22 Kunimitsu Tezuka

No real explanation why it took this long to upload a new chapter, but I'll try to come up with an excuse.

This chapter came a bit late because I felt tired and took essentially a few weeks to rest. I don't know why, but when the time comes and I have class, it's not that much of a struggle to write compared to when the quarter ends. I think it's because it feels like I am working during break and that automatically makes me feel repulsed towards writing as I do not consider it to be a hobby then. Also I haven't been getting much sleep which makes sense during breaks.

Then before I knew it, summer school had begun and that took up a lot of my time since I'm now taking 2 weeks worth of classes within one week. My workload kinda doubled.

Lastly, I think setting a word minimum each day is probably causing some psychological effect on me (I work better if I have a deadline/quota, but will tire out due to repetition). But I should be better within the near future.

I'll try my best to write a little every day and publish as soon as possible. Thank you for your time.

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Akira did not expect to meet Seigaku's (short for Seishun Gakuen/Academy) future prodigal captain on a day like this. His looks were extremely similar to what he saw in the series with his sharp eyes and seemingly unemotional face, but there was still a bit of innocence to him.

Kuniharu: "It is nice to meet you Hayaba-san. Thank you for looking after my father."

He bowed and Akira waved in response.

Akira: "Please, in fact, I should be thanking him. He has done a lot for me even though we just met."

Kunikazu: "I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

Akira: "Don't worry about it. I should have known that my problem could not have been solved so easily. I'm thankful for the advice you gave me. In any case, did I interrupt your moment with your family. If I am correct, you came to see your mother correct."

Ayano: "Ahh. Don't worry about that, we finished some time ago. We were just wondering where father went when he hadn't returned after some time."

Akira: "Then I did hold him up. I apologize."

The father waved his hand.

Kuniharu: "There is nothing to be sorry about, I am just glad to see that nothing happened to him."

Akira smiled and then someone spoke up.

Kunimitsu: "Mother, father, can we go to the park now?"

He was holding a tennis bag which meant that he wanted to play some tennis as soon as he can.

Kuniharu: "Now, now, Kunimitsu. There is no need for a rush. We can play with you soon."

Kunikazu nodded.

Kunikazu: "That's right. Remember what I told you before? Patience is a virtue and it is something that every person should know and have, especially a sportsman. With it, many difficult situations can be made easy and winning becomes more likely."

Kunimitsu: "Yes, grandfather."

[A/N: "I'm calling him Kunimitsu this chapter so he is identifiable from the other Tezukas in this chapter, but will switch to calling him Tezuka when they are not around. Should I call him Tezuka or Kunimitsu like in this chapter?"]

Kunikazu smiled.

Akira: "However, he still did bring up an important point. I shouldn't keep Tezuka-san from you all any longer. I'll leave you all to whatever plans you had previously."

Akira was about to leave when grandpa Tezuka stopped him.

Kunikazu: "You don't have to leave so quickly. We were just going to have ourselves a family outing, but I'm sure that there would be no problem with you joining us."

He turned to Ayano.

Kunikazu: "I'm sure we have more than enough to accommodate you right?"

Ayano raised the large basket she was holding.

Ayano: "Of course. I made extra just in case."

Akira was startled.

Akira: "Please. I don't want to be more of a bother than I already have."

Kunikazu: "Nonsense. You're no bother at all right?"

Kuniharu: "Yeah. There is no such a thing as having too much friends."

He couldn't find a way to get out of it. If he insisted to refuse again, it would cause a negative impact between his and the Tezuka family's relationship.

[A/N: "Japanese people generally take social relationships and family/friendly ties very seriously."]

Akira: "Well... If you insist."

Kunikazu: "Excellent! There's a nearby park that has the perfect environment for an outing."

With little choice, Akira went to the park along side the Tezuka family. They went to an unoccupied bench and had onigiris and sandwiches, along with miso soup kept within a large insulated bottle.

The family talked about various things like what happened at their work and reminiscing about the past. They didn't forget to include Akira in their conversation too. The overall atmosphere around them was cheerful.

Kuniharu: "Ah! That reminds me, what were you talking about with Hayaba-kun father?"

