Atobe tapped his foot impatiently, staring glumly at the wall of the dimly-lit room. Right before the bonfire was lit, Amane called him into the control room of the main cabin, saying that his father wished to talk to him. He missed the bonfire lighting and completely lost sight of Ryouko afterwards. He wanted to go back to the grounds and find her immediately, feeling a bit anxious for reasons he cannot fathom.
"What's taking so long?" He complained. "Isn't it just a phone call?"
"Sorry, young master. The staff are still setting up the computer. The CEO wishes to talk to you face to face." Amane answered.
"Then tell them to hurry up. I don't have all night." He said, sounding annoyed.
"Yes, young master." Amane replied with a nod and went on his way.
As he waited, Atobe began to ponder on something; well, someone, actually. He began to recall the time he met Fujioka Ryouko. He closed his fist and narrowed his violet eyes. It had not been long. He just couldn't understand why is it that he's feeling anxious over a girl whom he had only known for a few months... Why is it that he seemed to... care, he paused as his chest gave a jolt, about that girl a little too much? He doesn't want to admit that but... there's no denying it now, because even at this time, she's the only one he can think about.
The staff had finished setting up the camera for the chairman's video chat and Atobe's thoughts were put to a stop. He was called inside a much smaller room with only a table, a chair and a white roll-down screen can be found. A laptop is placed on the center of the table with a small projector attached on it.
Atobe sat down on the chair and picked up the glass of iced lemon juice beside a plate of petite shortcakes, both provided by the staff as his refreshments. After taking a sip, he turned the laptop's camera towards him and pressed some keys.
The laptop came to life and a few seconds later, the image of the CEO of Atobe Industries filled the entirety of the white screen.
"What the heck is it, I'm busy here..." He greeted his father with an irritated tone.
"If you are busy then how busy do you think I am, you sorry excuse of a son." Atobe senior answered, narrowing his bluish-purple eyes at him.
Keigo picked up a shortcake and took a bite. "If you're so busy then how come you still have time to bother me?" He said.
"There is an urgent matter that you have to deal with as soon as possible." Atobe senior said. "By the way, is the camp going smoothly?"
"Activities were put on hold for today because of the storm but everything's fine now. We'll resume the events tomorrow." Keigo answered.
"The doctors gave me an update on Ryouko's condition. It is very fortunate that it's not very serious." He told his son.
"Not very serious?" Keigo repeated, feeling annoyed. "The girl is not allowed to walk. She's been hanging out on a wheelchair all day. You call that 'not very serious'?" He added, emphasizing the words.
Atobe senior gave an amused smile. "You've developed quite a soft spot for her, haven't you?"
Keigo looked away from the screen and looked uncomfortable. "Soft spot, my butt. I'm just concerned that the Fujiokas will take this against me if she gets seriously injured."
"Whatever you say, then." His father answered. After that, his demeanor changed to something business-like. "Well, what I am calling about concerns the camp and that's why we need to converse immediately to make the necessary coordinations. You are, after all, still named as the main instigator of this camp." CEO Atobe started to explain.
"What about it?" Keigo asked.
"There's been some mistake with the scheduling of a project that I am sponsoring and it overlapped with the dates of the camp you are having right now." CEO Atobe said.
"Project? What project?" Keigo asked.
The CEO picked up some documents from his table and held them up to the camera. Keigo narrowed his eyes at the papers.
"I have sponsored a project to house players from the most prominent high school basketball teams that have participated in the recent National competitions. They should have been scheduled right after you have left the camp grounds but unfortunately, due to an error that the camp organizers made, the dates got confused. You were supposed to have a three-day camp and they stretched it out to one week because of your request. The dates in the invitations sent to the tennis teams were altered but those that were sent to the basketball teams were not corrected. It got overlooked because they still have to deal with the alterations and encoding of the data collected from the four days that you have stayed at the camping site."
"So your point is?" Keigo asked.
"My point is, expect some visitors tomorrow between 7 to 8 o'clock in the morning. The high school basketball teams will be joining you for the remaining three days of your camp." The chairman answered, steepling his fingers together.
Keigo gave an exasperated scoff. "You mean, we can't have the camping grounds to ourselves for the rest of the week? How can they make such a stupid mistake?"
"It can't be helped. They have just noticed the discrepancy a few hours ago. When the coordinators contacted the basketball teams' captains for the possibility of correcting the discrepancy, they said that the members of all the teams have already flown to Okinawa earlier in the afternoon so they can rest up for one night before going to the camp grounds for their organized training. As we speak, the members of the teams are staying at a hotel in the city and they will arrive there by bus tomorrow morning. The coordinators couldn't say that there is a mistake in the schedules and that the members have to fly back to where they came from. It will be a shame to my name if such inconveniences happen." The chairman paused to take a deep breath. "And so, the only solution is for you to share the camping grounds with the high schoolers until the day you leave. It won't be too much of an inconvenience to you since you only have three more days."
Keigo gave a sigh. "What a bother." He said. "This is a disaster." He threw a dirty look at his father. "How can you expect me to explain this to the players?"
His father picked up a Foley cup from its saucer and sipped some tea. Keigo can see the steam coming from the drink as Atobe senior replaced it on the table. "Accidents happen. The skill of a businessman will be tested at such times of chaos and disorganization. Let me see how you'll handle this one."
Keigo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I'll do something about it then."
Holding onto the fuse of his already dwindling patience, he listened as his father explained the details about the training camp that was organized for the high school basketball teams. He frowned.
Atobe senior is an avid fan of basketball. He considers it as the greatest sport that existed because it is the one game that garners extreme popularity in the largest populations possible. Not just once or twice that the CEO have tried convincing his son to switch to basketball and abandon tennis.
The chairman also has strong beliefs that investing to basketball will bring back the money tenfolds if spent on the right players. It is not surprising to Keigo that his father is playing host to a training camp for high school basketball teams. He must be in the middle of filtering out those players in search for his golden boys.
After securing a copy of necessary information like the schools' names, members and etcetera, Keigo was ready to wrap up the conversation. He was beginning to end the call when his father suddenly stopped him.
