Spark | Kuroko no Basuke x OC

It's Not a Weakness

Susa flipped the pencil between his fingers idly, his head resting on a palm and was deep in thought.

"What's up, Susa? You haven't been making any progress," Imayoshi commented when he noticed the man's far-off look. They were in Touou's library, with books and worksheets sprawled around them, studying for the upcoming college exams since retiring from the team.

"I was just thinking it's almost time..."

"Oh, right," the bespectacled senior looked thoughtful as well. "Seirin's probably playing their second game around now... Though, it has nothing to do with us anymore."

Susa let out a small sigh. "They beat us. It'd be a shame if they lost their second game."

"Yeah, but the stronger team doesn't always win. You might even say they'll lose."

"What do you mean?"

"The first is Seirin is far from hitting their stride today. Against us, all five Seirin players gave 100%, no, 120%. But that hardly ever happens," the male's glasses glossed over as he started sketching in his notebook. "You couldn't keep that up every game. The second is that they beat us. They say you shouldn't let your guard down after a victory... After you win, everyone lets their guard down."

The brunette watched as the former captain doodle with a small frown. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was ugly. "Imayoshi, you're terrible at drawing," he remarked and leaned back in his chair. He knew there was more to what the senior was thinking, and he was listening.

"There's no such thing as a perfect human. Besides, confidence and arrogance are two sides of the same coin," Imayoshi ignored the comment and continued. "I also overheard from Momoi that Seirin's manager got hurt and won't be coming to their game today. It's quite obvious to see that their aura is different when she's with them. Alternatively, it affects them when she's not." Satisfied with the way his sketch of a samurai holding a lantern turned out, he went back to his workbook.

"In other words, in today's game, Seirin's greatest enemy is themselves."

.

thirty-seven

it's not a weakness

.

Tomoko sulked as she watched the time tick on her oven stove. There was a tray of blueberry muffins baking in the oven and the sweet aroma wafted through the entire kitchen, but she couldn't get excited about it like she normally would.

Why? She wanted to be at her team's second game of Winter Cup to cheer them on, but she was stuck at home to watch for Alex's text updates. While she was still unconscious, the doctor had told Riko that it while it wasn't likely she had a concussion, it was better safe than sorry to have her not be in an arena with loud noises and bright lights for a few days. So, the coach ordered her to stay home for two days—that meant two games.

Ding!

That was her cue that the muffins were ready. She got up and went to retrieve the baked goods, and just as she set them down to cool, her phone rang.

"Hello," she answered without looking at the caller ID. Her childhood friend's energetic voice connected through the line.

"Hime! Where are you?"

"I'm at home," she pouted at the fact that she was, but grow confused at Hayama's anxious tone. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing! We just finished our game and I saw your team go in when we left, but I didn't see you anywhere. Why're you home? Are you sick?"