AN: Thank you for those who reviewed and encouraged me to continue this! I really love you guys! As a present, I decided to post the second chapter earlier. I'm glad that some of you liked Ihara. I told you, despite being and OC, he's actually inspired (and a little likened) to an anime character that I know. I apologize if the reaction seems a little bland but I will get to that later.
Warning(s): A little OOC. And there are some OCs that I've used. This is going to be slightly slow. I'm going to maximize Kuroko's two month quota.
Pairing(s): None. I'm going to make this GEN.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke or Katekyo Hitman Reborn
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[Chapter Two: Act of Will II]
Dinner was a quiet affair.
Ihara had opted to cook a simple but fulfilling dinner of curry and rice with a side serving of miso soup. They talked a little about getting to school early tomorrow to get their schedules and to finally meet their students face to face. Kuroko was feeling a bit apprehensive as much as he was helpful. Truth be told, he wasn't exactly the most sociable person and he tended to scare people more than befriend them.
And, files could only tell them so much and neither of them was even sure if they were accurate in the first place.
"According to the file," Kuroko had mentioned. "Sawada-san had to take summer classes to pass his mathematics and history. I think that I will focus on that area to get him on par with his peers." He casually revealed, staring at Ihara.
"Really?" Ihara blinked at him curiously. "Well, he's the same as Yamamoto then. They're from the same class, aren't they?" He contemplated.
"Hai," The teal haired teen nodded, already knowing what Ihara was pertaining to.
"That's good, it's means they might be friends," The dark haired teen speculated. "It'll make things easier for us," Ihara had frowned at this but he didn't look displeased. "But, it's going to be hell for me though, handling that Fujishima Mei," He groaned as his head made an audible impact with the table.
Kuroko frowned in worry.
"Is something wrong, Ihara-kun?" He inquired as his brows furrowed.
"Fujishima is diagnosed with androphobia," Ihara sighed at this as he straightened in his seat and set down his chopsticks. "I just read about it in her file yesterday. While it's not that yet severe, it's the reason why she doesn't really talk around school, there are numerous guys within five meters of her. And that's what I don't exactly understand about her. There's a nearby all-girls middle school. So why bother going to a co-ed where attending there is literally torture?" His expression became frustrated at this.
"That is quite worrying," Kuroko murmured quietly.
While he had heard of cases of androphobia before, he hadn't actually encountered anyone with it. He wondered what had happened to Fujishima Mei to develop a fear in regards to men. And he sympathized with Ihara. He wondered how the other boy was going to work around this case.
"I'll just have to talk to her tomorrow about this," Ihara resolved as he stood up, gathering the dishes as he did so. "And then I'll see what I can do from there," He stated with a determined expression, eyes narrowing.
Kuroko sighed. There went Ihara again with his habit of treating everything like some sort-of dangerous mission.
Well, teaching a girl who literally feared him was kind of risky, depending on which side he was willing to see.
Standing up, he also collected his share of dishes and moved to the sink. There, he stubbornly held his ground as he insisted that he'd wash them in exchange for Ihara's effort in cooking their dinner. The other boy reluctantly let him do as he had said.
After that, they cleaned up and went to sleep early. Kuroko knew that tomorrow was going to be busy.
Day One - XXXX
Kuroko had woken up early. He had at least two and a half hours before they needed to depart for school. Though, it would be an hour later when he came to wake up Ihara that he discovered that the other boy was not a morning person. The dark haired teen had stumbled out of his own room, looking quite a quasi-version of a zombie, before slouching to the kitchen for some coffee which Kuroko had thoughtfully prepared.
Though, he had to shake his head as he remembered the ludicrous amount of creamer and sugar that Ihara had poured into the drink. He even wondered if it still even tasted coffee. As for the other, he had taken one look at Kuroko's messy locks before bluntly stating that he wouldn't let the teal haired teen go to Namimori Middle School with that kind of hair on their first day. Kuroko supposed that Ihara was a lot snarkier too in the morning.
After having his dose of caffeine, Ihara seemed to be more alert as he went back to his habit of triple-checking everything before they went out. Neither of them had the luxury of preparing a bento so they bought their packed lunches from the convenience store on the way to school. Though, Ihara had made sure that he had pocky and cream puffs included.
Kuroko thought that wearing their Teikou uniform wasn't actually productive.
It singled them out. Well, it singled Ihara out considering that majority of the people they bumped into didn't even notice him.
And it wasn't until they had reached the gates of the school that Kuroko became thankful that Ihara was such a worry-wart. Once they had reached the school gate, they, or Ihara, obviously had the attention of the whole school. But what Kuroko was pertaining to was the black haired teen blocking them from entering the premises. Sharp grey eyes glared at Ihara so intensely that had Kuroko worried for a moment.
