Author's Note : As always, thank you for your support! I hope you guys enjoy this story and will stick around till the end! Harumi really isn't that bad of a guy, he just has a lot of pent up anger towards the GoM and Shoko exploited his weakness. In a way, maybe Shoko is a bad person as well.
But now that Harumi is out of the way, I'm going to focus more on the development of Shoko and Midorimia! It'll be a slow development, but they will get closer throughout the chapter. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter~ -helphwatiswrong
"So what? I'm always telling you. Whether it's genius or prodigy, once it's broken, it's just garbage" - Hanamiya Makoto
[07]
Momoi yawned, stretching her arms over her head as she exited the sports shop with Aomine trailing behind her with a scowl. The team needed new uniforms after some of the players – mainly Murasakibara – had a growth spurt over the break and Momoi had forced the ace to tag along.
"Well, now that we're done with basketball for the day, how about some food?" Momoi asked her childhood friend with a cheerful smile. "Of course, you'll be paying!" She continued with a playful wink.
Aomine frowned. Of course he would have to pay for her. Unlike other girls, Momoi had an unlimited appetite and could literally eat anything without gaining weight. 'Well she needs all the food to stay that energetic,' Aomine thought as Momoi decided that they were going to some desserts parlor she tried with Haisaki the other day.
Momoi stopped in her tracks causing Aomine to bump into her back. Tilting her head to the side, Momoi blinked. "Eh? Isn't that Harumi-kun?" Aomine knitted his eyebrows together and noticed the tall black haired boy walking towards their direction with his head down.
Aomine narrowed his eyes, noticing that the upperclassman had a pained expression of his face. "Harumi-kun!" Momoi called out, waving towards the upperclassman.
When he looked up, Aomine noticed with slight interest that a flash of guilt was in his eyes. Harumi managed a weak smile towards Momoi, but once he noticed Aomine was standing behind her, his smile faded and he ducked his head.
"Sorry, I have to go." Harumi murmured, quickly walking past the two. Aomine lifted his eyebrow while Momoi scratched her head at Harumi's odd behavior.
Aomine suddenly realized something. "Huh, this is probably the first time I seen him without Haisaki." The Teiko ace drawled out, cracking his fingers as he yawned. Usually, he saw the boy literally trailing after the shorter grey haired girl like a lovesick puppy.
"Eh?" Momoi furrowed her eyebrows together as she puffed her cheeks. "You act like it's a bad thing. Harumi-kun is very kind to Shoko-chan!"
Aomine rolled his eyes, dismissing Momoi's statement with a casual flick of his wrist. "I don't care about their love life, but I personally think it's a bad idea. Haisaki has trouble written all over her."
After word had gotten out that Shoko was occasionally helping out on the basketball team, other girls had approached the members with the same request. Akashi had gotten so annoyed by the unwanted attention that he began to schedule practices on weekends at the gym.
Aomine was beginning to grow bored of the practices and felt unmotivated to do his best at games. "What are you trying to say, Dai-kun?" Momoi frowned, crossing her arms across her chest. Aomine gulped, the pink haired girl only did this when she was upset.
"Look, Satsuki. I'm just saying the whole ordeal with her brother and the team is still fresh." Momoi didn't look too impressed by his answer, so Aomine tried again. "It's not like I have anything against Haisaki personally, it's just that the team doesn't feel comfortable around her with what happened last year."
Momoi narrowed her eyes. "What happened with her brother has nothing to do with Shoko-chan. She helped me a lot with the paperwork so I could focus on your playing."
Aomine sighed heavily. "Fine. I don't care anymore." She could do all the paperwork in the world, but it could never change the player's view of Shoko and her brother. Ever since Haisaki left the team, they were at the prime of their game and kept winning tournaments.
But it felt like there was something missing in the team and no one could figure out what it was. Aomine had a feeling that Kuroko knew, but the misdirection expert kept his mouth shut.
Momoi wrinkled her nose in annoyance, but dropped the subject completely. She knew that the basketball team was apprehensive about her spending so much time with Shoko, but she was friends with her before Haisaki was kicked off the team and she would remain her friend throughout the end.
"Haisaki. .If something. .bad happened. .Do you want to talk about it?" Midorima slowly managed out, walking beside the grey haired girl. Ever since they left the building, Midorima noticed that the girl had a certain hardness in her eyes.
"No." Shoko replied, keeping her eyes straight. Her voice was short and clipped and there was a slight frown on her lips.
Midorima pushed his glasses up as he glanced at the shorter girl. The swelling had gone done from her cheek, but a nasty bruise was beginning to form. Midorima cringed slightly as he wondered why Harumi would hit her with so much force.
Aquariuses and Scorpios were supposed to be compatible. He didn't understand what possessed the upperclassmen to hit a girl and was tempted to check the Scorpio's horoscope for the day, but found it insensitive to pull his phone out.
While Midorima liked to keep to himself and away from other people's business, Kise often updated the basketball players about Shoko and Harumi. The last he heard, Harumi was beginning to actively pursue Shoko and surprising, she wasn't ignoring him like the rest of the class population.
In a way, Shoko was similar to Midorima. She tended to stay away from people's businesses and kept to herself. However, since her family was filthy rich and she transferred from Hyotei, people perceived her as a snob – which Shoko didn't seem to mind.
"You should-"
"Just let it go." Shoko cut in before Midorima could finish his sentence. The tone in her voice was frosty as she casted a long gaze at the shooter. "I would prefer if you keep this to yourself."
The tone in her voice left no room for arguments and she stopped in front of her house. Midorima stared at the massive gates behind the girl and wondered why she was so guarded.
