A/N : The eleventh chapter of Oretai! Still not enough Aokaga in this chapter... Maybe next chapter? Anyway, thanks for everyone who had reviewing, following, favorite-ing, and reading this story... You guys are the best! *bear hug* I'm going to be a bit busy, but I'll try to update as fast as I could...

By the way, if you guys have any interesting idea for this fic, feel free to tell me, since sometimes I got stuck on what to write next. Feel free to drop it on review box of PM me~ No pressure, guys~!

Anyway, thanks for reading~

Oretachi no Taiga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai!

(Our Taiga Can't Be This Cute!)

Chapter 11

Our Taiga and the Days before Summer Vacation

Kagami Taiga could feel the heat touched his skin and he knew that summer would come soon. Most of the student had discussed what would they do this summer (from shopping in France, visiting family in Spain, luxurious Amazon tour, and so on). Himuro had asked him if Kagami would go back to States this summer, but Kagami said he would not. He had decided to stay in Japan, since Kiyoshi had offered him to stay in his place in Kanagawa. Kagami gladly accepted it.

And he didn't looking forward on telling his father since the old man would moaning and whining on "why don't you spent your holiday with Papa~?" He didn't really looking forward on going back to States right now. His father might just refuse to let him go back to Japan. But last days of spring could only meant one thing in Teikou Academy.

Exams.

Kagami wasn't the smartest person alive, no matter how many hours he spent to study (and he wasn't really good at that). The host club activity was stopped for awhile; though Akashi still let Kagami used the room for study. Sometimes Midorima or Momoi would help him study, if not Himuro or Kiyoshi would showed up and help him. Kagami was sure wasn't the easiest person to teach, so it took everything for them to cram every subject inside his head. And it took forever to teach him modern literature since Kagami would often messed up the kanji.

"Kagamin, it's really hopeless teaching you this subject…" Momoi whined as she checked Kagami's assignment. Once again, only single digit. They had been at it for almost three hours now, and Kagami didn't seem to show any improvement on his Modern Literature. "Himuro-senpai said he would come for your English study. How can you fail on English? Aren't you a returnee from America?"

"The English is different from what I used to speak…" Kagami pouted as he laid his head on the table in exhaustion. "Can we take a break?"

Momoi sighed and nodded. Kagami was as bad as Aomine when it came to study which made her wondering where Aomine was since he was supposed to join them to study for exam. The host club room was empty now, save from Momoi who still sat on the couch and Kagami who was now busy making tea.

After fifteen minutes break, they continue their study. Aomine finally showed up, looking as grumpy as usual. Kagami greeted him and Momoi scolded him for being late.

"You know you also had to study for exams, Dai-chan," said Momoi as she put out an assignment for Aomine. "You know how bad you can be at these…"

"Tch. Who cares about that sort of things anyway, Satsuki?" Aomine grumbled as he sat down next to Kagami. He peered on what the red head was working on and looked down at the assignment that had been checked by Momoi with the score written in red marker. Aomine snorted at that. "Woah, Bakagami, you really suck at this, aren't you?" He was reaching out for a paper that marked as 7 (out of 100) from the piles.

"Sh-Shut up!" Kagami said as he snatched the paper back from Aomine, face was red with embarrassment. So what if he wasn't that good at study?

"You shouldn't talk, Dai-chan!" Momoi said as she shoved an assignment for Aomine. "Finish it, I'll check them."

"Well, I'm just saying he was really bad at this. Even worse than I am! And you know well enough how bad I am. I wonder how you can run your Dad's company like that…"

"Mou, Dai-chan! Shut up!" Momoi swatted Aomine with her notebook.

Aomine just snorted as he took a pen and started to answer the questions on the sheet. The room was quiet, and Kagami could feel Aomine's long leg touched his when they finish their assignment. Kagami didn't say much since he was busy with his own thought as his hand kept moving on the paper; written down his answers.

Finally…

Midorima Shintarou sighed as he put on a red mark of '48' on Kagami's answer sheet. Finally a double digit on Math after struggling with scores below 10. Midorima was never one to enjoy tutoring for other students. He just didn't have enough patience for them. Mostly he would study on his own in his room or the library and yet, Akashi had requested him to help Kagami and Aomine passing their exams. Midorima could only accept it, since there was no way he could defy Akashi's rules. And so, here he was, sitting in the student council room with Kagami Taiga.

