Third POV
As the two miracles approached the court, they could hear the crowds beginning to roar from outside of where the teams would usually enter. And the triple threat could see the rest of Seirin waiting patiently by the entrance, ready to walk out onto the court in a few minutes. Even if she didn't want the others to know that she had been crying and all that, (Y/N) wasn't at all anxious about the others asking her what was wrong.
She could tell that Riko already knew judging by the way she quickly snapped her head around when she heard footsteps coming their way. And when she did that, it was like the others kind of fell in line. The tall girl could tell they all had been worried, considering how she reacted when Kuroko brought up Akashi's name. It wasn't exactly the reaction one would have when an old friend said they wanted to see them.
The second year coach quickly let her family-mode take over as she rushed over to the (h/c) haired girl while the two miracles stopped just a short distance away. (Y/N) kind of moved some of her long bangs out of the way of her eyes with her finger. She knew that Riko knew, and she wasn't going to hide that she had been crying.
"You okay?" The older cousin asked the younger one, nudging her arm with her own.
She hadn't ever seen the tall girl react like that when it came to meeting old friends. That was very unlike her cousin, because (Y/N) was very much a social butterfly and enjoyed meeting new people, seeing old friends, she was very much a people person. But seeing that look of pure fear on the triple threat's face was very unsettling. And Riko could see the slight red coloration of the taller one's eyelids, a sign that she had been crying.
The tall girl could sense that concern coming from her family and friends. But, she wasn't feeling that fear eating at her gut any longer. She was genuinely feeling better, so (Y/N) was able to put on a smile in order to kind of ease the tension that had filled the air. She'd explain the whole story eventually, but now really wasn't the best time for that. So for now, all the triple threat was let out a grin and nod her head.
"Yeah, I'm okay now," she assured her cousin before sending her grin to the rest of the team.
She assumed Kagami had told them the bare minimum of what had happened, but she knew the whole story would come out eventually. However, for now, she just wanted the others to know that she was doing fine and was more than ready to get out there to play her ass off. And her grin seemed to soothe everyone's nerves a little bit as smiles began to appear on their faces as well.
"Kiddo, you ready to get your hair done?" The girl's personal hairstylist called over to her while sitting on one of the benches, kind of waving her hairbrush a little.
If she were a little pup that had just heard her favorite word, then the girl's ears would be perking up on top of her head with her tail wagging.
"Yep!" She was quick to answer.
(Y/N) didn't hesitate to start her cute little waddle over to Hyuga with that larger than life smile on her face. The glasses wearing captain could only smirk as he let out a huff of a laugh through his nose while the girl plopped down right in front of him, ready to let him work his magic on her long locks.
Feeling his fingers run through her hair, the triple threat was starting to feel more relaxed than she had been earlier. It had been a lot, and the game hasn't even started yet. While the triple threat was beginning to feel better, the thought of what Akashi had said to her was still in the back of her head. He wasn't one to say something and not act on it, so when he made the threat of taking her away from Seirin, that was something that made her nervous.
She was trying her hardest not to let it bother her, but when it came to what happened in middle school between her and the miracle captain, it wasn't just something she could just forget all that easily.
While Hyuga continued weaving the (h/c) locks of the triple threat's hair, he immediately took notice of her silence. Usually, she'd be going on about something completely random, humming to herself, or going over game plans. But, nope. Not a single word. Well, considering what Kagami had told them all when he had finally shown up, he could understand that she had a lot on her mind.
All the tiger really said was that she had been completely freaked out by Akashi, and it was a lot worse than what it was with Aomine. Unfortunately, there wasn't much more than that. (Y/N) hadn't really revealed anything that the ruby haired captain had said to her. And the second year captain didn't want to bring anything up from the past if she wasn't exactly comfortable talking about it. But he did have something to say that he wanted her to know as he tied a hair tie on the end of the braid he had just finished.
"Hey," the girl heard Hyuga's gruff voice call out from behind her.
Before she could turn her head around to respond, the triple threat soon felt the captain's arms go around her shoulders and neck, pulling her back to where the glasses wearing second year's chin rested on the crown of her head as he hugged her close.
Okay, so this was newwwwww. For those who knew Junpei Hyuga, they knew he wasn't one to be affectionate. At all, take it from Kiyoshi. The captain used his hands more for smacking people rather than hugging. But it seemed like this just goes to show how much she had grown on him over the years. She had special privileges. Even (Y/N) was caught off guard by this as she sat there in the captain's arms for a second, trying to process what was going on.
But Hyuga had a good reason for suddenly doing this. Because like he had said before, he knew her a whole lot better than she realized at times.
"We've always got your back, Kiddo. No matter what. And don't you ever forget that," the glasses wearing captain wanted her to hear him loud and clear.
That's what friends and teammates were for. They always had each other's backs, they were there for each other when something was happening. And the triple threat was always there for everyone and always did what she could to help and to make sure that her friends had a smile on their faces. She had done more than she would ever know, so of course, they were going to do the same in return. No matter what happened or what would happen, Seirin would be there for her. The captain could say that with confidence.
Even if she already knew that with all her heart, (Y/N)'s wide-eyed expression when she heard that spoke more words. She'll admit, she sometimes forgot they she had multiple people to lean on when she was having a rough time. Though, she was getting better with doing so the older she got. It was a lot worse when she was younger, trust her on that. The triple threat soon let out a smile as she kind of snuggled in Hyuga's arms just a little bit, feeling him hold her even closer.
Although, the glasses wearing boy should've known that this moment wouldn't last long since he was doing it in front of the whole team. And you can only guess who was starting to show his jealousy a little bit as his cat faced self started making his way over to the duo.
"Are we doing pre-game hugs? I want in!" Koganei suddenly announced as he began trying to get in on the hug fest.
Of course, why was Hyuga even surprised? Well, he got to her first, so he got hugs first. But Koganei would argue that first is the worst and second is the best. So therefore, with that logic, the cat faced second year was subject to receive hugs from the triple threat next. She was his little buddy, cheer buddy, hug buddy, so by that law, he was required to receive hugs from her.
(Y/N) soon began giggling in Hyuga's embrace while grabbing the cat faced second year's hands. And Koganei certainly wasn't the only who wanted some of the tall girl's famous hugs.
"Me too!" Izuki soon popped up right next to the captain from out of nowhere with Mitobe and Kiyoshi on standby.
Seriously?! What the hell, could the captain not have a moment to himself when it came to him and the triple threat? Nope, not while he was in front of the entire team. Well, he wasn't going to be giving up so easily. A tick mark soon appeared on the side of his forehead as he put his foot on the side of Koga's face while using one of his arms to keep the punster back as he used his foot to push the cat faced second year back.
"Back, animals! Wait your turn!" He growled while tussling with his teammates.