There were very few people that managed to overcome to barrier Shoko had placed between herself and her peers. Ever time Midorima saw her by herself, she had a calm expression – which so different from her brother, who always had a snide smile on his lips.
Momoi and Kise were the two most outgoing on the basketball team, so they easily befriended Shoko. Kise – however – still retained a respectful distance from the girl and didn't give her a nickname.
Midorima found it interesting that Kise willingly began talking Shoko – especially after the torment her brother subjected him to their freshman year.
It was true that the members of the basketball team felt uneasy around Shoko. The girl noticed early on and retained a respectful distance from the players.
Midorima briefly wondered if the girl ever resented her brother for what he did to the team and wondered if she ever felt lonely.
"Well, well. Are my eyes deceiving me or is Shintaro standing in front of my house?" Midorima stiffened at the sound of Shogo's voice while Shoko looked annoyed. The green haired shooter turned his head and acknowledged the former player with a stiff bow of his head.
"Hello, Haisaki." He greeted through his teeth.
"What the hell are you doing here, Shintaro?" Shogo asked, narrowing his eyes at his former teammate. He barely acknowledged his sister's presence as he stared at Midorima.
"The last time I checked, Seijuro told the members to stay clear of me." An animalistic grin appeared on his face. "He said that he. . feared for your safety."
Shogo was the only member on the basketball team that called everyone by their given name. He was the only member that didn't give a shit about what others thought of him and always got what he wanted – which made the members dislike him.
"Shogo, stop it." Shoko cut in, crossing her arms across her chest. "Don't do anything stupid that you'll regret later."
Shogo furrowed his eyebrows and turned his attention towards his sister. He raised an eyebrow at the bruise forming on her cheeks. "What's this?" He took a step forward and probed the bruise on her cheek. Shoko barely flinched and stared at her brother with a flat expression. "Is the basketball team picking on you?"
Shoko slapped his hand away. "No. They have nothing to do with this." Her brother didn't look too impressed by her answer, but smirked anyways.
"You know Shintaro," Shogo began, inspecting the bruise on his sister's face. "It'll be such a shame if I find that whoever did this belongs on the basketball team."
Shogo glanced over his shoulder and gave him a twisted grin. "As you know, I tend to act out rather violently. ." Shogo gave him one last arrogant smirk before opening the gates.
Shoko stiffened as Shogo slung an arm around her shoulder and lead her inside. "Oh, one last thing Shintaro. Tell the team that I'll be seeing them very soon." The gates slammed shut behind the siblings and Midorima stared at the massive iron gates with a lump in his throat.
Midorima pulled out his phone and let out the breath he didn't even know that he was holding in. His hands trembled slightly as he pulled up the familiar horoscope homepage.
'So much for good luck today,' Midorima thought as he waited for the page to load. He nearly dropped his phone as he read the forecast for that day and a pit of dread settled in his stomach.
Scorpios beware! Things are about to go sour for you. Relationships will be broken and an unwanted visitor will soon enter your life again. Don't act on your anger or you will lose a close friend. Your lucky item today is a four-leaf clover. You need all the luck you can get!
Midorima snapped his phone closed. A grim expression was on his face as he looked up at the story and noticed a storm was brewing. His thought were racing behind his calm façade, but the only thing on his mind right now was the root of the problem.
Harumi.
"So Shoko, do you care to tell me who did this to you or should I just start guessing?" Shogo asked as he literally dragged his sister into the house. Shogo slammed the front door open and pushed her towards the nearest maid.
The maid looked horrified at the bruise on Shoko's cheek and immediately rushed off to find the first aid kit. Shoko frowned at the triumphed smirk on her brother's face. He had finally found his excuse to get his revenge on the basketball team.
"Shogo, don't do anything you'll regret." Shoko quietly warned again as the maid returned with a pack of ice and ointment. She winced as the maid gently pressed the cold pack on her cheek.
Her brother feigned offense. "Me? Do anything I'll regret?" Shogo scoffed as he sat on the sofa. The maid shook her head as Shogo placed his feet on the coffee table. "Come on, Shoko, you know I never regret anything I do."
Shoko frowned as the maid began applying the cool ointment on her cheek. She knew even if she didn't tell who hit her, her brother would find out sooner or later. He was just waiting for an excuse to attack the team and now that he found his chance, Shoko felt uneasy.
"So who was it?" Shogo asked again, fiddling with his phone as he stared at his sister. "I'm guessing it was probably Daiki. He looks like the bastard to hit girls."
Shoko nodded her head absentmindedly when the maid finished patching up her bruise and instructed her to keep pressure off her cheek. "It wasn't him." Shoko replied, dismissing the maid with a curt nod.
Shoko joined her brother in the living room and stood in front of him with her arms crossed. "I know that you're still upset about the team, but don't be petty."
A flash of anger flickered in Shogo's eyes, but disappeared as he smirked. "Ah, I almost forgot how perspective you could be." Shoko narrowed her eyes at her brother. He sounded so confident. "That must be why you got that." He gestured to her bruise.
Shoko remained silent, which only confirmed her brother suspicions. "Hah! This is easier than I thought it was." Shogo scoffed, removing his feet from the coffee table and rising to his feet.
He took a step forward, closing the distance between them and stared down at her with a leer. "You overstepped your boundaries again, Shoko." Shoko gritted her teeth as her brother poked her uninjured cheek with his finger. "Aw, are you getting angry, Shoko?" Her brother teased as he laughed.
"Don't worry Shoko. You're big brother will take care of all of this." He said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You just leave it to your big brother." His expression turned dark as a large smirk stretched across his lips.