insouciant || ON HIATUS

ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟙𝟚

"Congrats on winning the first round of qualifiers!"

Mamoru winced at the shrill level of her voice. Even though they were in the cafeteria, which was already pretty loud, her voice seemed to cut through the constant chatter.

"Right," Aomine sighed. He didn't look all too joyful despite the positive past.

"You're not excited?" Satsuki asked, confused.

"I'd like to ask why you're in high spirits," Aomine asked back, slumping in his chair.

"That's always how it is anyways," Murasakibara shrugged, chewing on his meatball.

Everyone looked to see Kuroko sitting in his seat. They could almost see the rays of sunshine and flowers emanating from the boy.

"Kuroko-cchi seems to be in a bliss since yesterday," Kise noted.

"He has never played in an official game before," Mamoru pointed out, referring to yesterday's game. It was technically his first time playing against a game that wasn't a practice game, but he couldn't really see the excitement in it.

"Well," Akashi smiled, looking at the oblivious boy. "It is a joyous occasion to win."

Maiko patted Mamoru on the back as a silent congratulation as she nibbled on her rabbit apple slices.

Akashi continued. "We shouldn't let our guard down. While I'd like that as my final words, I do have one proposal."

He caught everyone's attention then. Akashi wasn't someone you could ignore, especially if it had to do with you.

"This team is strong. Due to this, the lack of motivation is noticeable after a victory's been secured. So I'd like to create a quota." He made eye contact with everyone. "Everyone must score 20 points a game."

Kise grinned and laughed. "That's fine with me. Sounds like fun. Right, Aomine-cchi, Mamoru-cchi?"

Mamoru frowned at Aomine's lack of enthusiasm. He had his head on his hand and was looking blankly at the table. "Yeah...somehow. Sounds like a drag."

Everyone looked at Aomine, surprised. "Huh? You're not in the groove?" Kise asked, shocked. "You usually get fired up about stuff like this."

"I mean, it's fine if we're winning and all, right?"

"I'm not saying this because I want to," Akashi informed the team. He settled his scarlet gaze upon Aomine. "But to put it bluntly, I see the clearest decrease of motivation in you. If the scorer isn't tenaciously scoring points, it affects the team's morale."

Aomine sighed heavily, like it pained him to say it. "Fine, in any case, I just have to score points, right?"

He received a nod and was slightly relieved when Akashi turned his gaze to a certain snowy-haired boy. "Although I didn't see too much motivation from you in the first place, that applies to you too, Mamoru-kun."

Mamoru choked on a piece of rice and placed a hand on his chest. "I'm aware," he coughed. "I will finish the quota."

──── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────

Aomine skipped practice.

Mamoru and Kuroko both glanced at the door, waiting for Aomine to run up to the door.

But he never came.

When the next game came, he was there. He didn't have the excited look on his face like he used to. The change that Mamoru saw occasionally was starting to become a norm.