The tall girl in question just started cackling as she held onto Hyuga arm. Ah, they always knew how to make her feel better. All of her anxiety seemed to disappear in that moment as she took a moment to look at her whole team. They were right, she'd always have them to back her up whenever she needed them. That was a fact.
As the boys continued on with their somewhat childish bickering, the triple threat soon felt a smaller hand grab her upper arm. And she recognized the strength that was able to pull her away from Hyuga while he was distracted with the others. Once she had kind of scooted away from all of the chaos that was ensuing, (Y/N)'s face was soon smushed up against someone else's. And she knew it was Riko's because that was the way she would hug her shorter cousin whenever she needed a hug or they had just won a game.
Peeking out of the corner of her eye, the triple threat saw her cousin's familiar brunette hair before she pulled away just a little bit to look the taller girl in the eye.
"We got you, Cuz," the coach reiterated that so that it'd get through to the triple threat's thick skull.
Which seemed to work as the smile on the tall girl's only seemed to brighten as she hugged her cousin back, smushing their cheeks together once again like they did when they were younger. (Y/N) never felt so blessed to have such friends and family always there for her, no matter what.
"Thank you."
As the boys started to calm down a bit, the triple threat took the chance to her her phone out to see what Hyuga's masterpiece looked like for this game. And as always, she wasn't disappointed. Panning her phone to either side of her head, the girl saw that her long locks were woven into two braids on both sides of her head that came together in one braid that fell over her shoulder.
Yep, perfect as always. Kind of seeing that the second year was still tussling with the others, the (h/c) haired girl just decided to snap him a quick picture with her winking and typing 'thank you' before sending it.
Putting her phone back in her sweatpants pocket, the triple threat soon turned back around and saw a familiar redhead coming her way, a soft expression on his face. Kagami was glad that she was back to smiling once again, but he wanted to make extra sure that she was okay.
(Y/N) kind of stayed put as her childhood friend stood in front of her, the two not saying anything. The triple threat wasn't really sure what to say, the words 'thank you' didn't seem like it was enough for what he had done for her.
But Kagami would've done it anyway, she didn't need to thank him for anything. He was here, not going anywhere, and that's all he wanted her to know.
The redheaded tiger soon reached down and grabbed a couple of the girl's fingers with his own like he had during the Shutoku game. It kind made her cheeks feel a little warm as she looked back up to meet her friend's soft ruby gaze.
"You good?" He asked her in a soft voice, a small smile on his face.
It only made her smile back before sensinng her phantom friend's presence on her other side. Sure enough, there Kuroko was, standing at her side, giving her the same expression as the tiger's.
"I'm good. Thanks to you guys," she nodded before swinging an arm around the light blue haired boy's shoulders before squeezing Kagami's hand fully and shaking it a couple of times.
There she is. There was their sunshine girl smiling and bringing happiness to the rest of the team. Looks like she had recovered from her sudden anxiety attack from seeing Akashi and she was ready to go get on that court to kick some Touou Academy booty. Kuroko and Kagami both kept the grins on their faces as the phantom wrapped his arm around his slightly taller girl's waist while the tiger squeezed her hand back.
It was time, they were ready to get this show on the road.
Up in the stands, fans were beginning to spill in by the numbers as the seats began filling up quicker and quicker. Luckily, one blonde haired woman had made it just in time, spotting her party as she caught her breath. It was kind of a hassle getting in here, but Marisa supposed that's what happened when there was a large basketball tournament like this.
The college student was soon able to spot where Aneko and Kou were sitting in the row closest to the court with multiple seats around them that were open. Perfect, she had gotten here at the perfect time. Walking down the stairs toward her boyfriend's sister, the eldest Bashira child turned around and was able to spot Marisa coming right their way.
"Hey, there you are, Risa!" Aneko waved as she turned around in her seat along with Kou, who also waved to Hayate's girlfriend as she finally reached them and took a seat behind the couple.
"Yeah, sorry. Someone wasn't too happy that he couldn't make it because he had an exam. And he went on about it for about half an hour," the blonde woman complained as she took out her phone to let her boyfriend know that she had arrived safely and that she promised to take pictures for him.
However, that didn't mean she was going to be answering his calls. His major was a little more work heavy than hers was, so that also meant more exams for him. And unfortunately for the eldest Bashira son, one of those exams fell on the first day of the Winter Cup tournament. He had been super excited to see his baby sister get back into action too, but he also knew she'd chew his frickin' ass out if he were to miss something this important just to come see her play.
And Big Sister Aneko shared her little sister's thoughts as she let out a slightly annoyed sigh before shaking she head. Hayate was so dramatic.
"Geez, he can just stream it when he's done. He knows that too," she told his girlfriend, who agreed with that.
But there was also another something about that when it came to the eldest Bashira son. Even Kou had some suspicions about him doing that as he arched an eyebrow at his long-time girlfriend.
"Have you met your brother?" He asked her in a bit of a sarcastic voice.
Hayate was someone who didn't like to stream big games that involved his younger siblings or older sibling, or any member of his family. He wanted to be there in person and be a cheerleader of some sort. Just like his mother would've wanted. And Aneko knew that, but she could also see Hayate being on the phone with Marisa, whining his head off that he wasn't at the game and blah, blah, blah...
"True."
"Aneko!" Another voice called out to the older sister.
Recognizing the voice, the black haired woman turned back to where Marisa had come from to see her younger cousin, Naoki, along with a familiar red haired girl who stood just a little taller than he did, waving. Her tomboy style hadn't changed since the last time she had see her little sister's friend. Tomo saw the exact same expression on Aneko's face that she saw on (Y/N)'s.
Yep, they were definitely sisters.
"Well look who it is. Hi, Tomo!" The eldest Bashira daughter grinned a bright grin as she stood up and gave the girl a big hug.
Naoki kind of scooted more toward Marisa in order to let the two hug it out for a couple of minutes. The blonde college student could see the chemistry immediately between the two of them as she crossed her arms with a smirk on her face. Oh, they'd be a cute couple. And she could see that look on Naoki's face as he watched his cousin and the red haired girl rocked back and forth a little bit.
Marisa soon looked up at the pink haired boy and nudged him lightly with her elbow. The Shutoku manager soon looked down at the college student only to be met with a very knowing look as she nodded her head a little bit. The pink haired boy soon found himself blushing furiously as his bashfulness really began to show through. So much so, he had to turn around so that Tomo wouldn't see as she pulled away from Aneko.
"Oh, it's good to see you. Come, sit down with us. We have plenty of room," the black haired sister offered as she sat back down next to Kou with her little sister's childhood friend right behind her, next to Naoki.
