima Shintarou wasn't around for him to tease. He figured he'd let the guy off today after his incessant pestering yesterday afternoon. But they separated on somewhat amiable terms, at least—if the green-haired male's idea of "amiable" was lecturing him about the finer points of zodiac signs, that is.

But no, being alone was okay today. Wednesday was his day.

Kazunari searched his pocket, pulling out a piece of folded paper. It contained the list of groceries he needed to buy today. Fortunately, he would only have to lug around dry goods. Spotting the supermarket, he hurried his pace, eager to finish the chore and go home for another session of video games. He was lucky that they were being dismissed early this whole week. Usually, the gang would be shopping along with him in the evening after their practices. Finally, he would be able to finish Noiz's good and bad endings tonight!

He quickly claimed a cart and started combing the aisles by order. There was always something so relaxing about shopping alone. He got to set the pace of his strolls and be able to linger a little while longer to check out new products. When he was with his friends, there was little time to dawdle. But here, Kazunari could think and ponder as he meticulously checked off each item he needed. Sure, he was in a little hurry, but it wasn't much of a rush that he couldn't slow his steps down. Thankfully, the supermarket was mildly filled with grocery shoppers right now.

After a while, he was already calculating how much he was going to pay. There were a few extra items he took out of whim that weren't in the list, but that was okay. The important thing was that he wouldn't exceed his budget. It had become a good habit these past few years: taking care to handle his money responsibly by calculating his expenses. He couldn't just waste yen left and right—not while he was still in high school and depending on an allowance to get by every day. Then again, he does work as a freelancing beta-tester for games, so that brings in a lot of extra cash, but it wasn't enough to be called a paying job. He could only use that for his bills, not for his tuition fee.

As soon as I graduate, I'll be paying for everything and won't ever owe anyone a single yen, he vowed silently and firmly like he always did whenever the clerk scanned his items. He knew it would take a lot of work and a lot of days being frugal and saving up, but Kazunari was determined to be independent come college. There was no way he was going to use any more of his money for that.

Finishing up, he quickly exited the store and got back on the road. The district he was in was filled with old shops managed by old people. There was the antique furniture store on the corner and the old sweets shop next to the barber's. Further along the street was a pet shop selling more aquatic animals than terrestrial ones, and the newly-renovated bicycle store. Here, Kazunari felt the stirrings of the past. It was one of his favorite places to walk through at this time of the day. With the setting sun casting vibrant orange hues and dark shadows upon every available surface, the world seemed so small and cozy with the distant chatter of the city in the background—like reality wasn't as harsh and he didn't have to go home wondering how to best allocate his earnings for next week.

He was so lost in his musings that when a sudden clamor broke the silence behind him, it startled Kazunari so much that he almost dropped the bag containing his eggs. Alarmed, he turned back to the intersection he just passed, having heard the sound of a crash, a scream, a loud and pained cry, and an indignant yelp behind him and saw, to his astonishment, three people groaning on the ground with a bent bicycle lying on its side.

Kazunari didn't really know what he had expected to find among the three and their scattered belongings. But by god, it sure wasn't supposed to be the horoscope-obsessed stick-in-the-mud.

"M-Midorima?!"

Hearing his name, Shintarou snapped his gaze up in surprise—the emotion morphing to confusion at the somewhat-blurry sight, before he found his errant glasses and it morphed into utter bewilderment when he recognized who the student staring at him actually was. What was Takao doing here? Out of habit, he tried to straighten himself up, but pain suddenly blossomed on his foot and he had to brace himself on the floor with a hiss.

"Oi, are you okay? What the hell happened?!" asked Takao worriedly, hurrying towards him and the other two. Gingerly, he placed his groceries and school bag down a safe distance away and darted forward to help the middle-aged woman lying on the ground.

Shintarou glared at the grade-schooler lying beside them. "This brat went careening from out of nowhere and shot out of his bicycle. We had to jump out of the way to avoid a collision."

The kid, messy-haired and dirty in his uniform, slowly sat up and flinched when he moved his leg. "O-Ow…" he moaned, and tears suddenly sprang to his eyes when he caught sight of the bright red on his knee.

The sight jostled Midorima out of his anger, and seeing the child holding back his emotions made him feel slightly guilty. But a far more pressing concern clawed its way out of him when he realized who had been with him. He turned to the woman in Takao's arms, fear overriding any other emotion he might've had at Takao's presence. "Mom!" he called out, hobbling over to the two as the raven-haired teen helped ease her up.

He couldn't fault Takao's utter shock at his outburst. "'Mom'?!" But thankfully, the noise prompted a reaction from the silent figure, her brown-colored lashes fluttering open until her green gaze focused enough on the two teens hovering over her. "Shi… Shintarou…?" At the name, the green-haired archer reached out for her, gently taking her from the stunned Takao's arms and cradling her against his chest as he checked for any injuries.

"Mother, are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked worriedly, trying to keep the woman awake in case she suffered a concussion. He carefully spread her eyelids apart, observing any unnaturalness to her eyes. If anything bad happened to his mother, there would be hell to pay.

And not just from his father.

Meanwhile, Takao sat on his hind legs beside them, staring at the two in astonishment. First, he finds himself shocked that Midorima was right behind him and had just gotten caught in a road accident. And now, he finds out that the archer's mother was right there in his arms and being coddled by the stiff-necked student. Could this day get any more surprising?

He heard a small whimper and found the little boy trying to get up. "Ah, hey!" cried Kazunari, motioning the kid to stay still. "Hang on, let me…" As he looked for a makeshift bandage for the child's injury, Midorima uncharacteristically let out an expletive. Kazunari turned to him and found him staring anxiously at the small trail of blood on his mother's temple.

"Shit…" hissed the silvery-eyed teen, grimacing.

"What… happened…?" mumbled Mrs. Midorima weakly, trying to sit up. She noticed the little boy and his bloody knee, and her features suddenly turned worried. "Is he… okay?" she said, moving away from Midorima. But her son wouldn't allow it and murmured reassuringly that everything was fine. Kazunari would've sat staring at the scene forever had the owner of the sweets shop in front of them not hurried to their group and checked on the mother and son.

"Oh dear…" whispered the elderly man in concern, seeing the blood on Mrs. Midorima and the injured kid next to them. He knelt to touch Midorima on the back and checked his mother for any more blood. "We should get you to the hospital quickly! I'll call an ambulance."

"You don't have a car?" asked Midorima. But the man only shook his head, further inciting his panic. His mother didn't seem too badly beaten up, but the sooner they could diagnose her properly, the better.

"Wait!" Shintarou snapped his gaze back to Takao, seeing the teen turn his head left and right as if looking for something. After a beat, he inhaled deeply and quickly got up, darting to fetch his bag. "The hospital's nearby. It'll be faster if I take you there myself!"

"With what?!" yelled Shintarou in incredulity. He couldn't keep the panicked tone from escaping him. He needed to calm down. His mother was injured and possibly concussed—he had to be logical and calm for her sake.

But despite his will, he couldn't stop his hands from going cold and start shaking. The pain in his ankle was unbearable and he knew he couldn't run to the hospital carrying her. He needed help himself.

Takao came back and hurriedly rummaged through his bag, taking out the t-shirt he wore to practice and his long-sleeved school shirt. "Do you know first aid?" he asked as he folded the clothes.

Shintarou blurted out a positive reply, wrestling with his growing anxiety and guilt. Takao quickly gave him one of the shirts and the other to the elderly man, along with two small face towels. "Patch them up quickly, then! I'll be right back!"

He took off in surprising speed towards the end of the street. When he reached about six meters away, Shintarou quickly remembered what he was supposed to be doing and berated himself for dazing about. Now is not the time to daydream! He swiftly laid down his mother and folded the shirt accordingly for a head wrap. While working, he noticed that the old shop owner had knelt beside the little kid, but he didn't know how to patch the wound up and thus, tittered uncertainly with the other shirt.

