-In the locker room-
We've just finished the game against Seiho, so right now we're in our locker room preparing and resting ourselves for our upcoming game against Shutoku..
Midorima-kun is really a trouble for us..He's not that just shooter, but he can land shoots that worth three pointers..
"Go put on jackets before your bodies get cold!" I heard Coach Riko instructed the boys, while massaging Hyuga-junpei. I can sense some blushing thingy over there. "Make sure you stretch! Also, take some amino acids to restore your energy, and don't forget to calorie change. I'll come massage each of you so take off your shoes!"
I smile as I handed some snacks I brought to the senpais. "Have some of these, first." I said, internally sulking because..uh...not really that good in cooking..
"Thanks!" Koganei-senpai said, as he ate a banana, but then he turned to Kagami, who is apparently sleeping while sitting.
"Is he...uh..sleeping?"
Coach Riko stand up and face him. "Oi, Kagami! Your body will freeze up if you sleep!"
Hyuga-senpai smiled. "Let him be."
"He's not usually this down after a game." Izuki-senpai added.
"Let's allow him to rest for a while." I also added.
Koganei-senpai sighed. "It's because he got four fouls. There's nothing to worry about."
"But your scene was quite unexpected, though." Tsuchi-senpai stated, causing Koganei-senpai to sweat-drop.
"Maybe he feels responsible on his own way," Captain Hyuga said. "Besides, I don't think he's sleeping. He looks to me like he's saving every last bit of his energy he has for the next game."
"Excuse me," I looked at Kuroko, making his way outside. "I'm going to the bathroom."
"I'll go too!" Koganei-senpai joined him, and I watched them leave the locker room.
"Huh?!" I suddenly looked at the lunch box I'm currently holding that was made specifically for Kuroko.
"..I forgot to give this to him.."
**********
Ten minutes before the game, we're now going to the court. But before I went outside the room, I look at Kagami, who is still sleeping.
"Still sleeping?" I asked myself, but then felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned my head on the right to see Kuroko beside me.
"Don't worry. I'll wake him up, Mari-chan. You can go ahead."
"Oh sure." I smiled at him before leaving.
-------
"The feels here, though." I said, particularly to no one, while observing Shutoku who are making some plans together. Honestly, it feels like this huh? When you're playing with one of the Generation of Miracles.
I sweat-dropped. Damn, why didn't I felt like this when we had that practice in Kaijou? Maybe because Kise-kun is there and he annoys me.
Looking back at the Seirin, I sweat-drop again when there's silent even though they're in a circle.
The captain sighed, after the silent. "I'm beat. I've been feeling melancholy since this morning. We've got two games in a row, both against the kings. And even after we beat Seiho, all I could ever think about was playing another game after we beat them.."
"...But there's only one game left. We don't have to worry about bothersome crap like the next game or reserving our energy. We can focus on one thing we have to do! Give everything we have until we can't give anymore!"
"YEAH!"
I raised my eyebrows. "Going all out, huh?"
"That's the only thing we need to do." The coach answered, hands on her hips. "Do your best, you guys!"
"...Win this game!"
And after that, we all watched some heated conversation between Midorima-kun, Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun.
Sighs
*********
The tip-off has finally started.
Seirin has the ball, but then there are no gaps in their defense so..
"One! Take care!" Kawahara shouted.
"No!" Coach Riko shouted. "Matching a stronger opponent is like giving them control of the game! Attack them in first quarter! You have to.." She smiled, noticing Kuroko slip out from his guard. "...greet them by taking them by storm!"
Kuroko and Kagami made an alley-oop.
..But then our eyes all widen when we saw Midorima blocked it. Then he passed it to the uh, I think his name is Takao..then when Shutoko's #5 was about to do an alley oop, Hyuga-senpai blocked it.
"Neither of them will let the other score." I said, with the first-years in bench sighing in relief.
-------
Two minutes has passed and no one scored yet.
"Okay, I take it back." I mumble to myself watching when Midorima has the ball, and in an instant, we all already knew what will happen.
And he, obviously, made the shot, no matter how impossible it may be. Because, duh.
0 - 3
"Kuroko..?!" I said in disbelief when I saw the boy passing the ball to Kagami, who made a dunk.
