107 Chapter 107 : Problems Problems Everywhere

Furihata is over the moon. Even though this was just a fun game, this was probably the best game he has ever played.

Oh, don't get him wrong. Playing with Seirin is good. However, comparing Seirin with the team he is in right now is unfair. Here he has Takao and Hiroki, two playmakers with high IQ who could see the entire court from a couple of different angles and act according to it. Just those two alone could elevate any team ten times better than their original form.

And that is not to mention Tsuchida and Oda, two aggressive attackers who know their roles pretty well.

At first, Furihata is a bit worried they wouldn't be able to cope with not getting the ball all the time, what with their role on their original teams as the aces. However, he was proven wrong, as they both were able to adjust to their new role easily, doing cutting, slashing, running, and even setting up a screen to ease the game.

As for Furihata? Well, when he has competent teammates like this, all he has to do is run to an open position, and the ball would come to his hand.

*Splash!*

Another three!

"Nice one, Furihata-kun!"

"Is that your fourth?"

"No, it is his fifth. He is on fire today."

"Nice pass too, Takao-kun!"

Yeah, all in all, having four offensive-minded players as teammates is something that Furihata never thought he would enjoy.

He had to give a hat off toward Takao though. Shutoku's point guard is probably the most underrated player he has ever seen, and no one would be able to appreciate his talent if they had never played with him.

For example, in the last play, Takao passed the ball once again to Furihata. At first, Furihata didn't notice anything special about it. But when he replayed all the plays when the ball went into his hand, he realized something.

The ball would always come straight to his right palm, and it would always exactly when his guard was about two and a half feet from his spot, giving him enough space and time to pull up a shoot.

Not only for him, but Takao would also do the same for the others. Tsuchida would receive the ball only when he was on the run on the high post, giving Meisei's point guard the option either to cut through the paint area or pull up a mid-range. It was also the same for Hiroki and Oda. They all would be fed with their most comfortable attacking option.

This kind of attention to detail is insane.

'Is that because of his eyes?' Furihata mused inwardly. 'Izuki-senpai said Takao's eyes is better than him. Is that what it means? Always observing everything on the court while making the best judgment to bring the best out of his teammates? That is too crazy to be true…'

In Furihata's mind, the only weakness Takao has is his passive approach to the game. He would always be looking for his teammates first, and never think about taking the shoot for himself if not forced. But when you play with an aggressive shooter like Midorima, that would happen sooner or later.

'Well, I am glad he still has this weakness, or the next time we meet, he would possess a bigger problem.'

However, it was not just a fun game for him. The opponent still challenges them to death, battling for every ball like there is no tomorrow.

"Tadaharu! Keep running, goddamnit!"

"Shut up, Yoshi!"

"Nice pass, baldie!"

"Iwamura, protect the rim!"

*Splash!*

"Nice fade away, Otsubo!"

"Come on!"

Yeah, even though they were lacking teamwork like Furihata's team, they covered it well enough with their individual ability. Their ability to single every person on the court is unbelievable. Coupled with their strategy to split the defense and create a mismatch for their offense, it was a nightmare for the defense.

"Are you okay, Furihata-kun?" Takao asked with a concerned tone. Furihata who was once again having Otsubo to guard on the low post could only smile wryly.

"How the hell is it that I have to face Otsubo-san and Iwamura-san twice? I couldn't match their strength, you know?"

"Sorry about that." Oda apologized. "Yoshiharu-san would always find a way to force us to switch defense. And it seems he was targeting you, probably annoyed with the first play."

Furihata was speechless, not knowing what to say.

"Really? He targeted me because I stopped him the first time?" Seeing the serious nod from Senshinkan's ace, Furihata knows it was serious.

'Goddamnit! Is this what is called a spoiled prince?'

Furihata shook his head repeatedly, trying to snap his thought from wandering around too far.

"Let's not think about his childish pettiness right now and focus back on the game.' After that, he left the room, leaving Takao who snorted a little at his attitude.