Marisa was going to have so much fun teasing Naoki about his new crush a little later, but for now, she was looking forward to watching the triple threat along with Seirin and Masaru get back into action. She hadn't been able to watch a game since that summer with the Kaijo vs Touou game. So, she made sure she took some time off of work to come and support (Y/N), Seirin, and everyone else in this.
Still, she was curious about something as she leaned forward between Aneko and Kou, crossing her arms on the back of the seats.
"This is gonna be a good game today. Who're you gonna root for, Kitty? Your old team or your little sister?" The blonde turned her teasing gaze onto the Bashira sister.
Kou seemed to catch on as he gave his lover a smirk, matching Marisa's to a tee as they both leaned toward Aneko. After all, this was her old high school and cousin going up against her baby sister.
"Yeah, babe. You've got some tough decisions to make," he told her, wanting to know who she'd be rooting for as he leaned closer to her.
Though black haired woman didn't seem to want to buy into this nonsense. This was just like the twins whenever they wanted to try and get on their sister's nerves. They always wanted to see who she would side with. That's why she was so used to it and also knew how to handle it as she pushed her boyfriend away.
"Uh-uh, quit that-"
"Hey! They're coming out!" Someone's announcement cut the older sister off as the cheers from the audience started growing in volume.
Sure enough, when she and everyone else looked down to the court, Seirin was finally making their grand entrance to the Winter Cup, debuting as the dark horses of this tournament. The triple threat and Riko's family soon joined in with the applause and hollering as the team stopped at their benches. Seemed like they were taking in what was going on around them.
"Well, there's our girls," Marisa spoke up as she leaned forward in between the eldest Bashira and her partner.
Both of them nodded as the crowds started shouting down words of encouragement to the red and white team. 'You can do it' and 'you got this' could be heard from all over the place.
Kuroko and (Y/N) were actually quite used to bug crowds like this since Teiko had that reputation back when they were in middle school and they had been to national tournaments before. The other first years were in shock and awe from it all. This was the first time they had ever experienced something like this.
"This is...so cool. The sound of their cheers are like nothing I've ever heard before," Kawahara commented as he looked up at the stands, taking it all in while setting some stuff down.
"It's still only the first day but the seats are practically full," Fukuda added as well, seeing that the gymnasium was practically packed like it was the very last day of the tournament.
The Winter Cup was definitely something else for sure. And the volume of the cheers was insane, it was the loudest he ever heard. Almost like they were cheering for a professional team.
"Are we, like, popular or something?" Furihata asked, thinking that maybe Seirin had grown in popularity since the prelims.
And not just because they had a basketball legend playing for them, but because they were actually doing well. Unfortunately, Furihata's little fantasy was just that, a fantasy. Hyuga was about to shoot that one down real fast.
"Of course not. Don't be so stupid," the captain stated as he slipped his uniform jacket off and folded it up neatly.
The benchwarmers could only hum in confusion. Wait, so why were people cheering so loudly for them if they weren't here to see Seirin? Well, there was a simple explanation for that. There was a double meaning to those words of encouragement that were being shouted down to the red and white team.
"You got this probably doesn't mean what you think it does," Izuki informed them as he began to take off his jacket as well.
"Unfortunately, most of the spectators aren't here to see us, but our opponents," Kiyoshi added on honestly as he smiled back at the first years.
Oh, and the triple threat knew they were close. Her sixth sense was tingling like crazy as she began staring at a different entrance to the gym. Kuroko knew she'd catch onto Seirin's opponents coming at some point. Her senses always seemed to heighten whenever she went into game mode. Kagami noticed it too as he began turning back to follow the triple threat's gaze.
However, the audience seemed to spot them first, the cheers growing even louder in volume. Now, the rest of the team turned just in time to see their opponents making their grand entrance onto the court, their black uniforms seeming to bring a small ominous feeling to the party.
"There they are! How many points will they score today?"
"The Rising Tyrants, Touou Academy!"
Yep, the people were definitely here to see Touou Academy today, a favorite to win this whole thing. And those so-called 'cheers' were more like, 'try not to get eaten by the wolves'. It was almost like they were taunting Seirin since the black and maroon team had kind of destroyed them the last time they had played each other.
Aneko was a little shocked at what she was hearing, she wasn't going to lie. Touou wasn't this popular back when she was in high school. In fact, they didn't have a nickname. And it was kind of making her old school sound like some sort of villains.
"Really? 'Rising Tyrants'?" The eldest Bashira let out as she looked back and around before sitting back down in her seat.
She could've come up with something much better and not so evil sounding. But, even though he hadn't been keeping up with Touou since he graduated, Kou knew exactly why Touou had earned that infamous nickname.
"Kitty, you gotta remember who's all been added their team since we've left," the woman's boyfriend pointed out just as the teens behind them began talking about the star players.
How no one could tell what Imayoshi would do next, how Wakamatsu was one of the fastest centers, and of course, how people could never keep up with Aomine. Guess Kitty kind of forgot about that when she had a monster of a little sister when it came to basketball. So, she shrugged and agreed with a Kou.
"True."
"There's the monstrous scorer of the Generation of Miracles, Daiki Aomine!" One of the spectators pointed out, which caught the group's attention as they turned to look back down at the court.
Sure enough, the navy haired boy was there with the rest of his team. Wow, he had actually shown up for this one. Well, it was the Winter Cup, and that very fact made the competitive level in any player go through the roof. Of course he'd be here to feel that.
Kou had to admit, he had seen the Miracle Gen while they were playing. But that was in frickin' middle school. Now, he could see the aura surrounding Aomine. It was almost like he was watching a top-notch NBA player enter the ring.
"Damn, feel the power coming off of that kid," Aneko heard her boyfriend say almost under his breath.
Oh, he had yet to see anything. And that was a fact, the eldest Bashira knew that first hand. But, the navy haired ace's aura was nothing compared to her little sister's whenever she was in super serious game mode.
"He's something else, that's for sure. But Seirin's got their own powerhouses," the black haired woman smirked as she turned her gaze down to the red and white team's side.
They had three powerhouses, to be exact. Two miracles and a big, powerful rookie who had gone toe to toe with the Generation of Miracles. Seemed like the crowds were starting to take notice of that too.
"Hey, I heard (Y/N) Bashira's come back even more powerful than ever since her accident," someone from beside Marisa said with excitement seeming to lace his voice.
"It'll be cool to see what both her and Aomine will do. Two monster champions at basketball going head to head," his friend agreed.
Yep, there it was. The blonde college student knew it'd only be a matter of time before the fans noticed who was here in the house tonight. She smirked to herself as she leaned toward Naoki a little bit.
"Looks like they've caught onto who else is playing," she pointed out as she crossed her arms in her seat while the pink haired boy nodded.
Down on Seirin's side, the starting players were seated on the bench, peering over at the black and maroon team while they had gathered around their coach and manager to go over a game plan, they assumed.
