𝚂𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 ♕ ʜᴀɴᴀᴍɪʏᴀ ♚

15

Saturday came and so did the unavoidable game. Since Kou wasn't officially on the team, she couldn't stay at the bench by the court. The girl got herself a spot on the bleachers, close enough to hear everything that was going down. The game progressed just as she predicted, Komagi dangerously treading on Teiko's heels. By the third quarter was over, her school took the lead after Imayoshi's skilful throw; they were winning by two points. The game wasn't easy; even Hanamiya had to do some running and Kou could see he was clearly tired by the way his swift moves began to get sloppier.

The bleachers went wild as Komagi got themselves another throw, low leading by the difference of 4 points. The girl smirked at the thought that probably most people came here to see an inevitable defeat by the hands of no other but the famous Teiko team and it was a nice turn of the events to see otherwise.

Only 5 minutes separated them from their anticipated victory but with the sound of the judge's whistle, Kou had to double-take to make sure she saw right. There was a change in Taiko's team. Not one. That wouldn't be a catastrophe. Her team could easily adjust to a new player; she thought them well. The thing was that two players were being replaced. Haizaki was sent back to the bench, cursing loudly and, to Kou's shock, the very captain of Teiko's team, Nijimura Shözö.

Leaving all her stuff behind, Miho rushed to somehow get to the court. Calculating all the possibilities of the outcome of changing the players, the girl rushed down, a loud scream of the crowd following her as she left for the hallways. Unfortunately, the security didn't want to let her in. Feeling rather desperate, Kou saw a mop of your classmate's hair and waved at him.

"Oi! Keiji!"

The boy didn't notice her too preoccupied with the current state of affairs on the court, not even her biggest efforts making him turn in Kou's direction.

"Miss? You can't be here." One of the guards informed as he tried to make her leave.

"Do you have any— just let me through!" The girl barked. "I'm— I'm— fuck. I'm their manager, okay?" Kou grasped the material of her sweater and pushed the emblem in the guard's face.

The men exchanged a look, before reluctantly letting her in. However, as soon as Kou entered the loud area, she heard a whistle. The game was over. She glanced at the board.

"How on earth—" She muttered a deep frown creasing her forehead.

The score whirled into her mind, mocking her. A loud roaring sound echoed through the hall as the crowd cheered on Teiko's victory. Miho's eyes scanned the court, before resting on a group of wax-still figures on her right. The Teiko team was strangely indifferent, some of them wiping their faces with towels, the other drinking water, all in complete silence. They all were not fazed by their victory. Kou's mind focused on them, all of the background's sounds blurring into a silent buzz. She watched as if in slow motion as they left for the locker rooms, a mop of the familiar, redhead turned to her. Akashi's lips curled in a small smile before disappearing behind the exit doors. He got her good and made sure that she knew that.

That day something hardened in Miho, making it plainly obvious to her that no matter what she did, she just couldn't get what she wanted, in the way that would make people happy. There was more to life than she was aware of until now. Kou weighed her options, her mind already turning into its own devices, she waited in the hallway for Hanamiya. Now it felt amusing that the two of them wanted to win so badly.

'Putting all the fair-play and all above it...' A growing voice in her head mocked. 'Teamwork. Ha!'

'I wanted to have fun.' Came a meek reply.

'There are better way's to have fun, love.' The voice snorted, now stronger, pushing her consciousness aside.

"Miho?"