"Childish pettiness, he said. He is the last person in the world who deserved to say that. I bet he would do the same to Yoshi-san after this.'

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The game keeps running for a while, with both teams keeping the intensity to a medium level. Not too low to feel the competitiveness, yet not too high to risk an injury. They keep exchanging points, from dunks, fadeaways, layups, up to a three-point shoot.

It was right after one hour that Yoshiharu, the leader of this community suddenly widened his eyes as if remembering something.

"Oh, crap! I forgot I have a meeting with my professor!"

"Again?" Tadaharu looks annoyed with his friend. "You have just entered the university in three months, and you keep having problems with remembering your schedule? Is there something wrong with your head?"

"Shut up, Tadaharu!" Yoshiharu snarked without turning around, picking up his stuff hurriedly. "Anyway, sorry for leaving early. Don't mind me. See you soon! Bye!" He left immediately, leaving the other players dumbfounded by his absurdness.

"Didn't he realize we are only ten people and if he left, this wouldn't be enough to continue the game?"

Although Furihata asked for himself, his rhetorical question is echoed by the other players who seem to think the same.

"So….. What should we do?" Takao asked awkwardly, breaking the silence on the court. Tadaharu sighed. As the oldest player here, it is his responsibility to take over the situation. After thinking for a while, he finally took a decision.

"Let's end up this meeting." He said. "Just like Furihata-kun said, we don't have enough people here to continue. Moreover, we have already played for an hour. Let's not overdo it and end the game right now."

The other players looked at each other for a second before they nodded collectively. "Sure."

"Then, I will go back first." Otsubo walked off the court, wiping the sweat on his face. "Takao, let's go back, or Midorima would be worried about you."

Takao snickered at the remark about Midorima. "Sure."

After that, one by one left the court, until it was only Furihata and Momoi left there. Furihata looked at the pink-haired girl curiously as he asked, "You didn't go back, Momoi-san? Would Aomine and the others be worried about you?"

Furihata cringed as he saw Momoi's face fell as she bowed down a little. He feels like a jerk now, for making the ever-cheerful girl like her depressed like this (even not directly). Seeing she is not about to answer his question, he asked another question cautiously.

"Mind telling me what is the problem?"

Momoi shook her head immediately, a tear threatened to fall from the edge of her eyes. At this time, Furihata's mind couldn't help but applaud her for putting up that thick ask for the entire day until it cracked right now.

"Let's walk a little."

He didn't wait for her answer and started walking off the court. A few seconds later, Momoi followed him from behind as they walked in silence, ignoring the crowd of the busy Tokyo around them.

It was summertime, the moment when a lot of foreign tourists come to Japan. As the number one destination in the country, Tokyo at this time was filled by a lot of foreigners, which was quite a sight compared to the other seasons.

However, both Furihata and Momoi didn't really care about that. They keep walking for about five minutes under the blazing sun, passing a lot of tourist spots until they arrived at a small bakery on a rural side of Tokyo. When Furihata saw Momoi full of sweat, he offered a small hand chief that he would always carry all the time.

"Here."

Momoi looked a bit surprised before she received it gratefully. "Thank you, Kouki-kun."

"Don't mind." Furihata waved his hand nonchalantly. "After you are comfortable enough, let's go inside."

Momoi nodded, wiping the sweat on her temple before she saved the hand chief in her small bag and entered the bakery, followed by Furihata. Right after they entered the small bakery, they were greeted by the fragrant smell of butter that had just left the oven, which tickled their tastebuds.

"Welcome to Hishida Bakery! What can we get for Eh?! Kouki-san? Momoi-san? What are you doing here?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Momoi turned around, just to see Saya, Hana's sister greeting them, she wore an apron with a big logo of this bakery, and there is a hint of flour on her face which make Momoi giggle a little.

"Hey, Saya-chan." Furihata greeted back the girl. "Is your sister here?"

