Understanding your urge in reading, let me just leave mah author's note at the end of the chapter. ;)

Chapter 18

After being dragged all the way to the school's gym, I was greeted by the sight of overwhelmingly fast paced basketball players, dribbling and passing with such speed and momentum. Flashes of purple and white jerseys running around the court, complemented by a patch of orange bouncing and recoiling in the company of rhythm of the controller of the spherical object.

This sight alone was enough to intrigue me and leave oneself breathless and quaking with anticipation. Who knew that Basketball could be this exciting? I've never seen one up-close before.

"So it has started, huh?" Sonozaki-senpai murmured from behind me. "But oh well, better be late than never!~"

She then tugged my sleeve and motioned me to climb up the bleachers with her. Smiling softly, I nodded and accompanied her atop the steel benches.

Once we settled down on top of the highest section of the bleachers, we eagerly watched the flow of the game.

Woah, they really are fast and nimble, they truly outdo their opponents really well. I wonder how much is the gap of their scores are…

Taking a quick look at the score board, I nearly choked myself to death.

"N-ninety-seven to Z-zero?! And they're still in the first quarter?!" I unintentionally yelled, leaving my jaw hanging in amazement and wonder.

Sonozaki-senpai just giggled at my sudden shocked expression, causing me to look at her direction. "I see you're surprised, well you better get used to these kinds of scores from now on…" She stated as she lets out a proud grin.

"The Yosen's basketball team is labeled a powerhouse, with many especially wide and strong players. They have a strong defense that is unrivaled in the whole region! They're such strong players! And it has been the school's tradition to always excel in sports especially in the field of Basketball. PLUS they have two ACES!~ and we managed to grab a hold of one of the generation of miracles! No one can defeat them now! Wahahaha!-"

"Oh… that is just amazing…" I replied as I returned my gaze back at the action that was in front of me. I was sucked in the interesting, swirling vortex of the basketball world, not really paying attention to the small lecture that my senpai was giving me. But I guess I heard something about Generation of Miracles? That term again.

So that creepy giant is part of that renowned group. I wonder where he is right now… I need to return his phone since Himuro-kun refused to do so, and he was avoiding me in class… I squinted my eyes and scanned the whole court, subconsciously looking for a certain purple-haired giant…

"Oh come on, a tall guy couldn't be that hard to find!" I let out an exasperated sigh, after experiencing some difficulties in spotting that creepy giant.

"Where could he be? Perhaps, he is not playing…" I faltered, casting my eyes back down at the game before me. Maybe he hasn't healed yet. Well, if I can't find him today, then I'm afraid that he'll never know where his phone is… well it's his fault not mine…

"Sushi-kun! Go Sushi-kun!" Out of the blue, someone shouted from beside me. My head immediately whipped towards the person.

"Go Sushi-ku—Are?~ Where's Sushi-kun? Is he not playing?"

My eyes widened as soon as I recognized the person sitting beside me. It was not other than my quirky sister, Hitomi, holding a box of popcorn on one hand and was accompanied with a drink on the other.

"Hito-nii?! What are you doing here?" I practically yelled at her, making other students, including Sonozaki-senpai, to stare at us. Looking back at the heap of people that were staring at us I immediately pulled my despicable sister's ears and hauled her outside of the gym and unto the school hall, where no one would hear us.

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF OR ELSE I SWEAR I WOULD STRANGLE YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!" I snapped at her right after I released her from my hold.

"Ittai yo[1], Kasu-ni, you didn't have to do that…" Hitomi whined as she stroked her throbbing earlobe.

"ANSWER ME FIRST." I growled at her, looking her straight in the eyes. Hitomi sighed and looked down in defeat before looking at the nearby window.

"I was just visiting you, that's all…"

"Just visiting? And why are you wearing MY uniform?"

"Oh, this?" Hitomi then averted her gaze back at me while giving me a shot of her cheekiest and goofiest grins. "Well, you wouldn't expect them to let me in if I wore a different school uniform now would they?"

My eyes stared at her in disbelief. Surely she isn't stupid enough, right? Or is she? If ever they find out we will be in great trouble!

"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF ASLKJEIFNAKN!" I snarled at her, pushed her to the wall and grabbed her by the collar, trying to choke her in the process. Strangling her back and forth, I lectured her at how stupid she really is and what they would do to me and to her if ever the school would find out. She is trespassing! And how she managed to slip inside the school without an ID leaves me in great wonder.

"KAAAAH! Kasu-nii! You're killing me!" She clamored as she struggles to break free from my hold. "I-it's not my fault anyway! Shin-chan doesn't want me to watch their matc-"

"And so you came to my school to watch ours?" I cut her off her statement, glaring at her defiantly, with pure disappointment and frustration. "What makes you think you're welcome to watch our match as well?"

"W-well I…I just thought, you know? Knowing that you're my siste—"

The door from the gymnasium suddenly bursts open, creating a huge noise that interrupted Hito-nii's worthless explanation.

"A-ah!" Hito-nii hollered as she managed to escape from me and ran towards the figure that just went out of the door. Crap, I let my guard down.

"S-sushi-kun? Help me! This evil monster is trying to kill me!"

As Hito-nii dashed towards the creepy giant, Murasakibara-kun unexpectedly lifted her up and tilted his head to his side, as if inspecting her.

"Kasu-chin?" He murmured lazily but with a tinge of confusion present in his voice. Hitomi let out a small chuckle before answering him back. "No I'm not Kasumi! It's me! Hito-chin remember!?~"

"Ah… Hito-chin…" He replied flatly as he put my sister down. "You study here too?"

"NO SHE DOESN'T" I replied for her, approaching her as I stomped my feet real hard against the cold marble tiles of the hallway. "NOW HAND HER OVER TO ME OR ELSE!"

