insouciant || ON HIATUS

ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟠

The tip-off began with Murasakibara reaching the ball first. From there on, it was such a high-paced play, Mamoru had some difficulty adjusting to the tempo.

It was otherworldly, compared to the games the 3rd and 2nd string played. Teiko's 1st string was truly amazing, he praised.

"Stay calm, Kuroko-kun." Akashi smiled, dribbling the ball. "First, take it easy-"

Everyone watched with wide eyes as Kuroko fell flat on his face in the first few seconds of the game.

"I'm sorry. I tripped over my foot." He pulled himself to his feet and brushed himself off. Mamoru would've believed him had he not had a slight injury on his face. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not fine at all," Akashi sighed, pursing his lips at his bloody nose. He sent Kuroko back to the supervisor to get his nose checked out.

Nijimura was the one who he'd expected to be substituted. To his surprise, however, Mamru was subbed in. He guessed it was to assess his worth in a real game.

"You don't look nervous," Aomine commented, peering close to his face. "But you're shaking."

Mamoru looked down at his hands, watching his fingers tremble slightly. He gave Aomine a tiny smile, startling him. "On the contrary, Aomine-kun, I've never been more excited," he quipped, moving to his designated place.

The game was even more intense than he thought now that he was a part of the team. He wasn't invisible like Kuroko, so they were much more mindful of him.

But out of everyone in the game, he topped them all with speed.

Mamoru felt a flash of excitement as he ducked under the arm of the one marking him and spun around on a heel to hurl the ball towards Akashi after leaving the opponents that were marking him.

The adrenaline was amazing. It left him breathless and more energetic than he'd been in years. The ball moved around at breakneck speed, nothing like Kuroko's passes though.

Midorima had deadly accuracy that Mamoru respected. He'd forget about the Oha-asa reasoning and go with Midorima's consistent practice instead.

Murasakibara was...unmotivated. At least, he was the least motivated. But his height was the divide between the others, like Mamoru's speed was to him.

Akashi was impressive in his own way. He was nimble and precise in his execution. Every move he made was calculated and demanded attention.

Aomine was the most impressive. The face he expressed screamed pure excitement. Aomine was clearly enjoying himself, slipping past every marker and shooting. He had a style that Mamoru hadn't seen in any other member at Teiko, but back in America.

He was playing streetball style.

Something in his chest twinged as he thought about Taiga and Tatsuya. Earlier, when he said he had never played basketball, he lied. In truth, he didn't officially play basketball. It was more like analyzing, watching them play.

On occasions, that managed to drag him into a game so they could play against Alex, a woman he highly disliked because of her touchy-feely personality.

Mamoru shuddered at the thought of Alex, worrying Akashi for a moment. He was rid of his worries when Aomine passed—Mamoru was close to saying he chucked it—him the ball.

He was standing on the midcourt line.

The leather ball seemed right in his hands as he shifted into a shooting position. Other than the Teiko members, no one had ever seen him shoot.