Chapter 18
"Kagami. Chew. Wait. Are you racing Aomine? Guys, stop it before you choke." Sayumi pulled the two trays filled with burgers away from the two boys before they could reach for another one.
"Eating is a luxury. Not a competition," Sayumi scolded and grabbed a burger off of the two piles before pushing the trays back to their rightful owners.
"Kinenocchi. If you wanted a burger, you could've just asked."
"Kise. Can I have one of your burgers?"
"Kine-chin. You're eating more than me." Murasakibara shoved a handful of Pocky into his mouth.
"That's because I'm a growing girl."
"You mean horizontally?" Aomine teased.
"Aomine. Don't get mad over just one burger."
Sayumi lifted the cup of vanilla milkshake, but before the straw and her lips made contact, a firm grip withheld her.
"Kineno-san. Please buy your own." Kuroko took the cup from her hands and slurped the rest.
"My fellow basketball buddies. Please understand and show mercy to a teenage school girl living away from her parents who pays rent every month and works hard to fund for her own living."
"Why are you here anyways? America isn't that bad."
"Kagami. Why are you here then?"
"Easy. Basketball."
"I came here for basketball too."
"You said you didn't play for three years."
"That was because my brother died."
The other boys looked at Sayumi and then back to Kagami. Kise tried to warn Kagami from exploring the topic any further, but the impulsive boy never fails to live up to his nickname.
"So why are you still here?"
"You don't want me to be here?"
"No. I was just curious." Kagami smiled at the boys who were motioning him to stop. Asking Sayumi about her brother or anything relevant to that was foreign territory. Danger zone. Even Aomine knew.
To everyone's surprise, Sayumi didn't turn gloomy this time around. Instead, she actually began to share a little.
"I originally didn't want to leave America. Koukai-nii wanted to pursue his passion and moved to Japan to play basketball." Sayumi looked at Kagami.
"Sounds like me."
"Yes. I wanted to see my brother succeed and so I begged my parents to let me follow him to Japan and here I am now."
"Kinenocchi. You must have it hard. Is that why you're working so much?"
"After my brother died, my parents told me to return home. Instead of feeling homesick, something told me to stay in Japan. So I made a deal with them and as long as I pay for my own living expenses, I can stay."
"So why are you staying?"
"Why I'm here?" Sayumi asked more to herself than Kagami. "I also wonder about that."
"You don't know yet?"
"If I did, I would've told my parents a long time ago." Sayumi took a bite from her teriyaki burger. When she looked back up, she knew she made the atmosphere tense again. She had the ability to make everything gloomy unintentionally.
"You guys up for another game?" Sayumi changed the subject.
"We only stopped because you and Kuroko looked like you were dying."
"It was only me, not Kuroko. Aomine. You didn't look so hot out there yourself."
"Rematch."
"Bring it." Sayumi and Aomine stood up simultaneously, but the girl got out of the door first. The rest of the team followed.
...
Aomine bumped into Sayumi who suddenly stopped out of nowhere.
"Why'd you stop all of a sudden?" Aomine questioned angrily.
No response. Kise stepped forward and stood next to Sayumi. She didn't notice him since she was too distracted by the group of guys occupying the courts.
"Kine-chin. Don't look so shocked. Occasionally, there are people besides us who use this park."
"Kineno-san. It's Saturday."
Sayumi didn't hear any of them. All she did was concentrate on the basketball she saw one of the boys holding.
Suddenly, the girl dashed to the delinquent-looking boys.
"That's my basketball. Please return it." Sayumi did not make eye contact with any of the four strangers. She was too focused on the ball.
"Hey girly. You want to play with us?" The boy with the bleached hair twirled her ponytail in his finger.
"Don't touch her." The boy looked at the tall Murasakibara who was gripping his wrist with more power than necessary to get his attention. He immediately withdrew.
"Please. It's my basketball."
"Don't go claiming anything. This is mine. I brought it from home."
"I'm positive it's mine. Please return it." Sayumi stuck out both her hands. "Please."
"You're pretty cute." The leader of the gang jumped off the bench he was sitting on and walked around the girl.
Kagami shifted, but Kuroko stopped him from doing anything rash.
"Can I have back my basketball?"
"Kiss me." The leader stopped in front of her and bent down until his face was inches away from hers. "I'll give it to you if you kiss me."
"I'm not doing that. Give me the ball." Sayumi was losing her patience.
"Then you're not getting it." The rude boy twirled the basketball on his finger and turned to leave, but the basketball disappeared suddenly. When he finally caught sight of it again, it was in the hands of a pale boy.
