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Okay, here's the quote from Ties That Bind:
... And he turned to leave, managing all of four steps before stumbling on the fifth and being jerked a step back. Eiji’s gaze had turned skywards from where he stood on the opposite side of Tezuka from Oishi. With arms crossed over and behind his head, he was the very picture of an attempt to look innocent. Oishi turned his own puzzled gaze to the rope on the ground, followed its length and stopped short when it ran into a sports shoe, which belong a long leg attached to a long torso which leads up to the stoic face of the captain of Seigaku tennis club. He blinked. He was certain that when he started conferring with Tezuka, the boy had been in front of him, whereas Eiji had been standing behind him to the right, having to be placated for having to stand through the ‘boring captain’s conference’. Tezuka wasn’t likely to move around when he talked. Oishi stared at the strange way the rope looped on the ground. And Eiji wasn’t likely to stay still when anyone talked. He turned to Look at his partner staring determinedly at the clouds.
He sighed and opened his mouth to reproach his friend—
“What’s everyone standing around for? 20 laps around the courts!”
There was a collective gasp that evolved into whispered grumbles and Oishi looked around to find that the rest of the team was indeed gathered around like audiences.
“Tezuka,” he said instead. “I’ll get to it after the laps. And could you… well, move your foot?” He gestured vaguely at the ground near their feet when Tezuka gave him that look reserved for when Inui or Fuji does something strange. “You’re stepping on our rope.”
Oishi, Eiji proclaimed loudly as they left the school, was just too serious sometimes. Make that most of the time. Really, there was no need for him to admit that they had anything to do with the entire club terminating their activities to stare at them and go through those extra laps—it’s not like he made them watch him try to trip Tezuka. Much less claiming vaguely that “‘they’ were responsible” when Tezuka wanted to know why he felt he had to run laps too. If anything, Oishi was the only member on the court that has any right not to join in the punishment.
There's nothing explicitly saying that Tezuka was tripped. In fact, he doesn't act like he is, since he didn't realize that he'd stepped *on* their rope.
To me, it sounds like Tezuka had stepped on the rope while they were talking. When Oishi started to walk away, he felt the tug due to the rope being stepped on, not being tripped. Tezuka then made the others run laps because everyone was standing around and not practicing, not even realizing the potential danger with the rope, or even the existence of the rope, until Oishi reminded him by asking him to move his foot.
... And he turned to leave, managing all of four steps before stumbling on the fifth and being jerked a step back. Eiji’s gaze had turned skywards from where he stood on the opposite side of Tezuka from Oishi. With arms crossed over and behind his head, he was the very picture of an attempt to look innocent. Oishi turned his own puzzled gaze to the rope on the ground, followed its length and stopped short when it ran into a sports shoe, which belong a long leg attached to a long torso which leads up to the stoic face of the captain of Seigaku tennis club. He blinked. He was certain that when he started conferring with Tezuka, the boy had been in front of him, whereas Eiji had been standing behind him to the right, having to be placated for having to stand through the ‘boring captain’s conference’. Tezuka wasn’t likely to move around when he talked. Oishi stared at the strange way the rope looped on the ground. And Eiji wasn’t likely to stay still when anyone talked. He turned to Look at his partner staring determinedly at the clouds.
He sighed and opened his mouth to reproach his friend—
“What’s everyone standing around for? 20 laps around the courts!”
There was a collective gasp that evolved into whispered grumbles and Oishi looked around to find that the rest of the team was indeed gathered around like audiences.
“Tezuka,” he said instead. “I’ll get to it after the laps. And could you… well, move your foot?” He gestured vaguely at the ground near their feet when Tezuka gave him that look reserved for when Inui or Fuji does something strange. “You’re stepping on our rope.”
Oishi, Eiji proclaimed loudly as they left the school, was just too serious sometimes. Make that most of the time. Really, there was no need for him to admit that they had anything to do with the entire club terminating their activities to stare at them and go through those extra laps—it’s not like he made them watch him try to trip Tezuka. Much less claiming vaguely that “‘they’ were responsible” when Tezuka wanted to know why he felt he had to run laps too. If anything, Oishi was the only member on the court that has any right not to join in the punishment.
There's nothing explicitly saying that Tezuka was tripped. In fact, he doesn't act like he is, since he didn't realize that he'd stepped *on* their rope.
To me, it sounds like Tezuka had stepped on the rope while they were talking. When Oishi started to walk away, he felt the tug due to the rope being stepped on, not being tripped. Tezuka then made the others run laps because everyone was standing around and not practicing, not even realizing the potential danger with the rope, or even the existence of the rope, until Oishi reminded him by asking him to move his foot.