Shintarou sighed. He didn't really want to have to deal with this, but…

"Sir, I'll do it. In the meantime, please watch over my mother."

Eager to do something useful, the old man hobbled over to them, gave him the shirt, and stayed by his mom's side. A kind-hearted passer-by decided to fan his mother's face and the two strangers talked to her, making sure to keep her awake.

Turning back to the grade-schooler, Shintarou gritted his teeth and gingerly crawled to him. The teary-eyed child silently watched him as he quickly did a makeshift bandage. "I'm… s-sorry…" he sniffed, ducking his face red with shame.

"You can apologize later once you're properly patched up," murmured Shintarou softly but sternly. As much as he wanted to be angry with the child and chastise him, they weren't in any condition to do that. The two needed medical attention right away. Moving closer, he peered over the bleeding wound in the disappearing sunlight. It didn't look too deep—probably just a skinned knee. Bandage ready, he helped the child move his leg up so it could be applied. Taking one of Takao's face towels, he folded it into a small padding and pressed it against the wound. The boy winced in pain and whimpered, but he didn't move to stop Shintarou. Good. He wasn't fussy like most children. The green-haired teen quickly and expertly tied the shirt and secured the padding—gently, almost fatherly—around his knee, making sure that it was tight yet comfortable.

A bicycle bell sounded off and Shintarou looked up, startled to see Takao back and riding on a bike. He hit the brake, maneuvering the contraption so that it faced the direction of where it came from. Shintarou felt his jaw drop when he saw what was attached to the vehicle.

"I-Is that what I think it is…?"

"It is what it is!" snapped Takao impatiently, hopping off the seat and jogging towards them.

"Where on earth did you even get that thing?!"

"From the bike shop over there, now shut up and get on!"

Shintarou frowned. "What—"

"You need to support your mom on the cart, so hurry up!" Takao lifted his arm, prompting him to stand up, but the action only strained his foot and Shintarou had to brace himself against the smaller teen.

"O-Oi!" Takao stared at him, confused and shocked as to why his face was contorted in pain, before he stared down at Shintarou's feet. "Did… Did you sprain your ankle or something?"

Shintarou clenched his jaw. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not! We need to get you help, too!" Takao tucked an arm over him and supported the taller boy towards the rickshaw, but Midorima tried to walk on his own.

"No, you need to get my mother and the boy—"

Suddenly, the raven-haired idol sharply glared at him with such disapproval that Shintarou couldn't help stiffening in place. "Get on the cart, Shin-chan, or so help me, I will drag you all the way to the hospital."

Threat laced with steel, the green-haired archer was struck helpless and silent as he grudgingly let Takao assist him on the cart while they minded not to jostle his wounded foot. He didn't know how to argue back against the intense look Takao had on his face right now. But he also couldn't help finding himself curious as he watched the other teen help carry his mother to his seat with the old man's help and gently carry the little boy, as well—placing him beside them. He was wearing such a compassionate expression at the moment that, for a minute, Shintarou forgot who he actually was.

"All set?" Kazunari asked Midorima as he hopped onto the bicycle seat.

"Wait, wait!" The old man had disappeared into his shop while they were getting ready to leave and had come back out with a plastic of ice. He took the remaining face towel and wrapped it up, pressing it gently against Midorima's injured ankle. "Sprains need to be treated quickly or they might swell! That, at least, I know."

The bespectacled student smiled tightly at him, gritting against the cold and the pain when he pressed his unwounded foot against his wounded one further to secure the towel in place. "Thank you."

The old man smiled back, nodding. Kazunari inclined his head back at him in gratitude. "Ready?"

When the archer nodded tersely at him, he started pedaling while standing up. "Hang on!" The shop owner and kind lady passer-by pushed the cart behind, giving the rickshaw an added boost and helping him with his load of three passengers. "Can you watch over my stuff, mister?" Kazunari shouted over his shoulder.

"I will!" yelled the old man back, waving his arms. "Take care now!"

"We will!" Waving back, he pedaled even faster and watched the streets carefully. The buildings and houses all blurred together as they swiftly passed by them, the wind faintly roaring in their ears.

Squinting against the dusk's glare and the stinging wind, Shintarou shouted to Takao, "How far is the hospital?"

"Just a few more streets down this road!" he replied, darting past people and bicycles with his bell and cycling skills. Kazunari was overtly grateful that the street wasn't jammed with passers-by this time of the day. It would hopefully cut their trip in half. Slowing down and stopping for a red light, Kazunari looked back to check on his passengers. The kid was doing okay—no longer crying, but looking worriedly at the middle-aged woman beside him in her son's arms. Midorima, on the other hand, looked calm and composed. But the grip he had on the handkerchief he was pressing against his mother's head was white-knuckled and rigid.

It was strange watching the two together. Midorima looked absolutely nothing like his mom—the brown-haired woman so small and lithe while sprawled on top of him greatly exaggerating his longer form. Yet honestly, Midorima looked nothing like Midorima right now. The ever-scowling Oha-Asa fanboy was gone without a trace, and in his place was an obviously-distraught son cradling his mother protectively.

"Are you okay now…?" he heard the woman ask once the light turned green.

"Y-Yes…" stuttered the little boy with some weak sniffing. "H-How about you, ma'am?"

"Mmm… a bit dizzy," she said, and Kazunari could actually picture her sheepishly smiling. Somehow, the image fit her.

"Don't fall asleep, Mother," warned her son, and Kazunari almost rolled his eyes. There was the tight-lipped Midorima he'd come to know. A quick glance behind showed him the sight of the emerald-eyed teen gazing at the passing scenery—but his grip on his mother never once faltered in the face of Kazunari's sharp turns and accelerating speed. Somehow, that calmed him.

"I know…" replied the older woman, sounding amused.

"I-I'm… so—" The kid hiccupped, then fell silent. But faint whimpers could still be heard.

Then, Kazunari heard a breathy chuckle once he slowed down to turn. "I'm just glad you're okay."

His grip on the handlebar briefly tightened as the child tried to smother a sob.

"I'm just glad you're okay."

Kazunari inhaled deeply, briefly glanced at the sky, and sighed in exhaustion. When he had wished for Wednesday afternoon funtimes, he did not mean discovering more about Midorima Shintarou. Nor did he mean borrowing an ancient-looking rickshaw to deliver three heavy patients to the hospital.

Curse my weakness for old ladies and their sons.

The ride to the nearby hospital ended as quickly as it had begun, and Takao was already carrying the wounded little boy and rushing him towards the entrance before Shintarou could fully move out from underneath his mother. Not long after, two paramedics with a wheeled stretcher in tow swiftly approached them—one of whom he was familiar with.

"Midorima-kun, what happened?" said the man in surprise, carefully taking his mother's upper body while his partner took the other end after a quick injury check.

"A child lost control of his bicycle and we were caught in the fray," answered Shintarou, helping them ease his mom on the gurney. She was still awake, but kept drifting in and out of consciousness. "Fortunately, the bike hadn't collided with us, but Mother hit her head somewhere when I pushed her out of the way." Shintarou felt a lump in his throat and he did his best to swallow it. "She… may have sustained a head trauma."

Securing the patient in place, the paramedic smiled reassuringly at him, clapping his shoulder. "Sensei's in a meeting right now, but we'll get her diagnosed as soon as possible."

Shintarou nodded. "Thank you."

Suddenly, the entrance doors opened and Takao came barrelling outside towards them. When he found the archer still on the cart, he let out a noise of indignation. "What the hell are you still doing in there?! Get out! We need to admit you!"

The older man frowned in confusion. "Did you get injured, too?"

Shintarou opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off as Takao tucked himself under his arm, supported his waist, and urged him to get off the rickshaw. "His ankle's been sprained and he may have also hit his head," answered the silver blue-eyed teen for him.

"I did not," denied Shintarou with a frown.

"Well, then why are you dawdling around when you know you have an injury that needs to be treated?" retorted Takao with an amused smirk.

