Distance of Shadow and Light: A Secret with Tetsuya Kuroko
After the fierce Winter Cup, Tetsuya Kuroko of Seirin High's basketball team quietly steps toward a new goal, having finished his heated battles against the Generation of Miracles.
But he carries a secret he can tell no one: a special feeling, beyond friendship, for his former light and now separate path-walker, Taiga Kagami. This must never come to light. Living as a shadow, Kuroko desperately hides his fiercely burning crush under an expressionless mask today as well.
On the other hand, Kaga
Distance of Shadow and Light: A Secret with Tetsuya Kuroko - A Shadow Calling Light, a Miracle Intrudes
A week had passed since then.
After school at Seirin High. The chime had long since finished ringing, yet the usual lively voices from the first gymnasium were absent.
The sound of balls bouncing on the floor, the footsteps of someone running around — all of it was strangely sparse.
On the gymnasium floor, the club members continued their shooting practice somewhat awkwardly. Hyuuga Junpei, as captain, tried to raise his voice, but it was obvious to everyone that his words were falling flat.
"...Haaah."
Riko, seated on the bench, let out a deep sigh. On the clipboard in her hand, a hastily scribbled memo reading "Kagami Taiga – Absent (Unexcused)" was clipped again today. Every time she saw it, a sharp pain pricked deep in her chest.
*(Taiga, you idiot.)*
Since that day a week ago, when he suffered a crushing 0-5 defeat against Kageyama You, Kagami hadn't shown his face at practice. Even when she tried contacting him, her messages went unread. Even Riko, his childhood friend, had no idea what he was thinking right now.
*(Kuroko's been pushing himself too hard, too.)*
Riko's gaze drifted to the corner of the court.
Kuroko Tetsuya stood there today as well, expressionless as always. His light blue hair swayed in the breeze from the open window. On his left wrist was the blue wristband he'd received from Kagami. Only the occasional gesture of tracing it with his fingertips seemed to offer a tiny glimpse into his heart.
Kuroko continued his passing practice in silence. But the recipients of his passes were — Izuki, or Koganei, or Furihata. Only Kagami was absent.
*(I wonder what Kagami-kun is doing.)*
A small thorn pricked persistently in Kuroko's chest. A week ago, he had seen Kagami brought to his knees by Kageyama. The sound of him pounding the floor with his fist, spitting out a curse, still clung to the depths of his ears.
*(I couldn't do anything.)*
He remembered Kageyama's words whispered into his ear. "Kagami-senpai showed at least three weaknesses today alone." No, Kagami hadn't been at his full strength back then. He was just shaken. But — he wasn't even given a chance to prove it.
"...Kuroko, got a minute?"
Hyuuga approached, a troubled look on his face.
"Yes."
"It's about Kagami... Could you try saying something to him? He's ignoring our calls, and he won't come out even if we go to his place."
"...I'm sorry."
Kuroko gave a small bow of his head. It wasn't Hyuuga's fault. If anything, it was strange for him to apologize to the captain who was acting with the club's best interests at heart.
But that was all he could say.
"No, that's not something you should apo—"
Hyuuga started to say, but just then—
*SLAM, SLAM, SLAM!!*
The gymnasium's large door slid open with tremendous force.
The club members all turned around at once.
Against the backlight, a head of dazzlingly bright golden hair swayed softly. Gently waved, fluffy blond hair. Beautiful almond-shaped double eyelids, bright hazel eyes. His tall frame of 189 centimeters looked striking in Kaijou High School's white uniform.
Flashing his canine teeth, the man — Kise Ryouta — beamed a full-faced smile.
"Kurokocchiーーー!! I missed you so muchーーー!!"
Kise spread both arms wide and charged straight for Kuroko.
—However.
Kuroko's figure vanished, *poof*. No, it only seemed to vanish. Misdirection. By guiding the gaze and thinning his presence to the absolute limit, he completely removed only the information of his location from Kise's field of vision.
"Whoa!?"