"Keigo." He called, a different tone wrapped around his voice.
"What is it? Are there more chaos that needed fixing?" Keigo asked, reaching his limit. He seriously have to go down the grounds and find that girl.
The chairman licked his lips and looked thoughtful. "About Ryouko-kun... There's something you need to know about one particular person that is included in the line up of one of the high school basketball teams..."
At the sound of Ryouko's name, Keigo's brow automatically raised itself. His curiosity is successfully lured. "One of them is related to Ryouko?" He asked. "It's not one of her cousins, is it?" He added, reminded once more that the Fujioka males are not exactly welcome to him anymore.
"No. He's not one of her cousins, but he is acquainted to her almost the same way she is acquainted with us. He's the son of one of the Zenbonzakura Corporation's large-scale business partners."
"And so?" Keigo said, immediately losing interest. "It's fine as long as it's not one of her cousins..." He thought. "Or another stupid childhood friend." He added, frowning in his mind.
"Why do I have to know about that?" He said aloud.
"You see..." The chairman removed his glasses and cleaned the lenses with a silk cloth. "You also happen to know this person. I think that you have to be informed."
Keigo frowned, making shallow furrows line his smooth forehead. Just who is this mystery person that his father is acting in such a curious way? He took a long drink from the glass of juice and leaned on the backrest of the chair. "Okay then... Brief me in."
The chairman placed his glasses back on. "Turn to page three in the folder that was given to you."
Keigo did as he was told and opened the folder, flipping the pages and stopping on page three. His violet eyes scanned the typed words. He merely read them over with his eyes when one particular name made him do a double-take and read it again. His pupils began to widen as he recalled to whom that name belonged to.
"That guy... This is..." He looked at his father questioningly. "He's coming here? Tomorrow? Is this serious?" There was increasing disbelief in his every sentence.
The CEO nodded. "It is. And there's a detail that you have to know about him. This is important to me, to our company, and most possibly, to you as well so listen closely."
And 'listen closely' he did, leaning anxiously towards the projector. As his father explained the situation, his eyes grew even wider.
~~~
Even though she is a girl and the most fragile among the team, Riko is the one who took the lead. She fearlessly followed the shrubby path leading to the bright light in the distance without even worrying if she encounters something dangerous on the way. She was even humming.
Kagami and Hyuga, being the toughest ones present, posted themselves on her left and right side respectively, careful to keep a close yet far enough distance to avoid irking their coach and jump at anything dangerous that may come up to her. Koganei, Kuroko and Izuki followed behind, looking curiously around their surroundings. They heard an owl's hoot from a distance, giving them the chills.
"Kore wa nanka kimo dameshi mitai da ne? (This is very much like a test of fear, don't you think?)" Koganei commented.
"Kimo dameshi, meshi... (Test of fear, meal...) Man, I'm so hungry, I can't even make a proper pun. Can we sit down and have a snack or something?" Izuki said, his hand on his stomach.
"Senpai, this is not exactly a picnic, you know..." Kagami told him.
As they neared the part of the forest close to the source of the light, they heard laughter and the cackling sound of burning wood. "What's that, I wonder?" Koganei asked.
"Some kind of festival?" Izuki said, his curiosity driving him to go ahead of the three people in front of him. He paved the leaves and branches to make his way out of the shrubbery easier.
His black, almond-shaped eyes widened at the sight of the roaring bonfire right in the middle of what looked like an open ground with the size of a soccer field. A lot of people surrounded the bonfire, either sitting on benches, dancing and cooking some barbecue. The smell of sizzling meat reached their tonsils, making their stomachs growl.
"Ta~ma~ya~" The crowd chorused with cheery voices as several successions of fireworks filled the sky with colorful lights, exploding in different hues of blue, pink, red, orange and violet.
"It IS a festival..." Koganei said, all of a sudden feeling a surge of excitement.
"I wonder what the fuss is all about?" Hyuga said, looking around warily.
Riko brushed off some leaves that got caught in her hair. "Well, we better do what we came here to do and ask some question—"
"Sumimasen. Koko wa doko desuka? (Excuse me. Where is this place?)" The faint sound of a familiar voice interrupted her. Kuroko is already doing what she just said, standing a few yards away from where they stood, confronting a couple of guys carrying sticks of kebabs with both hands. Nigo barked happily, still clamped securely inside Kuroko's arms.
"Since when did he get there? Just a second ago, he was standing right next to me." Koganei said in dismay.
Kagami gave a sigh. "We can all never get used to that antic of his." He started to march towards Kuroko. Riko, Hyuga, Izuki and Koganei followed after him.
Nio and Marui jumped in fright, their cargo of barbecue sticks almost slipping from their grip. "Where did he come from?" Nio thought. "Eh, koko wa puraibeito guraundo dewanai desuka? (Eh, isn't this place supposed to be a private ground?) How come there are other people here?" He said aloud, getting over the shock and biting off the meat at the end of one barbecue stick.
Nigo looked longingly at the pork belly skewered on the sticks, his tongue slowly starting to hang from his mouth. He gave a whining sound, catching Nio's attention.
"You want some?" He asked the pup. Nigo barked enthusiastically in reply. Nio then looked at the dog's owner. "Can I feed him?" He asked.
"Go ahead." Kuroko answered.
"Well, it's supposed to be a private ground. At least according to what I know..." Marui commented late at Nio's earlier question, rotating an empty stick with his fingers and finally dumping it right behind him.
Kuroko watched the stick fall. "You shouldn't really litter." He said, blinking blankly at them.
"Huh?" Marui said, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head to one side. "Anyways, who are you?" He added.
"Sumimasen. (Excuse me.)" Riko yelled as they approached closer. Nio, Marui and Kuroko looked towards her direction.
"He's one of our comrades. Sorry about that." She added, panting a little as they finally reached them.
"Kuroko, you really shouldn't go off like that without saying a word." Hyuga slightly scolded him.
