The First String Returns

Tokyo International Airport.

A group of young people wearing bright red jackets with white and black stripes hurried away through a special passage without saying a word.

If Muneyoshi were here, he would recognize that there are many familiar faces among this group.

Oni Jūjirō, Tanegashima Shūji, Irie Kanata, Kaji Fūta...

However, Tanegashima Shūji seemed to be in a bad state; his legs appeared to be weak, and he needed to be supported by Irie Kaji Fūta.

Of course, there was also a large group of upperclassmen he didn't know.

The group seemed to be divided into two teams, and the atmosphere was very discordant.

After leaving the airport, Oni Jūjirō led everyone onto the bus that Kurobe Yukio had arranged in advance.

The scenery outside the bus window kept rushing past, and soon the bus drove into a deep mountain.

This time, the bus didn't stop at the foot of the mountain like it did with Muneyoshi; instead, it drove directly to the parking lot at the top of the mountain.

The group then filed out of the car.

Irie Kanata and Tanegashima Shūji, who had finally recovered, smiled slightly as they looked at the towering metal gate before them.

U-17 training camp has finally arrived.

"Irie, flying is so scary! I never want to fly again..."

"Oh? But Tanegashima- kun, what about this expedition and the upcoming U-17 World Cup? Aren't you going to participate either?"

"..."

Faced with Irie Kanata's probing question, Tanegashima Shūji was speechless for a moment. Only when he reached the front door did he scratch his head and say dejectedly, "Anyway, I'm never taking a plane again, fine, I'll take a ship..."

At this point, Irie Kanata hadn't taken Tanegashima's heartfelt complaint seriously. They only learned that Shujima was actually afraid of airsickness after he Tanegashima Shūji the plane.

It was precisely for this reason that Tanegashima Shūji basically did not participate in any expeditions in the following years...

But that's a story for another time.

They arrived together.

The metal door slowly opened, and behind it, Kurobe Yukio, Takuetsue Ryuji, and Saito Itaru had been waiting for a long time.

Today is the day the expeditionary force returns to the training camp, and as their instructors, they naturally come to welcome them.

"Welcome back victorious, everyone from the First String! You've worked so hard."

Kurobe, Takuya, and Saitō greeted them with smiles.

"Hey, didn't you guys prepare any special gifts this time?"

Before the team leader, Oni Jūjirō, could speak, Dōmoto Shingo, spoke first with a cold laugh.

Oni Jūjirō frowned and gave the group of third-year students a cold look.

This wasn't the first time the other party had overstepped their bounds like this; previously, because they were on an expedition, he didn't want to escalate the situation too much.

Unexpectedly, the other party became even more aggressive after returning, and even dared to interrupt him.

Tread!

Oni Jūjirō stepped forward, blocking Dōmoto Shingo's and the coaches' line of sight.

"Because there are other arrangements to make, we had to keep everything simple due to the time constraints."

Seemingly well-informed about the internal problems of the expeditionary force, Kurobe made no comment, only offering a faint smile.

His gaze swept over the First String on their overseas expedition, finally settling on Oni Jūjirō.

The gift these people were referring to was not a token of appreciation, but rather a tradition that had been followed since the training camp was established.

Basically, every time the First String returns from an overseas expedition, the coaching staff arranges some fun activities for First String.

Let them hunt.

This also gives those in the reserve second team a chance to challenge the First String.

The winners rise, the losers fall.

However, very few people were able to seize this opportunity and squeeze into the First String's Regular lineup.

After all, the gap in ability between those mediocre students in their junior and senior years of high school is not so easy to bridge.

However, some predictable things are likely to happen this time.

"Oh? There are other arrangements?"

Since it was his first time leading a team, Oni Jūjirō was unaware of the information implied in Kurobe's words.

However, Natsume Ryuichi, who had been defeated by him when he went to recruit demons, gave him a reminder.

"What are the coaches up to? Looks like there's something waiting for us inside!"

"Long Yi is right, you should all go find your own goals!"

Kurobe was not surprised that the original No.1 and No.2 had guessed his plan. As he finished speaking, the impatient second and third-year students all scattered in a swarm.

They went to find their prey.

At this moment, only the four first-year students, including Oni, and Dōmoto Shingo and Natsume Ryūichi remained in front of the door.

"Oni, how was your first overseas expedition? And you guys, Shuuji, Irie, Kaji, how were you feeling?"

When Kurobe turned the conversation to them, the three young men, Shuji, Irie Kaji, and others, all grinned.

"Going on overseas expeditions to face different opponents feels really good."

"Hmm, I'm no match for Oni-kun and Tanegashima- kun. My strength is still too weak. The opponents I faced were all very strong, and I almost couldn't win..."

Hearing Irie Kanata, that guy with such great acting skills, start spouting nonsense again, Dōmoto Shingo and Natsume Ryūichi snorted coldly.

If they were fooled by Irie before, then after the expedition, if they still didn't realize he was playing dumb to fool others, then they were too slow to react.

Irie slightly in apology to her seniors' dissatisfaction, but the smile on her round face grew even brighter.

The No. 20 medal on his collar shone brightly in the sunlight.

In fact, it wasn't just the third-year team members who knew this baby-faced guy was not to be trifled with; the coaches at the training base had long known that this guy was actually very strong, but always preferred to hide his abilities.

They should just listen to what he said and leave it at that. Saitō then turned his gaze to Tanegashima Shūji, who didn't look too good.

"Why isn't Tanegashima- kun saying anything? It seems this expedition didn't go very well?"

"That Tanegashima guy, he's really capable!"

At this moment, the demon took over the conversation and praised Tanegashima.

This expedition not only showed him the vastness of the world, but also allowed Tanegashima Shūji to fully develop his powerful talent for skill.

"Oh, Tanegashima- kun is actually so highly regarded by the Demon King?"

Oni Jūjirō's words piqued the interest of Kurobe, Saitō, and the other two.

"Yes, the move that Shuuji developed this time is truly powerful; I'm afraid even I won't be able to break through it..."

"Oh dear, ghost, don't talk nonsense! How could I possibly withstand your terrifying power? Don't believe him, everyone. Ghosts are just lying."

Tanegashima Shūji's motion sickness was gradually subsiding, and his spirits were recovering. Hearing that Oni had directly exposed his strength, he helplessly scratched the back of his head and said...

After exchanging a few more words, the group walked through the iron gate, which then closed.

In the U-17 training camp, in addition to sixteen dedicated tennis courts, there are many more tennis courts available for others to practice on or to serve as special hunting grounds.

In a secluded stadium.

Bang!

The sound of tennis balls hitting the ground could be heard.

Two figures were running on the field. One was wearing a bright red First String with black and white stripes, while the other was wearing a white uniform with black and red stripes.

This was, of course, the second army that came to launch the challenge, and also the hunting ground for the First String.

However, the challenger's strength was still somewhat lacking compared to the First String, and he was defeated by the First String in bright red clothes not long after.

"These guys, trained in a training camp, think they can challenge us?"

As the first wave of hunting ended, several members of the First String gathered together and began to talk, some of them speaking with great disdain.

"However, I did manage to glean some interesting things from these guys..."

"Oh? What is it?"

"There seems to be an interesting little guy inside the base..."

P. S. "I'll try to update five chapters today, please vote with your monthly tickets!"