"Amazing. You can definitely tell they placed second in the Inter-High," Hyuga commented as he and the others continued looking on at their opponents.
Riko, standing in front of the starting players with her hands on her hips, didn't want them all to get cold feet because of what happened the last time Touou and Seirin had faced one another. Her players had gotten stronger, so there was no reason for them to be thinking about the past.
"Don't lose your cool. It's not like we didn't know that-"
The brunette coach didn't need to finish her sentence when she realized that the expressions on all of the players' faces were those of confidence, determination, excitement. And that made the coach smile. Guess she didn't need to worry about them losing their cool when it came to facing their powerful opponents.
Everyone soon got up off of the bench and began making their way onto the court. (Y/N) took the time to quickly slip her arm band and head band on before facing her two partners in crime. Both of them were wearing the same expression that she was. Seirin was going to win this, that was a fact. The girl could see it in everybody's eyes, they were ready for battle.
"Let's go kick some Touou Academy booty," the triple threat declared as she held her fists out toward the phantom and tiger.
Oh, they could see that she was ready to throw down. In fact, this was probably the most fire they had seen shining in her eyes up to date. They were glad too, playing a game like this would hopefully get her mind off of Akashi and what had happened earlier. Well, if both Kagami and Kuroko knew one thing about the triple threat, it was that she was able to bounce back from anything. And that would start a fire within anyone.
The two boys both returned her confident gaze before bumping their fists against hers, nodding their heads as a signal that they were ready too.
But, before the game could begin, (Y/N) had a little something something to do. A little message delivery, you might call it. And it was for none other than Touou's own coach. Besides, the tall girl still had some time before the teams had to line up, so she decided to take the opportunity to do it before everything started getting on a roll. Seems like Masaru had the same idea as he started making his way over to his cousin still having his black long sleeved team shirt on.
"Hey, Kitty's up in the crowd with everyone," the grey haired twin pointed out as he and the triple threat met at half court while looking up in the stands.
Following her younger cousin's gaze, the tall girl soon was able to spot her older sister, future brother-in-law, Marisa, Naoki, and Tomo sitting together and waving down to the two when they saw them looking up their way. (Y/N) and Masaru returned the gesture, but the triple threat wasn't going to lie, she kind of forgot a little bit that big tournaments like these were a literal family event for them.
"Oh yeah, I forgot everyone except Yate were coming," she spoke, remembering how her dear older brother was literally blubbering to her over the phone when she and Hibs were hanging out at her place.
Both twins literally ganged up on their precious big brother and told him. No, ORDERED him not to skip that exam or else the triple threat was going to kill him. And trust Hayate when he says he gets terrified whenever his little sister starts speaking in a southern accent, that's a bit of an understatement. It was all 'yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am'.
He could make it to the others games, but anywho! The grey haired twin soon decided to acknowledge that his dear family had shown up to be his support system. And that...was going to start something that could only be described as chaotic.
"Looks like I've got a whole cheer squad here," the older Kurosaki twin suddenly stated proudly as he put his hands on his hips and kind turned his nose upwards a little bit.
Here we go. A small tick mark appeared on the side of the tall girl's face before she looked back at her younger cousin. So he thought they were here for him, huh? Welll, she was going to give him a little bit of a reality check as she matched Masaru's expression to a tee.
"Uh, no. They're here for me," she threw back at her younger cousin.
Which made him lose his smile real quick when he realized that (Y/N) was starting to react to his little taunts. Oh, Lordy. Riko was so hoping this wouldn't be a thing to happen today, but it looks like she had gotten her hopes too high. The coach soon started to kind of hide behind her clipboard as the two teams turned toward the two cousins in the middle of the court near the boundary lines where their family was sitting.
The grey haired twin soon smirked at the slightly taller girl standing beside him before dramatically putting his hand on his chin. Here we go, buckle up, kids. This is going to be a bumpy ride.
"Bold of you to assume that, dear cousin. HEY, KITTY!! YOU'RE HERE TO CHEER FOR ME, RIGHT!?!?" Masaru suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs to the point where it echoed across the entire gymnasium.
It made everyone go silent for a second before the chattering continued, however, they were still going to stay tuned into what the loud mouthed twin was going to say. Now, usually, (Y/N) would get Masaru to shut his mouth so that he didn't embarrass the hell out of her. BUT! This case was a little different.
Because like the Bashira twins, the two older twins from both the Bashira and Kurosaki families had their little squabbles whenever their competitive natures started taking the lead.
"Nuh-uh, she's here for me!" The triple threat yelled back as she pointed to herself with her thumb.
If people thought Hibiki and his sister's mimic fights were loud and annoying, then they hadn't seen anything until they've seen (Y/N) and Masaru getting into childish yelling matches. And their family didn't seem to expect it all that much since this was a once in a blue moon type deal. All of them except for Aneko were basically sweat-dropping.
"They're doing this right now?" Kou was the first one to ask.
He had heard the rumors, but even he hadn't seen the famous '(Y/N) VS. Masaru Screaming Showdown'. And for them to be doing this before the teams even had time to line up seemed a little inappropriate yet it seemed appropriate at the same time. Naoki and Aneko knew that all too well, because the pink haired twin had his face buried in his knees that he had brought up onto the seat.
And Tomo saw the steam and redness of his ears. The red haired girl honestly wasn't surprised either because she knew the triple threat very well. Well enough to where this kind of stuff, though it might've kind of caught her off guard at first since it was a sudden noise, didn't really shock her all that much. It was (Y/N) they were talking about here.
Aneko could only smile as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat.
"Mmhmm, wouldn't be a proper game without it," the older sister answered as she just kept watching the two of them down on the court.
At this point, the two older twins were now pointing at each other childishly while continuing their arguing. And neither of them were backing down either.
"She went to my high school!"
"I have sister privileges!"
"KITTY!!" Both teens yelled loudly as they turned their attention up to the eldest child of the clan.
Everyone else from both teams were either trying not to laugh or simply deadpanning and sweat-dropping at what they were witnessing. It was like two little kids fighting over who their older sibling would play with. And it seemed like loudness ran in the family because this was the first time they had all heard someone be as loud as Masaru.
Well, Imayoshi decided to have some fun with this since he could possibly use this as playful blackmail for the triple threat later on should she urge him to do so. Besides, he knew Aneko too, so this would be perfect.
"Nah, she's my former upperclassman, so I think she's here for me," the glasses wearing captain popped into the equation as he stood mere feet away from the arguing cousins.
Though, that plan backfired when the two teens turned back with comical glares on both of their faces while also pointing their fingers at Imayoshi. For once, he actually surprised by the reaction of these two.
"STAY OUT OF THIS, CAPTAIN/YOSHI!!" Both cousins yelled back at the before getting back into their little argument.
