I waited impatiently as I sat down next to coach. I was both irritated and anxious.

Irritated that we're only using half court, and anxious because stupid Ryota went to get Seirin. I sighed. "Coach, don't you think it's a little disrespectful to only use half court?" I asked.

Before he could respond, the doors to the gym opened. The first string and I glanced their way to see Ryota lead Seirin over to us.

I immediately spotted two bluenettes.

A grin broke out onto my face and I jumped up and ran over to them, hugging Kana to me. "Kya! Kana you're so cute~!" I squealed.

She put her arms around me and returned the hug. "Hey Nina. It's nice to see you again." She said.

I pulled apart and gazed at her adorableness.

I then turned to Tetsu and hugged him to me as well. "Tetsu~! So cute~!" I cooed, squishing him to my chest.

"Nina-San, you're making it a bit difficult to breathe." He said. I just squealed and hugged him tighter.

Pulling away a bit, I grabbed Kana and hugged the both of them. "I love you two so much!"

Suddenly the back of my sweater was grabbed and I was suspended in the air. Huh? "Nee-Chan, you're smothering them again."

I pouted, finally seeing the gazes of their team.

Putting on a less fan girl façade I smiled as Ryota put me down.

"Hello. Welcome to Kaijo. I apologize if my brother or I disturbed you in anyway. The locker rooms are over there, and I have refreshments ready for everyone." I told them politely.

They looked between Ryota and I. Probably noticing our differences. One of them pulled out a magazine.

It was of me advertising a new sweets shop. I smiled a bit. "I remember that. Their sweets are pretty good." I told them.

"Wow. In the presence of two models." Some of them muttered.

I kept my smile and headed back to coach as they all followed.

"You're here. Welcome. I'm Coach Takeuchi. Which one of you is the coach?" Coach asked. Riko stepped up. "That's me." She piped up.

Eh? She is?

Cool.

Coach pointed at her, surprised. "You? You're not the manager?" He asked.

Riko stepped up closer to him. "I'm Coach Aida Riko. We look forward to playing with you today!" She bowed. "Uh, yeah." Coach said, still not quite comprehending the situation.

Riko looked at the net and how half the court was already in use, confusion on her face.  "So, um . . . what is this?" She finally asked.

Uh-oh. Please don't say anything to pick a fight. "Exactly what it looks like. We've only made simple arrangements for today's game."

I bit the inside of my lip. "Arrangements?" Riko asked nicely, but afraid of his answer.

"There won't be enough to learn from this game to make it worth watching for the guys sitting out."

I sighed. Really coach? "I see." Riko said, holding back her anger as best she could. "We're having the other players practice as usual so we don't waste time. Despite the arrangements, you'll be playing our regulars. I hope you won't let us triple your score."

"Coach, that's incredibly rude of you to say." I said, frowning at him.

He's always like this. He just gave me a flat look. "It's the truth."

Why you! That's so rude. "Lousy fat ass." I said in English. Lucky me, coach doesn't know a lick of English.

However somebody started laughing.

Hm? I turned to see a tall, masculine red head slap his hand over his mouth, trying to muffle his laughs. Wait a second; he understood?

I blushed a bit in embarrassment and then it dawned on me.

"You . . . you're Kagami Taiga right?" I asked. He seemed surprised and nodded. I smiled and closed my eyes. "Thank you for taking good care of Tetsu." I bowed a bit.

I've kept constant contact with both of the twins. I'm aware of everything they do and they're aware of everything I do.

Ryota ran over to us, wearing his uniform, all excited. Coach glanced at him. "What are you wearing? You won't be playing against them."

I blinked a bit. "EH?!" We shouted in unison. "If I let you play then we'd annihilate them easily. It wouldn't be fair." He said, walking back to his chair.

Rude.

I glanced back at Seirin to see Riko and Kana in a mass of fiery rage.

He's managed to anger Kana. He should be very afraid. "I'm so sorry. He's a bit . . . difficult."

I turned my gaze to Tetsu and Kagami. "Why don't you do something to make him put him in?" I suggested a sly smile on my face.

Tetsu smiled lightly whilst Kagami smirked.

They all got ready and their first string went to the court, along with ours, minus Ryota.

I sat next to my brother and watched.

I'm interested to see their team. A school both the Kuroko's joined. It's still relatively new, not well known, but I think that was the point of it.

Tetsu chose it for a reason. Whether that be to get away from the others or because he has a point to prove.

