Misunderstandings and Mayhems (Part 1)
𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨: 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙆𝙉𝘽 𝙗𝙤𝙮𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜. (𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 2)
𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙: 𝙈𝙞𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙖, 𝘼𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙆𝙞𝙨𝙚, 𝙆𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙞
༺═──────────────═༻
Shintaro Midorima
In Midorima’s life, there was a schedule that he followed almost robotically. He woke at exactly 4:00AM, do his basic morning routine, go for his morning run, and reviewed his notes one last time. And when headed to school, he was always 30 minutes early. His evenings followed the same pattern with effortless precision. Basketball practice, club activities, volunteer work, purchasing the lucky item for the following day, and hours of studying. Every hour to him had a purpose, every action another step toward polishing his abilities. Despite the relentless pace, he considered his life tranquil. Predictable and that's how he liked it. But tranquility has a way of attracting chaos and chaos arrived with that single sheet of paper plastered across the front of the classroom. The latest exam rankings.
Midorima’s eyes narrowed behind his glasses as they instinctively searched for the name that had occupied first place for as long as he could remember. Instead, another stood above it.
Y/N.
For a brief moment, he wondered if there had been some kind of mistake. How was that even possible?
“Oh wow,” you laughed as you glanced at the rankings with one of your friends. “I wasn’t expecting that. I didn’t even try.”
Your friend's eyes widened as she also stared at the test.
“Seriously? For someone like you, that’s actually insane.” You simply shrugged with a grin before making your way into the classroom, completely unfazed by the result.
An unsettling feeling arose in him. It wasn't because you had scored well.
But that you had surpassed him.
How did that align with today’s horoscope? With probability? With logic?
It didn’t. He had devoted every waking hour to earning his place at the top. Yet someone who carried themselves with such a relaxed, undisciplined manner. Someone who appeared to approach both school and life with little urgency and someone who takes time as a joke somehow had effortlessly claimed the very position he had worked tirelessly to attain.
Until that moment, you had been little more than a classmate he occasionally acknowledged because of your hard to ignore loudness.
But now you piqued his interest.
From then on, Midorima found himself observing you more closely. To see how you've done it. You slept through lectures, left the classroom the instant the bell rang, spoke far louder than anyone else, and carried yourself with a carelessness that contradicted everything he believed a top student should be. Nothing about your habits reflected discipline.
Yet every examination after that ended the same way.
Your name remained above his.
Midorima responded the only way he knew how. He adjusted his schedule.
He studied longer, refined his routine, and devoted even more time to reclaiming the position he believed he had earned. Yet despite every adjustment, your name remained above his. Eventually, he could no longer suppress his curiosity.
Approaching your desk after class, he adjusted his glasses. "Someone with your level of discipline should not be achieving these results. What is your method?” You looked up at him confused.
"What are you talking about?"
“I fail to understand it. Your desk is in complete disarray, you sleep through lectures, and your habits lack discipline. By every observable measure, you should not be outperforming me.”
The classroom fell silent.
Whispers quickly followed.
“…Maybe she’s cheating.”
“He does have a point.”
You looked at Midorima with nothing but resentment.
Only then did he notice the eyes fixed on the two of you.
“It was never my intention to-"
You then got up out of your seat. “You spend so much time chasing first place that your mind’s become too narrow to understand people don’t all reach the same destination by walking the same path.” You said before storming out of the classroom His words caught in his throat.
For weeks afterward, an unfamiliar feeling lingered in Midorima’s mind.
Guilt. His intention had never been to humiliate you. He spent the following weeks feeling bad about the ordeal.
For weeks afterward, Midorima searched for an opportunity to apologize, yet every time he saw you, you were surrounded by classmates. The moment never seemed appropriate. That was until one evening, when he stopped by a quiet cafe intending to study and unexpectedly found you working behind the register. He remained where he was for a moment, watching as you busied yourself with customers, completely unaware of his presence. With a quiet sigh, he adjusted his glasses and made his way over.
“I wished to apologize for the other day,” he said. “The conclusion I reached was…a rather foolish interpretation.”
You glanced up from the register before letting out a small laugh. “You want to know something funny?”
He gave a slight nod.
Without a word, you reached into your work bag and pulled out several textbooks along with a stack of unfinished assignments. His gaze lingered on them longer than expected. “…You bring all of that to work?”
“I kind of have to.” You shrugged. “My shift doesn’t end until midnight, and it’s about an hour before I get home.”
“…An hour?” he repeated, his brows knitting together.