Carried by his momentum, Kise hugged the empty air, lost his balance, and put his hands on the floor. A pathetic *thud* echoed through the gymnasium.
"...Huh?"
"Pfft... hahaha!"
A burst of laughter rose from the club members.
"Ow ow ow... Kurokocchi, that's so mean..."
Still on his hands and knees, Kise let out a pitiful voice. From right beside him, a voice fell, expressionless.
"It's been a while, Kise-kun."
"UWAAAAAAHH!!?"
Kise jumped. Before he knew it, Kuroko was crouching right next to where Kise had collapsed. Truly, without a sound, without a presence.
"K-Kurokocchi... I thought my heart stopped..."
Kise clutched his chest and gasped for breath exaggeratedly. At his utter fluster, even Riko couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Hey, Kise-kun, what did you come here for?"
"Ah, Riko-senpai! Won't you let us have a practice match? I came all the way here, an hour and twenty minutes by train!"
Kise hopped to his feet and pulled a crumpled train route map from his pocket to show her. The route from the station nearest Kaijou to Seirin's Haruha Station was traced with a highlighter.
Kuroko watched him intently.
*(Kise-kun never changes.)*
Somewhere in his chest, a feeling loosened softly. Kise had been this kind of guy since way back. During their Teikou Junior High days, among the Generation of Miracles, he was the only one who gave Kuroko the nickname "Kurokocchi" and clung to him. His basketball skills were genuine, yet he had an air about him that you couldn't really hate.
"Kise, what the hell are you doing here?"
—At that voice, the air in the gymnasium froze.
From the hallway, a large shadow lumbered in. Spiky, two-toned red and black hair. Burning crimson eyes. The silver piercing in his left ear glinted sharply, reflecting the fluorescent lights.
A giant frame of 195 centimeters. It was Kagami Taiga.
"Kagami-kun..."
The voice escaped Kuroko's lips involuntarily. Seeing Kagami for the first time in a week, he looked a little thinner. There were faint dark circles under his eyes.
*(He came.)*
That fact alone squeezed Kuroko's chest tight.
Kagami had actually intended to skip practice again today. While he was alone at the Tiger Court, mindlessly continuing to shoot, he'd realize it was evening before he knew it. That was how his week had been.
But today, he happened to see Kise's flashy blond hair through the gymnasium window as he passed by — and before he knew it, his feet were moving.
"Answer me, Kise. Why are you here?"
Kagami closed in on Kise. His voice held a low, suppressed thorn, different from his usual shouting.
"Like I said, I came for a practice match."
Kise, not looking scared at all, smiled cheerfully. Then, he looked back and forth between Kagami and Kuroko—
"Actually, Kagamicchi, you're in a fight with Kurokocchi, aren't you? It's written all over your face. 'I'm in a super bad mood right now and I want to take it out on someone.'"
"Hah!? That's none of your damn business!"
Kagami roared. The gymnasium's windowpanes rattled.
Even against that ferocity, Kise dodged lightly.
"It's totally my business. Because Kurokocchi's whole love drama is completely exposed, you know? There's that new student, Kageyamacchi, right? And I heard Riko-senpai is somehow joining the fray too."
"Wha—!?"
Riko jumped, her face turning bright red. While everyone held their breath, only Kise looked amused, showing his canine teeth.
"You bastard... Don't overestimate yourself, what the hell do you know!!"
Kagami clenched his fists and pressed toward Kise with enough force that he seemed about to throw a punch.
"Kagami-kun, please calm down."
Kuroko's voice was quiet. And yet, Kagami's movement stopped dead.
Large, light blue eyes stared straight at Kagami. For the first time in a week, their gazes properly met.
Something swayed heavily inside Kagami.
*(Tetsuya...)*
There were mountains of things he wanted to say. Things he wanted to apologize for, things he wanted to ask. But the words wouldn't come out. Instead, Kise clapped his hands with a *smack*.
"Alright! Then let's blow off some steam with a practice match! Me, Kagamicchi, and Kageyamacchi will make an impromptu team, and go head-to-head against Seirin! Right, Riko-senpai, that's okay, isn't it!?"
