Rindou exited the gym as it was getting quite dark and she prepared to go home. She let out a rough and annoyed sigh and turned to her right as Kuroko suddenly appeared in front her eyes.
"Ah!!" She exclaimed, "Kuroko-senpai, stop giving people heartattacks."
"I apologize," he nonchalantly replied. "Are you going home? Let me walk you there since it's dangerous to go alone in the dark."
"I'll be fine."
"Although your personality doesn't show it, you have a petite form which may not have the ability to hold off predators," he explained as she huffed in response.
"Can your body hold off predators?" She squinted her eyes at him in irritation.
"You know that I have a better chance than you, Rindou-san," he blankly sassed as she tensed up.
"If you insist..."
Rindou waited for Kuroko to get ready before he approached her with Aomine tagging along.
"You didn't tell me that you were going to walk your dog on our way home," she huffed.
"WATCH IT, KAERI," Aomine complained.
"You amaze me, Rindou-san..."
"Coach Sanada told me that you have a practice match tomorrow, is that right?" She asked as they walked down the sidewalk.
"I have a rival in that school and I can't wait to see him," Aomine grinned.
"Yes, we played against them before," Kuroko said. "You'll be coming with us, right?"
"No, I have to help out the second-string tomorrow. Since Coach Shirogane is ill, Coach Sanada needs the extra help. Satsuki-senpai will be there though, as usual," she said with relief in her voice.
"I see, but wish us luck," Kuroko replied.
"You guys will still win otherwise."
"That's high praise, Kaeri! But these opponents were pretty tough last year!" Aomine said.
"Is that so? Then maybe the game won't make me fall asleep this time," Rindou sighed before a strong arm wrapped around her shoulder.
"Then come with us! You can sneak into the bus and ditch the second-string!" Aomine excitedly grinned while putting his weight onto her.
Her body immediately tensed up beneath him as her eyes widened in complete shock of his actions.
"Aomine-kun, you're going to crush her," Kuroko warned as the latter apologized and removed himself from the second manager.
Rindou failed to bite down her smile as she stared at Aomine from the corner of her eye, "I'm not one to ditch my responsibilities like you, tough guy. There's no point in having two managers on court."
"Ahh, but you're missing out on the fun game," he complained.
"Tell me the details tomorrow then, I'll look forward to it."
The next day, Rindou helped the second string practice new moves that she observed from watched first-string games.
"HHHHRRRRAHH!!" Ryuuji yelled while jumping from the three-pointer line to dunk the ball, in which he barely scored. He landed on the floor while attempting to catch his breath.
"Damn, how does Aomine do it?" Sudouhiro asked.
"It's no doubt that Daiki-senpai is gifted, he couldn't even try to explain to me how he did it. His skill just naturally developed from his passion with no strategy involved," Rindou stated.
"Ryuuji jumped further than he did last week."
"You learn fast, Ryuu."
"I'm so fucking exhausted!" He screamed before collapsing onto the floor.
"Then quit yelling to save your energy," Sudouhiro sighed as he groaned in response.
"I talked to the miracles about how they managed to be so strong. They told me things like building up strength and stamina by training, but Seijurou-senpai mentioned something about how 'understanding basketball' helps them become stronger."
Deatoro suddenly started making weird noises as he was eager to speak before Rindou sighed and told him to go ahead.
"Thy must water thee rose with fiery passion, for thy to grow," he recited.
"What's that supposed to mean...?" Sudou tiredly questioned.
"It ain't that deep. The generation of bastards practically married basketball for them to receive all those power ups. Some of us have lives, ya know," Ryuuji snorted in disgust while getting up on his feet.
"Oh come on man. You're not giving up, right?" Sudou asked.
"Honestly, THEY CAN GO FUCK OFF FOR ALL I CARE ABOUT. The universe has already decided that they're special, alright? What are we gonna do 'bout it?!"
"You can't possibl--"
"Nah, I'm DONE!" With that, Ryuuji left the room as everyone remained shocked until Rindou spoke up.
"He doesn't mean it. He'll be back soon,"
"How do you know?"
"He was different when I first met him; reserved and rather calm. He's gotten more expressive and passionate due to basketball, he's not going to leave it."
Deatoro nodded in agreement.
"So don't be worried. Honestly, it's kind of funny to see him hate the first string so much," Rindou shrugged.
"I don't know if it's hilarious... but I'm not huge fans of them either," Sudou replied. "Due to the special treatment they receive, they seem quite entitled."
