Six miracles: Crossed paths

Chapter 14 || Kaijo High

Kaijo High

Akira crammed a few extra towels into her backpack. Today was an important day for the Seirin basketball team. And her. This was the first match Seirin would be playing against one of the gom.

In truth, Akira had no idea why Kuroko picked Seirin. A small nagging voice in her head demanded justification for picking an obscure place when there were better options available. Unfortunately, Akira could not play in the upcoming match, however Kuroko was part of the lineup. But she had done her part and helped Riko with all the arrangements. If Seirin won, it would be enough to quell at least some of her doubts. She didn't want to think about what would happen if they lost.

Kuroko genuinely believed that they would win. She didn't want to see his hopes dashed so soon. His words still echoed in more than one head.

'I am serious.'

Akira swung her backpack over her shoulder. She had to get the bonafide from school before they could leave, so she had to be a bit early. However, once she reached the office, Akira found that it wasn't ready yet. She sat outside the office, fiddling with her phone. On impulse, she sent a text to Yukiji.

'What position is Aquarius in today?'

As an afterthought, she sent another message.

'And Leo too.'

Akira's phone began to buzz almost immediately. Yukiji was calling.

"Hello?"

"What on earth's wrong?" hissed Yukiji.

"Nothing. And what's with that tone?"

"Practice is about to start. Anyway, is there a problem? Why do you want Sora's position as well?"

"What? Nah... It's for a teammate."

"Teammate?"

"Yeah. We're having a practice match against Kaijo."

"You're meeting so soon?"

Akira was about to reply, when she heard Yukiji curse softly on the other end. The call ended abruptly. Akira shut her phone. The coach must have arrived. This reminded Akira, that there was a good chance they would be late if the delay persisted.

Akira finally received the certificate and raced to meet the others at the bus stop. Luckily for her, Riko seemed to preoccupied to lecture her. The team boarded the bus, and took their seats. Akira noticed that Kuroko was seated with Kagami and huffed.

"The traitor has already forgotten about me..."

Kagami seemed to be in a horrible state. His hair was messed up, and it was obvious that he had taken minimum effort to tame it. There were small bags under his eyes, and he kept leaning precariously forward in his seat, looking like he was ready to fall asleep at any moment.

"Someone seems to be in top form," said Akira.

Kagami turned in her direction, but his eyes didn't focus on her. He shifted his gaze abstractly a few seconds later, making her anxious. "You okay? Can you really play?" questioned Akira. She didn't receive a reply. She looked at Kuroko who gave her a reassuring smile. Akira kept her misgivings to herself.

Thankfully, Kagami's eyes seemed to regain their fire once they saw the Kaijo campus. He gave a subdued chuckle, making Akira doubt his sanity.

The Kaijo campus was huge. Akira could make out the grand football stadium at a distance. The atmosphere reminded her of Teiko, and she felt a pang as she remembered that the twins used to be on the soccer team. She hadn't spoken to either of them since their last day at Teiko.

Akira saw someone running towards them, shouting. Even from a distance, Akira could make out Kise's blonde hair. He bypassed all the players, and came to a halt in front of Kuroko. Akira rolled her eyes as Kise let out a few of his classic deredere dialogues. Finally, Kuroko said, "Stop being sarcastic."

A strange glint shone in Kise's eyes, making Akira shudder. She was reminded of his little speech on the day he came to Seirin. He had had no problems acknowledging them as opponents, in spite of his theatrics.

Kise then turned to Kagami, and a short, heated dialogue took place. Akira had no idea why they had to go over the gist of their feud again. Neither of them looked like he had forgotten.

"Ryou-kun, why are you here again?" reminded Akira.

Kise began to smile again, and he brushed off Kagami. "Like I said, I don't want you guys to get lost."

"Oh really?"

"I don't want to be the acquaintance of the oddball who strays into unsuspecting practice sessions-su."

"Meanie!" exclaimed Akira.

"Does he always talk this much..." said Riko.

"I do," said Kise brightly, "Some say my energy is part of my charm."
"Do your job, moron," said Akira.

"Step this way please!"

The Seirin team was greeted by an odd sight. The court was divided into two by a net. On the other side, people were still playing.

"What is this?" said Riko, "Did we catch them unawares--"

"Coach, I swear I reminded them!" interrupted Akira hastily, "I did everything you asked. I promise!"

"I know, kouhai..." said Riko, "I just don't understand..."

The team was curtly informed by the coach that they would be playing half-court, and it did not sit well with them. Akira could feel Riko emitting a dangerous aura. Around her, the senpais were muttering something under their breath. To add fuel to the fire, Kise wasn't allowed to play. He chose to be smug about the whole issue, stating that if they couldn't give the lineup a hard time, they would never have any chance of defeating the g.o.m. His parting shot at the team, rankled in everyone's heart.

Akira stood outside the changing room with Riko. Riko was scouring the crowd with her eyes, trying to locate the starters. She had a murderous expression on her face. Akira's phone beeped and Riko raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry, senpai! I'll put it on silent right away."

Akira mentally cursed whoever sent the text. It was from Yukiji. Yukiji had sent her the Oha-asa positions. Akira gasped. The last few lines of the text had caught her eye.

'...I told Shintaro about the match, and he said he would come if he has nothing to do. Judging by that, he's definitely going to turn up. I'll come too. Good luck to your team, baka.'

It looked like she was in for a little reunion, whether she liked it or not.

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A/N:
Minna-san, sorry for the filler chapter!
I was a bit busy, and hence the hasty update. I'll try to get into a more regular schedule soon.

:)