England

England.

Heathrow International Airport.

A tall, silver-haired young man wearing a red uniform with black and white stripes and a tennis bag slung over his shoulder slowly walked out of the airport with the crowd.

The young man was, of course, Saeki Muneyoshi.

Arriving at the arrival gate of the terminal, Muneyoshi looked around. At 180 cm tall, he was considered tall in East Asia, especially in Japan, but here he was basically average.

Therefore, the signs that were normally easily visible from the Japan now required him to pause for a moment.

Before long, he saw a young man with light blond medium-length hair and walked over to him.

"Mitsuya- senpai, I never expected it would be you who came to pick me up in person!"

When Muneyoshi saw Mitsuya also happened to see him.

"Muneyoshi, you've come at just the right time... Let's go, we still have a long way to go, we'll talk in the car!"

When Mitsuya saw Muneyoshi arrive, it was as if Oishi had been lifted from his heart. He grabbed Muneyoshi's sleeve and led him to the car next to him.

"Mitsuya- senpai, Byōdōin's injuries are very serious?"

On the bus, seeing the driver take them out of the airport, Muneyoshi finally couldn't help but ask, puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Mitsuya first nodded, then shook his head. "It is indeed very serious, but it's not as serious as what happened in Switzerland last time."

"Switzerland?!"

Seeing the surprise and doubt in Muneyoshi's eyes, Mitsuya realized that the other person was still a junior high school student and had been in junior high school all last year. He thought that Muneyoshi was unaware of this, so he continued to explain.

"Last time in Switzerland, the leader truly faced a near-death experience. He encountered the Switzerland commander Amadeus, fought a fierce battle, and was even struck by lightning at the last moment..."

Even Mitsuya felt a lingering fear at this point. He swallowed hard, his tone incredulous:

"Because he was struck by lightning, Byōdōin suffered cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital... but Byōdōin miraculously survived."

Even as a bystander who witnessed it firsthand, Mitsuya still finds it difficult to calm down when recounting the outrageous actions of Byōdōin.

This is one of the reasons why they were able to accept Byōdōin's injury so calmly this time.

However, Saeki Muneyoshi was also somewhat shocked when he heard Mitsuya mention this.

He actually knew that Byōdōin had met Amadeus, because when Amadeus returned to the training camp last time, he told Muneyoshi that he had recovered some interest for him.

At the time, Muneyoshi said he would find it himself and didn't ask any further questions.

Moreover, Byōdōin appeared normal at that time and showed no signs of injury, so he assumed that the absurd scene from the original work had not occurred.

But the plot unfolded exactly the same way.

"Amadeus..."

Muneyoshi repeated the name softly to himself; he was certain he would settle the score with the other party once more.

"Mitsuya- senpai, what caused Byōdōin's injury this time?"

After a moment's thought, Muneyoshi asked about the most important reason why the coaching staff had arranged for him to come to Europe.

When Muneyoshi asked about it, Mitsuya turned serious.

"Regarding the attack on Byōdōin, we don't actually know who instigated it, or even whether someone else was retaliating for other reasons..."

"And those who did it were all from the Underground Tennis World who had been expelled by the authorities, but..."

Mitsuya glanced at Saeki Muneyoshi, paused for a moment, and then continued:

"Based on the intelligence we've gathered, the group that attacked Byōdōin looks very similar to the group that attacked Medrano, Spain, two years ago."

"No!"

Upon hearing this, Muneyoshi shook his head, interrupting Mitsuya's speculation.

"Mitsuya- senpai, you guys haven't looked into underground tennis, that's why you're making that assumption, it's not your fault."

I've looked into that group; they certainly Will Not Be Nothing attack Byōdōin without a reason!

"You know, what our Japan Team is constantly challenging and doing is exactly what those shady characters in the Underground Tennis World want to achieve."

"They are all a group of people who have been expelled. If there were no conflict of interest, they would certainly be very happy to see the group that expelled them fail."

"Our Japan Team is constantly challenging for points, even winning consecutive matches. The ones most severely impacted are actually those who consider themselves elites!"

At this point, a cold glint flashed in Muneyoshi's eyes; the previous invitational tournaments didn't actually count towards the points.

However, it was also because of the victory in the invitational tournament that some animosity arose between the Japan Team and England and Belgium.

Although Muneyoshi wasn't there at the time, he still heard what the coaching staff told him, and he was already very angry.

Unexpectedly, Byōdōin is also a domineering person. After completing one round of challenges, he is now preparing to request a points-based competition from England.

This is probably the real reason that angered these guys, made them hesitant to act, and led them to contact that group to attack Byōdōin.

A tree that stands out in the forest will surely be felled by the wind.

Muneyoshi's words struck Mitsuya and the driver like a thunderclap, especially Mitsuya, who was a very intelligent man.

After Muneyoshi's guidance, he also understood the connection between them.

Although Muneyoshi's words lack evidence and are merely speculation, the logic behind them is sound.

"Muneyoshi, doesn't that mean there might be unforeseen changes in this England qualifying round?"

Mitsuya's eyes were filled with worry. The expeditions of the past two years had greatly improved his strength, but he was limited by his aptitude.

His strength has now reached its limit. If he can overcome it, he can advance to another level. If he can't, he will probably only be at this level for the rest of his life.

Therefore, although he now competes alongside the First String, he spends more time taking on the role of a staff officer.

He is the most aware of the team's current strength.

"We must hold a meeting immediately after we get back to discuss countermeasures!"

Having made up his mind, Mitsuya wanted to immediately communicate with his team members to alert them.

However, Muneyoshi told him to give up the idea.

"No, senior, if you tell everyone in the meeting, it will only cause unnecessary panic. Besides, I think Senior Duke, who has lived in Europe for so many years, should have already noticed this."

Also, Omagari -senpai Ochi- senpai should already be prepared. What you need to remind are the others.

Pushing up his glasses, Mitsuya thought of the tall man who had always been by Byōdōin's side, a man he had never been able to understand, and nodded.

"Muneyoshi, thank goodness you're here. It gives us a bit more confidence now."

Muneyoshi didn't answer, but closed his eyes. The long flight and jet lag had left him feeling tired.

"I'll rest for a while first, and we'll talk about everything later."

"You don't need to worry too much, senior! Tennis, after all, is all about winning on the court!"

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