Life as the team's manager wasn't a challenge for the young girl except for taking care of sweaty shirts and towels. There were cases where she had to clip her nose with a clothespin to block out the smell and other cases, gas mask.
Mibuchi— as requested by the coach —helped her out a lot and believe me, she almost passed on to the other world every time he helped. The others also got attached to her and there were some who are very protective of their female member. Though she was going on as a normal manager, she didn't forget her real motive of entering the basketball club which was Akashi. The stuff she managed to find out so far was:-
1. He was a member of the Generation of Miracles and his strategies & tactics in games are the main reason Rakuzan kept on winning.
2. His family is loaded.
3. He does not know defeat.
4. He has a fan-club even though he's very intimidating.
5. He's the top in school when it comes to tests.
Shizune put a slim finger on her cheek as she pondered over the data she collected. It still didn't describe who exactly Akashi Seijuro was and she was determined to pry out more information from every single human in the school. Even teachers but asking the person himself was out of the question. She doesn't want him thinking she's a fan or anything that goes with it.
To people, it might sound like she's going to far and that it's unneeded to even get to know Akashi but to her, his very existence was intriguing. Call it a detective's curiousity or whatever you prefer. She wasn't going to stop until she was satisfied. Of course, this didn't stop her from scoring bizarre, but not bizarre as Akashi's, marks in her tests.
"Shizu-chan~"
Hayama Kotarou, a regular from the team, ran up to her, wearing a huge grin on his face. Shizune turned to face the senior, trying to ignore the nickname which she got stuck with. Frankly speaking, she hated the nickname. Her mother calls her with the same nickname and it never fails to irritate her. Not matter how many times she tells the two to stop using the nickname, they ignore her and call her with it anyways.
"what is it, Hayama-senpai?" she asked dryly.
"uwaa— so cold…" he puffed out his cheeks. "why can't you be more nicer to me like how you are with Reo-nee?"
"Mibuchi-senpai is different."
"how so?"
"he's not as annoying as Hayama-senpai is" she gave a teasing smirk to Hayama which made him huff in dissatisfaction but he quickly switched back to his usual cheerful self.
"well putting that aside, Akashi said he wants to see you!"
She blinked a few times trying to register what he said. "pardon?"
"I said— Akashi wants to see you. He says it's important so you better hurry! He's in the clubroom"
"okay!"
Shizune quickly rushed to the clubroom and upon entering, she found Akashi arranging a few piles mountains of papers on a table. Seeing that he hadn't —or he did but chose to say nothing— notice her, she tapped his shoulder.
"you called?"
He took a glance at her before gesturing to the papers. "sort these out with me."
"…all of them?"
"obviously. After all you currently don't have anything to do."
She let out a sigh before doing as told. They worked in utter silence, excluding the sound of papers being moved, until Shizune decided that the silence was going to kill her.
"say, can I ask you something, Akashi?"
"dropping the '–kun' already?"
"do you want me to use it?"
Since he didn't answer, the brunette took it as "I don't care whether you use it or not" and "yes you can ask me even though you did ask me something just now"
"is it true that you um…don't know defeat?"
"it is true."
"meaning in basketball only? Or everything…"
"I'm sure that the people you asked have answered that."
Ouch. He knew… "yea but, I need confirmation"
Akashi sighed, "is this another one of your detective games?"
"it's not. I just found you rather interesting."
He looked directly at her, making her think that it might have been better to keep her mouth shut. Once again, the clubroom was filled with silence. It was already 5pm and there was still some more left before they could leave.
"this is never ending…" Shizune groaned and leaned back on the chair she was sitting on.
"if you would stop complaining, we would have finished faster." Akashi said, putting the pile he sorted out beside him.
"but—" a light yellow coloured envelope made her pause her protest as she reached over to take it from under the table they're working on.
"Akashi, this yours?"
His mismatched eyes moved their gaze to the envelope. Realizing what it was, he took it from her hands and shoved it in his pocket. "yes."
"what is it—"
"just get back to sorting."
After being scolded— or at least that's what she felt it was —by him, the girl quickly resumed the job and made sure that she kept her mouth zipped. It did cross her mind that this would be the perfect chance to ask stuff about the red haired boy but she didn't want to annoy him with the million questions she had and annoying him was the last thing she'd do, courtesy of warnings from the other club members.
Shizune dragged herself back to her place late in the evening after all the papers were sorted out and Akashi gave her permission to leave. Entering the mansion (her family's loaded too), she went up to her room, threw her bag on the bed and ran off straight to the bathroom.
Tying her shoulder length hair into a bun, she sunk herself deep into the tub. Just when she was getting comfy, someone knocked on the door making her frown. The girl wrapped herself with a towel and opened the door to face her not-surprisingly-excited mother, Kudo Yukiko.
"Shizu-chan, I've got big news for you!"
"how many times do I have to tell you to not call me that and what's so important that you had to ruin my alone time in the tub?" She grumbled. Shizune never understood how her mother could be so hyper even though she's a middle-aged woman. (no offence to the middle-aged woman reading this)
"well first, put on your clothes. Then, join me and your father in the living room. You'll find out all about it over there~"
"and if I refuse?"
"I'll make sure your baby photos go public"
With that, the girl raced up to her room and came down wearing her pajamas. The family sat down facing each other with— one annoyed, one bubbly and one scheming —smiles. You guess which one is which.
"so what's the big news, mom? Dad?"
"well, Shizune" her father, Kudo Yusaku, started. "do you remember the person who offered me a place in his company?"
"which caused me to transfer here and leave my peaceful life in Tokyo? Yea, I remember." She answered sarcastically.
Yusaku chuckled at his daughter's reply and continued, "he has invited us to his birthday party so I need you to go shopping with your mother for a nice dress." he handed her a familiar light yellow envelope. "Here's for some additional info. The party's on the day after tomorrow so I expect you to get a dress by tomorrow."
"what?" the girl said in dismay after taking a glance at the contents. "dad, tomorrow's a holiday. I don't want to spend it shopping with mom…and I hate wearing dresses! Can't only the two of you go?"
"no can do, sweetie. He said he wants to see the whole family so you are needed." Yukiko giggled. " 'sides, I heard he has a very handsome son so consider the invitation an invitation from destiny~"
Shizune couldn't help but groan. "mom…."
"oh, I forgot. You're forever connected to Ren-kun, am I right?"
Her face turned a bright red, "w-w-what the hell are you saying!?"
"oh my, she's embarrassed~"
"now, now dear. Stop teasing Shizune."
"alright~ but Shizu-chan, you have to attend the party. Otherwise your baby photos are going—"
"fine I'll go!"
Yukiko and Yusaku exchanged accomplished looks before saying in unison, "that's my girl"
After their talk, Shizune collapsed on her bed and kept on releasing dying moans & groans about how she hated parties and dresses and mainly the man who invited them.
"why is life doing this to me…"
She muttered before dozing off. Little did she know that she's on the day of the party, a big package of surprise was waiting for her.
dun, dun, dun-
well, we're gonna get more Akashi in the next one-
hope you enjoyed it- ;^;