Black Basket - The World's No. 1 Idiot's Guide to Growing a Man

When Akashi Seijuro received Kise's call, it was around four o'clock in the afternoon. When the sun was setting, the courtyard was covered with rays of light. He was sitting on the promenade in the courtyard, setting up a chess record with no opponent.

On the other end of the phone, Kise's voice was not as lively and cheerful as usual, but with excitement that was about to cry with joy: "Little Akashi!! Little Akashi! I, I, I, I, I, I am getting married!!!"

"...and Aoki?"

"He promised me to go abroad with me!" Kise did not answer Akashi's question, but was more intoxicated by his own emotions, his voice already had a crying voice, as if he was about to cry in the next second: "He promised Me! Promise me! He finally promised me!!"

Akashi didn't speak anymore, the chess piece in his hand didn't land on the chessboard for a long time, and then he said softly amidst the opponent's crying.

--"Congratulations."

In fact, the first meeting between Akashi and Yuiya was very ordinary, so ordinary that it was almost impossible to remember.

At the spring entrance ceremony of the first grade of junior high school, Akashi gave a speech as a freshman representative. He was eloquent, clear in thinking, and the content of the speech was novel, so that the students would not be drowsy, and there was even a burst of applause and cheers at the end .Akashi successfully completed the speech task, and after getting off the podium, the boy sitting on his right suddenly said: "Your speech is great."

Akashi looked at the other party, and what he saw was a somewhat embarrassed black-haired boy.

The other party obviously also noticed his abruptness, and smiled: "Sorry, I was abrupt... My name is Yuiya Aoki, I saw your name on the class roster before, we should be in the same class."

Akashi nodded and briefly introduced himself. The two did not talk again until the opening ceremony was over.

As soon as the ceremony was over, the two parted ways without even saying goodbye.In fact, Akashi didn't even remember the other person's face, let alone his name.

——That's all the first encounter.

When we met again, we were already classmates.

Akashi became the squad leader of course, sitting in the fifth row of the last group, with a black-haired boy who looked familiar to his right.

"Meet you again," the young man greeted him with a smile, generous and unrestrained: "Do you still remember me?"

Akashi glanced at the seat list pressed under his elbow: "Yuiya Aoki."

"It seems that I don't remember," the black-haired boy scratched his cheek awkwardly, and said with a smile: "It's okay, there is still a long time, you will remember me."

Akashi just glanced at him lightly: "Maybe."

What Akashi didn't say was that he didn't like this nice-looking classmate in front of him.

——Too kind to strangers, a little fake.

It was the second week after the opening ceremony that Akashi really remembered the other party's name and appearance.

In April when the cherry blossoms were flying, when Akashi went to the music classroom to find teaching materials, he saw a tree full of cherry blossoms outside the window and two people under the tree.

The thin black-haired boy sat on the grass leaning against a tree, holding newly distributed textbooks.And another blond boy, sitting beside him, was chattering, and it took him a long time to get a response.Probably because the black-haired boy was too reticent, the blond-haired boy turned around anxiously, wasted a lot of saliva, finally got permission, leaned happily on the black-haired boy's shoulder, and fell asleep after a while.

Akashi stood by the window, just watching quietly, knowing that this was spying on privacy, but for some reason he couldn't move away.

Until the black-haired boy suddenly turned his head - kissed the sleeping blond boy.

The lips that were trembling so tensely that they were almost white, gently pressed the other lip.It was a kiss without erotic meaning, at best it was just a touch.

Akashi once thought that it might be the breeze blowing through the treetops, blurring his vision when the cherry blossoms danced, but he was wrong.

Because in the next second, the black-haired boy moved his lips and continued to read the textbook in his hand.

Maybe it was really a mistake?

Akashi thought so, but found that the cheeks of the black-haired boy were quietly stained with a familiar color.

It was a very beautiful pink, as soft as Zao Sakura, but with embarrassment and shyness that Zao Sakura didn't have.

Akashi found that he couldn't walk - he thought, it might be the cherry blossoms that caught his attention.

Aoki Yuiya.

So far, Akashi remembered the name.

...not just remembering.

Akashi began to subconsciously observe the boy sitting beside him.

