Individual Determinations

As for the match between his own team and the current Seigaku, Saeki Muneyoshi actually did not want to watch it.

Both of them were trash, so what was there to watch?

The system established by Ryūzaki Sumire, where first-years picked up balls and second-years only began entering the court to train, had swept through the country because it once produced Echizen Nanjirō.

At the height of Echizen Nanjirō's popularity, Seigaku, and even Ryūzaki Sumire, received countless praises and adulation.

This system was also revered as the golden standard.

Compared to other private middle schools that still made their own changes and omissions.

Fudomine Public Middle School was the one that perfectly inherited this system and carried it forward even further.

Unlike Seigaku, where second-years could enter the court to practice and participate in ranking matches.

Fudomine did not even have ranking matches, and only third-years were allowed to participate as regulars.

As for the selection of personnel, it was entirely designated by the coach.

Therefore, at Fudomine, the primary thing was not knowing how to play tennis, but having a good relationship with the coach.

Ohashi Miku had a very close relationship with him, so she was chosen as the captain and became Singles 1.

Because Muneyoshi was young and did not want to kiss up to the coach, even with the school leaders' appointment, he received no favorable treatment.

Although they gave him a regular's spot, it was merely equivalent to obtaining a free, best-in-house viewing position for the matches.

One had to admit that this little maneuver was also executed quite skillfully.

Muneyoshi drank his beverage, walking along a secluded path in the park, wanting to find a place to properly lie down and rest.

Right at that moment, he heard the thwack-thwack sound of a tennis ball being hit.

Hehe, as expected of the Prince of Tennis world, you can hear tennis sounds anywhere.

Attracted over, Muneyoshi saw a familiar figure practicing here: wearing blue-and-white training clothes, with tea-colored hair and a pair of glasses.

"Huh? Tezuka!"

At a single glance, Muneyoshi recognized the figure on the court as Tezuka from Seigaku.

"Yo, Tezuka, long time no see!"

Thwack!

Hearing the voice from behind, Tezuka stopped hitting the ball, turned around, and upon seeing the newcomer, pushed up his glasses and said indifferently, "Oh, so it's Saeki..."

While speaking, Tezuka noticed Saeki Muneyoshi's attire: all black, dotted with only a few touches of red and white, with the three large characters of Fudomine on the back.

Fudomine regular uniform.

Tezuka's breath hitched, pausing slightly before he said, "Congratulations, Saeki, on becoming a Fudomine regular!"

Knowing all too well that his regular status was merely for show, Muneyoshi did not dwell on that and instead changed the subject, chatting idly with him.

Muneyoshi had already noticed that Tezuka was not wearing Seigaku's regular uniform, which indicated he had not yet been accepted by Ryūzaki Sumire.

This made Muneyoshi hold him in even greater contempt, especially thinking of how Echizen Ryoma would also be a first-year and directly become a regular.

Yet Tezuka at this moment was far stronger than Ryoma, yet could only pick up balls.

If she insisted on making Ryoma pick up balls after his enrollment as well, Muneyoshi would actually think a bit more of her.

Looking at it now!

Just this?!!

Wasn't Tezuka a lot better than Ryoma?

When it all came down to it, wasn't it just about connections, you old hag!

However, when Muneyoshi saw Tezuka's intact, uninjured left hand, he was still somewhat surprised.

According to the plot, if Tezuka hadn't entered the regulars yet, it meant his hand should have been broken by a senior regular!

Now it looked completely undamaged; was this the flapping of butterfly wings?

Actually, how could Muneyoshi know that the reason Tezuka hadn't been injured was entirely because Akutsu Jin had stepped up previously, beating another regular senior straight to the point of vomiting blood, which directly scared them out of their wits and caused them to give up tennis.

Such a terrifyingly fierce individual directly terrified the entire Seigaku Tennis Club.

This even led to their attitude toward first-years improving quite a bit during this period, and temporarily no one had come to provoke Tezuka.

Muneyoshi was unaware of these matters; in fact, he didn't even know that Akutsu Jin had gone to Seigaku.

Ever since his match against Tezuka, he had remained completely immersed in explosive strength-building workouts, paying zero attention to affairs at other schools.

Aside from those already in the newspapers like Hyotei Academy and Rikkai Dai, he knew nothing about the rest.

However, he couldn't quite say what kind of growth an uninjured Tezuka would achieve.