"We both know this isn't yours. But if you don't admit it, why don't we just play a game. Four on four. If you win, take the ball. If we win, return it to its owner."
"There's no need to play a game since it's already with its owner. But since you insist, I'll just crush you myself."
"Tetsu. Let's show this confident bastard how we play."
"I can't miss out on this one. Kineno. You sit out this one."
"Kinenocchi. We'll get it back."
Sayumi watched the four boys take their positions. Thank you.
She turned to the boy sitting next to her as he opened a lollipop and began sucking on that.
"What?" Murasakibara asked boldly. "I already stopped that pervert from twirling your hair."
"Thanks." Sayumi turned back to see Kagami make a perfect shot.
...
"Give it." Aomine ordered. "We won."
The boy carrying the basketball passed it to the leader of the gang who caught the ball and placed it on the floor.
No one expected it when the enemy leader pulled out a knife and stabbed the basketball. He rocked the knife back and forth to create a bigger and irreparable hole.
Sayumi froze in shock as she watched him tear up her priceless treasure. The boy laughed and turned around to leave.
Aomine flashed pass the paralyzed girl and threw a solid punch to the guy's face. The rest of the delinquents quickly got into position to fight off the attacker.
Aomine raised his arm to go in for another swing, but Kise grabbed onto him. "Don't," the blond warned, "Don't."
Aomine shoved him aside, but was stopped by the small pair of hands that clung on to him.
"They're not worth it. Let it go." His eyes met hers. "Please. They're not worth it." The wild boy looked at the tears dripping onto his arm and finally lowered it.
The leader held his face where he received the blow and picked up the ball.
"You're lucky I'm not reporting you."
The leader took the ball and left with his gang.
All eyes were now on Sayumi who let go of Aomine's muscular arms and fell to the floor with rivers of tears streaming down her face.
Aomine stood paralyzed. "Why'd you stop me?" He expected an answer.
"Aominecch-"
"Sayu. Answer me." He looked at the broken girl on the floor. She didn't answer.
"I'm going after them." Aomine turned away angrily. He looked as if he was ready to kill.
"They're not...worth it."
Aomine continued to walk.
"If you're reported for violence, you'll get kicked off the team." Sayumi tried her best to steady her words, but the tears made it hard for her. "Please. They're not worth it."
Her words managed to stop him.
"Damn." Aomine punched the fence and stormed out.
"Look after Kinenocchi. I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
The blond boy ran out to catch up with Aomine. Kagami watched his friend cry helplessly. He then looked at Murasakibara, the only other person.
"Where's Kuroko?" Kagami knew the answer himself. "Murasakibara. I'm going after Kuroko. Watch her." Kagami flew out, leaving Murasakibara with the tricky task of "comforting" the shattered girl.
"Hey." No reaction. Murasakibara pulled Sayumi to her feet and pressed her face into his shirt.
"I don't have any tissues."
...
"Aominecchi. Calm down. We couldn't help any of it. Kinenocchi is right. They're not worth it."
"I was the one who left the ball in the park."
"Kinenocchi doesn't blame you."
"I don't care if she does or not. I'm just fixing my own mess."
"Aominecchi. She doesn't blame you."
"It was her last memento of her brother."
"..."
...
"Kagami-kun." The sudden shadow once again gave the redhead a scare.
"Where'd you go?"
The blue-haired boy lifted a torn basketball. "They left it on the streets."
...
*crunch crunch*
"Ow."
"Stupid. Don't bite your tongue. Can't you even eat an ice cream cone properly?" Murasakibara looked at the girl disapprovingly.
"Sorry."
"Yeah. Are you? I paid for these two soft serves." Murasakibara put the rest of his ice cream into his mouth.
Sayumi finished seconds later. She blinked away the last tears that were blurring her vision and looked at the boy next to her.
"I'm fine now."
...
That night, the rare kind-hearted side of Murasakibara surfaced. He walked the tiny girl all the way back home before heading back to his.
{Text from Kise Ryouta}: Aominecchi is fine. He's at home now. Are you okay Kinenocchi?
{Text from Kineno Sayumi}: That's good. I'm fine now. Thanks, Kise.
{Text from Kagami Taiga}: I have a phobia of red eyes.
{Text from Kineno Sayumi}: Kagami. I'm not crying. I just ate a free ice cream.
The next morning, Sayumi found a brown cardboard box in front of the door. In it, she found a split basketball, but her basketball no less.
{Text from Kineno Sayumi}: Thank you Kuroko.