Mamoru stood in line with the other students, dressed in basketball shorts and a T-shirt. He'd packed sporty clothing for something like this, but he didn't actually think he'd use them. If anything, he thought he would join the track team.
"First up is the placement test."
He was already started to regret this. He'd zoned out when the two adults in front of him introduced themselves.
"Only the first string gets to play in the regular games as part of our regular roster," the man let them know sternly. His arms were crossed, giving off an imposing look.
There was a whisper of disbelief.
"I hear no one makes the first string in these tests," someone whispered in despair.
"Seriously? So second string at best??"
Mamoru sighed quietly. He saw a flash of light blue and instinctively looked at the deviant color to see Kuroko. He was standing on the right side, two rows in front of him.
There was a warm-up lap first. 15 laps around the gym, which was a full sized court. Mamoru had no trouble with that, but he saw Kuroko struggling by the 3rd lap.
Something in his chest clenched and he slowed down. He didn't run as fast as the others who were aiming for something better than 3rd string.
Why would he try so hard for a sport he'd never even thought about?
Kuroko saw him running in front of him and pushed himself to be a little faster. There was something in his blue eyes that screamed determination. Seeing this, Mamoru pushed himself a little harder every time he got too close, silently encouraging him.
Before they knew it, laps were over and it was time for basketball drills.
Passing, tossing, everything in between and under, he learned on the fly. He regarded the leather ball with interest, spinning the ball on his index to test the weight and balance. Basketball was certainly a different feeling. If qualifiers were this bad, how much worse would the actual training be?
When the hellish sorting trial was over, everyone lined up in a block, panting and drenched with sweat. Mamoru wasn't as tired, but he didn't try as hard.
"I'm announcing the test results!" The head walked to the front, holding a clipboard. He'd seen him and another person writing notes, probably to determine who made it into what string. "First, the 3rd string. Line up in front of the 3rd string coach when your name is called."
"#2, Nobuo Saito."
#3, Yukihara Jin"
"#4, Kazuhito Nakazawa."
"#10, Hiromichi Fujita."
"#12, Yuji Takagiku."
"#13, Shirai Mamoru."
Mamoru glided over to the 3rd string line, shooting Kuroko a glance. Around him, the boys gave him a look of disbelief. He looked like a model more than an athlete, which didn't surprise them on why he only made 3rd string.
The adult announced many more names. There was an overwhelming amount that made it into the 3rd string, emphasizing how difficult it was to make it to a higher level.
"#31, Kuroko Tetsuya."
Mamoru let out a sigh of relief. If Kuroko didn't make it to the 3rd string, he would've considered quitting. Kuroko was the easiest person to get along with since he was naturally quiet.
"That is all," the man declared. "Next, second string."
He called more names, notably less than the 3rd string. But when he started to announce 1st string names, everyone stopped and stared.
There were freshmen that made 1st string?
"#8, Aomine Daiki."
Mamoru recognized him as the boy who accidentally bumped into Maiko. On a closer look, he was well built and quite tall. Like a few others, his eyes matched his dark blue hair which was a little on the short side. He had a confident, borderline cocky, smirk on his face, like he was certain of the outcome.
"#11, Shintaro Midorima."
The boy was the same one who believed in Oha-asa and carried a phone book on him.
"#23, Murasakibara Atsushi."
The giant boy said nothing. Mamoru couldn't see his eyes because of his long hair, but he had a feeling they were the same color as his hair. He also had a strange feeling he would continue to grow as boys tend to grow later than girls.
"#29, Akashi Seijuro."
Something about him made him stiffen. Perhaps it was the way the scarlet-haired boy carried himself with an air of poise and authority. He had a neutral face, but he didn't look entirely unfriendly. Akashi didn't look surprised, like he expected to make 1st string despite him being the shortest of the four.
"That is all."
Mamoru gazed at the four boys who made 1st string on the first try. All four of them made the most ridiculous quartet with their hair and eyes, though he wasn't one to talk.
The navy blue-haired boy—Aomine, he reminded himself— made eye contact with Mamoru and his eyes widened in recognition. He didn't get the time to talk to him before it was time to group up with their respective coaches.
The coaches turned to talk to their students. The 3rd coach looked at them all and announced, "Those who did not make the 2nd string, do your best next time."
They all let out a firm shout to show they understood, but Kuroko only looked down with a pained look. Mamoru frowned. Kuroko reminded him of his sister, quiet, determined, but athletically inept.
He resolved to do what he could to help him. It wouldn't be fun if Kuroko quit.
Mamoru strode over to the boy when practice was over and stood in front of him with a stoic look. He almost pitied the boy who was shaking so hard, Mamoru feared he would collapse, but he shook it off. "Kuroko."
He looked up at him, his face schooling into something bland. "Yes, Shirai?"
For a quick second, he wondered how he caught his name before realizing he remembered his name being called out loud. "Tomorrow, after practice, meet me by the second teacher's office."
He turned around to head to the changing room, but stayed in place. His head turned slightly and he said, "Please call me Mamoru. I'm afraid it'll get confusing if my sister's around."
Mamoru left Kuroko standing in the gym, wondering how on earth he managed to secure the attention of the most peculiar boy.
──── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────
Mamoru found Maiko in the art room, eagerly sketching away at a potted plant in front of her. "Maiko."
She whirled around, a little surprised. "Done?"
He nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable with the stares of the members who decided to stay overtime. "Are you ready to leave?"
She let out a quiet hum of assent. "Let me clean up first."
Mamoru waited until she set down her charcoal pencil and placed her easel in the storage room. She took her canvas and set it where there were numerous other canvases and scurried to Mamoru's side.
He bowed slightly to the other members and left with Maiko, leaving behind a stunned club. "How was basketball?" Maiko asked curiously. It came as a bit of a shock when he actually decided to join, but she said nothing.
"It was..." Mamoru wracked his head for the right word. "Interesting, I suppose."
"Do you like it?"
"I don't know."
Maiko and Mamoru walked home in silence. Since Claire wasn't home and wouldn't be for at least another two hours, he made dinner. He set aside the third plate for Claire and made sure Maiko took care of herself.
She was not a procrastinator by any means and she always did homework on time, but she often tended to neglect her own health in the process, like forgetting to drink or eat something.
It was certainly an intriguing day. School wasn't so bad, he thought to himself idly while brushing his teeth.
Mamoru found himself looking forward to the next day.