"Are you from the STA program, herbivore?" The dark haired teen demanded. He was dressed in the school uniform – black pants, long-sleeved white shirt with a blue tie underneath a blue sweater-vest, and an armband with the word 'discipline' around his left arm.
It didn't take Kuroko long to recognize the other. He must be a member of Namimori Middle School's Disciplinary Committee. They also had their own back in Teikou and he was also certain that Akashi was managing that alongside the student council. Though, there were actually rumors that Haizaki used to be a member (forced by Nijimura, to be more specific), but Kuroko hadn't ascertained seeing as Haizaki had stopped attending school as soon as he had quit the basketball club.
"We are," Ihara answered tersely, shoulders tensing.
The disciplinary committee member's eyes narrowed at Ihara's wording. Kuroko decided that he really should make his presence known before things got out of hand.
"Ihara-kun and I were asked to look for Nanako-san for our schedule today," He intervened as politely as he could and he watched in confusion as the dark haired teen in front of them tensed as he whipped out and wielded some kind of metallic weapons in his direction. He didn't let it faze him, but he was inwardly unnerved at the reaction, as he stared at the darkening eyes of the disciplinary committee member.
Never had he encountered anyone who reacted so violently in his presence. Well, it was more after he had managed to scare them, usually Aomine who would smack him on the head.
"Who are you?" The other teen growled at Kuroko, his pupils dilating slightly.
"He's with me," Ihara cut in with a scowl of his own. "As I said, we are part of the STA program. And we need to see the Administration Head for our registration. So, could you please move aside and let us pass already?" He inquired, seemingly polite, but there was hidden aggravation in his words as he showed their application forms.
Kuroko marveled at his friend's ability to overlook the fact that the student in front of them appeared to be mere seconds away from attacking them.
Looking around them, he received some shocked looks but most were staring at Ihara as if he was about to die. It seemed that this disciplinary committee member was quite feared and Kuroko was now starting to think if it was wise to provoke him.
He wasn't scared, per se, merely being cautious as he had no experience in these situations.
Without warning, the teen in front of them blurred. The next thing Kuroko knew, Ihara had pushed him aside as the teen dodged the other's weapons. He saw the metal graze his friend's jaw and knew that it would bruise later. Interesting fact was instead of firing off an insult or even yelling to express anger, Ihara grabbed the wrist that held the weapon that almost hit him but before he could do any damage, the other metallic weapon almost slammed into him until Ihara let go of the wrist he was holding and jumped back to the teal haired teen's position as if to defend.
Kuroko sighed and tasked himself with picking up the bag and folders from the ground that Ihara had dropped.
"Ihara-kun," He called out quietly, ignoring the armed boy's glare in his direction. "We really need to get going. I don't think the Administration Office will appreciate our tardiness on our first day, it would be simply rude of us," Kuroko pointed out as he balanced Ihara's files together with his own on his arms.
Ihara scowled, as if he was about to refuse, but then, obviously remembering where he was, he straightened his uniform and grabbed his bag and files from Kuroko with a grateful nod. Though, he glared back at the armed student darkly as he walked past him.
For a moment, Kuroko thought that the disciplinary committee member would still pursue the matter. So it surprised him when the weapons disappeared instead. He walked and hurried a little to match his friend's pace and saw him munching aggressively on pocky sticks which he had opened.
Turning around for a moment, Kuroko bowed to the unknown teen that had attacked Ihara.
"It was nice to meet you," He said dryly. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience but we really are in a hurry," Kuroko sincerely tried to sound apologetic but the other's eyes merely narrowed at him, so he assumed that he'd failed. This time, it wasn't of bloodlust and violence but of contemplation.
With that said, he jogged a little to catch up to the other. They hadn't even started yet and they already had caused a commotion.
What an awful way to start the day.
When Kuroko had assumed that the disciplinary committee member earlier was feared, he was correct. Definitely correct. And it extended all the way to the school staff and faculty. In fact, as they walked along the halls, the students were staring at Ihara in awe. And it didn't escape his notice that they were also actively trying to seek his presence. Some failed and those who managed had either yelped, screamed, or tripped in surprise.
Nanako-san was a middle-aged woman with soft features, dark hair, and a bright smile.
She had welcomed them rather warmly and even inquired about the bruise on Ihara's jaw. But, as soon as his friend mentioned their earlier skirmish with the unknown teen, she had paled and worriedly advised them to never confront the teen – Hibari Kyouya, she had emphasized – ever again. It seemed that he wasn't only a member but the actual Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee and Kuroko wondered what they had done to actually deserve this.
They were given their schedules for their temporary transfer and Ihara had expressed his relief that they shared the same class. It seemed that he was now distrustful of the school after their encounter this morning.
