Changed (KNB Fan Fiction : Haizaki Shogo)

:Chapter Twenty-Six:

He jumped, shot the ball, and in just a heart beat, it entered the net with a swish just before the buzzer went off.

Everyone was frozen. The whole place was silent.

They couldn't believe that Fukuda Sogo won because the opponent they were against was a nationally strong team that always got a place in the top ten in the Winter Cup. Fukuda Sogo may be a nationally strong team, but these past few years we've been declining in the ranks. So when we won today, I finally could say that if it weren't for Haizaki-kun, we could've lost. We could've lost that chance to fight again.

When it finally sinked in, the team roared as they cheered. My lips slowly formed into a smile as my eyes watered because of happiness. I couldn't contain these feelings so it overflowed through my eyes. The coach had his lips form into a proud smirk with his hands crossed on his chest. The captain was with the team that was surrounding a certain ash-head who kept his usual scowl but couldn't hide his own happiness.

He was happy. His lips were forcing to scowl but the emotions were obviously overwhelming. Some players put aside their annoyance towards him and tried to be friendly. Some ruffled his hair while others gave him a pat on the back, congratulating him for the buzzer beater.

"Good job, Haizaki." Ishida-senpai said and the ash-head said nothing. He stood there acting bored.

The team approached the bench, giving those who sat a high five. When they saw me, they also gave me a high five. "Good job, manager."

"Huh?" I looked at them confused. "I did nothing."

They shook their head, disagreeing with what I thought. "Just being here is enough. Your notes and observations are also very helpful."

I blushed. I was useful. As useless I thought I was because I have no enough knowledge about basketball, I was actually useful to them. I thought the notes were useless because they looked like they weren't notes to be given to basketball players, but the notes I did were very helpful.

I suddenly got motivated to work harder. To work harder and be of use again.

But the feeling wasn't just for the team per se. It was for a certain ash-head. I felt my cheeks flush.

Why am I feeling like this? It's just Haizaki-kun. I never felt like this before, especially with a delinquent who would sometimes say mean things.

"Hey." I suddenly heard a very familiar voice that sent my heart beating loudly like a drum. My cheeks flared into a deep shade of red, embarrassment filling inside me. I think he could hear my heartbeat.

I slowly turned, wishing that it wasn't him. But disappointment replaced that hopeful feeling when I saw his usual bored look. "Good work." He said.

I blinked. "What? Why?"

His eyebrows furrowed, his face contorted into a confused look. "What do you mean 'why'? Because you did a good job with the manager jobs? What other reason will I say that for?"

I shrugged, still confused. "Um, not sure."

He scowled. "Whatever."

"Hey, you two!" Someone suddenly called for our attention. Haizaki-kun and I turned our heads to him. "The captain said we should celebrate. We'll be eating out."

My eyes sparkled but Haizaki-kun didn't look excited or happy by the news. I knew he'd decline so when Haizaki-kun opened his mouth, I immediately spoke, drowing his voice with my own. "We'll go."

Haizaki-kun shot his attention right back at me. His scowl was scarier than the other days (I think) but I stood my ground. "We'll go." I said again.