3 The Third Quarter

“Tetsuya, where are you?” A gentle yet commanding voice came through the phone—it was Seijuro Akashi. Though there was no overt order in his tone, it carried an unmistakable urgency, compelling obedience.

“Near the McDonald's by the gym,” Tetsuya Kuroko replied. He didn’t particularly like this side of Akashi, but he didn’t dislike it either. Despite the forcefulness, he knew Akashi’s concern was genuine, albeit expressed in a somewhat peculiar manner.

“Don’t move from there. I’ll be there soon.” Akashi spoke briefly, seemingly after exchanging a few words with someone else, before addressing Kuroko directly.

Kuroko glanced back at the trio from Aobajohsai stepping out together near the McDonald’s entrance, then settled into the shadow beneath a nearby billboard.

Toru Oikawa seemed to sense something. He suddenly turned around and waved at him from a distance.

Kuroko was momentarily taken aback but returned the greeting.

“What are you doing?” Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow, watching Oikawa’s strange gesture as if waving to thin air. He wondered if his friend was losing his mind.

“Don’t worry about it. The match should still be going on. We can catch the second set if we go now.” Oikawa, pushing Hanamaki and Iwaizumi along, threw a playful wink over his shoulder.

Kuroko slowly withdrew his gaze and waited quietly in the shadow of the billboard.

Before long, a distant beam of headlights swept across his face, dimmed upon recognition, and a black car pulled up beside him.

The rear window rolled down slowly, revealing Seijuro Akashi’s face.

He glanced at Kuroko standing in the shadows and said, “Get in.”

Kuroko discreetly observed the all-black driver before opening the rear door and stepping inside.

“Why did Akashi come out?” It was already late, and since Teiko didn’t hold post-match meetings, and it wasn’t a school day, the team members should have all dispersed and gone home by now.

Originally, Kuroko planned to take the bus, drop his things off in the clubroom, and head home. He hadn’t expected Akashi to come pick him up.

Akashi didn’t respond to Kuroko’s question but calmly tapped his arm with a finger, seemingly deep in thought.

Seeing Akashi remain silent, Kuroko cast him a puzzled glance.

“I’m taking you home. You can bring your things Monday,” Akashi said, his crimson eyes scanning Kuroko coldly, though it felt more like a detached appraisal.

Kuroko noticed Akashi’s gaze and turned his head to look out at the rapidly passing street scene, using the reflection in the window to observe Akashi’s reaction.

Is this... concern?

After a long moment, he softly replied, “You don’t have to worry about me, Akashi. I just went to meet a senior’s classmate who used to live next door. He’s not a bad person.”

Though his neighbor and Oikawa weren’t in the same year and Oikawa was already a college freshman, they came from the same school, so calling him a classmate wasn’t inaccurate.

Akashi withdrew his eyes and replied coolly, “Hmm.”

Kuroko’s home was still some distance away, but Akashi remained silent throughout the ride, lost in thought.

Kuroko, whose mind was in turmoil, welcomed the quiet but couldn’t stop replaying Oikawa’s words over and over.

None of the other factors tempted him.

What truly moved him was that one phrase: “I’m a setter like you. I know what you need.”

Before he knew it, the house number of Kuroko’s home appeared in his view.

“We’re here,” Akashi announced.

Kuroko opened the door and stepped out, then circled back to knock on Akashi’s window.

“Thank you for bringing me back, Akashi. It’s dark now—please be careful too.”

“Mm. Go inside quickly,” Akashi replied.

Kuroko nodded and left, while Akashi watched quietly from inside the car.

Before Kuroko could open the gate, a blonde shadow suddenly lunged at him. “Kuroko! Where did you go after the match?”

Startled by Kise’s sudden appearance, Kuroko hesitated.

“Kise, don’t lean on me like that—I can’t open the door.” Kuroko looked helpless.

Like a big dog, Ryota Kise rambled on about how gloomy Daiki Aomine looked while glancing back at Akashi sitting inside the car.

Akashi nodded at him, then rolled up the window and had the driver slowly pull away. Kise and Kuroko’s voices could still be heard nearby.

Akashi’s tablet lit up in his hands, displaying two parallel profiles.

Toru Oikawa had a striking appearance; Akashi had seen him once at the players’ entrance and naturally remembered his face. As a well-known setter in Miyagi Prefecture, Oikawa’s reputation was considerable, especially among the young female fans who left plenty of traces online.

Thanks to his family background, Akashi easily obtained part of a temporary dossier on Oikawa from a partner.

Miyagi Prefecture, Sendai City, Aobajohsai High School, second year, Toru Oikawa, male volleyball team regular starter.

