I don't know why but I might as well just clarify it. No, Kuroko's not in the same class as Accelerator (Hirano in this case). He's two and a half years older. He's the upperclassmen ffs. Use your brain damn it.
A certain girl with a short, peach coloured hair knelt down. Her eyes glued at two different packs of chips. She had a conflicted look on her face, not knowing whether to pick a seaweed or the sour cream flavoured chips.
Mama was inside consulting the store manager and several of the workers over the monthly inspection, leaving only the clerk on the cashier to watch over.
Mama also told her that she could take something for free, but just one, which is a devilish thing to do because it means that she can't choose between the two.
The girl felt frustrated and nervous, but knew that she had to stand up for herself. It wasn't very often that she got to have an entire chip for herself. She usually had to share, so this was both an affront and a blessing.
The 7 y/o girl thought so hard, her brain might as well have been hard like a flat rock. Her little hands clenched and unclenched in her pockets.
Suddenly, she felt a shadow looming over her. She turned to her side and noticed a person standing, towering her small frame.
"Are you Shirai Kuroko?" The person asked.
Mama told her to never ever talk to strangers that she does not recognize, no matter what. She's never talked to them, but she's seen them before, several times just outside her school. Does that count? Definitely!
She stood, but that didn't change the difference in height. "I'll ask again, are you Shirai Kuroko?" The person said calmly.
She nodded. Said person then smiled.
"You're driving me?"
"Yep!"
"So that's why you told me to wait... What's the occasion this time?" Hirano asks, tilting his head. He doesn't really care why, but she appears to be extra suspicious today.
It was bad enough that she kept asking about Kuroko last night, but the palpable smile she had this morning was a bit too much.
Even though it has been three months since he first told Aiho of the girl, it was only this week that she seemed to show absolute curiosity of her. It has him wondering somehow, but nothing really comes to mind.
"Why do you ask? Is it wrong for me to take my little ward to school?" She ruffled his hair a little hard, he inched away in vain as she ended up pressing even harder. "Or… do you prefer walking instead?"
"Fine." He let out a small sigh, swatting her hand away. "Are we gonna be staying here or are we heading off now?"
"Sorry." She grins.
She got up from the couch as he fixed his bag against his back. They went straight for the elevator, down to the lobby and out onto the parking lot.
He closed the door with a resounding thud. He stood there, waiting. Several seconds had passed. He knocked on the window. It rolled down. "Aren't you gonna head off now or what?"
"Aren't you gonna head in now or what?" The woman asks back. She's not holding the steering wheel, nor is the handbrake off. She's not leaving…
"You'll be late if you don't go in now." She broke his train of thoughts. His eyes went to her once more. "I'll just be sitting here. Just for a bit. I'm quite tired of… y'know… driving?"
He didn't break his gaze. He could've sworn there was a sweat on her forehead. Yet the inside of the car is cool enough for him wanting to stay further away from it.
Hearing the bell, he finally relents. He huffed a mouthful of air before breaking into a jog over towards the school building.
All the way through, Aiho's watchful gaze did not stop tracking him until he went through the school hallway. She pulled out her phone, dialling a certain number.
"Prepare Order 66."
…
Today's class, chemistry.
It was rather disoriented due to the teacher's personality. He was a very eccentric man and was quite liked by the students, which is the cause of the disorientation to begin with.
He was explaining how you need at least 1,000 - 2,000 Celsius (or 1,832 - 3632 degrees of freedom units) just to ignite pure carbon.
"And that, kids, is how you turn a pencil into portable explosives."
A hand raised amongst the baffled students. "But sir, what if I don't have liquid oxygens." It was Frenda.
"They sell those at the convenience store for ¥2,000 a bottle."
The girl flinched, her eyes twitched. She let out a sigh. Mumbling some words quietly. He could catch the word 'expensive' or something along the line.
The class went on as the teacher delved down deep into the world of chemistry. Its complex and incomprehensible nature kept them engaged. Mathematics and chemistry worked so much in sync, it was almost hard to tell which came first.
