insouciant || ON HIATUS

ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟜

Mamoru stood in line with the other students, dressed in basketball shorts and a T-shirt. He'd packed sporty clothing for something like this, but he didn't actually think he'd use them. If anything, he thought he would join the track team.

"First up is the placement test."

He was already started to regret this. He'd zoned out when the two adults in front of him introduced themselves.

"Only the first string gets to play in the regular games as part of our regular roster," the man let them know sternly. His arms were crossed, giving off an imposing look.

There was a whisper of disbelief.

"I hear no one makes the first string in these tests," someone whispered in despair.

"Seriously? So second string at best??"

Mamoru sighed quietly. He saw a flash of light blue and instinctively looked at the deviant color to see Kuroko. He was standing on the right side, two rows in front of him.

There was a warm-up lap first. 15 laps around the gym, which was a full sized court. Mamoru had no trouble with that, but he saw Kuroko struggling by the 3rd lap.

Something in his chest clenched and he slowed down. He didn't run as fast as the others who were aiming for something better than 3rd string.

Why would he try so hard for a sport he'd never even thought about?

Kuroko saw him running in front of him and pushed himself to be a little faster. There was something in his blue eyes that screamed determination. Seeing this, Mamoru pushed himself a little harder every time he got too close, silently encouraging him.

Before they knew it, laps were over and it was time for basketball drills.

Passing, tossing, everything in between and under, he learned on the fly. He regarded the leather ball with interest, spinning the ball on his index to test the weight and balance. Basketball was certainly a different feeling. If qualifiers were this bad, how much worse would the actual training be?

When the hellish sorting trial was over, everyone lined up in a block, panting and drenched with sweat. Mamoru wasn't as tired, but he didn't try as hard.

"I'm announcing the test results!" The head walked to the front, holding a clipboard. He'd seen him and another person writing notes, probably to determine who made it into what string. "First, the 3rd string. Line up in front of the 3rd string coach when your name is called."

"#2, Nobuo Saito."

#3, Yukihara Jin"

"#4, Kazuhito Nakazawa."

"#10, Hiromichi Fujita."

"#12, Yuji Takagiku."

"#13, Shirai Mamoru."

Mamoru glided over to the 3rd string line, shooting Kuroko a glance. Around him, the boys gave him a look of disbelief. He looked like a model more than an athlete, which didn't surprise them on why he only made 3rd string.

The adult announced many more names. There was an overwhelming amount that made it into the 3rd string, emphasizing how difficult it was to make it to a higher level.

"#31, Kuroko Tetsuya."

Mamoru let out a sigh of relief. If Kuroko didn't make it to the 3rd string, he would've considered quitting. Kuroko was the easiest person to get along with since he was naturally quiet.

"That is all," the man declared. "Next, second string."

He called more names, notably less than the 3rd string. But when he started to announce 1st string names, everyone stopped and stared.