"...Fine, do whatever you want."
Riko shrugged her shoulders as if resigned. There was no point in stopping this any further. If anything, going along with this chaotic flow might let Kagami and Kuroko vent what had built up between them.
"I'll help, Kise-senpai."
Before anyone noticed, Kageyama You was standing beside Kise. Jet-black hair, gray eyes tinged with purple. The black ring shining on the ring finger of his left hand glinted dully under the fluorescent lights.
"Whoa, a real shadow... When did you get here?"
Even Kise had barely sensed Kageyama's movement. A fellow user of Misdirection, just like Kuroko.
"Thank you very much. I'm happy to hear you say that."
Kageyama gave his thanks with a straight face. At that overly serious reaction, Kise looked blank for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"No, I wasn't complimenting you!?"
"...What's that guy saying?"
Izuki retorted bluntly. A little laughter returned to the tense gymnasium.
—The practice match began.
The impromptu trio of Kise, Kagami, and Kageyama versus Seirin's regular lineup of Kuroko, Hyuuga, Izuki, Koganei, and Mitobe.
Just before the match started, the gazes of Kagami and Kuroko, standing on the court, crossed for just a fleeting moment.
Something hot surged up inside Kagami. Standing on the same court as Kuroko for the first time in a week. Just that alone made the thing smoldering deep in his chest begin to take clear shape.
*(There's something I want to say.)*
*(But I can't put it into words yet.)*
As Kagami bit his lip, Kuroko, without a word, abruptly averted his gaze. His left hand touched the blue wristband.
*(Kagami-kun looked at me.)*
Kuroko's heart gave a quiet leap. Kagami, who hadn't even properly met his eyes for a week, had just looked at him. Just that was enough to slowly set the frozen time in motion.
The whistle to start the match blew.
The first few plays were Kise's solo stage.
"Here, copied!"
Kise perfectly reproduced Hyuuga's three-point shot, exactly as it was. Not only that, but the form, the ball's rotation, even the release timing — he copied it all perfectly.
"You've gotta be kidding..."
Kise Ryouta of the Generation of Miracles. His greatest weapon was "Perfect Copy." An extraordinary ability to reproduce an opponent's technique as his own after seeing it once.
But — as the match progressed, Kise's gaze began to turn toward Kageyama.
Kageyama moved. In that instant, his figure vanished. The same Misdirection as Kuroko. A technique of using gaze guidance to completely erase one's existence from the opponent's field of vision.
However.
"I know that trick too."
Kise's figure also vanished, *poof*.
*(Wha—)*
Kageyama's gray eyes wavered slightly. It wasn't just Kageyama who had disappeared. Kise had also vanished from the court.
*(He can use Misdirection too—?)*
Kageyama's thoughts were disrupted for a split second.
No. This was a copy. Kise had seen Kageyama's Misdirection itself and imitated the technique. The way of moving his gaze, the distancing to thin his presence, the timing to divert the opponent's consciousness — everything.
"Sorry, but a copy of a copy can't beat the real thing."
Kise's voice echoed from directly behind Kageyama.
Kageyama turned around. Kise had read all of his movements in advance. A defense that completely sealed Kageyama's drive. If Kageyama tried to imitate Kagami's movements, Kise would copy that movement first and get ahead of him.
"...Man, I feel like I'm defending against myself."
Kise tilted his head. Because he was copying Kageyama's movements, a distorted situation arose where he was also sealing Kageyama's defense with Kageyama's own movements.
"What's that guy saying?"
Izuki's cool-headed retort drew laughter again.
However, Kageyama wasn't laughing. For the first time, the composure vanished from his handsome features.
*(He's one of the Generation of Miracles.)*
Deep within his gray eyes, something burned with a crackling heat. Kageyama glanced at Kuroko. Kuroko, though expressionless, was watching Kise's play with somewhat nostalgic eyes.
*(Kuroko-senpai is making that kind of expression.)*
At that moment, Kageyama's concentration broke for just an ins
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