Synchronicity Chapter 1: Arc I:Seirin High School, a kuroko no basuke/黒子のバスケ fanfic

He woke up, gasping for air, and screamed.

(what innumerable follies laid waste;

will you, won't you, will you, won't you-

will you join the dance?)

SYNCHRONICITY

Arc 1
[Seirin High School]

Kuroko felt the world freeze around him, his mind turning numb. Of course Akashi was absolute; and just why had he sought to prove that wrong, when he knew it to be true? The scoreboard mocked him, red lights flashing over a black backdrop, the numbers flaring in front of his eyes: 104-105. A Rakuzan victory. Seirin had lost, and their fate had been set in stone the moment Kagami had declared that he would defeat the Generation of Miracles, the moment Kuroko had decided to help him.

He didn't turn back to look at Kagami's face, although he was sure the older boy was crying. Two points more, and the opposite would have true — two points, the same value as the alley-oop that had missed the hoop seconds before the game had ended. How far away the beginning of the school year seemed, when, after the successful game against Kaijou, everybody had raised their soda cans together and promised that they would make it to the top. And now it was over, and they had failed.

There's always next year, a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his grandmother whispered. Nobody's going to graduate, nobody's planning to leave. What are you complaining about? At least you made second place in the finals, you ungrateful boy.

You don't understand, obaa-san, Kuroko thought bitterly. There are no second chances in basketball. He looked up, ready to meet the gloating eyes of Akashi — and froze.

What was in front of him was not, in fact, the victorious face of his former captain, but rather an empty two-dimensional box that seemed to be projected on the air. Kuroko cautiously reached a hand to touch it, flinching away when his fingers hit a solid surface. As if in reaction to his contact, the box shook a slight bit, large blocky kanji characters suddenly appearing on the surface:

GAME FAILED!
Returning to Menu Page.

Loading [98%...]

His surroundings faded away into a blinding white. "What...?" Kuroko muttered, as his vision cleared up and his consciousness began to comprehend the fact that there was more text to be read.

Kuroko no Basuke (SEIRIN Version 2.0)

[New Game]
[Return to Previous Game]
[Quit]

"Ah, perhaps Kagami-kun was right. I've been reading too much manga," Kuroko said out loud, although he wasn't sure if he believed his own words. Regardless, he clicked on the [New Game] option, feeling trepidation climb up his spine.

Upbeat J-Pop music began to play, and suddenly his vision panned out onto a wide blue sky, before immediately flashing onto a public basketball court. Nondescript boys dunked old balls into hoops, giving wild cheers as they did; one particular teen caught his eye, and Kuroko found himself at a loss of words once again as he realized that he knew this person.

It was Ogiwara.

He had to be dreaming, because Ogiwara-kun had told him already that he had gave up on basketball forever — so what was he doing here, smiling like he still loved it every bit as much as before?

His perspective flew past Ogiwara's smiling face and onto another two familiar faces, and Kuroko's breath hitched. Aomine slammed a ball into the basket, grinning ferociously as he did so; beside him, Kagami gave him a high-five as he tucked a ball under his arm and said something tauntingly. Another halting beat of the song, and the ball was tossed into the sky, straight into the sun —

— which was then caught by Himuro, in an indoor court that resembled the Teiko gym far more than Kuroko felt comfortable with, who proceeded to toss the ball to a bored-looking Murasakibara. Behind them, Akashi placed a shogi piece calmly on a board, talking to his opponent —

— who happened to be Imayoshi, with Kasamatsu hovering over them both, and Kuroko blinked because he was sure that those three had never met in real life, much less have enough acquaintance to talk to each other, and did Imayoshi even play shogi? As if in response to his unvoiced question, Imayoshi smiled craftily, flicking a bishop into the air —

— which somehow became a teddy bear half-way through its fall, landing safely in Midorima's hands. Takao laughed beside him, pulling a large rickshaw as he walked, and then pointed to a blonde head in the distance, which Kuroko recognized as Kise. His vision zoomed into Kise's smiling face, who was dragging someone behind him as the envious stares of the model's numerous fangirls followed the two around —