There were many interesting scientific things that got them intrigued. A glass of water for example, has more molecules in them than there are stars in the known universe. It was a fact that he found to be hard to comprehend and something he felt utterly ignorant about.
For the next two hours, they poured through the textbook, working through the given problems and coming up with the corresponding answers. He was completely into it, never quite knowing when to move onto the next section or when to call it a day.
Eventually, the lunch bell rang and it was to rest their weary eyes. Everyone put their books down and headed out the classroom. He remained seated, pulling out his lunch box from his bag.
As usual, several desks were combined with his into one. The 5 closest of his classmates were packed around the joint table, piled together with more colourful lunch boxes.
Everyone had different definitions of what they put in their lunchboxes. He was certainly different, packing his standard leftover rice and curry from this morning. It's not like he wants to anyway, his guardian rarely ever cooks anything other than that. She doesn't spend much time around the house unless it's during her day off. But even so, she went out of her way to make it look like she was actually making an effort. At least that much he can appreciate.
She did cook something else once in a while. Unfortunately today isn't one of those days.
Outside, Shirai Kuroko pulled on a friend, a pink lunch box beneath her arms. A layer of stickers decorating the usually bland rectangle box.
"A-are you sure we're not intruding on them, Kuroko-san?" Her friend stammers, meekly trailing behind, not putting much effort in pulling herself away from the girl's grip.
"It's okay! They wouldn't mind, I'm sure!" She assured the girl whilst opening the door to the class. The girl can only stay quiet, keeping her box close to her chest, lowering her head slightly. "Don't worry, Hirano-senpai isn't a ghost like the others say. He might look scary, but he's really nice! He might be able to grant you your wish!" She exclaims.
Said boy turned when he heard his name being mentioned, noticing the two younger girls approaching them. He recognizes one of them, but the other, he does not.
"Hey Kuroko-chan, who's that?" Frenda asks, pointing towards the short haired girl.
The girl smiled, pulling the girl over. "This is Uiharu Kazari! She's a classmate of mine." The girl, Uiharu, raised her hand as a gesture to greet them. "She's super shy! She doesn't talk much so I decided that I should help her with that."
All eyes are now on the girl. She doesn't meet anyone's eyes, merely lowering her head, hiding her flushing face, unintentionally allowing the crown of flowers atop of her head to be revealed to the others.
"Those are beautiful flowers you have, Kazari-san." The short girl comments, earning a nervous nod from the shy girl. The short girl then got up to grab an extra chair for her.
"Thanks." Uiharu said gratefully. Excusing herself as she takes a seat right next to her seniors.
"Can you tell me more about the flowers?" Frenda joins in. Uiharu began a detailed explanation on each of them, including her reasoning as to why she has them on. Apparently, it wasn't because she thought it was cute nor did it look neat on her.
The three other boys are busy talking about their own topics amongst themselves. Hirano glanced as Kuroko slid a chair to his side.
The girl was quivering with excitement. "Ne, ne, there's a place I would like to go to later, you should come!" She loudly proclaims, her short hair swaying with every moves.
He raised an eyebrow, completely turning to her. "Do I have to?" The girl nodded with great enthusiasm. "Can't you just take your friend with you instead?" He questions.
"That's the point! She's coming as well." The girl declared, giving a thumbs up. Hirano looked back towards his classmates.
"What about us, Kuroko-chan?" Frenda interjects in.
"You can come too!" She asserts.
The rest agreed to it as well, no one was against the idea. Their eyes looked at him expectantly. He sagged with a sigh. "... Sure."
Kuroko cheered with delight. This will be the first time he's ever hung out with them outside of school.
"So where do we meet?"
…
The boy kept his hands deep inside his hoodie's pocket, hugging himself while walking. He buried his face into the fabric, trying to protect himself from the cold.