"Eeeip!—Quick the monster is here! Spring forth and destroy her, oh faithful minion!" She ordered him as she handed him a box of maiubo (probably as a form of bribery, and where did she get that?) and hid behind his overwhelmingly enormous body.

I just continued on strutting forward, unfazed by Hito-nii's newfound shield. "You're going to get it Hito-"

"Kasu-chin…"

My body immediately froze as soon as I heard him call out to me. That voice… seems to have an effect over me… I can't really describe how I feel but somehow I feel nostalgic. I kind of missed his voice I guess. For the first time that day… he spoke to me.

"Kasu-chin…" he said once more before he approached me and stared at me, scrutinizing my very figure.

Finally halting in front of me, he continued to stare in dead silence, making the air around us uncomfortable. He raised his hand and extended it towards me, possibly trying to clamp it on my head, but then I swatted it away from me, giving him an angered look.

"What do you want?" I growled. He avoided me then, why start noticing me now?

"You're avoiding me." He simply said as he bored holes unto me with that unreadable stare of his.

"Tch, no I'm not! You're the one avoiding me!" I reasoned out, crossing my arms over my chest.

"No…" He replied with a slightly irritated tone. "You're the one."

"What? You didn't even speak a single word to me ever since this morning, and you're putting the blame on me?!"

"I didn't talk because you didn't…"

"Well is that my fault? Do I have to speak first?" I retorted angrily, balling my hands into a fist.

"I was waiting for you to say something…" He replied, with the same irritated voice, almost like his angry but he just kept it in.

"You could have said something! Like, hey, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU."

"Huh? I never said I wanted to talk to you…" He retorted, taking one step closer to me. Knitting my eyebrows together, I took one step closer to him too.

"THEN WHY DID YOU SAY THAT YOU WERE WAITING FOR ME TO SAY SOMETHING?! Doesn't that mean you want to talk!?"

"…" The creepy giant fell silent, as if he was at lost for words. Hmph! He couldn't even think of a good rebuttal, he is so pathetic.

"And besides..." I continued "You're the one who told me to avoid each other, right?" My eyes fell down on the floor, fighting back the pain that I felt.

"I…did…" He stated… no, more like he asked. His intonation was different.

"Yes, you did! And don't give me some petty excuse that you forgot! Cause I'm sick of your darn selfishness and your insensitiveness! You don't really understand me… now get out of my sight!"

"I know…" he gloomily uttered under his breath, looked down on the floor and just stood there… in silence.

"Tch" I clicked my tongue at him. "You're pathetic, if you're not going to leave then I will! And here's your freakin' phone! Loose it or leave it on a bathroom sink for all I care!" I bawled at him, harshly shoving the piece of device on his hand.

"Now excuse me, I have another problem to attend to, so have A GOOD DAY KID" I yelled at him one last time, with the same retort I gave when we first met, and stormed out of the scene, dragging my creepy sister- who was hiding somewhere in the corner- with me as well.

Walking in a fast paced manner, with heavy footsteps, I went towards the end of the hall, leaving the creepy giant standing there all by himself, in the midst the tension-filled atmosphere I left.

"He is such a pain in the neck!" I murmured to myself while stomping my feet so hard that if any cockroach were to cross the floor, it would be dead on the spot.

Turning to the corner of the hall, I immediately stopped when I unexpectedly felt someone hold my wrist.

"Kasu-chin…" he said.

"I'm sorry…"

Taken aback by what he just told me, I turned to him and looked at him in the eyes, carefully looking for any signs of trickery or jokes, but to my surprise, the only thing I could see was seriousness.

"What?" I asked him one last time, just in case I heard it wrong.

"I'm… sorry… Just… please don't leave…" he muttered lowly, just enough for me to hear. He then grabbed my wrist even tighter, like he isn't planning on letting go anytime soon.

"Wh-why are you saying that all of a sudden?" I asked as I bit my lip real hard. He said 'sorry'… For the first time he apologized. I can't believe my ears. He is finally swallowing his pride and accepted that he was wrong… but that doesn't mean I'll forgive him easily… he has caused too much pain…

"I just… don't want us to be like this… anymore…" he replied softly, his eyes are as sincere as it should be.

Hitomi escaped from my hold and fled to another corner, hiding. She probably doesn't want to get in between us, but that is the least of my concerns right now… I can deal with her later.

"L-let go…" I ordered, trying to pry my wrist out of his hold. But it's strange though, why do I feel like I don't want to. To hear him talk like this… it's just so surreal.

"Kasu-chin… sorry… Aka-chin did that… because of me…" He said, referring to my casted arm. His hands are trembling but the more it trembles, the firmer and tighter he holds my wrist.

"Forgive me…"

I looked at him with mixed emotions—confusion, anger, realization, disappointment, frustration and most of all clemency—should I just accept his apology? He is practically asking for forgiveness, lowering his pride… for me; in order to set things straight. And in addition to that, I really do not know how to respond.

It's just that it's been so fun with him around, even if I don't show it. It's very difficult. It's complicated. It's complex.

"Kasu…chin…" he called out my name again, snapping me out of my reverie. I… should say something to him right? I really should… tell him how I feel…

"Murasakibara-kun… I-"

"Nishino-san!" Somebody from behind interrupted me. Looking back at who he is the creepy giant's face immediately turned into a scowl. Oh well… I guess there are just things that should be left unsaid.

~end of chapter 18~

[1] Ittai-yo means "It hurts" in English

Soooo…. Minna~san… I guess this wraps up everything… :D I won't be able to update for a few days… But when I come back, I'll make sure to update as soon as possible… Hope you keep supporting nya..:3 'til then! :D