"I'm sorry, Captain. I thought that we need to ask people as soon as possible." Kuroko replied.
Izuki approached Marui and Nio. "We beg your pardon for dropping off on you guys all of a sudden, but we're kind of lost. Can you tell us where the Atobe Recreational Center is located? The map given to us said that it's in this area, but we were having trouble in locating the exact place."
"Atobe Recreational Center?" Marui repeated, finishing his last stick of kebabs.
"It's here though." Nio said.
"Eh?" Izuki replied, blinking in confusion.
"It's right here. The soon-to-be Atobe Recreational Center..." Marui told them. "According to the indormation we know, it's not been opened to the public yet. Did you guys make a reservation or something?" He added.
The Seirin high school students looked around at the partying kids scattered all over the grounds.
"This is... where we are scheduled to train?" Kagami said, his tone doubtful and gruff. "Desu." He added to sound more polite.
"I don't understand..." Riko said, digging at her bag and finally extracting a crumpled letter. She unfolded it and looked it over. "It says here that we're scheduled to use the grounds and facilities for one week starting tomorrow. It doesn't mention anything about the grounds having occupants before us."
"Well, we ARE scheduled to come here tomorrow. Maybe they're scheduled to use the place until tonight? I told you that we might cause problems if we come and check out the place a day before the said date..." Hyuga commented.
Nio and Marui looked at each other and blinked, sort of getting the gist of the situation.
"Excuse me for intruding..." Marui said, confronting the newcomers. "But we're scheduled to be here for three more days. The son of the owner of the camping grounds arranged this camp for us. Maybe you're mistaken?"
Riko took a step towards him. "Excuse me, but can you take us to the front desk please?"
~~~
"I'm really sorry but I do not have the authority to answer your inquiries..." Amane said, looking really apologetic as an anxious Riko bulldozed him over with half a dozen questions right after a brief exchange of introductions. The Seirn high school basketball team, or at least part of it, sat across from him in the lobby of the main building.
Kuroko leaned back on the backrest of the comfy couches, sinking onto it as if the cushions were made of chiffon. Nigo is still in his arms, munching on a rib bone that Nio gave him right after he and Marui led the unexpected guests to the main building.
"We should wait for Keigo-obocchama to arrive. I'm sure he will be able to answer your questions." Amane told them.
Riko sighed. "Very well. We don't have a choice anyway."
Amane smiled and attempted a conversation. "If it's not rude to ask, why did you come here at such a late time? We we're expecting your arrival tomorrow."
Hyuga threw a look at Riko, "Told you so."
"Shut up, Hyuga-kun." Riko snapped before facing Amane. Her face changed into a smiling one. "We just want to look at the place before the actual day of the program arrives. Chairman Atobe gave us such a treat, making us use this huge place for our team building. We also want to introduce ourselves in advance." She looked at Amane eagerly, her eyes shining as she leaned forward towards him. "By the way, is the Chairman going to be present here tomorrow?"
Amane smiled uncomfortably, leaning back a little. "No, I'm afraid not..."
Riko leaned right back to the couch. "What a shame." She said.
"His son is here though. Keigo-obocchama is currently placed as the person in charge of this venue." Amane told her.
"Really?" Riko said, half of the enthusiasm back on her face. "This is such a great opportunity to secure a sponsor..." She thought excitedly to herself. Ever since the invitation from the chairman arrived, Riko had been plotting schemes to win him over.
CEO Atobe, chairman and owner of the Atobe Industries is known as a great basketball enthusiast. Riko's father told her that the man is actually standing as benefactor to many of the nation's national athletes. Rumor has it that he is looking for promising players to invest in, thus is the reason why he has invited the participants of the Winter Cup to his recreational center in Okinawa. He might be planning on surveying the high school players and find someone that he is interested in.
Riko should not get this opportunity get past them. If Seirin secures such a wealthy sponsor, they will be able to gain financial support outside of the school. After all, even though they surfaced as champions of the Winter Cup, the school did not give them a budget raise.
Those cheapskates... Riko wanted to run their faces over with the Winter Cup throphy and flatten their noses.
"There are a lot of people outside." Izuki commented. "What are they here for, Amane-san?"
"Oh them?" Amane answered with a smile. "You see, Keigo-obocchama is a junior high senior attending Hyotei Academy and he is the captain of the boys' tennis club. Since he will be retiring soon, he wanted to give his teammates a treat. His father provided him with enough revenues to include all the teams that they have played against from the Prefecturals until the National tournaments. And so, the young master organized a week-long camp for his fellow tennis players." Amane explained.
"Ohh, that is very generous of him." Koganei said, his eyes widening in admiration. "It must've cost a fortune. I wish I had that much money." He added.
"So all of those people outside are tennis players then? And they're all in junior high?" Riko confirmed.
"Yes. The winning team, Seigaku, was given special treatment and they were allowed to bring all of the members of their club to the camp whereas the other teams included only the line-up of the regular members." Amane told her.
"Oh? That's the same with us, isn't it?" Hyuga said.
"The invitation did say that all of the members of the Seirin basketball club are invited, right Coach?" Kagami commented.
"Coach?" Amane said, looking around. "You have brought your coach with you?"
The Seirin members looked at each other and shrugged. Riko gave a slight smile. This kind of thing always happen.
Kagami waved a hand in front of Amane's face and pointed at his left. "She's right here." He said.
"Eh?" Amane replied, quite confused.
"Riko-senpai is the team's coach." Kuroko piped up, rubbing Nigo right behind his fluffy ears. The pup has exhausted itself in munching on the bone and his big blue eyes are slowly drooping sleepily.
"Oh. I see." Amane said, blinking and nodding. It looked like it is a bit of a surprise to him.
"Sorry that I made you wait." A deep and steady voice said right behind them. A tall, purple-eyed guy approached where Amane sat. The latter stood up and bowed. "Keigo-obocchama." He greeted with a light bow.
Riko stood up as well, and the guys followed her example. "He must be the chairman's son." Riko thought. Atobe Keigo turned to them and gave a gracious bow. "Man, he sure is handsome." She said to herself, sneaking a peek as she bowed back. "Top notch looks and top notch aura... Just what one would expect from the heir of a huge conglomerate."
