The Wager (Kuroko no Basket)

Phase 8: Bond During the Summer

Summer comes and passes by all too quickly. I savored my time off from managing everyday after school, but that time is quickly coming to an end. There's only a week left of break. I'd better brace myself to start working. I'm nearly done with my summer homework at least. I stare out the window from my bed. Damn. I feel exhausted. Just as I'm about to get ready to sit up and start working, my cellphone goes off. Happy to have a distraction, I roll over and grab my cellphone. I pick up after glancing at the caller I.D. "Hello, this is Tsukino speaking," I say. "Did you need something, Kise?"

"Kimikocchi, don't speak so formally! Let's go to the beach together!" Kise says cheerily on the other side.

"I assume that you're all done with your summer homework?" I reply as I sit up in bed. It's mostly a rhetorical question, but he's free to answer if he wants to.

"Well..." he begins.

I sigh. "I'll take it as a 'no.'" I'd predicted as much, actually. "Call me again when you finish all the homework. I'll consider going to the beach after that."

"Alright," he grumbles. He hangs up and I put my phone down.

"Well, I'd better finish up too," I say to myself. I get to work immediately.

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It's been a few days, and I haven't heard back from Kise, but whatever. My book is better than he is. My cellphone goes off and I glance at it before picking up. "Hello, this is Tsukino speaking," I greet. "Is something wrong, Kasamatsu-senpai?"

"Have you seen that idiot Kise recently?" Kasamatasu asks.

"I can't say that I have," I reply. "How come?"

"I've been calling him to remind him that practice is starting in a few days, but he hasn't been picking up or responding to anyone's messages," Kasamatsu replies. "You two have that thing going on, so maybe he'll respond if it's you."

I frown. By now, the whole team knows about the wager I made with Kise, so I'm always getting excuses like, "well, if it's you, then he might listen since he asked you out" and such, but since it's Kasamatsu saying it this time, I suppose that it's safe to assume that he's not trying to be lazy.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do," I reply. It's not like I can refuse. There's no good reason to. Besides, he's an upperclassman.

"Thanks," he replies, "Sorry for all the trouble."

"Not at all," I reply. I hang up.

I call Kise next and he doesn't pick up on the first ring like I expected him to. I get sent to voicemail instead. I hang up and sigh. I'll give him a hour to reply, if he doesn't, I suppose that I'll just go to his house. I go back to reading.

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An hour passes and Kise doesn't reply, so I go all the way to his house. Now that I'm actually here though, it's a different story. It's strange for me to just go to his house like this. I sigh. I can't think of a way around this though. I ring the doorbell and wring my hands as I wait. The person who answers the door is Kise's sister. "Oh, it's you. The girl Ryou brought home last time."

I nod. "I'm Tsukino, Kimiko, the manager of Kaijo's basketball club," I explain, "Can I talk to him right now? The captain said that he hasn't been responding to anyone's calls."

She smiles. "Oh, that. A few days ago, he got really pumped up about finishing his summer homework suddenly and told us not to bother him until he finished," she explains. "He's been in his room for the last few days." She winks at me. "If you're the one bothering him, I don't think that he'll mind though. I'll show you to his room."