And I'm particularly interested in this Kagami I've heard so much about. Someone Tetsu deemed worthy of being his light.

I threw my hand into the air. "Go Tetsu~!" I cheered.

Moriyama turned, crying comical crocodile tears. "Huh? Nina-Chan what about your actual team?" He cried.

I just smiled brightly. "My heart belongs to Kana and Tetsu. I'm not unfaithful."

He nearly fell at that. Our ref looked around as he stood between the teams. "Uh, we're about to get started, so Seirin please have your five line up." He called.

I giggled, eyes drifting to Tetsu. "There's five of us." He spoke up, gaining their attention.

Our team gasped, backing up a bit in surprise at his 'sudden' appearance.

I laughed a little at that. "I never get tired of that." I grinned at Ryota.

He held a matching one. "Same." He agreed as murmurs went through the air.

"This is ridiculous. After all their boasting, I thought they'd have some decent players." Coach said, looking at them unimpressed. I shot him a look.

"We'll see. They're not just decent." Ryota spoke, watching them carefully with a sly smile on his face.

"You never know. Talents come in all shapes and sizes. You don't have to be big or flashy to be an ace." I said, returning my gaze to the court as well.

Well, relatively speaking, our players should be better. But I don't want to underestimate any of them.

I analyzed Seirin's players, taking each of them in carefully. Kagami is definitely the power, but like I said, power and flashiness isn't everything.

The guy with glasses seems to have good reflexes. The way his arms are moving, I'd say he's good at making long shots.

The other one with gray eyes too. He's something else as well, what I'm not sure, but I get the feeling.

Then there's the dark horse over there.

Well, I won't know for sure until I see them moving.

As far as I can tell, Tetsu and Kagami are the stars in their dance.

But how far they can carry them is another thing.

The way Kana and Tetsu talk about Kagami, I don't think he'll give up. He could probably go an entire game carrying them, with Tetsu boosting him.

But I don't doubt my team. Our numbers are far higher and so is our confidence.

Teamwork's a little iffy, but I blame Ryota and coach for that.

The whistle blew and there went the tip off.

Thanks to Kobori we got the ball, Kasamatsu taking it. Everyone ran. Before he did, he walked, holding up a finger. "One. Let's keep it up."

I almost didn't see Tetsu until he hit the ball away.

It's been a while. That caught me by surprise.

Kasamatsu and our team did not see him at all, their shocked faces making me smile slightly.

Tetsu ran down the court with the ball.

Hm, he doesn't usually keep the ball. And he's slow. Kasamatsu caught up in no time.

Tetsu, moving forward, tossed the ball back into Kagami's hands.

The teen jumped up and slammed the ball into the hoop with great force.

Whoa. That's an impressive dunk. Ah!

My eyes went wide as he landed, putting his hands up a bit, grinning. "Alright! Huh? Ah!"

I just sat there, staring wide eye, mouth agape.

He . . . he destroyed the hoop. No freakimg way. Ive only known one other person who did that. The dark haired boy flashed through my mind before morphing back to Kagami.

Our members shouted and spoke in disbelief.

Riko walked over to us and bowed as coach began to stew in anger.

Tetsu and Kagami walked over and Tetsu bowed. "I'm sorry we broke your hoop. Since we can't play like this, could we use the full court?" Tetsu asked.

I glanced at coach, noticing the vein in his forehead is popping. I smiled, standing.

"Hey! Clear the court and put down the hoops. We're going full court!" I ordered the players who were practicing on the other side.

They all immediately went to work. Coach stood and went to order the others to the side and watch. Albeit begrudgingly.

I chuckled. "It's always refreshing to see 'the vein', huh, Ryota?" I asked, standing up with him as we faced the two Seirin players.

He nodded, laughing as well. "Now that's what you call a beating. I've never seen 'the vein' that upset before." He said, glancing over at Kagami.

"You should tell him that's what he gets for underestimating us!" Kagami retorted bitterly.

Tetsu turned, heading to the new area. "How much do you think a replacement hoop cost." He asked, very monotone like. "Huh?! We have to pay for that?"

I giggled, putting my hands behind my back. "Don't worry, it's on me. Consider it thanks for looking after the Kuroko's." I winked, heading to the bench with my team.

Ryota is placed on the court, exactly what both sides want.

I'll never get over his overwhelming strength compared to the others.

Game wise.

Ryota's never been in an actual fist fight fight. Well, there was this one, but he had to get rescued. Yeah, he's not a fighter.