“Mhm.” You nodded. “Then I’ve got homework, and if there are chores that sadly doesn't do themselves.."
His expression hardened ever so slightly. “When do you sleep?”
“Around three in the morning.”
“…Three?”
You gave him a tired smile. “Which explains why I’m always asleep in class.”
The words settled heavily in his mind. “…So your exhaustion was never the result of negligence.... even with all of that you still manage to be someone who's always so consistently loud and unusually cheerful.
You smiled. "I'm not gonna sit there and shit on everyone's days.”
For a moment, Midorima said nothing. The image he’d constructed of you over the past several weeks quietly began to crumble.
“We’re actually pretty similar,” you continued. “We both work hard. We were just given different opportunities.”
His eyes lowered to the books still resting in your bag before returning to you. “…I understand now,” he admitted. “I judged you solely by what I observed, and in doing so overlooked everything I could not see. For that…I am sincerely sorry.”
You smiled, the tension between you easing for the first time. “So, how exactly are you planning to make it up to me?”
He answered almost immediately, as though he’d already decided. “I will accompany you home after every shift.”
You blinked in surprise. “Every day?”
“It is already midnight by the time you leave,” he replied. “Allowing you to travel alone would be unreasonable."
With a huge smile you said,
"I'd like that a lot."
༺═──────────────═༻
Daiki Aomine
Rumors were inevitable in every high school. Some lasted only a day before disappearing, while others spread through the halls so quickly they became accepted as a fact. At Touou, where exceptional athletes seemed to emerge every year, basketball was the center of nearly every conversation. It wasn’t uncommon for students to exaggerate a player’s abilities or compare them to someone else. Most of the time, those stories were nothing more than harmless gossip. Lately, however, one particular rumor refused to die.
“Did you hear? Ever since that new girl joined, the girls basketball team has been unstoppable.” That, Aomine could believe. A single talented player could change the rhythm of an entire team.
But then came the second half.
“They could probably beat the boys basketball team.”
Now that. That was ridiculous.
The rumor spread from classroom to classroom until it eventually reached the members of the boys team themselves. Most laughed it off. Others dismissed it without another thought.
Aomine did neither.
He simply couldn’t understand where such confidence was coming from.
No matter how talented one player was, defeating him, the ace of the generation of miracles was just not possible. Nobody could defeat him. The only one who can beat him is him. And he didn't create that phrase for himself just because he was cocky and won a few games. Aomine has never tasted defeat in his whole entire life.
But still.
Rather than argue over baseless gossip, Aomine preferred a much simpler solution.
He’d see for himself.
“Yo, Y/N.”
The moment his voice reached your ears, an annoyed sigh escaped you. You didn't even have to see his face to know exactly who had decided to bother you this time. Sure enough, Aomine stood leaning lazily against the lockers with that same infuriating grin plastered across his face.
“…What do you want?” you asked flatly.
He tilted his head, looking almost amused by your tone. “Damn. You always this friendly?”
“I save this energy for you”
Instead of taking offense, he laughed. "Awe I feel honored." He said as he looked at your unamused face which screamed "get to the point."
“I’ve been hearing a lotta people talk,” he said. “They keep sayin’ your team could beat ours.”
“And somehow that's become my problem?"
“It didn’t.” His grin only widened. “But you can help me shut em up.”
You narrowed your eyes. “How?”
“My team against yours.”
For a brief moment, you simply stared at him.
“So that’s why you’re here.”
“Course.” He said with that ever so obnoxiously wide grin.
You folded your arms across your chest, studying the confidence written all over his face.
“…And what exactly do I get if we win?”
“If?” Aomine let out another laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’ve got guts.”
“I asked you a question.”
He took a step closer before flashing that same cocky grin you’d grown to despise.
“You ain’t gonna need a prize.”
“And why’s that?”
“‘Cause you’re not gonna win.”
Before you had the chance to throw another remark his way, he had already started walking down the hallway, lazily raising a hand in farewell.
“See ya on the court.”
You watched him disappear around the corner before clicking your tongue in annoyance.
That was exactly why you couldn’t stand him. It wasn’t his talent. Nor was it Aomine himself. It was the certainty with which he carried himself, as though defeat simply didn’t exist. As though every opponent standing across from him was already beneath him.
Ever since hearing him declare, “The only one who can beat me is me" you had made yourself a promise.
One day you'd be the one to prove him wrong and beat him.
The anticipated day arrived sooner than either of you expected. By the time the final bell rang, a crowd had already gathered around the gymnasium. Word had spread quickly throughout Touou. No one wanted to miss the game that had started with nothing more than a hallway conversation.
