Four Teams Secure Their Places

After leaving Rikkai Dai's venue, the group walked to the adjacent Seigaku competition area.

Three of the four spots in the Kanto finals have already been decided, while the final spot remains to be fiercely contested.

Seigaku's opponent is Rokkaku Middle School, which Muneyoshi is very familiar with.

Ariake Tennis Forest Park, a tennis court in the northwest area.

The area around the stadium was now completely surrounded by students from Seigaku and Rokkaku Middle School.

As Muneyoshi and his group approached, they could occasionally hear loud shouts and cheers coming from the direction of the stadium.

This match is crucial for both Seigaku and Rokkaku Middle School.

After all, whoever wins will advance to the semi-finals and directly secure a ticket to the national finals.

Seigaku is no longer the dark horse it was last year; all its official members have already participated in the Kanto Tournament and the National Tournament.

They have long since shed their naivety from last year and are now battling it out with Fudomine in the regional preliminaries and the Metropolitan Tournament.

They also have a 1-1 record against Fudomine, so their strength is quite formidable.

Especially as Akutsu ventured into the national arena, Fuji Shusuke also evolved. In addition, since he was not injured, Tezuka Kunimitsu's strength is now beyond comprehension.

On the surface, Seigaku, like Rikkai Dai and Fudomine, boasts a team of three National Level masters.

Rokkaku Middle School is also a long-established powerhouse, and their relationship with Muneyoshi is different from that of other schools.

It can be said that Rokkaku Middle School is the school that Muneyoshi is most familiar with, apart from Fudomine.

However, although Coach Old Man is a legendary figure in the world of Japan tennis, in addition to guiding players on their Mental Power Path cultivation, he also possesses a unique racket manufacturing process that sets Rokkaku Middle School apart from other schools.

However, the differences in the players' inherent qualities still put them at a disadvantage when facing teams brimming with true talent.

Even with the addition of the talented player Amene Hikaru this year, they still managed only a 1-1 record against Seigaku in doubles.

This is the most crucial singles match, number three.

The two sides in the match were also acquaintances: Fuji Shusuke versus Saeki Kojiro.

"Wow, Minister, that person looks just like you! Are you related?"

"Saeki Kojiro, he also has the surname Saeki!"

Upon arriving at the arena, the first-year students from Fudomine immediately noticed something amiss. It's understandable that they were curious; the two did indeed look quite alike.

If the other person's style and temperament weren't completely different from Saeki Muneyoshi's, they might easily mistake him for someone else.

Even Tachibana An, who was standing to the side, was staring at it intently with wide eyes.

"That's right, he's my cousin. We grew up together, but I came to Tokyo because of family reasons. Otherwise, I'd probably be in Rokkaku by now!"

"Since he grew up with the minister, wouldn't he be very capable as well?"

Suddenly, the silent Ibu Shinji interrupted Kamio, clearly more concerned with Kojiro's strength than with the other people's conversation.

"The match has begun; you'll see if you watch closely."

Muneyoshi did not answer the question, and everyone's attention was now focused on the field.

However, as Muneyoshi watched Kojiro relentlessly pursue him, he already had a conclusion in his mind about the outcome of this match.

If Fuji hadn't broken through his limits yet, Kojiro would definitely still have a chance, and if the tactics were right, he could even win in the end.

After all, the current Kojiro is much stronger than in the original work.

Especially during the time Muneyoshi stayed in Chiba, his daily sparring improved his skills.

But now, there's probably not much suspense left.

On the field.

Fuji Shusuke's eyes were narrowed, and a confident smile played on his lips. Ever since he defeated Lin Xiu in the Metropolitan Tournament, he seemed to have recovered from his previous defeat.

Furthermore, their skills have entered a new stage, and their mastery of various techniques has become increasingly proficient.

Swish!

With a slight backflip, a winding golden arc of light flew from his hand, traversing the center line of the court.

The incredible spin caused the tennis ball to plummet at an astonishing speed after crossing the net, then glide across the ground faster than Kojiro could react.

Phoenix Flash.

Fuji Shusuke's evolved super counterattack once again showcased his brilliance to everyone on the court.

Saeki Kojiro's keen Insight had already prepared him the moment Fuji flipped his wrist.

However, Fuji's evolved counterattacks are even more astonishing in terms of both swing speed and tennis ball spin.

Even with his extended wooden racket, Kojiro couldn't stop Fuji's perfectly timed strike.

"Game 1, Seigaku Fuji Shusuke Gakuen wins, score 6-4."

"Thank you for the compliment, Kojiro."

"Thank you for your guidance! Fuji, your strength has surpassed mine..."

Saeki Kojiro shook his head, smiled, and extended his right hand to shake hands with Fuji.