Kunikazu fell silent and looked towards Akira, along with Kuniharu and Ayano.

Kuniharu: "You don't need to share it if you do not want to. We just wanted to learn more about you."

Akira: "...It's okay. I guess there's no harm in you two knowing since I already told your father."

Akira then proceeded to summarize his discussion with Kunikazu, about how he feels guilty even though he was not responsible for the Hayaba family's deaths, how he asked Kunikazu for any advice he could give him, and the response he got with him saying that he also could not come up with a solution to his problem.

Akira willingly told the other Tezukas about his problem mainly because he felt like this family was dependable and because he had a small hope that they might provide the answer he was looking for, or at least give him a clue.

However, like grandpa Tezuka, the married Tezukas were also stuck on this problem. They could have said that he didn't need to feel guilty because the accident wasn't his fault, but that had little affect if Akira believes that he was somehow responsible. Also, saying that would be a bit insensitive.

Kunimitsu: "Why do you feel guilty even though you were not at fault?"

However, there was one person there that was not able to read the atmosphere and was too young to understand the mind of adults.

Everyone was a bit stunned by what the young Tezuka said.

Ayano: "...Kunimitsu, you shouldn't say things like that so carelessly."

The innocent Kunimitsu was still confused.

Kunimitsu: "Why? If he did not do anything wrong, then he should not feel sad right?"

Ayano: "That's right but..."

Akira: "That's alright."

Akira stepped in and tried to explain his situation so that someone as young as Kunimitsu can understand.

Akira: "...Let's say that I brought a ball to the park to play with your father, but your father accidently hurt your grandfather with the ball while we were playing."

He gestured a silent apology to father Tezuka and grandpa Tezuka, to which they gestured back that they did not mind.

Akira: "Now since I brought the ball to the park to play, I feel a bit responsible, ...eh sad, for your grandfather getting hurt even though it was your father that hurt him. Do you understand it if I explain it like this?"

Kunimitsu nodded and began thinking. Although there are other factors in play, Akira's situation could be summarized to be the scenario he gave Kunimitsu. Same with his parents, Akira was not expecting an answer, but given his innocence, a new perspective would be appreciated.

After a while, Kunimitsu finally came to a conclusion.

Kunimitsu: "...Nope. I don't know."

Akira dropped his head and sighed hearing that, even though he expected it... again, not getting an answer was still hard on him.

Kunimitsu: "But I don't think you should worry that much."

Akira lifted his head.

Kunimitsu: "Although I am not exactly sure why you're like this, everything should be better in time. Right grandfather?"

Kunikazu: "Eh? Ah! Right. You're right... Time heals all wounds."

He said those last words reluctantly. He knew that wouldn't solve Akira's problem from their previous talk. Although time takes away guilt, in Akira's case, it is building faster than it was going away. Whatever he did, Akira would forever have that scar on his heart which grows every second.

Akira: "...What if time will not heal this? What if my guilt only continues to grow?"

Kunimitsu: "Then just do a lot of things that make you happy! If your happiness is a hundred times greater than your guilt, then it doesn't even matter!"

Everyone was a bit stunned by what they heard, by how... impractical what Kunimitsu said as a solution. Basically, Kunimitsu's solution could be summarized to have Akira carry much more happiness than he does guilt. However, to most people and Akira included, guilt is a lot heavier than expected and last much longer compared to happiness to a person. This means that he would be burdening himself even more by the constant increase in weight and struggling to constantly replace his fleeting happiness.

Kuniharu: "Ummm... It does not really work that way Kunimitsu. What you just said is really hard to do."

Kunimitsu: "Really? All you have to do is live happy everyday right? That sounds easy to me!"

Kuniharu: "..."

Everyone was silent..., at least for a moment.

Akira: "Hahahahaha! You're right! It is easy when you put it like that. All I have to do is live happy every day."

Everyone was surprised by how Akira reacted and so was he truthfully.

Time wasn't the answer for him right now and joy was a sort of coping mechanism to forget about his guilt. However, if he were to live happy everyday, then the guilt he feels would never bother him and someday, hopefully, it may completely go away. This was essentially the "junkies' way" of solving his problem, but it was the only solution available to him.

