Chapter 1
"Aniki (Elder Brother)!!!" "Syusuke!!!"
In the middle of the road, a fair youth lay harmlessly next to a van. His head was facing downwards, eyes tightly shut. Even though his face was covered by his smooth hair, his tenderness couldn't be hidden, nor could the severe wound in his head. Bleeding horribly, the youth has lost his consciousness for some time since he was knocked down by the vehicle. Besides his body knelt a lady and another boy, one trembling in tears, one being stunned by the tragic accident. A crowd of passerby enclosed three people in the middle, mumbling about this and that, showing sympathy to the poor youngster. One of the very few people who didn't approach to watch the terrifying scene froze on the pedestrians street, unable to move a step. After a while, an ambulance reached the packed area, followed by two police cars. The police cleared the zone and ambulance nurses hastily carried the hardly living body onto the car. The two people who stayed besides the youth were asked to follow the police to report witness, but the boy insisted to come with the ambulance to the hospital, to accompany his elder brother. His stubbornness was so strong that nobody could stop him. The police let him go, and the ambulance set off. On the side of the pedestrian street, a white cell phone lay flat on the ground, still connecting to another phone....
On a cloudy Saturday, the Fuji siblings went out together. The brothers, Syusuke and Yuuta, had their sports uniform on, and their elder sister, Yumiko, was just wearing casual wear. They were chatting in the street.
"It has been a long time since we three go shopping together, right? Syusuke?" asked Yumiko.
"Yep. Yuuta rarely comes home. Moreover, Nee-san (elder sister) seldom does walking with us," answered Fuji (Fuji Syusuke), smiling.
"Ahhh... I cannot help. Driving a car is really much more convenient than walking! That's why I saved up money to buy one for myself. If it was not getting repaired, I would drive you both for sure."
"Wait a minute! Who said that we are doing shopping? Brother and I are going to school for tennis practice! There is no need for Nee-san to bring us like little children!" interrupted Yuuta.
"Does it matter? I am free anyway. Moreover, it is a responsibility for an elder sister to take care of her little brothers, isn't it?"
"I have no opinion." Still smiling brightly, Fuji replied.
"Aniki always agreed with Nee-san!" "" ( Fuji and Yumiko's expression ";;;" ( Yuuta's expression
Although they were arguing (mainly Yuuta) all the way long, it was apparent for everybody to feel the harmonious atmosphere among the siblings. Yuuta used to dislike his elder brother when he first went to junior high school. Back to that time, he was still studying at Seishun Gakuen Junior High School with Fuji, not St. Rudolph Academy. Being compared with his tensai (genius) brother, Yuuta lived under the shadow of Fuji. He hated to be called Fuji's brother and he wanted to seek for his own identity. Therefore, he went to boarding school to study. It was not until his brother's match with his school team's master mind plus player, Mizuki, who he respected very much, that Yuuta realized that his brother loved him so much and wanted to be a good protective elder brother of his. His attitude towards him then improved, and changed back to the manner when he and Fuji were still in primary school, when their relationship was still very good.
The ringing of Fuji's cell phone has broken the peaceful conversation, but the three of them didn't seem to mind. Fuji answered the call. It was Oishi.
"I know that it's not yet the time, still fifteen minutes before our practice starts, but most of us have arrived at school already. You won't believe it. Even Echizen has come! I hope that you are on your way..."
"Don't worry, Oishi. I am coming. I will arrive on time. Thank you for reminding me anyway."
"No need to be so formal! Don't forget that we are schoolmates and teammates! Moreover, as a vice team captain, it's my job to remind my teammates to be punctual for different occasions."
"You are so responsible, Oishi."
"Not really... Tezuka is already here. I just don't want to see any of you to run around the court for twenty times."
As they continued to talk, Yuuta noticed Mizuki on the other side of the pedestrian street. He waved at him.
"Ah! It's Mizuki-san. I better go with him. See you later, Aniki and Nee- san!"
Next moment he ran across the road. Fuji at first didn't mind about the sudden departure, even though he missed his brother, but then he remembered that Yuuta has forgotten his purse. He left it on the shelf near the door and Fuji fetched that for him. He wanted to give it back to him later, but he only remembered about that until then.
"Please wait for a while, Oishi. Nee-san, please keep the phone for me for a minute. I have got to give the purse to Yuuta. Yuuta!"
He called and ran across the road as well. Yuuta was in the middle of the zebra crossing. He heard his brother and turned back. Just at that moment a van was coming in high speed. The driver of the car was listening to music and didn't notice that the traffic light was in red. It was running straight to Yuuta. Everything happened very quickly then. Fuji opened his eyes, dashed in top speed to his brother, and pushed him aside. The driver finally realized that his car was too fast, but it was too late for the driver to stop his car, or for Fuji to escape. The van bumped into Fuji and he was knocked down for a distance.
