Chapter 25: Going to Tokyo

"Kiyoko, do we have another jacket in size L?"

Tsuna tried to ask Shimizu about their club's jacket and maybe request another one for himself. It was far too tight on him now, his broader shoulders and developed physique making it almost impossible to wear comfortably.

However, Shimizu didn't seem to respond.

"Kiyoko?" he repeated, tilting his head slightly as if to check if she'd heard him.

"..."

She finally looked at him, her expression unreadable, before turning away without a word. It was clear that she had heard him but didn't want to respond.

He was ignored.

Suga noticed this odd interaction and whispered curiously, "Did you do something to upset her? She seems... kind of mad at you."

Tsuna replied cluelessly, "Uh, not that I'm aware of."

Ichiro's words suddenly came back to him—something about women being unpredictable at times. His gaze lingered on Shimizu's unreadable expression before quietly thinking, 'Maybe I should ask Dad what to do when this happens...' 

Meanwhile...

Kageyama didn't know what to feel about this as he quietly stared at Tsuna's right hand. A small crease formed on his forehead as he muttered to himself, "He's... right-handed?"

He was already skeptical when Tanaka claimed Karasuno had beaten Aoba Johsai to a pulp last year. He knew who the setter on the other side was—it was Oikawa.

The one who had inspired Kageyama to become a setter in the first place.

As far as skills were concerned, Oikawa was top-notch.

Although he knew he had underestimated Karasuno's players by quite a bit, Kageyama still didn't think it was possible to one-sidedly beat Aoba Johsai with this kind of lineup.

But now, knowing that Tsuna had switched to using his left hand only a year ago, it started to make some sense.

'So that's why his serve has such bad accuracy...'

Tsuna's left-hand serve was strong enough for Kageyama to know it had the potential to play a major role in an official game.

He thought the bad aim came from the fact that Tsuna might have just started using the jump serve, but it turned out that his left hand couldn't control his strength properly.

"That's not the important part!"

Tanaka slung an arm around Kageyama's shoulders. With a mischievous grin, he added, "We can totally surprise them with this! Hahaha!"

"Oh!"

Everyone's eyes lit up at the idea, their faces reflecting the same mischievous glint.

Takeda, who had been sulking earlier, perked up. His excitement grew as he nodded, "Hmm, they're definitely going to be caught off guard by Matsumoto-kun's appearance!"

The anticipation seemed to lift the team's spirits—until Tsuna broke the mood.

"Ah, about that..."

Tsuna looked at Shimizu, who barely responded to any of his questions. He shrugged his shoulders before turning to the others and said, "I might not be able to come."

The gym fell silent.

Even Shimizu, who had been ignoring him the whole time, glanced up briefly before returning to her clipboard.

"...What?"

Tanaka's jaw dropped as he gawked at Tsuna.

Suga's smile stiffened as he asked, "You're kidding, right?"

Tsuna gave a small shrug and explained, "There's... something I need to take care of that day. I'm not sure if I'll be free since I'll be in Tokyo at the time."

What Tsuna didn't elaborate on was that he had an important meeting with representatives from a renowned international publishing house. They were interested in discussing the possibility of publishing his light novels internationally—a rare and massive opportunity for him.

Missing this meeting wasn't an option, not even for a practice match against Aoba Johsai High School.

"Well..."

The team exchanged glances, their excitement deflating like a punctured volleyball.

Although Tsuna didn't explain much about what he was doing in Tokyo, they could tell it was not something he wanted to miss just for a practice match, even if it was against Aoba Johsai High School.

Besides, if he wanted to tell them why, he would have already done so. Knowing this, Daichi then patted Tsuna on the shoulder and nodded, "Just do your thing, Tsuna. We're gonna try our best to win without you this time!"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Kinoshita said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

Ennoshita added cheerfully, "Just bring us something cool back from Tokyo, alright?"

"Thanks, but..."

Tsuna nodded slowly. Then, without missing a beat, he asked, "...who are you two?"

"...?"

A heavy silence descended on the gym.

"..."