The team exchanged greetings and introdustions with the Atobe heir before discussing the matters at hand.
"Actually..." Keigo said. "There had been some mistakes regarding the scheduling of the programs. It looks like yours have overlapped onto our designated days to use the campsite. The discrepancy was detected this morning but when the organizers called the team representatives, they were informed that all of the attendees have already flown here in Okinawa. We sincerely apologize about this." He explained.
"So... What should we do then? Are you going to send us home?" Koganei asked, feeling disheartened.
"No. That's unthinkable. The fault came from our side and thus, we're determined to fix it." Keigo told them. He suddenly looked at the side and ushered some employees who approached them, carrying refreshments and dishes of chicken drumsticks, elegantly plated.
"You must be feeling hungry. Amane informed me that the van you rented broke down on the way and you had to walk to reach the venue." He told them.
"Yes. And we also got lost. There were no signs to guide us." Kuroko said.
"We apologize about that. The road signs have not been put up yet as the place is still not ready for public opening." Keigo informed them. "How about you guys take a break and eat a bite before we discuss the measures we have prepared to fix the problem... We are more than willing to accommodate your needs."
"Thank you." Riko said with a smile.
"We appreciate the generosity." Izuki said without looking at Kaigo. He couldn't avert his eyes from the plates of chicken with its different choices of sauces and dips.
"Feel free to enjoy your meal. You can ask for refills of the lemonade as well." Amane told them.
"Oh don't mind if I do..." Koganei said, eagerly pouring himself a glass of cold lemonade.
"Koganei-kun, have some restraint." Riko scolded him, a chicken drumstick already in her hand.
"Okawari. (Seconds.)" Kagami said, handing an empty plate to one of the servers.
"Hayai! (So fast!)" Hyuga, Izuki and Riko exclaimed.
Kuroko placed the sleeping Nigo on a cushion and sterilized his hands with a small bottle of gel alcohol hidden in one of his pockets before reaching over for a drumstick.
As the Seirin team were enjoying their meal, Riko's phone rang. She took it from her pocket and answered the call.
"Ryes? Raida Riko shpeaking." She said, munching on a chicken wing.
On the other end of the line, Momoi Satsuki strained her ears. "Why are your words slurred? Are you chewing gum?"
Riko swallowed. "No. I'm having dinner."
"Dinner? At quarter to ten in the evening?" Satsuki said, arching an eyebrow.
"We got in some trouble. The car broke down and we walked the rest of the way. We got lost for three hours before finding the place." Riko answered, slapping Koganei's hand which is sneaking its way to a plate of chicken legs that Riko set aside for herself.
"How about Tetsu? Is Tetsu also having dinner this late?" Satsuki said, sounding worried.
"Yeah. He's beside me right now." Riko replied, biting the crispy chicken skin off the meat of a chicken leg.
"How dare you make my Tetsu starve." Satsuki said in a reprimanding tone. "I knew that he shoudn't have gone with you guys... He should've just stayed here in the hotel with us."
"Whatever." Riko said, rolling her eyes. "Did you call me just to check on Kuroko?"
"No. I'm calling to hear if your little trip went well." Satsuki said. "What do you think about the place? Is it nice?"
"We haven't exactly had the time to look around. We just arrived. Besides, it's too dark to see anything." Riko answered.
Satsuki sighed. "I could've expected this from you... You're a size B after all."
A tic went off at Riko's temple. "How come you relate everything I do with my chest? It has nothing to do with it!"
"I'm gonna hang up. It's a waste of valuable call time. My phone bill is going to suffer." Satsuki said.
"Wait!" Riko stopped her.
"What?" Satsuki replied, a little irritated.
"Actually, there's some sort of problem with the venue." Riko said.
"Problem?" Satsuki replied, her tone curious. "What kind of problem?"
Riko explained the overlapping of the schedules to Satsuki and the latter nodded, standing outside the hotel lobby. "I see." She said. "Well, what do they want us to do then? We already came a long way."
"We're going to discuss that with the Chairman's son after dinner. I'll give you an update as soon as it's over." Riko told her.
"Okay then. I'll be expecting your call." Satsuki said.
Riko was about to hang up when Satsuki suddenly stopped the call from getting disconnected.
"I know exactly what you are thinking about with CEO Atobe and this little project." She said with a sly tone to her voice. "I just want you to know that I am thinking the exact thing as well..."
Riko put down her drumstick and smiled challengingly. "Oh yeah? I guess we have some sort of competition then..."
"I wish you luck. Not that it's gonna do you any good." Satsuki said with a confident voice. "You're a size B after all..."
"I told you that my breast size doesn't have anything to do with that!" Riko yelled. The beeping of the receiving line mocked her ears. Satsuki hanged up on her. She glared at her phone. "This... cow..." She hissed at it, seething in anger.
"What was that Riko?" Hyuga asked, munching on two pieces of chicken at a time. "You want chicken breast?"
"Too late. Kagami already ate them all." Izuki said.
"Just shut up and stuff your faces!" She yelled at them.
~~~
"Ahh~" Satsuki said as she flopped down on one of the lobby couches. "I did think it was going far too smoothly..."
"What is?" Aomine Daiki asked from the side. He is sitting on the same couch that Satsuki occupied, drinking a can of soda.
"This team-buliding thing..." Satsuki replied, snatching the can away from Aomine. She drank deeply from it.
"Oi." Aomine said irritably, his brow crinkling in annoyance.
"There's a problem with the recreational center's schedule, Riko said." Satsuki answered as she returned the can to Aomine.
"What kind of problem?" Kise asked from the other side. He is currently reading a magazine.
"Our schedule was overlapped with the schedule of some camp that junior high schoolers arranged." Satsuki answered.
"Oh? So what's gonna happen then?" Aomine said.
"Don't know... They're still gonna discuss it." Satsuki answered.