Still, after their brief meeting with the principal, who had welcomed them and shakily apologized for Hibari, they were told that they weren't required yet to attend any of their classes today and were free to explore the school first. The first thing Kuroko had asked – the man had screamed bloody murder during this as he hadn't noticed Kuroko – was the location of the library. He had his own textbooks and teaching materials but he needed to see the available references they had within the school. Ihara had the same thing in mind and agreed to check on it first. Though, the man was quick to give them a pass in case they encountered any member of the Disciplinary Committee.
Before they departed the office, they were informed that they were going to meet their students during lunchtime and they were given the rest of the afternoon to get acquainted.
Ihara had stuck close to him during their 'tour', so to speak. Kuroko wasn't sure when the other had developed a certain protectiveness towards him. But, he just accepted it with resignation, knowing that it made the other less agitated.
The school was admittedly smaller when it came to structure compared to Teikou. And, it only had one gymnasium compared to the eight ones they had back in Tokyo, with four being occupied by the basketball club, and two sports field that was almost close to the four they had. The classrooms were of the same range but the population is obviously lesser than what they were used to. Kuroko knew that every morning, they had to always force their way into crowded halls and grounds whenever they had to get to somewhere in Teikou.
Another thing he noted was the tall trees that surrounded Namimori Middle School. It made for a relaxing environment. Then there was the matter of the cafeteria – it wasn't large and they were told by the janitor that you actually had to fight for your seat in case that it got swarmed by students. It was one of the reasons why there were numerous benches surrounding the school to provide for additional lunch spots. And students mostly preferred eating back in their classrooms.
The school wasn't lacking, per se, but it was just enough to accommodate the small population of students.
It was such a simple lifestyle that Kuroko was surprised at how he had forgotten about how it felt. Teikou was amazing, he admitted that wholeheartedly, but being in an elite school meant that you had to be an elite yourself and know what it meant to be an elite.
Ihara shared the same thought judging by how the other boy had wanted to check out the school's newspaper.
When they had finally reached the library, there were no students around since they were still in their classes. But Kuroko was pleased that despite the lesser quantity of books, they were actually going to be useful references and he knew some of them personally from Teikou's library or from authors that he actually preferred. Ihara was already making a list of the books that had caught his eye and Kuroko followed his example.
To his surprise and Ihara's suspicion, they hadn't actually encountered anyone from the Disciplinary Committee.
Still, they had spent majority of their time in the library.
"Kuroko," Ihara quietly called as his eyes skimmed the school newspaper. "One of your students is Sawada Tsunayoshi, right?" He asked almost carefully as a frown made its way to his lips, and Kuroko caught a disapproving gleam in his amber eyes.
"Hai," Kuroko shifted his eyes to Ihara from the novel that he had been checking on. "Is there a problem, Ihara-kun?"
Without saying anything, Ihara turned the newspaper to him.
It dated back last year and he wondered what had caught his friend's attention. Then, he saw it. The headline read 'Boxer Boy Confesses to School Idol'. And the photo featured a brunette boy in his boxers collapsed on the ground near the school gates with a devastated look on his face. Beside it was a picture of a beautiful girl with short auburn hair, obviously pertaining to who that 'school idol' was.
"You have an exhibitionist for a student," Ihara pointed out with slight displeasure, his eyes narrowing as he turned the newspaper to read most of the article. "It says here that it wasn't the last time that he'd pranced around the school or town in his boxers. Not to mention that he'd been involved in some strange incidents." His frowned deepened at this as his eyes continued perusing the article.
"I won't judge Sawada-kun until I meet him," Kuroko responded lightly, unmoved.
The dark haired teen only sighed but didn't refute him.
Kuroko was about to go back to his novel when something was shoved into his face. It was a thick booklet with a blue cover – 'Namimori' – and Kuroko's gaze shifted from the booklet to Ihara who was impatiently staring at him. Wordlessly, he accepted it with his free hand as he put down his novel.
"That's the school manual and we're going to familiarize ourselves with the school regulations and rules," His friend revealed nonchalantly, flipping his own manual as his eyes took in the words. "It's better if you actually memorize it so we can avoid conflicts with this school's Disciplinary Committee. I won't have that Hibari holding things over our heads as much as possible if we can help it," His expression didn't really shift but Kuroko got this weird vibe from him nevertheless.
The teal haired teen stared at the other blankly. Then it shifted to the thick booklet. Then back to Ihara once again.
"You're not serious," Kuroko deadpanned.
"I am serious," Ihara stared back at him calmly, raising an eyebrow and looking so unbothered as if he didn't even see anything wrong with his suggestion. "Dead serious." He emphasized when Kuroko continued to eye him blankly.
