It's really funny how sometimes, while having a mild, unimportant conversation, a topic is brought up and someone makes a comment that sounds so natural to them, so matter-of-fact that they don't think much of it, but it wows the rest of their audience. Have you ever experienced it?

Momoi Satsuki has. Many times, in fact. Owing to the fact she was the closest person to one of the most spontaneous of people in the world, she experienced her fair share of such surprising revelations.

The one that takes the prize, though, is definitely that certain conversation they had during practice in third year of high school.

She was making small talk with most of the guys on the team, asking them where they were planning to go, what they were going to do with their lives, if they had significant others and all sorts of things like that. She shared many laughs with the boys on those topics and, even though she thought they would not feel like talking to her about these things, most of them were rather eloquent.

Having asked everyone but Daiki, she decided to approach him as well out of courtesy. Because she was pretty sure what all his answers to her questions would be already—she'd known him her entire life and she spent practically every day with him. She doubted he could come up with any response she would be surprised about.

She was sure that, with a talent like his and a penchant for basketball, he was sure to either go for the professional league or at least go to a sports university on a scholarship. He'd continue building his name through defeating many, many other teams and strive to become the best in Japan, if not the world (knowing his megalomaniac way of goal-setting).

Indescribable was her surprise when she found out that he wasn't even planning on continuing playing basketball after high school.

"Are you stupid? Basketball is just a game." He drove his point across that much more efficiently as he scored a perfect three-pointer from the line. "Sure, it's possible to make money for a living with it if you're good enough—and I am—but that would be just temporary."

She recovered quickly from the face fault she relapsed in after his off-hand self-satisfactory comment to gaze quizzically at him.

"What do you mean?" she questioned curiously as she let her gaze linger on his back while he chased after the ball.

"It's a power sport," he said then as though that explained everything.

It did.

"To be good at it, you need to have strong muscles, quick reflexes and be constantly in top form. It's very straining on the body and that's fine while you're young. But no one stays forever young. And no one can keep up a sports career much later than their forties."

He scored again from the free throw line and caught the ball so fast afterwards that it felt as though it never touched the ground.

"I wouldn't choose a career of basketball. You can't feed a family off of that kind of thing."

Satsuki's eyes widened at that last revelation. The mere notion of Aomine Daiki considering his future as far as knowing what choices are good and what aren't in terms of a would-be family was flooring. She didn't think him capable of such complex thought process. And yet, here he was, obviously having given this matter some serious consideration.

"I'd probably go for something more convenient and applicable. Like business or finance or whatever." Another three-pointer. He wiped his forehead with his forearm, heaving a sigh as he did so.

His manager stared at him in wonder, as though seeing him for the first time at that moment. In a sense, she guessed she did see him for the first time then. After all, the Daiki she believed she'd known her whole life would never have such… well, mature and realistic view on matters as profound as this.

Here she'd thought that all he bothered entertaining his mind with was living it up, enjoying his life to its fullest and just letting himself get carried in the flow.

But he even had enough common sense to consider what would be best for his family.

What an odd thought. Dai-chan's family. A family she didn't know, full of people who wouldn't be part of her world.

Full of people who would put a wall between her and Dai-chan.

The thought made her feel an unpleasant jab in her chest and she tasted a tinge of bitterness on her tongue.

"What are you staring at me like that for?" the boy snapped waspishly at her, having just noticed her gaze following him so closely it was almost suffocating.

Satsuki gave a thoughtful hum in the back of her throat and forced a smile on her face. Daiki's glare deepened when he noticed the plastic expression.

"I was just thinking how foreign it seems. Dai-chan thinking about his future family." She made a long pause before adding, "It's hard to imagine the kind of woman who'd be able to stand next to Dai-chan."

She was surprised that she even managed to get the words out of her mouth, especially with the way they got stuck in her throat.

Daiki stopped shooting. He turned around, the ball rested between his hip and his forearm, and he gave his best friend the most comical look of disbelief.

"Huh? What are you talking about, dumbass? It's obviously going to be your family, too." He shook his head as though he were talking to a small child, or a slow person. "Don't talk as if this has nothing to do with you."

It took her about a minute to wrap her mind around what exactly he had just said to her.

When she did, she spent a good amount of time blushing, many different thoughts flashing through her mind. She wondered how she should respond to a claim like that, or if he even expected her to say anything.

She was so caught up in fussing over it that it took her a while to notice that Daiki had resumed his practicing as though his statement had been something you say to people every day.

As if proposing marriage in such an off-hand matter is something that happened to everyone, everywhere, all the time.

He was so completely unperturbed by the exchange, his form as flawless and beautiful as ever, that she couldn't help feeling her emotions soothed just by watching him. A smile eased onto her face—a genuine one this time—as she realized what was the only thing that needed to be said in this situation between them.

"Geez, Dai-chan. That has to be the most unromantic proposal in the world."

He threw her a wry glare out of the corner of his eyes when he landed after a dunk.

"Shut up, idiot," he grumbled under his breath as he carried on practicing.

Satsuki could almost swear she saw a slight twinge of red dust the dark skin of his cheeks when he turned away from her.

It was true that his proposal had been phrased in probably the most unromantic way imaginable.

It was also true that it was the most perfect proposal that she'd ever hear—because it was the only one she'd want to hear.

Satsuki didn't answer Daiki. She didn't really need to. He already knew her answer.

And, despite the complete lack of romance in his proposal, it helped her find out the answer to it as well.

A/N: I really wanted to type up this exchange. It seemed hilarious and very AoMomo-esque! I hope you enjoyed it as well. C: Sorry for the late update. I lost my desire to write for a while. I'm not used to being so smitten with a pairing that has such small fanbase. The lack of feedback hits on my confidence. xd Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!

100 Situations, Table One; 094: Old.

27th February, 2013.