To his right, Kuroko smiled and walked in a broad, sweeping motion. She wore a coat made for the cold climate. Summer is almost over, and the autumn breeze is starting to blow.
"Where are we going, exactly?" Hirano mumbled, scratching the back of his head, trying to forget about the weather.
The 7 year old girl let out a giggle, shaking her head. "You'll know when you see! Now walk a little faster if you're that curious!" The girl said, still giggling.
Uiharu notices him frowning. "Don't worry, senpai, it's only somewhere around the corner. It won't be long now." Uiharu encourages, her lithe figure skipping alongside Kuroko.
The girl seemed eager for this just as much as Kuroko. Whatever it is that made even someone as composed as the girl to be this giddy isn't exactly worth investigating. But that's all he has now, so he won't complain about it.
The 5 others knew immediately what these girls were referring to with just two words. It was like a magic word for them, for some reason. And they were more than baffled at the fact that he does not know what it means.
They didn't walk with them though, unfortunately, such as changing their attires and getting some more money. They have some business to attend first, but still promise to come a bit later.
The trio of kids pass the corner, where the place and the spot they were currently headed towards lay. His eyes narrowed as he saw it.
"That's it?"
The two stopped. Kuroko nodded. "Yep! That's it."
He sighed. "I shouldn't have agreed."
The other two laughed. Kuroko then pulled on the sleeve of his hoodie. Along with it, she told him something in a hushed voice. He looked down, annoyed. He didn't pull back, but he did start to walk slower.
He could remember cursing this place. He did it once, and here he is, doing it twice.
"Fuck the mall."
Normally, you would think, 'What kind of place let kids at the age of 7 purchase expensive shits unsupervised by proper adults?' And you would be right to assume such a thing. But then again, it's Academy City. The strangest city in the world.
The boy was dragged across the great shopping district. It was crowded, they had to carefully maneuver their way through it, passing by stores and people. Another thing to mention was the smell. The faint smell of fresh produce was drifting through the air. It was a bit more musky, however, and the boy thought that he might be allergic to it.
It was a nightmare.
Just then, he was reminded yet of another thing that he fears alot; shopping with girls. Especially girls who don't really have a shopping sense. Even worse, it involves shopping with kids.
He groaned at the back of the two girls, who were busy debating about which shoes have the best comfort and how they work as far as fitting.
Or about how he would look better if he would just cut his hair a certain way. He could NOT understand what was wrong with his appearance. Except for maybe his eyes, which could either be a blessing, a curse or maybe they are a mix of both.
They didn't seem to care about his obvious disinterest though, too busy occupying themselves with looks and other more obscure personal matters.
"Ne, senpai, what do you think of these socks?" Kuroko was holding up a pair of red socks, dangling one from her thumb.
He blinked at the amount of socks that she had in her basket. He had a feeling she'd not get tired of this until it filled the entire basket. Does she even wear them? Who the hell is paying for all these? Better her than him.
He has no sense when it comes to fashion, mostly because he can't seem to give a bloody damn. Shrugging it off was his only recourse. "We should look for others." He told her. It fell on deaf ears, again, unfortunately, as t
Kuroko immediately resorted to the Uiharu.
In the end, they made him carry the whole thing. Whether or not this was planned is unknown. But he was certain his only purpose here is to be their mere henchman.
"Hey, it's not like it's heavy!" Cried Kuroko.
"If it isn't, can't you hold it yourself?" He replied.
"It's ungentlemanly to burden a lady with such baggage." Was the girl's reply.
"But it's yours!" He protested. "At least take some, don't make me carry all of it."
"...That's besides the point."
After much groaning, he gives up. No use wasting his breath on people who will not listen. Had he not been taught by Aiho about situations like these, he would havegladly run and left them here along with their useless crap.
A flash of light from the side broke the three out of their ramblings. They looked over and saw familiar faces. One was holding a mobile phone, snickering to herself.
"Well, well, it's not everyday we see Hirano serving the ladies."