On the side of one wall, Midorima Shintarou stood with his back leaned on it. He pushed his black-rimmed glasses up his nose. "I told you that this week is a bad time to go on a trip out of town. Oha-Asa Horoscope suggests to not even step from the boundaries of the city. You just wouldn't listen." He said.
"Midorimacchi, please stop connecting everything with Oha-Asa'a horoscope announcements. You've been saying that since we left the airport. You even scared everyone when a small turbulence rocked the plane during our flight." Kise said in exasperation.
"Akachin, do you have some coins?" Murasakibara suddenly arrived from right behind the couch where Akashi is relaxing, his nose buried under the pages of a big hardbound book. "There's a vending machine over there that sells an interesting flavor of pretzels. I wanna try it but I only got bills with me." He said with the usual flat and bored drone he always uses.
"Sorry, Atsushi, but I only have bills on me as well." Akashi said, not even bothering to take his eyes off the book he is reading. "And so, what is that other event that overlapped with our schedule?" He said.
Satsuki knew that even though he didn't look up, the question is directed at her. "It's a camp for junior high tennis clubs, I think. Schools that participated in this year's Nationals were invited."
"Tennis?" Akashi said, lifting his red eyes from the page and looking up in curiosity.
"Oh? Akachin stopped reading." Murasakibara commented.
"Yep, they're all tennis players, I've heard. Chairman Atobe's son is also one of those tennis players. He's the club captain of Hyotei Academy tennis club." Satsuki replied.
"Eh? Really?" Akashi suddenly said, narrowing his eyes.
Satsuki and the others looked at each other questioningly. Is it just them or does Akashi seemed interested in what Satsuki just said?
Akashi closed the book and carried it with the bend of his elbow. "I'm going back to my room to sleep. Wake me up tomorrow an hour before we leave the hotel." He said and went without another word.
"Cheh. How come he gets a room all to himself? I'm shacking up with five guys in one room. Kasamatsu-senpai kicks me everytime I try to comment about something and I'm forced to retreat here in the lobby..." Kise said, pouting a little.
"It can't be helped. Akachin is paying for that with his own money..." Murasakibara commented.
"And it's one of the VIP suites too..." Midorima told them.
"Must be nice being filthy rich." Aomine said, downing what is left in his can of soda.
"We should retire for the night as well... We'll be leaving the hotel at 7:30 am tomorrow." Satsuki said, getting up from the couch and stretching her arms.
The boys agreed and they went up to their rooms to rest.
"I am so not anticipating tonight's quality of sleep. I just hope that no one grinds their teeth while sleeping. I really hate that." Kise said before returning to the room where the other Kaijo regulars were residing.
~~~
Akashi shook his head, making droplets of water fall from the damp hair above his forehead. He just finished washing up, drying himself with a soft cotton towel. He threw it aside on the wide bedside table and lifted the covers draped all over the king-sized bed of his suite. Slipping right under it, he made himself comfortable before clapping his hands once. The lights dimmed automatically.
He turned on his side and stared at the night scenery that can be seen from the glass doors overlooking the veranda.
"Tennis, huh?" He mumbled softly before closing his eyes. In under a minute, he had drifted off to a deep sleep.
"Listen, Seijuro..." A deep, strict-sounding voice slurred at the depths of Akashi's consciousness. It is a voice that he hears everyday, every minute of his life.
He opened his eyes to a blurred expanse of colors, his surroundings looking like a painting slushed clumsily with acrylic and oil pastels. All of a sudden, the edges sharpened and the image zoomed into focus.
He is then transported in time, five years prior when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom and sending fluttering petals down the lane of the Akashi's mansion in Kyoto.
"The most prominent families of our country are going to be in this party. I want you to be in your best form and behavior." Akashi Seijuro's father said with utmost sternness.
"Hai, chichiue. (Yes, father.)" Seijuro, aged ten, replied without meeting his father's eyes. The tone is not foreign to his ears. Even in Seijuro's earliest memory of his father, he had been stern, rigid and straight-to-the-point.
"Now, now, darling... Don't be so uptight. The more important thing is that Sei-chan will enjoy himself in the party." His mother, Akashi Shiori said softly with her gentle tone and quiet demeanor.
Akashi Masaomi, the head of the Akashi Group turned to his wife. "Are you really sure you can attend this party? It's been barely three days since you returned from the hospital." He told her.
"I'm fine... Staying at the hospital room bores me. I've gotten ample rest at home and the family doctor is on stand-by. I might get sicker if you don't let me come out." Shiori answered, tucking some stray strands of her strawberry-colored hair behind one ear. Seijuro looked at his mother and she met his eyes, smiling gently.
Seijuro smiled back, a quick upturning of the corners of his childish mouth, the type of smile that is approved by his father.
That night, the Akashi group would serve as host to the get-together of his father's alumni batch which coincidentally includes more than half of Japan's richest and most prominent families. Even though he is only in the fifth grade, Seijuro is smart enough to know that this is not his father's act of generosity towards his former batchmates, but rather a business strategy that everyone in the upper class uses.
There is nothing more boring than a handful of high-class people trying to outshine each other's wealth and social status. Then again, Seijuro is used to such events as he had been attending them ever since he opened his eyes to the outside world. He is, after all, Akashi Seijuro... The only heir to the Akashi Group's wealth and prestige. He would have to learn how the business goes, especially how to socialize with their own kind.
He was shooed away to be bathed, cleaned and dressed for the party as his parents continued to converse with each other. He looked at them over his shoulder as the maid ushered him out of the room. His father's unsmiling, austere features and his mother's soft eyes and genial face were the last image he saw before the door shut close.
The more he looked at them, the more he cannot understand. How did it happen that such a warm person like her mother married his father who is graced with a completely opposite personality from her own? To young Seijuro, it is perhaps the greatest mystery in the world.
The time for the dinner party came fast and Seijuro stood right beside his father to welcome the important guests. The only time he has seen his father smile is whenever he is greeting the 'important people'. It is not an impressive one either and Seijuro sees it as a mask that Akashi Seiran uses to merely look polite.
