Rebound (Kagakuro)

Chapter Seven

Kagami

"Alright, settle down, everyone," Sensei instructed, a big smile plastered on his face. "We got a new student coming in today. So I hope you'll treat him nicely."

"A new student?" I heard Kuroko muttered.

I felt nervous for some reason, and I knew deep down inside of me I was hoping it would be Tatsuya, a childhood friend of mine back in America. Like I told Kuroko, I bumped into him earlier that day and he mentioned about registering into a new school. Was it just a coincidence now that sensei was telling us about a new student?

I crossed my fingers, hoping for the best. I mean, if it really was Tatsuya, I can imagine the fun basketball days we could have together. Just like how it was before!

Three of us could be friends!

I saw Kuroko turning his head towards me from the corner of my eye, but I was too busy focusing on sensei, silently waiting for him to ask the new student to come in.

"You can come in now!" He finally announced, and the wooden door slid open.

My disappointment rose when I realised it wasn't who I expected it to be. I sighed heavily, mentally slapping myself for hoping too much. Damn, I was stupid.

"Alright, you may introduce yourself."

"Thank you, sensei," The tall boy smiled at the old man before facing us with a confident look on his face.

"Nice meeting all of you," He greeted. "My name's Kise Ryota. I'll be in your care from today onwards!"

I scoffed when I noticed some of the girls sighing in admiration. Sure, he looked good, but I was pretty sure there were other better looking guys than him.

I was about to say something to Kuroko, before choking on my words when I saw him staring widely at the new student. His blue eyes were wide, mouth agape and a confused look on his face.

"Kuroko?" I knudged his elbow lightly, bringing him back to reality. He blinked a few times before furrowing his eyebrows.

"You okay?"

He nodded his head without saying a word, but something about him told me he knew this guy. He knew Kise Ryota.

I decided not to pry any further. If there was anything important or special about that new guy, Kuroko wouldn't hesitate to tell me about it. I'll just wait for now.

"What's your hobby, Kise-kun?" A girl seated around the middle of the class asked, her voice all giggly and annoying. I scoffed again.

"Basketball!" The yellow-haired answered quite cheerfully. "I love basketball. I played with Kurokocchi once."

I caught his eyes looking straight at the quiet boy next to me. Kuroko only smiled a small smile, but no one in class seemed to notice him. I sighed in disappointment.

"Thank you for the introduction, Kise Ryota," Sensei chuckled, patting the guy on the back. "You may take a seat over there."

The new student thanked him one last time before heading towards his new seat, which was three tables away from mine. I don't know why, but something about him was making me uneasy already. I need to talk to Kuroko later. I just hoped that new blond boy wouldn't steal him away.

• • •

Break time came faster than I thought, and just like how I predicted, Kise Ryota was quick enough to approach Kuroko before I could, even though I was only right next to him. I cursed under my breath, glaring daggers at him. He didn't seem to notice me though, only talking sweetly to Kuroko.

"It's good to see you again, Kurokocchi!"

I cringed a little inside.

"Kise-kun," Kuroko smiled. "What are you doing here? I mean, why did you transfer from
Kaijo?"

Blondie sighed, but he remained a sad smile. "It's a long story, I'll tell you one day."

When he finally turned his head and made eye contact with me, he frowned. His eyes somehow showed annoyance, but I should be the one annoyed right now!

"You're the one with Kurokocchi that day, aren't you?" He questioned.

"That's Kagami-kun, and yes he was the one with me that day. But I already told you, Kise-kun. He didn't do anything wrong."

Kise wasn't listening to him though, his angry eyes remained glued on mine.

"You made him cry, didn't you?"

Cry? Was he talking about that day... when I asked about his relationship with —

"No, he didn't." Kuroko was slightly annoyed now, judging from his tone of voice. I didn't know what to say. Kuroko cried?

"Alright, alright, fine," Kise finally gave up. "But if I find out that he really was the reason you broke down that day, I'll kill him."

"He's a good person, Kise-kun."

"Fine."

I didn't like how the conversation was going. This new guy only transferred a few hours ago and was already accusing me of making Kuroko upset. How long have they known each other? That thought pained me a little.

"Excuse me, I'm gonna... I'm gonna go for a walk." I mumbled before getting up, leaving the two alone as I walked out of the classroom and towards a little garden in the school compound. There wasn't that many students around, so I decided to sit on a nearby bench. Maybe getting some air could cool me down a little.

A few months have passed since I transferred here, and so far things were still going well. I've managed to familiarize myself with the school, and I've made new friends. The senpais from the basketball team were strict, but they could be playful at times. It's good. I enjoyed it there.

"Kagami-kun!"

I opened my eyes to see Kuroko standing right in front of me, panting a little. I flashed him a confused look.

"Kuroko? What are you doing here?"

He blushed a little. "Well, I was worried. I'm sorry for what happened back there. Kise-kun can be quite... annoying sometimes."

I chuckled lightly. "Sometimes."

"I'm fine, Kuroko," I continued. "Don't worry about me. My head hurts, that's all."

He only nodded his head, then turned to leave. Before he could go any further though, I called out to him. He turned his head, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"I'm sorry."

He smiled. "It's not your fault, Kagami-kun."

I only returned a weak smile.