Saya's smile grows as a mischievous expression on her face. "Hooo~ So, you are finally brave enough to come here, ne~ But what is it? Bringing Momoi-san with you? What kind of drama are you in, Kouki-san? Should I call Dad here?"

Furihata twitched his mouth a little as both girls giggled at his reaction.

"Joking aside, Hananee is busy with her club. She is about to enter the national, you know?" Saya said proudly. "She would be back in the next few hours. So, what can I get for you?"

After both Furihata and Momoi found a table for themselves and looked at the menu, they gave their order to the girl.

"Chocolate souffle and a glass of strawberry milkshake for me, please," Momoi said. After pondering for a few seconds, Furihata added, "Red velvet cake and a cup of hot chocolate for me too, please."

After taking note of their orders, Saya nodded with a bright smile. "Sure! Please, wait for a moment. Your order would come in five minutes!"

After Saya left, an awkward silence befell on the table as Furihata and Momoi couldn't find any topic to start a conversation. After a while, it was Momoi who broke the silence.

"I don't know Hana-chan's family has a bakery store."

Furihata hummed slightly. "Well, not a lot know about it, even in our school. I only know about it because Saya couldn't stop babbling when selling her sister to me."

Hearing her giggle, Furihata is glad that he brought her here.

'At least it lightened up her mood. Having a cheerful girl like her crying would dampen the atmosphere for the entire day.'

"So, Kouki-kun…" Furihata's mind snapped when Momoi spoke. "How is the condition on your team after your fight?"

Normally, Furihata wouldn't give an answer to her, considering they are from different teams that still compete in the national. But his gut is telling him to just screw it up and answer her question.

"Well, it is quite bad." Furihata smiles wryly. "I got punched, being told that my value is not that worthy, and isolated by my teammates, while Redonly got scolded and slapped on his wrist. Just the usual superstar treatment for him."

Momoi patted his hand sympathetically before she sighed. "You better solve it fast, or your team will fall into the same trouble as ours."

Now, it got Furihata's attention.

'Will she tell me her problem now?'

He leaned forward, couldn't hide his curiosity. But he didn't need to ask, as Momoi seemed to be distressed and needed to vent out her problem.

"Dai-chan was recruited by Too because of his talent. Unsurprisingly, nobody likes him here, as his attitude toward the other people is awful. Not only to students, but he even looked down at his sensei as if he was above them. And no one dares to question him, as he was protected by the headmaster."

Momoi paused for a second, sighing tiredly at her own situation.

"But it changed this summer when he refused to go to the remedial class. His sensei was enraged and had enough of his crappy attitude and decided to bring it to the headmaster. And he was not alone in that campaign. He brought several teachers who knew about Dai-chan's attitude just to verify his protest. To make it worse, our coach decided to be a part of that campaign, and his testimony brought a bad light toward Dai-chan."

Furihata nodded carefully, still didn't see the problem.

"The problem is, Dai-chan didn't care!" Momoi snapped in frustration. "He seems to believe that the headmaster would be able to solve this situation, and he didn't even think he is in the wrong here! And our coach decided to take revenge on his attitude by telling all the players about this campaign, and now, everyone seems to avoid us like a plague!"

"Wait a second!" Furihata raised his hand to pause her rant. "I don't understand. Why do they avoid you too?"

"Because Dai-chan and I are childhood friends, and with me being his manager since middle school, they think we arrived in a package." She replied bitterly. "Honestly, I think their treatment is worse than what I got during my time in middle school when I was accused of being a slut for monopolizing the Generation of Miracles for myself."

Furihata had to hide his wince as he remembered how he said she was a bitch several times in the past. Now, he feels guilty about the girl. After spending a few minutes in silence, he finally opened his mouth.

"We sure have a shitty teammate, right?"

"Yeah…"

And then, they spent the entire afternoon in silence, lamenting their crap situations while accompanied by their sweet traits.

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Author note :

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You can also read this fanfiction up to chapter 127 on that page. Thank you! :)

-Zeta Faes-