After that, the adults began to gather and Seijuro was asked to behave. The children of the guests have started to swarm to interesting areas of the mansion and his mother encouraged him to go off and play with them. Still, Seijuro preferred to stay put in a corner of the room, his back leaned on the expensive mahogany furniture placed at intervals to make the hall look classy.
Playing with those little kids is the last thing that he wants to do. The eldest one he saw looked about nine. It is beneath him to play with such young children, as if the one year gap between them spans a whole lifetime.
Seijuro traced the tiles beneath his shoes when all of a sudden, a young girl approached him. He looked down at her with unfriendly eyes and she blinked back with the brownest, most-curious shade of murky red-orange rust. He scowled at her and even tried glaring, hinting that he wants her to get lost. But apparently, that was not a strong enough hint for her to understand. She merely blinked again with her big pupils and lush eyelashes, directly looking at Seijuro's red pupils with a completely blank expression.
Immediately, the girl struck him as weird. Everyone scurries away when he uses that look on them. "Is she too young to understand?" He thought.
To his surprise, the girl thrusted out one hand towards him. "Ochita. (It fell.)" She said childishly with a doll-like voice matching her doll-like features.
"Huh?" Seijuro said. He looked at her hand. Trapped on the plump, pinkish fingers is a hair ribbon, the baby blue shade matching the girl's dress.
"And so what do you want me to do with it?" Seijuro instinctively asked, unable to stop himself.
"Tie it back to my hair." She told him.
Seijuro arched an eyebrow. Did she just order him to put the dang ribbon on her hair? He let out a soft scoff. She looked about five or six years old. He scanned around to see if anyone is looking for the little girl.
Leaning down a little to match the girl's eye level, he asked, "Where's your mommy?"
She blinked.
"Where's your daddy?" He asked again.
She tilted her head to the side the way a curious puppy does.
Seijuro is about to reach the end of his fuse. "Well, there must be someone with you." He said. "Go find them and have them tie that ribbon back for you. Or you can ask a maid to do it. There's a lot of help running around."
"Why go to that much trouble?" The girl suddenly replied. "You're the nearest one to me, onii-chan, so you do it." She added matter-of-factly, holding out the ribbon closer to him.
Seijuro scoffed. He didn't know whether to act surprised, insulted or amused. What a spoiled brat. He knows that most rich little girls are spoiled but it is the first time he had met one who orders people around so tactlessly. She doesn't even seem to care if the person she is ordering has a higher social status than hers. She might be too small to understand, but even at such a tender age, Seijuro already has an understanding of how a child should behave among other people in the upper class.
"Mushikashite... (Perhaps...)" The girl said, interrupting his thoughts. "You don't know how to tie a ribbon?" She raised an eyebrow at him, a very peculiar gesture for a little girl to make.
Now it was Seijuro's turn to blink.
She frowned at him. "What the... If you don't know how, then you should've said earlier." She told him, her tone an accusing one. "What a waste of time..." She added, rolling her eyes and turning around to the opposite direction.
Pissed off and insulted, Seijuro made her turn right back and snatched the ribbon from her hand. "Give me that stupid thing." He said, clearly annoyed. "How can I, Akashi Seijuro, possibly not know how to tie a dang ribbon?" He said crisply, walking towards her back and twirling the blue cloth around the high ponytail on her head.
"That hurts though. You're not supposed to pull that hard." The girl commented as he tied a knot.
"Doesn't really matter as long as the deed is done, does it?" Seijuro said in annoyance, finishing up with another knot. "There." He said, letting go of the ribbon. "Who says that I cannot tie a stupid ribbon?" He thought, smirking in victory.
The girl turned to a nearby mirror attached to the sides of an ancient clock. She peered at the ribbon on her head. "That's not the way it's supposed to look..." She said thoughtfully. Turning to Seijuro, she pointed at the neat bow tied to her side. "This is how a ribbon knot is supposed to look like."
Seijuro heaved a huge sigh. "Turn around..." He said in exasperation and positioned himself behind her once again. He was having trouble in unknotting the knots that he made and with every passing second, the frowns on his face kept on getting deeper.
"Damn... Why won't this thing come off?" He hissed.
"You're not supposed to use bad words." The little girl piped up.
"Just shut up, will you?" Seijuro snapped irritably.
Akashi Shiori was looking around for her son when she spotted him at one corner of the room. Her pale lavender eyes widened a little. Her Sei-chan is standing alongside a little girl with dark hair and he seems to be struggling over something.
Shiori approached curiously and almost laughed when he saw her son trying to unknot the ribbon tied onto the little girl's ponytail.
"Ara, ara..." She said as she went close to them.
Seijuro gave a gasp of surprise and yanked at the dark locks too hard. "Hahaue! (Mother!)" He exclaimed, pink patches of embarrassment crawling up to his cheeks.
"Ouch! That hurts!" The girl said in complaint.
"Oh sorry dear..." Shiori said, coming to the little girl's rescue. "Are you alright?"
The girl looked up at her. "I'm fine. It's nothing that I cannot handle."
Shiori and Seijuro's eyes widened as they heard her refer to herself as 'ore'.
Shiori smiled warmly at her. "Maybe I can be of assistance?"
"Sure." She replied. She threw a dirty look at Seijuro. "He really sucks at tying ribbons."
"Why you..." Seijuro said between gritted teeth, balling up one fist. He barely stopped himself as he thought of his mother's presence.
Shiori laughed. Seijuro stared. He haven't heard his mother laugh like that since she got sick.
"Let me take over for him then..." She told the little girl. "Let's go over a place where we can be more comfortable." She held the girl's hand with her right and her son's with her left and took them to the master's bedroom.
Seijuro was then made to sit with the girl on the foot of the bed as his mother hunted a hairbrush. She looked at him and blinked. Seijuro looked away in annoyance.
With her dainty fingers, Shiori was able to unknot the pitiful bow that Seijuro attempted and brushed the girl's hair with care.
"You have such beautiful hair... Do you take care of it yourself?" Renghe asked her.
