Thank you for the wonderful messages and the enormous amount of views! (it was a lot more than I expected...)
Shout out to iiAnimeLover who was commented on all of my chapters~ I love you bestest! (favoritism, heh)
Spoiler: Shirogane is a smarty-pants
Happy readings~
"Atsushi!" Shirogane calls loudly, waving her arm towards the giant.
"Ri-chin. Did you bring treats today?" said person asks bluntly. The girl pouts.
"Is that the only reason why you hang around me?" she demands like a spoiled child.
"Ah, iie, iie. ... It's one of the main reasons, though." Murasakibara jokes lazily, patting her on the head.
"Wah! So mean, so mean!" Shirogane cries, headbutting the giant in the stomach lightly.
"Shirogane." a familiar monotonous voice comes from behind the pair.
"Nani? Shintarō?" she questions the boy. "Is there something I can help you with?" The green-haired boy merely stares at her, not uttering a word of explanation. The two of them are unintentionally drawn into a staring contest, the gentle breeze wafting by.
Midorima turns away first while pushing up his glasses distractedly.
Eh...? ... Is Shintarō embarrassed?! Shirogane stares in disbelief at the boy's hesitant expression. He suddenly whips out something white, holding it right in front of her astonished face. The white-haired girl has to cross her eyes in order for the object to come into focus.
"Ne... bandages...?" she says slowly, her voice tinged with confusion. Too ashamed to directly ask her a favor, the green-haired boy merely thrusts his left hand in her direction, motioning for her to take the bandages.
"... Ah! I see, now! Why don't you just ask, Shintarō?" the girl beams amusedly up at the boy. He grunts before jerking his head the opposite way. Shirogane begins to wrap the bandages around each of his long fingers.
"Ne, ne, Ri-chin. What are you doing? Is Mido-chin hurt?" the purple-haired giant suddenly asks, peering curiously around her small frame. Shirogane jumps slightly, having forgotten his presence.
"Iie. They're just to support Shintarō's fingers." she explains to the child-like giant observing her work.
"Oh... Heh, Mido-chin has to ask Ri-chin to do it for him..." he chuckles to himself, amused by the idea.
"U-Urusai!" Midorima scowls, pushing up his glasses with his free hand.
"I'm done!" Shirogane quickly interjects before things could get out of hand. She hands the green-haired boy back his roll of bandages before pulling on Murasakibara's uniform.
"Arigatō." Midorima murmurs reluctantly before briskly turning away, rapidly putting a distance between him and the two.
"Don't tease Shintarō too much, Atsushi." Shirogane gently reprimands the giant as they walk down the halls of Teikō.
"Okay, Ri-chin." he replies like a scolded child.
"Seijurō, I'll be joining you for today!" Shirogane informs the emotionless redhead. He nods wordlessly, patiently waiting for the shorter girl catch up. Akashi heads off to his designated court, only for a tug on his shirt to stop him in mid step.
"Ano... I actually have something else set up for you today instead." the white-haired girl informs him quietly. Akashi blinks, allowing him to be led to another court.
"Why are we practicing here, Riyeko-hime?" he asks blankly, staring at the entrance of the gym where the second string players were currently playing in.
"Ne, ne! Don't call me that, Seijurō!" she pouts, crossing her arms. "We're going to be practicing with the second-string today. From watching you play, I can tell you're a well rounded player. The only thing I think you need is experience playing with others. I want to test your adaptability in different circumstances." Akashi nods, understanding her reason in dragging him all the way here.
"Kon'nichiwa, Kobayashi-sensei." Shirogane bows with Akashi by her side. The gym falls silent as all the players are drawn towards the two first years standing by the door.
"Ah, kon'nichiwa, Shirogane." the man replies with an easy smile. "What do you need?"
"I hope you don't mind us borrowing some of your players." she words her statement carefully so the coach has no other option but to agree.
"I see. That's fine. You can use court four." he gestures to the empty court at the far end. "Borrow whomever you want." He adds kindly. Shirogane smiles thankfully before dragging Akashi farther into the spacious gym. She quickly glances around the players who are watching the two with curious eyes.
"Seijurō, how proficient is your ability to spot characteristics in a player just by looking at them?" she muses thoughtfully.
"... I haven't given it much thought." he replies.
