Looking for a Miracle | Kuroko no Basket

29. Gone

Looking for a Miracle
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Gone

Summer came, and it was time for the preliminaries.

They didn't need training.

They were just so strong. There was no chance they would lose anything - or that there would ever be such thing as a close game.

Momoi and I watched from the sidelines, our hands locked for some small act of comfort as we watched our friend devastate the court, winning by hundred goal margins and not letting the opposition score in the double digits. They were strong, overwhelmingly strong, but they weren't playing as a team. One person got hold of the ball, and then they'd score seconds later. They didn't need help. They were cold, ruthless, and crushed all opposition, since there was no competitors worthy of their time.

The only worthy opponents they had were themselves.

In the final match of the preliminaries to get to nationals, the opposition might as well have not existed and, if they had, they were just irritating little flies compared to their real competition.

They were having a competition with each other to see who could score the most points.

Momoi, Kuroko, and I watched in horror as the match unfolded, and the other team was visibly shaken with the way they had been treated. I was all too relieved when the match ended.

Kuroko confronted them as the team exited the building, Momoi and I trailing behind. They were arguing, the others being shockingly blasé about the entire event.

My eyes dropped to stare at my shoes as I shuffled along, not paying attention to any of my surroundings.

"Look out!" someone said, though lightly with a small hint of laughter.

I blinked and looked up at the voice, and saw I had run into a tall high school boy with light hair, and a good-natured warmth in his face. I caught sight of the jacket he was wearing - the name Seirin was printed on the front.

I was aware that my eyes were faintly misty, and quickly blinked the evidence away. "I'm sorry," I murmured.

His expression changed instantly, and he frowned. "Hey, are you okay?"

I smiled, though aware it probably looked fake. "Just fine." I noticed that his team was looking at me oddly (no doubt to the Teiko jumper I was wearing), and that I'd fallen a fair way behind the others. I stepped back. "Good luck for your match!" I called, and ran back to fall into step beside Momoi.

Not long after I was next to Momoi again, Kuroko paused and bent down to pick something up.

"What's the matter, Kuroko?" Midorima asked.

Kuroko held out the object he'd picked up. "That's a student ID. It belongs to one of the high schoolers we just passed, they're probably already playing in the first gymnasium. May I return it to them?"

His eyes swept to Akashi as he spoke.

"Understood," the captain said. "We're having a meeting after this, so hurry back. Momoi, go with him."

"I'll go too," I volunteered, as was quick to follow my two friends to the gymnasium the team was playing in.

"Oh no, has the match already started," Momoi noted as we entered, and saw two teams battling out on court. My eyes widened. It was the same team I had run into - Seirin, that was playing. "We can't give it back to them now... maybe we could leave it with a staff member and have them return it later for us... Tetsu-kun?"