"Well it's to be expected. Today, they will be facing a long-time rival in a practice match. Daiki-senpai was really excited about it so they must be worthy," she said. "Plus, having strong rivals keeps them grounded in a way."
"Oh? Are you defending them?"
"It's just an observation," Rindou closed her eyes while letting out a huff as Deatoro expressed his unamusement.
The moment was interrupted by the metal doors opening as Coach Sanada came into the room.
"We're back from the practice match," He said.
"How did it go?" Sudou asked.
"We won," he somberly replied.
Rindou stared at the coach as he seemed to be in distress before approaching him, "um...coach?"
"Aomine is... being a bit difficult. I think there's something wrong with him," he requested before walking past her.
She ventured out to go look for him and eventually found him outside under a bridge as it began to rain lightly.
"Daiki-senpai," she called out while standing in front of the bridge and getting hit by the rain, "come to the gym. It's dry there."
"I don't need to go there. The coach is letting me skip whenever I want," he explained with a disappointed tone.
"If you skip, I won't be able to know what happened during the practice match that I was missing out on. You were excited about facing your rival," Rindou replied in slight confusion.
"Kaeri, he's not worth being a rival. He backed down when he saw how strong I've gotten," he continued. She couldn't understand why he's sulking about it, and why she's standing there, worried for him.
It began to rain harder as Kuroko approached the two. "Aomine-kun, let's go practice."
"Why should I practice? To get stronger? I'm already strong enough to win by myself! There's no purpose anymore. It feels like I'm playing by myself..."
"Senpai, I understand--"
"You're the last person who could understand, Kaeri! How can someone who's reliant on others possibly understand me!?" He yelled in frustration as Kuroko's eyes widened.
"I know that this is difficult for you. You've come to love basketball for as long as you can remember, and the fact that people give up while playing against you-- I understand how discouraging that must be," she stated.
"But you need to see the bigger picture. You're not all that strong, not yet. There's still so much that you can explore with basketball. Such as....using your non-dominant hand for the entirety of the match! I'm sure you won't be that good," she did a troubled smile.
"Rindou-san..."
"Like I said, Kaeri, for what purpose should I learn these new skills when there's no one to play against?! I doubt that I need to progress any further. I doubt that I even need a team," Aomine said. "I already forgot how to receive your passes, Tetsu."
"Okay..." Rindou took a step back and shook her head in disbelief, "you don't mean that. You can never forget his passes--you're not like that..."
Kuroko placed his hand on her shoulder, "It's fine, Rindou-san. Just go inside, you'll get sick out here."
As she peered at him --prepared to ask him if he was serious-- she noticed his pained smile and eyes that showed his gratitude for her encouragement. Her body weakened as it dragged itself away from his touch.
It finally hit her. It was real. Her prediction about the miracles growing independent was coming alive in the worst time when she least expected it. It happened right when she felt a brink of comfort around them, and the moments when they all laughed and walked home together didn't exist anymore... it didn't matter.
Rindou regained her self-awareness as she hiked up the muddy hill and to the first-string gym. Her heart was beating fast and it wasn't due to her poor cardio; she felt uneasy either way. It was the most emotional she has ever been as she spoke without realizing what she was doing.
She stood on the stone platform in front of the open entrance of the gym as there was a commotion going on between Akashi and Murasakibara. The rest of the first-stringers expressed their concern and shock towards them.
"I'm just saying, if Mine-chin gets to skip practice, then it shows that the results won't change if we don't come too," Murasakibara said.
"You're being ridiculous. I won't allow this!" Akashi protested.
"I'm beginning to feel less threatened by you, Aka-chin. I used to feel like I can't beat you in anything, until now."
The red-haired captain gritted his teeth before picking up a basketball, "Then let's settle this; one on one."
Rindou continued to watch from afar as she processed the fact that Murasakibara was facing the same issue, and even worse, challenging Akashi's authority. "His identity was already hanging by a thread. If this continues... he will fall apart,"
She regretted taking it lightly when she initially made the observation. It was tragic to see Akashi struggle against Murasakibara in something that he expressed his pride in, and has offered to share with her at one point.
It didn't matter anymore. That Akashi is now gone, and she knew it when it happened.
