Visibility

By: Aviantei

Chapter 05: Commitment

Onishi Rina, the female class representative, approached the small cluster of desks that was slowly becoming an expected fixture in the class at lunch time. All three of the residents looked up at the newcomer, although in Airi's case it wasn't exactly necessary. Tetsuya took note of this occurrence out of the corner of his eye, refocusing his attention back on Onishi so that he wouldn't appear rude.

"Watanabe-san, there's someone here to see you," the representative said. Airi perked up at the sound of her name, also appearing to recognize the voice addressing her without any difficulty. While Tetsuya could say he would easily recognize the voices of his friends and teammates anywhere, he was fairly certain that he couldn't have learned the entire class in the same span of time Airi had. "Actually, there's two of them. They said that a teacher sent them to talk to you and Kagami-kun."

Kagami-kun? Tetsuya blinked, his surprise reflected back at him in the form of Youta suddenly paying attention to the conversation. Youta's eyes narrowed slightly, and he tossed a glance in the direction of the doorway, where the redhead in question was standing.

"Thank you, Onishi-san," Airi said, standing up from her seat. She adjusted her skirt. Tetsuya thought she sounded a bit nervous but couldn't say for certain. "Sorry for stepping out like this, I'll be back in a moment. Nii-san, I can walk to the door by myself, honestly."

The playful tones in her voice cut off Youta who had just started to make it out of his chair. The older twin sat back down, slightly frowning. When Airi headed towards the door, he watched her, and Tetsuya felt his own gaze following. Airi said something to Kagami with a concerned expression, and the two were barely out of the doorframe before Youta was striding across the classroom without a word.

Tetsuya knew it was none of his business. If Kagami and Airi had discussed something that had involved other students and not mentioning it to him, then they had the right to. But the fact that his two friends seemed to be troubled by something and hadn't thought to talk to him about it worried Tetsuya. Even if there wasn't anything he could do to help, at least maybe giving them an open ear could make a difference.

And there was nothing wrong with trying to find them to ask, right?

Tetsuya knew he was stretching the normal bounds of logic, but didn't really care. This wasn't the first time he had used his misdirection to go unnoticed in everyday life, and it was substantially easier in a crowded hallway than on the court. Youta wasn't very good at noticing him anyway, so that only made tailing the taller boy easier.

Youta had started quick enough that Tetsuya was sure they were on the right track. The only thing he hadn't been expecting was for Youta to be able to move so fast. Tetsuya had the distinct feeling that without all of his basketball training building up over the years, he would have lost track of the older Watanabe sibling by now.

Tetsuya almost panicked whenever Youta made it to the stairwell door and sped up so that he wouldn't lose his target. This resulted in Tetsuya colliding into Youta when he opened the door, both teetering to keep their balance. Youta glared at Tetsuya, but kept his mouth shut, making it possible to hear the discussion happening on the flight of stairs beneath them.

"Watanabe-san, Kagami-san, Miura and I wanted to apologize for our actions the other day," said the voice of a girl that Tetsuya didn't recognize. The beginnings of a conversation were enough for Youta to walk over to the railing and lean over, trying to get a look at the situation. Tetsuya decided to join him, keeping a few steps of distance between them.

Airi and Kagami were on one side of the steps, a boy—Miura—and the girl who had spoken on the other. Kagami seemed more tense than usual, positioned almost as an incomplete barrier between Airi and the other two students. Airi herself, from what little of her expression Tetsuya could make out, seemed attentive enough given the situation.

"What Sakamoto-san and I did was wrong," Miura said. Tetsuya glanced at Youta, the other boy's expression immediately turning into a frown. "You didn't deserve what we did, so we'd like to formally apologize. We'd like to apologize for any trouble we caused you as well, Kagami-san."

Kagami let out a just barely audible scoff, not looking at either Miura or Sakamoto in the eye. Airi stepped forward, taking the diplomatic role. "That's no problem at all, Sakamoto-san, Miura-san," she said. "You just startled me the other day and nothing else happened, so I'd say we should be able to put this incident behind us. After all, I'm sure that whatever punishment the teachers have given you will be enough to make up for it."

That was enough to set off mental warning bells for Tetsuya. A quick glance at Youta showed that his jaw was clenched in addition to his hands gripping roughly onto the railing he was supporting himself on. Tetsuya knew he probably couldn't say anything to alleviate the situation, but just letting things progress at this rate would probably only make things worse.

"Yeah, we both got slammed with staying back after school for a week on top of needing to apologize to you," Miura said, scratching the back of his head. "I hope that afterwards we can just put this whole incident behind us."