The girl wore a dark blue cardigan that was a bit bigger for her figure. Her pleated skirt reached just beneath her kneecaps. A dark beret sat atop of her bright blond hair. She looked a lot like the foreigners on TV.
A short girl ran up to the blond, body bent while holding onto the girl's shoulder for support. "Don't just run off like that, jeez." She said with uneven breath.
The blond apologetically looked at the girl before throwing her arms around her shoulder. The rest of the group walked over, a look of despair and disappointment washes through their faces at the sight of the many plastic bags their white haired friend had to endure, knowing that they'll be next in line for it.
The shapely boy gulped, braved up and made his move. "I think me and the boys are gonna bounce. Y'all can go shop or sum." The boy stated, the boys nodded.
That had the albino perked up. "Are you really gonna leave me alone with these maniacs?" He emphasizes the last part, as if the phrase alone, in his choice of words, was enough to crush the last bits of his soul and deliver it to their limbs, earning a groan and mocks from the girls.
The trim boy was just about to open his mouth, ready to defend their honour and dignity, when suddenly the albino pulled one of the nastiest glare he'd ever seen. The boy quickly moved his eyes to the floor, looking away with his forehead flooded with beads of sweat. "I will not suffer alone." The albino whispers.
They never knew how scary the albino could be until that moment. They had always been a friendly bunch, he simply was just a quiet guy, good at keeping his cool, and to a fault, even at times his friend. The albino took another deep breath, before handing out the bags, revealing a red mark on his pale skin. The sudden relief he felt on his palms can be described with one word; Heaven.
Whilst they were busy looking at the bag and the weight of it in their hands, the girls had already run off towards the store front. They sighed and he groaned, all in unison.
"Look at that blue sweater, it's so pretty!" Frenda exclaimed in a giddy tone.
Hirano approach. Not wanting for his burden to be any heavier, he began to protest. "You're already wearing one of the same colour, woman. Hold yourself and have some self-control, damn it."
"What do you mean? That one's azure blue. This one's navy blue!" She said while pointing at two different sweaters.
The statement that could only mean that they're of different colour has him confused for a second. He was never one to learn this type of stuff. So he tilted his head. "There's a difference?"
"Of course there is!" The short girl said exasperatedly. "You need to be educated with this stuff. It's very important, y'know? You'll thank us later." She smiled at her friend before, grabbing him by the wrist, scurrying off deeper into the store. The rest of them followed by. The boys sighed even harder.
"Now where do we start?" Frenda mused, her finger tapping her chin. Her eyes trailed across the arrays of clothing.
One of the four girls pulled a long tunic out of the clothing. It's white with small embroidery sewn onto the shirt, with some arrows and a red triangle. The girl shoved it into his arms. "Put it on." She said, smiling, as if she did not care for the atrocity she had chosen.
"What the fuck is this?" The albino hissed under his breath.
It was soft on the skin, yes, but just by glancing at the mere reflection of it on him, it was obvious that it would be a danger to him. His pride as a man would NOT allow him to wear this... abomination of a thing.
"What are you talking about? You look great!" The short girl said. Even he could tell that that was a lie.
"Try this instead!" Frenda shouted, snatching a black shirt and placing it on him, despite his objections.
"But I just-"
"Nu-uh, you wanted to learn, and we're teaching you." She answered, dragging him into a changing room. He resisted but the stubbornness of the brat, even he was surprised how hard she was fighting this.
And as if that's not enough, once he was out of the place, they began to analyze it all in a split second, pointing out the unnecessary and unflattering things. It made his skin crawl and how much they seemed to care about even the smallest of things.
After all that, they made him go through it all again. In and out of the small closet. Being poked and prodded, putting on new clothes that he wouldn't even wear for the rest of his life. And then critiqued the fuck out of it.
It was the exact same tragedy with his Guardian no more than quarter of a year ago. He can't believe God made him go through it all again the second time.
After who knows how long all this hell had gone by, the council of girls finally settled on a few garments for him.