Aoki Yuiya, seems to be very kind and friendly to everyone, but when dealing with people he doesn't like, he will cleverly avoid the opportunity to get along without letting the other party notice.And, when there is a disagreement with other people, although he will compromise and choose to accept the other party's opinion, but when discussing with the other party, he will obliquely instill his own ideas into the other party to achieve the goal, unexpectedly strong.Lunch is mostly bento made by my mother, and my favorite places to eat are under the cherry tree behind the school and the alley next to the gymnasium.Both the dishes you like and the ones you don't like will be left for the last breath.He doesn't like carbonated drinks, sweets are also very bitter, and he rarely eats snacks, and most of them will decline if offered to him.My favorite subject is Chinese, if my favorite author has works in the textbook, I will memorize them first...

Before he knew it, Akashi had observed the other party for a whole semester.

But in fact, they had only a few conversations, and most of them were business affairs in the class.

Akashi didn't understand why he had to observe the other party.It's just that once the other party appears in sight, Akashi will unconsciously distract the other party.

The same goes for the second semester.

When Kise took a love letter from Aoki with bad handwriting without a signature, Akashi suddenly became inexplicably irritable.

He thought that he probably knew who sent that letter to Huang Lai.

Aoki smiled as usual, but was more silent than usual, sitting on the seat and reading the textbook, turning a blind eye to the boys who were making a fuss in the classroom.

The love letter in Huang Lai's hand was circulated, the girls laughed together, and the boys read it aloud—Ling Chi was no different.

Akashi stared at Aoki's expression, until the other party slowly couldn't hold back the smile anymore, bit his lower lip to pretend to be calm, but his fingers sank into the palm of his hand and was about to pinch the blood, then he suddenly regretted his nearly malicious temptation.

"School is not a place for you to have fun," Akashi only used one sentence, and returned the laughter in the classroom to calm: "Now, write to me." '

No one dared to refute, let alone resist, one of them stepped forward and gave the crumpled love letter to Akashi.No one dared to speak until the class bell rang.

Akashi deserted during class for the first time.

He smoothed the letter paper and looked at the love letter full of plain words for a long time.

It's not like a normal girl's love letter.Ordinary girls will use beautiful pink or pink letter paper envelopes, copy it many times, and finally choose the best letter paper, sprinkle some fresh perfume on it, express their feelings, and attach a carefully written letter. Small gift of choice.

And the letter in Akashi's hand was on the most common letter paper, and the handwriting was crooked, like a primary school student's handwriting.The content inside is more like a confession than a derogation of oneself.

...but it's just this primary school student's handwriting, full of self-deprecating content...he is clumsily, hard-working, expressing his love.

Akashi ended up tucking the love letter into a book he read often.

...somehow, unable to throw away.

But I don't want to see it again.

Although he no longer wants to read this letter, Yuiya Aoki, who wrote this letter, is still lingering in Akashi's mind and sight.

As Kise joined the basketball club and gradually grew up, Akashi could see that the warm light in Aoki's eyes was slowly, bit by bit, fading.

Give up?

Lost hope?

It's almost time to let go.

Akashi thought this way, thinking that Aoki would accept this, but suddenly received an application from the other party to join the club.

Although he knew that the other party's purpose was not basketball but Kise, Akashi still approved the application for membership with impure purpose.

... don't want to be just a classmate.Wanting to get closer to the other party, wanting to increase the intersection between myself and the other party... Speaking of it, my purpose is not pure.

Akashi stared at Aoki who was dripping with sweat in the arena, for a long while, he looked away.

Although he wanted to get closer to the other party, Akashi didn't take that step in the end.

Probably because in the eyes of the other party, the bright and dark hope still exists.

Haven't given up yet.

Still struggling.

...just like that unsigned love letter... from beginning to end, so clumsy.

In the second semester of the third grade, Akashi heard rumors that Yuiya Aoki confessed to Ryota Kise.

When I found the other party, the other party was in the toilet cubicle, the doorknob was tied up with a rope, and the person inside was knocking on the door panel feebly, calling for help in a weak voice.

Akashi opened the door, and what he saw was Yuiya Aoki who was sitting on the toilet, huddled into a ball.

His whole body was drenched in water, his black hair stuck to his cheeks, he couldn't see his expression clearly, his thin body was curled up into a ball, as if he could bring some heat to himself, but he was still shivering from the cold—— in embarrassment Like a puppy abandoned in a cardboard box on the side of the road in the wind and rain, wet and helpless.

For a moment, Akashi wanted to touch him.

Or maybe it's more than just touching.