Because Tezuka Kunimitsu left home a bit late today and spent more time on the road, by the time he reached the tennis club’s lounge, it was already much later than his usual time. To ensure he could lead the members in today’s training on time, Tezuka Kunimitsu quickly changed into his sportswear. Just as he was about to push the door open and head out, he heard the voices of Oishi and Kikumaru outside.
“Oishi, aren’t all the freshmen coming this afternoon? Do you think the captain’s younger brother will choose to join the tennis club, nya?” Kikumaru Eiji’s voice was as energetic as ever.
The two were enthusiastically discussing Tezuka Koku, who had left a deep impression on everyone when he visited the tennis club yesterday. Oishi, as always, was calm and steady. Based on his understanding of the captain’s family, he believed there was a high probability that the captain’s younger brother would also choose to join the club where his older brother was.
“He probably will! After all, the captain is so amazing, his brother can’t be too far off, right?”
Oishi thought, with the captain being so impressive and the members trusting him so much, the brother who grew up with the captain would surely prioritize the club his brother is in. If the captain’s brother also joins the tennis club, then Seigaku’s team strength will definitely rise another level this year. That would be fantastic!
“You’re right, the captain’s brother must be good at tennis too, nya~” Unlike Oishi, Kikumaru Eiji didn’t think too much about it. He was simply happy about having another tennis practice partner. “The captain and Fuji are both so strong, I hope the captain’s brother can give me some comfort!” Kikumaru Eiji hoped.
Then, as usual, he directly pushed open the lounge door, only to be caught off guard by the sight of his captain standing inside.
In that instant of eye contact, Kikumaru Eiji was at a loss. Why was the captain in the lounge? Did he hear everything he and Oishi just said? Oh no, I hope I didn’t say anything bad about his brother! This is so embarrassing!
“Hey, Eiji, why aren’t you going in?”
Blocked at the door by the suddenly halted Kikumaru Eiji, Oishi Shuichiro was a bit confused. Eiji had never stopped him at the door like this before. It was really strange. Could there be someone else in the lounge?
Oishi Shuichiro speculated as he tilted his head to peek inside the lounge, only to find Tezuka Kunimitsu standing there. He was startled, then awkwardly scratched his head and found a topic to chat about with Tezuka Kunimitsu.
“Captain, you seem to be a bit later than usual today!” He thought the captain had already gone to the court for training, which is why he and Eiji were talking about the captain’s brother at the door so openly. He hoped the captain wouldn’t think they were being disrespectful to his brother; they were just curious about him.
“Ah!” Seeing their discomfort, Tezuka Kunimitsu didn’t bother to explain much. Often, knowing less is better. However, he couldn’t help but inform them of Koku’s actual skill level as he left the lounge, “Koku is indeed joining the tennis club, but he doesn’t know how to play tennis.” So, don’t have too high expectations of his skills.
Compared to Fuji Yuuta, Koku is clueless about tennis. He didn’t want the club members to put too much pressure on Koku. So, even before Koku joined the tennis club, he had already planned to address these issues in advance.
“Today is the club recruitment day. Before the freshmen join the club, I think there are a few rules that need to be emphasized to everyone present.” After the basic training, Tezuka Kunimitsu called all the tennis club members to the court for a meeting.
“First: The club does not allow senior students to bully freshmen, engage in group fights, or ostracize members. If discovered, the person involved will be immediately dismissed from the club;”
“Second: Everyone must complete their daily training. If you fail to complete it three times, you will be automatically dismissed from the club;”
“Third: The regular selection tournament will start next week. Any member who wants to participate can sign up.”
After Tezuka Kunimitsu announced the three new club rules, the other members of the tennis club were unsurprisingly shocked. However, it wasn’t until he announced the end of morning practice that the members dared to start discussing it.
“Hey, why do you think the captain suddenly announced these three new rules?” a second-year member curiously asked his teammate.
“Probably because he can’t stand the seniors bullying everyone!” the teammate replied. “But I’m more interested in the last rule the captain mentioned. Everyone can participate in the regular selection tournament, which means we also have a chance to become regulars, right?”
“Don’t daydream. Can you beat the captain, Fuji-senpai, Oishi-senpai, and the second-year regulars?”
“We should just practice diligently! When we become stronger, we can participate in the regular selection tournament!”
It seems everyone is quite self-aware and didn’t rush to sign up just because Tezuka Kunimitsu suddenly lowered the selection entry threshold. But unlike the ordinary members, Seigaku’s regulars didn’t think it was that simple. So after morning practice, they stopped Tezuka Kunimitsu, who was about to head to the classroom.
“Captain, what do you mean by the third club rule you mentioned today? Can freshmen also participate in the regular selection?”
“Ugh—freshmen haven’t undergone systematic training. If they participate in the selection, won’t it waste our training time?” Thinking about possibly having to compete against completely inexperienced freshmen, Kaido Kaoru felt a headache coming on. Playing against beginners is exhausting; you can’t crush them too badly, or it might create a psychological shadow. That’s why he hates playing against beginners.
“And the regional preliminaries are coming up soon. We need to finalize the regular rankings quickly and start formal training,” Inui said, taking notes continuously. “If we let all the first-year new members join the regular selection tournament, the selection time will need to be extended by about two weeks.”
“I don’t recommend letting first-years participate in the regular selection tournament at this time. It’s best to screen the first-years first.”
“The third rule was added by my request,” Ryuzaki Sumire said as she entered the lounge, hearing Inui’s words and seeing the regulars’ faces showing unanimous agreement. She clapped her hands crisply, drawing everyone’s attention to herself. “I already have a basic plan for the selection tournament list.”
“The reason I asked Tezuka to modify the selection criteria is that I found a very promising first-year. If he misses this tournament because of his grade, I think it would be a loss for Seigaku.”
“Seigaku’s goal this year is not just the regional preliminaries; our goal is the national championship.”
“So we need to select the best regular team within the school to face the regulars from other schools with the strongest lineup. What do you think?”
Seeing most of the regulars deep in thought after hearing her words, Ryuzaki Sumire nodded in satisfaction. “I don’t want you to underestimate any potential opponent because of their age. No matter when, you should always take matches seriously.”
“Even first-year freshmen have their own shining points.”