80 Chapter 80 : A Break After the Game
Author note :
In the original story, the real author, Tadatoshi Fujimaki, skipped this final tournament arc after losing against Toō and just went over with Seirin getting eliminated. Here, I want to explore the story, because Seirin still has two more opponents in the tournament. So, you will see this filler arc for about the next few chapters in the future. I hope you can still enjoy it!
Thank you! :)
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It was eleven in the night when Furihata found himself having a big yawn, rubbing his red eyes in exhaustion. However, his fingers still danced from one tut to another, his focus are still on the monitor in front of him.
It has only been a day since the game against Too ended, but he could still feel the stiffness on his body. Well, considering how much he ran that day, he should expect something like this to happen.
But what makes him awake this late and gets him so tired right now is not because of that game. Well, not directly, per se. It is just, he couldn't help but feel curious about Aomine's double awakening.
If the first time the tanned power forward did that still could be explained by Kuroko, the second one is the most absurd one that he had seen before. Even though he is still green in the world of basketball, he knows that Aomine's second awakening is not something that occurred often in the world. Furihata could still remember the feeling of the sudden shift in Aomine's aura that could sophisticate any weak-willed players there and the deep blue electric spark in the eyes like a predator eyeing its prey.
It still gives him a chill whenever he remembers that feeling.
That is why he spent almost two nights in a row surfing from one website to another just to find any information about it. Has there ever happened before? How often is that? How many people can do that? Is there any famous name that he knows has experienced that awakening? Is that possible for him to do that too? If the answer is yes, how can he do that? A lot of questions popped up inside his brain, threatening to explode if he didn't get the answer immediately.
But surprisingly enough, it was easy to find the basic information if you know the right keyword. When he searched 'awakening during the game', he found a lot of articles that told him tales about the sudden awakening similar to Aomine's. From Hakeem Olajuwon's 8 blocks in a single quarter in 1992, Kobe Bryant's 81 points in a single game, until the latest news, Klay Thompson's 37 points in a single quarter in January last year, all of those gave him a big clue about what he searched.
Zone.
The state when the focus and the concentration of players suddenly increased astronomically during the game, granting them their maximum potential for a short time span. Furihata would be lying if he said he is not interested in activating the zone. But there are still a lot of questions about it in his mind. What is the requirement? He doubted it would be easy. And what is the risk and the cost of activating it? Once again, it was still unknown.
It is like the zone itself is the biggest open secret in the world of superstars. A lot of players know about it. but no one is willing to confirm in public. That is why all of the pieces of information he got right now are based on rumor, which makes him grumble in dissatisfied.
Michael Jordan
Shaquille O'Neil
Hakeem Olajuwon
David Robinson
Tim Duncan
Kobe Bryant
Lebron James
…
…
…
Seeing the long list of names that shines brightly at the monitor in front of him, Furihata could only sigh, wondering how talented Aomine is to open the zone in high school basketball.
'Haah… No need to think about it. Let's save this discovery until later.'
He closed the laptop in front of him, stretching his body a little as he saw his phone vibrate for a few seconds. It is Saturday night now, so he doesn't need to go to school the next day. But as someone who usually gets up early and goes practice in the morning, he didn't want to break that rhythm easily, so he decided not to go too late to his bed.
He checked his phone for a while, looking for any messages that went for him.
From: Kaa-san
Message: I am sorry, Kou-chan! Kaa-san cannot go back this week, the schedule is full! But don't worry, you will not be alone this weekend. Kaa-san called someone to come over and accompany you tomorrow. Have fun! And don't do things I wouldn't do, okay? ;)
Furihata lets out a tired sigh, wondering who is it that his mom called tomorrow. But knowing his mom, he knows who it is, and he confirmed it by opening the second message.
From: Hana Hishida
Message: Good evening, Kouki-san. Anzaki-Obaasan called me this morning and asked if Saya and I could go to your house because you are alone. Do you mind if I go?
There, it was confirmed. His mom once again tried to play matchmaker for him and Hana, her seventh attempt since she suspected Hana's feelings if he counted correctly. Well, seeing as he didn't have any reason to reject and indeed, just like his mom said, he would be alone tomorrow, he sent a short text to his friend.
'Sure.'
Right after that, he went straight to his bed, and without waiting for too long, his consciousness faded into nothingness.
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"Hana-nee! Hurry up! Don't you want to see your boyfriend?!"
"S-Sacchan! He is not my b-boyfriend!"
"For now! We don't know about that after today!"
