Chapter 02 – F4

"Right, class," said the professor, arranging his notes, "Since this is your first day, I'll spare you the homework horror. I'll see you on Wednesday and I expect no one to be late again." Tsukushi hung her head down in embarrassment. She was sure that the professor had looked her in the eye when he said that. "Class dismissed," he announced. Tsukushi sighed quietly while her classmates filed out of the lecture hall in pairs or more. Being late was one thing, being new was another. She wondered if she'd ever be able to fit in as she gathered her books and slot them into her book bag.

"Hi," came a voice behind her. Tsukushi jumped. She had not expected anyone to approach, or let alone speak to her. She spun around. "Hi," repeated the girl with dark brown shoulder-length hair. "H…Hi," stammered Tsukushi. The girl had another friend with her. "I'm Matsumoto Yuki," she chirped happily, "This is Fujishima Makiko." Tsukushi smiled at the duo and replied, "I'm Makino Tsukushi. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too," replied Yuki while Makiko nodded with a smile, "We haven't seen you around. You must be new." Tsukushi nodded. "Well, if you don't have anyone to hang around with," continued Yuki as she turned to Makiko as if asking for approval, "You can join us." Tsukushi was dumbfounded for a moment. She had always thought the students in Eitoku were snobbish and unfriendly. "W…ell," began Tsukushi uncertainly, "If it's not too much of a hassle…" Yuki grinned. "Come on," she replied, "It can't be a hassle to have an additional friend, right?!"

"It's certainly nice to have an additional friend," commented Makiko with a smile, as if she had sensed Tsukushi's uneasiness. "Thanks," replied Tsukushi. "Let's go then," said Yuki, "By the way, what's your next class? Ours is Social Psychology." Tsukushi took a quick glance at her time slot and replied with a smile, "Same here."

"Great!" exclaimed Yuki as the trio made their way through the crowded hallway to the next destination.

"Yo, Tsukasa," called Soujirou, "Wait up!" Tsukasa stopped in his tracks and waited for his three buddies. "What's the hurry?" asked Akira when the trio caught up. Tsukasa made no reply. "You've been awfully quiet today," commented Soujirou, "Did something happen at home yesterday? Heard that your mother is back." Tsukasa grimaced. "Well, whatever it is," said Akira, "Don't let it affect you. It's the first day of school. Come on, let's check out the Year Ones. Maybe we can pick up some chicks for the party this weekend at Soujirou's."

"That's a great idea," agreed Soujirou wholeheartedly. "You guys go ahead," replied Tsukasa, "I'm not the least interested." Soujirou and Akira had expected that from him. "What about you, Rui?" asked Akira. "I'm going home to sleep," replied Rui, eyes in a daze. "We only had our first class of the day and you already want to go home," said Soujirou unbelievingly. Rui nodded. "You know what he's like," replied Akira, "He needs at least 15 hours of sleep a day."

"Hey, it's F4," giggled some girls as the quartet passed. As usual, Akira and Soujirou would give the girls their best smiles while Rui and Tsukasa walked past with expressionless faces. "Rui, give me a lift, will you?" asked Tsukasa in an almost commanding tone. Rui nodded as he followed a quicken-paced Tsukasa. "We'll catch up with you two later in the evening," called Akira as the duo turned round the corner.

"Sheeesh, never thought that Tsukasa would have such an aversion to girls," commented Soujirou when they were out of earshot. Akira nodded in agreement. "Well, let's not be bothered about them," said Akira, winking, "And go check out the new girls." Soujirou grinned with his eyebrows raised. "What are we waiting for then?!" he said as the duo head towards the first-year's hall.

Tsukushi smiled as she watched Yuki and Makiko bickering over who gets to buy her lunch. "I took the initiative," argued Yuki, "So I should buy lunch." Makiko shook her head. "I'll buy," said Makiko matter-of-factly, "You've probably burnt your allowance over the holidays." Yuki was about to protest when she realised that Makiko was right about her burnt pocket. "Oh, all right," she sighed, turning a little red with embarrassment, "Next time, I'll buy."

"It's all right," said Tsukushi, "Allow me to buy lunch instead…" And then she remembered she might not have enough cash to do so. "Don't worry about that, Tsukushi," replied Makiko, smiling, "Let me take care of it today." Tsukushi shook her head. "But I can't…" she began but was cut off by Yuki. "Let Makiko do the honours," said Yuki, "You can do so some other time."

"Well, I…" stammered Tsukushi. "It's settled," interjected Makiko, "Let's get going or we'll be really late for class." The trio hurried down the hallway as the next lecture theatre was situated at the far end of the building. However, they did not get very far when Tsukushi stopped in her tracks. "Ouch!" exclaimed Yuki, hitting her in the back, "Tsukushi, why the sudden…" Before she could continue, Makiko had tugged at her sleeve and muttered quietly, "F4…"

Tsukasa and Rui made their way through the hallway. "Where's the other two?" whispered a girl next to Tsukushi to her friend who shrugged. Murmurs could be heard all around as the twosome passed. The hallway of the year ones is the only route to get to the main exit and it is no coincident that the duo was passing through. Tsukushi stared at the curly-haired guy. "Tsukushi," whispered Yuki, "Tsukushi…"

"Huh?…Oh," replied a sheepish Tsukushi, breaking out of her trance. "You know them?" asked Yuki. Tsukushi shook her head. "Well, if you don't know them," continued Yuki in a whisper, "Avoid them if you want no trouble." Tsukushi blinked and raised her eyebrow questioningly. "Come on, let's get to class," said Makiko, leading the way, "They're gone. We'll explain over lunch later." Tsukushi nodded and took a last glance of the boys' backs before catching up with the other two.

