110. Everyday Life: What My Father Taught Me in Hawaii When I Was a Child

“Let’s eat!”

At the dining table, Minami Matsubara and Ayana Matsubara pressed their palms together and cried out in unison.

“Let’s… eat…”

Mingyi Matsubara pressed his trembling hands together. As the two sisters began eating, the boy’s eyebrows slanted into a worried angle, his eyes narrowed into thin lines, and his utterly lifeless expression made Mitsukazu Matsubara burst out laughing.

“Do you still have practice at school today?”

“Yeah. We won our first match in the Kanto Tournament, but we can’t stop our regular training. Being late would be disastrous.”

Mingyi glanced at the clock, saw that it was six-thirty, took a sip of soup, and answered.

“Why?” Ayana asked curiously.

“Because our tennis club captain is extremely strict.”

The image of Tezuka’s expressionless face surfaced in Mingyi’s mind, and he gave an awkward laugh.

At that very moment, on the train to Seishun, Tezuka suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and said calmly, “It shouldn’t be autumn yet. Could I be coming down with a cold?”

Seishun Academy.

“Yesterday’s match against Rokkaku Middle was really close. We nearly lost.”

“Definitely. Their doubles were incredibly strong. Luckily, our captain, vice-captain, and Matsubara all won their singles matches, which made up for the losses in doubles.”

“But honestly, Seishun had never even taken part in the regional qualifiers before. Reaching the Kanto Tournament already feels like a dream. If we get eliminated in the first round this time, I don’t think anyone would laugh at us, would they?”

“That’s true…”

“I never thought our doubles team, which had never lost before, would suffer two straight defeats…”

A non-regular player hugged his racket, speaking in disbelief.

“Yeah. If Rokkaku Middle is already this strong, who knows whether our next opponents will be just as formidable…”

Another non-regular stood beside him, gazing beyond the court and sighing.

At eight o’clock, everyone gathered at Tezuka’s summons.

“Everyone, good work in yesterday’s match. Although we successfully advanced, this is no time to relax. To prepare for our next match in the Kanto Tournament, we must train even harder!”

“Yes!”

Mingyi Matsubara and the others shouted in unison.

“The Kanto Tournament is only the beginning. Our goal is the National Tournament. Until then, the regular lineup is not set in stone. Those who are not regulars now still have a chance to become regulars—but of course, you will have to fight for it yourselves.”

The moment Tezuka finished speaking, quite a few second- and third-year non-regulars began to stir with anticipation. Hearing the waves of excited chatter around him, Fuji smiled faintly.

“Yesterday’s hard-fought victory has everyone fired up.”

“Sure has.”

Ryo Shishido, dressed in a non-regular’s uniform, nodded and smiled.

“I’ve got to work hard and win my spot back!”

Kumakiri Shibayama’s own passion flared to life, and he spoke excitedly.

“One more thing. As our opponents grow stronger, the matches will become increasingly intense, so everyone must be careful not to get injured. There is nothing more regrettable than being unable to perform at your best because of an injury. For any team, good health is the most important thing.”

Tezuka’s words drew everyone’s attention. Many of them nodded silently, and after meeting Tezuka’s gaze, Kichiro Akazawa also gave a quiet nod.

“That’s all. The regulars will begin training immediately according to the special schedules prepared by Inui and Renji. The non-regulars will pair up and play practice matches!”

Tezuka’s voice rang out.

“Yes!”

After everyone dispersed, the non-regulars began pairing off for practice matches, and the courts soon grew lively.

Outside the courts, Kichiro Akazawa lay on the grass with weights strapped to both legs, his hands behind his head. Then he raised and straightened his legs with all his strength, feeling the tightness in his lower back and the aching strain along his inner thighs. He clenched his teeth with his eyes shut, letting his entire body tremble violently.

“This training really is brutal…”

“I found you, Akazawa.”

Fuji’s voice drifted over from the distance. Akazawa quickly sat up and stared at him in surprise.