Airi nodded, seemingly satisfied. "I think that should be doable, don't you agree, Kagami-san?" The girl turned her head to the boy in question, whose scowl remained on his face despite the words directed to him.

"Listen, both of you," Kagami said, causing even Sakamoto to jump to attention. Tetsuya winced at his partner's use of the informal you, which Kagami barely ever used. "Just because Watanabe's okay with this doesn't mean I am. In the end, she's the one that was wronged so it's up to her to forgive you, but I won't be so easily satisfied. If I ever hear you try and corner someone again, whether it's Watanabe or some total stranger, just because they're disabled or anything else, I'll make you wish the teachers had handled it."

Tetsuya knew that something was about to happen but was too late to stop it. There was a rush of movement in his peripheral vision that was Youta going to move, and Tetsuya reached out a hand. "Watanabe-kun, wait," he tried, voice too quiet, fingertips quick enough to brush against Youta's uniform sleeve but not fast enough to grab on.

"You bastard, what did you do to my sister?!" Youta shouted, barreling down the stairs and building up the necessary force to knock Miura down where he was standing. Sakamoto let out a shriek, stepping back from where her friend was pinned under the older Watanabe twin.

"Nii-san, what are you doing stop it!"

"What the hell, get off me! Son of a—!"

"That's enough, knock it off." Tetsuya made it to the level where Youta was now struggling with Miura, a torrent of curses and insults filling the air, just as Kagami took action. The redhead easily got a hold of Youta, although pulling him off of Miura proved to be a more difficult matter. "You're just making this whole situation a bigger pain in the ass. Hey, I said to knock it off!"

"Stay out of this!" Youta said, sending back an elbow that smacked Kagami straight in the face. Kagami growled, and Tetsuya tried to step in, if not for any other reason than to stop the redhead, only to have Airi step in front of her brother.

"I said stop it, Youta!" she commanded, the most force Tetsuya had heard the girl put behind her words. Youta came to a complete stop at the use of his given name, leaving Miura to be the only one left struggling. With that accomplished, Airi dropped into a bow. "Miura-san, let me formally apologize for my brother!"

Youta recovered, placing his hand on Airi's shoulder in an attempt to stop her. "Ai-chan, you don't need to apologize to people like that! Listen, I don't know what happened, but anyone that does anything to you doesn't deserve to be apologized to! If you had just told me, I could have done something. I would have—"

"That's why I didn't tell you," Airi muttered. "Because I knew it would turn into this." Youta looked hurt enough that even Tetsuya felt a pang of pity for him. "Why don't you understand it, Nii-san? That I don't want you to do things like this for me? I don't mind if you help me, but whenever you go and hurt other people… you're just making things harder for yourself and I don't want that!"

Youta attempted to say something a few times, stopping himself before emitting any real words. After a few error attempts, he just rested his head on Airi's shoulder, who put her arms around him, palms resting on his back. "I just want to keep you safe," Youta finally managed.

"It's okay, Nii-san, that's fine if you want that. But I can stay safe without you getting into trouble for me. No buts this time." Youta frowned, but nodded in response. Airi reached up to pull at his cheeks. "No need to look so grumpy, either. Why don't we buy some squid for dinner tonight? At least I can make that properly without killing anyone…"

"Sounds great."

Kagami let out a sigh, holding a hand up to stifle the bloody nose Youta had given him. Just looking was enough for Tetsuya to know the redhead was still irritated, but Kagami wasn't about to interrupt the situation just to vent himself. Aside from the one injury, the only other damage seemed to be some dirt added to Youta and Miura's uniforms that could easily be remedied with a washing. Tetsuya couldn't speak for any out of sight bruises, but the limit of visible evidence would limit any issues once they returned to class.

"Man, these two are kind of a pain in the ass," Kagami muttered. Tetsuya looked up to his partner and laughed silently. "Is it just me or do you only seem to make friends with troublesome people?"

Tetsuya smiled and said, "I guess that applies to you as well, Kagami-kun." The reaction was immediate, Kagami bristling at the words. Tetsuya offered a hand to the boy that was still sitting on the ground, leaving Kagami to burn off his energy. "Would you like some help up, Miura-kun?"

Miura seemed just as surprised about Tetsuya's appearance as expected, but took the hand offered to him nonetheless. "Thanks…" he said, laughing a little as he stood up. "I guess I deserved that, too, didn't I? Hey, Watanabe-san's brother, right? I guess if you wanna work something else out to make up for what we've done, I'd be okay with that. But Sakamoto-san and I really should be heading back, so…"

Miura stopped, and everyone's attention drifted about the stairwell where Sakamoto was no longer standing.