Shintarou could only scowl and turn away. He had a point. Usually, he would've been right behind his mother and already prodding the attendants to rush her into an evaluation room. Hell, he would've beaten Takao to the doors while carrying her—sprained ankle or no sprained ankle. But he felt out of his body, as if the scenes were playing and he was just going with the flow. He had been desperately trying to rein in his panic for the last few minutes, but it turns out he wasn't as good with controlling his emotions as he originally thought. The mere sight of his beloved mother pale and quiet—a stark contrast to the animated and lively woman who had raised him—had been such a blow to his heart that he had to collect his runaway senses just to function properly.

The fear striking in that moment when the bike hurtled towards her in such frightening speed…

"C'mon," prodded Takao, pushing him gently to keep him moving. Shintarou snapped out of his reverie, realizing that he had gone tense. Sighing quietly, he let the other teen lead him inside. He was in no mood to argue any further with him.

They decided to leave the ice pack behind and opted to gingerly walk as Shintarou limped on one foot awkwardly. His mother reached out for him as they passed the two. "Be a good boy, Shin. I'll see you later, okay?" she whispered with a soft smile.

Despite his chagrin at having to depend on Takao, despite the presence of other people, despite his fears and worries about his mother's condition, Shintarou couldn't help returning the smile as he squeezed her hand in response. "Okay."

Soon enough—after getting a wheelchair, being admitted as a patient, and getting an x-ray—he was finally seated on a bed and waiting for a nurse. The bed next to him had the little boy as its occupant, and much to Shintarou's relief, the bandaged knee was now properly patched up. He had several other scrapes on him and they had been cleaned and sterilized, as well. Shintarou had been half-worried that his work had been sloppy due to the dizzying turn of events.

"How are you feeling, kiddo?" asked Takao with a grin, sitting next to the messy-haired child.

The boy, finally calm, smiled timidly at him. "O-Okay…"

"For a second, I was worried back there. If you don't mind telling me, what exactly happened?" inquired Takao politely, leaning back on his arms. "How did you crash on the bike?"

Shintarou raised a brow at the blunt questioning, but Takao ignored him. Suddenly, looking down at his clasped hands, the child said in a guilty voice, "I was learning how to ride it."

Takao cocked his head. "With no one to watch over you?" he prompted carefully. Caught, the kid glanced at him and nodded, shame swirling in his dark eyes. The raven-haired teen hummed in understanding, nodding his head. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "But where are your parents? Guardians? Has anyone called them yet?"

"One of the nurses did," the kid answered.

"That's good," said Takao, smiling at him and patting his head. "I guess I don't have to tell you that it's not your fault, but what you did still wasn't a good idea, huh?"

To his credit, the boy smiled sheepishly, realizing that he was being spared a lecture. He shook his head. But then he suddenly bowed to Shintarou. "I-I'm really sorry, mister! I-I didn't mean to get you and your mom into trouble!"

Kazunari watched in rapt attention as Midorima promptly cleared his throat and adjusted his scratched glasses before replying. "My mother has already forgiven you, so there is no need."

The raven-haired idol snickered and shot him a wry grin. Is he really this formal all the time? "He's asking for yours, Shin-chan," he explained when the boy still looked anxiously at the taller teen.

Midorima appeared surprised, before surreptitiously glancing away. "Well… Takao is right. It was an accident. The important thing is that you'll learn from your mistakes. Besides," and here, the green-haired archer glanced back at the child with some semblance of pity in his eyes. "I gather your parents will be scolding you enough for all of us. No need for me to patronize you any further."

Kazunari's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't been expecting that. The emerald-eyed teen seemed like the perfect type of nagger who'll yap a person's ears off with their constant rebuffs and lectures.

The grade-schooler flinched, knowing all too well what was to come, but he gradually smiled in relief as the bespectacled guy somewhat accepted his apology.

"Mikoto-kun, you need to drink this." Suddenly, a nurse came in carrying a tray of water and a bottle of medicine. Switching to Midorima's bed, Takao nodded at her then pulled the curtain dividers shut. "Get some rest, kiddo," said Kazunari softly to little Mikoto.

Finally alone, the two teenagers stayed quiet, listening in to the nurse's instructions and motherly concern for the boy as he took his medicine. Midorima was lounging like a bedridden patient—his ice-packed foot safe on the mattress—and so Takao took care not to jostle too much as he half-sat next to his hip.

The raven-haired male glanced at his companion. Midorima had other small scrapes and cuts on him so they had to be treated as well. It left the other's face littered with a stray bandage here and there and a bit of blood smeared on his uniform, and Kazunari had to suppress a grin as he suddenly imagined the teen to be a scary-faced delinquent of some sort.

Nah. More like a clumsy nerd, he snickered.

Midorima frowned at him. "What seems to be funny?"

Kazunari just shook his head, still chuckling. "Were you the one who patched him up while I got the rickshaw?" he asked.

"The elderly man didn't know how to do it, so yes," answered Midorima offhandedly.

"Nice work on the bandage," complimented Kazunari, making small talk.

Midorima adjusted his glasses. "Of course. I had first aid training."

Suddenly, Mikoto's nurse left the obscured bed with her tray. Spotting the two, she gave them a rather proud smile. "You did a good job, Midorima-kun."

Kazunari felt the body behind him tense up, before Midorima cleared his throat. "Thank you," he said, sounding embarrassed. Kazunari didn't know what was more surprising: the fact that he sounded embarrassed or that this was another show of gratitude he's heard from the guy in just the span of an hour.

He would've marveled at that forever had the nurse not continued with the words that were the most shocking revelation of all today.

"Don't worry about Nanako-san. Your father is personally attending to her right now. I'm sure she'll be just fine," reassured the kind nurse. From the corner of his peripheral vision, Kazunari could see Midorima quickly glancing at him before replying to the woman.

The message had a lot of connotations to decipher, but it was easy to narrow the list down with someone like Kazunari, who was sharp and quickly remembered the vague signs that had passed him earlier.

The paramedic spoke familiarly with Midorima.

The nurses in the admittance lobby had all displayed shock at seeing Midorima, despite being used to similar scenarios.

The radiologist had inquired after the entire story of what happened to Midorima and his mother in such casualness.

And the whole time, the emerald-eyed boy acted as if this was his neighborhood.

There were still a lot of variables to know and exclusions to add, but with the way the green-haired teen currently conversed with this hospital employee, there were only a few general conclusions to come to.

Oh look, I'm playing Detective Conan again, mused Kazunari.

"I'll fetch you some painkillers, alright?" Finished, the nurse left them all alone again—with the curtain hiding them from the resting Mikoto and the awkward silence between them. Shintarou peeked in Takao's direction, wondering if the teen had figured it out. It wasn't too hard, really—what with the entire hospital treating him like royalty.

It was one of the reasons Shintarou rarely visited the place and any other like it.

Takao cocked his head, giving him a wry smile. "First aid training, huh?"

Shintarou sighed quietly, straightening his glasses as he looked away and mulling over the knowing tone. So he wasn't wholly stupid, after all. "It's absolutely necessary when your parent is a doctor."

He didn't really know what he was waiting for. Perhaps a silly declaration of "I knew it!" or maybe just a "What?!" from the other. That was what Kise, Aomine, and Kagami had done when they found out.

"What's his field?"

Suddenly, Shintarou's brows scrunched down. He turned to Takao.

The teen just raised his eyebrow. "You know. His specialty."

"I know what you mean," snapped the archer impatiently.

"Then?"

"I'm surprised to see you want to know that."

Kazunari gave him an unamused look. "Well, I've been getting unwanted information about you for the past hour, so I might as well go all the way, don't cha think?"

Honestly, I'm learning more about you in a day than I did when I was trying to be friends with Yukio. It's ridiculous, muttered the school idol inwardly, annoyed that his Wednesday turned to this. He never wanted to encounter Midorima on his day, at all.

To his secret delight, Midorima found the comment offensive and frowned even more as he closed his eyes in aggravation. "Believe me, I don't want you to find out either."

"Well, you better not blame it on me! I, for one, never imagined that I'd have to rescue you back there—and definitely not this soon in our friendship."