The whistle echoed through the court, and the game began.
Your team secured possession first. Without hesitation, your teammate fired the ball in your direction. You caught it just beyond the three point line, barely giving yourself a second to think before releasing the shot and making a beautiful three pointer.
The gym fell silent.
“…Lucky.”
That was all anyone called it.
Until it happened again.
And again.
By the time your third three pointer dropped cleanly through the net, the whispers had changed.
"Oh damn she ain't half bad."
“No wonder everyone’s been talking.”
Your team had 12 points all from you.
All from you.
Aomine clicked his tongue before jogging over, planting himself directly in front of you the next possession. The lazy expression he’d worn at the start of the game had disappeared, replaced by one you hadn’t seen before.
Excitement.
“So…” he muttered, lowering his stance. “Guess I gotta guard you myself.”
From that moment on, every possession became a battle. His speed was unlike anything you’d ever experienced. The smallest hesitation was enough for him to strip the ball away, and every drive toward the basket was met with another impossible block. You had to admit it…
Playing against Aomine wasn’t just difficult.
It was exhilarating.
Even so, your team maintained a narrow lead.
As you dribbled toward the perimeter once more, Aomine slid in front of you, cutting off every possible lane.
You smirked.
“Aww…all you can do is block me?”
He grinned right back.
"You’re the only one makin shots.”
The moment he shifted his weight toward you, you bounced the ball between his legs toward your waiting teammate who scored.
You glanced over your shoulder with a satisfied smile.
“I’m not a girl who plays by herself.”
For just a second his grin faltered.
The words lingered in his mind longer than he cared to admit.
The remainder of the game was nothing like the beginning. The lazy confidence Aomine had stepped onto the court with vanished almost entirely, replaced by an intensity that forced everyone in the gym to hold their breath. Every drive became faster, every block more aggressive, every shot more precise. He was finally playing seriously.
Unfortunately for you, that was enough.
The girls team fell short by only a few points, and the final buzzer echoed through the gym as the boys celebrated their victory. Yet strangely enough, as everyone crowded around his teammates to congratulate them, Aomine couldn’t bring himself to celebrate. Winning usually filled him with satisfaction. This time, it simply…didn’t.
One by one, the spectators left the gym and left it with a strange silence. You remained beneath the basket, absentmindedly bouncing the ball as your eyes lingered on the rim. Footsteps approached from behind.
“You good?”
You chose to ignore that idiotic question. What would he know. After all maybe it's true that he really doesn't lose.
"Quit the sad face. You shouldn't be too mad at yourself.”
You turned to look at him. “What?”
“I gave my all in that game you know” His eyes shifted toward you, a grin slowly forming across his face. “You played really damn good.”
The compliment caught you completely off guard. You definitely didn't expect that. Instead you expected him to rub it all over your face. So you questioned it. “You’re dead serious?”
“Course I am.” He shrugged as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “There were a couple times I thought you were actually gonna beat me.”
You stared at him, searching for the usual arrogance hidden somewhere in his expression. It wasn’t there. Instead, he smiled. Not the cocky grin that had irritated you for weeks. Not the smug smile he wore whenever he won. This one was different, it was soft and genuine. A smile you didn't think existed when it came to him.
Looking at that smile made your heart skip a beat.
“No offense,” he continued, crouching slightly so the two of you were nearly eye level, “but for a little girl…”
A teasing smile appeared on his face
"You really know ball.”
You rolled your eyes, unable to suppress a smile of your own. “And there it is. I was wondering how long it’d take before your ego came back out of your ass.”
Aomine laughed. “What can I say?”
You then placed a hand on his shoulder, tapping it slightly.
“…You’re not so bad yourself.”
The words earned another grin from him. He then paused before he stated the obvious.
"I know you can’t stand me.”
You scoffed. “Wow. At least you’re self aware.”
He laughed, unfazed by the remark. “Exactly.” Tilting his head slightly, he continued, “So practice with me. You wanna beat me, don’t you?” he asked as though it were the most up front thing in the world. “Then keep playin against me. You’ll learn how I move, I’ll have somebody who actually pushes me, and we’ll both get better.”
He shrugged.
“Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.”
You smiled. "Wow. You don't seem all that bad now." He then held out his hand. "We makin a deal?"
You held his hand with a smile.
"Deal."
༺═──────────────═༻
Ryouta Kise
There was a time when you couldn’t remember a day without Ryouta Kise in it.
