The Four-Nation Exchange Tournament and the Invitational

"Alright, Byōdōin won't be staying long after he returns, and he'll be leaving again soon. Muneyoshi will also be going on an expedition with Byōdōin and the others next semester."

Since none of you will be in Japan by then, let's draft the first batch of invited junior high school students now.

Mifune Nyudo then directed the Kurobe to place a thick document in front of the two men.

This information, collected by Kurobe and Saitō from various regional competitions, concerns promising young talents from different junior high schools.

"Hmph! Old man, you didn't call me back from Europe just for something like this, did you? This kind of thing can be left to this kid; he should know the situation in the country best."

Byōdōin casually flipped through the documents and, as before, tossed them aside. At this point, he even felt that coming back for such a trivial matter was a complete waste of time.

"You are our commander, so these things definitely require your approval."

Mifune Nyudo nodded, indicating his agreement with Byōdōin's view:

"You're right. So Saeki, I'll leave the list to you. You need to give me the first batch of names as soon as possible."

"I only have one requirement: those who have already reached the current training camp's entry requirements are eligible. Those who are too weak will be allowed to grow for another year, and we'll expand recruitment next year."

What Byōdōin Hōō said—that it was very appropriate to have Saeki Muneyoshi, who was familiar with all the junior high school students, handle the selection of the first batch of junior high school students admitted through the expansion program—was indeed very suitable.

He believed that Muneyoshi, with his character and integrity, would not do anything against the rules.

Moreover, these people selected from the national Byōdōin would eventually become part of Saeki Muneyoshi's team after the Byodoin group left.

"Now, let's talk about the Four-Nation Exchange Tournament organized by America three months from now. Byōdōin, are you interested?"

"Four-Nation Exchange Tournament, huh? These guys got a little restless after seeing how well we performed in last year's World Cup. Australia, South Africa... America, Reinhardt..."

Looking at the last applicant's name, Byōdōin's thoughts seemed to return to last year's World Tournament, seeing that figure struggling against Jürgen.

However, he ultimately shook his head.

"Reinhardt is strong, but his path won't help me at all. Let Oni Muneyoshi handle it. I'll send a few people back later!"

"Since you've entrusted this matter entirely to Oni and Muneyoshi, then you should go to the tournament organized by England!"

Mifune Nyudo was not surprised by Byōdōin's idea, and then he produced another invitation.

"England? Head coach, when did this happen?"

The brand-new invitation was casually tossed over by Mifune Nyudo, and Muneyoshi, being very close to Byōdōin, was able to clearly see its contents.

"Wow, this is a big event too! England, Belgium, Denmark—this is just as intense as the Four-Nation Exchange Tournament America applied for!"

Upon seeing the joint invitation from the four countries, Muneyoshi couldn't help but sense a clear intention to target them.

"Hmph, old man, did England apply for this invitational tournament right after America's Four-Nation Exchange Tournament?"

Having traveled around Europe for so long, he was well aware of the dirty dealings behind tennis in various countries.

England and America have never been on good terms, mainly because of their rivalry over sixth place.

However, at last year's World Tournament, America personally handed England a defeat, making this ranking no longer in doubt.

England, with its inherent sense of superiority, could never accept this and has been trying every means to continue competing with America.

Upon seeing that the International Tennis Federation had approved America's application for Four-Nation Exchange Tournament, he immediately organized an invitational tournament.

"Tch, a clumsy imitation, only making us a laughingstock." Saeki Muneyoshi, who had a deep understanding of the corrupting influence of England, naturally saw through the other party's intentions.

"Instead of focusing on improving domestic competitiveness and retaining its talented players, England competing in this kind of thing. Whether they can even maintain their seventh-place ranking next year is questionable."

Because of Keith and Lin Xiu's relationship, Muneyoshi's perception of England was also somewhat affected.

Seeing that Muneyoshi seemed slightly interested, Byōdōin grinned and said, "What, kid, you're thinking about this too?"

Muneyoshi nodded and said quite frankly, "Although their strength is not comparable to the BIG4, it is far superior to the opponents we will face in this expedition. If I could fight them, it would greatly benefit my strength."

... I just don't know if the specific date for this invitational tournament has been confirmed yet.

After saying that, Muneyoshi's gaze fell on Mifune Nyudo.

"I knew you had ideas. The final date hasn't been set yet, but it should be around the time of the Four-Nation Exchange Tournament. England is unlikely to want to fall too far behind America."

Mifune Nyudo gulped down two mouthfuls, wiped his stubble-covered mouth with his large hand, and confirmed with a slap:

"Well then, I'll have them accept the invitation. The invitation from England is mainly your responsibility, Byōdōin! As for Muneyoshi, if there's enough time after dealing with the Four-Nation Exchange Tournament, you can go!"

"Don't worry, old man!"

"No problem, head coach!"

Muneyoshi and Byōdōin had no further objections to this arrangement.

"But I have one request! Don't embarrass me! Muneyoshi, give me the list in an hour!"

After saying that, Mifune Nyudo stood up and left the meeting room. He had other matters to attend to, including discussing the two matches with Byōdōin.

Saeki Muneyoshi was just a side effect; his main task was to select the first batch of junior high school students, and he was only called in to listen because he was considered a future leader.

Otherwise, why would Saeki Muneyoshi be qualified to attend a meeting that even Oni Jūjirō wasn't called to?

The arrival of junior high school students will definitely bring some other impacts to this training camp.

Therefore, after making this decision, Mifune Nyudo still needed to discuss with Kurobe Yukio, Saito Itaru, and others how to settle these junior high school students and what measures to take for them.

Another issue is that there are too many people in the training camp. We can take this opportunity to weed out some of the less desirable high school students.

"Muneyoshi, you can stay here and slowly filter the list. I'm going to get the proper paperwork done for the person I brought back!"

Seeing Mifune Nyudo leave, Byōdōin also stood up and walked out of the meeting room.

"The people you brought back?"

Muneyoshi keenly grasped the key point in Byōdōin's words: at this moment, the only person he could bring back and still need to complete the formalities for could be...

"You know him too, you'll be able to meet him in a bit."

Byōdōin seemed to be in a good mood and kept him in suspense, but Muneyoshi had already figured out his thoughts from his expression.

Thinking back, it was around this time that Byōdōin brought the other person back, and he thought that because of his interference, the matter had been ruined.

It now appears that the world's corrective power is still strong.

However, Muneyoshi didn't have time to reflect on these things at the moment. Instead, he was immersed in drawing out the first batch of rosters from the information selected by the coaches.

P. S.: "Requesting monthly votes"