Thank you to everyone who spent their time reading, and to the readers who reviewed.
Without further ado, here's chapter 2.
Chapter 2: Spend a Day With Tezuka
"Oof," mumbled Fuji, rubbing his head.
"Fuuuuuji, we're going to be late nya. Get up now!" nagged the usual energetic Eiji after he tossed Fuji's backpack at him.
"I'm up.. I'm uh-" Fuji yawned himself back to sleep.
"FUJI! Please don't make me repeat myself," said Eiji with his arms crossed.
"..." was Fuji's answer.
"Ahem ahem," Eiji clears his throat. "You are now twenty years old. You worked so hard the first two years of college just so you could get into the medical program you dreamed of since high school. AND now you're going to give your professors a bad impression of you on the first day already. Fuji, I cannot stress this enough but if you don't get up right now, your whole future is doomed...?" Eiji suddenly ends his lecture in a question.
"I'm ready," said a fully dressed, groomed, Fuji. Eiji stood there in shock. Fuji gives Eiji his usual smile and places his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "And if you weren't talking so much, you would've noticed that I was ready to leave a long time ago and if we do happen to be late, it'll be your fault that my professors develop a bad impression of me."
"Nya Fuji!" Eiji punches Fuji playfully and both boys laugh on their way out of their little home.
Fuji Syusuke and Kikumaru Eiji met in middle school and became best friends throughout high school, and now they attend the same college with different majors in mind. Eiji got accepted with a full scholarship in gymnastics while Fuji wants to work in the medical field, contrary to what his family is known for. His whole family consists of professional tennis players. Fuji strayed from the path of tennis when his younger brother, Yuuta, hated him whenever Yuuta was compared to him. Also luckily for Fuji, he discovered a new passion in science, at first it was astronomy but Fuji wanted to do more so he took up health professions.
Currently Fuji and Eiji lives in a rural part of Japan. To get to school, they ride bicycles. The two best friends rode their bikes side by side silently into the noisy city of Tokyo. Along the way is a huge TV station that broadcasts important news or events. On the screen of many television screens was Shiba with a small icon of Tezuka in the upper left corner.
"Most recently the rising star, Tezuka, announced a public contest for fans of all ages. The excitement finally ends today as in just a few minutes, entries to 'Spend a Day With Tezuka' will no longer be accepted. The winner will be revealed next week. Good luck to everyone who participates!" says Shiba with a bow at the end.
Fuji had stopped to listen the entertainment news and was now excited about the contest. Ever since Tezuka made his first debut in the movie "Flavor of Life"(1) Fuji immediately became a fan of Tezuka. The actor was young and good looking, and the DVD extra bonus features showed some of Tezuka's personality, which Fuji fell in love with. The young actor was mysterious overall as a person. Fuji thought, 'If I could win this contest, I get to spend a whole day with Tezuka and learn a lot of new things' about one of his favorite Japanese actors.
"Fuji, there's no time for watching television. Come on, hurry up," insisted Eiji. Fuji nodded quickly and got right back to biking next to his friend. Both the boys continued riding their bikes until they came across a crossroad. One way lead to the college. The other leads to the building where you submit the contest entry sheet. Eiji was the first to turn his bike towards the college, but Fuji turned his bike the other direction. Eiji saw this and was seriously growing impatient with Fuji.
"Fuji, what are you doing? This is the way to school," said Eiji using his head to point in the right direction.
"I know. Please Eiji, go on without me. I'll get to school on time. This is something I have to do," said Fuji in his serious tone. Eiji knew his friend meant business but for what reason? He sighed and nodded Fuji off. Fuji gave him his usual smile and went in the opposite direction of Eiji.
In front of the building two slots, one which you can reach into for a contest entry sheet and the other which you place the completed sheet. Fuji quickly took off his backpack to take out a pen. He reached into the first slot and filled out the sheet as quickly as possible. "Name, Fu..ji Syuuussuke. A..ddressss. Telephhhhone numberrr," Fuji quietly mumbled to himself as he was writing the necessary information. Not a minute later, this boy was finished and proudly slid his entry sheet into the second slot.