"I guess I'll see to it when we get home," He acquiesced hesitantly.
"You should," Ihara agreed as he scowled. "That Hibari… He's dangerous," He warned with narrowed eyes. "Stay away from him as much as you can. He's not an ordinary delinquent," He continued sternly.
Kuroko furrowed his brows. His friend had readily labeled the student earlier as a delinquent. And, if he followed after Ihara's conclusion, a delinquent was the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee. It certainly was an irony.
That actually explained why majority of the school population feared him.
"If Ihara-kun says so," Kuroko casually agreed, if only for his friend's peace of mind.
Lunch time was spent at an isolated part of the school by the back of the gym.
It was Kuroko's suggestion since he knew that they were bound to be swarmed by curious students sooner or later. He had told Ihara that they were merely delaying the inevitable. Well, it was more for the other's benefit since he could always use his misdirection on them. But, Ihara had been most helpful so far and he wasn't going to leave him to the wolves, so to speak. Or, at least, he would try.
When they had visited Nanako-san once again after lunch, they were told to go to separate consultation rooms to meet their students. She said that it was for initial privacy and so they could discuss their prospective lessons in peace before they had to succumb to publicity after.
Kuroko didn't like how they were being treated like VIPs.
It didn't escape his notice either that rumors about them were already beginning to circulate around the school. Though, it mostly centered about their skirmish with Hibari Kyouya than their actual presence.
Ihara had already entered his designated room while Kuroko took his time. He wasn't actually nervous about how he would perceive his students. He had already gotten a general feel for what he would be expecting of them from the newspapers and the files. It wasn't accurate, he knew, but there was always some common ground and even rumors had some bit of truth in them. He was actually thinking of how he was going to be viewed. It was going to be hard if his students disliked him.
Steeling his nerves, he turned the doorknob and entered.
The first thing he noticed was that instead of tables and chairs, there were couches, and a coffee table by the center of it. The walls were a relaxing off-white and there was a large window that let the sunlight stream into the room quite magnificently. Next was the muscular teen that he immediately recognized as Kamiyama who was staring out the windows quite fixatedly. Then, his eyes shifted to the quiet but fidgeting brunette teen, Sawada, standing at the corner.
Neither actually noticed his entrance. He sighed. Figures.
As a way to call their attention, he settled his folders on top of the table loudly, causing Kamiyama to flinch and Sawada to actually shriek.
Their eyes instantly swiveled to his direction and Kuroko watched as they widened upon seeing him.
He gave a small bow.
"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya," He introduced blankly as he straightened and met their gazes unwaveringly. "And I'm going to be your tutor,"
"H-How did you–?" Sawada was stuttering as his wide brown eyes stared back at Kuroko with fright. Though, when Kamiyama moved to approach the teal haired teen, Sawada followed rather reluctantly, cautious. While Kamiyama was staring intently at Kuroko with a scrutinizing expression.
Then, to Kuroko's inward surprise, Kamiyama took his hand in his and shook it rather vigorously.
"I'm Kamiyama Takumi, Kuroko-senpai!" The dark haired teen introduced rather eagerly, his earlier expression now replaced with a bright one. "Thank you for agreeing to tutor me! I'm looking forward to working with you! After all, I still have to prove my worth to Sasagawa-senpai!" He declared passionately as he let go of Kuroko's hand and clenched his fists, which were bandaged now that the teal haired teen noticed.
Though, he eyed Kamiyama curiously.
"H-He's a member of the b-boxing club," Sawada stammered quietly, hesitantly. "And the captain of the club is S-Sasagawa Ryohei," The brunette clarified as he fumbled with his hands, obviously nervous, as Kamiyama nodded firmly at this.
Kuroko eyed him, making the other squirm, before he offered his hand as well. After all, it was Kamiyama who started it and he couldn't afford to show favoritism.
The brunette stared at it for a few seconds before shakily grasping it. Kuroko squeezed the hand gently and had truly expected for the younger boy to let go immediately due to nerves but he was surprised when the grip actually tightened. He stared at his student's face as traces of anxiety disappeared from his expression and shifted instead into one of awe and slight confusion. Kuroko loosened his hold but Sawada merely held on.
"Sawada-kun," He called calmly. "I need my hand back," Kuroko pointed out wryly and with a hint of amusement as the brunette jumped and slowly let go of his hand, a blush now staining his cheeks in obvious embarrassment.
"Your hand," Sawada said softly, avoiding his gaze. "It's warm,"
Kuroko had no idea what his student really meant but instead chose to proceed to start with the orientation. He gestured for them to take a seat as he took his position as well across from them. Kamiyama was strangely quiet, Kuroko had expected more enthusiastic declarations from him, but the boy was simply vibrating with barely held excitement as he gave his full attention. Sawada had sat beside the other as his gaze skittered everywhere but they glanced at Kuroko from time to time with curiosity.