"Nope." She answered, her rust-colored eyes scanning the room curiously. "I'm not allowed to put on shampoo and conditioner by myself. Maybe when I'm a few years older, they'll let me."
Shiori smiled.
"You can't even bathe by yourself? You're such a child." Seijuro commented.
"How about you? You're a few years older than me and you can't even tie a ribbon." The girl retorted.
Seijuro fumed in annoyance as his mother laughed in amusement.
"It's because Sei-chan is a boy. Boys don't know how to tie hair ribbons." Shiori told her.
"That's not true. Licht is a boy and a handsome one at that, and he makes very nice ribbons." She answered.
"Who is Licht?" Shiori asked.
"My butler. He's caring for me since I was a baby." The girl answered.
Seijuro rolled his eyes. "You're still a baby..."
His mother met his eyes and put a finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet. Seijuro frowned.
"Licht is the one who shampoos my hair everyday. Then after washing up at night, he brushes it 100 times. Maybe that's why my hair looks pretty. If I'm allowed to make decisions by myself though, I'd just rather have it cut. It's always in the way." She said.
Shiori smiled amusedly. "He brushes it 100 times?"
"Yes. Well, at least that's what he told me. He counts and I always fall asleep at 50 so I never got to see if he really completes 100." She explained.
Shiori let out a short laugh. Even Seijuro couldn't help smiling at the childish answers that she gave.
"Wait a moment, dear... I'm going to fetch something." Shiorisuddenly said and went away towards the dressing room. The two kids heard some banging, and they blinked with every sound.
"Are you alright there, mother?" Seijuro called. A minute later, Shiori called back to her son, asking for some assistance.
Seijuro sighed. He turned to the little girl. "Stay still and don't go anywhere, okay?" Then he went over to the dressing room to give aid to his mother.
Shiori was looking for a purple lotus hair ornament that matches the girl's blue dress pretty well. "Isn't this nice, Sei-chan? I've always dreamed of dressing up my own daughter. It's too bad that we cannot give you a little sister." She said cheerily.
"I sure am glad about that..." Seijuro thought.
Upon their return, Seijuro confirmed what he feared. He just knew that the girl wouldn't stay still like he said.
She greeted them with a couple of papers in her hand saying, "Onii-chan tte, Ou-sama ni naritai no? (Onii-chan, you want to be a King?)"
Seijuro's eyes widened and he snatched the papers from her hand. "What do you think you're doing?" He said.
"Sei-chan, you shouldn't be too rough on her. She's a little girl..." Shiori reprimanded her son.
"Sorry." She told them. "Those papers were tucked right under the pillow. I couldn't stop myself from reading it..."
"Reading it?" Seijuro echoed. "You can read?" He raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Of course. How old do you think I am? Two years old?" She said sarcastically. Again, a tone that did not suit a little girl.
"Well, how old are you anyway?" Seijuro replied, curiosity forcing him to ask.
"I just turned six last winter." She answered.
"That's impressive... The essay is written in English. Are you fluent already?" Shiori commented with bright eyes.
"My cousins and I grew up overseas. I can speak and write English and Japanese fluently and I know enough Korean and German to not get lost if left alone in those countries..." She told them. "My cousins taught me." She added.
"That's very nice..." Renge told her.
"That's child's play to Setsu-nii though. He can speak all four languages fluently and he's currently learning Russian and French." She said proudly, her rust-colored eyes glinting. She then turned to Seijuro. "Anyways, why do you want to be a King, onii-chan?" She said, teasing evident in her tone.
Seijuro glared at her, a hundred percent sure that she is poking fun at him. "A King's order is absolute. Everyone bows down to him. Someday, I will handle the company. To do that properly, I have to have the charms and prowess of a King. Little girls like you wouldn't understand." He explained curtly, folding the pieces of paper carefully.
"Hmmm..." The little girl said, looking quite impressed. "Not a bad answer..."
All of a sudden, the door of the master's bedroom opened. Akashi Masaomi entered together with a middle-aged man.
"Oh there you are..." The man said after seeing the little girl. His worried blue eyes softened.
"Ryouichi." The little girl piped up upon seeing him. He crouched down and she ran up to his arms.
"I've been looking all over for you, you little blighter. Why can't you keep still as you're told?" He told her, lifting her to his face and touching his nose with hers. The girl giggled.
"It's because you're too busy talking about business stuff. I can't possibly hang around and listen to such boring tattles." She told him.
The man laughed. He turned to Seijuro and his mother. "Thank you for taking care of this little troublemaker. She's such a handful to look after."
Shiori smiled. "Oh no, she is such a delightful girl. Is she your niece?"
"No. She's my daughter." The man said.
"Oh my... You look very young to be her father though..." Shiori said in surprise.
"I'll take that as a compliment." The man said with a laugh.
"Come here honey. You too Seijuro." Masaomi said and ushered his wife and son close to them.
Seijuro walked up to the tall man who has the girl high up in his strong arms.
"This is my son Seijuro and my wife, Shiori." Masaomi said, introducing them to the man. They bowed courteously.
"It is nice to meet you." Shiori said.
"Nice to meet you as well..." He answered.
Masaomi turned to Shiori and Seijuro afterwards. "This is Dr. Ryouichi Fujioka, the current president of the Fujioka's line of hospitals and healthcare facilities."
"Ryouichi? Does that mean that she just called her father by his first name?" Seijuro thought, the realization hitting him. The notion of calling one's parent with their first name sent chills along his spine. How is it possible that she is allowed to do that?
Fujioka Ryouichi-sensei leaned down towards Seijuro. "This little blighter whom you just met is my little daughter, Ryouko. Forgive her bluntness and lack of courtesy... She's an only child and the first girl in four generations, so she's really spoiled rotten."
"That's not true." Ryouko protested.
The adults laughed.
"Oh, she is a bundle of joy... I only spent several minutes with her and I already love her." Shiori said. "Maybe you can let me borrow her every now and then? I have no little girl of my own." She added jokingly.