Suddenly girls squealing caught my attention. I looked up to see girls and some guys had come to watch.

Tch. I stood, grabbing my megaphone. "These are closed practices!" I shouted, to which I was ignored.

Ryota, like the moron he is, is waving at them, smiling and thanking them. "Ryota! Stop it!" I shouted.

Before he could, Kasamatsu rushed over and delivered one of his famous kicks, knocking him over. "Quit waving to them! I'll hit you!" He shouted. Serves him right.

Show off.

Ryota stood, rubbing his back in pain. "Ow. You already hit me, Kasamatsu-Senpai."

Our captain got closer and asked my brother something. I frowned.

Downside to being on the bench is you can't hear everything.

Ryota was getting excited, talking about Tetsu no doubt. And his excitement made our captain punch him for it.

The game resumed, with Ryota taking the ball and running down the court, passing each Seirin player with ease.

He made it to the end of the court with ease and dunked the ball harshly.

Oh? He just had to upstage him, huh? Although the hoop didn't break, it was definitely stronger than Kagami's.

The girls screamed in delight at his coolness, further boosting his ego.

But Kasamatsu ran and kicked him again. "You idiot! I told you to break it!" He shouted at Ryota, who's sprawled out on the floor.

"Sorry!" My brother apologized. I frowned at them. "Hey! Don't try to break things!" I shouted over at them.

Kasamatsu sweat dropped. "Sorry." Geez.

Kagami's was an accident. And although our school isn't lacking money there's no reason to burn right through it.

Some people I swear. "I can't say the same for girls, but I've never failed to return a favor on the court." My eye twitched.

Man, you really are terrible, aren't you?

I sighed loudly. My brother is a playboy. And a successful one, the worst kind. I mean I love him and all, but he should be an enemy to women for that kind of talk.

The game continued and I completed my analyzation of Seirin.

One of them has an amazing field of vision, the other has great shot accuracy, and the tall one is good at screening and a reliable center.

Not bad. But . . . This is way too intense for the first quarter.

It's only been three minutes, they should not be sweating this much.

They're beating each other. The defense for both team is doing its best, but the offense of both teams are so great they break through.

Of course this is the result of Kagami.

Ryota is his mark, and the more Kagami runs and continues to score, the more Ryota will as well.

He is a copycat, but you can use that to your advantage. You can keep the pace in your range if used properly.

This will just drain both teams before the second quarter even begins.

Like I predicted, the only reason Seirin isn't falling behind in this intense match is because of Tetsu and Kagami.

They're not quite in tune with each other just yet, yet they're doing amazing. It hasn't been too terribly long but they match each other well. But they're still sloppy. Like newbies.

Of course this problem will be fixed the more they play with one another.

But for now they can only support their trump card.

But the problem with trump cards is they're only as lethal the less they are used.

Kagami went to do a fadeaway, at an impressive speed too, but Ryota blocked it before rushing to the end of the court and copying his move as well.

So far he's only copying Kagami, but that's the only one he needs to.

So he needs to slow down. No, he needs to cool down.

The harder he plays the harder Ryota will.

And while those two may be okay, the others on both teams will not. I stood up. "Coach, I'm calling a timeout."

He looked at me dubiously, but understanding is there. "Right."

I headed over and saw Kana was as well. We nodded to one another and spoke with the guys on the sideline.

"We want a time out." Kana and I spoke simultaneously.

They looked between us, surprised by our unison. "A-Alright." I smiled at him. "Thank you Yoshida-Kun." He blushed and nodded, quickly making do.

I looked over at Kana. "I got to say, I'm impressed with your players. Especially that Kagami. I wanted this time out mainly for my guys. Even if it's you guys, I won't go easy on you." I smiled.

She returned with a smile of her own. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

We chuckled and headed back. The whistle signaled. "Seirin, Kaijo, Time out." Yoshida called.

I grabbed some towels from the bench and passed them to the players as they walked over and sat on the bench.

"What the hell are you doing?! How many points are you gonna let them take?! Is the defense asleep? Huh?!"

"Sorry!" Kobori apologized for them. "Yeah. That first year duo is brutal. You should be able to handle Kagami, but what's with that invisible Kuroko guy?" Ryota's face lit up at Kasamatsu's question.

"I know right? Kurokocchi's actually-"

Kasamatsu cut him off by hitting him. "Why the hell are you so happy?" He demanded.

I sighed but looked at them. "It's fine his time's up anyway." They looked at me in confusion.