He wondered if the brunette even noticed that Kuroko already knew his name before he even had the chance to introduce himself.
"If you're not yet aware, I'm from the STA or the Student Teachers Association that Teikou Junior High had established as a way of assisting and assessing other middle schools. I've been a volunteer since my first year seeing as one of my passions had been teaching," Kuroko admitted bluntly, other than basketball, as he eyed them steadily. "I used to tutor a friend of mine back then but this will be my first time being an official tutor," He let out a small breath as he willed himself to relax and release the tension accumulating within him.
"Wow," Kamiyama breathed out. "Teikou's in Tokyo, right? That's quite far from here, Kuroko-senpai!" He exclaimed with astonishment.
"It is," The teal haired teen agreed with a nod. "But it's fine, the STA made sure that we're well-accommodated during our stay. Now, you both will be under my tutelage for the next two months and I hope that you will benefit from my help. Understand that I didn't take this responsibility to criticize you but to help you. So, if you have any concern regarding this arrangement, please address me directly about it," Kuroko declared firmly but sincerely as he eyed Sawada in particular who merely flushed and avoided meeting his eyes.
Sawada shyly raised his hand.
"Yes, Sawada-kun?" Kuroko gently coaxed him, aware of the boy's low self-esteem and currently confirming it.
"W-Will there be punishments if we failed…?" The brunette asked timidly, if not a bit fearfully.
He gave the younger boy an odd look. The bullying might have been more severe than he thought. He already disliked that thought. So, to appease his student, he shook his head sharply in disagreement.
"No," He stated a little bit too sternly for his liking. "I think failing your tests and subject is sufficient punishment enough,"
Sawada seemed relieved by this, although, he also appeared to be berating himself for asking that question.
"All I will be asking of you is your cooperation and a promise to do your best. While I am here to help, I won't do all the work and the rest will still be up to you if you honestly want to improve your academic performance," At this he opened his folder and grabbed the activity sheets that he had made with Ihara earlier in the library. "Now, I want you to answer this simple test to the best of your ability so we can assess your standing with the subjects. It's a way so I can deduce how we will be breaking down your learning pace," Kuroko explained as he handed them each their tests and even provided them with pencils.
Sawada was already sweating and Kamiyama was looking equally dismayed beside him. Kuroko didn't think that it was that bad.
"A-Already?" Sawada squeaked feebly, eyes wide.
"B-But–" Even Kamiyama was speechless.
"I'll give you all afternoon if need be," He allowed generously.
It didn't appear to mollify them. If anything, they seemed to be agonized as their eyes read the questions. Kuroko had actually grouped the questions according to subjects and combined the easier problems with the difficult ones to see which subject they might excel at. Though, it was something that first year middle school students could handle and he had checked the current second year curriculum with Nanako-san so he knew what phase they were already facing in their second year subjects.
Looking at his watch, Kamiyama and Sawada still had two hours to complete the assessment.
Still, while this activity would give him a general idea of their knowledge, Kuroko knew that he couldn't entirely base his evaluation on that. Tutoring Ogiwara taught him that much, at least.
To pass the time, he grabbed an information sheet from his folder and decided to start on his report. It would actually help on being accurate if he started writing it while on session and he could keep note of the important factors regarding the two in front of him that he might have overlooked if given time in between. He had actually gotten the idea from Midorima who had inquired about the STA program, taking actual notes.
Date: August 7th of 2XXX
Day: One
Academic Volunteer Personnel: Kuroko Tetsuya (黒子テツヤ)
Student under Tutelage: Sawada Tsunayoshi (沢田綱吉); Kamiyama Takumi (神山 拓実)
School: Namimori Middle School (134 Suburbia Street, Namimori, Gifu Prefecture, Japan)
Activity: Orientation & Assessment
Remark:
(Namimori Middle School is a decent school. Its facility is adequate as it provides accommodation to its less population of students compared in Teikou. The rules are adhered to mandatorily, though, the Disciplinary Committee seems to hold more control than the Student Council. Its facilities are well-kept and always taken care of for student use. The staff is very welcoming but I have seen signs of being easily influenced by student's social demands.
The curriculum that I had been presented with so far is very similar to Teikou's and, thankfully, foreign language, or English, is one of the main subjects taught in classes. I have yet to assess learning stability as I haven't been in an actual class but scoring rate is actually high with 85%. Student performance from what I had managed to glean is actually very impressive. Despite the less people, it actually kept up with the high-class RCPP standard set by the STA in terms of school activities and active outside school competitions.