Well that didn't work. Guess he shouldn't underestimate the power of Masaru and (Y/N)'s fights. Sheesh, and he thought the mimic fights were bad. Nope, these weren't worse, per say. It was actually on the same level of annoying as the Bashira twins's mimic fights.
Wakamatsu was surprisingly not pouncing yet because he kind of had a soft spot for the triple threat. And since she was also kind of engaging with this, he didn't know, it kind of made it more comical. Just a little bit. When this was all over, THEN the pale blonde center could smack the grey haired twin. Until then, he really only had one thing to say about this whole thing.
"Masaru's a bad influence on her," the center commented as he stood there with his arms crossed with Sakurai and Momoi.
The shy light brown haired boy was severely sweat-dropping and was also kind of waiting until either the triple threat or Masaru snapped. Surely, someone would stop them, right? Well, wrong, Sakurai. Because of this one fact that Momoi knew all too well.
"Believe it or not, this isn't the first time this has happened," she revealed, remembering the last time something like this had happened.
It hadn't been since middle school because the two had been on different teams during that time too. And it was over the same frickin' thing, who was going to cheer for who. Mana Bashira was the one who ended that fight with one look. And no one could ever recreate that expression. Not even her own daughters.
Sheesh, no wonder no one was stepping in. Best to just let them settle it on their own terms. Still, that didn't mean the members of their family didn't feel embarrassed whenever something like this happened. Hibiki was standing with the rest of the Kaijo team, and like everyone else, they were kind of just watching this play out between cousins.
Still, the younger Bashira twin could only let out an embarrassed groan as he ran his hand over his face while everyone else just deadpanned.
"I swear...I knew it was only a matter of time before those two got started," the (h/c) haired boy groaned as he looked back to his sister and cousin.
The two were still yelling at each other, and there was only one person who was going to be able to put an end to all of it. And Marisa could only smirk as she leaned forward toward the eldest Bashira child.
"Well, Kitty? Who's it gonna be? You're the only one who can stop it," the blonde college student kind of teased her boyfriend's sister.
Next to her, Naoki literally looked like he was about to combust. He was still hiding his face in his knees, but more steam was pouring out of him. So much so, that Tomo was beginning to fan him with her program just so he wouldn't suddenly suffer from heat stroke.
"Please do, this is embarrassing..." the pink haired boy squeaked up at Aneko while she looked back at the back row.
Yeah, she was was going to have to make a decision in order to calm her little babies down. Looks like she was going to have to take up the role her mother held so long ago. Ah, this was a little hard since she was a part of such a close knit family. But, in the end, she had a decision ever since this whole thing started. It was just a little entertaining for the older sister to see her baby sister getting all worked up like their mother would.
Back down with the yelling cousins, the two were now pushing their foreheads against one another as lightning seemed to crash between their eyes. Well, they had given Aneko long enough. So, almost like they had decided that telepathically, both Masaru and (Y/N) simultaneously turned to look back up at their little cheer squad.
"Kitty! Me or Hachi! Go!" The grey haired boy called up to her.
Oh, (Y/N) swore, if her own sister betrayed her like that, she was not going to be a very happy camper. Luckily for her, that was Aneko's deciding factor when it came to who she'd be rooting for. The black haired sister soon sent an apologetic look down to Masaru. And that's when they both knew who the winner was of this whole thing.
"Masa, she's got sister privileges," Aneko finally made her call.
"HA!!" The triple threat laughed in defeat as she pointed to her cousin.
"NO!!" Masaru slumped down as (Y/N) did a little celebratory dance right beside him, kind of shimmying her shoulders a little.
Finally, that was over. Naoki could emerge from his hiding spot as everyone else kind of sighed a sigh of relief that this yelling match was over. Though, there were still some questions as to why no one really bothered to stop to all that much. And the answer was actually quite simple. There was a feeling of nostalgia behind it.
"Well, this brings me back to when your father and uncle used to fight over who your mom would cheer for," the tall girl heard Coach Harasawa say as he approached the cousins.
Masaru kind of straightened a little bit as he and his cousin ceased their goofiness. Man, it had been a hot second since the tall girl had had the chance to talk with her closest uncle figure after Kagetora, of course. Though, she'd occasionally call him if she needed help with her chemistry stuff since that's what he taught at Touou. But, the two of them hadn't really spoken since the season started.
But still, that relationship that they both had hadn't changed. (Y/N) had to let out a laugh through her nose when she heard him say that. That was the reason why no one had really stepped in to stop the cousins, because it brought many of the refs, older coaches, people who were around at the time when the National Japanese Basketball Team was around playing on these courts. Because their most famous player and his future brother-in-law would always be yelling up to Mana to argue over who she'd cheer for.
And seeing her daughter and nephew doing the same brought back good memories.
"Lemme guess, Uncle Tora won," the tall girl guessed since she had heard the stories.
However, judging by the way Coach Harasawa raised his eyebrows, the triple threat was a little shocked to learn that her answer was wrong as her eyes widened a little bit.
"No?" She changed her answer to which the coach responded with a head shake.
You know, that sounded just like her mother. Mana was not afraid to start something up with Kagetora, it was a lot like how Hibiki and his triple threat sister acted. The only difference was that the twins were on different teams, and Akio and Kagetora were on the same team.
Speaking of his old pal, Coach Harasawa remembered a little something his old friend had sent him that morning since he couldn't be there in person.
"And your father made sure to send me a nice text message this morning. A little declaration of war, you might call it," the uncle figure told the girl, who knew all too well about that.
She was good ol' Akio's daughter after all. It was only natural that she and him would discuss their little declarations that would be exchanged before the game. A mischievous smile soon appeared on her face that greatly remembered her father's.
"I know. He wanted me to remind you that, and I quote, 'My little Sunball, fiery niece, and special protégé are gonna kick your butt, Katsu'. His words, not mine," the tall girl smirked, sounding exactly like her father when she quoted his message that he had sent her earlier that morning.
Of course he'd say something like that. Comes from the two of them being 'rivals' since high school. Even when it came to love. But that didn't change the fact that their friendship was still as strong as ever. And that confidence he had just seen from the triple threat standing in front of him mirrored her father's perfectly. The Touou coach soon returned her confident expression before placing a hand on her head.
"Hmm, we'll see about that. My team's not backing down, kid," he declared as he ruffled her hair just a little bit so it wouldn't mess up her braid.
"Neither is mine, Uncle," (Y/N) returned the gesture.
Standing off to the side, the Touou players really didn't know what to think. But judging by their wide eyed and jaw dropped expressions, they were certainly more on the shocked side. This was the first time they had ever seen their coach acting like this. Usually, he was so serious, not showing much emotion, but here he was acting like a loving father toward a daughter. It was a little freaky to see.