"Let me show you. See him?" she doesn't bother to lower her voice, allowing the person under scrutiny hear her words. "He's very tall, even for a player. His legs? See how finely muscled they are? He must work on them a lot; and by the look of his calves, he's probably a specialist in jumping. The way his shoulder are angled? It's to make swift attacks, that way he is able to have good agility despite his height. Taking in account of all of those things, he's probably an offense player who makes most of his points by dunking. I'd say... power forward." She points each part, explaining carefully so Akashi could follow.
The boy gapes, unable to comprehend what he is hearing. That girl... How... How did she know?! The players around him whisper amongst each other in awe and discomfort.
"See that guy with the blue shorts? Look at his arms. Shooting guard."
Everyone in the room stares in astonishment as the short first year points out various players and accurately lists their position with just one glance.
"Using your eyes to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent is just as important as any other technique in basketball. It's a useful skill to have as a player, and more importantly, as a captain."
Akashi glances at Shirogane out of the corner of his eyes. What does she mean by that? "Hai." he murmurs. "I will keep that in mind."
"Yosh! Who's captain of the second-string?" she asks no one in particular.
"That's me. Satō Ibuki, third year." a tall male with cropped brown hair steps forward with his hand slightly raised.
Shirogane nods in acknowledgement. "Please pick four people for you team, senpai." The third year quickly selects four other players, most likely whom he thought were the strongest. "Now, I will pick your team, Seijurō. I want... you... and you..." The short girl strides up and down the rows of players, her gait confident even though she was easily the shortest, weakest-looking person in the room.
Akashi raises a brow at the teammates she's chosen for him. To him, the all appeared to be average players, as if she had purposefully chosen the weakest players for him to work with. Was she setting him up for failure?
Clasping her hands together, she faces the recruits. "Right, this is Akashi Seijurō. For this game, he will be your captain. You will listen to him as if he were your real captain, hai?" They all nod dutifully, intimidated by this twig of a human. She ushers the ten of them to their designated court, setting them up for the tip off.
"Even though you don't know anyone here and how they play. I want to see you adapt, don't be afraid to order your senpai around, okay? Let's see if you can win!" She tosses the ball high into the air, starting the game.
Twenty minutes in and Akashi's team is losing miserably to Satō's. The redhead frowns at the score, wondering where he went wrong. He had been shooting the most points for his team and yet they were still twelve points behind.
"Let's take a break!" Shirogane calls as Satō's teammate makes another shot, the ball sliding smoothly through the net. She beckons Akashi to join her at the bleachers where she sat, observing the whole game.
"Not bad, considering you've probably never met these people before. But you're thinking too much about yourself. You have a team, use your team members to your advantage!" she advises as Akashi drinks from his water bottle. He wipes away the sweat dripping down his neck.
"Riyeko-hime, did you purposefully pick these players so I would be at a disadvantage?" Akashi asks bluntly.
"Eh, so you finally realised? Yep!" she grins unashamedly. The nickname he used went by unnoticed. "I wanted to see your skills in a disadvantaged situation. I know you have the capability, but you probably just don't know it. You play shogi, right?" He nods. "Think of it the court like a shogi board and the players like your pieces. You have to play strategically to win games, it's not all about brute force."
"Hm..." he hums thoughtfully. He had never thought of it like that.
"You take a break and watch me play, okay?" she smiles and pulls on his arm, forcing him to sit in her previous seat. Shirogane skips enthusiastically onto the court, calling all of the players back. The other boys, who had resumed their practicing, turned with new interest to watch the game. They all wanted to see the legendary first-string captain in action.
They started the game where they had left off before the break with Shirogane receiving the ball first. Akashi watches as she skillfully directs the players around the court, adjusting her tactics when necessary and setting up elaborate traps for the opposing team to fall into. In just under ten minutes, Satō's team was beginning to look frustrated.
"Wah... do you see the score?"
"It's tied! Sugoi!"
"This first year... No wonder she's captain...!"
Even Akashi was impressed and it was quite difficult to impress the stoic red-haired male. On the court, she was simply god-like and dominated the game, even a blind man could see her talent in the sport. Despite having major setbacks earlier, she managed to rally the four randomly picked players into a decent team and pulled ahead. Akashi observed carefully as Shirogane passes the ball and sets up plays for her teammates to score even though she could have easily made it herself.
