A chilly morning in the midst of mountains compelled to resort to any warming self activity after swift awakening, sliding from under cozy blankets and escaping so alluring embrace of a slumber. The captain of the Rakuzan basketball team was not the only one awake at that hour, as also Mibuchi lounged âbout, occasionally providing encouraging words to the redhead, yet declining the honor of accompanying him for a jog. Few hours remained prior to the specific appointment they went through some complications to settle, yet the results exceeded the expectation, as when he was âbout to return to rented rooms his path was crossed by unforeseen encounter. ââGood morning, Kagami-kun. And âbout thatâŠâ With a short pause to stabilize own breathing after running, he greeted the taller male, whose countenance obtained expression of pure bewilderment, and mayhap mixed with concealed vexation regarding such an unsought meeting. The repulsive impression of someone named Akashi Seijurouu would dwell within majority of people for longer, as his path of redemption had only just begun, all those committed sins should be atoned. Thus as it could appear bizarre at first, a friendly smile and expression emitting nothing but genuine kindness was offered along with his forthcoming explanation. ââI must apologize, but this sequence of events was pre planned. Rakuzan contacted your coach through me and we arranged a joint practice.â
     Even if for the power forward there had no actual reason to treat him anyhow different than a rival, that one vicious mastermind, who pushed so many people through inevitable and ineluctable course of events for incomprehensible purpose, that Akashi did not hold any hostility towards the power forward and would strive to compensate for any nuisance he endured before. However it did not mean that his life would be stripped of any challenges and trials, on the countrary, now he was even more eager to oppose the Phantom Sixth man and his team. ââYou canât possibly expect us to remain satisfied with the results of our last match. We will reclaim the first place next year. Nevertheless, the rest of my team wanted to face Seirin one more time, even if it wonât be an official game.â
"Ah... Seriously? Damn, the coach didn't tell us anything about Rakuzan bein' here! Tch, what's she planning..." Kagami had to wonder. The coach always had some crazy shit up here sleeve, so this was surely no different. Rakuzan, and the cold mountains... This was sure to be one of their most brutal training camps yet. "Well, whatever. Heh. Just thinkin' about getting to play against you guys has me all fired up! Doesn't matter if it's official or not, Seirin and I ain't gonna let you guys have a win on us no matter what! Weâve been practicing way too hard for that!" Kagami grinned. Defeating Rakuzan at the Winter Cup had been his proudest moment, after all. Kagami found it unfortunate that he hadn't had enough time to play basketball against the other Akashi, though--that was, the Akashi that Kuroko had originally befriended before he became cold and condescending, seeking nothing but victory no matter the cost. Rakuzan's teamwork had grown amazing in the final quarter of their game and Kagami definitely wanted more than just a sample size of that. Ah, but talking to Akashi familiarly like this was honestly still kind of odd for him. It was actually kind of hard to comprehend the idea of Akashi as being a regular guy who just likes to play basketball...
"Still, though. Don't you think it's a little sadistic to make us practice with the weather outside like that? Sheesh, you and the coach really think alike..." Kagami muttered. He put up with harsh conditions because he trusted the coach's suggestions no matter how much they really sucked, but damn, Kagami really hated the cold. Suddenly, running around in the sweltering summer heat and sweating his ass off sounded like a luxury compared to this. Well, Kagami supposed that getting to practice with a team like Rakuzan made the whole idea worth it, and he was pretty interested in seeing how this odd style of practice would pay off in the end. "So, where're those other bastards at? Those Uncrowned King guys. Thought I'd see 'em hanginâ around you like always."