Tezuka Takes the Helm

Less than ten minutes after the match began, it was already over.

Tezuka Kunimitsu had not given Takei Kenshi a single chance.

Nor had Tezuka held back out of consideration for his senior's pride. He had used his left hand from the start and crushed Takei Kenshi 6–0.

Throughout the entire match, all Takei could do was serve and receive.

And he had failed to return even a single ball. It had been nothing but simple serves, followed by Tezuka returning for points—or Tezuka serving for points.

Humiliation, rage, jealousy!

Such a naked, disastrous defeat was even more miserable than a father beating his son. And throughout the match, Tezuka had seemed not to see him at all, his eyes without the slightest ripple.

That contempt made him feel deeply insulted.

Takei Kenshi, always so proud, was filled with fury. He did not hate himself for losing; he only envied Tezuka for possessing such talent at such a young age.

Takei Kenshi gripped his racket and walked up to Tezuka, his voice growing shriller and his tone full of resentment.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu, you're nothing more than a first-year. You beat me, so you think you're amazing now?"

Tezuka dismissed the barking of this defeated dog. He merely glanced at Takei Kenshi indifferently, then turned to leave.

Seeing Tezuka Kunimitsu act that way, malice began to spread through Takei Kenshi's heart. "You look down on me! Since you have so much faith in your strength, I'll destroy you!"

He envied Tezuka's talent, and rage had twisted his features beyond recognition, making him look utterly vicious.

With a fierce expression and a savage gleam in his eyes, Takei raised his arm and swung his racket with all his strength, using its frame to smash viciously toward Tezuka's left arm.

"Tezuka... dodge!"

"Don't!"

Fuji, Oishi, and the others were horrified by the sudden turn of events. They shouted from outside the court, but it was already too late to save him.

Sensing the movement behind him and hearing the whistle of the incoming racket, Tezuka instinctively turned to evade. From the corner of his eye, he saw the racket already swinging toward his arm.

Tezuka wanted to dodge, but the distance was too short. He could not avoid it.

"Heh heh, die, you filthy thing... Bang!"

"Ah..."

At that moment, an exceptionally crisp impact rang out. Takei Kenshi let out a scream and was knocked flat onto his back by a tennis ball that had suddenly slammed into his face.

Then, the impacts did not stop just because he had fallen.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

More and more impacts came from behind Tezuka. Tennis balls continuously hammered Takei Kenshi's body and face, making blood seep from the corners of his mouth.

"Akutsu!!!"

"It's that demon!"

"Damn it! What are you doing?!"

Only then did the other upperclassmen realize that Akutsu had arrived at the court. He was the one who had sent those tennis balls flying at Takei.

But as they shouted angrily, Akutsu turned his incomparably ferocious gaze toward them.

In an instant, those upperclassmen, who only knew how to act tough and bark loudly, no longer dared to say a word.

They could feel that if they said one more word, Akutsu's next shot would be aimed at them!

Still, several of the bolder upperclassmen realized they had just been intimidated by a first-year and immediately flew into a rage from embarrassment.

They roared at Akutsu, "Brat, what kind of look is that?"

"You're finished! Coach definitely won't let you off when she gets here!"

"So what if you're strong? You'll definitely be kicked out of the Tennis Club."

"You still want to play tennis? Keep dreaming. First-years like you are only fit to pick up balls..."

Akutsu paid no attention to their angry shouts. However, the curl of his lips was full of contempt and mockery.

At this point, Fuji Shusuke, Oishi Eiji, and Akan also came to Tezuka's side. Looking at Tezuka and Akutsu, their eyes were filled with concern.

"Tezuka..."

Fuji called softly.

"Tezuka, what are you going to do?"

Akan was much more direct, asking Tezuka about his next move.

Oishi Shuichiro, Kikumaru Eiji, Kawamura Takashi, and the others also surrounded Tezuka and Akutsu, ready to stand with them through thick and thin.