"I can't believe she got away with saying that to Coach," Wakamatsu was the first to say while trying to make sure Sakurai didn't pass out.
The light borne haired boy could never even think of doing something like that. God, it made him so light headed from anxiety. Their coach was usually a very private person, so for him to be showing a side like this in front of his players, it wasn't weird, but it was weird. In a good way. Masaru seemed to be the only one who didn't seem weirded out by this. And once again, there was a simple explanation for it.
"Well, my uncle and Coach have been friends since high school. So, he's basically known all of us since we were babies," the older Kurosaki twin explained as he pointed to the triple threat and the Touou coach.
Ah, so that was why. The boys had to remember that (Y/N)'s father was probably the most famous basketball player in recent sports history, meaning he knew a bunch of people. Which included the former Japanese National Basketball Team players. Not to mention, the tall girl was pretty famous, herself. Though, she didn't act like it whatsoever because she was just so humble-natured.
"Makes sense," the pale blonde center then nodded as he and the others watched the triple threat make her way back to her team's side of the court.
And it was all smiles. Somehow, the tall girl and Masaru getting into their little yelling match seemed to ease everyone's nerves a bit. (Y/N) even stuck her tongue out a little bit as she jogged back toward them. Riko found it hard to be mad at her little cousin for that little show. In fact, the smile didn't seem to leave the second year coach's face even once as she reached over and lightly smacked the tall girl's arm, which she returned with a flick of her own to her older cousin's hand.
"Embarrass the hell out of me, why don't ya," the brunette playfully scolded the triple threat for acting like a child just moments beforehand.
Oh, and like Riko and the others were acting any frickin' better. The (h/c) haired girl had a laughing sensor and it was going off like crazy whenever she caught glances of her team out of the corner of her eye. So, the triple threat shot her older cousin an exaggerated 'really' look while placing a very sassy hand on her hip.
"You were laughing and you know it because I saw those dinguses doing it," she accused her cousin while pointing back at the starting players with her thumb.
Kagami literally had his back to her while his shoulders trembled, she knew he was laughing his ass off. And so was everyone else, even though she assumed they were all trying to make sure they didn't let their laughter out. It didn't even bother her that this was being broadcasted on TV. Wouldn't be the first time she's done something goofy on live television.
And she wasn't exactly being quiet when she called the others by such a ridiculous name. Hyuga wanted to make sure she knew that they had heard her as he came up from behind her and wrapped one of his arms around the tall girl's neck while placing the other on his hip as he put his face close to hers.
"You wanna call me that again, little girl?" The captain tried to be as menacing as he could when he asked her that.
Kind of reminded her of when they were all playing tag in the mountains. It didn't really scare her like it would with others. Instead, the triple threat put a rather matter of fact look on her face as she turned to look back at Hyuga.
"Gladly. But after the game because I need to be alive for the game," she stated while pushing the boy's glasses up with her pointer finger.
Before Hyuga could even answer, (Y/N) slipped out of his little hold on her, giggling a little bit at his speechless expression as she began to make her way out to the court since it actually was getting close to being time for the teams to line up. Sheesh, she sure knew how to make comebacks that left others speechless. That's just how the she was.
The captain had to admit, she sure was a charmer when it came to things like that. He couldn't help but to smile as he watched her walk out toward center court with the rest of the starters, her arm draped around the phantom's shoulders as she patted the tiger's back, seeming to tease him about his laughing fit earlier. He only responded with gently pushing her head away as he smirked.
Yep, this was his team. A dream team he wouldn't change a thing about.
"It's time. Both schools please line up," the referee announced as the two teams made their way to center court.
There was a different aura than when the two teams faced each other the first time. There wasn't as much tension, no anger whatsoever.
Aomine kind of just stood where he was supposed to before the tip-off, his lazy expression still on his face. That is, until a familiar face came his way.
"Yo," Kagami's gruff voice greeted the miracle ace as he stood in front on his mark.
The navy haired boy just looked up to see if there was any chance of this being entertaining for him. However, when he met the tiger's ruby gaze, he saw it. That burning fire that was burning brighter than before. Not only that, but Aomine could feel the strength coming off of the redhead standing in front of him. That confident smile on Kagami's face gave that all away.
"Well, looks like you've improved a little," the navy blue haired boy smirked as he spoke to his mark.
"Yeah. I have," Kagami responded as he kept that confident expression on his face.
He had improved alright. And he had the best teacher to give him little tips and tricks. Though, he was surprisingly calm. Wakamatsu thought it was a bit weird as he arched an eyebrow at the usually hotheaded player. He was oozing with such ferocity the last time they had played each other, but now he was as calm and cool as a cucumber.
Shortly after they had exchanged words, Aomine noticed two more players coming his way; (Y/N) and Kuroko. The two players didn't say anything at first. But they both were thinking the same thing.
Thinking back to the old days at Teiko, where Aomine played with a smile as big as the triple threat's whenever she was happy. It would be a little different this time around, the navy blue haired boy always said no one could beat the three of them at basketball. Playing with that trust was such a strong weapon, and now that they were going against each other, it now worked against them both greatly.
Even Kagami's words starting coming back to them both, back when they had lost against Touou the first time. But, both miracles now realized that the tiger didn't mean that they shouldn't stop working together, but all three of them just needed to find their own way to become stronger so they as a whole could become a stronger weapon. And that's what made them confident in this game. Even more so than last time.
"This time, we definitely won't lose," Kuroko declared as he looked Aomine dead in the eye to make sure his old teammate knew he was serious.
And the miracle ace could sense that, it was the most confident he had ever seen Kuroko ever since middle school. It made his blood boil with excitement as he smirked once again at the light blue haired phantom.
"Oh yeah? Alright then. If that's how you want to play, let's settle things once and for all," he declared, making his own little declaration of war.
This game would decide everything. Whether or not the phantom and triple threat's way of basketball was the way to play or not.
"Oh, we will. 'Cause Triple Threat is back and better than ever," (Y/N) returned the confident gesture as she did a quick little dance to herself, showing just how much she wanted to start playing.
Instead of retorting back like he would normally do, the miracle ace stayed quiet and looked down at the girl's knees. She was wearing her brace on her newly healed knee, but you could still see some of the edges of her scars. And on her other leg, he let his eyes go over her old scars, as well as the new one on her ankle.
If Aomine was being honest, he was a little anxious about her playing them again. He knew she had played just as hard with other opponents before this, but he didn't want to hear her scream in pain like that again, he didn't want to see her laying on the ground again, he didn't want to see her cry again.
The (h/c) haired girl noticed the way his eyes softened as he looked back up at her.
"Your knees good?" He asked her, his tone becoming a bit more gentler than it was when he was talking to the boys.
Kind of caught the boys off guard a bit since he was very much a player that knew he was good and was very arrogant about that. But he wasn't showing any of that when he was speaking to the triple threat.