They were of different colours. All of them are a different shade of black and white, which appears to be the only colour that suits him in any way at all.
A tug from his sleeve put him out of his long ongoing monologue. He turned and faced a certain face. "How was it?" Kuroko asked. "The fittings?"
"I'm not paying for it." He bluntly replied, tightening his hold on the strap of his bag.
"Don't worry, everyone agreed that they're all gifts." The girl reassured, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "And also," She added, grinning at him.
She pulled a plastic bag from her back. She was gonna pull the thing out before deciding against it. "Close your eyes." She commanded.
"Why?"
"Mama says that a gift is best served with a surprise." She replied, with a surprising sense of smoothness.
He didn't do it immediately, pausing out of suspicion that it was some sort of trick. Fearing that she might make him put on something else entirely again. He's changed his clothes enough times today.
"C'mon, just do it." Kuroko insisted.
His eyes twitched. He wanted to sigh, but he's done it and seen it so many times for the day that he just couldn't do it anymore. So he did as she asked.
He really is a big softie, isn't he? He questioned himself of how much he complied with these things. The old him would be very distressed by the whole idea.
He kept his eyes shut and tried his best not to make a fuss over it. He heard a rustling from the paper bag and it landed just beneath their feet, it's light as a feather.
And then there was something soft, almost like velvet. Warming, he let his head rest on the material, and he was pulled under the smell of musk and vanilla that seems to be wrapping itself around him.
"There." She exclaimed, patting his head.
Even if he were to open his eyes he still could barely see the thing. But it was white as well. He retracted his right hand from his pocket, feeling the soft material wrapping around his neck.
"A scarf?" He questioned, fingers tracing the slim neckline of the thing.
Kuroko nodded. "It's my gift for you!" She exclaimed, a brightness rising to her eyes.
His face sinks into the tight wool, his expression concealed by it. "What did I do for all this again?" He asked, feeling his own pulse quicken.
"Nothing. It's just a present." She shrugged, eyes twinkling.
He stood there, unable to express his feelings in any way. His gaze locked onto her figure as she was called by Uiharu, showing her a bright red blouse.
He didn't know what to make of her, Kuroko. She was already usually like this, an energetic child and in a way, beautiful. And he feels as if it was all over the place.
What was so special about today that made it all so different? He can't figure it out. All he knew was that he's glad she was around.
"See you all next Monday!" Kuroko shouted as the rest of the group turned onto a corner. Some waved at her, the others gave her a thumbs up and waved back.
Uiharu was the first to go back, having been called by her supervisor not to be back too late. It was already 6 in the evening.
Kuroko's car came to a stop just besides the road they stood on. She turned to face him. "You can put all these on the trunks." She said, nodding to the bag. Hirano was still wondering why he was holding all these.
After fitting it all on the trunks, he began to call it a day and walked the direction of his place. There was a beep from her car as it, again, came to a stop just besides him.
The window rolls down. "Come on in." She said, waving him in from the back seat.
"Wasn't your house supposed on the opposite direction?" He questioned, glancing at her driver.
"Don't worry. Mama and papa already knows of this."
"Knows of what?"
She flinched. If not the dim lighting of the interior he'd've noticed how she paled. "N-nothing." She stammers.
He stared in concern at her, wondering if there was something she was hiding. "J-just, get in." She demanded, slapping the leather seat with a loud thud.
He did so, she moved aside as he took a seat right next to her and closing the door with a quiet click. He settled his own bags onto the floor.
Kuroko was quiet for the majority of the ride. And so was he. She was leaning forward as if to take a good look at the road, while he leaned back.
It was a quiet evening. Nothing is spoken nor was there anything happening around the streets they were driving through. The majority of the area were well lit by the streetlights, and there were few pedestrians here and there, coming and going.
The car came to a stop near the parking lot of his apartment. He held onto his bags, the door unlocked and he got out. He was confused when Kuroko came out as well.