Also, Kunimitsu gave him another view point towards finding a solution. There may be no way to diminish how badly he feels towards the Hayaba family, however, adding happy feelings towards that may be the step in the right direction. There was no end in sight and he didn't know what it would be, but there was now a path.

Kunikazu was dubious in regards to Akira's choice.

Kunikazu: "...Is that really the answer that you should follow? I know that there are not many options that come to mind, but are you certain of following this one?"

Akira: "...No, I am not certain. However, it is the only path that is currently laid before me. Rather than remaining stagnant, it is better to move forward. Even if this path is the wrong one, there are still many down the road. At least I can be somewhat at ease knowing that I am doing all I can."

Kunikazu was still worried.

Kunikazu: "I'm still not sure. You know this is only a temporary solution, do you not? And you also know that this could lead to major consequences, right?"

Akira: "I am aware. However, I have family and friends I can count on to help support me along this path and guide me when I am on the edge. It will be a major trial, but I am confident that things will work out in the end."

Kunikazu sighed.

Kunikazu: "Since you are so determine to walk the harsh path you have chosen, then I have nothing else I can say."

Akira was about to thank him, but Kunikazu was not done yet.

Kunikazu: "But I also want you to know that you should consider us friends too. It is here that we have seen you start walking the path you believe in, so it is natural for us to make sure that you reach the end. Isn't that right?"

He turned his head towards his son and daughter-in-law.

Kuniharu: "Of course! We already consider you as a friend of our family."

Ayano: "Yes. Don't hesitate to inform us whenever you need assistance."

Akira was moved. He bowed while sitting down.

Akira: "...That you very much."

The Tezukas just smiled in response. There was nothing more needed to be said. But of course, there was someone who wasn't mature enough to read the atmosphere.

Kumimitsu: "...Since we're all done eating, can we play tennis now grandfather?"

Kunimitsu took out some tennis rackets from who knows where and Kunikazu looked at his grandson with a wry smile.

Kunikazu: "...Kunimitsu..."

Akira just chuckled.

Akira: "That's alright."

He turned towards the adolescent.

Akira: "Why don't I play tennis with you?"

Kunimitsu: "Really? Do you know how to play?"

Akira nodded.

Akira: "I used to play it almost everyday when I was in America. I could even give a pro a hard time. I could teach you a few things."

Kunimitsu: "Really!?"

Akira stood up.

Akira: "Although I am a bit out of shape today, I can still show you a few things. C'mon, let's go."

Although he should not strain himself due to his condition, a few bouts of tennis would not greatly lengthen his recovery time if he is careful.

The two walked towards a nearby tennis court, followed by the other 3. Kunimitsu's parents didn't have any complaints about Akira playing with him and Kunikazu's age was starting to get to him so he didn't really mind letting Akira take his role..., only for today however.

The two soon were standing on a tennis court with the other three sitting on the bench right along side of the court.

Akira: "You can serve first. Let's see what you got."

Kunimitsu: "Really? You better not regret it."

Kunimitsu then threw the ball into the air and then did an overhand serve. The ball flew and landed cleanly inside the service square, bouncing towards the corner of the court.

Akira: "Hooh~ Not bad for your age."

Akira calmly and easy returned the ball back to Kunimitsu and then they started rallying.

As the rally went on, Akira was becoming more impressed by Kunimitsu. For someone what is only a couple years old, his basics were good and from the speed of his returns, he has better strength than other children his age. Akira could see how he could develop to be one of the strongest players in his generation if he continues training. However, 'his generation' was the keyword here, and that was slowly becoming apparent.

As the rally continued, Kunimitsu was running back and forth, chasing the ball, but he soon noticed that Akira was hardly moving at all. He was standing at the center baseline returning all the balls.

This was the same technique that Tezuka Kunimitsu and Echizen Ryoma were able to use to make all the ball move towards them, making for easy returns. Akira began learning this technique ever since he first grabbed a racket. It was a perfect goal for him that was skill, experienced-based, and effort-based and if achieved would mean that you were nearing perfect control over the ball's rotation.