Throughout your childhood, the two of you were inseparable. Whether it was walking home from school, playing until the sun went down, or talking about anything and everything, Kise was always there. At one point, you would’ve sworn nothing could ever come between you.
Then high school happened. There wasn’t a fight. There wasn’t a dramatic falling out.
It happened quietly, basketball, modeling, new friends.
A growing reputation.
Little by little, Kise’s world expanded, and somehow…you no longer fit inside it.
Conversations became greetings and greetings became passing glances.
Passing glances became nothing at all.
You texted first, then you invited him out and
Eventually…
You stopped trying because Every time you did, it always ended up with him having other plans or just leaving you on read.
It wasn’t that Kise hated you.
That would’ve been easier to accept.
Instead, he simply stopped making time for you.
And somehow, that hurt even more. You hated admitting it, but something about being left on read and watching him laugh with people who barely knew him, admiration had quietly turned into resentment. From a distance, you watched him celebrate every victory. His teammates crowded around him, students cheered his name, and girls eagerly waited for a chance to ask for an autograph or steal a conversation. Kise greeted every one of them with a smile. He had so much time to sign autographs and not once had he had the time to even simply say hi to you. It was gut wrenching. He never noticed the way your eyes lingered on him. Or maybe you're giving him a benefit of the doubt. Maybe
he simply stopped looking.
At first, you convinced yourself it didn’t matter. People drifted apart. That’s just what happens in life. Then you found yourself hesitating before speaking to anyone new. Your heart would accelerate so much the moment you'd attempt to speak that your words would get stuck in your throat. And no matter how much you'd try to rehearse conversations in your head. It only led to abandoning them before they ever began. Every unanswered text felt like it was done on purpose. Every delayed reply convinced you that you’d said something wrong. The closer you grew to someone, the louder the thought became.
They’re going to leave too.
So you stopped giving people the chance.
It was easier to eat lunch alone than wonder if someone would stop sitting beside you. Easier to keep conversations short than grow attached to someone who might disappear. A few classmates called you shy. Others found it amusing enough to make you the target of jokes.
You endured it. Loneliness hurt. But somehow compared to it the worser option was to be left behind. Despite everything, life refused to stop moving. Days became weeks, weeks became months, and eventually the silence between the two of you became routine. It was strange how quickly people could grow accustomed to someone’s absence. You stopped looking for him in the hallways. Stopped checking your phone after school.
But of course there was one thing you couldn't stop, and it was stalking his social media. All the photos with him posted up with a huge group of friends, all the photos of his life seeming absolutely perfect. While you were suffering, Kise remained exactly where everyone expected him to be. The center of attention. The loudest laughter in the hallway. The first person surrounded after every game. From the outside, it looked as though nothing had changed. To him, nothing had.
"For your next assignment,” your teacher announced, shuffling through a stack of papers, “you’ll be working in pairs.” A collective groan swept through the classroom. You barely looked up from your notebook. “Y/N, you'll be working with.." Your stomach tightened waiting for the teacher to randomly pair you up. "Kise.” The classroom erupted into whispers. "They’re childhood friends, aren’t they?”“This should be easy for them.”
"How lucky she is! Id die for that position!" If only they knew. Kise was the first to stand. "Seriously? Y/Nchii?” A grin spread across his face before he made his way toward your desk. “Guess we got lucky!” Lucky...Lucky??!? You couldn’t think of a word that fit less.
The feeling of your heart painfully beating as your hands shook. Sweat beaded down your face and before he could reach you
you’d already gathered your books and walked past him without a single glance.
“…Y/Nchii?” The classroom door slid shut behind you. Kise remained standing there, confused. He then turned to look at his friend who sat behind you "Did I do something?” All the friend did was simply shrug. And Kise was left standing there, worried. For the first time at least.
The following evening, Kise found himself standing outside your front door, his folder beneath his arm. He hesitated for only a moment before knocking. The door swung open almost immediately.
“Ryo?” Your mother’s face lit up the instant she recognized him. “Oh my goodness…” she laughed, stepping aside to let him in. “Look at you! It’s been forever. You've grown so handsome and tall!!" Your mother said excitedly as she looked up a Kise in adoration. Kise smiled scratching his head. "Awee aunty you never fail to make me blush."
As he walked inside, he was reminded him of how much time had passed.
Your mother, however, didn’t seem to notice.
She spoke to him with the same warmth she always had, asking about basketball, modeling, school and everything she’d missed. To her, he was still the little blonde boy who used to run through the house with you until she had to yell at the both of you to settle down.