Somehow, she wasn't completely caught off guard by that. (Y/N) was acting like she normally would as she nodded to the boy's question. Still, she did have a couple of things to say to him.
"Mmhmm, all better. But, if you start going on with that whole 'the only one who beat me is me' crappola, I'm gonna spike a basketball and make sure it hits you," she warned as she pointed to the boy with a small glare on her face.
Honestly, him saying that was so annoying that (Y/N) was very tempted to just tape his mouth shut. But she couldn't do that because she liked talking to him, so hitting him with a basketball she could spike would be good enough to shut him up. Why? Because she had done it before when he was being stupid in middle school.
Aomine couldn't believe this! What the hell?! She had dissed him earlier and now she was making threats?! That wasn't the sweet girl he knew, so his jaw dropped a little bit when she said that as he looked at her somewhat childish glare that turned into a comical blank expression.
"What is with you and choosing violence today?" He finally asked her in a slightly fake hurt tone.
Man, that reminded her of when they were in middle school. So, she decided to answer like they were still in middle school.
"Because," was all she said as she turned and started heading to get in her spot, leaving a suddenly stunned Aomine where he stood as he pouted a little bit before pointing at the girl.
"That's not an answer!" He shouted at her.
But the triple threat only snickered a little bit as the buzzer rang out. Looks like there wouldn't be any more time for their childish arguments.
"Attention! The game between Seirin High School and Touou Academy will now begin!" The announcement was made as the players lined up across from each other at center court.
"Thank you, let's have a good game!" the players bowed to each each before shaking hands.
And there were no nerves going all over the place, Seirin was completely calm, like a proper team should be when facing someone they had been defeated by.
Up in the stands, someone decided to arrive at the last minute since he was so busy getting ready for this game.
"Ope, perfect timing," Kagetora spoke to himself as he made his way down the steps towards where his older niece had told him they'd be.
Sure enough, when she heard his voice, Aneko turned around in her seat and was able to spot her eccentric uncle coming their way, so she decided to wave so that he could see them because he, for some reason, decided to wear sunglasses inside.
"Uncle! Down here," the eldest Bashira called out to him as he turned toward her, taking off his sunglasses and putting them in his pocket while going down to take a seat next to his eldest niece.
"Hey there, sweetheart. Thanks for saving me a seat. Looks like I got here right as it's about to start," the brown haired man said as he looked down to court to see the starters lining up and getting ready to get this show on the road.
"Yeah, you're lucky there're still seats open. And did you really have to dress like that?" The black haired sister asked her uncle.
Clearly, Kagetora wanted to make sure he looked good before he showed up. However, his eldest niece seemed to have some very different opinions about that as she cringed slightly. Geez, this was like whenever her mother would come to game decked out in custom-made clothes that all said 'Mama Bashira' and 'I'm My Kids' Biggest Fan' printed on everything. That was a little embarrassing sometimes.
"What? I gotta show these people who I'm here to cheer for," Kagetora defended his outfit choice.
He looked like one of those guys you'd see at the disco back in the 80's, a white suit with a red undershirt that was unbuttoned near the top, a gold chain around his neck, and those freaking sunglasses. They were Seirin's colors and the man looked cool, if he did say so himself. Clearly, this whole style thing ran in the family, so Aneko just shook her head and put her hand up as she turned back to face forward.
Kou, still kind of worried about being on his future uncle-in-law's protective side, wanted to compliment his style. Probably because that was something he would wear whenever he and his girlfriend went out. And she knew that too, hence why when she saw her boyfriend open his mouth, she quickly put her hand over it before he could even get a single sound out.
"Don't even think about it, Kou," she warned him.
Guess he better heed that warning. Anywho, enough about old people style and back to the game that was about to start. Kagetora was quite curious to see how his students would do after only a month of training.
"Now then, time to see just how far these kids can go. Huh?" The brown haired man suddenly seemed to catch sight of something.
More like someone. How could Kagetora forget that serious expression of the other coach down on the bench? And that curly hair too hadn't changed since they were in high school.
"Really? That's good ol' Kat-chan. Boy, your dad and I had some fun with him back in the day. So that sly boy's coaching at Touou now, huh? No wonder they're so tough," Aneko heard her uncle chuckle as he recognized the Touou coach.
Oh, shoot. She had forgotten about the chaos she had witnessed whenever her father was in town back when she and Kou were in high school. And considering her little sister was very much like her father, Aneko could only imagine what she had said to the Touou coach when she and Masaru finished their stupid yelling match. She seemed to deadpan before running a hand over her face.
"Oh, lord. I forgot Dad wanted (Y/N) to make a little declaration of war. That's why she went over there, I bet," she groaned as Kou let out a chuckle from beside her, rubbing her shoulder.
One could only guess what would come out of the triple threat's mouth sometimes. Actually, most of the time, who was Aneko kidding? Her little sis was just a chaotic person.
"You missed the yelling match between her and Masa, Uncle Tora," Naoki grumbled once he had finally cooled down from his little combustion fit.
But thinking about it just made his cheeks go pink once again. Tomo was getting her paper fan ready in case she needed to use it once again while Marisa leaned forward and held out her phone.
"Oh, I took videos," she spoke up, immediately sending them to Hayate with the caption of 'I love your little sister and Masa'.
She loved it when people didn't give two shits and acted like themselves, not at all afraid of what others would think. That's probably what made the blonde love the triple threat as her own sister.
Taking in all of that information at once, Kagetora blinked a couple of times before letting out a hearty chuckle while leaning back in his seat.
"Those two kids haven't changed a bit. No wonder, one's being coached by Kat-chan and the other just takes after her mother," he sighed once he had calmed down.
There were moments where each kid resembled their parents, but it was kind of like (Y/N) was the exact image of her mother at times and her father during other times. And Masaru, well, he was just Masaru.
"I see your still as noisy as ever, Tora," a stern sounding voice suddenly spoke up from right the Aida patriarch, halting his laughing fit as he looked to the gentleman next to him.
And sure enough, there was a familiar face seated right next to him that made eye contact with his old teammate before letting out an almost exhausted sounding sigh.
"Little Ma?" Kagetora suddenly let out as his eyes widened.
Catching the attention of the rest of the family, everyone else turned their heads to see Coach Nakatani sitting right there beside Kagetora. And he wasn't alone either.
"The entire Shutoku team?" Aneko gaped, not quite believing what she was seeing.
What was more surprising was that the others had seen them before she had, so her acting surprised only made everyone else in the group give her weird looks.
"How did you not notice them there?" Kou asked his girlfriend.
Well, guess she was kind of focused on the other entertainment from five minutes ago, so he really wasn't too surprised the more he thought about it.
