It's Christmas eve and also Kuroko's birthday. Kuroko's classmates threw him a birthday party which was filled with food, food competition, and unconventional group of friends who, just a few daws ago was battling it out with everything they got on the court. Now they're smiling and laughing and talking about all sorts of things like a normal high school party.
Akashi and Murusakibara were already in Tokyo yesterday for the practice game Akashi arranged between Rakuzan and Yosen. Of course, Akashi arranged that game to strengthen Rakuzan but more importantly to get some excuse to go to Tokyo for Kuroko's birthday and play again with his former teammates and friends.
He left Kuroko's birthday party at around 10 pm and went home to meet with his father.
"So you lost."
"Yes. But I won't apologize for it."
"Well then. Don't lose again."
From a regular person, those words may not mean much. But to Akashi, those were the kindest words he could expect from his father. He thought for sure he will not let him play basketbalk anymore. Of course if that happens, he will have to defy him.
He chose not to sleep at their home in Tokyo but instead went to a hotel where Kotaro and Nebuya waited for him. His other teammates left after the practice game with Yosen but these two wanted to experience the bullet train with him. Of course, Akashi would pay for their fare.
None of them even remembered it will be Christmas in a few minutes. They just slept and at 4 am, left for Kyoto.
They arrived at 7 am Christmas day in Kyoto. It snowed last night and it stayed on the ground which it rarely does because it normally melts within hours. Akashi's butler fetched them from the station. There are not so many Christians in Kyoto but residents there still enjoy various festivities and decorates their town for Christmas.
As they are travelling home, the car stopped for the red light in front of the Church. From the looks of it, the Christmas mass is just about to start. Looking through the window, watching the Christmas festivities around, Akashi finds himself thinking about Heaven, and if he'll be able to go there. He needs to if he wanted to be with his mom again, because he knows she's an angel. He then reflects on all things he did while he was being his other self, that selfish, violent, and rude persona. He thought back to how he treated his teammates at Teiko, at Rakuzen, how he treated everyone in general. If he wants to get to heaven, he needed to make up for alot of things that person's done.
"Do you have any plans for today, Sir?" asked the butler popping Akashi out of bubble of thought.
He knows this kind of question.
"You can have the rest of the day off after you dropped us off."
"Thank you, Sir."
"May I know where you're going?" He asked this because he was genuinely interested but to his butler, it sounded like he wants to know his proximity in case he needs something.
"I would like to attend the Christmas mass after I dropped you and your friends off. At that church exactly."
Akashi contemplated for a minute. He doesn't have any plans for Christmas. However, thinking about how in one day he was able to patch things up with his former teammates ,with his opponents, with his current teammates feel like nothing short of a miracle. Maybe even a Christmas miracle. He thought, why stop there? So he said "Can I come with you?"
"What?!" Nebuya and Kotaro exclaimed.
"Of course you can, Sir."
"But I thought you are a Buddist?!" asked Kotaro.
"My father is. But my mother converted to Christianity. She took me church i think 4 times."
Akashi felt a tightening in his heart as he mentioned his mother. He remembered times his mother brought him to church. But since she passed, he had never stepped inside a church, until maybe today.
"There is a mass about to start. Would you like to go now?"
"Yes, that would be nice."
"Hey wait, you're really going to Church now?"
"Yes. If you don't want to come, you could go home now or wait until the mass is over."
"I'm okay to go to Church. I'm kind of curious what they do there. Besides, I also don't have any plans for Christmas. Might as well try someting new." Nebuya said
"What do you mean no plans, we have the day off. Of course we have no plans but we could go to the mall and look for cute girls."
Akashi ignored him. "Mr. Alfred just tale the u-turn. Me and Nebuya will go with you."
"What? Really Nebuya? Okay. Okay. I'm coming with you."
After a minute of silence he said, "But the church girls are all boring and ugly. Ughhh"
As they make the u-turn.
"Hey it's the witch!", Kotaro shouted with knocking on the window 'Yo, witch! Witch!" he opened the window just as Maya was passing by.
She glanced for half a second but decided not give Kotaro any attention. She headed inside the Church.
Akashi wasn't paying much attention until her back was to them and she's heading inside.
They parked and get off and attended the mass.
Maya's seat was far from the basketball club members. Kotaro was searching for her to tease her but gave up when the mass started.
Akashi was not minding her and was focused on the mass. The homily was about humility. About how Christ was born in the most humble condition. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords born in the manger.
Humility. Akashi knows he's got a long long way to go about it.
The mass ended and people are getting out of the Church crowding the exit. Nebuya asked Kotaro, "Do you understand anything there? And why did stand up sit stand sit so many times?"
"Don't talk to me, I'm just trying hard not to burn alive until we get out."
"Hey, isn't that who you call the witch?" Nebuya said
"Where?"
"2 o clock."
"Ha! There you are! Yo witch! Witch! Maya!" his voice got louder when he called her name.
Maya glanced to his direction and saw his company. She walked faster.
He tried to catch up to Maya while exiting but it's just too crowded. Maya got away again.
