CHAPTER ONE: I SEE YOU

If you were to ask Tezuka Kunimitsu about his most vivid memories of high school, there were only two things that came to his mind. One was, of course, tennis, and the other, a boy named Fuji Syusuke.

For Tezuka, knowing Fuji had been one of the best things that ever happened to him.

Fuji Syusuke was an extremely quiet boy, always keeping to himself and totally absorbed in his own world. He never joined any of his classmates for chats, lunch or sports, preferring to sit by the window, gazing out at the sky with a faraway expression. The others, for their part, decided to ignore him long ago, murmuring unkind words about him behind his back. Tezuka, like the rest, would have no reason to associate with the pensive youth at all, had it not been for fate's intervention.

The summer of their senior year had been one of the hottest yet they had ever experienced in the last ten years. Bogged down by the stifling heat, the students hardly paid attention in class anymore, their minds already on the upcoming holiday just days away, where they could spend it at the beach, frolicking in the cool water. However, the mood was vastly dampened by their homeroom teacher, Takahisa-sensei's sudden announcement of a summer project.

"It wouldn't do for you kids to be too lax during the break," was all the man said when met with a few loud groans. Freshly graduated from college, Takahisa-sensei was young and good-looking, and would've been quite popular among the students if not for his over-enthusiasm in his work. "Be grateful that you'll be working in pairs. And as for the topic…guess what?" he smiled. "I'm giving you the freedom to choose. Pick anything, as long as it impresses me."

The groans, if possible, became even louder. Not only had their dream vacation been cruelly cut short, they had to think of their own topic on top of that. Takahisa-sensei rapped on his table for silence. "Now kids, this is going to comprise 40% of your final exams, so don't slack off, OK?" Satisfied that they were suitably cowered, he began calling out names.

Tezuka sat quietly in his seat as his teacher droned on. He, for one, didn't mind doing the extra work and couldn't understand why everyone found it such a chore.

A hushed murmur settled over the classroom as the students realized that there wasn't any chance of getting out of the project no matter how they whined and complained. Behind Tezuka, a couple of girls were lamenting about it as well, their conversations unwittingly reaching his ears.

"I was so looking forward to the trip to Okinawa this year," one girl sighed. "Now the only thing I can look forward to is getting Tezuka-kun as my partner." Her sigh then turned dreamy. "That would've been more than enough to make up for missing the trip."

Her friend giggled and voiced her agreement. Tezuka felt himself stiffened in annoyance. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't be unlucky enough to be paired with those girls. Girls were constantly gushing over him, even though he didn't do a single thing to encourage them. He always put up a cold front around them, yet it tended to have the opposite effect. Somehow, his aloofness made him more desirable in their eyes, which in turn made Tezuka even more annoyed. It was a never-ending vicious cycle.

"You better pray hard you didn't get that creep by the window instead," another girl chirped in. "It could easily turned into your worst summer ever."

Everybody, even Tezuka, knew which creep they were talking about. Tezuka felt a small pang of pity for Fuji, but he couldn't really blame the others for thinking that way, since Fuji didn't care enough to show them otherwise.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu and…" Tezuka snapped to attention as his name was called. He could almost hear the girls behind him holding their breath in anticipation.

"Fuji Syusuke. Next, Satoshi Kei and…" Takahisa-sensei continued without missing a beat.

Tezuka blinked. It looked like he was the one who ended up with the creep.

The girls behind him were wailing softly now. "Poor Tezuka-kun. Stuck with such an ugly weirdo. It's so unfair…"

Well, at least I didn't end up with any of them, Tezuka thought with mild relief. Fuji, for all his unfriendliness, was still the lesser of two evils, no matter how he looked at it.


After the bell rang, Tezuka was immediately surrounded by his friends and those irritating girls. Some were jokingly giving him condolences for getting such a partner while others, mostly the girls, voiced their discontent.

Tezuka kept quiet throughout the discussion. Oishi Syuichiroh, his best friend, looked disapprovingly at them. Coming from a family that emphasized on compassion, he couldn't abide such unkindness towards one of their fellow student. "You guys shouldn't say such cruel things," Oishi reprimanded. "He's our classmate after all. If we could only get to know him better, I'm sure…"

He was interrupted by someone softly clearing his throat. Everyone turned around and their eyes widened in shock when they saw who it was.

"Tezuka-san," Fuji began, a bit nervously, looking extremely uncomfortable and keeping his eyes downcast. "Is it OK for us to…discuss our assignment after school?"

It was the first time Fuji had approached anyone and spoke without being prompted to. It must have taken him a lot of courage, Tezuka thought. He found Fuji's voice to be rather pleasant. Although it was too soft for his liking, there was a melodious ring to it that made Tezuka think of water trickling over a brook.

Tezuka nodded. "Sure. I have tennis practice today, but we can meet after that, say, about half past four?"

Fuji gave a slight nod, bowed and quickly scurried away without another word.

"What a doofus," somebody exclaimed at Fuji's departing back, earning a few chuckles.

Tezuka had had enough. He stood up and glared at his classmates. "Please learn to respect others. Would you like it if someone does that to you behind your back? I don't want to hear anymore snide remarks from you people, is that clear?" His voice was reproachful.

Realizing their mistakes, everyone instantly stopped snickering and hung their heads in shame.