Ibu Shinji's Request

While Saeki Muneyoshi was doing his regular practice on the court, he was also thinking.

First-year student Ibu Shinji, who was sparring with Kamio Akira, hesitated to speak, his gaze occasionally drifting over Muneyoshi.

He recalled his conversation with Muneyoshi during a practice match after his first day in the club, following the end of training.

Bang!

"Kamio, your reflexes, speed, and strength have all improved again."

Because he was distracted, Shinji missed the ball. However, Shinji was surprised by Kamio Akira's growth. He frowned slightly and looked at his friend.

Kamio Akira's speed and strength have improved much faster than his, and even in training, he is already struggling to keep up.

"Yes! After returning from the regional qualifiers, I played several practice matches with the two ministers, and I've gotten stronger without even realizing it under their guidance!"

Kamio Akira said somewhat embarrassedly.

From the training session just now, he could clearly feel the gap widening between him and Ibu Shinji.

Although he knew that Shinji trained very hard every day, their strength had not diminished.

Compared to him, Ibu Shinji's disadvantage was that he had little prior experience with tennis; he only became Fudomine's Regular based on his hobby and his own considerable talent.

But to be honest, his position as Regular is not very secure right now.

Having a background in tennis, Kamio Akira's skills indeed improved rapidly after receiving professional training and guidance.

The five-dimensional attributes that appeared in Muneyoshi's mind best illustrate the point. When he first joined the club, Kamio Akira's total five-dimensional attributes were only eleven points.

He has now grown to thirteen points.

This is why he was able to maintain a good performance in the regional preliminaries.

In contrast, Ibu Shinji was far more tragic.

Ibu Shinji:

Speed 2, Strength 1, Stamina 2, Mental Strength 4, Technique 2; Total of five dimensions: 11.

This is after training, during which many of the five-dimensional attributes have been improved.

When Muneyoshi first practiced with him, Ibu Shinji was a complete tennis novice, struggling to even reach the most basic ten points in the five dimensions.

If it weren't for his outstanding mental strength, the system probably wouldn't have presented his five-dimensional sum of such a small number.

This also explains why Ibu Shinji fell further and further behind Kamio Akira later on.

Without anyone to guide him, his career path went completely astray.

Compared to Kamio Akira's continuous improvement of his fundamentals and mastery of Tachibana Kippei's Beast Aura, Ibu Shinji is clearly not good at this.

Even later in the original work, only Kamio Akira and Ishida Tetsu truly mastered the Beast Aura.

At that time, no one in Fudomine pursued the Mental Power Path.

However, Fudomine is different now.

Ibu Shinji recalled once again what Saeki Muneyoshi had told him.

"Shinji, your tennis talent isn't in the ordinary fundamentals, it's in your mind!"

With that in mind, Ibu Shinji left the court where he was practicing with Kamio Akira and went to a spot not far behind Muneyoshi.

"Minister..."

Ibu Shinji's expression was somewhat complicated. He was naturally very happy to be treated differently by Saeki Muneyoshi on his very first day in the club.

Privately, he also talked with Kamio Akira about who was the best in the Tennis Club, and they also fantasized about defeating them and becoming the best in the Tennis Club.

However, as Muneyoshi displayed casualness and ease in his battle against Akutsu, everyone realized that Minister Saeki Muneyoshi's strength was unfathomable.

His desire to defeat him has temporarily faded; now he is merely someone who has come to ask for guidance.

"Only through my own hard work can I avoid disappointing the minister and prevent Kamio Akira from surpassing me..."

Ibu Shinji's eyes flashed with the flames of self-reproach as he looked at Muneyoshi.

"Oh? It's Shinji. What's up?"

Ibu Shinji's appearance interrupted Saeki Muneyoshi's practice.

He looked at Ibu Shinji, who had suddenly run over with a strong will bursting from his eyes, and asked with some curiosity.

"Minister, my request may be a bit abrupt, but I hope you can give me some guidance!"

As they spoke, Ibu Shinji bowed respectfully at a ninety-degree angle to Saeki Muneyoshi, his body tense as he awaited Saeki Muneyoshi's reply.