“Y/N’s upstairs,” she said with a smile before leading him to your bedroom door. She knocked twice.
“Y/N? Ryo’s here.”
The words barely reached your ears before your body stiffened.
Your fingers froze around the page you’d been reading.
Ryo..
Your chest tightened almost instantly.
For a split second, you considered pretending you weren’t home.
Your gaze remained fixed on the same paragraph, yet you hadn’t read a single word. The letters blurred together as your heartbeat steadily grew louder than the silence filling your room. You stared at your hand as it shook trying your best to control it. Another knock.
“Sweetie?”
“Come in..." you managed, your voice barely above a whisper.
The door creaked open.
“Y/Nchii?”
The nickname alone made your stomach twist.
You didn’t answer. Instead, you quietly closed your book and reached for the notebooks sitting on your desk, placing them neatly on the edge of your bed without ever lifting your eyes to meet his.
You couldn’t.
Not because you hated him.
Because if you did everything you’d spent years trying to bury would threaten to come rushing back. And it would be heartbreak all over again
Kise lingered by the doorway for a moment before quietly stepping inside and closing the door behind him. He glanced between you and the notebooks before taking a cautious seat on the edge of your bed.
“Thanks." he murmured, picking up the notes. Silence followed after that.
The room felt unbearably small.
Once, the two of you had talked so much that your mother complained she couldn’t hear the television downstairs.
Now the only sound was the turning of notebook pages and clicks of pens.
Kise’s brows slowly furrowed.
He’d expected you to be upset.
He hadn’t expected you to be afraid of looking at him. Kise continued flipping through your notes, occasionally glancing toward you as if waiting for you to say something. Anything.
You never did.
“You still color code your annotations,” he said with a small laugh, holding up one of the pages. “I remember you used to make mine too.”
You nodded. Still not looking at him.
“I almost forgot how tiny your handwriting is.”
Still nothing.
The smile slowly faded from his face.
“Y/Nchii..."
Your fingers tightened around the notebook you held.
“…Why won’t you look at me?”
Your lips pressed into a thin line as you felt the familiar sting behind your eyes. Not now.
Anything but now.
Instinctively, you lifted the notebook from your lap, pretending to read as you used it to shield your face from him. If a tear slipped…maybe he wouldn’t notice.
“I…”
The word barely escaped before it caught in your throat.
“I-I don’t know…”
A small frown found its way onto Kise’s face.
“Really..?"
You gave the faintest nod.
The room fell silent once again.
Then, without warning, your hands began to tremble.
At first, it was barely noticeable, a slight shake against the edges of the notebook. But no matter how tightly you gripped it, you couldn’t stop them. Your breathing grew uneven, and your breaths became heavier.
“…Y/N.”
His voice was quieter this time.
“…You’re shaking.”
He hesitated.
For a brief moment, he simply looked at you, as though trying to understand what he was seeing. Then, acting purely on instinct, he quickly closed the distance between you and gently wrapped his arms around you.
…What’s wrong?” Kise asked softly, his brows furrowing with concern. “If things were getting that difficult…you could’ve reached out to me.”
You immediately pulled away from him, shaking your head so violently it almost hurt.
“No!” Your voice cracked as the words escaped. “No, I couldn’t have!”
The room fell silent.
“You got so busy with your new life, Ryo..Basketball…modeling…your new friends…” You laughed bitterly through your tears. “I kept telling myself you were just busy. That you’d text me tomorrow…or the day after that. But tomorrow never came.”
His expression slowly fell.
“I didn’t want to believe you’d forgotten about me. But then you stopped answering. You stopped asking me to hang out. You stopped looking for me.”
Your hands tightened into trembling fists.
“I loved you. I loved spending time with you. I cherished every moment with us…” your voice barely rose above a whisper. "But I saw where your priority was."
Kise’s heart sank.
“And it hurt so much I was never able to talk to anyone after that” A tear rolled down your cheek. “I got picked on. I ate lunch alone. I wanted to tell you so many times…” You looked at him for the first time since he’d arrived. “But how was I supposed to reach out to someone who’d already let me go?”
The words struck him harder than any loss ever had.
“I don’t know why…” you continued, your voice breaking. “I don’t know why I was so easy to replace.”
For the first time in a long while, Kise didn’t know what to say.
He thought back to every unread message.
Every invitation he’d planned to answer later.
Every time he’d thought, I’ll text her tomorrow.
Tomorrow had never come.
Without another word, he stepped forward and pulled you into his arms.
“I’m sorry.”
His voice trembled.
“I never meant to leave you behind.”