And so, because Sakamoto ended up being a little snitch, I ended up stuck in here as well…

Youta sighed, staring down his homework assignments and tapping his pencil against the desk. He didn't want to get too much of the work done so he and Airi could still do their homework together, but there wasn't much else he could do. The frustrating part was that his sister really did understand way more of the lessons than he did, and Youta was the one that was supposed to be helping her.

At least Airi didn't have to just sit around and do nothing. Luckily enough, the Seirin Basketball Club was hard at work practicing right now, so she could at least stay with them where Youta knew Airi would be safe. He didn't like to admit it, but it seemed like Kagami could handle protecting her and Kuroko could at least provide some form of assistance. It was probably the best option that there was at the moment.

That didn't just mean that Youta had to like it. Not one single bit.

The only thing he possibly disliked on the same level as leaving his sister alone with the basketball club was the room that housed the punishment, and that was just barely. Apparently the only students that had to stay after for the day were Sakamoto, Miura, and Youta, and the teacher in charge either wasn't aware of the situation or didn't care enough to think that it would be a good idea for all of them to be in the same room at once.

Sakamoto had apparently already finished her homework, earning herself permission to read while Youta struggled with his own assignments. Just looking at her was frustrating, so he stopped. The only enjoyable thing about this was that Miura seemed to be in the same boat as him, constantly erasing his answers on a set of math problems.

At least it wasn't much longer until the time they had to stay after was done. If Youta was lucky he would be able to make it to the gymnasium before basketball practice let out and make up for the fact that he had been late. After what had happened, Youta just wanted to be by Airi's side to prevent another incident from happening again.

Why hadn't she said anything? Youta chewed on the end of his pencil, the history lesson he was supposed to be reviewing completely lost on him. Even if she had said that she hadn't wanted it to happen like this, that didn't make any sense. The only thing more confusing was when had it even happened, and that was something Airi had refused to answer, insisting that they put the incident behind them.

A note landed on Youta's desk, breaking his train of thought. His first reaction was to look to Sakamoto, who was still reading, utterly focused on her book. That only left Miura, since Youta highly doubted that the teacher, as uninterested as she looked, was a liable candidate. Sure enough, Miura was watching Youta, and the latter just finally gave in and checked the note.

Hey there, Watanabe-san's Brother, why the long face?

Youta scowled, just barely resisting the urge to crumple the paper in his hands instantly. Miura didn't notice, just watched his note's recipient, with no intentions of returning to his work whatsoever. Against his better judgment, Youta scribbled back a hasty reply.

It's nothing. And stop staring at me; it's creepy.

Youta took a precautionary glance at the teacher, then sent the note back to where it came from. Miura didn't seem to be exerting the same caution, as the note haphazardly spiraled back towards him.

Haha, that's my bad. Say, do you have a name I can call you?

He really didn't want to, but Youta ended up writing the kanji for his name on the note before handing it back.

Well, I'm Jiro. It's nice to properly meet you, Youta-kun.

You refer to my sister so casually and I'll kill you.

Youta hoped that that would have been enough to maybe at least make Miura hesitate, but there appeared to be no such luck occurring in his favor. If anything, Miura seemed to be enjoying the conversation, the boy grinning as he penned out a response.

I'll keep that in mind. Say, I was serious earlier. If there's anything I can do to make up for what Sakamoto and I did, I'll do it. I don't think she feels the same way since she ignored me when I got back to class, but at the very least I want to give a proper apology for you and your sister. Maybe then we can get over this rocky start.

Youta pushed his pencil so hard against the paper that he was afraid he might break it. The thin lead snapped more than once while he was writing, delaying the message. Why did people always have to be like this, thinking a little apology was okay when it wasn't? Youta just couldn't understand it, especially whenever Airi was so easy going about it, so forgiving.

What makes you think that you can just act so friendly after all that?!

"Okay, that's it for the day," the teacher said before Youta could fold the paper back up. "You're all free to go. I know some of you need to stay after school tomorrow, too, so I'll see you then." The teacher packed up her belongings, striding out without another word. Youta looked back to the note in his hands and crumbled it, packing up his bag and throwing the note out on the way out. Airi would be mad if he just vented himself like that anyway.

Miura at least caught enough of the drift not to follow him. Once he was clear of the teacher's eyesight, Youta sprinted down the hall towards the gymnasium. Practice should have been letting out about this time, and he and Airi could go home.

"There you are, Watanabe-kun! I needed to talk to you!" called the by now familiar voice of the Seirin coach. Youta stopped before he collided with Aida, quickly catching his breath after the short run. "Airi-chan's using the restroom now, so I'll make this quick, Watanabe-kun. I decided to approve your request."