— and then Kuroko was staring at himself holding Nigou in his lap, sitting on the front porch of his house, and large white hiragana spelled itself against the grey pathway of his front yard just as the last notes of the song played:

Kuroko no Basuke (SEIRIN Version 2.0)

KUROKO TETSUYA

The scene froze and began to pixelate, before Kuroko realized that he could move again. As he did, his surroundings morphed into a familiar school ground, cobblestone pathway forming beneath his feet. Around him, masses of students engulfed him without realizing it, a feeling that had become foreign to him after he had lost his misdirection.

"Aren't you interested in rugby?"

"Have you ever played shogi?"

"If you're Japanese then you should play baseball!"

"Swimming! It feels super!"

I remember this, Kuroko thought, glancing around. He glanced at his hands — they were smooth and white from his entire summer's abstinence of basketball, and if he remembered correctly, he would not gain back his calluses until mid-May. If he had really been given a second opportunity at reliving his life at Seirin, then this would be a chance to redeem himself and bring his team to victory. He would not fail again.

Suddenly, the world blurred again, and the two-dimensional box from before was there again. Seconds later, small words appeared on it:

Welcome, KUROKO TETSUYA. Would you like to start the Game Tutorial?

[Y] [N]

Kuroko clicked on the [Y], feeling an odd sensation against his fingertips as he did. The text faded away, only to be replaced by an image of a deflated basketball.

To access the Game Menu, make a sharp downward motion with your right index finger.

Kuroko raised his right arm and swung sharply down with his wrist, feeling rather foolish as he did so. Almost immediately after, a large box replaced the smaller one, several options displaying themselves prominently:

[View Avatar]
[View Bonds and Attraction Points]
[View Quests and Objectives]
[Shop (Locked)]
[Help Menu (Locked)]
[Exit Game (Locked)]

The small box reappeared on the side on the menu, flashing garishly.

Pressing [View Avatar] will allow you to access your abilities, profile, and inventory.

Kuroko pressed the [View Avatar] option, blinking as several pop-ups greeted him with the action. The closest one was labeled |Base Stats|, a pentagon with skewed lines prominently displayed, a small list drawn beneath:

Physical Strength: 30/100
Technique: 50/100
Stamina: 50/100
Mental Strength: 100/100
Special Ability: 100/100

Further beneath, another pop-up overlapped, |Profile| written in bold text at the top.

KUROKO TETSUYA
Class: Phantom (Special Ability +10, Mental Strength +10, Physical Strength -10)
Title: Phantom Sixth Man (ATR with GOM +5%)
Form: Second
Level: LV. 15 (EXP. 0.00%)
Affiliation: Seirin (Teiko)
HP: 50/50 (+5/hr)
AP: 75/75 (+30/hr)

The original box reappeared again, this time with arrow keys on the side. Kuroko stared at the jumble of text in front of him, feeling quite overwhelmed by the mass of words.

However, |Base Stats| can also be changed by purchasing special items at the [Shop] or winning special items in [Events].

The arrow keys flashed, and without thinking, Kuroko reached out and clicked on them. Immediately after, new characters replaced the earlier text.

Kuroko frowned, reading the paragraph over again. The term |Attraction Points| sounded familiar, although he couldn't remember from where. Dismissing the uncanny feeling that twisted in his stomach, he clicked on the arrow keys again.

Click. This was sounding almost too much like a game he had recently played, and, not for the first time, he wondered if he was dreaming.

An |Affiliation| is the basketball team your character identifies with.

Click. So it was mandatory for him to join a basketball team, then, something that seemed almost too coincidental to be true.

With his next click, the box gave a small shudder, as if something was weighing it down. The |Base Stats| and |Profile| pop-ups dissipated into thin air, revealing behind them an animated picture of himself walking. |Inventory| was placed strategically at the top in fancy font, with two options available at the bottom: [Clothing Inventory] and [Game Rewards].