"A double digits… I'm surprised," Midorima said as he pushed his glasses up. "You've improved."

"Thanks," Kagami murmered.

Midorima raised his eyebrows as he noticed the solemn look on Kagami's face. As much as he wanted to dwell in his tsundere personality (though he still denied it), Midorima couldn't help but curious about Kagami's reaction. Came to think about it, Kagami had showed this kind of expression before they started their lesson. Momoi and Himuro-senpai didn't say anything, but Midorima was sure something had happened.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No."

The answer came too quickly and Midorima knew something was wrong. Well, he never be the one to pry on people's business; he just wanted to satisfy his curiosity. Yes, that.

"You know you can tell me."

Kagami thought about it for awhile. There was no one else in the room right now. Aomine deliberately avoiding Midorima's tutoring session, saying he had something to do somewhere (and Kagami could imagine Aomine slept on the rooftop again). While Kagami, feeling the pressure of upcoming exams, knew he had to improve his grades.

"I… uh…" Kagami couldn't find a word to describe his feeling, so he settled on the simplest ones. "I don't think I'm good enough…" he said softly.

The alarm inside Midorima's head rang loudly, reminded him where this kind of conversation usually ended. He just wanted to bolt up from his seat and ran out of the room because there was no way Midorima Shintarou could offer a word of encouragement for the suddenly-depressed out-of-character Kagami Taiga. But watching Kagami's desperate look was like a stab to Midorima's chest. With every fiber in his body, Midorima told himself to sit and listen, offering words of comfort because there was no way he could refuse those kicked-puppy look.

"What do you mean you're not good enough?" asked Midorima.

"It's… It's just something that someone said… I don't think they mean it to say it like that, but it kinda makes me feel that way…" Kagami said as he looked at his hands as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"And why do you think that way?"

"Well, everyone I know is great at something, even if they lacked the others. I envied them, because I know I'm different from them. I never think I'm good at something… Other than cooking maybe… But when I think about it… I'm the heir of one of the biggest company in the world, and I don't think I can do what my father does…"

Now Midorima can see what Kagami had beaten himself with. The red head thought he wasn't worthy of being the heir of Kagami Enterprises. Midorima knew how vast the Kagamis' empire was, and he knew how much pressure it put on Kagami Taiga. Though usually, Kagami wasn't this self-conscious, someone had triggered something in him.

"I don't belong to any club other than the host club… I'm not smart or good at studying like Akashi, Momoi, Himuro, or you… I'm not a talented model like Kise who's now some kind of expert in accounting. Kuroko is good at writing and his grades aren't so bad, and Aomine… Even if he had bad grades, he was good at sport and history…"

Midorima sighed. He really wasn't the right person for this kind of conversation. He never envisioned himself as someone who would help his friends with comforting words. It was Kuroko's job really. Or maybe Kise's in his annoying way… But certainly not Midorima Shintarou's. He could imagine his classmate Takao Kazunari laughing his ass off when he saw Midorima's situation.

The silence hung in the air for quite awhile before Kagami got up and packed all of his things including his marked answer sheet before headed out of the room after a short good-bye to Midorima.

Now the green haired boy really regretting his decision and cursing his curiosity.

The next day, Kagami showed up with dark shadows under his eyes and the redness from lack of sleep. Kuroko kept asking if he was okay, and Kagami told the teal haired boy that he was fine. Kuroko didn't seem to buy it. He was sure that something happened, and now, Kagami wouldn't tell him about what was happening. The last person Kagami talked to yesterday was Midorima.

Was Midorima saying something to Kagami? Maybe insulted his low grades? Midorima was known for his sharp tongue, maybe he said something that hurt Kagami's feeling. When Kuroko opened his mouth to ask Kagami, something caught his eyes. A small bear plushie peeked out from Kagami's arm.

"What's that, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asked.

"Oh, this? Midorima gave it to me, saying this is today's lucky item… He said he got more and gave one to me."

Act of guilt? Kuroko asked himself. There was certainly something happened between the two of them. Midorima was never the one to apologize by using words. His pride always got in the way. Kuroko knew there was no way he could get much more information from Kagami, so the only way to find out was to ask Midorima himself.