When Fuji nearly reached the college doors, he could faintly hear the bells that initiated the start of class. "Oh no..." He quickly locked his bike and ran to his class.
"...we're going to start with the general approach to medical diagnosis. This usually involved four steps. First step," the professor abruptly stops at the opening sound of the door slamming open and small panting breathes coming from the late student. "Excuse me. Are you in this class?" she asked with a stern voice. She was a middle age woman, maybe even older since her wrinkles were perfectly visible and her hair always styled in a ponytail.
"Yes, I am," answers Fuji still trying to catch his breathe.
"You're late. Take a seat anywhere. Any part of the lesson you missed will not be repeated to you. You will get any missing notes from your classmates. First step is to obtain a history of the patient. This is the most important step in medical diagnosis and a complete and thorough history provides up to eighty percent of information the physician with need towards making a definitive diagnosis...(2)" continues Professor Ryuzaki in what seems to be a never ending lecture.
Fuji settles into his seat and takes out his books. The first couple of minutes seemed like hours and Fuji started to nod off. He was tapped awake by a fellow student, with short platinum color hair, sitting behind him. Fuji turned his head towards him with sleepy eyes and nodded a thanks. This classmate of his leaned forward and whispers to Fuji,
"Don't stress over sleeping in her class. It happens to everybody at one point or another. She doesn't know when to give breaks or when to stop talking that it results in many students falling asleep in her class. A lot of people are nice so if you happen to doze off, they'll be willing to share their notes with you."
"Thank you very much," Fuji whispers back.
"Name's Saeki Kojirou," he says holding out his hand for Fuji.
"I'm Fuji Syusuke," replies Fuji shaking Saeki's hand.
Meanwhile...
"Why do they want to put each entry into a little plastic ball (A/N: the type that comes out of gumball machines)? Can't they just choose an entry and declare whoever it is the winner?" complained a woman who was hired for the job of said questions.
"You know the Tezuka's manager is extremely anal about everything so he wants the contest all fancy and the biggest deal in all of Japan to raise Tezuka's popularity," answered another woman while she folded each entry twice and then placed them into a little plastic ball.
"They're planning to do this like a live lottery drawing. Put all these plastic balls into this huge vacuum and whichever ball rolls out first will be declared the winner. I think it's something like that," said a third woman rubbing her head and then returning back to work.
"Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah whatever...," mocked the first woman. "I want to be entered into this contest if this Tezuka is so great," she suddenly bursts out.
"Wait, you never heard of Tezuka? He's like the biggest thing that happened in Japan since his first debut just three years ago at the age of seventeen. And besides, it's too late for you to enter the contest. They already counted up all the entries and ordered the same amount of plastic balls for them. You couldn't possibly enter now and even if you do, the chances of you winning is slim to none. You'll just have to wait forever and ever and ever to meet Tezuka," said the second woman.
"Who said that? I have my entry right here," she says holding up a sheet.
"Pre-ordered amount of plastic balls...," repeats the second woman.
"Well then some sucker won't be entered and I'll take that person's place," says the first woman reaching into her box of sorted entries. "Here, this person will be that sucker!" she declares holding up an entry sheet. "Fuji Syusuke, so sorry honey but this isn't your lucky day." She throws Fuji's entry sheet into the garbage, puts hers into the plastic ball, and dumps the ball into the pile with the rest of them.
Flavor of Life(1): A song from Utada Hikaru's album that I'm absolutely in love with so hey why not make it into a movie name.
'medical diagnosis notes'(2): I took this class in high school so the credit goes to my high school teacher who is extremely smart in Medical Diagnosis. These are actually his notes.
Thanks for reading! Reviews are welcome :)