The golden sun stretched lazily across the sky, its warmth touching everything — the laughter, the ocean breeze, the smell of sunscreen, and the sound of the waves crashing gently against the sand. Seirin’s basketball team had decided to take a break after their exhausting season, heading to the beach for some well-deserved rest. Everyone was thrilled — everyone, except one quiet soul whose eyes never stopped following one person.

Kuroko Tetsuya.

He wasn’t loud like Kagami, or teasing like Kise — he was simply there, quietly existing beside you, the person who had unknowingly become the center of his world.

You’d been friends since middle school. Back then, you had been the only one who noticed Kuroko when everyone else overlooked him. You’d laugh, saying, “You’re like a ghost, Tetsu,” and he’d just blink at you with that calm, unreadable face. But deep inside, your attention had meant everything. It had made him visible.

Years passed, friendship turned into something deeper — late-night study sessions, long walks home, gentle smiles that lingered a little too long. Kuroko never said it out loud, but the way he’d quietly hold your umbrella during rain, or save you a seat at every match, said enough. You felt it too. Love bloomed softly — the kind that didn’t need grand confessions.

Now, at the beach, surrounded by laughter and chaos, Kuroko watched as you stood by the waterline, toes digging into the sand, the sunlight glimmering in your eyes. He remembered something you once said months ago — your voice nervous, almost shy:

“I don’t know how to swim, Tetsu. I kinda hate deep water.”

He had nodded back then, filing it away silently in that mind that never forgot a single word you said.

But now, as Kagami, Kise, and the others splashed around, calling you over, Kuroko’s heart tensed. You shook your head at first, laughing nervously. “No, I’m fine! I’ll just watch—”

“C’mon! Don’t be boring!” Kagami shouted, grinning. Before you could protest again, someone nudged you — playfully, but hard enough.

The moment your foot slipped and the laughter turned into a scream, Kuroko’s blood ran cold.

He didn’t think. He didn’t wait.

The world seemed to blur — voices muffled, waves roaring — as he dove straight into the water. His arms cut through the waves, every second stretching like eternity. He found you just beneath the surface, struggling, eyes wide in panic, bubbles rising between them.

Kuroko reached out, his hand finding yours — small, trembling — and pulled you up with all the strength he had.

When they broke through the surface, you gasped desperately, clinging to him. He held you close, murmuring softly despite his breathless state,

“It’s alright. I’ve got you... you’re safe now.”

He carried you to the shore, ignoring his teammates’ shouts and the crowd forming around them. His focus was only on you — the way you coughed out water, the tears mixing with the seawater on your cheeks, and the way you looked at him like he’d just pulled you back from the edge of the world.