Kakinoki Sports Park, the venue for the district tournament.
After finishing the final pre-match team talk, Saeki Muneyoshi found an excuse to leave.
In front of a vending machine, Muneyoshi expertly bought a drink and gulped it down.
It seemed that was the only way to ease the anger and dissatisfaction in his heart.
He knew perfectly well what Tony Oki and Ohashi Miku were up to.
When those above had a policy, those below had a countermeasure! (Can't write that character, afraid...)
Wasn't Saeki Muneyoshi a Regular specially approved by the vice principal?!
Fine!
They gave him a Regular spot, but only as a substitute!
He was basically just decoration, carrying the title of Regular without any chance to play or even train.
Even at school, despite being a Regular, he never got the chance to touch a racket for practice. The other third-year players isolated him.
Whenever he wanted to practice with them, they would find excuses to leave or simply ignore him.
Muneyoshi had been in a period of rapid improvement lately and had not wanted to waste even a second, so he had not dwelled on it or paid attention.
He was not known for having a good temper. Now that his growth had slowed and he had reached another bottleneck—
—and with the district qualifiers beginning, his attention had gradually shifted to the team.
That only made the anger piling up inside him surge higher and higher.
By today, after learning that he was a substitute, it had reached a point where it was difficult to suppress.
He needed an outlet!
Still, Muneyoshi retained a shred of reason. That reason warned him that this outburst might be unlike any before, so he temporarily held himself back.
The situation was already beyond saving anyway. He would deal with everything after this match was over!
As for the others from Fudomine, Tony Oki and Ohashi Miku had washed their hands of it all. They did not care in the slightest about the match against Seigaku.
There was no atmosphere of competition at all. They had merely arranged the lineup and said nothing else.
If Muneyoshi had not known their abilities so well, he might have thought they were completely confident of victory.
What Muneyoshi did not know was that Ohashi Miku, who had just finished plotting with Tony Oki, returned to Fudomine's resting area. She swept her gaze around, did not spot Saeki Muneyoshi among the crowd, and did not care.
Instead, she gathered the other Regulars around her and said mysteriously,
"According to secret intelligence from the coach, Seigaku's Yamato Yūdai has a serious elbow injury that has not fully healed. If we work hard this time, we might have a chance!"
"Really, Captain?"
Hearing this brainless club member dare to question her, Ohashi Miku was displeased. She shot him a sidelong glance and said coldly,
"The information came from the coach. How could it be fake?"
Noticing the change in Ohashi Miku's attitude, several sharper club members immediately caught on and began to laugh.
The club member who had questioned her earlier lowered his head, fear filling his heart.
"All right. I'll deal with you after the match. Remember the secret methods we use in training. This time, use them all and show Seigaku what we're made of!"
"Yes!!"
On the other side, Seigaku, their opponent for the day...
"Singles 2, Yagura Daiken!"
"Singles 1, Yamato Yūdai!"
After announcing Seigaku's lineup, Ryūzaki Sumire continued forcefully, "Fudomine is not very strong. You must show your true strength in today's match!"
"Yes, Coach Ryuzaki!"
Once the Regulars had dispersed to warm up, Yamato Yūdai fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Coach, aren't you going to let Tezuka play?"
"Tezuka? He's only a first-year."
Ryūzaki Sumire shook her head, then looked at Yamato in confusion. "Yamato, why would you ask that? First-years can only pick up balls!"
Of course, Ryūzaki Sumire knew that Tezuka was quite capable, along with Akutsu Jin, Fuji Shusuke, and the others.
Though she had not arranged practice matches with them, she had heard about them. Their skills were probably decent.
But they were only first-years. At Seigaku, unless someone had connections on Echizen Nanjirō's level, first-years could only pick up balls.
How could they possibly have the privilege of playing in matches?
"Coach, I still hope you can give them a chance. Those first-years—some of them are no weaker than the Regulars, perhaps even stronger. Especially Tezuka Kunimitsu, Akutsu Jin, and Fuji Shusuke!"
"After these preliminaries, I want them to take part in Seigaku's Regular selection as well."
Yamato Yūdai had personally seen Tezuka, Akutsu, and Fuji's abilities. He wanted to win them an opportunity.
But Ryūzaki Sumire did not care about those first-years. Her tone remained calm. "First-years are at the stage where they should build their foundations. There is no need to let them compete."
"Coach, you saw it too. Most of Hyotei Academy's Regulars who came this morning were first-years. And Rikkai Dai in Kanagawa is said to have several first-years as well."
"This trend shows that there are talented first-years stronger than those Regulars."
"And since Seigaku has produced such outstanding prospects, we should uncover those capable first-years too. Only then will we avoid falling behind the other schools."
Hearing Ryūzaki Sumire's words, Yamato Yūdai sighed inwardly. He was already a third-year. Previously, even at the cost of an injury, he had nearly brought Seigaku into the Kanto Tournament. He had already done everything he could.
He would be graduating this year. He no longer had another chance.
But if Seigaku continued clinging to outdated rules, it would only keep declining.
As captain, he truly wanted to fight for an opportunity for those first-years.
But Ryūzaki Sumire was stubborn and paid him no heed.
After all, she herself had established this Seigaku rule. It dated back to Echizen Nanjirō's era and had been upheld for over twenty years.
If she changed it now, would that not be slapping herself in the face?
So Ryūzaki Sumire remained unmoved. "Yamato, do you really think those first-years from Hyotei Academy and Rikkai Dai can lead their schools into the National Tournament?"
Yamato Yūdai still held a different opinion.
"Coach, whether it is Hyotei Academy or Rikkai Dai, if they were able to defeat all the Regulars and take their places, that proves they are stronger. We cannot look down on them just because they are first-years."
"Yamato, you worry too much. Tennis is a team battle. Whether it is experience, stamina, or the ability to withstand the pressure of major tournaments, second-years and third-years are certainly stronger than first-years."
"As for those schools making first-years into Regulars, their experience will definitely be lacking. But for Seigaku, that is our best opportunity."
Ryūzaki Sumire did not think highly of the first-years emerging at various schools lately.
She also strongly disliked this trend!
In her eyes, even someone as strong as Echizen Nanjirō should have properly built his foundations in his first year.
Now that those first-years were competing across the country, Ryūzaki Sumire could not help but look down on them somewhat.
Although Tennis Monthly constantly praised the powerful first-years from various schools—
—in her heart, the upperclassmen who had played tennis for several more years were the ones more worthy of her attention.
To her, abandoning upperclassmen in favor of first-years was no different from crippling oneself.
Before you continue