"As I recall, you don't have any grand plans of befriending me," retorted the bespectacled teen with a scoff.

"Well, I'm gonna have to now. Our meeting back there was like fate, and it's telling me that I have to stick close to you or you'll get mauled by a bicycle again. Isn't that what Oha-Asa advocates? To listen to fate?" teased Kazunari. Honestly, the guy was making it too easy.

Midorima narrowed his eyes disapprovingly, irked that the silvery-eyed monkey managed to use horoscopes in his argument. "I believe I would land in trouble far more often if you're around, so no thank you. And no, I did not get mauled by a bicycle—I tripped on my feet."

It irked him even more when the idiot just laughed. Of course he would laugh. His statement was hilarious when one thought about it. But was everything really a joke to him?

"Isn't tripping on your feet even more embarrassing?" said Takao, wiping away a tear. "But man, you sure are straightforward, Shin-chan. I like that." He smiled good-naturedly at Midorima, who only frowned.

"What were you and your mom doing back there, anyway?"

Shintarou glanced at him. It was truly strange how, of all people, Takao had to be the one to help them. "I was accompanying her to the furniture store, since I was going to buy lucky items for my sister and I."

He saw the other's eyes widen in surprise, but Takao didn't voice his thoughts on gaining another tidbit of information regarding Shintarou's life.

But then, Shintarou couldn't help clicking his tongue in irritation as he thought of luck.

"It was an accident. There was nothing more you could've done aside from what you did," placated Kazunari, knowing that guilty look all too well and having a faint idea of what the other was thinking at the moment.

"I told her she needed lucky items. I should've bought one as soon I realized she left hers at home," muttered Midorima quietly, as if berating himself for his mother's injury.

Kazunari raised a brow. "You're going to blame it on lucky items?"

"If she had hers, she wouldn't be here!" he hissed.

"Well, did you forget yours?" asked Kazunari with a scoff, not stopping his brow from assuming its customary angle when he was feeling unimpressed. "Because as far as I know, you're here, too."

That at least got Midorima to shut up. He frowned and looked away, not knowing how to counter that. "And you?" the green-haired teen asked. "What were you doing there?"

"Was on my way home after buying groceries," answered Takao cheerfully, not minding the change of the subject. Then he shot up out of the bed in shock. "Oh, crap! My groceries! I need to get them back from the old grandpa!"

"Didn't you ask him to watch over it?" reminded Shintarou, quizzically eyeing the teen.

"Yeah, but how long have I been here?" asked Takao, alarmed. At the question, Shintarou found himself surprised, and it was only then that he realized that the raven-haired idol had actually been with him the whole time he was here. He could've just left once Shintarou had been given a wheelchair, but Takao had stayed.

Why?

"I should go," said Takao, pointing a thumb in a general direction behind him. Then the raven-haired idol paused and shot him a concerned face. "You gonna be alright on your own?"

Shintarou blinked, not expecting the question. "I… will be fine."

Takao hummed in thought. "Alright then. The doc said your ankle's gonna be okay, right?"

"Yes. I just need to rest it tonight." Fortunately, the sprain hadn't been too bad and all it needed was a cold compress. He should visit the old sweets shop owner, as well.

Takao nodded, moving to leave. "Tell me as soon they say your mom is alright."

Shintarou nodded in return. He knew his mother would want to personally thank the raven-haired teen for what he did. As he watched the idol walk away, his eyes widened in sudden realization. "Takao!"

Takao started at the loudness, looking back at him in surprise. It was strangely funny how surprise and shock showed up several times in their afternoon.

Shintarou pursed his lips. For a moment, he felt no irritation for this young man's presence—merely relief. And that, in itself, was wondrous.

"Thank you."

Takao stared at him—long enough that Shintarou started to squirm under the scrutiny and fought not to show it—before he smiled and waved. "You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

The green-haired archer watched his back as he exited the room. Confusion bubbled up as consternation swirled inside him.

Midorima stared hard at the doors to the Glee Club's dance studio.

Kise, the ever-bubbly one, peered over him and frowned. "Midorimacchi, don't you think you've stalled long enough?"

Shintarou scowled. "Shut up, Kise."

It was already the next day and his ankle was now healed—or at least, better than it was yesterday. Kise had foregone attending the club as soon as dismissal came—instead, he helped Shintarou do errands for Imayoshi-senpai about paperwork and signatures to collect that had been assigned to Shintarou since Tuesday—and now it was about thirty minutes to six. Shintarou had no one else to blame but himself. He should've tried to avoid the blonde when he came here. No one but Hyuga and Imayoshi and a handful of other people regarding his task were supposed to see him. Unfortunately, as soon as the blonde found him lurking around near the faculty room after class, he immediately scolded the green-haired teen and—realizing that Shintarou adamantly wasn't leaving until he was finished with his work—never left his side since.

As much as Kise wanted to see Kasamatsu as soon as possible, he decided to hold back since it was obvious his best friend needed a companion—a notion that Midorima rejected almost immediately, of course. Shintarou didn't need anyone tagging along with him as he switched from one department to another. And he most definitely didn't need Kise Ryouta pestering him with questions about Takao.

The raven-haired teen had actually called his friends—namely Kise, Kagami, Aomine, and Momoi—and informed them of what happened. Naturally, they all flocked to the hospital—Kise being the most dramatic of the four as he sobbed and panicked around before Shintarou got to yelling at him to shut up. It was only there that the four found out about Shintarou's mother having been injured along with him. As it turned out, Takao had only told Kise about his friend being in the hospital and never mentioned what happened to Mrs. Midorima—something that made Kise whine at the unfairness of. But Momoi quickly realized the intention—that Takao just didn't want them panicking even more at hearing that the woman had also been hurt in the accident.

Though what was even more surprising was that Takao had actually come back a few minutes after he had left just to deliver their items. Their bags had been left behind and forgotten during the commotion, but the kind old shop owner had taken care of them along with Takao's, so when the teen came to fetch his, he took theirs in tow and delivered it to the hospital. He didn't bother personally giving it to Shintarou, though—which posed a lot of questions in the green-haired archer's mind that he did not want to think about.

Right now, they were just outside the clubroom—with the stack of papers signed and ready to be delivered after one final check from Hyuga-senpai—but for some reason, Midorima hesitated opening the doors.

Ryouta eyed him askance. There was no reason for his best friend to look so uncertain about seeing Takaocchi again—after all, the guy had practically saved them. Takao didn't have to—they could've just called an ambulance—but he did it anyway. So what was so worrisome about that that Midorima Shintarou would be so reluctant in seeing him again, even after coming all the way here? Half of reasons for being here, Ryouta knew, were about the raven-haired idol.

Did something else happen?

"Midorimacchi…"

After a long moment, Midorima didn't speak. He was gripping his lucky item of the day—a toy train engine—and Kise could see that he had his lips pursed thinly. They probably would've stayed there for several more minutes if Ryouta had not seen a shadow enter his peripheral vision.

"Oh hey, you two. You were doing the papers?"

Shintarou visibly flinched at the sound and turned to find Kasamatsu clad in dance practice attire walking towards them. Kise beat him to answering the black-haired male. "Yep~! Just gotta give this to Hyuga-senpai!" Sparkly flowers fumed effervescently off the blonde and both Midorima and Kasamatsu eyed him warily—Midorima more so annoyed than the other.

"Oh right, how are you and your mom, Midorima? I wasn't expecting to see you today," remarking Kasamatsu, adjusting the towel draped on his shoulder and actively ignoring the sneaking glances Kise kept giving him. He had only heard from Takao about what happened and it was only now that he saw the archer again after yesterday's practice. Midorima wasn't in his uniform, confirming his absence today, yet he was here for club activities. The kickboxer didn't know if he should feel impressed at the teen's dedication or stunned at his apparent disregard for complete recovery.

