In My Shadow | KNB ✔️

Take 15

"Ah, Akihito-onii-san," Tetsuya called out as he saw his brother's lone figure down the alleyway. The younger Kuroko was walking to the changing room with his team, and although he knew Kirisako Daiichi was part of the teams playing in the preliminaries, he hadn't expected to see the older so soon.

Akihito lifted his head from his notebook, the pen in his hand twirled around his fingers in a used practice before he stopped its spinning, keeping it lodged between his thumb and pointer finger.

"Tetsuya," he acknowledged, taking slightly longer strides as he closed the gap between himself and the Seirin team. His blank face easily let place for his actor mask— something Mako-chan had told him to do when he first came into contact with an opposing team.

Something about making let their guard down.

If Tetsuya noticed the unusual mild look on his brother's face, he didn't point it out. He returned the older's greeting with a ghost of a smile before turning to face his curious and— vigilant? Was that vigilance he saw in their eyes?

Tetsuya felt slightly put off by their reaction, not understanding why his Seniors would put their guard up the moment they spotted his brother. Sure he was on an opposing team, but it didn't warrant the obvious hostility some of them displayed. He frowned.

"Is that your team, Tetsuya?" Akihito asked in a mellow voice, his eyes gleaming with a soft light yet there was a type of barely concealed beastiality under his gaze. His golden irises swept over the players with ease, his gaze turned sweeter with the seconds as he looked them up and down.

Although he was shorter than all of the players, sans Tetsuya, the Seirin team couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated under his dissecting gaze. "Seirin, was it?" he rhetorically asked, his gaze lingering on their red and white jersey for a second before he glanced up to look at their captain.

Hyuga barely refrained himself from strangling the overly friendly blue head in front of him. "Yes, that would be us," he answered with gritted teeth, his smile stiff and twitching as he kept his hands in tight, closed fists.

The second-year's eyes swept the blue head's dark green sportswear, zeroing on the school crest on his chest. "You're from Kirisaki Daiichi, aren't you?" he uttered, almost spatted. The more he saw that hypocritical face smiling his sickeningly fake smile, the more he felt like hitting him.

He itched to do so, but he knew better. If he hit someone from another team he could get suspended, they wouldn't risk it.

Akihito's eyes flashed with genuine pleasant surprise and his smile turned a tad more genuine as he answered the raven head. "Yes," he nodded, turning around to show off his school's name that was written on his back. "Kirisaki Daiichi High's Manager," he introduced, holding his hand out for a polite handshake.

Hyuga really wanted to hit his hand away. His smile grew stiffer. "Seirin's Captain," he managed to state.

Akihito gave a light smile, he knew that already. "Oh, I remember you," he said in very faked surprise, and Tetsuya who looked at them easily saw it. "Hyuga Junpei, right?"

The raven stiffly nodded, Akihito's eyes flashed with excitement, his mask slowly falling to reveal his true thoughts. "Kuroko Akihito, I am Tetsuya's older brother," he said, sweeping his delighted gaze over the rest of the Seirin team as he began to probe them.

"I know."

Akihito hummed, looking at the captain in wonder, he hadn't caught his mumbling just now. "Pardon me?"

Hyuga exhaled, calming his rage he managed a much more convincing beam. "I said, I remember you too."

Akihito's whole aura brightened, yet his face remained just as blank as before. "Oh my, really? That's great, I wasn't sure that you would remember us. After all, we didn't make much of an impression since we lost," he easily admitted, his eyes overflowing with laughter.

"Yes, your team left a heavy impression," Hyuga articulated.

Akihito beamed his most beautiful and well-executed beam. "Isn't that great?" his eyes shifted to look at Tetsuya, ignoring Hyuga's seething, he gently patted his brother's head. "I'll see you later Tetsuya," he bade, his face morphing back to its default expression.

The younger Kurko nodded, his gaze flickered from his Captain to his brother for a second. "Okay, Akihito-onii-san," he agreed with a nod.

Akihito's thin lips stretched into a ghost of a smile, his eyes twinkling with adoration. "Let's go home together, yeah?" he proposed. "It's been a while since we had the occasion to," his eyes slid over the Seirin players one last time, lingering on one tall figure a second too long before he nodded. "Now then, I'll see you all later," he bade as he resumed his walk down the corridor.

Tetsuya observed his brother's figure with minute scrutiny. He hadn't expected Akihito to ask him to go home together, he felt mildly happy. But— his blue eyes shifted to his Seniors, he frowned. There was something unnatural about the way his team reacted to his brother.

No, it was more accurate to say that the way they reacted to his brother's High School was odd. He silently gazed at his Captain as he exhaled a relieved breath before comfortingly patting Kiyoshi's shoulder.

The Uncrowned King gave his friend a careless smile to dismiss his worry before they resumed their walk to the changing rooms.

He noted how unnerved they acted, the worried and dubious glance sent his way, and how they refrained from badmouthing his older brother. It was abnormal.

He didn't think Akihito was the scary type. Sure, his staring could make one uncomfortable, but it wasn't to the point where people would cower in front of him. He wasn't particularly tall or aggressive either, compared to Kagami, Akihito truly looked like a weakling.

There was a fundamental difference between Akihito, the actor who had zero to no stamina, and Seirin's basketball team that was composed of sportsmen.

Riko was the one to break the uncomfortable silence as they entered the changing room. "Your brother's team," she began, and Tetsuya knew she was talking to him. "Have you ever seen them play?"

Tetsuya set his bag down on the bench. "I haven't," he evenly answered. "Akihi— my brother and I, until recently we didn't get along very well," he explained. "And we usually don't talk about basketball, Akihito-onii-san really hates the sport."

Riko bit her thumb, muttering to herself in understanding.

"He hates basketball?" Kagami asked in surprise. "Whoah, brothers can really be different then," he acknowledged.

Tetsuya shook his head. "Well, he doesn't hate it," he corrected. "He dislikes how I play to be on the team," he explained.

Riko heaved a sigh, catching the younger's attention. "Listen up Kuroko, Kirisaki Daiichi, they aren't a good team— they play dirty."

Tetsuya stilled. "Dir—ty?"

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