"Everyone..."

Tezuka's expression shifted slightly. He was deeply moved that his friends would step forward and stand with him at a time like this.

"(ˉ▽￣~) Tch~~"

Akutsu seemed to spit disdainfully, but the gradually softening look in his eyes showed that he was not unmoved either.

Tezuka gradually calmed down. He was waiting for two people.

Yamato Yūdai and Ryūzaki Sumire.

In fact, Yamato Yūdai had approached Tezuka yesterday afternoon and told him that he would do everything he could to let the first-years take part in the new Regular selection as well.

Then let the change begin now.

A few minutes later, Yamato Yūdai and Ryūzaki Sumire finally arrived. "Who allowed you to compete?!"

Seeing Takei's miserable state, Ryūzaki Sumire's face first turned livid as she shouted sternly.

"It was him!"

"Even if you were competing, who allowed you to hurt someone?"

Though Tezuka Kunimitsu had a favorable impression of Yamato Yūdai, he truly felt chilled to the bone by Ryūzaki Sumire.

At that moment, Fuji stepped forward as well. But he had discarded his usual gentle demeanor, looking at Ryūzaki Sumire with icy eyes as he asked in a frigid voice,

"Coach, without asking what happened or who struck first, you're actually questioning us?"

Fuji pointed at Takei Kenshi. "He was the one who dragged Tezuka into a match, and he was also the one who tried to hurt someone first..."

"Enough!"

Ryūzaki Sumire shouted, cutting Fuji off. Then, with a complicated expression, she looked at Takei Kenshi sprawled on the ground.

"For now, I'm stripping him of his Regular position. He can return to being an ordinary club member..."

"As for you all..."

Ryūzaki Sumire felt a trace of impatience. Although Tezuka's strength had shocked her, that did not extend to Fuji Shusuke.

Fuji keenly sensed this and declared angrily, "Coach, I want to challenge the Regular upperclassmen!"

"And me!"

"I want to challenge the Regular upperclassmen too!"

Fuji's declaration stirred up a huge reaction, and Oishi and the others quickly followed suit.

At that moment, Yamato Yūdai stepped forward at just the right time and announced that the school's Regular ranking matches would begin tomorrow. Everyone could participate, including first-years.

The moment this news spread, all the second- and third-years were shocked and protested one after another.

But Yamato Yūdai pushed the decision through with a firm attitude.

Ryūzaki Sumire had not expected Yamato Yūdai to make the decision without consulting her first, so she left in anger.

Ryūzaki Sumire's departure did nothing to shake Yamato Yūdai's resolve.

The next day, the school's Internal Ranking Tournament began as scheduled.

In this school ranking tournament, the first-years performed exceptionally well. Among the upperclassmen, almost everyone except Yamato Yūdai was wiped out.

After the final match on the second day, Yamato and Tezuka spoke alone for a long time. In the end, they went to see Coach Ryuzaki together, though no one knew what happened afterward.

When they returned to school, Yamato announced that due to his studies and injury, he would hand the captaincy over to Tezuka Kunimitsu as acting captain.

The moment this was announced, the entire Seigaku Tennis Club was thrown into turmoil.

Some refused to accept it and wanted to find Coach Ryuzaki. Unexpectedly, Coach Ryuzaki claimed she was ill and recovering from an injury, temporarily withdrawing from Tennis Club affairs.

In response, quite a few upperclassmen even proposed leaving the club to express their dissatisfaction.

But it was useless. In just one day, Tezuka displayed his overwhelming strength and subdued the entire Tennis Club. He also informed every member that anyone unwilling to obey could leave the club directly.

Thus, at this crucial point before the regional preliminaries, Seigaku's Regular lineup was completely replaced—and the change was remarkably thorough.

P.S.: "Everyone, please vote! Whether it's recommendation votes or monthly votes, send them my way if you have them! I'm old enough to handle it!!!"