Ryota smiled, that offputting smile. "Nee-Chan's right. The balance will tip soon." He said cryptically.

"Balance?" Kasamatsu asked. I glanced over at Seirin.

"Tetsu is a trump card. But trump cards are more useful when they aren't used often. You can't do anything about him yet because you're not use to his lack of presence. That is his greatest strength, but it's also his weakness."

Ryota smiled knowingly while the others just continued to look confused.

They still don't get it huh? "This high pace first five minutes, although drained you guys, also helped you tremendously by making their trump card's usefulness accelerate. The effectiveness is already starting to wear."

I looked each of them in the eye.

"The only problem as of now is the first year duo's teamwork. But because Tetsu's presence is being more known, they won't be able to use their misdirection. Effectively shutting down the duo."

Kasamatsu still looked a bit confused. "Misdir-what?"

I grabbed a ball and tossed it to Royta. "Kurokocchi's lack of presence isn't magic. He's just directing your attention elsewhere. Even I can do it. Watch me."

He tossed the ball behind him, Kasamatsu's eyes following the orange ball.

"See? You're not looking at me. Kurokocchi's using his exceptional observation skills to do this continuously create the illusion he disappeared so he can pass the ball around. Not that he has to do anything special to have no presence."

I nodded, looking back at the captain.

"Because of his lack of presence, he's the only one who can do this to the best of its abilities. But it's not all powerful. The more he uses it, the more you get used to it and its effect gradually decreases. As much as I love Tetsu, that is his only real talent in the game. With him out of the way, the duo is officially down. Meaning it's our time to strike back and rebuild our defense. The game will be ours." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

If their only strategy was them, then it was reckless.

But Kana knows all this. So I'm sure they'll have something up their sleeves.

I'll have to keep a close eye on all of them to see what they're planning.

"But there is something still. Ryota. They will also be using your weakness against you."

He pursed his lips as the others looked at us in a mix of surprise and curiosity. "What weakness?" Kobori asked.

I opened my mouth but Ryota stood. "It's not that big of one, Nee-Chan. Besides, it's like you said. This game is ours."

Soon our short break ended and everyone returned to the court.

Ryota had the ball and went to go, but stopped.

Thought as much.

Kagami, glasses, and the tall one blocked Ryota's path.

They're defending the middle. It's just a box-and-one. They're following up with Kagami to stop Ryota.

It won't work though. Because Ryota isn't the only strong player.

As I thought that, he passed the ball to Kasamatsu who shot and scored three points.

Our students and players cheered for the regulars as the game progressed.

Kagami went to pass to Tetsu, but Moriyama intercepted. That's it.

Tetsu is down. Without him, I doubt the can progress.

The gap began to get bigger, just as predicted.

Kagami is good. He has great potential, but there is still that difference between him and Ryota. As much as I hate to admit it, he is a prodigy.

He's the only one who can stand up to Ryota. And he is still behind him.

Meaning the others are even further.

The more he shines the more Ryota will copy and return it.

Kagami slapped his hand to his eyes and began laughing. But it wasn't necessarily laughter of something funny.

"Sorry, sorry. I heard it all the time over there." Over there? Ryota must have asked because he continued. "In America."

Eh? He's from America?!

As Ryota admired that, the more my calculations seemed incorrect.

There was something off about Kagami's movements. They're still great, better then most of his team, but it had a hint of something else.

America is known for its freestyle.

They're more flexible, and in turn more unpredictable.

I only know one other person who plays like that. Daiki . . .

An image of the dark haired teen flashed through my mind.

"I thought I jumped the gun coming back here to play. Hearing you say that is encouraging, really. Life is all about challenges. There's no point in living if there's no one strong to play. It's better if I can't win."

My eyes widened a bit. This guy . . . his way of thinking is . . . hm.

I may have jumped the gun. Physical capabilities and skill are important to this sport, and we certainly do exceed them in that, but determination and a will to progress is also an important factor.

And depending on how much you carry can change the tide of the game completely.

"We're just getting started. Don't you think it's a little soon to be saying you won? Besides, thanks to you, now I know your weakness. I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to say yourself. With one look, what if you don't see it? Against a guy who's already invisible, it's impossible. No matter how athletic you are, you'll never achieve an invisible basketball style."

Oh? So he knows? Ah, well Kana could have told him. Kana or Tetsu.

He walked over and placed his hand roughly on Tetsu's head, giving Ryota a defiant look.

"In other words, this guy is your weakness."

Kagami Taiga.

I smirked. This is going to be an interesting match.