"Mother is fine," Shintarou answered. He wasn't surprised that Kasamatsu knew. Even Imayoshi, who he had approached as soon as the bell rang, had known. "But she's still resting at the hospital. I, on the other hand, have been permitted to leave for a while. I have to finish these before they stack up." More like Shintarou had to persuade his father to allow him to go to school. He could see Kise frowning at him, clearly still worried about his decision to leave bedrest for later.

Technically, his doctor and the radiologist had confirmed that he would be fine and wouldn't need to stay any longer in the hospital, but they had still advised the teen to rest at home. Shintarou would have none of it and argued that it would fine to attend school. It was just a mild sprain, after all. There was no way Shintarou would let something as mundane as that affect his perfect class attendance record. Besides, Cancers ranked the highest today. And Oha-Asa specifically recommended getting some fresh air to boost luck and health. Why should he ignore the advice?

Unfortunately, his father would have none of it either. He was barred from going to class today and so, Shintarou had to be absent due to his sprained ankle as he was forced to stay in his private hospital room. But later in the afternoon, he had finally managed to persuade Father to let him visit the school for a few hours.

His mother was finally doing well enough to be fully awake and thus, discussed with her son about what happened. True to Shintarou's prediction, she wanted to thank the high-schooler who helped them. But since she couldn't leave yet, she asked Shintarou to do it.

Getting his father's permission was just a simple matter of his mother crooning and pleading sweetly to him. Never let it be said that Midorima Nanako wasn't a powerful woman.

"That's good to hear," replied Kasamatsu, smiling in relief. "You don't know how worried Kazu had been all night. He wouldn't shut up about it."

And now his thoughts were back to Takao Kazunari once again. Shintarou pursed his lips, trying not to look heavenward. Hopefully, the monkey had only divulged non-personal information.

"Come on in, then," beckoned the steel blue-eyed boy to them, opening the doors. Shintarou hesitated for a moment before Kise hopped beside him and leaned closer.

"You need to tell Takaocchi that you and Auntie are okay. It's the least you can do," he quickly whispered to him. Then the blonde tennis player suddenly looked playful. "Besides, Auntie will be mad if you don't give it to him. Then coming here when you should be resting would be pointless, wouldn't it?"

Shintarou was about to tell him off when the people inside finally noticed them. "Oh, Midorima! What are you doing here?"

Thus, he was forced to come inside and entertain questions from everyone. It seemed that they all knew that he had been absent due to the accident, and like Kasamatsu, were surprised to see him at this time of the day. Handing over the papers to the Glee Club president, Shintarou was dragged into a conversation with Sakurai and Kuroko as they inquired of his current situation. Here, Shintarou noticed a huge distinction. Unlike the others who only asked about him, the brunette and blunette asked about his mother as well—but in a low voice. It appears that only Takao's closest friends knew of that fact, while everyone else was oblivious of his mother's condition. Was the whole school unaware, as well?

With Misdirection taking a small break, the archer found the aforementioned raven-haired teen drinking water as he sat on the sidelines. Silvery-blue eyes locked gazes with his verdant green ones, and Midorima couldn't help the jolt he felt run through his spine. He didn't know why, but there was something different about that gaze this time.

Takao got up, depositing his water bottle on one of the cubbies beside the entrance. Everyone else was busy as they took a break that no one paid the raven-haired teen any mind when he approached Shintarou. But the archer could sense that Kise was watching them quietly, and he didn't know how to feel about that.

Honestly, what is wrong with him? It was just Takao.

"You know…" started Takao with an amused smile, "when I said I'll see you today, I didn't really mean that. It was just an automatic response, and I seriously did not expect you to actually show up today. You should be resting."

Shintarou frowned, resisting the urge to groan at the words he'd been hearing since this morning. Didn't people understand that sometimes resting doesn't always equate to peace of mind? Shintarou wouldn't have left if the hospital didn't grate on his nerves and if home hadn't felt so strange without his mother's aura brightening up the place.

He opted to mull over a good response for the other teen's words. He decided to be slightly honest. "Mother wanted you to have these." Takao's eyes widened in surprise and confusion as he raised his hand and offered a small, unbranded cake box.

"I take it she's okay, then?" asked Takao in relief, meeting his gaze.

Ryouta surreptitiously watched as the two teens conversed near a corner of the studio. There was something about the way they stood facing each other that made the blonde athlete curious. When Takaocchi had called him yesterday as he, Momoi, Kagami, and Aomine were wandering around in the mall, he didn't get to question him much about his involvement with the accident. The only thing that registered in his panicking mind was that his childhood best friend got hurt and he needed to make sure he was okay.

When he did finally confirm that, he found out more about the story and how much Takao had actually done for the Midorimas. And he was astonished, to say the least.

It wasn't that the raven-haired male struck him as someone who didn't care, but Ryouta saw him more as the type who would've just called an ambulance and left things at that since he and Midorima weren't close. Takao may like teasing people, but he sure as hell didn't butt in their business if he didn't consider them his friends.

He quietly observed as said teen grinned smugly while Midorimacchi huffed and pushed his glasses up. Just a few days ago, the green-haired archer didn't even want to go near Takao—the slightest noise from him making Midorima stiffen. But now, he was relaxed and conversing normally with the idol. Or well, as normally as he could. There were instances of subtle fidgeting that reminded Ryouta of his childhood days with the taller teen, but overall, Midorimacchi seemed relaxed. When Takao opened the cake box—with much reluctance of accepting first, telling Midorima that it wasn't necessary and prompting the other to chastise him for letting his mother's work and his trip to the school go to waste—his eyes widened in delight.

Almost immediately, Midorima deflated in relief in his own inconspicuous way.

"Ooh, cookies~!" crowed Takao, fingers hovering inside and trying to decide which one to choose. "Did your mom make these? Isn't she still in the hospital? Wait…" Takao squinted in suspicion, but his teasing smile gave his true feelings away. "Did you make these?"

The green-haired teen adjusted his glasses needlessly once again. "Of course not. Mother baked a batch yesterday, before she went out and I joined her."

Takao hummed in response, looking at the selection more closely. "But really, there's no need."

"If she was here, you would be hard-pressed to reject her," pointed out Midorima—to which Takao only smiled guiltily at.

"Alright…" Finally making a decision, the silver-eyed student plucked out a sugar-dusted cookie, examining it.

"Just don't raise your expectations. Mother likes to experiment, so they may not have turned out as well as they look," disclaimed the archer hastily, toying with his train engine.

Takao appeared to want to say something, but shook his head in amusement instead. In a single bite, he ate half of the cookie, sugary bits clinging to his lips. The idol closed his eyes, chewing thoughtfully, before he opened them in surprise. "Oh…" he voiced in surprise after swallowing. "It's a meringue. Nice!" He then proceeded to gobble up the rest of the pastry.

Kise blinked at the image of his best friend exhaling quietly while looking elsewhere. Had Midorimacchi been worried about Takaocchi's reaction?

"Thank goodness…" he heard Midorima mutter, "It seems I won't be having indigestion soon after all."

"I bet your mom likes your input, doesn't she?" asked Takao with a taunting grin, plucking out another cookie.

Watching Shintarou interact with someone else made a warm feeling blossom inside Ryouta. It was rare for someone like the emerald-eyed teen to talk to another person like this.

"Thank god."

Ryouta started, turning to Kasamatsu who came to stand beside him. "I was worried your friend might strangle mine someday," he explained to the blonde. "Looks like we can breathe easy for a little while longer."

"T-That's kinda mean, Yukiocchi…" remarked Ryouta uneasily.

"Kazunari's a relentless, annoying piece of shit when he puts his mind to it," replied Kasamatsu with an amused smirk, not bothering to mince his words. "I've seen the most patient of guys almost kick his ass, you know. So I won't be too surprised if Midorima finally snaps around him."