Yuuta, who was pushed onto the ground, shouted. Yumiko, still holding Fuji's cell phone, screamed and dropped the phone. Mizuki, originally waiting for Yuuta, stood dead. Oishi, in the phone, was shocked by the screaming. "Hello? Fuji here? Can anybody please answer me?" He held the phone and didn't cut the line. He would like to know what happened.
So after the ambulance was gone, the police started to collected anything in the area. A policeman found the phone left on the pedestrian street and noticed that it was still on line. He picked it up and talked to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Thanks God that somebody finally answered the phone! What happened? Who are you?" Oishi didn't care who was talking on the phone. He just wanted to know what did all the noise mean. He knew that something abnormal has happened, but he didn't want to guess.
"Do you know Fuji Syusuke?"
"Yes, I do. I am his schoolmate." Oishi answered, trying to stay calm. "Okay, listen. That's what happened to your friend...."
"..........."
"..........."
"...........Okay, thanks for telling me about that."
Completely stunned, he hanged off the phone. Practice time has come. All the members of the Seigaku tennis club have arrived, except Fuji. They have noticed the long conversation and the change of expression in Oishi's face. Except Tezuka and Echizen, all the others gathered around Oishi. After he has finished the phone, Kikumaru was the first to ask what happened.
"Oishi! You look terrible! What has happened? Where is Fuji? Is the phone from him?"
"What's wrong? Fuji seldom go to practice late!" asked Kawamura.
"That's right. According to my data, the percentage for Fuji to be late is 2% only." Said Inui, checking his notebook.
"Fuji......... Will not be able to come for a while. He... HE JUST HAD A CAR ACCIDENT!" Oishi suddenly burst out.
"What did you say?!" The gang shouted.
"Oh my God!!! Why will that kind of accident happen to Fuji? He is a very careful person, isn't he? He will never rush out of the road when a car is coming! I heard that he was seriously hurt and was just sent to the hospital! Awww... What will happen to him? Is he all right now? The injury won't be too hard to deal with, will it?" The motherly Oishi has lost control of himself and became extremely nervous. He looked as if he was going to faint at any moment.
"Fuji-senpai..." uttered Ryoma (Ryoma Echizen) softly, his pupil dilated with unbelief. Tezuka said nothing. He stayed very cool as usual in appearance. However, his expression was just the same as Ryoma's. It is just that he didn't speak.
"Aniki (Elder Brother)!!!" "Syusuke!!!"
In the middle of the road, a fair youth lay harmlessly next to a van. His head was facing downwards, eyes tightly shut. Even though his face was covered by his smooth hair, his tenderness couldn't be hidden, nor could the severe wound in his head. Bleeding horribly, the youth has lost his consciousness for some time since he was knocked down by the vehicle. Besides his body knelt a lady and another boy, one trembling in tears, one being stunned by the tragic accident. A crowd of passerby enclosed three people in the middle, mumbling about this and that, showing sympathy to the poor youngster. One of the very few people who didn't approach to watch the terrifying scene froze on the pedestrians street, unable to move a step. After a while, an ambulance reached the packed area, followed by two police cars. The police cleared the zone and ambulance nurses hastily carried the hardly living body onto the car. The two people who stayed besides the youth were asked to follow the police to report witness, but the boy insisted to come with the ambulance to the hospital, to accompany his elder brother. His stubbornness was so strong that nobody could stop him. The police let him go, and the ambulance set off. On the side of the pedestrian street, a white cell phone lay flat on the ground, still connecting to another phone....
On a cloudy Saturday, the Fuji siblings went out together. The brothers, Syusuke and Yuuta, had their sports uniform on, and their elder sister, Yumiko, was just wearing casual wear. They were chatting in the street.
"It has been a long time since we three go shopping together, right? Syusuke?" asked Yumiko.
"Yep. Yuuta rarely comes home. Moreover, Nee-san (elder sister) seldom does walking with us," answered Fuji (Fuji Syusuke), smiling.
"Ahhh... I cannot help. Driving a car is really much more convenient than walking! That's why I saved up money to buy one for myself. If it was not getting repaired, I would drive you both for sure."
"Wait a minute! Who said that we are doing shopping? Brother and I are going to school for tennis practice! There is no need for Nee-san to bring us like little children!" interrupted Yuuta.
"Does it matter? I am free anyway. Moreover, it is a responsibility for an elder sister to take care of her little brothers, isn't it?"
"I have no opinion." Still smiling brightly, Fuji replied.