It was Sunday morning at the Hishida Bakery when the clock shows its hour hand at the number nine. Both teenage girls, Saya and Hana, are preparing themselves to go to Furihata's house, with the little sister teasing her big sister mercilessly, the mother watched with an amused smile from the other side, while the father showed a big frown as his daughter finally showed an interest toward boys.
"You know the rule, right, Hana-chan? No boyfriend and no naughty things until you are 18."
"OTOU-SAN!"
Ichika Hishida, the mother of the two, just rolled her eyes at her husband, Ono Hishida, who suddenly turned into a protective father.
"Come on, dear. You know Hana-chan is a responsible girl. Moreover, don't you forget that you were the same age as her you started wooing and did something naughty to me?"
Ono Hishida spluttered almost all the things inside his mouth when he heard what his wife just said.
"T-That was different! And I know you enjoyed it!"
Ichika Hishida showed a big grin before a sultry smile formed on the corner of her mouth.
"Oh, I enjoyed it very much. Shall I show my appreciation right now?"
The seductive tone of her voice could be heard by everyone in the room, making her husband blush furiously. But before he could say anything, their interaction was interrupted by the groan from their youngest daughter.
"Uuurgh! That's gross, Okaa-san! We don't need to hear your lovey-dovey moment like this! Let's go, Hana-nee!"
Hana just followed her sister's movement outside, looking at her parents awkwardly before she ran, a tint red color could be seen on her cheek. Both the parents just looked at each other for a moment before letting out a small chuckle, amused at their daughter's antic.
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"So, what do you want to do?" Furihata asked the two girls in front of him, couldn't help but cringe at the awkward situation. Honestly, other than playing basketball, he didn't know what people his age do for fun, the sentiment that probably all Seirin players shared.
Saya, being the embodiment of chaos like a good younger sibling should do, decided to help her sister step up her game.
"Well, the last time we were here, you played a song with your guitar for us, right? Let's do a home karaoke! Hana-nee could sing together with you!"
She giggled at the last part, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at her big sister. Hana blushed a little but raised her head with a hopeful expression toward Furihata. The boy is not dense like any normal protagonist character in a shounen story. He knows what the girls want, and he couldn't deny that it would be fun and relaxing. So, he nodded his head without hesitation.
"Sure, follow me. We can do that in my room."
"K-Kouki-san's r-room?!"Hana shrieked, her face turned hot red like a boiled lobster. Saya just showed a big grin as she elbowed her sister subtly.
"Don't worry, Nee-chan. I will also be there. And..."
Furihata couldn't hear the whisper that Saya said to Hana, but he could see the effect immediately. The blush on her cheeks that he thought is bad suddenly get worse, and he could see the smoke emerge on the big sister's head. He couldn't help but roll his eyes, his mind wondered.
'I don't know what they are talking about, but based on her reaction, it seems that what people said on the internet is true. It was the silent girl who has the wildest imagination.'
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"Any song you both wanted to sing?" Furihata asked, his guitar ready on his lap. Both Hana and Saya who a moment ago still had their eyes wandering around his room suddenly snapped their head as if they just realized the owner of the room is still with them.
'S-Sorry…"
Seeing the blush emerge once again on Hana's face, Furihata couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.
'This girl is pretty, smart, and has an angelic voice, but has really low self-esteem. What am I dealing with here? Hinata Hyuuga?'
He shook his head, snapping his mind from wandering too far.
"Don't worry about it. So, what song do you both want to sing?"
"Don't mind me!" Saya suddenly spoke with both arms crossed, forming a big X in front of her chest. "I am not that good at singing, so it should be only you and Hana-nee! Let me do something else."
This time, not only him, but Hana also snapped her head toward her little sister.
'What the hell?! You recommended us to do a home karaoke, yet you are the first to back down? You shameless girl!'
Of course, he knows the girl's intention. Just like his mother, she wanted to be the matchmaker for him and Hana. But, could she do that with more subtility?
He sighed once again before turning his head toward his classmate, asking for confirmation. The girl blushed a little, but now tilted her head toward her little sister.
"Sacchan, if you are not going to sing with us, what do you want to do?"
THAT is a fair point. Yeah, the point of the girls going out to his house today is to have fun together, and Saya basically does the opposite of that. But Saya just waved her hand nonchalantly, clearly having her own idea of having fun.
"If you don't mind, I want to record both of you! There is a big trend among my classmate to record something silly and upload it to Youtube. But I noticed that there is a huge boom on a cover song, so I want to try it with both of you. Is that okay?"
Furihata and Hana exchanged gazes for a moment before they both shrugged.
"Sure."
"Great! Wait a minute!"