Daichi and Suga exchanged incredulous looks before simultaneously facepalming.

It was true that Kinoshita, Ennoshita, and even Harita, who was currently absent, had joined back in the regulars after Tsuna's injury.

So it was expected Tsuna wasn't familiar with either of them.

But to bring it up now, after they'd just tried to cheer him up?

The timing was downright tragic.

"Way to ruin the mood..." Tanaka muttered, rolling his eyes.

Kinoshita and Ennoshita had frozen still in place, their faces drained of color like characters in a black-and-white manga panel. They stood stiffly as Takeda approached and gently patted their shoulders in silent sympathy.

He truly understood their pain.

"Ahem!"

Daichi clapped his hands sharply, breaking the awkward tension. "Alright, enough of that! Let's get back to work. We've got drills to run, and we're going to need every ounce of practice to take on Aoba Johsai."

The team scattered into action, falling into their training routine.

Daichi led them through a session of drills that Coach Ukai had left in his absence in his first year. Though Ukai wasn't there even after two years of being hospitalized after an unfortunate back injury—they still followed his guidance to the letter. 

Then...

The sound of sneakers squeaking on the court and volleyballs thudding against the floor filled the gym.

Time passed quickly, and the bright yellow sunlight bathing Karasuno High began its slow descent, turning a warm shade of orange.

The school grounds gradually quieted down as the club activities came to an end, replaced by the chatter of students heading home.

"Uwaah, that was tiring..."

Tanaka groaned, slouching dramatically as they walked.

"Yeah, maybe we should've gone easier today," Suga muttered while rubbing the back of his neck.

Daichi shook his head, "Don't slack off now. We need to push ourselves harder if we want to be ready in two days."

The group made their way to the nearby bus stop. They'd decided to reward themselves with snacks at the local dagashiya, just two bus stops away from school.

Walking a step ahead, Hinata suddenly looked around and asked, "Uh, senpai, where's Tsuna-senpai? I don't think he rides a bike though, so why can't we see him?"

"Yeah. We raced this morning, so I know he didn't ride a bike."

The others beside them were going home with a bike. But why Tsuna, who was running with them this morning, wasn't around? 

Kageyama nodded in agreement.

"Hmm..." Suga paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "...now that you mention it, I think he started running home again."

"Running? After all that practice?" 

"Don't try to figure out someone like Tsuna!"

Tanaka let out a hearty laugh, clapping Hinata on the back, "That guy barely trained before, and now he's working like crazy. Just let him be. Come on, let's hurry and grab those snacks!"

Their laughter and chatter carried them onto the bus.

Twenty minutes later, the scenery had shifted from bustling streets to serene rice fields dotted with gentle hills.

The bus slowed as it approached a small neighborhood nestled beside a winding river.

"Alright, let's go," Daichi said, leading the group toward the small dagashiya around the corner.

"Huh? Is that a ramen shop? Has that always been there?"

Suga slowed his steps as something caught his eye.

Daichi glanced over and squinted. "Oh, that? I'm not sure... I think it's been there for a while. I've never tried it, though."

Meanwhile, Tanaka and the freshmen duo had suddenly stopped in their tracks. They were looking toward the small road leading to the main street.

"Uh, what are you guys looking at?"

Daichi followed their gaze and froze. "Huh?"

At the end of the path, a familiar figure was jogging toward them, wearing Karasuno's uniform.

Suga blurted out in surprise, "Tsuna!?" 

"Hmm?"

Tsuna slowed to a stop. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and looked up at them, puzzled, "What are you guys doing here?"

"No, that's our question!" Tanaka exclaimed, pointing at him. "Did you just run, like, three miles? What for!?"

Tsuna shrugged nonchalantly and pointed toward a small, traditional-looking house just down the road from the ramen shop.

Its wooden exterior and tiled roof stood out against the modern buildings nearby as he said, "That's my house."

The group stared at him in disbelief.

Daichi shook his head and sighed, turning back toward the dagashiya.

"I'm grabbing snacks. You guys sort this out," he muttered, leaving the others behind.

