Kuroko stared at the bold, red mark on the top of his Japanese exam.

76.

The number showing his score was circled with a red marker and two horizontal line right below it to emphasis the exact numbers on the display.

The previous candlelight hope he held before his teacher called his name was gone without preamble. Leaving him staring at the paper blankly, lost in the darkness with only the bright red mark that depicts his figurative lifeline as guidance. He could've followed the red light, gaze fixated on the innocent numbers calling him like a siren. He would've imagined them whisper "it's okay." In his ears, softly reassuring him that everything will be fine.

He'd fall for their trickery for a moment, letting him believe that it would be fine. Only, he knew that it's anything but fine.

He had failed a subject with a meager score of seventy-six. Kuroko, who was already a regular inhabitant of any library within ten kilometers radius, failed his most prided subject.

If this was what his performance came to be with his best subject, he'd loath to even begin to imagine what results he would've gotten in his worst subject.

The particular thought was enough to careen him to the wall.

Shit. He thinks, oblivious to the large hands that steadied him to the side, away from the incoming traffic of students that would no doubt trample over him if he fell.

Shit. He thinks again, because that's the only thing that would summarize the next few weeks of absolute torture that is studying.

He could feel his rational thoughts leaving him like a wisp of smokes, slowly unfurling right in front of him without notice, then slowly dissipating as if it never existed. Like how his friendship with the Generation of Miracles crumbled within the span of twelve hours.

Kuroko sighed, crumpling the paper between his whitening grip. The paper wrinkled, and it will be a little harder to see the writing on the creased page, But the small action lift a small burden from his shoulders. It was futile, though, since they always have a digital copy of every assignment given to the students.

However, only for a moment, Kuroko would pretend the failure didn't exist.

Kuroko arrived at their table without as much as a hello.

In fact, no words were uttered as Hanamiya ushers him on a vacant chair beside Kentaro. Kuroko either didn't notice the action or he simply didn't care. But on a closer look, he seems dazed. Staring off into a spot behind Ituki's head with unblinking, cloudy eyes. Kuroko was definitely out of it. And if it wasn't for Hanamiya who steered him through the throng of students to reach their table safely, they will simply assume Kuroko wouldn't even show up today.

"What happened?" Izuki, ever the caring one, asked softly.

Hanamiya took a while to settle on his chair in front of Kuroko, he made sure to pick every single one of the discarded food wrapper from their table before tossing it to a nearby trashcan. And, after an excuse to get extra food for himself and Kuroko, went to stand in line to buy the aforementioned item.

"Kuroko?"

Kuroko lifted his head, blankly staring at Izuki who had called him. "I'm such a failure."

"What?"

The next thing Kuroko said alarmed them. "They're gonna kill me."

"What are you talking about?"

Kuroko folded his arms on the table before resting his head on the crook of his arm; "I'm a failure and a waste of space!"

They stared at each other, completely at loss on what to do when they can't even make Kuroko communicate properly.

"I think we should wait for the Coach. He probably knew what's up."

They didn't have to wait long for Hanamiya's arrival, who carried a metal tray with myriad of food, most of which was junk food, and a couple of paper-cups with a bendable straw.

"The hell happened to him? He's vegetables!"

Hanamiya was in the process of opening his first burger when he noticed Kuroko's position on the table and sighed wearily. "Test result came and he's been like that since then. I assume his score wasn't what he expected it was."

"Ah," Kentaro pinched the bridge of his nose in understanding. "So he's one of those." By those; Kentaro meant people who couldn't handle a failure and will go catatonic if they did mess something up. The perfectionist. The one who couldn't get over the slightest mistake they made. The ones who's inconsolable until something else took priority. It would take forever to make them stop obsessing over the single mistake they've made, and when anyone successfully divert their attention (albeit temporarily), it will be easier to talk sense into them.

Izuki was one, actually, before Hanamiya worked his harsh magic (sense) into him when he refused to go to school for two weeks due to embarrassment.

That'll be a story for another time, however. Since they needed to focus on diverting Kuroko's attention from his failed exam.

"Never mind that, he's not even touching the milkshake!"

True enough, the vanilla milkshake Hanamiya brought for Kuroko sat untouched in front of him, the small buds of precipitation gathered at the bottom of the paper cup had started to form into a small puddle of water.