Your |Inventory| is a virtual storage that can be used to store in-game objects.

Kuroko scratched absently at an itch on his wrist. This had been expected, seeing that he appeared to be a game character, although it almost seemed too good to be true.

|Game Rewards| are rewards given after completing specific flags or achieving a LV. 1, 5, 10, 15 or 20 |Bond| with a specific character. To access it outside of the [Game Menu], make a yen symbol with your right index finger.

Whoever had created this game was not quite right in the head, he was sure. Kuroko followed the instructions regardless, not finding it in himself to be caught off-guard when a pop-up appeared in front of his eyes.

You have recieved:

-Gravure Magazine (LV. 1 Bond with HAIZAKI)
-Shogi Piece [King] (LV. 5 Bond with AKASHI)
-Lucky Pen (LV. 5 Bond with MIDORIMA)
-Sports Wristbands (LV. 5 Bond with AOMINE)
-Vanilla Candy (LV. 5 Bond with MURASAKIBARA)
-Autographed Modelling Magazine (LV. 5 Bond with KISE)
-Basketball Keychain (LV. 5 Bond with NIJIMURA)
-Gym Uniform (LV. 5 Bond with MOMOI)
-Basketball (LV. 10 Bond with OGIWARA)

Unlock more flags or level up more |Bonds| for additional rewards!

|Abilities| are skills that a character can utilize on a court. They can be unlocked by completing specific requirements, or purchased in the [Shop].

Misdirection - Passive/Active - LV. 10 - EXP. 0.00% - AP: 2/Min - A technique which diverts the opponent's gaze, allowing the user to disappear out of sight.

Invisible Pass - Active - LV. 5 - EXP. 0.00% - AP: 10/Use - A technique in which the user redirects a ball to a free player on the court.

"Basketball abilities?" Kuroko wondered to himself. He was almost disappointed with the outcome; there was a part of him that had hoped for fanciful superpowers like all the manga claimed being inside a game world was like.

Another thing he noticed was that most of his basketball abilities were not listed, even the ones that he had developed and refined at Teikou. It felt slightly irkful to be left only to the devices of something as simple as Invisible Pass or Misdirection, especially at such low levels, but there was no indication that this 'game' had to make sense.

No sooner had he finished his thoughts the |Abilities| pop-up disappeared, replaced by a box that read:

You have finished the Game Tutorial.

The box vanished a few seconds later, and Kuroko realized that he was back inside the square, in the same place he had been before the tutorial had started. As the crowd began to disperse to the various stalls in the surrounding area, in the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a run-down booth and a familiar bob of honey-brown hair.

Perhaps there were second chances in basketball after all.

"Hello," he said, and smiled to himself as Riko screamed in surprise. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. I would like to join the boy's basketball club."

The gymnasium was just as he remembered it, small and cramped, yet seemingly all-encompassing. Kuroko stepped inside discreetly, making his way through the score of people that that crowded the gym. Had there been so many people who had signed up initially, before giving up in lieu of Riko's irrational training techniques? He didn't remember any of the faces — but then again, he had been so preoccupied the first time around with Ogiwara's desertion, that he could scarcely remember the kanji in his own name.

"Alright, everyone seems to be here. All the freshmen, come this way," Riko said loudly. Immediately, the muttering around the gym ceased, and all the attention was focused solely on her.

A first-year boy near the front of the crowd snickered lecherously, tapping his friend's shoulder. "Hey, isn't that manager cute?"

"A second-year, right?"

"If she was just a bit more sexy..."

Hyuuga, who had somehow wormed his way through the mass of people, appeared just in time to punch both boys in the back of the head. "You're wrong, idiots," he said with a snort, adjusting his glasses.

"I'm the boy's basketball club's coach, Aida Riko," Riko said proudly, brandishing her clipboard as if it were a weapon. "Nice to meet you!"