"I wasn't expecting you of all people to show up here," Nakatani told Kagetora, a little surprised himself since he hadn't see his former teammate in a while.
"Hey, long time no see, Mabo! How've you been?" The brown haired man let out a loud chuckle once again as he greeted his old teammate while patting the serious man's shoulder rather hard.
And there was that stupid nickname...
"Would you please refrain from calling me 'Mabo' in front of my players?" The stern coach scolded Kagetora, though it didn't seem like the Aida was listening all that much as he continued chuckling and smacking his shoulder.
Though, the starters had already heard enough. It was weird seeing their usually very serious coach kind of scolding an old teammate. And 'Mabo'? Where the heck kind of a nickname did that come from? Takao couldn't help but to let out a snicker into his hand. He couldn't wait for the day where he could call the coach that.
Anywho, with the greetings and everything out of the way, Nakatani wanted to get back to his previous question.
"So anyway, what exactly are you doing here, Tora?" He asked Kagetora once again.
It was weird to see him at games. He never came from what Nakatani could remember. Didn't have a reason to unless members of his family were playing. So, that begs the question, why did he choose this game to finally show up.
"Huh? Ah well, you know, for my girl and my niece. Also to check out how my students check out," the older Aida explained as he smiled back down at Riko before moving his eyes towards where (Y/N) was standing near Imayoshi.
"You mean Seirin?" The Shutoku coach seemed to perk up.
"That's right. Though I only had a chance to whip 'em into shape for about a month or so," the brown haired man confirmed.
That came as a surprise to Nakatani because the last time he checked, Kagetora wasn't coaching players anymore. In fact, he hadn't coached a team in years. So to hear that he seemed to willingly take Seirin under his wing was kind of a shocker.
"Tora, why aren't you coaching anymore?" The stern coach asked his former teammate, wanted to know what made him suddenly quit and the start up again.
Sheesh, Nakatani was one for the direct questions, wasn't he?
"Ah, please, would you give me a break? This old ass of mine couldn't teach anyone. And besides, there's no need for me. After all, they've got my beloved daughter and niece. Thanks to those two, they're already my kind of team. We only had a short amount of time together, but I managed to pass along the lessons I wanted. Sitting back and watching the show is good enough for me," Kagetora explained, which brought a smile to the eldest niece's face.
Her uncle always did dote of them girls, her included. He was really a second father figure, so she could see that this was more of a pride thing for himself rather than him just getting back into coaching. Besides, her triple threat sister loved it when Uncle Tora coached.
"Oh, (Y/N)'s been telling me all about it. She's pretty excited for this," Aneko finally spoke up as she smiled over to the old coach.
And when the Shutoku starters say they saw their coach's eyes widen, they weren't kidding. It made their eyes go wide when they saw that.
"Aneko, my goodness, young lady, it's been a long time," Nakatani politely greeted the eldest Bashira child when he finally recognized that it was her, reaching over to shake her hand as she let out a smile.
"Good to see you as well, Uncle Mabo," she returned the greeting and handshake as well.
She hadn't seen the old coach since she was in high school, so this was a nice little reunion. And Nakatani had to say, she wasn't that quiet high schooler that she used to be anymore. In fact, I'm high school, she was the complete opposite of her sister.
"You aren't playing anymore?" The coach asked, thinking maybe Aneko was still in the sports world since she was a big name in the high school volleyball world.
But the eldest soon shook her head. She wasn't full time anymore, but she still loved getting onto the court every now and again when she had the time to.
"Nah, I followed the cosmetology path, but I still coach little kids now and again. Besides, watching the kids play is fun for me. Uh, Uncle Mabo, this is my boyfriend, Kou Miyazaki. He went to Teiko and Touou with me," the black haired sister soon introduced her boyfriend to her uncle figure as Kou reached over to shake the man's hand.
"Nice to meet you, sir."
Nakatani nodded, but he soon seemed to recognize Aneko's boyfriend the more he got a better look at him.
"You're the Silent Prodigy, aren't you?" The Shutoku coach suddenly brought up, which took Kou back a little bit as he sat back down.
"Is that what they're calling me now?" He asked while letting out an embarrassed laugh.
"Yep," his girlfriend confirmed as she smirked back at him.
Oh yeah, even though he was out of high school now, Kou's style of playing was still very well known in the basketball world. Even though he hadn't played in a hot second. Sheesh, talk about an alumni team here.
The Shutoku players...were a little lost. At least Miyaji was as he leaned his elbows on his knees while listening to the conversation between his coach and the triple threat's family.
"Remind me who that is again," the dark blonde looked to Ootsubo to see if he had an answer.
He really should've been asking the green haired miracle, to which of course, he spoke up first from beside Takao.
"(Y/N)'s older sister, Aneko. She was a former volleyball player for Touou and managed their basketball team in her free time," Midorima explained before catching sight of Aneko waving to him, which he nodded in response.
"Did you not hear (Y/N) scream 'sister privileges' earlier?" Takao questioned the vice captain, replaying that whole scene out in his head.
He really should've gotten it on camera because that was comedy gold. And Miyaji...well, that was where his problem laid.
"I was...trying not to laugh," the dark blonde third year sheepishly admitted as his cheeks turned pink.
It's okay, Miyaji. Everyone was trying not to laugh. Takao was just the only one who had failed miserably. And in order to keep himself from laughing, the dark blonde just had to try and tune everything out. Ootsubo too, and Kimura.
It was freakin' hilarious, even for serious people like the Shutoku third years. The captain soon sent a small smile down to his teammate before peeking back over to Aneko and Kou, who were still engaging in a conversation with their coach.
"Anyway, her boyfriend was one of their star players back when he was in high school, but he kept to himself mostly. Didn't do many interviews, so that's why he's called the 'Silent Prodigy'," the third year captain explained, remembering all the talk about this amazing basketball player from Touou.
There'd be articles about him, just not ones where he was interviewed. Kou was a little too socially awkward back then to do interviews. (Y/N)'ll tell you because she thought it was hysterical. Still, the fact that he was a well known player made Miyaji kind of sit back in shock.
"Geez," he let out as he ran a hand through his hair.
Guess there wasn't anyone in the triple threat's family that wasn't famous. That and strong players attracted strong players, he guessed. Both in the sport and normal life.
A whistle finally blew and cut all conversations short as everyone's attention turned to the court where the ref began walking out with a ball in his hand.
"Here we go," Aneko smiled with excitement, ready to see how Seirin had improved as she leaned forward a little bit.
As was her uncle. And he wanted to make sure that his old teammate knew that too. This was a new Seirin, different from the one Shutoku had faced in the preliminaries.
"You'll see. Those kids are going to forge a path towards their future," Kagetora suddenly said as the centers for both teams got ready for the tip-off.
Touou vs. Seirin: Round Two, let the battle begin.