It took a moment for the meaning of her words to fully register, and by then Youta was partially speechless. Even though he had had plenty of time to prepare himself, Youta hadn't expected yes to be the answer to what he had asked for. Remembering he was on a limited timeframe, he stammered, "Th-thank you so much, Aida-senpai!"

"Whoa, easy there." Aida held up her hands to calm Youta down, but her smile said that she was happy about the response. "I just wanted to let you know that I have some conditions I want you to agree to before you're certain this is what you want, is that okay?" Youta nodded. "First off, I'm not sending my entire first string in there. I want to have the rest of my second years put more practice in before they have to take the field next year."

That was reasonable enough, so Youta didn't object. Aida continued, "Second off, I want you to join the basketball club."

"H-hold on a second!" Youta protested. "I'm sorry, Senpai, but I can't do that. Whenever Ai-chan picks out a club, I need to be able to go with her, plus I'm not even a good athlete. Just watching you all practice I can understand the level of time and energy I would need to put into it. That's not something I can commit to right now—"

Aida only shook her head, clicking her tongue once. "I'm going to be straight with you, Watanabe-kun. I have the training to look at a person and realize their potential. While it's true you may not be on the same level as people who have been playing for years, I know for a fact that you have numbers that you wouldn't be able to manage without having once played basketball competitively at a time. Plus, Airi-chan happened to mention to me today that you used to play basketball in elementary and early middle school, correct?"

Youta winced, having no choice but to nod. Why Airi had to go and mention that, he had no idea. "While that's true, Senpai, I stopped playing years ago," he said. "I just… I mean, I stopped playing so I could help Ai-chan out, and that's why I came to school here. Joining the basketball club would mean leaving her, and I can't justify that at all."

"But if we win, she'll be able to see and you won't have to worry as much," Aida retaliated. She sighed, making her tone sound more relaxed. "I respect and understand your feelings, Watanabe-kun, but I can't just stand by and not ask you to play for us. Listen, I'm not telling you to play in matches. I'm telling you to come to practice. If we lose and don't get the money, you can quit right then. And if we win… I'll leave the decision up to you. But I do know that Airi-chan would really like it if you joined us."

She was right and Youta knew it. How many times had Airi told him to do what he wanted, to insist that he joined the basketball club again, that he didn't quit? It had happened in middle school, it had happened at their last school, and it had happened when they had transferred.

Aren't you going to play basketball again, Nii-san?

This time it was Youta's turn to sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I got it," he said. "I'll join the basketball club. Just promise me that you guys will give it your best in the tournament. This is probably the last chance I have to convince Ai-chan, so… please."

Aida smiled, giving a thumbs-up. "We wouldn't give any less than our best effort," she promised. "Airi-chan's waiting for you by the water fountain. I'll see you at practice starting next week. Don't forget to bring a change of clothes!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Youta replied out of habit. It seemed that his old instincts weren't so rusty after all…

Deciding it was best to not think about it too hard, Youta went to meet up with Airi, thoughts of the dinner she had promised him in mind.

And the new chapter is here, right on time!

Once again, the response on this story was amazing! A huge thanks to Lozbii, Tiger Lily Burning Bright, Scykra, loeth, moonlight phonex101, kanbikijanai, CGFlare, Leolnuyuka, lucyheartfilia71, The-Blind-Otaku, M. Mellow (who gets extra props for reviewing every chapter), CherryPop0120, Where is the queen named reyna, Souls of the damned, xxxSPYGIRLxxx, Marfo Faura, Oni-no-karehana, .Storm, April Marciano, blackrockx, Haibara2780, AniMags, Saskicheez, Wings of Galileo, and Animecraz-XD for your reviews, favorites, and follows. I'm grateful for all your support and I look forward to hearing from you all again!

This was fun to write. Youta losing his cool against Miura definitely was my favorite part. Did anyone figure out that Youta used to play basketball? Should I have added more hints beforehand? Let me know!

On the note of feedback, I was wondering about how the dialogue is coming through. I've been doing my best to convey Tetsuya's speech pattern into English as well as I can. In the Japanese, he has this polite speech pattern that's hard to make as clear in English. Do you guys think it's coming across okay? Should I make any adjustments?

On a slightly diverged note, I'm currently participating in Camp NaNoWriMo! Is anyone else? I'll be working on several projects at once, and you can be sure that this is going to be one of them!

Well, enough of my rambling. Chapter six will be out in about two weeks.

Next time, early basketball days are discussed, Youta remembers what it's like to practice, and Tetsuya encounters a familiar face at the Yamashita Charity Tournament. Please look forward to it!

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