Encountering Tezuka again after a lapse of two months, he once again stirred up a bit of a competitive urge.

Only, considering his own current situation, he still held it back.

"Tezuka, I hope that next time, I can face you on a real match court!"

Hearing the cheers drifting over from afar, Muneyoshi knew this meant the match between the two teams was starting, but he was in no hurry to head over, instead speaking to Tezuka about the promise made after their last match.

"This is what I said after our last match ended; I wonder if you still remember?"

By now Tezuka had also finished wiping away his sweat and put on his clothes, nodding upon hearing this: "I've always remembered it, Saeki!"

"I hope you won't make me wait too long!"

Sensing the resolve in Muneyoshi's words, a trace of urgency also rose in Tezuka's heart: "I won't!"

"The abscess within the Fudomine Tennis Club has been foul for far too long; I plan to personally eradicate it right after this regional preliminaries!"

Saeki Muneyoshi's gaze was filled with ruthlessness, yet his tone was incomparably firm:

"What about you, Tezuka? Can you still endure watching Seigaku continue to suppress you?"

"These backward rules should have been tossed into the trash heap of the toilet ages ago; Hyotei Academy's Atobe Keigo and Rikkai Dai's Yukimura and Sanada have already stirred up this revolution."

"Could it be... that we are weaker than them?"

With that, he tossed the soda can in his hand into a trash can seven or eight meters away, and walked off toward the direction of the match courts without looking back.

"Could it be that we are weaker than them?"

Tezuka's ears echoed with Muneyoshi's resolute words, leaving him slightly dazed as he recalled what Akutsu Jin had said to him two weeks ago.

Hehehe... Is this the strength of Seigaku's regulars?

It really is utterly pathetic...

Tezuka, if you want to stay in this trashy tennis club forever, this lord won't accompany you. You should know what purpose I came to Seigaku with...

Flashing through his mind were a series of figures: Akutsu Jin, Fuji Shusuke, Oishi, Eiji, Kawamura, Akan...

These were figures who trusted him implicitly, along with Yamato Yūdai constantly maneuvering between the first-years and Ryūzaki Sumire.

Everyone! I won't let you down!

Tezuka's expression grew firm, his tone clashing and resolute: "Seigaku, it's about time for a change!"

Returning to the match court.

Actually, there was nothing much to say about the match; with Yamato Yūdai injured and Seigaku discarding their first-years, they and Fudomine were basically six of one and half a dozen of the other.

A peck-fest between amateur roosters.

The match was utterly ugly.

Yet Seigaku's hard strength was slightly stronger than Fudomine's, but under the special training of Tony Oki and Ohashi Miku, Fudomine had learned a set of nauseating, low-blow little tricks that were hard to present in polite society.

Yet it was precisely because of these tactics that they managed to claw back a game in doubles, and another in Singles 3.

In winning those two games, Fudomine completely adopted a street-brawling style of play.

Attacking the lower body, or constantly batting away flying gravel to target the opponent's eyes.

The verbal abuse from the sidelines was ceaseless, but these people felt no shame, taking perverse pride in it instead.

2-2 tie!

This gave Fudomine a genuine glimpse of hope for victory.

However, Saeki Muneyoshi knew there was absolutely no chance; Yamato Yūdai's strength, even injured, was not something Ohashi Miku could contend with.

Just as expected, even though Ohashi Miku used all sorts of petty tricks, she still failed to score a single point.

The battle ended 6-0.

In the end, Seigaku defeated Fudomine 3-2, advancing to the next round.

Having watched the entire match, Muneyoshi stood at the sidelines with a face as dark as water, the endless anger in his chest having reached its peak.

Before finally leaving the match grounds, he exchanged a glance with Tezuka on the opposite side.

Both saw the unwavering determination in each other's eyes.

ps: "Newcomer begging for votes"

I didn't expect to receive good news just as yesterday's new week began. When I was at work at ten in the morning, a notification popped up on my phone saying I could sign the contract. I felt quite overjoyed because Danyang writes books purely out of hobby. The first book I wrote previously didn't pay any attention to this aspect at all, yet it still languished in solo-update status for 714,000 words. Later, feeling that the outline had collapsed too severely and required a complete reconceptualization, I concluded it, but I had no intention of giving up.

Writing Prince of Tennis is truly just meant to clear my head. This is Danyang's second book, and also my first contracted one. I will write it seriously, hoping not to let everyone down, and I also ask everyone to give plenty of support and investments.