The Shitenhoji Tennis Club’s Kuroko, Who Plays Tennis on a Whim

At Shitenhoji, a school famous for its comedy tennis, there was a master of basic tennis whose presence was almost nonexistent: Kuroko Hoshino.

As one of Saitama-sensei's disciples from One-Punch Man, he brought the idea of "the ultimate basics" to tennis. He had no flashy special moves, no clever techniques, and no unique way of hitting the ball.

But as a disciple of One-Punch Man, even a casual shot from him made the spectators cry out that it defied science.

The Kuroko family's esoteric art was having a low presence. Fortunately, Hoshino could boost his presence by wearing a bedsheet. His near-invisibility often let him escape being dragged by his seniors into comedy tennis practice, as well as Kintaro's constant invitations to play tennis. A school legend spread through Shitenhoji about a ghost club member no one could find.

The Shitenhoji seniors' biggest headaches after the school year began were probably one junior they couldn't find, another junior with far too much energy, and the court that always needed repairs after those two juniors played on it.

[Bonus Scenes]

1. "Master, I've been training under you for three years now. Do you think... I'm 'strong' yet?"

Saitama finally closed his manga and stared at Kuroko Hoshino for a few seconds. Then he reached out, ruffled Hoshino's thick blue hair, and sighed. "No. You've still got a long way to go."

"Is my swing still not proper enough? Or have I not done enough physical training?"

"No, the problem is..." Saitama pointed to his own bald head, then poked Hoshino's hair. "You still have this."

"My hair?"

"A true strongman has to cast off every unnecessary burden!" Saitama said gravely. "Look at me. Once I got strong, all my hair fell out. But you..." He pinched a lock of Hoshino's blue hair and gave it a shake. "This proves your training isn't pure enough!"

"..."

"So!" Saitama slapped his thigh. "Go to school! Come back when you've understood what 'true strength' means!"

And so Kuroko Hoshino was expelled from his master's school on the grounds that he had "too much hair." Carrying his racket, he stood outside the gates of Shitenhoji Junior High.

-

2. Kuroko Hoshino vs. Kintaro Toyama, first-year showdown

The Wave Ball... The senior who knew the 108 Techniques had been reduced to being the referee.

Kintaro Toyama (excited): "Take this! Super Ultimate Absolutely Delicious Giant-Wheel Mountain Storm!!"

Kuroko Hoshino (calmly): "Toyama, I'm going to return the ball seriously now."

BOOM!!!

The walls surrounding both courts collapsed with a roar. "..." (They silently fell over.)

Hikaru Zaizen walked out from the dust-covered court with dead fish eyes. "Looks like the cost of fixing the walls will come out of everyone's pockets again. Guess we'll all have to show off our talents over the next week."

3. Going to the convenience store at noon to buy the limited-edition special-price bento:

The day before, Kenya Oshitari had declared with confidence at tennis club, "When it comes to speed, I'm the fastest in Osaka!"

The last time they made a bet, Hoshino won by leaving through the door just before the final class ended. This time, they were told they had to leave the classroom together when the bell rang.

"Oh."

Kenya Oshitari ended up in the middle of a huge crowd that seemed to stretch on forever. "Wait... Hoshino, did you cheat again?!"

"Oh, I don't know how, but I just got lucky and was pushed to the front."

-

You can win the national championship even with comedy tennis.

Theme: Friendship first, competition second