"Aren't you gonna home?"
"Don't worry about it." Was all she said before she walks off ahead of him, coming to a half just by the entrance.
There was something weird about her behavior. In fact, she was all weird for the whole day. It was like she was on a mood swing. She went from a happy, being sweet, to whatever this is.
Was this a phase?
And now that he thinks about it, she sounded rather on edge earlier. Something is clearly bothering her.
He frowned, keeping it in mind as he walked towards the entrance as well. "Is there something on your mind?" He asked as he unlocked the front door.
She shook her head. He doubted it. There was a buzz from the door. They entered and walked through the corridor, into the elevator. Again, she was silent.
"Seriously. Are you okay?"
"Yes." He could hear her gulp.
He eyed her with clear suspicion. She sunked into the far side of the elevator. He fixed his scarf, adjusting it a little. He opened his mouth before deciding not to say anything else.
The elevator halts. He got out and she followed as well. The hallway suddenly feels as if though it was absorbing sound.
It was even quieter here, as if they're in an isolated cave.
He pulled out his key card and swiped it on the door. Its unlocked. He grabbed onto the handle and opened it, moving aside and allowing the girl come in first.
She did, excusing herself before rushing in. He followed suit and find the place to be absolutely dark. There was no light in the place.
He closed the door behind him and noticed Kuroko's shoes. They were already off but he couldn't seem to find where the girl went. Had she gone ahead? Well that's just rude.
He entered the living room, looking for the light switch. He flipped it and was greeted by an obnoxious amount of light.
"SURPRISE!" Came a shout so loud, accompanied by a small explosion, his very ears almost burst
He turned around, his eyes stricken with fear. His heart very nearly leapt from his chest. There was at least 50 people in the place. Kuroko was among them.
Confettis of varying size was in abundance, covering the room, falling and littering the place with it's soft smatter.
A massive text saying 'happy birthday' atop the room, all in a hundred of different colours. Several other words were painted all over the wall, seeming to have been done in some form of childlike lettering.
"What the hell is going on?!" Hirano exclaimed in utter disbelief.
Yomikawa Aiho stepped out of the crowd, singing this weird little tune with a party hat on. On her hand was a cake, the candles shaped like a number '10'. The rest of them followed suit, chanting in.
"Happy birthday to you!" Was all they're saying, he can only stand, staring in confusion. He'd only realized now that this is supposed to be a form of celebration. He's seen one on a tape before.
Eventually, Aiho brought the cake before him. The singing stopped. "Make a wish!" She told him.
He looked at the cake. It was a beautifully decorated multi layered chocolate cake, with ten different coloured candles on top. There were hearts engraved on the front of it. It was the most attractive cake he'd ever seen.
Not only that, but when he looked around, he could see the decorations he'd once seen in some big movies. You know, those scenes with the lush decoration and moving vehicles whizzing about in front of the big trees. Just like that.
He doesn't want to think of how much money nor the amount of efforts put into all of this. All for a mere temporary celebration. Just for a child who turned 10.
He tensed up a little. "Why do all this?" He asked out. Aiho tilted her head. "Why do all this? It's a waste. It's not worth it. We don't even know if today was even supposed to be the day."
His guardian, Yomikawa Aiho smiled softly. "Why not? It's an important milestone for you."
"I don't get it." He muttered. The words came out much harsher than he'd hoped. But it is the truth. Why celebrate the day when all his problems started?
"That's fine. Just know that it means a lot to all of us." Aiho pats him. "Everyone took part in doing this. You're our friend, we've got your back, got it?"
He still doesn't understand. Maybe he won't ever. There was nothing significant to it, but the fact still remains. They're all here because they wanted to.
And that meant something to him.
He never knew that many people actually give a damn about his birthday when he himself couldn't even recall its date. He felt his own tears well up and it's coldness caressing his cheeks.
He nodded and blew on the candle. His wish was to payback everyone for every good they've done for him.
New Chapter Next Week!