She grabbed her little bag immediately and took out a phone, a mini tripod, and even a small microphone from it. Furihata couldn't help but raise his eyebrow slightly at her.
"You have already thought about it since before you went here, right?" He asked wryly. The girl who received the question just rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Te~hee~"
He shook his head, clearly amused at how cunning Saya's mind worked.
"Well, do you have any song in your mind?"
"A-Anoo!" It seems his question startled Hana for a bit, as she didn't expect he would turn his attention back to her. But she regained her composure quickly as she grabbed her phone, showing a Youtube video to him.
"What do you think about this?"
Furihata raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised at the song choice. It was a song from a popular movie in 2014, and he knows this song pretty well, considering how much his mom asked him to sing together with her. He just didn't expect that Hana would choose a song from an anime movie like this. But that's not a problem, it was easier for him as he knows the chord pretty well.
"Sure. Let's sing the first verse for the test, alright? If Saya-chan wanted to upload this to Youtube, I want it at least to be a decent video, not an embarrassing one."
"Um!"
He took a breath; his fingers are ready to dance. The girl who acted as their cameramen gave him a big thumb, signaling that he could play anytime he likes. He stares at Hana for a moment, giving her a nod as she took a deep breath as well. Then, he started plucking the string of the guitar, and a harmonic melody followed in a heartbeat.
Doushite… kimi ga naku no
Mada boku mo naite inai noni
His voice is not the prettiest, but it suited this song really well. The sad melancholic tone added to the raspiness of his voice added the unique charm of the song, similar to yet a bit different than the original singer. But he knows he is not the star today. He glanced at the girl beside him, nodded his head so she could take over the song.
Jibun yori kanashimu kara
Tsurai no ga dotchi ka wakaranaku naru yo
There, the angelic voice that he found it hard to forget. From the time he found out she was a member of the choir club, the time she sang together with him and his mom, and today, how could he forget something so majestic like this?
Garakutadatta hazu no kyou ga
Futari nara takaramono ni naru
Do all the choir members have this angelic voice? If so, the music industry would explode within a year or two. But he doesn't believe anyone could match the girl beside him. There is something else, some sort of charm that would make anyone stop and listen, closing their eyes to enjoy the sensation of the soft angelic voice knocking on their earbuds.
Soba ni itai yo
Kimi no tame ni dekiru koto ga
Boku ni aru kana
Itsumo kimi ni zutto kimi ni
Waratteite hoshikute
He took a deep breath, ready to chime in. He could see from the corner of his eyes, her grey eyes danced with joy, meeting his and nodded, encouraging him to join her.
Himawari no youna
Massugu na sono yasashisa wo
Nukumori wo zenbu
This is not a love or happy song. This is a sad song about two friends that got separated away and couldn't see each other anymore. He could remember, the cries of Nobita and Doraemon in the movie theatre, followed by the burst of tears from almost everyone who watched at the same time, not wanting them to get separated. But in Hana's hand, this song transformed into something else. Oh, the sad and melancholic tone is still there. But she added her own touch to this song, making it hard for anyone to not listen to their version.
Korekara wa boku mo
Todokete yukitai
Koko ni aru shiawase ni
Kidzuita kara
He doesn't know what good deeds did he do from his previous life to experience something like this. The girl beside him, she is perfect. Her perfect black hair, the grey eyes by the pink framed glasses, and the smile that showed more affection he has ever received other than his mother… At that time, he could confirm, she has a feeling for him. And maybe...
He also feels the same….
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Meanwhile in Seirin's gymnasium....
"Come on, you two! Is that all you got?!"
"Maybe I should tell your doctor you are still not fit yet!"
"Nice!"
"That is the one I want! Keep it up!"
"Once more! You can do it! Nice! Good job!"
With the silence of the Sunday morning in the school, almost everyone who passed by could hear Riko's shout, instructing two players in an extra training. And when you looked at them closely, you will find a red-haired tall and muscular boy, accompanied by a brown-haired boy that is as tall as him, pushing each other at their own limit.
That was Taiga Kagami and Teppei Kiyoshi, two Seirin core players who were listed as injured before. Now, with them both starting to recover and began to train again, Riko couldn't help but think. Maybe…. They could still advance through the national tournament…
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Author note :
If you want to support me more, you can visit my Patreon page on patreon(.)com/ZetaFaes
You can also read this fanfiction up to chapter 100 on that page.
Also, please support my original story, The Children of The Sky, in the fantasy section of the original novel. or you can see it on my page. Please give that story your review and power stone. Thank you! :)
-Zeta Faes-