However, before going home, Maya saw purple rice cakes that are usually ever sold only on Christmas season. She debated with herself whether she should buy since she doesnt want her Christmas mood be ruined by Kotaro and his companions. In the end, she decided to buy it while somewhat burying her face in the vendor's cart. While waiting for her order to cook and praying she becomes invisible, she heard the dreaded voice of Kotaro.
"Yo witch!"
"Kotaro." He was already beside her.
"What are you doing in Church?"
"I'm no longer at Church. I'm at the rice cake cart."
"No, you were there. I didn't know you attend church."
"I could say the same for you." And as she saw Akashi and Nebuya caught up to Kotaro, who ran ahead to chase her and tease her, she added "and your companions. How did you not to get burned alive?"
Kotaro glanced at Nebuya "I could say the same for you, witch. And hey, you really need to learn how to respect your upperclassmen. We called you earlier and you ignored us."
"You're not my senior."
"Yeah but he is." pointing behind at Nebuya.
While side-eyeing Nebuya, Maya said straightly, "As a member of the basketball team, I would not be surprised if you called me witch too. If it was you who called, I'm still not going to apologize for not glancing back. But since I'm required to give regards to my upperclassmen, hello to you, senpai." She bowed quickly to Nebuya.
"H-hello." Nebuya was stunned at her greeting.
"Fancy meeting you here, Maya." Akashi said which left Maya confused. They made eye contact for a second but Maya looked away immediately. Just a month ago, he threw a fit at her during the school festival. Now he's greeting her like they're friends. On the Church. What's happening?!
"F-fancy what?"
"I apologize for Kotaro's behavior. It's not your fault, Maya, that we lost. "
And those words just hang in the space between them.. then irritated the hell out of Maya. Kotaro's been calling her witch since she played card tricks at him at the start of the school year. She knows he's kind of an idiot so him calling her a witch isn't really something that would tick her off. But what's irritating is Akashi. Apoligizing. For Kotaro. Not for his deeds.
"Why would it be my fault?"
"Well Kotaro believes that what you said-"
"And why are you calling me by my first name?" She didn't let him finish. No one had ever interrupted Akashi when speaking.
"Who do you think you are?!"
"Maya-"
"Shut up Kotaro."
She opened her mouth ready to let him have a piece of her mind when the vendor called.
"Your order's ready!"
She turned around to the vendor still frowning. She received her order and said while looking at Nebuya "I'm gonna get going. Merry Christmas, senpai."
"And to you too, Kotaro."
She gave a half-glance at Akashi then went ahead.
"Woah that girl's really weird. She looks so angry and then greets us Merry Christmas?! Hahahahah" Kotaro burst out laughing.
"But she bought smells yummy. Let's buy some" Nebuya said, not really reading the mood.
"Fancy meeting you.. fancy meeting you!? How about I'm sorry I hurled a chess board at you. I'm sorry you hurt your feet with the glass I broke!." Maya rambled on as she walks home.
As a Christian, she knows she already forgave him in her heart, even without him apologizing. It's one of the things she prayed for this Christmas, that she could be above her anger. She got that for almost 15 minutes. Until ofcourse, her temper caught up to her.
She knew something changed about him during that championship game with Seirin. That is why she was genuinely cheering for Rakuzan during the last quarter. Still she couldn't let him get away from his deeds. His violence during the school festival. She has already reported Akashi's violence to the principal.
She doesn't want to act kind towards him when she knows she's starting war. Maybe that is why she cannot greet him a Merry Christmas. But why is he acting like nothing happened? Like he just forgot what he did? That is what drives Maya mad.
Being a scholar at a prestigious school comes with high cost. She has to work twice as hard as all the other students just to keep her place there. And to earn their respect, she has to stand her ground. And that is what she's doing now with Akashi.
Back on the incident of the chess game, she doesn't even know that he came from one of the most prestigious families in Japan. So the war she's waging now is really important. If she could hold him accountable for his actions, everyone from the rich and powerful families in her school would know that if they do something like that again, it won't be without consequences.
Despite all this, she was really happy to find schoolmates who share her faith.
On the car ride back home, Akashi reprimanded Kotaro.
"Oi, Kotaro.", Akashi finally had enough. "Why do you keep bothering her?."
"I'm not the one bothering her. You are."
"What?"
"She even greeted me Merry Christmas and she did not greet you. And I'm always calling her witch."
"Maybe she still holds grudge for what happened during the school festival".
The chess game. Oh, that. He thought the highlight of that was when she told him that he would lose and he did. What that other persona of him said and did to her slipped from his mind for a while. He patched things up with a lot of people, even with Kagami, whom he cut with Midorima's scissors.
The ride home was quiet. Kotaro and Nebuya had already got off. Once he was alone in the backseat, Akashi reflected again of his past sins. He couldn't blame her if she didnt greet him Merry Christmas. She is right to be mad.
But there's something about her, he doesn't really know what, why or how, but he feels certain she's going to Heaven. And that almost make him feel he wants to get closer to her. Somehow. Though he doesn't really know a way to approach her that would not scare her, or rather, scare him.