Not Just A Shadow

Early Morning Explanations

 II woke even earlier than last time, but I couldn't tell why I had woken up. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, and decided to go explore the mansion. Akashi had mentioned a library, and I wanted to find it. I got dressed in something simple, tamed my messy bedhead and opened my door. I made my way silently down the hall opposite the bedroom. It was one of the only places I hadn't checked yet. To say I was surprised to see that Midorima was already awake was an understatement. It was very early in the morning, not yet even six, so what was he doing up? He seemed to be on a computer with multiple books and pages spread out on the desk. Nobody else was around. I approached, making sure I was visible. He glanced over at me as I peered over his shoulder.

"Why are you in here so early in the morning Midorima-kun?" I asked curiously, seeing that a lot of the pages looked like homework. He sighed and leaned back with a yawn.

"I've been here for a few hours. History is by far my worst subject and I am determined to be at least second best for the exams. Akashi, of course, will end up being first." He said quietly, not throwing in his usual unneeded comment.

"Do you want any help? I'm pretty good at history." I asked him and he nodded. I silently pulled up a chair next to him and looked over his work. I had learned all of this already.

"So why are you up so early Kuroko? Not that I care." He asked after a moment as I looked over his work." I pointed to a few of his questions.

"These two should be switched, and this one is three years off from when the event actually happened." I told him, "And I woke up early, I'm a light sleeper. Once I'm up I usually don't fall back asleep." He corrected the mistakes in silence as he nodded.

"Everything else looks good Midorima-kun," I said as I leaned back. It had been awkwardly silent aside from the rustling of pages and the clicking of the mouse as he searched up documents for the work.

"Thank you Kuroko. I don't think I would have noticed the mistakes until after they got marked wrong." He sighed in relief before waxing again.

"You should get some rest Midorima-kun, you made those mistakes most likely because you were too tired to notice," I commented a moment later after observing.

"How did you know that?" He asked, shocked. I forgot they didn't know about my observation skills.

"Are you serious right now?" I asked, thinking he would have been smart enough to figure it out.

"I don't believe you ever told us how you manage to do that either Tetsuya. Do tell." I heard Akashi's voice and turned to look at him. Honestly, I was shocked they didn't understand how I did it.

"How do you think I pass to people so fast? I have to be able to observe everyone the instant I get the ball, and then have reflexes fast enough to pass it. Because of that, I have to be good at observing things. That way, I can tell who will be open after the pass is sent. Otherwise, it would get interrupted as someone was running. Not to mention I have to observe who will be able to shoot it as accurately as possible. I would've thought that Akashi-kun at least would have figured it out by now." I explained, talking more than I normally did. I saw a flicker of respect appear in Midorima's gaze.

"That's impressive. No wonder you're so good at observing things." The ghost of a smile appeared on my face as I stood up, stretching.

"Well, I'm going out for a bit. I'll see you after school Akashi-kun, Midorima-kun." I nodded towards them as I passed, immediately diminishing my presence so they couldn't see me. I passed by Kise just emerging from his room. He didn't seem to notice me as he walked down the hallway with a slight yawn, and I smiled. I slipped past him, heading out the door without a second glance. Still holding my presence I explored the town, noting that they had a Maji-burger here as well. Feeling hungry I entered the shop, and the cashier greeted me with a smile.

"How may I take your order?" She asked, so I told her a vanilla milkshake. After waiting a moment, she handed me my milkshake and I paid her, before heading out again. Casually drinking my shake, I wandered around, getting used to the layout of the town. I noticed a commotion going on in the park and went to investigate. What I saw left me smiling.

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Alright guys, here is chapter 6! 812 words

i'm super excited for a possible snow day tomorrow, so I'll have time to write more of this! for right now though, I'll post a new chapter tomorrow morning