"B-But he's not all that!" protested the amber-eyed tennis player, careful not to draw attention to the two of them as they watched Midorima and Takao converse on the other side of the dance studio. "I've seen Takaocchi be serious, too! It made me feel like I could depend entirely on him if I wanted to and he would never let me down…" Ryouta looked away, feeling embarrassed as he trailed off. But it was true. That was what he felt when he had faced the serious side of Takao. The raven-haired teen may have said that Kise's passion regarding his attraction to Yukiocchi was intense, but Takao didn't realize that his own passion was ferocious compared to his. Ryouta wouldn't deny that he had been jealous when he saw the idol act like that when talking about Kasamatsu, but he still couldn't decide if it was because he was jealous that Takao felt like that towards his best friend or that Kasamatsu had someone like him around.

"I know."

Ryouta jerked in surprise, suddenly afraid that Yukiocchi had found out about his visit last Saturday. But Kasamatsu just stared at Takao and Midorima, wearing a wistful smile. "I know the feeling all too well. It's why I never pushed him away after all these years."

The blonde felt it again—that pinprick in his chest that confused him about his true feelings towards Takao.

"But that's why I'm also not too worried," Kasamatsu finished, chuckling softly. "They'll be fine."

The statement brought Ryouta out of his stupor, and he glanced at the two near the corner. Takao had said something and he laughed wholeheartedly. But unlike Midorima's earlier expressions, this one made Ryouta's heart swell in pride and relief.

There was a peculiar quirk to his ever-frowning lips.

It wasn't long before the Glee Club and its temporary assistants were dismissed. Ryouta and Kasamatsu watched in fascination as Takao one-sidedly bantered with Midorima as they exited the building, never letting the other's deadpan snarkiness affect his jovial mood. Just then, the blonde saw Momoi approach them with a phone to her ear. Spotting him, the pink-haired girl waved her hand in greeting.

"Ki-chan, ready to go?"

"Ah, right!" They needed go to back to the mall, since their shopping trip was cut short by yesterday's events.

Ryouta said goodbye to Kasamatsu and the others, joining Momoi's side as they walked past the school gates. Kagami and Aomine didn't have to join them this time, and so the two went the opposite direction they were going. Ryouta looked back to Takao and Midorima, debating whether he should accompany his best friend instead or not, but ultimately decided against it. The archer wasn't alone—Takao would make sure he gets home fine, the blonde was sure of it—and there would be plenty of time later to reprimand him once again about not resting. You may be safe for now, but wait till I visit your house tonight.

Momoi was still oddly silent as she continued to listen to the phone. Ryouta wondered if she was having a conversation or was just listening to a voice mail. He had expected her to scold Midorimacchi like he did for neglecting his bedrest, but the girl merely walked with him.

"Momocchi, everything okay?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh." Momoi turned to him, smiling brightly as she covered the mouthpiece. "Yes!"

She looked back over her shoulder, watching the retreating forms of the two tallest males in the group they just separated from. "I hope so," she whispered.

The dismissal bell rang, signalling the end of Friday school-related activities for the students and marking the beginning of the awaited sweet weekend. But for Kagami Taiga, it was anything but sweet.

Burgundy-red eyes stared in horror at the sheets of paper before him. Beside him, Aomine Daiki mirrored the same expression with his own papers.

"Oh, good. Your faces tell me you're aware of how much trouble you'll be in if you don't take this seriously."

The two athletes turned to Koga-sensei in uneasiness, two sets of pleading eyes looking out of character for the tough-looking teens. But the dark brown-haired teacher only shook his head and rolled his eyes.

The sheets of paper in question were Kagami and Aomine's math quizzes, from the start of the curriculum up to today. Having their last class as math, Koganei Hajime—who not only was their teacher in the subject but also happens to be, unfortunately, the homeroom advisor of Class 2-C—finally gave back his students' quizzes. But out of them all, only Kagami the basketball idiot and Aomine the soccer dumbass had scores less than 5 on each paper. It was definitely not a good sign for the year, and Koganei would be damned if he let the two fail now.

Because not only did he genuinely want to help as a teacher, but his career was also on the line here, of course—as the two teens were the star players of their respective teams. And lord knows just how much Kiseki no Sedai valued their sports.

"If this keeps up, you're going to fail your exams and will have to take remedial classes," he reminded them unkindly, taking off his wire-rimmed glasses to polish them. "And you know fully well what that means, no matter how stupid your quiz scores say you are, don't you?"

Kagami and Aomine simultaneously gulped, staring back at the papers with dread in their eyes. No playing, their minds supplied.

"W-We still have hope, right?" asked Kagami worriedly. "I mean, we've got enough time to raise our grades up and pass the tests!"

"Not with the level your IQs are currently at," quipped Koga bluntly, not bothering to soften his words as he shook his head. As expected, the two teens flinched, well aware that studying isn't exactly their strong point. Honestly, the two knuckleheads' grades last year may have improved thanks to their friends—earning them the chance to move up one section higher—but they were still sports idiots through and through. As such, he could already hear the two bickering back and forth like they always did.

"What, seriously? You answered with that?"

"Oi, you got it wrong, too!"

"But at least I tried to solve it, dumbass!"

The math teacher pinched the bridge of his nose. It looks like he would have to get Akashi-kun to tutor them once again. The idiots were lucky that they personally knew the intelligent student council president. But unfortunately, Akashi Seijuurou wasn't due to arrive back in school until two more weeks. Such was the life of an heir to a multimillion-dollar corporation.

He couldn't ask Himuro-kun either. Although nowhere near as smart as the redheaded president, Himuro Tatsuya was still intelligent and at least had the advantage of knowing Kagami and Aomine since childhood. He had proven to be a capable tutor last year when Akashi found himself unusually chagrined by the challenging task of making sure the two idiots passed. But like Akashi, Himuro was excused from school and wouldn't be back until two weeks later, as well. He needed someone available right away.

Perhaps he could just ask Midorima-kun from Class 2-A, then… Hajime contemplated the idea, but quickly scrapped it. Without Akashi around, the green-haired teen would just lose patience with his idiot friends. Kise-kun may be of help, but even he struggled with math sometimes. It was only by Midorima's help that he was still in the pilot section, actually. Maybe he could get one of his smarter students here for the job instead? It would make things easier, since they would be in the same class as the basketball forward and the soccer ace. Or maybe he should just go for Momoi-kun from Class 2-B. She was almost in the same position as Himuro, but closer to Aomine—though Koga doubted the girl would be able to handle two idiots on her own, on top of being the soccer team's manager. Perhaps through a combined effort of the three friends? It was possible, but he had heard that Kagami and Aomine were also struggling in their other subjects. They need more help than what Midorima, Kise, and Momoi could offer alone…

The man's musings were interrupted by another voice in the classroom. Hajime looked up to find Sakurai Ryou perusing Kagami and Aomine's papers, turning paler and paler with every sheet. "H-How…?" squeaked Sakurai, wearing an utter look of disbelief as he asked the redhead and the blunette.

"Because they're two dumb jocks, that's how," he replied with a flourish of his glasses before they could. Kagami and Aomine shot him mixed glares, both indignant and embarrassed. They hated that, out of all the teachers in the math department, it had to be Koganei "The Dragon" Hajime. The old geezer was insanely strict and stiff-necked. He didn't like students horsing around and not taking studying seriously and so, he would rule the classroom with an iron fist just to make sure they all passed his subject—breathing fire down their necks if he had to. It was just the two athletes' luck that they were transferred to his class this year.

And not for the first time did they suspect Akashi having to do something with that.

Sakurai chuckled nervously at the answer. "I-I'm sure they can improve, Sensei."

"Oh, I'm hoping for it. Otherwise, we'll all be in trouble," said Koga with an aggravated sigh.

"Maybe if you didn't suspend us, we wouldn't be struggling right now," muttered Aomine, glancing sideways at the door.

"You were always struggling, Aomine-kun," snapped Koga, feeling his brow tick angrily. "Even without having to work for the Glee Club, I doubt you would've gotten a passing score on those quizzes."

At the very least, the dark-skinned soccer player had the sense to look reluctantly cowed.

"But speaking of the Glee Club…" Koga turned to Sakurai, curious. "Shouldn't be practicing right now, Sakurai-kun?"