There was a moment of silence as time itself seemed to stand still, nobody daring to breath in face of this new development. And then suddenly noise erupted once again as a large "Ehhhh!?" resounded around the gym, echoing against the walls into an amalgam of sound.

Riko pointed to an old man sitting near the side. "That's the advisor, Takeda-sensei," she smiled pleasantly, the man giving a mockery of a wave with his cane. "He's just watching."

"Seriously?" somebody hissed, the message somehow carrying itself across the room.

"Wait, is that even allowed?" another person whispered from behind Kuroko, his breath brushing over Kuroko's ear. Kuroko backed away slightly, careful not to trip over the wild mass of limbs.

"..." Riko looked briefly hurt from the doubt of the new recruits, before her expression reverted back to a cheerful smile. "Well then, first..." she paused, for dramatic effect. "Take off your shirts!"

There was another heavy silence, accompanied by another loud shout of surprise as her audience struggled to keep up with her words. Kuroko slipped out of his T-shirt easily, neatly folding it to the side, before slipping to a spot near the back.

"You. You're instantaneous strength is weak. I guess you must be around fifty steps for twenty seconds on the training ladder, right? If you want to play basketball, you'll need to improve that a bit. You, your body is too stiff. Train your flexibility after getting out of the bath! As for you..." In the middle of her lecture, Riko suddenly stopped talking, gasping loudly. Kuroko glanced over curiously at the subject of her shock, at once feeling ice cold dread slide down the nape of his neck and down his spine as he realized who she was staring at.

Kagami Taiga stared imposingly at his surroundings, narrow, hawkish eyes seemingly all-encompassing.

Kuroko had expected to see Kagami sooner or later, of course, but not so soon in the 'game', if this was what this reality was known as. At once his knees felt weak, as he once again reimagined their loss against Rakuzan, Kagami's painful silence. There was no doubt that the loss against Rakuzan had affected the older boy most of all among their team, much more than even Riko or Hyuuga or Kiyoshi, and perhaps it hurt even more to see those fierce-looking eyes without the betrayal he imagined would have been in them before.

He turned his head, feeling goosebumps trail over the skin on his arms. It was cold in the gymnasium, the sound of the AC vibrating through the wooden floor, and he slipped past the crowd to grab his shirt.

"Coach! How long are you going to daydream?!" Hyuuga shouted, vexated, and Riko seemed to snap herself out of her stupor at once.

"Sorry! So, err..."

"You saw everyone, right?" Hyuuga directed his hands to the crowd, scowling. "That guy was the last."

"Ah, really?" Riko said sheepishly, looking through her roster. "...huh? Was Kuroko-kun here?"

"Ah, that's right, the guy from Teikou Junior High!" someone shouted loudly. It seemed to echo through the room, the words almost perfectly enunciated, and at once everyone turned to face the source in a tidal wave of astonishment. Kuroko slipped back into the crowd, watching with a sense of amusement as they scoured the room for his presence.

"Eh!?"

"Teikou, you mean, that Teikou?"

"Kuroko? Is Kuroko-kun here?"

"Hmm? If such a great guy were here, I think I would have noticed him immediately..."

Riko raised her hand, almost directly in front of where Kuroko was now. He tried to meet her eyes, trying not to feel the disappointment that bubbled in his heart when her pupils skimmed past his figure. "I guess he's taking the day off today," she said, sounding crestfallen. "Well then, let's start practice!"

Kuroko took a deep breath, raising a hand in front of Riko's face. "Err... excuse me," he spoke, his voice loud enough to reach Riko. "I am Kuroko."

Riko's eyes widened in surprise, her breathing becoming staggered. "Kyaaaaa!?" she shouted, attracting the attention of everybody once again. "Wha... what? Who... since when were you here?"

"I was here since the very beginning," Kuroko said, deadpan. He could still faintly remember Riko's reaction the first time that he had been introduced to her, although this time seemed different, somehow. He couldn't quite recall how.

"...eh? Then that means this guy was from the "Generation of Miracles!"

