The Original Schedule Accelerated

On the same day that the first round of the National Tournament's Fudomine competition concluded, a plane flew from Macau to Tokyo.

On the plane, Muneyoshi, holding the latest ITF rankings he had received, smiled and spoke to everyone:

"We just received news from the International Tennis Federation and the training camp that the points calculation for this expedition has been completed, and our undefeated record has greatly satisfied the coaches at the training camp."

"Yo... I hope the coaches will let us rest for a few days when we get back."

Hearing Muneyoshi's words, everyone cheered happily.

Four hours and thirty minutes later, the plane landed slowly at Tokyo International Airport. After the group walked out of the terminal through a special passage, Muneyoshi immediately saw the vehicle waiting for them.

The group boarded a bus that had been waiting for them and headed towards the mountains where the training camp was located.

It feels so good to be back!

As soon as they stepped into the training camp, everyone behind them felt a sense of relief.

It was clear that the long-distance expeditions overseas, even though they weren't very far, had put their mental state under extreme strain.

Overseas, it's different from training camps. Although there is competition in training camps, a standard and restrictions are maintained under the guidance of the coaches.

But when you go overseas, those people won't talk to you about martial ethics.

If given the chance to use underhanded tactics, the other teams closely watching the Japan Team wouldn't let it slip by, given the sheer number of methods they'd encountered along the way.

Welcome back victorious!

Kurobe Yukio Saito Itaru, along with a group of coaching staff from the training camp, had been waiting at the base gate for quite some time.

"What?! Are we going to face a challenge too?!"

As the most experienced member of the expedition team, Nakagawa Naidō immediately recalled the preferences of the coaches at the base upon seeing this scene.

However, he was the one who challenged others before, but now he's the one being challenged.

"Go find your prey, gentlemen."

Although this was the first time for Muneyoshi and his group, Saito Itaru believed that these people, who had experienced the world, would be able to handle the procedures with ease.

Then, everyone behind Muneyoshi left one by one, following the coaching staff.

At this moment, only Muneyoshi remained in front of the gate.

"What? Didn't the coaches assign me an opponent this time?"

Seeing the arrangements made by Kurobe and the others, Muneyoshi smiled slightly.

"Haha, you must be joking, Muneyoshi. Among the Second Army soldiers in the training camp right now, who could possibly challenge you?"

Kurobe Yukio shook his head with a smile, while Saito Itaru smiled without saying a word.

"So why did you keep me here?"

Muneyoshi has now figured out perfectly the nature of coaches Kurobe and Saitō, who only show up when they need something.

"You can't hide it from Muneyoshi after all. Come with us, the head coach and another person who rushed back are waiting for you in the conference room!"

Kurobe Yukio smiled slightly, and his magnetic voice rang in Muneyoshi's ears.

"Oh? There are no world competitions, and even the head coach of Mifune has come down from the mountain?"

This surprised Muneyoshi Mifune Nyudo always left the training camp to Kurobe and others, while he himself stayed in the back mountains, detached from worldly affairs.

Aside from occasionally tormenting low-achieving high school students, Mifune Nyudo rarely descends the mountain unless something major happens.

His sudden descent from the mountain, especially at this crucial moment when Muneyoshi is returning from his expedition, suggests that something major has happened.

Filled with various doubts and speculations, Muneyoshi followed the two coaches to the largest main building in the training camp.

Saeki Muneyoshi was slightly taken aback when he pushed open the conference room door and saw the scene inside.

He hadn't expected that, besides Mifune Nyudo, Byōdōin Hōō, who had been challenging others all over Europe, would also have returned to the meeting room at some point.

"Head Coach! Saeki Muneyoshi is here."

After bringing Muneyoshi to the back, Kurobe Yukio respectfully approached Mifune Nyudo and spoke.

"Just find a seat, Saeki kid."

Mifune Nyudo withdrew his gaze from the training ground outside the window and gestured for Saeki Muneyoshi to sit down next to Byōdōin.

"Muneyoshi, I heard you did a great job on this expedition."

Byōdōin Hōō glanced at Muneyoshi, a slight smile playing on her lips.

He was referring, of course, to the fact that Saeki Muneyoshi, leading a small force, had actually achieved a complete victory in the expedition.

"If it were a senior like you, it would definitely be much easier. Besides, I heard that you were quite active in the European tennis scene recently, and even had some tough matches?"

Saeki Muneyoshi smiled slightly, not directly responding to Byōdōin's words, but instead changing the subject and asking a question in return.

During his time leading the army on overseas expeditions, he kept a close eye on the news; Byōdōin had caused quite a stir.

Sports tabloids used extremely sensational headlines:

Pirates from the East are wreaking havoc across Europe!

"The Japan pirates' continuous defeats of various European countries have caused a major stir in the tennis world and prompted deep reflection on the current system."

The constant stream of reports from unscrupulous tabloids also illustrates just how thrilling and tumultuous life had been for Byōdōin during these days.

"Hmph! You little brat who doesn't want to suffer a loss, I got you some retribution for your defeat to Amadeus last year!"

Byōdōin's lips curled slightly. He, the Byōdōin Hōō, was not one to be content with obscurity and obscurity!

"Amadeus? Senior, I'm going to get it back myself, and the interest you offered is not valid!"

Mentioning Amadeus, Muneyoshi's smile vanished, and he became somewhat cold.

"Alright, alright, you two shut up. Let's get down to business."

Mifune Nyudo pulled out the gourd stopper, took a sip, and then plopped down in a chair.

"The major reforms in tennis that I mentioned before have been approved very quickly this time. Just two months ago, there were only some rumors, and now the documents from the World Tennis Association have been officially issued."

"Hmph, it seems many people are getting restless to stop Germany's ten-consecutive-title streak!"

"See, it's a written rule that each team must have three or more junior high school students participating in the U-17 World Cup Open to be held in Australia next year."

The reason I called you all here today is to finalize this matter. As I mentioned before, I plan to recruit a few suitable junior high school students to train at the base after this year's National Tournament, so that these fledglings can get used to the intensity of the world competition in advance."

Mifune Nyudo tossed a stack of documents at Byōdōin and Muneyoshi, and said calmly.

"Okay, head coach, I have no objections."

Byōdōin had already learned of this from Mifune before leaving, and he wouldn't have any objections to it.

As a junior high school student, Saeki Muneyoshi had even less reason to object.

Therefore, they both casually glanced through the documents and nodded in agreement.

P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets!"

I was planning to add an extra chapter today, but I didn't reach the word count last night, so an extra 2,000 words would be too little. I'll add it over the weekend; I still have to work on Saturday.