The chocolate-eyed brunette quickly blanched and started bowing. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-I should've left already, I'm sorry!"

But before Koga could try to placate the suddenly-apologizing teen, a shock of light blue mysteriously appeared in the room. "Ryou-kun, stop being sorry. Koganei-sensei was just asking you, not reprimanding you."

The three other occupants of said room jolted in surprise as Kuroko Tetsuya suddenly arrived using his infamous magic trick. Honestly, it had already been a year, but Hajime still couldn't get used to that. Fortunately, Kuroko's words managed to calm Sakurai down and he was no less grateful. He still couldn't get used to the brunette idol's sudden, fevered bouts of apologizing, as well.

"G-Geez, Kuroko! Would it kill ya to not pop up like that?!" complained Kagami, still clutching his chest.

"No, but it might kill you," quipped Kuroko with a quirk of his lips.

"Why, you little—!"

"S-Sorry, Sensei…" said Sakurai hesitantly. "I-I was just curious as to what happened to Kagami-san and Aomine-san that I—"

"It's alright, really," assured the math teacher. "I was just wondering, is all. You boys are becoming fast friends, I take it?"

Sakurai flushed lightly. "W-Well, I wouldn't s-say that. We're always going to the clubroom together lately… a-and Kagami-san is helping us with basketball, while Aomine-san will be teaching us s-soccer…"

It was as if a lightbulb had actually lit up over Hajime's head.

"Sakurai-kun, Kuroko-kun…" Calling out their names, the bespectacled teacher put an arm around each boy, pulling them close to him. He smiled just a little too eagerly. "Can you please tutor these two idiots?"

To say that he got immediate reactions would be an understatement.

"E-Eh?! B-But why us, S-Sensei?!" asked Sakurai, looking as if he was about to keel over under his hold.

"Yeah! I mean—no offense, Sakurai—but they're not exactly at the top of our class, are they?" remarked Kagami, remembering something useful for once.

"At least we're better off than you," retorted Kuroko monotonously, perusing the papers just as Sakurai did.

"Oi, w-we're trying our best here, okay?!" protested Aomine, snatching the sheets away in embarrassment.

Hajime sighed. Straightening his glasses, he put a hand on his hip, taking the time to relax his body. It was only the second week of school and yet the work wasn't getting any easier. He had papers and grades to worry about, and most importantly, the welfare of the Glee Club to watch over. If the club's arrangements for the June fundraiser concert hadn't been messed up, then he wouldn't be feeling more stressed out than usual.

"You four are already in an agreement, correct?" he asked matter-of-factly. The four high-schoolers paused at his words, staring at him in surprise and bubbling dread. There was something about the way the light glinted off the math teacher's glasses that warned them to be cautious, and so they reluctantly nodded.

"Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun are coaching the two of us for PE," carefully explained Kuroko further.

"Well, then, don't you think it would be a good way to repay them by coaching them in math in return?" suggested Koga.

Appearing alarmed, Sakurai opened his mouth to answer, but then Kuroko quickly interjected him. "Yes, that is a wonderful idea, Sensei."

The brown-haired teacher had expected mild surprise at the immediate acquiescence, at the very least—positive or negative, it didn't matter—but the version he got instead was his mousy-looking student screeching his disbelief at his blunette best friend and turning even paler. Even the sports idiots jolted at Sakurai's reaction.

"Sakurai-kun, is everything okay…?" inquired Hajime warily. Why had the brunette reacted like that? Surely his request-slash-suggestion wasn't that absurd? Daunting and intimidating in a way, yes, but not absurd. This wasn't the first time he had asked the two to tutor their classmates.

"Y-YES!" squeaked Sakurai, whose hands were already gripping Kuroko's lapels—much to Koga's surprise. "E-Everything's okay! It's okay! S-So, so okay!"

"So… you accept, then?"

Sakurai suddenly froze, his horrified expression as still as a stone statue.

"Yes, Sensei. He accepts," answered Kuroko instead, not minding the gripping hands on him. "We would be happy to tutor them in math."

Sakurai unfroze and fiercely shook Kuroko's entire frame, as if doing so would rid the blunette of such ludicrous thoughts. "N-NO, WE'RE NOT! WHY ARE YOU AGREEING FOR ME?!"

It was strange to see the brunette act like this. Hajime had once found Sakurai and Kuroko in the same position, but that happened with their friends as their audience. Usually, Sakurai was timid and tame around other people, so seeing him like this right now was… peculiar. Is he so against tutoring Kagami and Aomine? But I thought they were starting to become friendly with each other…

"I'm sorry if I had to ask you two."

The four students turned to stare at their homeroom advisor. "It just seemed like the easiest solution for this," explained Koga with a sigh. "You're right, Kagami-kun. They aren't my top students in your class. And to be honest, maybe it would be better to just get one of your friends to help you, like what we did last year. But…" Nearing the aforementioned teens, the man gently clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. Hajime flashed a small, albeit proud, smile. "Kuroko and Sakurai are good teachers. They've got a good grasp on the lessons, and while I know it'll take a miracle for you two to perfect an exam—let alone a quiz—from me," To which the redhead and the navy-haired boy grimaced at, "I still think they're good enough to get you to pass this subject."

Kagami and Aomine shared a glance. Sakurai turned to Koga with his hands waving dismissively. "B-But Sensei! They can have better tutors! It doesn't really have to be strictly us, r-right? Like you said, their friends would probably be the best choice!"

"I don't really mind."

All turned to Aomine, who was scratching his ear and looking bored. "I mean, it would be convenient, wouldn't it?" continued the soccer player. "If we had to meet up with someone else, it might be more of a hassle than it should be. We're busy enough as it is. Kuroko and Sakurai helping us is a great payback. We train them, they teach us. Besides…" Aomine finally looked at his teacher, but Koga couldn't decipher the expression the teen was wearing. "If you don't see any results, you'll find us a different tutor, right? This doesn't have to be permanent, does it?"

Silence greeted the navy-haired teen's words and Koga wasn't surprised. Between Kagami and Aomine, the redhead was the one whom people expected to stir the proceedings regarding the two of them most of the time. Aomine tended to let his best friend answer for him when it came to non-soccer related conversations. Even in last year's tutor arrangement, he hadn't really put much input other than a disgruntled okay.

"… No, it's not," verified Hajime, leaning back against the teacher's desk as he pushed up his glasses. "I only want Kuroko-kun and Sakurai-kun to help you since no one who's capable enough is readily available at the moment. Akashi-kun and Himuro-kun are still on leave, Momoi-kun has her hands full with the boys' soccer team—not to mention that she's also volunteered as a promoter for the Glee Club—and Midorima-kun and Kise-kun won't be of much help to you without Akashi-kun and Himuro-kun, as much as I'd like to think otherwise. This will just be a temporary set-up until your friends get back to tutor you two full-time once again. It'll only take around two weeks, tops."

"See, Ryou-kun? This won't take long," reassured Kuroko to Sakurai. But the brunette remained unconvinced.

"Surely someone else can be of better help?" suggested Sakurai, nearly sounding pleading to Koga's ears. It made the math teacher all the more confused. He knew that the prospect of tutoring someone like Kagami and Aomine may seem difficult—actually, no, it is difficult—but it wasn't as if he was doing it alone.

"You don't have to teach them every day," placated Hajime. "I know how busy your schedule is, but it's really convenient that you get to meet up with them for practice. Maybe after your training, you can tutor them then?"

The brunette still appeared unsure, biting his lip in contemplation. Just a little more…

"Only two weeks, Sakurai-kun," promised Koga, grasping the student's shoulders. "I'm confident in your abilities."

Sakurai still looked wary. Hajime sighed. Maybe he was mistaken and the brunette wasn't actually comfortable with Kagami and Aomine around. "… If you feel like you can't help after one session, then it's okay. I'll find someone else," he offered. Perhaps this was just another case of low self-esteem.