Ryouichi laughed. "If only that is possible, Shiori-sama. We currently reside in America and we only come to Japan whenever events like these has to be attended. Since she only gets to visit her home country very seldom, I take her around with me whenever I have business trips here in Japan."
"Oh, that is such a waste." Shiori said and reached a hand to pat Ryouko on the head. She has already attached the hair ornament on the side of the girl's ponytail. "Come over and play sometime whenever you're in Kyoto, Ryouko-chan..."
"I will." The little girl said. She shifted her eyes to Seijuro, looking down on him from her father's arms. "Maybe by that time, Sei-sama might already know how to tie a ribbon properly."
This remark made Shiori laugh joyously while the two gentlemen looked at each other questioningly.
"Sei-sama?" Seijuro repeated instead of noticing the insult right at the end of the sentence. "Why are you calling me Sei-sama?"
"You want to be a King, right? That's why I'll call you Sei-sama. It sounds more kingly." She answered.
Father and daughter said their goodbyes as they prepared to leave for the hotel that they are staying in until their flight back to America. As Seijuro watched the small back with the long dark hair flowing like a cape behind her, he narrowed his eyes. He cannot quite decide if he liked or disliked that 'little blighter', as her own father called her.
"She is such an adorable little girl..." Shiori breathed as the limousine slowly drove away towards the gates of the mansion.
"What do you think of her, Seijuro?" Masaomi suddenly asked his son.
Seijuro looked up. "What do you mean by that, father?"
"Nothing." Masaomi said with a shrug. "Do you want a little sister like her?"
"Oh no, thank you." Seijuro said, shaking his head, unable to stop himself from reacting instantly.
His parents laughed. It was the first time he saw his father genuinely laugh. Little did he know that it was also the last time.
"You may be seeing her more in the future... The Fujioka clan and our family have strong ties that started from our ancestral lines." Masaomi said as he led his wife and son back inside the mansion's doors.
Seijuro frowned. He sure didn't want to be bothered by her again. She is too conceited for her age and she doesn't care about hierarchy. Somehow though, Seijuro envied that. How can someone be so blunt and carefree with every word that comes out of her mouth? How exactly does she do that?
Later that evening, Seijuro visited his mother's room. Ever since she got sick, she had to sleep separately from her husband. Shiori calls it her recovery room and Seijuro often see nurses clad in white tending to his mother and sticking her with awful pins. He wasn't comfortable in entering the room at first but he became used to it after a while.
"Sei-chan?" Shiori called as she saw her son at the door, wearing his pajamas. "What is it? Do you need something?" She asked.
Looking shy and hesitant, he stepped closer to the bed, hiding something behind him. She looked at his face but he kept on averting his eyes from hers.
"What is it, son?" She asked kindly.
Seijuro bit on his lower lip and revealed the item he was concealing from behind him. It was a hair ribbon. "Can you teach me how to tie a bow? I wouldn't want that girl making fun of me the next time we meet." He said.
Shiori smiled and gave a small laugh. "Come here. I'll teach you how." She said, motioning for her son to come close.
Seijuro smiled and sat down on the bed next to her.
The next meeting with 'that girl' turned out to be more unexpected than Seijuro originally thought. An important detail is that his mother had never witnessed that time with him.
Akashi Shiori fell sick and died a month after that night, tragically changing everything in his son's life. Akashi Seijuro and Fujioka Ryouko's second meeting happened right on the day of her funeral.
"Akashichi!" A knock on the door brought Akashi to his senses. He opened his eyes.
"Akashichi! You told us to wake you up an hour before take off! Come on and get up, Ou-sama. (Your Majesty)" Kise called from behind the door, his voice a bit muffled.
A slight smile grazed his lips. 'Ou-sama'
What a strange dream. It's not everyday that he wakes up with a dream about past memories. Maybe it's because the guys kept mentioning tennis last night. That girl, as he last saw her, was playing tennis and trying to run away from her family at the same time.
Wherever she is, she should be happy enough. After all, she's trying to break all the chains that Akashi could never dare break in his life.
He clearly remembers her words from their last meeting. She looked over her shoulder and smiled with her eyes mischievously; the 'little blighter' who had not lost a touch of her cheekiness and conceited air.
She opened her mouth and said with a corner smile, "The next time we meet, be sure that you're already a King."
And a King he did become: the Emperor of Rakuzan.
The Kingdom is quite small beu Akashi believes that he is ruling it well.
"Akashichi~~~" Kise said from outside the door, knocking several times.
"Hold your horses." Akashi called out to him. He scrambled out of bed, running his hand through the short red strands of his hair. "I'll be down in thirty minutes."
Hiya guys... XD Of all the Kuroko no Basuke characters, Kuroko is definitely my cup of tea but Akashi just can't help but draw me towards him. XD His history and upbringing, that attitude of his... I can't get enough of it!
That's why I'm inserting Ryouko somewhere in his past, though only as a little sister character. (Maybe~)
By the way, the conditions of CEO Atobe's invitation to the high school basketball teams are the same as the tennis teams... Special treatment will be given to the winner of the Winter Cup and they are allowed to bring all of their members (Not that it matters greatly... Compared to Seigaku, Seirin still has only a number of members... I am thinking of making some side characters though... First years that have entered the basketball club during the new school year perhaps... Since the Winter Cup happened during winter (man, it's stupid of me to mention that LOL), there would be an extreme difference in time if I make this incident happen exactly right after the games. And so we'll be skipping to the year right after that... Riko and the others are now seniors, Tetsuya and Kagami are juniors. For such a reason, I have to edit out some words since I remember calling Kurokocchi 'a high school freshman' in my last chap. hahaha
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Oh, in case you are worrying that the past senior players (who are obviously either in University or studying for whatever it is that they aim for) will not be able to join us, there's no problem. I made some arrangements for them to come. *winks* You'll see what those arrangements are in the next chapter.
:D I hope you don't mind that Ryouko and Ryoma doesn't have any screen time in this chapter... I couldn't fit it in. XD It's too long and ran over thirty pages in my Word document.