"Thanks," said Tsukasa as he got out of Rui's car. "Don't mention it," replied Rui as he waved, "See you." Tsukasa nodded and turned to ascend the stairs to his mansion. "Young master," exclaimed the butler, surprised to see his young master home early, "Welcome home." Tsukasa smiled and as if reading the butler's mind, he replied, "Home early to do some work." The butler returned the smile sheepishly. "Well," said the butler, "Do you need me to bring up some tea?" Tsukasa nodded and thanked him before making his way to his workroom.

"You're home early," came a voice behind him as he ascended the stairs. Tsukasa knew who it was and spun around to greet his sister. "Hi, there," he said, "Didn't know you'd be home today." Doumyoji Tsubaki smiled at her only brother. "I thought I'll come home to check up on you," she teased, "And my, did I catch you red-handed! Playing truant, I see." Tsukasa stuck out his tongue and replied, "I have better things to do at times, you know."

Tsubaki shrugged. "If you say so," she said and turned to go, "I'll catch you later." Tsukasa watched his sister turned the corner before continuing on his way. Doumyoji Tsubaki is Tsukasa's only sister and a close confidante to him. Older by 5 years, she's currently helping out in the family business. Their parents were never around and the siblings have learnt to rely on each other since they were young.

Dumping his books on the table, Tsukasa picked up the documents he received yesterday. "Looks like I'm going to spend the rest of the day on this," he muttered, sliding a hand through his hair.

"So…Tsu…kushi," said Yuki as she chomped on her sandwiches, "What had enticed you to come to Eitoku?" It's lunchtime and the school cafeteria has the usual mass of students piling in. "Well…I…" stammered Tsukushi. She was lost for words. How could she tell these two newfound friends that it was her parents' idea and that they see it as an opportunity for her to get a rich husband. Finally, she figured that it's better to tell the truth than to lie about anything. Well, almost the whole truth…

"I'm not an elite," she began uncertainly, "And the reason I'm here is because of my parents." Makiko smiled. "It doesn't matter what your social background is," said Makiko, "As long as you're here, it means that you are outstanding enough." Tsukushi heaved a sigh of relief. Makiko was right. Although Eitoku is an elitist school, it is also the best private university in Japan. Getting a place in it is not easy as each student is required to sit for an entrance examination and out of 10, only one will make it. "True," agreed Yuki, nodding as she continued chomping on her sandwiches, "You…don't have…to worry about so…social standings with us."

Tsukushi smiled. "By the way," she said as nonchalantly as possible, "Who were those two who passed us this morning?" Yuki choked on her sandwich and had to thump her chest while Makiko smiled wryly. "Er…where should we begin?" muttered Makiko. Tsukushi waited eagerly. She has been waiting for this moment for she wanted to know who that curly-haired guy was. "They are the F4," said Yuki matter-of-factly, "Don't offend any of them if you want to stay alive here." Tsukushi was puzzled. "Why?" she asked.

"Well," continued Makiko, "F4's combined wealth is much greater than the economy's GDP and if I'm not wrong, this school is also part of their territory." Yuki nodded. "Why should we keep out of their way?" asked a still puzzled Tsukushi, "They don't look as menacing…" Yuki shook her head violently. "It's not really them you ought to look out for," interjected Yuki, "It's the girls in this school." Tsukushi's eyes widen with surprise.

"You see," explained Makiko, taking a sip of her tea, "Besides being the richest in school, they are also very good-looking and is every girl's prince charming." Tsukushi blinked. "The girls in this school would not tolerate anyone, especially girls, who are close or try to get close to them," continued Makiko. "But every one of them is trying, isn't it?" interrupted Yuki, "I don't see how this works!"

Makiko laughed. Her friend is right about the whole affair. "I can't agree more," she said and turning to Tsukushi, "Well, if you value some peace, avoid those guys." Tsukushi nodded. She was a little disappointed though. "Don't they have names?" she asked again, sounding as casual as possible. "Of course, they do," replied Yuki, "Their leader, who is also the richest among the four of them, is Doumyoji Tsukasa."

"He's the curly haired guy we saw this morning," added Makiko. "Oh," replied Tsukushi. "The other was Hanazawa Rui," said Yuki, "There's another two – Nishikado Soujirou and Mimasaka Akira." Makiko was about to describe them when her attention was diverted to the entrance of the cafeteria. "There they are now," she said, gesturing to the other two discreetly. Tsukushi observed the duo. "Who's the one with the long wavy hair?" she asked. "Mimasaka Akira," scoffed Yuki, "A play boy."

"The other is Nishikado Soujirou," added Makiko, "Another play boy that…" The bell rang for the afternoon session of classes, interrupting her. "We ought to get going," said Yuki, "We'll discuss this some other time." The trio picked up whatever was left of their lunch to be thrown away and headed for class. Yuki took a sideway glance at the duo before catching up with her friends.