It didn't take a genius to figure out where Midorima was during the lunch break. Kagami and Aomine were off studying again, this time with Akashi supervising them. Midorima would probably in the library to find a quiet place for study by himself. Kuroko walked silently to the green headed figure who sat next to the large French window in the luxurious library. His footsteps didn't make any sounds on the thick carpet covered floor.

Kuroko stood behind Midorima, while the green haired boy was busy and didn't notice his thin presence.

"We need to talk, Midorima-kun."

"K-Kuroko!" Midorima hissed in surprised as he turned around and found the pale boy stood calmly behind him. Midorima sighed as he looked at the shorter boy. "What's wrong?"

"It's about Kagami-kun."

Kuroko could see Midorima tensed at his words, but he quickly hide it well by pushing his glasses up. Midorima collected the books he was reading before facing Kuroko properly.

"What about Kagami?" he asked.

"Something happened to him yesterday and Midoriima-kun was the last person he talked to yesterday. Do you know something about it?" Kuroko asked calmly.

Midorima didn't know what to say. Kuroko was always sharp about Kagami. He could easily notice something wrong about the red head. But, Midorima wasn't sure if he should talk to Kuroko about what Kagami had said yesterday. Kagami didn't tell him to keep it a secret, and Midorima knew he wasn't the one to offer comfort at Kagami right now. But he also didn't want to betray Kagami by telling Kuroko about his sudden low self-esteem.

Midorima looked into Kuroko's pale blue eyes. He could never really read Kuroko to be honest. Even up close, he didn't know what the shorter boy was thinking. Did he blamed Midorima for Kagami's problem? Even though Midorima couldn't find a solution, he was certain as hell he wasn't the one that said something that hurt Kagami's feeling. He had given Kagami Leo's lucky item for today, and he hoped it would lift up his mood.

"Kagami said something to me yesterday…" Midorima finally gave up. He knew Kuroko could solve this problem faster than he could.

"What did he said?"

And Midorima told Kuroko everything that Kagami said to him yesterday. Kuroko didn't say anything until Midorima was finished with his story.

"Thanks for telling me, Midorima-kun," said Kuroko. "Despite his looks, Kagami-kun is really sensitive about himself, especially about his position as the heir of a big company. Kagami-kun was different from us. He grew up as a normal boy until his father came around after his mother's death and told him that he was in fact, the heir of his father's business empire. Kagami-kun was never prepared for the big responsibility that suddenly thrown onto his shoulders."

"I… never knew that…" despite his vast network information, Midorima never knew about Kagami's insecurities. Kagami always greet them with smiles on his face every time he came to the student council room, and yet, Midorima never realized how much a burden Kagami felt when suddenly he was told he wasn't a normal boy. He was an heir to his family's vast business empire. At least since he was a boy, Midorima always knew what he would deal with in the future.

"I need to find Kagami-kun now. I believe he is with Akashi-kun and Aomine-kun," Kuroko said as he walked out from the library.

Kagami Taiga had finished with his assignment and now he was having lunch with Aomine in the student council room. Akashi had left awhile ago because he had some business to attend, leaving Kagami with Aomine doing their study. Now both of them were having lunch that had been prepared for them.

"Aaah… I really want your tiramisu for dessert now…" Aomine groaned as he finished his lunch. Kagami was on his fourth plate now, and didn't show any intention to stop soon.

"I don't have much time to make them," Kagami said as he munching on the salad.

Aomine scoffed as he observed the red head in front of him. Kagami was certainly not as loud as usual, and Aomine could feel something lingering in the red head's mind. Kagami's eyes were red with dark shadows under it.

"Oi, do you have a proper sleep?" Aomine asked.

"It's not your business."

"I'm certainly sure something has troubling you," said the navy haired boy. "You're weird."

"Well, sorry if I am! I studied late last night, happy?"

"Why should I feel happy about you studying last night? But it's really not like you to be up to study late…"

"Just… shut up, Aomine…" Kagami said as he pushed away his plate. "Drop it."

"No way. I'm really curious now. Did something happen?" Aomine asked again, this time he was more serious. "Come on, Bakagami, spill!" Aomine grabbed Kagami's hand and forced the red head to face him properly. "Bakagami?"

"Shut up! Stop calling me that!" Kagami shouted. He glared at Aomine. "Stop calling me that... It's… It's your fault anyway!"