Hanamiya shrugged. "I honestly don't know what to do. I can't comfort for shit. What do you expect me to do?"

Had it been for other people, they'd reprimand him for saying something so callous. But this is Hanamiya, the guy who couldn't handle the thought of consoling someone in an emotional distress.

"What do we do then?" Kazuya whispered conspiratorially, smelling the oncoming mischief.

"I'm not sure," Hanamiya answered him truthfully. "Try to distract him until he forgot about it, for a start."

Hanamiya would forever pretend the mischievous glint on their eyes was innocuousness.

He'd play along to whatever they've planned, though.

But first, he had to check something.

You know what's starting to irritate him the longer he stared at it?

Something with the colour of red.

Don't get him wrong, Kuroko likes a number of things with the colour red. He likes red apples, strawberries, cherries, for instance. He likes certain things when it's red; like hair, Akashi's hair is a perfect example of this. It fits his character, too. Because red is a bold colour, able to catch the attention of anyone should they caught a glimpse of it. Held their attention from the other dull colour. It was even scientifically proven that red could enhance hunger.

It was bright, it was bold, and it was fucking annoying.

Specifically the two digit red number on top of the paper.

Such innocent looking numbers. Red, plain red lines crossing over each other to form the number seventy-six, taunting him. Mocking him with its vibrant and vivid colour that immediately catches the attention of his friends who caught him staring blankly at his paper. He distantly heard the sharp hitch of breath besides him, but he couldn't afford to pay attention to them when he was still in the realm of reality where he fucking failed his exam.

"Kill me." He says, sotto.

Seventy-six. He needed eighty to pass the class to a subject that's admittedly his best. And what did he had gotten instead? Seventy-six. Four more points and he would pass, but he fucked up and ended up getting seventy-six when he could've easily obtained eighty-five back in Teikou.

That particular thought sober him up faster than jumping in a pool of freezing winter water.

"Woah, woah, Kuroko. Don't be so hasty!"

He didn't know, was he? He certainly felt like he needed to have a stake driven through his chest, not that he was a vampire, but that certainly would fell less painful than being skinned by his parents when they found out about his recent failure.

"I got seventy six on my best subject. Pray tell me, what I should do so my blood won't be shed?" He challenged them.

"What do you mean?" Hiroshi questioned, and they all nodded. Apparently, he had asked the question they were all dying to know.

"I failed my best subject and my parents are going to skin me alive if they know."

Naturally, knowing the people he was surrounded with, he should've expected their unethical advice regarding his... problem. But Kuroko was someone who saw the best of everyone, and most of the time, he'd give them the benefit of the doubt before judging them.

"You could've just not tell them?" Izuki suggested, and they all nodded.

It was such a basic thing to say, because he would agree with them, not unless – "Yeah, problem. I've already told them which exam I'd have." He should've expected dishonesty to be their first suggestion.

"Why do you have to be such a golden child!" Kazuya's complaint went ignored by the majority.

Izuki nodded as if he had already considered it.

"Fake the mark?" Kazuya was answered with the series of 'ooh's and 'aah's.

"We have our report available online, do you think they won't see it?" He rebutted flatly. Honestly, having your student report available online was a huge hassle. It means that everyone who knows the student could've accessed it with a simple name search. He doesn't understand why this school did it, but eventually decided to put it on the back of his mind since he doesn't score... lower than average. Normally.

"Right, I forgot about that. I don't think anyone would check it, honestly. It's such a convoluted social pressure no one really cares about, except for the snobs." Hanamiya stared at Itsuki blankly, forgoing the burger he was currently chewing.

"Everyone except Hanamiya?" He amended, gulping.

"You could've hired someone to change your score digitally?" Kojiro suggested with an air of smugness that was not warranted.

Kuroko inhaled deeply, then, counting to three; exhaled slowly, letting his heartbeat slower than what it was before. "That's illegal. Do you want to be expelled?"

As if not hearing the objection in Kuroko's tone, Itsuki cut in. Seemingly possessing the same opinion as Kojiro and continued prattling his ideas enthusiastically. "He probably meant to not keep it forever! I mean, you could keep in touch with your parents, like– tell them 'oh, my grades should be up right now!' and we'd change it, right? After, let's say, your mother is like 'I'm so proud to call you my son!' we'd change it back to how it was!"

