Shitenhoji
Shitennoji Temple is an ancient temple that, despite undergoing several renovations and expansions, enjoys considerable fame in the Kansai region.
Saeki Muneyoshi, who had come with Shiraishi Kuranosuke, stood at the temple entrance, looking at the tall temple gate in front of him.
Even with some preparation, one can't help but marvel.
Places where temples and schools completely overlap are extremely rare, even in the entire world.
Shitenhoji is such a school, built within a temple.
Seeing that Shiraishi had completely disappeared inside the temple gate, Muneyoshi took out a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then straightened his clothes and slowly walked in.
Along the way Muneyoshi would look around from time to time. Even though it was the weekend and there was no one else on campus except for clubs, he was still attracted by the funny slogans and costumes that appeared from time to time.
I couldn't help but smile to myself.
It's no wonder Muneyoshi couldn't help but laugh; the comedic atmosphere at Shitenhoji was truly captivating. After all, it's unique in Japan for a school principal to lead the way in comedy.
The Tennis Club's humorous atmosphere has become widely known under the current captain.
However, Muneyoshi wasn't captivated for long; the sound of balls being hit in the distance drew him in more than the comical cartoons and slogans.
With no other plans, his only goal in coming to Osaka, besides Makino Fuji, was the Shitenhoji Tennis Club!
Muneyoshi, who was well aware of the future, knew very well that the so-called king Makino Fuji, was already in decline, and the future of Osaka lay here.
At this time, most of the Regular players in the Tennis Club had not yet arrived at school, while Shiraishi had already begun the basic training courses that Coach Watanabe Osamu had set up for him.
Speaking of Watanabe Osamu, the coach of Shitenhoji, he is almost like Hanamura Aoi and Sakaki Tarou, one of the people who truly brought about change to the Tennis Club.
Moreover, compared to other coaches, Watanabe Osamu had a more harmonious relationship with the team members.
As a coach, he arrived earlier than most of the Regular.
Long before Shiraishi ran to the school, he had already arrived at the Tennis Club with a toothpick in his mouth and humming a little tune.
Compared to elite schools like Hyotei Academy, Makino Fuji, and Rikkai Dai, Shitenhoji's Tennis Club is not well-funded.
Therefore, as a coach, he not only had to be responsible for the training and development of the team members, but also had to take on the responsibility of maintaining the equipment and facilities.
In the two years since he came to Shitenhoji, he, as the coach, has had to personally repair and inspect almost all the tennis equipment and court facilities.
Therefore, Watanabe Osamu usually arrives about an hour earlier than the other members.
After all the equipment was checked and confirmed to be in good working order, the team members arrived and began their warm-up exercises.
At this time, Watanabe Osamu would lie lazily on the grass, a toothpick in his mouth, his hat covering his face, listening to the sound of the ball being hit, feeling very comfortable.
He certainly had reason to be complacent. Back when Watanabe Osamu first arrived at Shitenhoji, the school's tennis level was only struggling in the regional preliminaries.
After arriving at Shitenhoji, Watanabe Osamu overturned all the bad habits and unscientific training methods left by the previous coach.
Training resumed, the selection Regular for the starting lineup restarted—everything started from scratch.
Moreover, because he is young, he can easily connect with the students and personally organize various activities to understand the inner thoughts of all the contestants.
In this way, he subtly promoted his reform philosophy in the Tennis Club, making "Funny Tennis" the tennis style upheld by Shitenhoji.
With further boosted confidence, Shitenhoji finally overcame its poverty and weakness, gradually transforming into a strong team in the region and even the Kansai region.
"There are more and more geniuses; the Tennis Club will only get better and better..."
Listening to the sound of tennis balls around him, Watanabe Osamu smiled slightly, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he thought about the team's performance in the previous regional tournament.
From Hirazeni Hara Tetsuya to the talented first-year students who joined this year, he finally saw the future of Shitenhoji.
"Especially that Prodigy First Year student with short brown hair— Shiraishi Kuranosuke!"
Watanabe Osamu closed his eyes, and the image of Shiraishi appeared in his mind.
Even with his experience, he was amazed by Shiraishi's tennis talent when he first met Shiraishi.
This is a true piece of uncut jade.
Shiraishi Kuranosuke not only possesses impeccable tennis skills, but his personality also embodies an unyielding pursuit of perfection and the ultimate.
They belong to the extremely rare type who possess both talent and the dedication to improve themselves wholeheartedly.
He was genuinely tempted at the time; otherwise, he wouldn't have risked everything like a gambler, having his entire fortune crafted into a Golden Wristband and given it to the other person to wear during training.
He firmly believes that this young man will become a future superstar in the tennis world, and the recent county tournament has confirmed this, with Shiraishi's performance being particularly outstanding.
He won the championship on his first time leading the team.
Of course, he crafted the Golden Wristband not only to further hone Shiraishi Kuranosuke's basic abilities, but also to fulfill the sliver of hope in his heart.
Shiraishi was well aware of this, and he didn't feel any pressure.
As if they had mutually recognized each other, Shiraishi Kuranosuke also highly approved of Watanabe Osamu.
Not only did he perfectly complete the training tasks assigned to him by Watanabe Osamu every day, but sometimes he would also add extra challenges on top of that.
Shiraishi's attitude and pursuit of perfection were also recognized by the Tennis Club's captain Hirazeni, and vice-captain Hara Tetsuya.
They were also quite certain that even if they graduated immediately, Shiraishi Kuranosuke would be able to become a pillar of Shitenhoji.
"Furthermore, with the help of Hirazeni and Shiraishi, Shitenhoji might just make a name for themselves in this year's Kansai tournament!"
Watanabe Osamu removed the round hat covering his face, opened his eyes, looked up at the sky, and let his mind wander freely.
As a Tennis Club coach, in addition to understanding the situation of your own team members, you also need to be knowledgeable about other schools.
With the graduation and departure of the third-year junior high school students, the landscape of junior high school tennis is no longer what it was when Makino Fuji and his group were still around last year!
Thinking of this, Watanabe Osamu sat up, removing the toothpick from the corner of his mouth. A cold smile appeared on his face as he thought of Makino Fuji, who had suppressed them for two years.
"The old king is dead, a new king must rise! Who will be the only true king of Osaka? We'll see in this Kansai Tournament!"
Compared to the half-dead Makino Fuji, Watanabe Osamu was actually more concerned about the Kanto region.
"Rikkai Dai, Hyotei Academy, Seigaku..."
Even in the Kansai region, he was constantly collecting information on schools throughout Japan, and he had already prepared for battles against these schools that were about to rise to prominence.
Good morning, Coach Watanabe!
Suddenly, a clear, cold, and unfamiliar voice interrupted his thoughts.
Turning his head, Watanabe Osamu saw a handsome but completely unfamiliar young man wearing a black and red coat standing two meters behind him.
Watanabe Osamu was certain that this person was not a student of Shitenhoji, and he couldn't help but ask with some doubt:
"Who are you?"
P. S.: I was in a meeting this afternoon and typed this on my phone. There should be two more chapters tonight.