"My fault? How could it be my fault? I didn't do anything to you!" Aomine shouted back.

"Not doing anything? You started it! Calling me stupid and telling me I'm not worthy of being an heir… Well, sorry if I am not! I'm not smart like Akashi, or Midorima, or Momoi… Or talented like Kise or Murasakibara or Kuroko or… or you…" Kagami finally spilled it to Aomine. He couldn't hold it back any longer, and like a broken dam, all of it came flooding from his lips. "I never prepared for any of this! It's not fair when suddenly my normal life turned to be like this! Suddenly I have to do everything, and I swear to God, it was never easy. I have to work harder to make up for what I will become, and I don't need you to rub it on my face!"

Aomine didn't really get what Kagami was talking about, but slowly, piece by piece he started to solve the puzzle. Was Kagami feeling insecure? And Aomine thoughtless comment yesterday had burdened Kagami so much? Suddenly, Aomine felt guilty about it. He didn't mean it to be like this. Hell, people called him 'Aho' all the time, and Kagami was never mad being called 'Bakagami' before… Was Aomine comment about Kagami leading his father's company that finally made him snapped?

Aomine sighed. He knew he had to fix this.

"So what if your life suddenly takes a different turn?" Aomine asked. "So what if people expect you to be the successor of your father? It's not like you live to satisfy their expectation. To hell with the people! If you can't lead the company, fine! Just go find someone else you can trust to run it for you. No one force you to do anything, Kagami."

Aomine looked into those crimson orbs. Kagami didn't say anything, so Aomine continued.

"I didn't mean what I said yesterday. It was just a thoughtless comment; I didn't know it would affect you this much. Maybe you're not good at studying, so what? I'm not good at it either. But you're good at something else right?"

"Like what?" Kagami asked.

"Cooking for one. You don't think it's a talent? Hell, even without a proper cooking lesson you could cook better than my chef or any other chef I know. And remember the school festival? You played the piano so well; you don't think it's a talent?"

"N-no… Are they?"

"Of course they are, idiot! How many people do you think learning to be a chef? Or a pianist? You do it naturally! That's a talent! You really shouldn't underestimate yourself, Bakagami!"

"Sh-shut up, Ahomine!" Kagami said as a light blush spread on his face. Was that true? Was he really as good as Aomine said? Kagami had been burdened by the thought of himself being a failure… But Aomine's words quickly sunk into his mind. Now, he felt as if the burdened had been lifted from his shoulders, so he looked up at the blue haired boy in front of him and smiled softly.

"Thank you, Aomine!"

Aomine's face burst into different shades of red at the simple words and a smile from Kagami. He tried to look away to cover his flushed face, and yet, his eyes were still looking for those crimson orbs.

Kagami didn't realize that Aomine was still holding his hand.

"Kuroko? What are you doing here?"

Kuroko turned around from the student council room's door and came face to face with Himuro Tatsuya and Kiyoshi Teppei.

"Himuro-senpai, Kiyoshi-senpai…"

"Is Taiga inside?" asked Himuro.

"Yes."

"So what're you doing out here?" asked Kiyoshi.

"There seemed to be a problem with Kagami-kun, and I was wondering if I should talk to him. But it seems like the problem had been solved…" Kuroko said. So after all, the one that caused the problem was Aomine indeed. Kuroko was glad they could solve it by themselves since both of them were idiot when it came to this kind of things, yet he still couldn't forgive Aomine for hurting Kagami with his thoughtless action... and holding Kagami's hand like that… Just wait until he told the others. Kuroko knew Midorima was itching for answers now…

Kuroko opened the door loud enough to force Aomine to let go of Kagami's hand. Kagami turned and smiled at Himuro and Kiyoshi.

"Hi, guys," he greeted with his usual bright smile.

"Hello, Taiga," Himuro greeted back. "Teppei had received some news from your father."

"Huh?"

All the eyes in the room now turned to the tall brunette who was looking all serious now. Gone was his usual easy going attitude.

"It seems like Junpei and Riko have return," Kiyoshi said carefully, as if he was gauging Kagami's reaction.

Silence.

And then…

"WHAT?!"

A/N : Cliffhanger! Please don't kill me~ Sorry for any grammatical mistakes. As usual, feel free to point it out, I'll get it fixed as soon as possible~

Er... Review? Please?