The table was silent after that, they stared at Itsuki with varying degrees of emotion; from Kazuya who was flabbergasted at the rare struck of sheer brilliance of Itsuki's idea, to the elated smile slowly forming on Hiroshi's face, and Kuroko who was appalled that they'd even considered this highly illegal idea in the first place.

"Wait, wait, wait! Even if I agree, which would be never, where would you find someone who'd agree to hack into the school's site?" Kuroko felt like the only voice of reason beneath the myriad of suggestion drowned with less than ethical suggestion that was borderline illegal, and he was slowly coming to the realization that they're seriously considering it.

"Oh, that's simple." Kojiro snapped his fingers, gathering their attention to himself. "I know someone, but we have to provide reasonable reason for him to even consider it."

Kuroko began to question his choices of friends as they began to plan a believable sob-story that would catch the attention of the famed 'Falcon', completely ignoring his pleas of 'please don't do it', and a mildly exasperated 'you all would be so dead' that did nothing but excites them further into the planning. That's another thing he couldn't handle about them, the mere mention of challenge was enough to rile them up.

"How about; 'our friend is threatened with homicide unless he got eighty'?"

"Absolutely not!" As expected, Kentaro was quick to dissuade before it got out of hand. Kuroko wanted to hug and smother him and rain him with praises for being the only reasonable person in the whole cafeteria, he would even kiss the very ground Kentaro walked on. Kentaro, the only sane person in their group without absurb– "If what you told me about this Falcon is true, then he could've easily seen through your pathetic lies. He could've anonymously tipped the police about what you do, and trace it back to us."

Never count your chicken before it hatch. And Kuroko felt like he accidentally opened a can of worms by telling them of his problem in the first place.

Seriously, what's with his friend and their ideas? He knew he should've expected something mildly deviant from them, but to jump into something that's considered a crime as if its just another walk in the park was too far, even in his standard. Then again... he's hanging out with Hanamiya's group, and from what he'd heard from the grapevine; they were considered as The Outcasts of the school. He wasn't sure who coined the term for them, but it made him think of the lonely group of people who will be bullied for the rest of their school life. But, when he found out the reason they were labeled as such was not because they're bunch of social outcast, he began to wonder why. Why did people avoid them? Why were the students so insistent of inviting him to their groups so that he'd stop hanging out with Hanamiya? Was that the reason why people seem to be so interested in him?

Were they bad people? As far as he has known them, which was only a couple of months, they're nothing but what you'd call as normal teenagers. They're a little rowdy, sure, but otherwise never did anything drastic to warrant such avoidance from the large population of the school. They have questionable antics, however, that's also to be expected when you're someone with a complicated relationship with... basically anyone.

They were nice, in a weird sense of normalcy, and he couldn't see the so called troublemakers when all they did was joke around like normal teenagers. They could snap faster than a firecracker, but they have Hanamiya to handle the situation if it got out of hand. And no one seemed to have a problem with them if they were play-fighting. So, where did the problem lies, then?

Again, his questions was why were they avoided? It could explain how they get the best spot in the cafeteria. How no one tried to intimidate anyone within the group. How no one refused Hanamiya when he demanded reports of their monthly club budget. How everyone continued to persuade him to abandon them.

It doesn't make any sense. He tried imagining them as bullies, those who beat up the students without care in the world. But he couldn't, not when the so called 'outcasts' were hell bent on dirtying their student record to help him.

Honestly, it was kind of endearing.

"Hanamiya-san, please do something." He pleaded to the last person who's sane enough to had yet suggested anything. Who hadn't voiced anything regarding Kuroko and his failure. The one who calmly watch his friends scheme a way out of a hole Kuroko dug himself in. The one who's irritatingly calm about all of this. "You've got to stop them." His tone was almost hysterical now, because Hanamiya kept chewing on his burger with a mildly amused smirk on his lips, eyebrow raised slightly by the more elaborate plan Kentaro proposed, and Kuroko almost lost hope when Hanamiya was still not saying anything even after he finished chewing his lunch.