First Impressions:
Kamiyama Takumi (神山 拓実) proved to be in control of himself. Despite loud outbursts that occasionally came out, he can be surprisingly quiet when the situation demanded it. He's also excitable about the smallest of things and seems to be eager about this tutorial to 'prove his worth to Sasagawa-senpai' as he had worded it.
His determination is commendable but he had easily reverted back to an ordinary anxious student when presented by the possibility of having to face a written test.
He's a member of the Boxing Club, which I was already aware from reading it from his file, but I was not aware of his admiration of its captain, Sasagawa Ryohei. I might need to meet this person to see what kind of role model Kamiyama-kun had chosen for himself. And I can garner some insight of how Kamiyama-kun is usually. Impressions only last until I've seen the full extent.
Sawada Tsunayoshi (沢田綱吉) is as the file says. He is timid, easily intimidated, hesitant, and generally restless and tended to squirm under scrutinizing eyes.
While his qualities are initially viewed as weak, I've seen hidden strength in his gaze, telling me that while he is actually intimidated by my presence, he had seen (and possibly dealt with) something much worse and lived.
His files had said that he was usually the center of mockery amongst his peers, earning a despicable moniker of 'Dame-Tsuna', and it strongly hinted of being bullied by his fellow schoolmates. I honestly can't help with his self-esteem as it is now but improving his academic performance will actually make way into building that up.
At first, I was quite certain that he didn't easily trust judging by the way he had acted initially skittish but I easily deduced that it was not the case and he was merely uneasy with me due to the circumstances of how we've been introduced to each other. I have to inquire if he had been tutored before or been under someone's personal teaching, his reaction towards me and his subsequent expectation strongly suggested that he wasn't used to how I had set up our arrangement for this tutorial.
I remembered the articles from this morning and wondered what had actually compelled Sawada-kun into running around the school and town in his boxers. He didn't strike me as the type but I can't judge, seeing as I did the same with a strict classmate of mine back then who turned out to be obsessed with horoscopes.
Sawada-kun's reaction to the written test was the same as Kamiyama-kun, though, if not a bit more miserable about it.
They had actually accepted this tutorial arrangement quite well. Better than I expected. Usually, students who would be put into such a program would act bitter regarding it as the school had actually deemed them as a 'worst case' but Kamiyama-kun and Sawada-kun had rather taken it well. Kamiyama-kun was actually looking forward to it while Sawada-kun was originally hesitant, then slowly warmed up to the idea as I discussed my intentions as precise and honest as I could.
Both of them also listen readily to instruction–)
"That's actually pretty accurate," A squeaky voice commented from over his left shoulder.
Kuroko was cut off from writing his report as he turned to look at the owner of the voice but was stopped when the door slammed open.
He subtly flinched in surprise as his eyes shifted to his watch for a second (his students still had an hour to finish the test) before straying to the doorway. A small girl stood there. When Kuroko mentioned small, he meant small. She might be even below five feet and that was saying something. She had long light brown hair that was tied into a high ponytail and wide terrified green eyes staring around the room. Eyes shifting behind him, he saw no one there. He shook off earlier as his imagination playing tricks on him.
Looking back at the younger males in the room, Kuroko saw them gazing curiously at the girl but wasn't trying to be obvious about it. And failing with the latter quite badly. She was dressed in the school's uniform, so she was a student. It wasn't until he had looked at her intently did he recognize her. She was Fujishima Mei. Ihara's student. He tapped the table to get his students' attention and gave them a look to which they became sheepish and returned to answering their test.
It seemed that his action had actually given away his presence and she jumped violently when she finally took notice of him. She didn't make a sound. Fujishima merely brought out a large sketchbook and started to shakily write (or draw, he wasn't quite sure) on it. Of course, she didn't speak around males.
When she turned the sketchbook to him, to show him what she had written, Kuroko paused and read.
And read.
And read again.
Her writing basically said 'Yamamoto-senpai poisoned Ihara-senpai. He's on his way to hospital.' and Kuroko couldn't help but eye her blankly. She fidgeted under his gaze and her knees trembled a bit before she turned to another page and wrote again. 'Kimiko-sensei instructed me to tell you.' She was now starting to look upset as her gaze went from Kuroko, Kamiyama, and then Sawada. When the teal haired teen finally nodded faintly, still in a fit of disbelief, she literally bolted out of there.
His eyes found Sawada's which were wide with horror and similar disbelief.
"Submit the test for now and we'll continue tomorrow," Kuroko's voice didn't falter but he was already packing his things. "I need to see Ihara-kun," He accepted the papers quietly as the boys stared at him openly. Sawada appeared to be panicking but Kuroko refused to be swayed by the same emotion right now.
When he was done, he nodded at them before walking to the door and left the room.
