At Hyotei Gakuen High School, a tall young man who had just finished his match was packing up his racket, preparing to leave the court.
Beside him, another boy in the same uniform patted the tall youth on the shoulder and remarked, "Tsukimitsu, have you heard? This year's Hyotei Junior High also made it to the National Tournament, and they did it by winning the Metropolitan Tournament!"
Hearing this, the tall young man named Tsukimitsu stirred slightly, his gaze falling upon the boy beside him, a hint of nostalgia flickering in his eyes. "The guys who stayed behind, it's no problem for them to make it to the Kanto Tournament."
This young man named Tsukimitsu was Tsukimitsu Ochi. He was the previous captain of the Hyotei Tennis Club and the biggest contributor to Hyotei reaching the National Tournament. With his top-tier national-level skill, he single-handedly led Hyotei to the semifinals of the National Tournament in his third year. There, they eventually met the ace from Makonoji.
Tsukimitsu Ochi didn't even get to play against that person before Hyotei was defeated, losing that crucial match. After joining the high school division, Ochi still chose tennis, joining the Hyotei Gakuen High School Tennis Club, and became a core player for the high school team.
The high school tournaments differed from the junior high ones in that they abolished the traditional team matches, opting for individual competitions. Tsukimitsu Ochi, with his exceptional skill, had already advanced to the Metropolitan Tournament and even received an invitation to the U-17 training camp. Becoming a professional player had always been Tsukimitsu Ochi's dream, and the U-17 training camp would undoubtedly provide crucial assistance for him to achieve that.
During his junior high years, when he finished the National Tournament in his third year, he had already heard about the U-17 training camp. As for the entry requirements, he hadn't heard anything about those.
"Tsukimitsu... Tsukimitsu..."
A first-year student beside him kept calling Ochi's name.
"What is it, Kaneda?"
Ochi looked down at Kaneda. Yufu Kaneda was the vice-captain of last year's Hyotei Tennis Club. He was honest and good-natured, always trying to mediate situations, and was also last year's Singles 2 player for Hyotei. His skill was not weak. After moving up to high school, he, like Ochi, chose to join the tennis club, striving tirelessly for his new ideal. As for his ranking, he was slightly below Ochi, and he hadn't even received an invitation to the U-17 training camp.
"Tsukimitsu, this year's Hyotei didn't rely on the core players you left behind," Kaneda said with a chuckle. "I went to watch the finals. It was entirely first-years. It seems that kid Hikaru Gen was even playing doubles."
"Both the captain and vice-captain are first-years too. I heard that at the beginning of the school year, that first-year Keigo Atobe even single-handedly swept through the entire Hyotei Tennis Club."
Thinking of this, Kaneda couldn't help but burst into laughter. Kaneda, Ochi, and other former Hyotei regulars who had advanced to high school all looked down on the remaining core players. Among them, only Hikaru Gen and Kawagoe's doubles team were worth watching; as for the rest... forget it.
"First-years, huh?" Ochi seemed to be contemplating something.
"They're doing what we did back then," Kaneda murmured, recalling their own past.
"But they were even more ruthless," Kaneda chuckled. "I remember even you, Tsukimitsu, didn't make such harsh moves back then."
Indeed, even Ochi back then didn't actively seek trouble. Instead, during the school's ranking matches, he took the initiative to challenge the second and third-year seniors and defeated them with absolute skill. Originally, first-years weren't eligible to be regulars, but the coach was Tarou Sakaki. He preferred meritocracy over strict hierarchy. One wanted to become a regular, the other wanted to develop the Hyotei Tennis Club. The two hit it off, ushering in a new era for the Hyotei Tennis Club.
It was a pity that when Ochi left the tennis club, he hadn't found a suitable successor. Hearing that the tennis club had many first-years this year, Ochi's interest was piqued.
"Let's go back and take a look while we have time," Ochi said thoughtfully, looking at the envelope in his hand. Deep down, he probably couldn't let go of the Hyotei Junior High tennis club, as it represented three years of his youth.
In the evening, as soon as Kamikawa opened the door, he saw a fishing rod placed in the courtyard. The old man was humming a tune leisurely, as if something good had happened. Hearing the movement from outside the door, he put down his watering can.
"Brat, didn't you have some Metropolitan Tournament match today? How did it go?"
The old man had heard that Kamikawa was participating in this tournament.
"Of course, it was an easy win," Kamikawa waved his hand, indicating there was no pressure at all.
"Did you beat up that Grandpa Kunikazu's grandson?"
Upon hearing this, the old man immediately became interested, leaning closer, eager to hear some details about the match. He had heard from Tezuka's grandfather, also known as Kunikazu, that his grandson would also be participating in this Metropolitan Tournament.
"Tezuka and I are classmates, from the same tennis club. How could we have a match against each other?" Kamikawa looked helplessly at his old man.
"It was a team match, huh!" The old man's interest, which had just sparked, instantly vanished.
"Go take a bath first, you reek." The old man pinched his nose, looking at Kamikawa with a disgusted expression.
"Got it, Grandpa." Kamikawa shrugged. He quickly noticed a few more fish in the small fishpond. Combined with the fishing rod in the courtyard, he suddenly realized something and asked, "Grandpa, did you go fishing today too?"
"Fishing?! Oh, yes, I went with that old geezer Kunikazu today. That old man's fishing skills are as terrible as ever. He only caught two Pale Chub... Hahaha..."
Pale Chub, also known as hakujou-uo (white striped fish), are at most palm-sized, with most being hand-sized, and are generally the most despised fish by fishermen. It was no wonder the old man had been laughing about catching such fish for so long.
"Alright," Kamikawa shrugged. These two old men were secretly competing every day. Ever since Tezuka's grandfather, Kunikazu Tezuka, retired, he would seek out Kamikawa's old man for fishing every now and then. The main problem was that his fishing skills were truly abysmal. Sometimes he would even drag Tezuka along to fish.
Once he caught a fish, he would forget himself completely. This was also the main reason why Tezuka was late for the JR Tournament in the original story, and then played an impromptu match against Yukimura and Sanada.
"I'll make you fish for dinner tonight," the old man's voice called from the kitchen. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Don't even think about touching my fish, old man. If I find out, I'll spank you raw."
"Got it, Grandpa." Kamikawa glanced at the fishpond a few more times.
When he was little, he and Tezuka had pulled such a prank. He'd sneak some of his own grandpa's fish, and Tezuka would get some of his grandpa's, and they'd go to the nearby Onoda to grill fish. Tezuka always brought Pale Chub at first, and Kamikawa initially thought Tezuka hadn't caught any big fish. But when he saw Tezuka's fishpond, good heavens, it was all Pale Chub. From then on, Kamikawa knew that when it came to fishing...
Tezuka's grandpa was no match for his own.
"Hurry up and take a bath, or I'll come spank you, old man!"
"Okay, okay, Grandpa!"
Hearing this, Kamikawa didn't dally any longer. He quickly took off his shoes, entered his room, placed his tennis bag aside, rummaged through his belongings for some necessities, and then dashed into the bathroom. Hearing the splashing sounds, the old man, still making fish in the kitchen, shook his head and chuckled, "This kid, just like his dad when he was young, so clumsy and impulsive! Not steady at all!"