"Get the jist?" she grins, panting slightly and wiping perspiration from her forehead. Her white bangs stuck to the side of her face like glue. "Let's see what you've got!" Akashi nods and offers his captain a small smile before jogging back on court. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the opposing team breathing a sigh of relief once they realized that the tiny, pale terror was not coming back to play. The redhead's pale lips tighten as he determinedly sets his focus on proving himself.
Shirogane slowly eases into her stiff seat, a slow smile worming its way into her face. I knew he would catch on, although I am pretty surprised at the speed of his progress. This bunch is going to be something special, I can feel it!
"Congrats! Pulling off a win against your senpai at the last moment, I was at the edge of my seat the whole time!" Shirogane babbles as the two first years amble back to the locker room.
Akashi abruptly halts in his tracks, almost causing the girl to smack straight into him.
"Eh? Seijurō?" she asks, tilting her head to one side. The red-haired boy suddenly bows towards her, bending his body almost at a ninety degree angle.
"Arigatō gozaimasu." he states humbly before straightening up.
"Ne, ne! No need to be so formal! We're a team, remember? We should always support one another, like family!" the white-haired girl beams, waving off his awkward formalities.
"... Family?" Akashi repeats to himself aloud. A warm, foreign feeling wells up inside of him as he glances at the pale girl beside him. It feels nice...
"Hai, hai! Let's take care of each other, okay, Seijurō?" Shirogane loops her arm around his, unafraid of standing close to the intimidating first year. She offers him a warm smile before gently tugging on him to move faster.
"Hai, Riyeko-hime."
"Eh?! I told you to stop calling me that!"
"I see you've set your sights on the next vice-captain, already." Sanada comments. He, Shirogane, and Momoi are sitting together in the coach's office, discussing the team's practice regime.
"Ah... was I really that obvious?" the white-haired girl scratches her head sheepishly. She smiles guiltily. Momoi glances at the two of them in interest, she hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.
"Not too much. I just noticed because I know your habits. You tested him on the second string players, didn't you?" Sanada raises a brow knowingly.
"Ahahaha... Sanada-sensei, you really know my tactics well...! I set him up to see how he would react." The pink-haired girl awkwardly sits to one side, excluded from the conversation they were having.
"So how was he? Good enough?"
"He exceeded my expectations. My guess was right about him, he is definitely leader material. I think he will make a good substitute for me when the time comes." the girl nods firmly.
The man sighs and leans back in his seat. "I will trust you on this one, Shirogane." She beams happily in return, pleased with the outcome.
"Ano, excuse me for interrupting, but who are you talking about? And why do you need a substitute?" Momoi interjects hesitantly, directing her last question towards Shirogane. The two of them look startled as they stare at Momoi, as if just realizing that she was there the whole time.
"Gomen, Satsuki-chan. I want to nominate Seijurō as vice-captain. However, I don't want to announce it just yet. I'll first work with the others before making my decision." Sanada nods in approval. Momoi frowns at the unanswered second question, but decides against repeating. She noticed the tense atmosphere that had developed over it.
"Keep up the good work, both of you. You're dismissed." The two girls bow before leaving the room.
"Ne, well... See you tomorrow, Satsuki-chan!" the shorter of the two waves before they split. Momoi waves in response, watching as her bouncing white curls grow farther and farther away.
"Ri-chin, how do you do this problem?" Murasakibara pokes his seat mate with a long finger. His other hand is occupied with yet another bag of snacks.
"Eh? Oh, you just divide by 'x' on both sides and then distribute." the pale girl leans over in her seat, peering down at the giant's messy handwriting.
"Ne... it seems so much easier when you teach it, Ri-chin." the purple-haired boy complains, scribbling down his answer. Shirogane blushes at the comment.
"Ah, ah. I'm no good at teaching maths, trust me." she blushes modestly, waving of his compliment with a flick of her wrist.
"Ri-chin, who are you going to practice with today?" Murasakibara questions, munching on a bag of chips.
"Hm... I don't know, yet... I haven't decided." she amends after much thought.
"Ne, ne, how about Ri-chin plays with me today? It's really boring playing alone." he suggests, tugging on one of her curls. He watches with childish amusement as her hair bounces back into place. Finding it interesting, he does so again and again, chuckling to himself.
"Okay, Atsushi. But that means you're actually going to have to play hard." she warns him, not bothered by his antics. It actually feels quite soothing.
"Hai, Ri-chin."