He held you a little tighter.
“I kept thinking there’d always be another chance to spend time with you…another chance to reply…another chance to catch up. "He closed his eyes.
“I didn’t realize those chances were running out.”
The tears you’d fought so hard to hold back finally fell. You buried your face against his shoulder, crying into the person you’d needed most all along.
When your breathing finally steadied, Kise gently brushed the remaining tears from your cheeks before holding out his pinky with a small smile.
“Can I make you one promise?”
You looked at him.
“I can’t change the years I wasn’t there.”
His smile softened.
“But…I don’t want to make that mistake again.”
You slowly curled your pinky around his.
“Pinky promise.”
Neither of you let go for a long while.
By the time the project was finished, the conversations between you no longer felt forced. Somewhere between shared notes, late night planning, and walks home, Kise found himself remembering why spending time with you had once been the easiest part of his day.
As he reached the front door to leave, you instinctively wrapped your arms around him.
The words came out quietly.
“Please don’t leave me behind again.”
Kise stood frozen for a heartbeat before returning the embrace, resting his chin gently against your head.
“I wont. I love you too much to watch you suffer like that again.”
There was no hesitation in his voice this time.
“I’m here now.”
༺═──────────────═༻
Taiga Kagami
A lot of things confused Taiga Kagami, but nothing confused him more than your hostility toward him. He’d known you since middle school. The two of you had never been particularly close, but you got along well enough. You’d greet him with a smile in the hallways and occasionally exchange a few words. Although you both titled each other as a friend, with the amount of times you guys interacted it was more like acquaintances.
Then high school started.
The first time he caught sight of you in the hallway, he almost didn’t recognize you.
You’d changed. A lot.
As someone who had spent his life around sports, the difference was impossible for him to miss. Your body had become noticeably more athletic, the result of countless hours of training could definitely be seen. Even the way you carried yourself as a person had changed. Gone were the skirts and dresses you used to wear so often in middle school. In their place were sweatpants, oversized tees, and a pair of running shoes that looked incredibly worn.
Then came the biggest surprise.
Track team tryouts.
When he saw your name posted among those who’d made the girls team, he couldn’t help but stop and stare for a moment.
Back in middle school, you were the last person he’d expected to pursue a sport. Gym class alone had been enough to make you groan.
So what had changed?
What could’ve possibly driven someone like you to throw yourself so completely into athletics?
Not once did it cross Kagami’s mind that he’d been the reason.
Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t the only thing he’d failed to notice.
The girl who once greeted him with a smile now looked at him as though he’d committed some unforgivable crime. Every wave was ignored. Every “morning” was met with a glare sharp enough to stop him in his tracks. Sometimes, you’d even walk the long way around the hallway just to avoid passing him.
Poor Kagami couldn’t make sense of it.
“Did I do something?”
That question lingered in his mind for months. The answer had been waiting since middle school. He just didn’t remember it the way you did.
It was one of those spring afternoons where the sun shone with determination to make gym class everyone’s least favorite period.
“Five laps!” the teacher called, clapping his hands together. “No walking!”
Groans can be heard coming from all across the field.
You were no exception.
Sports had never been your thing. While the rest of the class stretched and joked around, you stood quietly near the back, already dreading what was about to happen.
The whistle blew and everyone took off. You didn't understand how everyone was so quick. You tried your best to keep up, but before long the distance between you and the others only grew. Every breath started burning and every step became heavier than the last, and by the time you finally reached the end of your first lap, your vision had begun to blur.
Just a little farther…
Don’t stop now. You can do it Y/N
You pushed yourself forward.
One step.
Then another.
And all that effort was proven futile when your legs suddenly buckled beneath you, sending you crashing onto the track.
Your palms scraped against the rough pavement as you struggled to catch your breath.
Footsteps approached.
“Damn. What are you doing Y/N?"
You slowly lifted your head.
Standing over you was Kagami, barely sweating despite already beginning another lap.
“We’re only one lap in. You can't be that terrible at running."
His expression wasn’t mocking.
If anything he looked genuinely surprised.
To him, the words were meant to push you back onto your feet.
To you, it felt like a knife twisting deeper into your pride. It was humiliating to say the least. Especially the laughs that followed his words.
"Oh nahhh she fell down on the first lap"
"No way she's that weak"
"Maybe if she cut off all that junk she digests everyday she'd be able to run a lap."
A lump formed in your throat.
You forced yourself back onto shaky legs, refusing to let him see you cry.
Whether they were laughing because of Kagami’s words or because you’d fallen no longer mattered.
