A Temple Tea Session on Geniuses

Under the large tree in the courtyard, Byōdōin poured tea for his Old Man while chatting with him.

At this moment, both his movements and his expression were emulating his Old Man's.

Their divine appearances were harmonious and perfectly in sync; the two conversed very pleasantly.

"Old Man, I think the regional tournament should have started by now. Rokkaku is located in Kanto. How strong is Kanto this year? Rokkaku should have no problem winning the tournament, right?"

"Not bad, the first round is over. Kanto's strength this year shouldn't be underestimated; they have so many geniuses..."

"However, the first round was a close call, and I managed to win against Green Mountain by sheer luck."

At this point, the Old Man couldn't help but smile.

"Only the first round? Speaking of geniuses, that guy named Kojiro who brought me here before seems pretty good."

Byōdōin seemed to have piqued their interest in conversation, steer the topic toward the genius and Kojiro.

"Kojiro, he is indeed a good kid..." But the Old Man didn't reply; instead, he shook his head.

Seeing this, Byōdōin didn't delve into the matter further, but instead became interested in what his Old Man had just said.

"Kanto has always been quite strong, but this year Kanto actually has a genius that even Old Man can praise. Which school is it?"

"Hmm, Rikkai Dai Hyotei Academy are both strong teams, but the most anticipated one should be Seigaku this year. They're a very interesting school."

Rikkai Dai and Hyotei Academy are certainly familiar to Byōdōin, as they were both among the top four teams in the nation last year, and Byōdōin has faced them many times before.

But where did this Seigaku come from?

I haven't heard of this junior high school in years. Is it another one like Okayama Oku?

Thinking of this, Byōdōin's expression changed somewhat. As for what his Old Man said, it was quite interesting.

This further exacerbated his confusion.

Seemingly noticing the confusion on Byōdōin Hōō's face, the Old Man leisurely explained.

"You've probably heard of Japan Echizen Nanjirō."

"Um!"

A glint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and Byōdōin Hōō's previously calm state of mind was once again stirred.

Although more than twenty years have passed.

But the name Echizen Nanjirō is familiar to every Japan tennis player who has reached the pinnacle of the world.

Even Byōdōin Hōō, who is only a first-year high school student, is no exception.

Could this obscure Seigaku possibly be related to him?

A hint of surprise flashed across Byōdōin's eyes.

"Echizen Nanjirō's middle school days in Japan..."

As he sipped his tea, Rokkaku Old Man calmly explained the connection between Seigaku and Echizen Nanjirō, giving Byōdōin a general understanding of the relationship.

After a while, Byōdōin Hōō had gained a general understanding of Seigaku and continued to ask questions.

"I've never heard of Seigaku before. They've been quiet for so long, are they still very strong? What are Rokkaku's chances of winning if they face off?"

Upon hearing this question, Old Man shook his head, as if calmly discussing a topic completely unrelated to him.

"Hmph... very strong. Against Rokkaku, unless the match is arranged perfectly, Kojiro might have a chance, but for the others, it's almost impossible..."

Wow, it's that strong?

Byōdōin Hōō had no objection to his Old Man's answer; he just couldn't believe that a group of first-year students could be so strong.

In my recent conversation with my Old Man, I learned about the various changes that have occurred in the Tokyo Metropolis area over the past six months, and the one he talks about most enthusiastically is the revolution of the first-year students.

This was something he hadn't been able to fully accomplish back then, and it had always bothered him. That's why, after entering high school, he took the initiative from the start.

"If Seigaku is so strong, why haven't I heard of them in the past few years?"

"Could it be a first-round exit in the National Tournament?"

This is a school that is very strong in itself, but is relatively unknown.

Byōdōin is now almost subconsciously having a stress response; for some reason, he always automatically associates himself with that guy named "Oni Jūjirō".

And his school, "Okayama Oku Middle School," nestled deep in the mountains of Hokkaido.

The thought of this made him feel rather upset.

This situation will likely only resolve itself once he defeats Oni Jūjirō and successfully exacts his revenge.

The sky was getting dark, and a gentle breeze was blowing through the mountains.

The rustling of leaves overhead accentuated the tranquility of the surroundings.

Rokkaku Old Man took two sips of fragrant tea, smiled, and said...

"In previous years, Seigaku's best result was almost making it into the Kanto Tournament."

"This year, Seigaku has unleashed astonishing power under the guidance of a first-year student named Tezuka Kunimitsu, earning them the reputation as Tokyo Metropolis's biggest dark horse."

At this point, the Old Man paused, then looked directly at Byōdōin Hōō.

Then he said with a smile.

"The reason Seigaku was able to rise from the ashes is because of this little guy, and of course Atobe Keigo of the Hyotei Academy, Yukimura Seiichi of Rikkai Dai, Sanada Genichirou..."

"Are they all... first-year students?"

"Yes, they are all a group of exceptionally talented young people..."

At this moment, the Old Man, whose spiritual power was immense, seemed to sense something amiss. A smile appeared on his lips as he recalled the figure that had arrived and continued speaking.

"However, compared to these prestigious schools, there is another boy in Tokyo Metropolis who may have similar potential to you, but he is not in any of those schools."

Or rather, he didn't even get to play in any matches this year!

At this point, the Old Man glanced deeply at the direction around the corner, Byōdōin Hōō paused for a moment.

Given Byōdōin's arrogance, while he wouldn't disagree with his Old Man's words, he also had little interest in the new generation of geniuses he mentioned.

After all, he was a genius, and a genius who dominated an era, so when talking about the geniuses emerging in the national junior high school, he could treat them with the attitude of a senior looking at a junior.

He treated it as a topic of conversation while enjoying tea, until his Old Man mentioned Seigaku, at which point he became slightly interested.

Because he saw in Seigaku, or in Tezuka Kunimitsu, the same position he held for Makino Fuji.

But he just sighed slightly.

But when his Old Man said that there was a boy in the junior high school class with similar potential to him, and that boy hadn't even had a chance to compete yet...

Only then did he truly suppress his smile.

The other person's past experiences and current situation made him realize something in an instant.

The thought of demons came to mind, and then, from Oni Jūjirō, it shifted to myself.

As Byōdōin Hōō picked up his teacup, he couldn't help but develop a strong interest in the boy his Old Man had mentioned.

"Who is he?"

"Hey, Little Phoenix, he's here!"

Just then, a series of light footsteps reached Byōdōin's ears, drawing his attention.

Muneyoshi's sudden intrusion shattered the tranquility between the two, and the courtyard seemed to come alive from its silence.

Byōdōin frowned, clearly annoyed at being interrupted from his thoughts and questioned.

But the thought that Muneyoshi might also be his Old Man's guest quickly brought his expression back to calm.

When his Old Man said that the person who came was "him," he opened his eyes wide and stared intently at Muneyoshi.

P. S.: I received a notification from my editor saying that it can be published soon. This is the first time in Danyang, so I don't know what to prepare. In the end, I thought I'd leave some drafts for everyone to keep on hand.

I'll write more chapters these next few days to build up my reserves, so I can update more frequently later! Also, please vote for me!