insouciant || ON HIATUS

ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟟

"Hey, Akashi! You have some visitors!"

The sound of shoes squeaking on a polished wooden floor and basketballs invaded his ears. The smell of sweat made Mamoru wrinkle his nose slightly, but he soon found himself adapting to the warm environment. He straightened up when he saw Akashi come over.

"It's been three months, Mamoru-kun, Kuroko-kun," Akashi greeted amiably. He addressed his question towards Kuroko. "Found the answer?"

"Yes. Mamoru-kun helped me a lot," Kuroko replied, glancing at the taller boy.

Akashi's smile widened slightly. "Then let's start the test."

"Um..." Kuroko's soft voice caught Akashi's attention. "If possible, could you take a look at it in a game with Mamoru-kun as well? He is the one that developed this technique."

Akashi looked faintly surprised before nodding. He jogged over to a black-haired boy, Nijimura Mamoru recalled, and said, "Nijimura-san. About what I said..."

Mamoru couldn't hear anymore of their conversation, but he knew it was about them. Nijimura's gray eyes flickered over to Mamoru and he smiled wryly.

Quickly, the gym split into two sides where 6 people were brought out from each side. Kuroko and Mamoru were given a yellow bib.

Mamoru, being one of the taller ones, was chosen for the tip-off, which made some people of their team grumble slightly. He took no notice and stood in front of a boy much taller than him.

The moment the appointed referee tossed the ball, Mamoru jumped as soon as he predicted the ball would hit the maximum height. Being shorter than the opponent, he jumped early to give himself some leverage.

Mamoru's fingers touched the ball first and someone with a yellow bib caught it. The moment his feet touched the floor, he darted off, making eye contact with Kuroko. It seemed like he already melted within the shadows, seeing as no one took notice of him.

The first pass came with confusion. Mamoru passed the ball to an empty spot, when the ball curved sharply and made it to another person on his team. The person who held the ball momentarily forgot to pass, instead choosing to gawk at the ball.

A team mate shouted at him to pass and he hurriedly passed it to someone else.

The next moment shocked everyone. Mamoru stood at the midcourt line and held his hands like he was going to shoot. He had no ball in his hand.

"What are you doing?!"

"Is he alright?"

Having implemented a plan earlier to showcase their talents, Kuroko slapped the ball away from the opposing member and it shot towards Mamoru's hands.

Without moving his hands, Mamoru bent his knees and leapt, making the shot he'd been practicing for weeks. The ball dropped to the floor while everyone but Kuroko gave him a disbelieving look.

The next pass came more as a slight surprise and with a little more awe. At this point, they knew Kuroko was behind the strange passes, but he constantly slipped through their mind like water.

Akashi and Nijimura watched with interest, watching as the ball curved and went backwards, absolutely baffling everyone on the court.

The basketball seemed to slip through the bodies like a ricochet. Kuroko's lack of presence was utilized in the way people forgot about him. Mamoru attempted to make the same passes, but they were almost always on him since he was much more noticeable.

To make up for his presence, he relied more on speed than invisibility. The speed he'd built up from running every morning and night had built up strength in his legs and he took advantage of his lean frame to slip through the bodies just like the ball did.