Then, he went to the hospital.
When he arrived to the hospital, he had immediately asked for Ihara Shino.
He was directed to the room on second floor and was informed that the patient was now stable. It hadn't been until he had literally bumped into the doctor that had obviously checked up on Ihara did Kuroko discover that the case wasn't, thankfully, quite severe. But his friend had merely suffered an allergic reaction, his nodes around the throat had swelled and caused him to faint and collapse due to lack of air. Thankfully, it was fine now and Ihara was being kept there for the next twenty-four hours to monitor his treatment and recovery.
Just as he was about to enter Ihara's room, he saw a tall dark haired teen lounging outside by the waiting area quite anxiously.
Kuroko knew without a doubt that it was Yamamoto Takeshi. The 'Yamamoto-senpai' that Fujishima had mentioned.
Wordlessly, he approached the taller but younger teen. He saw the nervousness and guilt written all over the boy's expression and body language. He mentally counted to ten and thought of why their first day had to start off so badly. First, their skirmish with Disciplinary Committee Chairman this morning, then the unnecessary attention they had garnered due to said event, and now, Ihara was poisoned by his student on the first day. This had got to be some record. Even Aomine wasn't this unlucky, he thought wryly.
"Good afternoon, Yamamoto-kun," Kuroko greeted quietly and watched as the other flinched in surprise.
Then, Yamamoto proceeded to cringe when he noticed Kuroko's uniform, speaking of his reason for being there.
"I-I–" The dark haired teen faltered, shame shining in his brown eyes. "I didn't mean – I mean, I didn't know. I offered him a sweet bun and it was tou-san's special recipe since instead of red bean paste, it's made of some kind of sweetened tuna filling. I insisted to Ihara-senpai because he told me that he didn't like seafood. By the time that he admitted that it was because he's allergic, it was already too late," He tried to smile but it came off as strained as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Kuroko let the younger teen ramble and had to sigh. This was something he would expect of Kise, not this teen. But, hearing it, he couldn't actually hold a grudge against the boy when he was obviously so guilty about it. Though, he couldn't speak for Ihara.
"I don't blame you, Yamamoto-kun," He pacified quietly, his tone monotonous despite the reassurance he was trying to offer.
"Thank you, senpai," The teen beamed at him gratefully before staring at him curiously. "So, you're Tsuna's tutor?" Yamamoto grinned at him and Kuroko was slightly taken aback at the cheery attitude.
Kuroko tilted his head.
"Hai," He answered. "So, I can safely assume that you're Sawada-kun's friend," The teal haired teen pointed out matter-of-factly regardless of his wording.
"Ha-ha! Are you kidding?" Yamamoto laughed. "Tsuna's my best friend!" He proclaimed proudly but there was something in his eyes that told Kuroko there was something more to it. Though, he didn't pry. It wasn't his business.
Still, he was glad that the brunette had a friend.
"I'm glad that Sawada-kun has a friend," Kuroko commented his thought aloud. "Friends are good," He suddenly found himself reminiscing about his teammates, his friends, and wondered where they placed in each other's periphery. It was actually hard to tell and even if he had somehow gotten the mood of the 'new Akashi', the redhead still sent chills down his spine, and despite the show of tentative truce, Aomine hadn't actively approached him either.
Kuroko must've made a weird expression because Yamamoto was suddenly staring at him quite intently. He allowed the teen to do so and was actually taken aback when he was greeted by a warm smile.
"Let's be friends too then, senpai!" The dark haired teen suddenly proclaimed.
Kuroko blinked.
"So, what do you say, senpai?" Yamamoto held out his hand. "My name's Yamamoto Takeshi and I'm really, really, really sorry about what happened to Ihara-senpai," He smiled sheepishly at this as he tried to mask his embarrassment.
Tentatively, he took the hand.
"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya," He introduced quietly with a weird feeling in his chest. "And it's my other friend that you just poisoned," He added dryly, trying to mask the humor behind it but judging from the younger boy's laugh, Yamamoto was quick to notice.
Though, he frowned when the dark haired boy stared at their hands which Yamamoto still hadn't let go off.
Somehow, Kuroko had a sense of déjà vu.
"Your hand is really warm, senpai!" Yamamoto commented lightly as he slowly let go of Kuroko's hand, staring at his own in silent contemplation before standing up. "Well, let's check up on Ihara-senpai, yeah?"
"Of course," Kuroko nodded and followed his example.
"You are never allowed to bring any food to sessions again, you hear me, fool?" Ihara glowered at Yamamoto the moment they entered the hospital room.
