- Seven

Kuroko was no fool. The moment recognition and realization clashed together to somewhat give him a poorly constructed conclusion, he had already gathered his composure and has, outwardly, showed no changes aside from the look on his face which morphed into a look of bemused astonishment. He was a professional; one that was prided upon by his family. If killing doesn't bother him, what makes it so that encountering Akashi Seijūrō will?

"I'm nobody," he dully answered, quite not expecting the chuckle that slipped past the other teen's lips.

Akashi wore a disarming smile that any woman would've found charming and rather irresistible. But Kuroko didn't miss it- no, it was hard to miss. Underneath the simple amusement that was being shown on his exterior was the unmistakable presence of deliberation. He was scrutinizing him, seemingly trying to narrow down the list of possibilities as to what could've brought him here or who he could be.

"Now, I just can't bring myself to accept that," Akashi stated as he walked down the staircase. "Would you kindly tell me who you are, or at the very least, tell me what your business in this place is?"

Kuroko had a look of impassiveness that could easily be misinterpreted as defiance plastered across his face. The mere fact that Akashi was using a pacifying tone proved that he was far from suspecting him to be an intruder; no matter how likely it was. His posture was relaxed, not even near to cautious, as he neared the blue-haired teen.

"Kuroko Tetsuya," he said, choosing to answer one of the two questions. There was no risk with revealing his name, he knew. No matter how much of an influence the other teen has over the underworld and regardless of how much effort he exerts to gather information about his name, all lips are sealed shut with regards to their family's identity. It wasn't a matter of intimidation; it was a matter of connections.

Akashi hummed as the ever-present smile on his face widened. Had Kuroko not been a trained professional, he would've squirmed in uneasiness.

"Well, then, Tetsuya…" Akashi said and Kuroko unintentionally bit on his tongue; as distracting as the way his name was called for several other reasons, there was something in the demeanor of the other teen that had the blue-haired teen feeling edgy beyond relief. "…What are you doing in a place like this?"

He had several options. He could lie, he could tell the truth and blow his cover, he could keep his silence and evade the question, and he could simply walk away, leaving the other teen staring at him in aggravation. But he knew recklessly doing any of those would have its consequences later so he had to choose wisely.

Lying is definitely the most likely option to turn to but, Kuroko paused. He is no fool.

Briefly glancing at his wristwatch and knowing that Akashi caught the action, he chose to tell a part of the truth.

"I have some business to settle with your father and I unfortunately happened to have lost Midorima-kun." Judging from their earlier interaction, Akashi and the group of people who had escorted him to the Akashi manor had a pretty deep bond. He probably doesn't have to explain himself any further, given that Midorima was mentioned.

Speaking of Midorima, the bespectacled teen will no doubt shoot daggers at him once he finds out what has happened. He had warned him earlier – none-too-subtly, in fact – and to think that he'd end up meeting the heir of the Akashi anyway… Kuroko inwardly sighed.

Something flashed in the other teen's hetechromatic eyes.

"If its father that you're looking for, I'd gladly assist you to his office," Akashi offered. "It's better than leaving you to wander around by yourself, after all."

Kuroko couldn't tell if Akashi was making an effort to drive him away from discovering what was on the next floor which he had planned on exploring earlier or if he simply wanted to confirm if he truly was in here with the intention of settling a business with his father.

Nonetheless, he accepted the red-haired teen's offer.