The other profile was of a man named Hashiru Kurahara, who had temporarily stayed for several months at the “Saito” residence next door to Kuroko’s home.

He also graduated from Aobajohsai High School in Sendai and was currently enrolled at Kansei University’s School of Social Sciences. Before graduation, he participated in the track team’s long-distance running events.

Just as Kuroko said, they were indeed schoolmates.

Kuroko’s relationship with him was decent—enough to occasionally mention him to Akashi.

As for Oikawa, it wouldn’t be unusual for a junior who might have ties to Kurahara to inquire about him.

Provided they really knew each other.

But Akashi didn’t dig deeper. He refrained from invading anyone’s privacy, content to stop at publicly available information.

He meant no harm.

It was just that—

The other team members didn’t matter much, but those inexplicably appearing outsiders...

#

“No way! You can’t kick me out!” Seeing Kuroko trying to usher him off the property, Kise lunged at him again.

“I came all this way. Can’t I just come in for a bit? There’s no one else at Kuroko’s place anyway. I’m just worried you’re lonely.”

Unable to resist Kise’s persistence, Kuroko let him in.

“Don’t mess with my stuff.”

Especially the posters and memorabilia of the volleyball stars he collected.

“No problem!” Kise followed happily into the house, practically humming a tune.

“Have you eaten dinner, Kise?” Kuroko, who had a vanilla milkshake at McDonald’s, looked at the food his aunt had prepared on the dining table with some concern.

“Not yet! Can I eat?” Kise, who had followed Kuroko inside, looked touched.

Kuroko nodded. “Okay, I’ll boil two eggs.”

The aunt’s cooking was just enough for one, but Kise would likely still be hungry. After all, most of the regular starters at Teiko had big appetites—even Akashi ate more than Kuroko.

Kise casually grabbed some bowls and chopsticks and sat at the table, waiting. “Aren’t you eating, Kuroko?”

“I ate a little at McDonald’s. Not very hungry,” Kuroko replied absentmindedly.

“Oh, so you went to McDonald’s alone?” Kise stuffed a mouthful of rice while casually eyeing Kuroko.

Seeing Kuroko’s stiff reaction, Kise’s spoon paused mid-air, and his cheerful mood suddenly soured.

—So it wasn’t alone after all.

“I really want a vanilla milkshake too. Next time, take me along,” Kise changed the subject. “But I felt something was off with Momoi this afternoon. You two haven’t been arguing, have you?”

“What? No,” Kuroko was surprised. Momoi was fine when he left.

Kise lowered his head to avoid Kuroko’s gaze. “Maybe I misread it—perhaps Momoi was just fighting with Aomine. That’d be normal.”

Kuroko, who only knew how to boil eggs, wasn’t eager to chat with Kise.

He wasn’t good at handling Kise’s moods, especially when his own feelings were so unclear.

Kise seemed carefree and a bit silly, but he was actually quite perceptive.

Just like now—he was fishing for words between the lines.

Kuroko stared at the timer as the eggs slowly changed color, his expression unreadable.

Unlike the other three, Kise and Akashi were skilled at reading emotions. Maybe they were worried because Kuroko hadn’t been himself lately...

True, switching to volleyball midway was unrealistic.

He had only met Oikawa the day before, so there was no reason to believe his one-sided story.

Kuroko scooped the eggs into cold water and sighed softly.

“I know you’re worried, Kise, but don’t worry. I just went to meet a senior’s classmate. He asked me some things, but he’s not a bad person.”

“Oh...” Kise visibly brightened. “By the way, Akashi said he wants you to start in the next game, replacing Aomine.”

Hearing that news, Kuroko was both surprised and a little relieved.

He was actually... afraid to stand alongside Daiki Aomine.

Afraid to admit the truth that he’d been cast aside.

“Then Kuroko, just pass all the balls to me!” Kise pounded his chest confidently. “I’ll score a hundred points next game!”

Kuroko relaxed slowly, finished peeling the eggs, and placed them on the table. “Kise, don’t joke. Passing isn’t just about me.”

If Kuroko wasn’t on the court, these guys basically relied on individual skill with no coordination—only Akashi could keep things somewhat in check.

So even if it was just for a little while, he wanted the team to look like a real team.

“That’s mean!” Kise gobbled down the egg Kuroko handed him. “Delicious! As expected from Kuroko! You really know how to cook!”

“They’re just eggs. Anyone can make them,” Kuroko said, sitting opposite and taking a couple of bites.

Watching Kise’s delighted expression, Kuroko smiled faintly.

They really were good kids.

He had made up his mind.

Unless something unforeseen happened, he would stay at Teiko and play basketball until graduation.

As for what came after... that could wait until then.