All you knew was that they’d laughed and he’d been the first one to speak.
You swallowed the sting in your chest and took another step.
Then another. The world tilted.
The laughter faded. Your vision darkened.
And everything went black....
The sharp blast of a whistle echoed across Seirin High’s track field, pulling your attention back to the present. You settled into your stance as your coach called everyone to the starting line.
“One more sprint!”
The sound of shoes striding across the track filled the air as you pushed yourself forward. Every step felt effortless now, the countless mornings and late evenings of training finally paying off. By the time you crossed the finish line, the gap between you and the rest of the team wasn’t even close. And it was quite the opposite gap in comparison to middle school. You were actually the one in the lead.
“Nice work!” your coach called. “That’s why you’re our ace.”
You accepted the praise with a small nod and smile reaching for your water bottle as your teammates continued talking amongst themselves.
“You’ve gotten even faster.”
The familiar voice made your grip tighten around the bottle. Slowly, you turned your head. Standing near the fence was Kagami Taiga, having just finished basketball practice. A towel rested over his shoulders, and despite the sweat running down his face, he still managed to smile.
“I watched the last couple of sprints,” he admitted, scratching the back of his neck. “You were really impressive.”
You stared at him for a long moment.
Then stated.
“Who asked?”
The smile disappeared from Kagami’s face.
“Huh?”
“You always have something to say, don’t you?”
Without waiting for an answer, you walked past him. Kagami remained rooted where he stood, blinking as he stared at you walking away.
“What's her deal..?”
He looked down at the towel in his hands before glancing toward the track again.
“I was just giving her a compliment…”
A nearby teammate chuckled.
“Dude…she seriously doesn’t like you.”
“…Yeah." Kagami sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “I ain't that dumb to not pick up on that.”
He then paused.
“I just don’t get why.”
The interaction lingered in Kagami’s mind for a while.
For the rest of practice, every missed shot found its way back to the same question.
What did I do?
He couldn’t remember ever arguing with you. He couldn’t remember saying anything that would warrant the look you gave him every single time your paths crossed.
After practice, he caught sight of you leaving the track with your bag slung over one shoulder.
“Y/N!”
You pretended not to hear him.
The sound of your fast footsteps echoed against the pavement, growing louder with every passing second due to the quickening pace. You hoped he’d take the hint because you really did not want to talk to him. But unfortunately for you he was not going to give up.
“Y/N!”
A frustrated sigh escaped your lips as
you came to an abrupt stop, tightening your grip around the strap of your bag before slowly turning around. Kagami was only a few steps away now. A towel hanged around his neck, and beads of sweat still clung to the strands of his hair dripping to his forehead. Even after basketball practice, he somehow still had enough energy to chase after people.
“What?”
He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding your eyes for a brief moment before finally speaking.
“I…need you to explain something.”
Your brows furrowed .
“Explain what?”
“The way you look at me.”
His voice remained unusually calm.
“I know you hate me.”
The words hung in the air between you.
“I just…” He let out an awkward laugh, one devoid of his usual confidence. “…I don’t know why.”
You stared at him.
For months, you’d imagined this conversation.
You’d pictured him brushing your feelings aside calling you dramatic or humiliating you and make you the laughing stock of the school.
Anything but confusion.
“You’re serious.”
“I am.”
His answer came so quickly that it almost irritated you.
“Then explain something to me.”
You took a slow step toward him.
“Do you remember middle school?”
His expression shifted, searching through memories he hadn’t touched in years.
“Yeah.”
“Gym.”
A flicker of recognition crossed his face.
"Yeah."
“You told me…” Your gaze drifted toward the school’s track, where a handful of your teammates were still cooling down. “…wuote on quote 'We’re only one lap in. You can’t be that terrible at running.'"
Your fingers curled tightly around the strap of your bag.
“I still remember exactly how you said it.”
Kagami’s expression slowly fell.
“I remember all those laughs because of your words. You really caused a whole scene by what you said. I remember how much the voices of all the laughing made me go dizzy. And next thing you know I was sitting by the nurse."
Silence settled between the two of you.
Kagami stood perfectly still.
He realized the memory you had carried for years wasn’t the same one he’d carried at all.
Kagami’s eyes drifted away from yours, his brows furrowing as he searched through a memory he’d long since buried beneath months of practices, games, and ordinary days. He remembered the heat. He remembered the laps. He remembered you collapsing.
Then it finally started to come back.
“We’re only one lap in.”
His shoulders sank.
“…I did say that.”