"Guys, guys," Oh, heaven's above, Hanamiya actually listened to him? "You aren't thinking clearly enough. Just tell him that Kuroko's teacher was being a dick and likes to bully students out of their grade, and since Kuroko is new, he'd have no backup since Mr. Orihara was a well known psychologist."

Kuroko's brain short-circuited. Did, did he just give a sound suggestion to a problem that has yet to come? Wait– "I can't believe you're agreeing with this!"

"Well," Hanamiya drawled, opening another food wrapper of his burger. "Honestly, give them a bone or two, and they'd calm down. Never cut them off of their scheming mood, or else they'd be insufferable for the rest of the week. I just went to the quickest route to shut them up."

Kuroko stared at his bickering friends. To Kentaro who had already a graph drawn and the probability of Kuroko miraculously passed his exam. To Izuki who was offering reasonable and believable way to fix the problem within the graph, and to Kazuya who – bless his pessimistic mind – quickly retort any kind of unreasonable ploy to fix their imaginary problem.

Kuroko was stumped. "Why would anyone need a graph detailing which way is possible for us to manipulate the data with minimal consequences?"

Hanamiya, the only one who bothered to listen to him, answers blandly. "Point. It is an easier way to see the probability of our success rate by keeping the groundless, high risk route easily manageable, and to avoid falling into the same hole we dug. Basically, they're keeping track of their future action – if they do follow up with it, but God I hope they won't – by linking it to each other. Kind of how lawyers could see trough the vague wording within the law to suit their needs. Do you get me?"

Kuroko understand the point, but, his question is why.

"Can't I just retake the exam? You can remedy the failed exams here, right?" He remembered the story of how Kojiro fainted in the middle of an exam to avoid taking it, then, when he was feeling 'better' he'd inquire the details of the test from his classmates. And when it was the time for his turn to take the exam, he'll be better prepared than anyone. Thus, scoring better than the smartest person on the class.

Honestly, it was kind of scary how he's able to think that far ahead in a short amount of time. Kuroko has heard of people making hasty decision on the last second, but Kojiro doesn't seem to have a problem with it. In fact, now that he considered it, Kojiro would make a terrifying lawyer with that ability to think on his feet.

"Yes. But your score will be the passing grade at maximum. And since this is Mr. Orihara we're talking about, he'd probably make a new test for you. He's kind of dedicated that way."

Well... he hasn't considered that.

"Do you reckon he actually had the time to do that?"

Hanamiya's attention zeroed on him immediately. And to have the intense gaze of that golden eyes solely on him made his breath hitch slightly.

"Oh, you poor, poor thing," Hanamiya mockingly cooed, his lips slowly curled into a devilish smirk. "You have no idea what Mr. Orihara was capable of." Then he chuckled, his deep voice punctuated by the patronizing lilt made Kuroko's head spin.

It was as if he's faced with a different person.

"Mr. Orihara once made a personalized test for everyone he teaches on his first month. He was so cynical, he doesn't believe in our honesty that he saw it fit to grade us differently. Believe me, what they do now is less hassle than having to have your entire world consumed by that bastard."

But, didn't Hanamiya just told him that he hoped they won't follow with their dangerous plan two minutes ago? How common was it for them to change their mind so fast when presented with a new subject?

"I don't think you should talk about someone like that, Hanamiya-san. What if someone heard you?"

"Oh, don't worry, no one would snitch on us."

Somehow, the confident smirk he gave Kuroko was not at all reassuring.

Kuroko gulped. "What made you so sure?" He had a feeling he wouldn't like whatever that will come from Hanamiya's mouth.

"Let's just say, I can be very persuasive."

With that threat hanging between them, Kuroko focused on his surrounding. Catching the tail end of his friend's argument before they decided to continue it later after the practice.

When the bell rang to signal the start of another period, Kuroko's dread of being caught red handed (ha!) with a failed exam was largely forgotten.

He'd thank them for the distraction later, however, he was still too stunned of the entire ordeal to think of anything better than they're crazy.

AN: uh, Hi guys, long time no see?

In my defense I gotta do my thesis... and work...

No GOM in this chapter, but they (one of them lol) will appear soon ;)

Don't expect the next chapter anytime soon, guys :(

Chapter last edited on 21st November 2018, at 4.13am.