Kageyama gawked at Tsuna. "Wait, so... every morning and afternoon, you run three miles? To school and back?"

"Pretty much..."

Tsuna nodded casually, as if it was no big deal.

Hinata's eyes lit up, practically sparkling with admiration. He stepped forward, fists clenched with excitement. "Senpai! Please let me join your training program!"

Tanaka smacked his own forehead, muttering, "Oh boy, here we go..."

"Uh..."

Tsuna was a bit overwhelmed.

The questions from Hinata and Kageyama kept coming at him, one after another. Just as he was about to tell them to get out of his face, a car suddenly drove by, drawing everyone's attention.

It was a Lexus LS460, a luxury car that seemed out of place in such a small, rural prefecture. The sleek black vehicle smoothly pulled up beside them and came to a stop.

The window rolled down slowly, revealing a young woman with fair skin, chin-length dark blue hair, and sunglasses.

She gave Tsuna a playful smile and greeted him with a teasing tone, "Oh my, handsome guy, would you like to have some fun with Onee-chan?"

"...!"

The group stared at Tsuna in shock. His face twitched slightly with embarrassment as he rolled his eyes at the woman.

"Stop playing tricks, Machida-san," he said flatly.

It was Sonoko Machida, his editor from Fujikawa Shoten.

She stepped out of the car and teasingly placed her hand over his chin, "Oh, come on, handsome guy. You and I both know we've done all of those things together..."

Tsuna rolled his eyes at Machida.

She was definitely talking about work-related things, but his teammates were blushing, their faces red with embarrassment.

Tsuna quietly cursed under his breath, 'Dirty-minded bastards...'

'Anyway, what is she doing here?' He shook his head and looked Machida up and down, his eyes narrowing as he realized something. 'Is she skipping work again?'

"...!"

The thought hit him like a flash of lightning. He suddenly had an idea as he muttered to himself, "Maybe... I can join in the practice game after all..." 

If he could get her to be his driver on Friday, he wouldn't have to rely on public transport. Plus, she'd probably agree if it meant skipping work.

A sly smile spread across his face, "Machida-san, you came at the perfect timing..."

"Huh?"

Machida's teasing expression immediately faltered.

She instinctively took a step back, her eyes narrowing as she studied Tsuna suspiciously, "Are you... scheming something against me, Tsuna-kun?"

"Haha, not at all. Why would I do something like that to a beautiful woman such as yourself? Didn't you say we've already done things together?"

"...!"

Machida froze, a chill running down her spine as she realized... she'd messed up.

Meanwhile, the others were bright red, their faces burning from listening to this unexpected 'adult' conversation.

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Important Notes

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Hey, everyone!

First, I want to thank all of you who've been reading the story, engaging with it, and supporting it with power stones. I honestly didn't expect such a response this early, and I've been pleasantly surprised by it.

I'm truly grateful for your support. It means a lot to me to have all of you around.

After a week of posting chapters, I noticed that the number of power stones has exceeded the tier list I originally set. The list was based on the data from my past fanfictions, but I realize now that it doesn't quite match up for this particular one.

So, here's what I'm thinking:

I've come up with a plan that I hope works well for both of us.

You'll get stable chapter updates throughout the week, rather than a rush of chapters at the beginning and fewer later on.

And I'll have more time to prepare each chapter without having to sacrifice my sleep like I did earlier this week.

Here's the new tier list I have in mind:

Tier 1: 500 power stones

Tier 2: 1,000 power stones

Tier 3: 1,500 power stones

Given the enthusiasm I've seen, I'm confident these tiers will be met. Thus, I'll still be posting 10 chapters every week whenever we achieve this tier list.

I also understand it might seem unfair to ask for this, so I've added another tier to compensate:

Tier 4: 2,500 power stones

I'm not sure if we'll hit this one, but if we do, I'll post another bonus chapter, following the same schedule!

I think it's possible on a good week, but I'm not sure how it'll go every week.

This new tier list will start next week, so I ask for your understanding, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! Cheers!

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