"They take it back within seconds!" Furi cheered beside me, but all the upperclassmen including Riko-senpai were all shocked.
That's Kuroko-kun, alright. I smiled while gazing at him. Then I sweat-drop. Uhh, the ball literally almost went to Midorima-kun's face.
But few seconds later, they managed to shut Midorima-kun down.
*******
Shutoku's captain managed to land a dunk using Takao's pass, but Seirin retaliates with Kuroko passing the ball to MItobe-senpai.
"If one managed to score, the other take it back." I commented, narrowing my eyes. "Geez, somehow that's sounds wrong.."
Surprisingly, Kuroko is marked by Takao.
"It's nothing!" Fukui stated. "No matter who'll marks him they're just gonna lose him."
Oh..wait..
I snapped my fingers in realization. "Takao has that!"
Everyone in the bench look at me.
"What is it, Miu?" Riko-senpai asked.
"The eye!"
"What eye?"
"Eye! Like Izuki-senpai's eye!"
"What?!"
"I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that thing!" I bowed my head, frantically searching for Takao's data in my clipboard. "Crap..Crap..Crap.."
"Calm down, tell us what will happen."
I looked at them with a sorry eyes. "Takao has those eyes. Those eyes just like Izuki-senpai's. But this one got a wider range. Also.." I glanced at Kuroko and Takao. "..He can nullify Kuroko-kun's pass."
We all clench our teeth when another shot was made by Shutoku, just because Takao intercepted Kuroko's pass.
"I got so carefree.." I murmured, hint of guilt still flashing in my eyes. "Sorry..Sorry...It kinda went out of my head for a while.."
I felt a light hand placed on my head. "Don't worry." Riko-senpai said, as I look up. "We'll devise a plan soon. But for now.."
"Seirin, time out."
*******
8 - 13
I knew this would happen..
But why did I didn't tell them...
I got so careless and..and..
What's going on with me right now?! I've never felt so pressurized like this before..
Is it because of Kuroko? What does he gotta do with this?
Maybe because..it's me who knew him better than anyone else here in Seirin. Maybe because I knew his past, his strengths, his hobbies, his weaknesses..
So it's all my fault...
I narrow my eyes, looking at Kuroko and the others in the bench. Coach Riko is silent, possibly deep in thoughts. Hyuga-senpai is also silent, too.
"Okay." Coach Riko said, pointing Kuroko. She gives them some instructions in which I admitted that I don't care because I'm not really listening.
After a while, Kagami placed a hand on Kuroko. "Hey, don't tell me you're going to keep letting them get you."
Kuroko pouted. "Well, I suppose I don't like it."
"That's what I like to hear!"
I stare at them, mouth opening a little bit. But I managed to smile weakly, thinking that even Kuroko will do something to find a way...and so I will, too.
"Coach!" Kagami called Riko-senpai. "Let us keep going like this, please."
"Like this?" She looked at Kuroko. "You know your misdirection won't work against Takao-kun, right? Are you going to be okay?"
"I'm not okay." Kuroko answered. "I have a problem."
Coach Riko nodded. "Yeah, I see..I mean, what are you going to do?"
"Let him think of a plan." I suggested, glancing at Kuroko before looking back at the coach. "I'll analyze the situation, too."
She sighed. "Alright."
"Time out over."
The others started to stand up.
"Take care of Takao." Kagami said to Kuroko.
"Okay." He nodded, before standing up.
"Kuroko-kun?" I asked him when he stopped in front of me.
To my shock, Kuroko extended his fist to me for what it seems like a fist-bump and smiles weakly. "We'll come up with something."
My eyes started to get misty for a second, before I took a deep breath and also smiled. "Yeah." I answered, also extending my fist and bumping it to him gently.
You're really are my encourager, Kuroko-kun.
********
8 - 13
"Are the upperclassmen out of breath?" Furihata asked.
"Yeah." I answered. "Two games in a row is brutal..They're already exhausted."
"But it's still first quarter!" Kawahara added.
"Don't worry." We all looked up at the coach, who is currently standing. "This game definitely depends on Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun, who we had on reserve." She held out her hand, and we saw a..uh..what is that thing?
"..However that's not all."