Kuroko silently breathed out a sigh of relief. If Ihara was already able to give out threats like nobody's business again, then, the other boy was fine. Though, he looked a bit pale and slightly exhausted and his neck was wrapped in bandages which Kuroko didn't understand the reason for. Still, it surprised him that the other was already awake. He had thought that with what had happened, being poisoned by his student and all, he would've been still sleeping the stress away.
He had obviously underestimated Ihara.
"I'm really sorry about that, Ihara-senpai!" Yamamoto clasped his hands in front of him and gave a deep bow. "It was an honest mistake and I'll give you another sweet bun without seafood next time," The dark haired teen promised with a small laugh.
"Absolutely not," Ihara's voice was positively frosty. "You may have just succeeded in traumatizing me from eating another sweet bun in my entire existence," By this, the teen looked betrayed and Kuroko pitied him. Ihara Shino loved sweets and, being averse to it, well, that was as tantamount to actually being told that the newspaper club was closing.
"Don't be like that, senpai!" The younger boy insisted with a frown.
"This is your fault, you know?"
"I know! I know! And I'm sorry!"
"Fool! Who says I forgive you?"
Kuroko shook his head and was just glad that it was nothing severe. Things were going to be fine from now on, he resolutely decided that moment, despite their terrible start. Though, he was also going to make sure that there would be no seafood near Ihara for a while. If possible, for as long as he could help it.
"But we need to go to the hospital!" Tsuna fretted as they walked out of the school.
"I told you, didn't I?" Reborn reminded him casually, perched on the brunette's shoulder. "Let your subordinate fix this himself. He won't learn to be responsible if the boss is always covering for him," He lectured steadily as he lightly slapped Tsuna's cheek.
"Yeah!" Gokudera heartily agreed. "Let the idiot take the blame, it's his fault anyway!" He gritted out as he scowled.
"B-But, Yamamoto might need us–" Tsuna argued weakly, worried.
"How did the tutorial go, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn asked bluntly, effectively changing the topic.
"You were there a while ago, why ask?" The brunette grumbled and yelped as his face instantly met the asphalt. Reborn jumped off his head and Tsuna twitched before sitting up, feeling a bump on his forehead while Gokudera was already assisting him to stand up.
"Juudaime, are you alright?" The silver haired teen fussed as he held an unsteady Tsuna by the elbow.
"I never said you can answer me sarcastically," Reborn calmly remarked as he stared at the brunette with his beady black eyes. "And, if you're going to be an idiot about this, I'm going to word it more specifically for your sake. What do you think of your new tutor?" He jumped on a random house's wall and crossed his arms, staring down the now shivering brunette.
I like him better already…
"I'm sure you'll like the extra laps later," The infant nonchalantly put in and Tsuna stared at him with wide eyes. Did the other just read his mind? "Now, answer the question before I decide that you'll make a better practice target for shooting later," He calmly added but his squeaky voice gained a dark timber.
Tsuna shuddered.
"Yeah, what's he like, Juudaime?" Gokudera tried to join in, trying to shift Reborn's attention from dangerous territory. "If he does anything unnecessary, I'll fucking blow him up! Just tell me, alright?" The bomber sounded a little too eager to Tsuna.
"He's… fine," Tsuna struggled slightly. "He's actually considerate and he's really geared up for this, even though he doesn't look like it," He rubbed the back of his neck a little self-consciously. "But, when we shook hands, they're… warm. I don't know how to describe it, it just felt warm. I was nervous and I felt that warmth and I suddenly just wasn't. It's k-kind of odd." He admitted, a little confused himself.
Reborn's eyes narrowed.
(–that I've given. At least, it appeared that they won't be giving me a hard time.
…
Ihara-kun will be not available tomorrow. He had requested that I take over for him for one day until he was released from the hospital. Yamamoto-kun was a genuine boy, despite his slightly laid-back personality. He's also observant but apparently sometimes ignorant if we look at this accident. I never got to fully assess Fujishima-san but it was safe to say that she didn't like us from the start and the reason was already obvious.
Thankfully, since Yamamoto-kun was Sawada-kun's friend, I told him to pass along the message to meet me after classes tomorrow, considering that ours would also be starting from tomorrow onwards. I'm sure that they can do the same with Kamiyama-kun.
It wasn't until I got home by myself that I realized that I had totally forgotten about that voice earlier.
Oddly enough, it sounded like a child.)
.
.
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AN: There isn't chaos yet! Wow! Though, except for Yamamoto's unintended poisoning his tutor and with Hibari.. Ok, there might have been some chaos but nothing as insane as the Vongola brand yet. I like having Kuroko's impressions and thoughts written out so his daily reports will be shown each chapter (as much as I can) and even Ihara's in the later chapters. And, Yamamoto's evaluation is obviously going to be a rocky road. I love Ihara and I love Fujishima but I haven't introduced her well enough yet.
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