STEPBROTHER (HAIKYUU X KUROKO NO BASKETBALL SUMMER CAMP)
38

"What do you want to ask, Akashi?" ushijima asked as he folded his hands.

"How is your relationship with your father, Ushijima-San?" akashi asked which made Ushijima dumbfounded and his mood instantly changed drastically.

"It's none of your business to ask such a thing, I've wanted to go back to the room." Ushijima turned around and walked away, he seemed unhappy with the question Akashi asked him. His mood took a turn for the worse after listening to Akashi's current question.

"Basic shit! Why would he ask such a foolish question," growled Ushijima, who sat down in the study chair and glanced at the picture framed on her desk.

For a moment he observed and took the photo, the photo shows a picture of a boy holding a Volleyball championship trophy with an adult man next to him in the background of the photo is the National Volleyball Field in Tokyo.

"What's our relationship now, Pa?" he muttered to himself, before he finally put the photo into the drawer of the study table.

At the same time, the sound of knocking on the door from someone made Ushijima inevitably have to get back up and open the door. And there, he could see Akashi coming with his pillow and blanket.

"I don't want to deal with you right now" said Ushijima who was not in the mood.

"I don't care about your mood right now, I'm just not feeling okay right now." Akashi bursts into Ushijima's room, throwing Ushijima's pillows and blankets on the floor and taking over Ushijima's bed at will.

Ushijima who was a little upset, to forget his sad feelings suddenly stared intently at Akashi.

"What are you doing? You're asking me to sleep on the floor?" tanya Ushijima while ruffled waist.

Akashi closed his eyes and muttered, "I just want to know what it's like to sleep in the room with my brother, and I'm not in a good mood. So, please don't bother me!"

Ushijima can only hold back his anger, he himself does not know want to be angry or forcefully kick Akashi to get out of his room. With a sullen look on his face, he immediately used his very thick blanket as a pedestal and lay on the floor right then and there.

"This is the first and last time I let you sleep in my room" said Ushijima, who had begun to forget his sadness.

"Okay, Oniichan." Akashi turned his back on Ushijima. And for a moment, the atmosphere of the room became silent without the slightest sound being heard. The silence was broken by Akashi's voice calling Ushijima.

"Are you asleep?" tanya Akashi was still turning her back on Ushijima.

"What's wrong?" asked Ushijima who opened her eyes and saw Akashi's back on the bed.

"Have your mood improved?" ask Akashi.

"Even worse because of your arrival" Ushijima replied with a quick smile, he could not understand how his mood had improved by forcing him to sleep on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask such a fool." Akashi says it with hesitation, but for Ushijima this is the most iconic moment to hear where rarely or almost never for an Akashi to apologize to Ushijima.

"I'm just confused about my relationship with Papa, what is all the love a Dad has for me like Papa did for me? I was also confused as to how he thought of me all this time, but the problem was not that I wanted to ask him but something else" said Akashi who immediately sat on the bed and made Ushijima follow me as well.

"I have been wondering all along, ever since my mother died, Papa's attitude has gotten worse. And every time I wanted to ask, I hesitated and went back to undo the intention to ask and let me live in doubt."

"What do you want to ask?" ask Ushijima.

"Am I considered a child by him or just a tool to carve many achievements and trophies just to raise his dignity and self-esteem in the eyes of others? Why does he always force me to be perfect, but he himself grows into someone who is not perfect at all. He is not even good at playing the piano or any sport, even he is not good at understanding math lessons well." Akashi's eyes seemed to be filled with anger and doubt side by side, as if a demon was standing behind his eyes.

However, Ushijima is getting used to the gripping aura that is inside Akashi and instead feels that Akashi is in a state of misunderstanding related to his relationship with his father.

"If you haven't asked directly, you don't have the right to judge him unilaterally. You always thought that your thinking was absolute" said Ushijima, who began to denigrate Akashi's anger, but he was just an innocent child still in puberty.

"After all, a father is the most adept at lying. They act like they never love us, but the truth is they are people who are willing to sacrifice for our future." Ushijima was silent for a moment, he began to remember his past with his father and how his father tried hard to keep his left hand so that he could grow into a professional Volleyball player with left-handed hands.

"The old man we call Father is also willing to defend our dreams, although sometimes they are selfish but they will do anything to defend the future of their children. They don't have to ask what we want, they are sometimes insensitive but move behind us to help us design a better future." Ushijima recalled how selfish the father was divorced from his mother, but he also remembered how his father had been diligent in helping him practice Volleyball since childhood.

"I'm sure Masaomi-San loves you very much, you can feel it yourself without having to listen to it from words. Who cares about the word love that even feels easier said by most people these days," said Ushijima who made Akashi start thinking for a moment, he can also remember how his father thought Akashi's own growth in picture frames was displayed all over the walls of his study. And for now, Akashi finally started to smile in relief and all his doubts began to fade.

"I think what you're saying has a point, Ushijima-San." Akashi smiled broadly.

"It's good that if you understand, next time there's a problem you can ask me."

"Of course, it's not that it's coming into our rules tomorrow. Never mind, I want to sleep." Akashi lay down and closed his eyes, still turning his back to Ushijima, but he did not forget to say a word of thanks to Ushijima with a slightly slow motion without a sound.

It seemed that he was too embarrassed to say a blatant thank you to Ushijima.

"Oh yes, Ushijima-San. Don't forget to make me breakfast tomorrow!" tukas Akashi who makes Ushijima put on a face look rather upset when remembering all the stupid rules given by Akashi to him.

"Don't blame me if my cooking is not good" lamented Ushijima who immediately covered his ears with a pillow.

***

How is the love of a father in your eyes? Will Ushijima's food be good tomorrow?

Oh yes, wait for the continuation of the story in the next part yes. 😊