The Seventh Prodigy (Kuroko no Basket fanfiction)

Take Sixteen: Return of the Emperor

Before Mikami could pay, an arm reached out behind her and paid for her milkshake instead.

She felt a tremor run up her spine without even knowing who it is. She looked back and stared in his eyes like a deer in headlights.

I can't believe it... He's really...!

Mikami found herself struggling on what to call him. He just stared right back at her with a placid face as if giving her time to figure it out herself.

"Aka—" She began, but stopped when she remembered something.

"I will allow you, and only you, to address me by my given name." He had said.

"...Seijūrō?"

A fraction of a smile tugged at his lips before vanishing just as fast as it came, "How have you been?"

That was surprisingly...normal. Mikami didn't know what to expect from the changed redhead, but so far, it doesn't seem like he's changed much from his Teikō freshman year.

Except the eyes, of course.

"Um... fine! Nothing out of the ordinary, haha...." She mentally slapped herself, she has never been in a conversation this nerve-wracking her entire life. She quickly sipped on her milkshake, as if swallowing down her nerves, too.

"Souka." Akashi says as he started walking away, however gesturing Mikami to follow.

His speech was much more casual than his old self, as if not caring what others think anymore.

It could be somehow... a change for him.

He's not mentioning anything about me or the other guys.... Mikami thought, Akashi was always unpredictable, before or after this happened. No one can ever know what he's thinking.

"Well, don't you have games today, Sei?" She caught up to his pace quickly and attempts to continue the conversation. He glances at her over his flowing jacket that's acting like a cape over his shoulders.

"Rakuzan is currently having a match against Yōsen." He says plainly.

"Eh?! Then don't you need to be there?" She says in slight surprise. Surely Akashi would need to be one of the players to win against Murasakibara.

As if knowing what she's thinking, he replies, "I told Atsushi not to play in this match."

"Oh." She looks on the floor in front of her as she walks. She wasn't there when it happened, but from what Momoi told Mikami, Akashi suddenly changed in the middle of the one-on-one against Murasakibara, which he was losing on.

And ever since then, he ruled everything with an iron fist.

It must've been the near-defeat feeling he was experiencing. After all, having never lost once in his life, he couldn't accept it.

"Where were you this summer?" He started again.

Doesn't he already know? Didn't Reo already tell him? Maybe he's testing me? Various questions ran through her head.

"Ano... Actually, I've been visiting your schools." She answered honestly.

His expression, however, didn't change, "I am aware that you first went to one of the high schools in the first week of August. So then, where were you in all of July?"

Mikami felt a large pang to her chest. The feeling of being figured out wasn't pretty. She never thought anyone would pay any attention to that small detail.

How did Akashi even find out in the first place?

With his incisive mind, it was basically 99% impossible to hide anything from him.