They were childhood friends. When Muneyoshi was engrossed in training as a child, he didn't play with Kojiro. He would usually go to play with Fuji whenever he had free time, so the two had a very good relationship.

Although he lost the match, Kojiro was still very unwilling to accept it.

However, their consistently friendly relationship, along with their Fuji words and expressions, gave him a gentle, breeze-like feeling, preventing him from harboring any ill will.

With Rokkaku Middle School eliminated, the final spot in the Kanto top four was finally decided.

However, Fudomine wants to fight Seigaku again and seek revenge, it will need to overcome another mountain that is even higher than Seigaku.

Rikkai Dai!

As the game ended, Muneyoshi led the Fudomine members to wait outside the stadium, and Kojiro, seeing this, also led the Rokkaku members up.

"Muneyoshi, it's been a long time!"

"Muneyoshi, I heard that Fudomine has made it to the semifinals, congratulations!"

"That's right, Muneyoshi, you'd better do your best in the semifinals. I hope you can take down Rikkai Dai."

The students from Rokkaku Middle School greeted Muneyoshi warmly, and some even encouraged him to work hard to overthrow Rikkai Dai.

Muneyoshi responded with a smile in each of them, and finally his gaze fell on Kojiro.

"Muneyoshi, it seems my hopes of facing you in the Kanto Tournament are dashed this time. I'll have to wait until next year."

Upon seeing Muneyoshi, Kojiro wore a pleased smile, and only spoke after everyone had greeted him.

However, the thought of being eliminated dampened his spirits.

"Seigaku is very strong, you should really work on your skills."

Muneyoshi shrugged. Their brotherly bond from childhood didn't require him to say many polite words.

"Muneyoshi, you're still so direct!"

Seeing that his cousin was still the same as before, Kojiro could only manage a wry smile.

However, Muneyoshi had no intention of easing Kojiro's emotions, and instead brought up another seemingly "irrelevant" piece of news.

Have you seen the organizing committee's announcement?

"???"

Kojiro had just finished a match with Fuji, was a little dazed and couldn't quite keep up with Muneyoshi's train of thought.

Looking at the slightly foolish look in Kojiro's clear eyes, Muneyoshi said irritably, "You call yourself a tennis player, yet you don't even read the most basic tennis news."

"Huh? What does that have to do with anything?"

Muneyoshi's words confused Kojiro even more. In fact, not only was he confused, but everyone present was somewhat bewildered and did not understand Muneyoshi's meaning.

"Because Rikkai Dai won the National Tournament last year, the organizing committee decided to move the National Tournament, which has been hosted in the Kansai region for several years, to the Kanto region!"

Muneyoshi, no longer wanting to play games, stated directly, "The hosting rights were decided by drawing lots among the four prefectures of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama, and Chiba Prefecture was ultimately chosen!"

"The National Tournament is going to be held in Chiba?"

The students from Rokkaku Middle School were initially surprised, then their faces lit up with joy. However, remembering that they had just been eliminated, their expressions immediately turned bitter.

"But we've already been eliminated! Damn it, it's being held in Chiba Prefecture, and we can't even participate!"

Seeing the extremely remorseful Kojiro, Muneyoshi lost his desire to tease him and instead stated his reasoning.

"Since Chiba Prefecture is the host, it has the right to recommend one school to directly enter the National Tournament. Chiba Prefecture is currently capable of undertaking this responsibility..."

"Us?!!"

Muneyoshi's words were so straightforward, how could the members of the Rokkaku not understand? At this moment, they felt a surge of ecstasy.

"Muneyoshi, we need to hurry over and tell Old Man this good news. I'm off now. If everything you said is true, then let's face each other again in the National Tournament!"

Seeing the energetic Rokkaku members, Muneyoshi did not stop them.

Of course, his reasoning is also consistent with the actual situation.

The National Tournament in the third year of the original story was held in Tokyo. At that time, the four finalists from the Kanto region were Seigaku, Rikkai Dai, Fudomine, and Yamabuki.

Hyotei Academy wasn't included, because they were defeated twice by Seigaku.

However, because the event was held in Tokyo, the organizers recommended Hyotei Academy, which led to the Hyotei Academy's entry into the National Tournament.

Hyotei Academy could do it, and so can Chiba now.

Watching the Rokkaku members disappear into the distance, Muneyoshi let out a soft hum.

"Kojiro, we've met in the National Tournament. I might not go easy on you like I did in practice..."

After saying that, Muneyoshi walked directly in another direction.

"Let's go back!"

P. S.: "Sorry everyone, the weather was so nice that I overslept and was late for work... Please give me some monthly votes to console me~~"

The rain and cooler weather made it perfect for sleeping. I slept until 9:20, making me almost an hour late for work... You know, I usually get up around 6:00. Now that I think about how the weather will get colder, I'll probably want to get up even less...