He glared at Murasakibara with a new golden eye in one of his sockets as he performed an ankle-break on the boy, causing him to fall before Akashi scored a point. The sudden turning-of-tables sparked confusion within the rest of the team as they witnessed another side of the trusted captain; who demanded to not be underestimated. "I will tell you something, Atsushi. I will not submit to anyone, not even my own parents."
After the match, Murasakibara kicked a bucket of water bottles in frustration of his defeat. "Whatever, I guess I'll go home now..."
"Wait a minute, didn't you just lose to Akashi?" Midorima asked.
"I'll start coming to practice regularly after today. I'm not in the mood right now," the center began to leave.
"Actually, I retract my statement. You're not obliged to come to practice. That is... if we continue to win our games," Akashi smirked as Murasakibara glared at him in disbelief. "That goes for you guys too; Ryouta, Shintaro."
Kise and Midorima were taken back by the sudden use of their first names, "That's a bit..."
"You absolutely cannot be serious...!" Rindou yelled while taking off her shoes and throwing them on the pavement before entering the gym.
"Rindocchi! Where did you come from?! And you're completely soaked!"
"What happened to you, Kaeriin?" Momoi asked in concern.
"I assume you were talking to Daiki," Akashi plainly said; "and what flaw do you see in my plan?"
"As a captain, you should be uniting your teammates instead of discouraging them from practice! This isn't right," she insisted.
"I'm sure Daiki already told you, but it's all pointless. We're the strongest in the nation and no one has the courage to challenge us."
"But you can't just let this happen! You need to keep the formation in balance-- that's your job! You're the leader, aren't you? At this rate... that'll just be a title," she protested before everyone stared at her in shock.
She then let out a sneeze as her face began heating up,
"Are you catching a cold?" Kise asked.
"Clearly, someone of her body type wouldn't be able to handle the rain," Midorima added.
"Kaeri," Akashi took off his t-shirt and pulled it over Rindou's head and torso as it loosely hanged from her body, "you understand the circumstances; that this team isn't your average and it will work with it's own system that guarantees our victory."
She had taken off her wet shirt from under the borrowed t-shirt as the dry fabric brushed against her skin, regaining her warmth. She continued to look at his one golden eye that pierced into hers, and wondered how it could've absorbed into his identity so quickly.
"I'm curious to know how someone, who never bothered to gain interest in a sport, suddenly cares to be involved in this situation," he added before beginning to walk away.
Rindou started to chase after him as the rest of the team tried to stop her, "Seijurou-senpai...! I know I'm not too familiar with the fundamentals of basketball, but if it's solely based on winning or losing, and survival of the fittest..." she paused.
"Then what the hell did you mean by 'understanding basketball?!" She yelled at him before he left through the doors, "you can't just give me an open-ended, vague statement! I wanted to know!!"
The doors closed after her outburst as she was left staring at an empty space.
"Hey, don't strain yourself..." Momoi sadly suggested before it was silent,
Rindou was out of breath as she pressed her palm against her forehead and felt it get abnormally warm. "Yeah... I don't feel too good..." she stumbled before collapsing onto the floor.
****
"He still hasn't come to practice...?" Kise asked, referring to Aomine who didn't show up for practice for the past couple of days.
"It's to be expected," Midorima sighed while pushing up his glasses. "He won't budge, no matter how hard Momoi tries."
"Not only that, Rindocchi went down with a high fever after that day. I wonder if she's doing okay."
"I wonder who took her home after we brought her to the nurse," Midorima added.
"It was me," said Kuroko as they both stared at him in surprise. "She got home safely."
"That's a relief," Kise let of a huff.
"I wasn't aware that you stayed until late, Kuroko."
"I had a talk with Akashi-kun for a while, and then he told me that Rindou-san fainted in the gym."
"What did he tell you?"
"That I should stop worrying about Aomine-kun," he replied. "Rindou-san also seemed off when I came to see her. When I heard that she had a fit, I expected her to be annoyed about it, but she was weirdly calm. Perhaps it was because she was sick,"
"I've never seen her have an outburst. I didn't even know why she was so curious about the 'understanding basketball' statement that Akashi told her. It simply goes without explaining," Midorima explained.
"But there was no use to telling her in the first place if she wouldn't understand..."
It was no doubt that the atmosphere of the gym changed after the incident with people skipping practice and Akashi's behavior. The miracles' were merciless against their opponents as they would pull a massive gap in scores; even competing against each other to see who would earn the most points.
The past couple of days have been stressful, and Rindou was rarely seen in the first-string gym.