The chocolate-eyed teen hesitantly glanced at his friend and his classmates, lips opening and closing in indecision, before his eyes finally darted back to Koga with resignation in them. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try…" he sighed.

Kuroko huffed in exasperation. "You need to be more confident, Ryou-kun. Sensei asked for your help himself, didn't he?"

Sakurai could only chuckle sheepishly, one hand scratching the back of his neck.

"So I guess that means we have to adjust the schedule, huh?" pointed out Kagami as he rubbed his chin.

"I-If that's not too much trouble…!"

But the redhead only laughed and waved Sakurai's concerns away. "You're gonna help us pass. Of course it's no trouble! Right, Dai?"

The navy blue-haired teen just grunted, looking elsewhere.

"Well, now that that's settled," remarked Koga happily, pushing away from the desk. "Kagami-kun, Aomine-kun, I leave the cleaning to you two."

"What?!"

Hajime raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "I dismissed your classmates early and made you two stay so I could speak to you. Of course you're going to clean."

"B-B-But that's not fair!"

The mathematics teacher shrugged nonchalantly and picked up his bag from the desk. "Consider it as punishment for failing all those quizzes. You fail one again, you clean. Now isn't that a good incentive?"

"T-That's not how incentives work, Sensei…" said Sakurai, looking torn between unease and concern. Kuroko only coughed behind his fist.

"Koga, you bastard…" Hajime looked back to the two fuming sports idiots, both their brows twitching angrily and their faces looking constipated. Any other teacher would've given them hell for such insolence. But the dark brown-haired man only devilishly smirked.

"Better get those grades up before Akashi and Himuro arrive. After all, my class isn't the only one you're failing at," he teased in a sing-song voice. To his credit, the two knuckleheads visibly blanched. It wasn't often that The Dragon dropped his professional attitude in front of his students, but whenever he did, it was because he was feeling superbly mischievous.

And his students never liked it when he's feeling mischievous.

"You two, on the other hand," said Hajime, referring to the two school idols, "need to hurry back to the clubroom. You're already fifteen minutes late." He didn't bother lingering to see the predictable reaction on their faces—lord knows how frightening Hyuga-kun could be—and so Koga-sensei finally exited the room with bag in hand, a spring to his step and a quirk to his lips.

"That asshole…" muttered Aomine, flopping heavily down on a chair. "I had a feeling he was up to something. He just wasn't satisfied with suspending us—now we gotta reach a quota for his class, too."

"I think he just wants you to pass the minimum…" mumbled Sakurai. He flinched when Aomine glanced at him, but he boldly continued, wanting to explain further. "I-I mean, since most of your quiz scores were w-way below the passing score, I think Koga-sensei would be happy enough if you get at least a p-passing grade on the next pop quiz…"

"Yes, he would. Until Akashi-kun and Himuro-kun come back, that is," retorted Kuroko with the ghost of a smile.

Both Kagami and Aomine groaned. "Don't remind us," pleaded the redhead. Then he looked confused. "But I don't get it. Why did you agree to tutor us? Isn't it that you're already paying us back by helping Kise?" he asked.

"Exactly, Tetsuya-san!" exclaimed Sakurai. "Why didn't you tell Sensei that? N-No offense, Kagami-sa—"

"Why didn't you?" retorted Kuroko, cutting him off. His best friend looked embarrassed to answer that, and so Tetsuya continued on. "Well, what else are we going to say to Yukio-kun?"

"Yukio-san?"

"He doesn't know that Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun are coaching us. But when does find out, he'll want to know why they agreed to help us," explained the blunette. "We can't just tell him that it's because of Kise-kun. That's supposed to be a secret."

"So our reason is because we're tutoring them in math?" clarified Sakurai.

"Exactly."

"But can't we just say that they're taking pity on us or something?"

"Do they look like they'd ever willingly help us?" asked Kuroko flatly. The two athletes in question surreptitiously looked away. Sakurai understood the point, but he felt as if Kasamatsu wasn't the true reason why Kuroko enthusiastically accepted the job for them.

"Whelp, looks like we're gonna have to reschedule," reminded Kagami, digging for his phone inside his bag. He was about to check his calendar to adjust this weekend's training schedule when suddenly, a loud ringing erupted from his gadget. Two forked eyebrows rose in unison as the name of Kagami's surrogate brother flashed on the screen.

"Tatsuya! How ya doin'?" greeted Kagami jovially, moving towards Aomine as he pushed the loudspeaker button.

"Tsuya, when are you coming back? Did you get me a souvenir?" drawled Aomine jokingly to the phone, stifling a yawn.

"I'm sure you two have already prepared a very good reason for getting suspended on the first week of class. Right, Taiga? Daiki?"

It was as if gravity suddenly pulled the two athletes' stomachs down.

"Because as far as I'm concerned, Akashi-kun and I are very interested in hearing them once we return on Monday."

Sakurai started as the two taller teens suddenly froze. "K-Kagami-san?! A-A-Aomine-san?!"

Kuroko stared wide-eyed at the sight of two ethereal forms slowly seeping out of the two jocks' immobile bodies and his brunette best friend frantically shaking them to consciousness, the phone's disconnect tone ringing in the background. "Oh, dear," he intoned monotonously. "Well, it seems we won't be tutoring you, after all."

To be continued…

Yes, I consider this a filler chapter.

1) There is a very good reason why the Big Three are like that. All will be revealed in due time.

2) Takao is my favorite child. Which is why my backstory for him is extensive. I do hope my characterization for him has intrigued you guys. His nickname for Midorima is currently just a means to tease the other teen. ;)

3) I tried so hard to make Kuroko and Sakurai suck at basketball. ;-; Plus, more hints about my plans with Himuro!

4) Andarkness23 had given me a scene about MidoTaka with the rickshaw. I had been worrying about how to integrate that for this ship, and I was so happy that she provided a wonderful solution. What I wrote isn't the exact scene, but I do hope that this doesn't disappoint, An-chan!

5) If you're gonna ask me about why Midorima wanted to go to school so badly, it's plainly written in his internalization. He feels antsy not doing anything productive. And this is not just because of Oha-Asa. His sprain really feels nothing to him that he's not worried that it'll get worse. True, you might argue that this doesn't sound like him, but this is my take on Midorima. He'll get bedrest when he feels it imperative for the situation, but his sprain doesn't really tell him that he needs the bedrest. In fact, staying in bed is making him uncomfortable. Plus, stretching out his limbs actually helps the healing process—as long as he doesn't strain himself. This is from my personal experience. I got a sprain once. Just the whole day with ice on it, and I was good to go the next morning. The way I see it, Midorima can be stubborn when he wants to be.

6) I just really love Koganei Hajime. I'm so excited for him~! :3

7) Would you believe that this was supposed to be longer? Since this is a filler chapter, there were more scenes here, but I had to cut them off when I realized it's getting too long and the scenery change is getting too boring. It was supposed to end on Saturday, but I think this is a good cliffhanger, too. :D

Alright, guys, I think I need to make something clear here:

1) This fanfic is definitely going over 15 chapters. I don't know how much longer, but the storyline is up to the end of the school year, so yeah, a lot of chapters. (slow burn romance FTW)

2) I am never going to drop this. But please nag me so this can be finished much faster—especially in social media. I have other fics I wanna write. ;-;

3) I don't do poly ships for my main characters. But just to show my appreciation to everyone, expect that my fanfics will contain not just minor gay ships, but also lesbian ships, hetero ships, aro ace peeps, and poly ships in minor characters. ouo

Once again, I now have social media so please follow my progress (and also see how I fangirl in Tumblr please please please) and nag me there. Yume, who had nagged me mercilessly a year ago, is missing and I need people to follow in her footsteps. TTnTT

PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.

So, will Kasamatsu find out what Kise likes about him? Will Takao ever finish DMMd? Will Sakurai get Aomine and Kagami's souls back in time for them to start cleaning? Why is there no vanilla milkshake craving in this chapter?

Tune in for the next chapter of The Exaggeratedly Long Title of a Gay KnB Fanfic~! \(OuO)/