[A/N: "I will refer to this in the future as 'Zone'. In the wiki, I found 2 types of zones, 'Tezuka Zone' and 'Samurai Zone', which both basically say the same thing. However, I imagine both of then have their different attributes. Just to get it out there, some technique of different sports have the same name, so 'Zone' in tennis is different from 'Zone' in basketball."]

It eventually reached a point where Kunimitsu swung and missed one of Akira's return. Kunimitsu was a bit tired after that rally, even though it was still the first rally, but he was also stunned.

Kunimitsu: "Amazing! How did you do that!?"

Akira: "It's something that anyone can do if they devote a lot of time into getting better."

He then explained what the technique was and how a person needed a lot of experience and extreme control over the ball rotation to achieve this. As long as Kunimitsu devotes his time to work on this technique, he will master it in time.

He was a bit confused, processing Akira words, but he understood that this was something that needed effort to make his own.

Akira: "C'mon let's go again."

Kunimitsu nodded and then served again. They played a few games and Akira kept using Zone to return all the ball, giving Kunimitsu some tips as they played.

Kunimitsu: "Can you serve this time? I want to see how you serve."

Akira didn't mind, but he couldn't do it how he normally would due to his state and the fact that it might be too much for Kunimitsu. And his weakened serve seemed just right for the current Kunimitsu as it looked like he was just barely able to react in time to it. However, it was still strong enough to cause him to stagger and miss the next return.

Akira then proceeded to give Kunimitsu some pointers regarding serves, the proper forms, how there are many different kinds of serves, and each person has their own style.

Akira: "There are many forms of serves: underhand, overhand, slice, find the one that fits you and then use it to improve your own skills."

Kunimitsu: "If that's the case, then do you have your own special serve? Can I see it?"

Akira thought for a bit and eventually nodded. It may be a bit much for him right now, but doing it once shouldn't be that much of a problem.

Akira: "...Sure. It's one of the very first techniques that I learned. It took a long time perfect. It even got me my first point against a top pro."

This was kind of a lie. The first time Akira successfully performed the technique, he did not know that what he did was actually illegal. Players can not get a running start during their service. Nanjiro didn't mind and acknowledged it as a valid point, but Akira knew that he technically wasn't able to score any points during their first game.

Akira took his time you get ready and then tossed the ball into the air with a twist and sliced it, performing his feather serve.

After the match, Kunimitsu would now have some idea what his goal would be. The next time he would meet Akira, there was a good chance he could have already become the famous Tezuka that we all know and love and be recognized by the tennis world of Japan, maybe even more.

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Now that the chapter is over, I want to give more reasons why this chapter came out so late. I literally spent weeks plotting out this chapter, but could really see a way to navigate through this cleanly.

So if you read the past few chapters, you have seen that I finally wrote about the event where Akira meets his "parents". Honestly, I initially forgot about this, but was reminded a few chapters after Akira arrived in Japan. This essentially meant I had to come up with some excuse.

At the time, I thought the "guilt path" was the best way to go about this, but my mind soon blanked out when I tried writing it out. For days, I couldn't find a way to properly go about this moment in my story and the other paths I came up with were also lacking.

I am aware that Akira's revelation is less than good (in my opinion), so please forgive this moment. There is a good chance that I will not mention this moment in Akira's life ever again, so please disregards any future contradictions that are related to the few chapters besides a few key points.

Lastly, I want to explain why I still continued on with this chapter like this even though I don't really like it. Although it isn't that good compared to the other chapters, I wanted Akira to have a moment where he displays how much he cares about his family. I, personally, am a family guy. I would do anything to help out my parents and siblings when they need it and I wanted my character to possess some of those traits.

A main character of this world setting should not overpowering and should display weaknesses for all to see.

With that said, I would apologize again for the long update and thank you for those continuing to read my story.

P.S. - I have decided to make this story not a 'harem' story. This means that Akira will not have multiple girlfriends/wives at once or anything like that. I spent some time thinking about the future plot of this fan-fiction and couldn't imagine a good scenario where this would be possible. This could change in the future since I do not clearly know how things will turn out, but this is the case as of now.