"He couldn't have been a regular."

"Of course not," Hyuuga snapped to the unfortunate recruit unlucky enough to be in his hearing range. And then, in a much more genial manner, towards Kuroko, "Right, Kuroko-kun?"

Kuroko frowned slightly, although he made sure his face did not impart his current emotional state. "I have played in matches, though," he said, perhaps solely in the intent of watching his former teammates squirm.

"Ehhhhhh!?"

"Well, Kuroko-kun, please take off your shirt," Riko said, sounding awkward as she spoke. "I'm Aida Riko, by the way. The coach for the Seirin H—"

Suddenly, before she could finish her sentence, the world froze again, and the familiar blue box appeared in his line of vision. You have been formally introduced to AIDA RIKO. Congratulations! You have achieved LV. 1 Bond with AIDA RIKO. Visit |Game Rewards| to claim your reward.

Kuroko blinked in surprise, attempting to recall where he had heard that term before. (It had something to do with money, he was sure.) Before he could do anything, the text on the box morphed to something completely different.

Because of your |Bonds|with the characters AIDA RIKO and MOMOI SATSUKI, you have unlocked an ability:

Scan - Passive - LV. 1 - EXP 0.00% - A technique that allows the user to gain information and statistics of others.

Kuroko tried not to gape at the screen. It was relatively easy, as he was not one predisposed in character to opening his mouth in surprise, but the urge to do so nevertheless persisted.

The text box faded almost immediately after he had finished reading it, although the world remained frozen for a few moments before it slowly came back to reality from a blur of psychedelic colors.

"—igh School," Riko finished. She looked apprehensive when Kuroko remained still for the few moments after his readjustment, but the expression dissipated after he numbly took off his shirt.

Riko said nothing after that, although the shocked expression on her face was enough to indicate her disappointment in his stats, as if Kuroko had somehow betrayed her expectations. Finally, Kuroko excused himself out, feeling sick.

He didn't walk home afterwards, feeling no need to go somewhere where nobody would miss him if he never came back. Finally, he contented himself to walking the way to Maji Burger, to buy himself a milkshake. At least that was something that would never feel disappointed in him.

Halfway across the road, the fact that he had acquired the ability to 【Scan】 others suddenly occurred. Most characters in a game world would get an observation-esque technique similar to this, Kuroko thought to himself, but didn't complain. It was a useful ability.

His first target was an elderly man hobbling across the road, hobbling towards the bus stop. Unlike what Kuroko had imagined, simply just by thinking of gaining the man's stats was enough to produce a blue box:

Elderly Man

Kuroko tried not to feel too frustrated with his one-word answer; after all, it was still a level one ability, and who knew how useful it could grow to be? He instead tried again on a little girl walking beside her father and a brown greyhound:

Girl

Man

Attempting to scan the dog gave no results, although Kuroko remembered distinctly about how the ability worked only on humans. It was a shame, Kuroko thought, that the ability couldn't be used on objects. It would be easier to appraise for good sportswear in that manner, something his feet could attest to, after that time ill-fitting shoes had rendered his digits raw and calloused.

Kuroko glanced out at a passing couple, feeling strangely vindictive:

Man

Woman

Congratulations! 【Scan】 has reached level two!

Scan - Passive - LV. 2 - EXP 0.00% - A technique that allows the user to gain information and statistics of others

This time, the information box about the couple was different, displaying their two names instead of the previous generic descriptions:

Woman [Harakiri Rinko]

Man [Nakamori Jun]

Looking at all of the blue boxes were enough to make Kuroko slightly nauseous, and he came to a full stop, waiting for the boxes to disappear. Perhaps it had been programmed this way so that an ability would not be able to levelled up in too fast a time, or perhaps it was simply the mocking manner the boxes seemed to present themselves. Either way, it was not until his vision was clear of abnormal items before he continued his way into Maji Burger to buy his milkshake.

Later on, he would remember that Maji Burger had been the first place he and Kagami had spoke.