"Guides? You mean tennis?"

Saeki Muneyoshi's eyes flickered slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them. He had thought that Ibu Shinji would need to experience some more failures before he understood, but he hadn't expected it to be so quick.

Unconsciously, Muneyoshi's gaze became scrutinizing, and his powerful spiritual energy began to spread.

"Yes!"

Suddenly, Ibu Shinji felt a heavy weight on his shoulders, as if he were being stared at by a terrifying monster.

His already heightened sense of touch was further aroused, causing his heart to pound and a rush of blood pressure to his head.

Ibu Shinji felt as if an eternity had passed; he felt as if he were trapped in a completely dark world, constantly falling downwards.

Fear, helplessness, panic, despair...

Negative thoughts kept popping into his head; he wanted to escape, but his remaining rationality suppressed this instinct.

Until...

"Sure, but my training methods might Great Unity. I don't know if you'll be able to handle it, Shinji..."

With the mental pressure dissipating, Muneyoshi left behind a single sentence and gracefully departed.

Feeling as if he had come back to life, Ibu Shinji agreed without a second thought.

"Minister, I'm fine!"

Shinji's tone was direct and firm.

After more than a month of practice, he truly fell in love with tennis. Seeing his teammates working hard every day, he was not afraid of challenges.

He will keep striving as long as there is even the slightest possibility; that is the tennis of Ibu Shinji!

"Okay, then don't leave after school today!"

Seeing Ibu Shinji's unwavering resolve, Saeki Muneyoshi's calm voice drifted from afar.

Muneyoshi hadn't expected that Ibu Shinji would take the initiative to come to him so soon.

In the nearly two months he spent with them, he had almost figured out the personalities of all the members. In his impression, although Ibu Shinji was a bit of a chatterbox, he had a very strong sense of self-respect.

Moreover, because he was a tennis novice, he had many bad habits, but I didn't expect that Ibu Shinji would correct them so quickly.

Moreover, the determination and willpower he displayed just now should not be ignored.

"Now that Ibu Shinji has embarked on a completely different path, how much will things change in the future?"

Before leaving the Tennis Club, Saeki Muneyoshi looked back one last time and saw Ibu Shinji practicing quietly by himself, feeling a deep sense of emotion.

Evening.

At the entrance of Fudomine School, there were very few people around; even the latest clubs had already disbanded.

Ibu Shinji was waiting there alone.

A short while later, Saeki Muneyoshi walked over from the other side of the street. He was dressed casually and was not carrying a tennis bag; he was just holding a racket in his hand.

"Are you ready, Shinji?"

Looking at Ibu Shinji, who had changed his clothes and finished washing up, Muneyoshi asked with a smile.

"Minister, I'm ready!"

Ibu Shinji's eyes held a hint of anticipation; he was eager to know what kind of training Saeki Muneyoshi would be giving him.

"Okay, come with me. Also, this is the lightest, specially made racket I used to use. Take it."

Muneyoshi tossed his racket to Ibu Shinji as a reminder.

"Are you going to a competition!?"

Ibu Shinji's eyes lit up as he grabbed the racket that Saeki Muneyoshi had tossed to him.

Suddenly, his expression changed.

"This racket... it's so heavy..."

He frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in his eyes, wondering how someone could compete with such a heavy racket.

Seeing this, Muneyoshi smiled but didn't explain anything.

If you want to pursue a spiritual path, ordinary training won't suffice. The human spirit is inherently inert and is generally difficult to activate.

It is only possible through various extreme emotions.

Muneyoshi gave Ibu Shinji such a racket so that he would constantly compete and experience both crushing defeats and victories.

The joy of victory, the resentment of defeat... all these completely different emotions revitalized his spirit.

These days, they certainly can't just go and challenge other schools.

However, there are also quite a few street tennis players in Tokyo Metropolis, and even more clubs.

With Ibu Shinji's current skill level and this racket, he can play in many matches.

P. S.: "There's an extra chapter today, please vote with your monthly tickets!"