Another Manager (Akashi Seijuro x OC)

(((Last Summer - In Tokyo)))

As Seirin prepared for their special summer training, a disaster loomed ahead: Coach Riko's cooking. For a practice run, they borrowed a home economics classroom and watched Riko try to cook. However, the finished product was a plate of soft, porridge-like rice with whole ingredients and uncooked vegetables in a puddle of curry.

After Kagami taught her how to cook it properly, she improved but still kept adding supplements, pills, and protein powder that made the dish disgusting. When they finally realized the problem and ate the curry that tasted normal, Kuroko cleaned his lips with a napkin and stood.

"Okay, Coach. I'll make the call."

"What are you talking about, Kuroko?" Kagami asked. "Call who?"

Kuroko ignored him and pressed a button on his phone, dialing. The line clicked and he heard the other end of the call.

"Hello?"

"Akatsuki-san, this is Kuroko. Are you busy right now?"

He heard voices in the background and the sound of presumably volleyballs hitting the floor. "I'm sorry, I'm in the middle of a game. Is it important?"

"No. Please take your time."

"I'll call you back," she promised.

The call ended, and he turned around to answer the questioning faces.

"Who was that?" Hyūga, his captain interrogated.

"My former manager," he answered coolly, keeping his usual straight face.

"Former manager? You mean, from Teikō?"

"Yes."

"Wow, some friends you have."
The rest of them looked baffled and intimidated as well.

"Where does she go? What team?" Kagami pressed.

"She lives in Miyagi now, and I hear she's joined the volleyball club."

Many pairs of eyes blinked at him. "Volleyball? You mean she quit basketball?"

"She didn't quit, Kagami-kun. She just started a different sport."

"What the hell is the difference." He scratched the back of his head.

"She doesn't dislike basketball."

"But, why would you call her?" Koganei pondered.

"Because..." He was cut off by the phone ringing in his hand. He answered. "Hello?"

"I apologize, Kuroko-kun. What can I do for you?"

"My new coach at Seirin insists that we take various supplements and protein powders. Will you give her some advice?"

"Certainly, on the condition of not telling any of the others. Especially Ryota-kun. You know how easily he gets jealous."

"Okay," he agreed, smiling. He stuck his phone out to Riko.

"M-me?" She took it reluctantly. "H-hello?"

"Good afternoon. My name is Akatsuki Ai. Is this Seirin's coach?"

"Yes, this is she..." She made sounds of agreement into the phone and thanked her before hanging up.

"What did she say?" Kuroko retrieved his cell.

"She said she'll send me recipes using protein powder," Riko confessed, dumbfounded.

"And?"

"And, she told me that I should know better, that no matter how much supplements you guys took, all of the extra nutrients would go to waste."

"What does that mean?" Kagami asked.

"It means that nutritionally speaking, no matter how much vitamins and minerals you take, the body can't store them in abundance. Once you reach your limit, your body releases them through fluids." She glared at him. "Who in the world is she?"

"As I said, Teikō's former manager."

"Yeah, but how does she know all this stuff?"

Kuroko shrugged. "She was an exceptional manager."

Riko sighed and let the subject go.

2 Weeks Later

Kuroko wiped his face with a towel. The others did the same, sweating through practice and the humid summer heat. Then, Kuroko's phone rang.

"Hey, Kuroko. Your phone," Kagami pointed, standing beside him.

He picked it up and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Kuroko-kun? It's Ai."

"Akatsuki-san. Is something the matter?"

"Nothing in particular. Just wondering how the recipes went."

Kuroko smiled in Riko's direction from afar. "Yes, it went well, thank you. Coach even calculated the maximum amount of supplements we should each take. And," he glanced at Kagami. "Kagami-kun said that the protein shakes were just as good as the ones in America."

"I'm glad. Please give Taiga my regards."

Kuroko's eyes went wide for a second and his mouth formed an 'o'. "Yes. I'll tell him."

"Thank you. Good luck to you and your team."

"Thank you, Akatsuki-san. You too." He ended the call and fulfilled his promise. "Akatsuki-san sends her regards."

"Huh? To me?"

His shadow partner nodded.

"Why? I don't even know her."

Kuroko thought to himself. "Perhaps she knows you somehow. She addressed you by your first name, although I never gave it."

Kagami looked even more confused. "What the hell?"

Kuroko sighed. "As I said, she's exceptional."

***

Author's Note:

The bit of information about nutrition is kind of basic knowledge. It's actually something you normally learn in Japanese home economics, so I'm guessing it's not really something Riko wouldn't have known. Given that she's ranked second in her entire grade at Seirin and her background with her dad and sports gym, the chances of her not knowing that fact are slim to none.

In turn, that kind of begs the question of why she didn't rationalize it. Not to demean her character, but it doesn't make sense to me that she would make her guys take all those extra supplements. Oh well. 🤷‍♀️