You let out a hollow laugh, shaking your head as though the admittance alone proved your point.
“So you finally remember.”
“I do remember saying it.” His voice was quieter now, lacking its usual certainty. “I just…I never knew you heard it that way.”
Your eyes narrowed.
“What other way was there supposed to be?” He looked away from you, his face slightly redeening
“I grew up around sports,” he began slowly. “The people who taught me…that’s just how they talked.”
He paused, trying to piece together thoughts that had never needed explaining before.
“If I fell behind…”
“Somethin like Keep up. If I messed something up…Do it again. If I wanted to quit…You’re better than that.’”
A small, awkward smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“…i don't really got a nice way of sayin things because that's how I grew up hearing it." You blinked.
“They’d point out what I still had to fix.” He shrugged. “That was their way of saying they thought I could improve.”
His gaze met yours once more.
“So…that’s what I did.”
Your expression remained unreadable.
“When I saw you on that track…” he continued, “…I wasn’t thinking, ‘oh wow she's ass at running.’”
His voice softened.
“I was thinking…” He let out a quiet breath. “‘Come on. You can do this.’”
He laughed once, embarrassed.
“…Guess it came out a whole lot worse than it sounded in my head.”
Neither of you spoke.
A cool breeze drifted across the track, carrying with it the distant sounds of your teammates packing away equipment. Somewhere behind the gym, a basketball struck the pavement in a steady rhythm before fading into silence.
“I never laughed at you. I'd never do that. I actually thought you were pretty cool. We weren’t close or anything, but I liked talking to you. Why would I make fun of someone I got along with?”Kagami said after a while.
“I remember everybody else laughing.”
His jaw tightened.
“I know hated that.”
Your eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
“I’ve always hated when people make fun of someone who’s trying. I tried to stop it. But I don't think you saw those times.."
he then looked at you.
“That’s why I never understood why you looked at me like…” He chuckled bitterly. “Like I was one of them.”
You stared at him.
For years, that memory had replayed in your mind exactly the same way.
Kagami standing over you.
The laughter and the humiliation.
You had never stopped to wonder what he remembered.
“I watched you after that,” he admitted quietly.
Your head lifted.
“What?”
“You started staying after school and you'd ran laps by yourself....You kept getting faster.”
Another small smile crossed his face.
“I figured you got hooked on running.”
He shook his head, almost laughing at himself.
“I had no idea…”
Your eyes made contact as he spoke,
“that you were trying to prove me wrong.”
The words settled heavily between you.
For years, you’d believed the boy standing before you had looked down on your weakest moments but now You were beginning to wonder if he’d been admiring your strength all along.
"How come you even paid attention to me so much? Even after all the attitude I gave you...I feel so bad I'm sorry about that."
You then sighed. "If I was in your position I'd just treat me the same way I treated you."
He rubbed the back of his neck, still avoiding your eyes.
“I dunno..."
You frowned.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“I mean…” He searched for the words. “I never really thought about it.”
His brows furrowed.
“You were just…”
He paused.
The silence stretched a tad bit more between the two of you.
“You were just…”
He paused, almost frustrated with himself for not being able to find the right words.
“Amazing.”
Your breath caught. Kagami didn’t seem to notice.
“I mean…” He quickly tried to explain himself. “Back then you couldn’t even finish one lap.” He glanced toward the track again before looking back at you. “Then I come to high school and all of a sudden you’re outrunning everybody.”
He let out a small laugh, shaking his head.
“I kept thinkin how'd she do that?’”
There wasn’t an ounce of mockery in his voice.
Only admiration.
“You worked harder than anybody else.”
His shoulders rose in a casual shrug.
“I guess…I just thought that was really cool.”
For a moment, neither of you spoke.
"You really thought that?”
Kagami looked at you as though the answer should’ve been obvious.
“Course.”
He laughed sheepishly.
“I mean…you proved me wrong.”
You raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“I didn’t think anybody could change that much.”
He rubbed the back of his neck again.
“Guess I underestimated you.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of your lips.
Kagami’s eyes widened just a little.
“There it is.”
You blinked.
“What?”
“You smiled.”
Your face immediately fell back into its usual expression.
“I did not.”
“You actually did.”
“I absolutely didn’t.”
A grin spread across his face.
“…You’re smilin again.”
You rolled your eyes, turning away so he wouldn’t notice the warmth creeping into your cheeks.
“Your still annoyingg oh my god."
“Yeah…”
He smiled to himself.
"I’ll take this over you lookin at me like I ruined your life.”
