The commotion from the forest resolved itself as the mushroom-gathering expedition emerged, led by an enthusiastic Anya who was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Big Brother Gustave! Anya found lots and lots of mushrooms today!" she announced proudly, racing toward him while Yor followed behind with their harvest basket.
Gustave set aside his bamboo fishing rod and smiled as he approached. "Let's see what you managed to find, little explorer."
Anya immediately dragged Yor forward, gesturing dramatically toward the wicker basket. "Look! Anya was super good at mushroom hunting!"
Examining the contents, Gustave was genuinely impressed. The basket was filled with a diverse collection of wild mushrooms—and remarkably, every single one was edible. Not a single poisonous variety in the bunch, which was unusual even for experienced foragers.
"Anya, this is excellent work," he said warmly, ruffling her pink hair. "You have a real talent for this."
"Where's Chan'er?" he asked, looking around. "Did our other mushroom expert have similar success?"
"Here, Big Brother Gustave!" Yang Chan appeared beside them, holding up her own basket with quiet pride. Her collection was even more impressive than Anya's—a carefully curated selection of premium varieties.
"Outstanding, Chan'er. You both did wonderfully."
As he praised the young foragers, Gustave noticed Ai emerging from the tree line, followed by a distinctly bedraggled Conan who looked like he'd been through a washing machine full of leaves and twigs.
Behind them came Eiji and Sengoku, each carrying a substantial bucket and wearing expressions of supreme satisfaction.
Well, that explains Conan's condition, Gustave thought with amusement. The honey expedition clearly had some complications.
"How was the hunt, you two?" he called out to the tennis players.
"Two full buckets!" Sengoku announced proudly, both boys lifting their containers to demonstrate the weight. "Much better haul than last time!"
"Perfect. Save some for me to make a honey glaze for tonight's roasted lamb—it'll add an incredible flavor."
"Absolutely!" Eiji agreed immediately. After all, they'd collected the honey to share with everyone.
"Sengoku, Eiji," came Coach Banji's amused voice as he rose from beside the pond, "did you two sneak off on another honey-stealing adventure?"
Both teenagers froze, suddenly noticing the older man for the first time. They'd been so focused on showing off their success that they'd missed his presence entirely.
"Oh! Coach Banji!" Sengoku stammered, looking suddenly nervous.
"Relax, you two," Banji chuckled. "I'm not Tezuka—I won't lecture you about proper expedition safety protocols."
"Right! Why should we be worried?" Eiji laughed, his confidence returning. Coach Banji had always been much more easygoing than their stern captain.
As the group made their way back toward camp, chattering about their respective adventures, Gustave couldn't help but notice the irony. The mushroom hunters and honey gatherers returned with impressive hauls, while he and Banji—the supposed "serious fishermen"—had nothing to show for their afternoon by the water.
Then again, he reflected philosophically, would we really be proper fishermen if we actually caught something?
Back at camp, Gustave checked his pocket watch and frowned. Only three o'clock—far too early to begin serious dinner preparations. With everyone having started their day before dawn, they'd reached the campsite by ten and completed their expeditions with time to spare.
Five o'clock at the earliest for cooking, he decided. I should find something to occupy the next two hours.
His attention was drawn to the sports area, where the earlier badminton games had evolved into serious tennis matches. The competitive atmosphere was impossible to resist for players of their caliber.
Currently, Chu Zihang and Fuji were engaged in an intense rally. While Chu Zihang's technical skills couldn't match Fuji's refined genius, his superior physical conditioning kept him competitive. If anything, his raw power and endurance might give him the advantage in a longer match.
"Mr. Gustave, would you be interested in a game?"
Turning, Gustave found Loid approaching, looking refreshed and ready for activity.
"Where's Himawari?" Gustave asked, noticing the absence of the baby who usually monopolized handsome men's attention.
"Finally managed to get her to sleep," Loid replied with obvious relief. "Misae kindly offered to watch her, so I have a rare opportunity for adult conversation and exercise."
"Sounds perfect. Let me grab a racket from—"
"Papa! Big Brother Gustave! Anya wants to play tennis too!"
Their plans were immediately derailed as Anya came bounding over, her eyes bright with determination.
Gustave and Loid exchanged resigned looks. So much for their friendly match.
"Anya, sweetheart," Loid said gently, crouching to her eye level, "why the sudden interest in tennis?"
"Anya watched all the big brothers playing, and they look so cool!" she declared with absolute conviction. "Anya wants to learn digital tennis! If Anya learns digital tennis, she'll become super smart like the big brothers!"
Kid, that's not how it works, Gustave thought with amusement. You need to be smart to play data tennis effectively, not the other way around. You've got the cause and effect completely backwards.
"Digital tennis?" Loid asked, looking puzzled. "I'm not familiar with that term."
"It's actually called 'data tennis,'" Gustave explained. "But rather than me explaining it poorly, why don't I get you an expert consultation?"
He waved Inui over from where he'd been analyzing Chu Zihang's playing patterns.
"Inui, we have someone interested in learning about your tennis playing style."
At the prospect of discussing his favorite subject, Inui's eyes lit up behind his glasses. He immediately launched into a comprehensive explanation of data collection techniques, statistical analysis, probability calculations, and predictive modeling in tennis strategy.
When Loid showed genuine fascination rather than polite confusion, Inui's enthusiasm reached new heights. He dragged Kawamura over for a practical demonstration, rattling off percentages and tactical assessments with machine-gun precision.
"Incredible!" Loid breathed, clearly captivated by the systematic approach. "This methodology could have applications far beyond tennis. The intelligence-gathering potential alone..."
"Mr. Inui," he said formally, "would you be willing to teach me these techniques? I believe this could greatly benefit my... professional development."
"Please, Mr. Loid, there's no need for such formality," Inui replied, though he was obviously pleased by the respectful approach. "I'm much younger than you."
"As they say, 'The accomplished should be honored regardless of age,'" Loid quoted smoothly. "You're clearly the authority on this subject. I'd be honored to learn from you."
Faced with such sincere flattery, Inui couldn't refuse. "Very well, I'll teach you the fundamentals of data tennis analysis."
"What about Anya?" the little girl piped up, waving her arms to get attention. "Anya wants to learn data tennis too!"
Looking at his daughter's eager expression, Loid felt a familiar parental headache coming on.
"Don't worry about Anya," Gustave intervened smoothly. "You focus on learning from Inui. I'll handle her tennis introduction."
"Thank you, Mr. Gustave. I'm in your debt," Loid said gratefully before allowing Inui to lead him toward the practice area.
As Gustave watched them go, he was already beginning to regret his generous offer.
Since Anya had zero tennis background, he'd planned to start with absolute basics—proper grip, stance, simple ball-bouncing exercises. A patient, methodical approach to build fundamental skills before attempting anything advanced.
But as he began working with her, one thing became immediately and alarmingly clear:
Anya's natural athletic ability was absolutely terrifying bad.
What exactly have I gotten myself into? he wondered, watching her instinctively execute movements that should have taken weeks to develop.