“Vice-captain…”

“Good work. Here you go.”

Fuji handed him a bottle of mineral water.

“Thanks…”

Akazawa accepted it gratefully.

“By the way, don’t you need to do leg-strength training, Vice-captain?”

Seeing that Fuji had no weights strapped to his legs, Akazawa asked in confusion.

“You cramped up during the match, so Inui prepared the leg-strength exercises specifically for you. I’m doing running drills.”

Fuji rested his hands on his knees and smiled with narrowed eyes.

“Oh, that sounds easy.”

Akazawa sounded envious.

“Would you like to trade? I’m doing five-kilometer sprint intervals.”

Fuji smiled faintly.

“Er… I think I’ll pass…”

Akazawa immediately backed down.

…

“All right, that concludes today’s training. Non-regulars, stay behind and clean up!”

Tezuka called out to everyone.

“Today was exhausting. I feel like my body doesn’t even belong to me anymore…”

In the locker room, Ryo Shishido pulled off his T-shirt and sighed.

“How was cleaning duty? Tiring, right? Hurry up and come join us. Then you won’t have to stay behind and clean the courts.”

Sitting leisurely in a chair, Mingyi Matsubara grinned.

“Cleaning the courts is a form of training too.”

After changing clothes, Shishido looked at the boy and smiled as well.

“But I’m still happy that we get to take a day off from training tomorrow.”

Shishido gazed at the ceiling, looking relieved.

“Oh? Is there something special tomorrow?”

Mingyi slung his tennis bag over his shoulder and walked out of the locker room with Shishido.

“You forgot? Tomorrow is our weekly elective class.”

Shishido paused and reminded him.

“Oh, right… I remember now. What class did you choose, Shishido?”

Mingyi slapped a hand against his forehead.

“Since we can only choose sports-related activities, I picked shuffleboard. What about you, Matsubara?”

“Hmm… I chose badminton.”

The boy answered.

“What? You’re so good at tennis. I thought you’d choose table tennis.”

Shishido looked genuinely surprised.

“I’m actually very good at badminton.”

Mingyi gave an awkward laugh. Before coming to this world, his badminton skills had been unmatched.

“I never would have guessed. You’ve got some real talent. Where did you learn?”

Shishido asked with a grin.

“Er… well… when I was little, my father taught me in Hawaii.”

After hesitating for a while, Mingyi improvised an excuse.

“You played badminton in Hawaii?”

Shishido found that rather novel.

“Never mind that. Why did you choose shuffleboard? Are you particularly good at it?”

Mingyi hurriedly changed the subject.

“Not really. Apart from tennis, the only activities I like are playing cards and bowling. But the school doesn’t have a bowling alley, so I chose shuffleboard since it’s somewhat similar to bowling.”

Shishido explained.

“Shuffleboard and bowling… They’re still pretty different, aren’t they?”

The corner of Mingyi’s mouth twitched despite himself.

…

The following day.

“Good morning, Mingyi. You got up later than yesterday. Don’t you have training?”

Mitsukazu Matsubara glanced at the clock, which showed seven o’clock, and asked with a smile.

“Yeah. I have a physical education elective today, so training is suspended for the day. It counts toward our credits.”

Mingyi took a bite of bread and drank some milk. As his throat moved, he could not help frowning.

Miso soup with grilled fish really did taste better…

Although he had crossed into another world, after more than a month of adjustment, Mingyi Matsubara had already become quite adept at fitting into life here. From speech to daily habits and meals, he felt that Japanese breakfasts had a unique charm of their own.

Even now, every morning still felt to him like breakfast at a five-star hotel. After all, in his former world, breakfast tables did not offer all kinds of soups, steamed egg custard, grilled fish, and other delicacies.

“I wonder what a stuffed egg pancake with miso soup would taste like…”

He shoved the last slice of bread into his mouth, drained his milk, grabbed his schoolbag, and rushed out. As the front door clicked shut, a faint voice floated back inside.

“I’m off to school!”

Purple Pen Literature