"What is that?" Fukuda asked, referring to the thing. Yeah, the thing.
"One I broke before...after we lost last year."
We all sweat-dropped when the coach told us the story about how Hyuga-senpai broke most of his figurines when missing a shot.
At the court, the captain made a shot while yelling, "Who cares about the kings? Go die!"
"His personality suffered a little though. Hyuga-kun will make important shots."
Kuroko's pass was blocked again by Takao.
"Stealing a steal!" Fukuda exclaimed.
"Kuroko has been shut down!"
I bit my lips while watching Midorima's unbelievably entire half court-shot.
I pouted. "Still a freaking tsundere, though." I muttered.
Then...
"I thought he's not good at outside shots?" I asked, watching Kagami shot a three pointer...But then I realized what's going on and..
"A one man alley-oop!" I exclaimed happily.
Seirin's got a score.
13 - 16
Then we might be able to end the first quarter...
"Wha.." I almost stand up when Midorima positions in his shooting form..
And all of us widen our eyes when Midorima made a shot....in full court.
The buzzer beats, ending the first quarter.
13-19
"The first quarter is over, two minutes interval!"
******
I looked at Hyuga-senpai and the others again back in the bench, their heads all bowed down in somewhat defeat.
"Miu, has he always been able to do that?" Coach Riko asked.
"Kuroko also looks up and watch me glance at Shutoku before answering.
"No.." I answered. "I predicted it in my data, but..I thought it was unrealistic because back in middle school he could only shoot as far as the half line."
"I've seen videos in NBA players make that shot during practice, but trying that in an actual game is ridiculous. " Izuki-senpai commented.
"The Generation of Miracles are ridiculous.." The captain added.
"How are we supposed to stop that?"
"We can't stop it." I answered. "But if we think ways on stoping Midorima-kun.."
---------
The buzzer beats, ending the two-minute break.
"Kuroko-kun!" I called the boy who is about to go in the court.
He stopped and look at me. "What is it, Mari-chan?"
It's my turn to raised my hand to high-five him. "Stop Midorima-kun. I'll be here, supporting you."
Kuroko looks at me with a disbelief expression. "Mari-chan.." He mumbled, before smiling. "Yes! If you're with me, we'll win this game."
He raised his hand and high-five me.
"They're so cute together!" I heard Koganei-senpai stated, and I rolled my eyes.
********
The second quarter started.
Kuroko marked Midorima and at first, the tsundere looked so shocked, before easily passing him.
Heh. I smirked.
But before Kuroko can even touch the ball, he was stopped by Takao. I stand up in disbelief. Crap, we're running out of strategies!
Kuroko-kun's backtip...they saw it coming!
Midorima made another shot again.
Kuroko's pass was stopped again.
I gritted my teeth, sitting down again. "Impossible.." I mumbled. Midorima-kun isn't just the only problem we have, Takao-kun is still there.
And Midorima-kun..
"The coolest shot?" Kise repeated when I asked him what's the coolest shot in basketball and why. Currently, the Generation of Miracles, Kuroko and me went out to a convenience store after school and grab some snacks together..
"Yeah." I nodded, grinning.
"That'd be the dunk!" He answered. "It's the best for the guy doing it and the people watching!"
"Eh?" I blinked.
"That's why you're no good." We looked at Midorima. "Shooting from farther away is obviously the best, since it's worth three points."
"Midorima-kun's got a point." I agreed.
Tetsu looked at him. "Midorima-kun, you're usually smart, but sometimes you can be stupid."
"What?!"
"Tetsu-chan, you're so blunt."
Midorima faced Tetsu "Between two and three points, more is obviously better.
"What are you, a child?"
Midorima smiled. "The truth is simple and I will prove it to you someday."
"And today is that someday?" I asked myself, back to reality, watching Midorima scored once again.
13 - 24
Mitobe-senpai made a shot.
However, Midorima has the ball again, and even if Kagami tried to block it...
It's all useless.
15 - 27
"How are we supposed to stop this..?" I said, watching the game, horrified.
But..
"Kagami-kun?" I mumble, looking at the redheaded idiot grinning.
He's just so like Aomine-kun...
I get it now..stronger opponent is what ignites a fire in him, right?
But something's different..