"Aniki always agreed with Nee-san!" "" ( Fuji and Yumiko's expression ";;;" ( Yuuta's expression
Although they were arguing (mainly Yuuta) all the way long, it was apparent for everybody to feel the harmonious atmosphere among the siblings. Yuuta used to dislike his elder brother when he first went to junior high school. Back to that time, he was still studying at Seishun Gakuen Junior High School with Fuji, not St. Rudolph Academy. Being compared with his tensai (genius) brother, Yuuta lived under the shadow of Fuji. He hated to be called Fuji's brother and he wanted to seek for his own identity. Therefore, he went to boarding school to study. It was not until his brother's match with his school team's master mind plus player, Mizuki, who he respected very much, that Yuuta realized that his brother loved him so much and wanted to be a good protective elder brother of his. His attitude towards him then improved, and changed back to the manner when he and Fuji were still in primary school, when their relationship was still very good.
The ringing of Fuji's cell phone has broken the peaceful conversation, but the three of them didn't seem to mind. Fuji answered the call. It was Oishi.
"I know that it's not yet the time, still fifteen minutes before our practice starts, but most of us have arrived at school already. You won't believe it. Even Echizen has come! I hope that you are on your way..."
"Don't worry, Oishi. I am coming. I will arrive on time. Thank you for reminding me anyway."
"No need to be so formal! Don't forget that we are schoolmates and teammates! Moreover, as a vice team captain, it's my job to remind my teammates to be punctual for different occasions."
"You are so responsible, Oishi."
"Not really... Tezuka is already here. I just don't want to see any of you to run around the court for twenty times."
As they continued to talk, Yuuta noticed Mizuki on the other side of the pedestrian street. He waved at him.
"Ah! It's Mizuki-san. I better go with him. See you later, Aniki and Nee- san!"
Next moment he ran across the road. Fuji at first didn't mind about the sudden departure, even though he missed his brother, but then he remembered that Yuuta has forgotten his purse. He left it on the shelf near the door and Fuji fetched that for him. He wanted to give it back to him later, but he only remembered about that until then.
"Please wait for a while, Oishi. Nee-san, please keep the phone for me for a minute. I have got to give the purse to Yuuta. Yuuta!"
He called and ran across the road as well. Yuuta was in the middle of the zebra crossing. He heard his brother and turned back. Just at that moment a van was coming in high speed. The driver of the car was listening to music and didn't notice that the traffic light was in red. It was running straight to Yuuta. Everything happened very quickly then. Fuji opened his eyes, dashed in top speed to his brother, and pushed him aside. The driver finally realized that his car was too fast, but it was too late for the driver to stop his car, or for Fuji to escape. The van bumped into Fuji and he was knocked down for a distance.
Yuuta, who was pushed onto the ground, shouted. Yumiko, still holding Fuji's cell phone, screamed and dropped the phone. Mizuki, originally waiting for Yuuta, stood dead. Oishi, in the phone, was shocked by the screaming. "Hello? Fuji here? Can anybody please answer me?" He held the phone and didn't cut the line. He would like to know what happened.
So after the ambulance was gone, the police started to collected anything in the area. A policeman found the phone left on the pedestrian street and noticed that it was still on line. He picked it up and talked to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Thanks God that somebody finally answered the phone! What happened? Who are you?" Oishi didn't care who was talking on the phone. He just wanted to know what did all the noise mean. He knew that something abnormal has happened, but he didn't want to guess.
"Do you know Fuji Syusuke?"
"Yes, I do. I am his schoolmate." Oishi answered, trying to stay calm. "Okay, listen. That's what happened to your friend...."
"..........."
"..........."
"...........Okay, thanks for telling me about that."
Completely stunned, he hanged off the phone. Practice time has come. All the members of the Seigaku tennis club have arrived, except Fuji. They have noticed the long conversation and the change of expression in Oishi's face. Except Tezuka and Echizen, all the others gathered around Oishi. After he has finished the phone, Kikumaru was the first to ask what happened.
"Oishi! You look terrible! What has happened? Where is Fuji? Is the phone from him?"
"What's wrong? Fuji seldom go to practice late!" asked Kawamura.
"That's right. According to my data, the percentage for Fuji to be late is 2% only." Said Inui, checking his notebook.
"Fuji......... Will not be able to come for a while. He... HE JUST HAD A CAR ACCIDENT!" Oishi suddenly burst out.
"What did you say?!" The gang shouted.
"Oh my God!!! Why will that kind of accident happen to Fuji? He is a very careful person, isn't he? He will never rush out of the road when a car is coming! I heard that he was seriously hurt and was just sent to the hospital! Awww... What will happen to him? Is he all right now? The injury won't be too hard to deal with, will it?" The motherly Oishi has lost control of himself and became extremely nervous. He looked as if he was going to faint at any moment.
"Fuji-senpai..." uttered Ryoma (Ryoma Echizen) softly, his pupil dilated with unbelief. Tezuka said nothing. He stayed very cool as usual in appearance. However, his expression was just the same as Ryoma's. It is just that he didn't speak.