After School (Kuroko no Basket Fanfic)

Destiny | Chapter 1 | Takao

"Oi! Shin-chan!" Calling up to the legendary shooter of the generation of miracles is always just that easy for me.

I give a wave to my family, chasing after the green-haired wonder. My family wishes me good luck, though I'm not exactly certain what they're wishing good luck for. Grades? Social skills? A girlfriend? I'm never really sure what they want or expect from me.

I'm not running late, and the only reason I'm even running at all is to catch up to Shin-chan. He seems to be walking at a faster pace than usual and he didn't even wait for me so we could walk together. Perhaps he forgot and didn't hear me call up to him? But does a cautious guy like him really forget things?

"Shin-chan! Wait up!" I call again. He turns to give me a short look but he looks back ahead quickly, pretending to not notice my existence. "You jerk!"

I scoff, throwing my hands in my pocks. If he wasn't going to even acknowledge me at all, then what's the point of running to catch up to him? I slow my pace to a walk and I glare as the figure I was watching before he walks into the school building.

Is my entire life going to be like this? Am I going to constantly be watching after him, ignoring my own self? Why am I constantly chasing after him, anyway? Is it just the thrill of the chase? A part of me knows I'll get rejected, so why do I even bother? Maybe it's time to stop this endless chase and stick to other people. After all, the only person for Shin-chan is Shin-chan.

I sigh, shuffling myself into the school. Today is going to be tough, but maybe it's for the best. I wonder what the Shin-chan's fortunes say about today.

***

"Why are you guys sitting so far apart?" Our captain asks us the question of the century.

Shin-chan simply ignores him, clutching onto a purple bouncy ball. Such a childish, girlish-looking toy doesn't suit him at all, but it is kind of cute to see him carrying such a cute object with such a serious expression on his face. The lucky objects of the day are always off the wall, so seeing him carry something like that isn't a surprise to anyone.

I suppose since the prideful one cannot be bothered it is my turn to talk yet again. I let out a loud sigh, leaning my cheek against my hand. "Shin-chan doesn't want anything to do with me today, so I don't have the desire to sit next to him."

Shin-chan scoffs, turning his head away. "Shut up, Takao. This is none of their business."

I roll my eyes. "They asked, so I'll tell them the truth. It's more than you ever do."

The captain looks at one of us, then his gaze crosses the room to look at the other. "What is this tension? Some sort of lover's quarrel?"

Even from opposite ends of the bench in the locker room both Shin-chan and I can agree on this one thing. "We're not lovers!"

The team lets out a simultaneous sigh. Looks like our partnership isn't going to even last a year.