Disbanding the Tennis Club, School Trip

On the Fudomine tennis club court.

The number one court, originally only accessible to regulars, was now overcrowded.

School medical staff were continuously carrying injured students to an ambulance outside the court.

The students from other clubs watching from the sidelines were mostly grim-faced, while other students from the school were chattering amongst themselves.

"Did you guys hear?"

"Hear what?"

"About the tennis club..."

"What about the tennis club now?"

"Hey, you don't know? I heard there was an extremely serious group brawl in the tennis club, and eight or nine people got hurt!"

"I heard that too, and it sounds like they were pretty badly injured!"

"Exactly! If you ask me, what's the point of keeping the tennis club open? They don't have any achievements and they're always causing trouble."

"Yeah, if I were the principal, I would have closed the tennis club down long ago."

News of the serious violent incident at the Fudomine tennis club spread rapidly outside the school, as if it had grown wings. However, the Fudomine tennis club was already unpopular.

Furthermore, their skill level was low. With the school administration intentionally diverting and suppressing the information, it didn't attract much attention.

Only Tezuka of Seigaku, who paid close attention to Fudomine, showed a slight change on his usually poker face after learning about the incident.

Under the school's strong disciplinary action, the incident was quickly quelled.

The Fudomine tennis club was temporarily disbanded, and all its members were expelled.

In addition, severe punishment was meted out to everyone involved in the violent incident, and discussing the matter on campus was strictly forbidden.

Thus, besides the actual participants, perhaps only the tennis court, with its more than a dozen large craters that were never repaired due to the closure, still recorded what had happened...

"Saeki-kun, this incident was too serious. The school has to consider temporarily closing the tennis club."

"Furthermore, due to complaints from the parents of the injured students, you will likely have to leave the school for a period of time. However, I heard from the teachers that your academic performance is excellent, so this shouldn't affect you too much. I hope you understand!"

"Understood, Principal. I apologize for the trouble."

The violent incident at Fudomine finally came to an end, but Muneyoshi received quite severe punishment in return.

Although his student status was not revoked due to his father's continuous efforts to handle the aftermath, he still had to leave school temporarily to quell the anger of the injured students' parents.

Muneyoshi didn't mind this. He had already had enough of school in his previous life.

Even though he had graduated many years ago, he could still recall junior high knowledge with ease. Moreover, the tennis club had no chance of advancing further this year.

Since he had already been considering a break trip, this arrangement suited him perfectly.

Compared to these minor details, what concerned him more at this moment was his path in tennis.

Originally, what he had been consistently pursuing and training towards was the Shining Shot.

He never expected that this outburst of extreme pent-up emotion would lead him to the prototype of the Darkness Shot.

He had entered the realm of "Darkness."

This was a mysterious domain that, in the original work, only Amadeus had stepped into.

And now, he had the fortune to enter it.

Although he had only just knocked on the door, and it was completely different from the Shining Shot he had imagined, it was enough to elevate Muneyoshi's strength by another level.

However, his Five Dimensions attributes were still low, not comparable to Amadeus, and the Darkness Shot was currently just a prototype.

It was unstable.

He needed to maintain this unstable state through a large number of battles.

The regional preliminaries, prefectural tournaments, Kanto Tournament, and even the National Tournament were all good places for continuous combat.

But for him, who was currently punished and banned, he no longer had the qualification to participate.

Even transferring to another school wouldn't help.

"I need to think of a way..."

Walking on the road home, Saeki Muneyoshi's mind was constantly churning with plans for his next steps.

The sun was setting, dyeing the sky a deep red, casting a faint shadow on his figure, stretching his silhouette out long...

It was already evening when Muneyoshi returned home. Thinking about the arrangements for leaving school and planning his improvement direction had taken up a considerable amount of his time.

"His aunt, paternal aunt!"

Opening the Gate of Opening, Saeki Muneyoshi noticed his mother, Kannai, was making dinner in the kitchen. His father was reading the newspaper on the sofa, and the atmosphere at home wasn't particularly heavy.

"Muneyoshi, you're back. Go take a bath first. Dinner might still take a while."

Upon seeing her son return, Kannai's expression was very gentle, showing no sign of abnormality.

"Yes, understood, Mother."

Muneyoshi replied while changing his shoes. Seeing that his family wasn't bringing up the school incident, he felt his tense emotions calm down.

However, he didn't notice the heartache in his mother Kannai's eyes.

"Father~"

He greeted his father, who was sitting upright on the sofa, and then headed straight for the bathroom.

"Hmm..."

Seeing Muneyoshi close the bathroom door, his father, who had been reading the newspaper, immediately tossed it onto the table.

"This kid doesn't look like he's been subjected to bullying and a suspension."

His father, Saeki, with a hint of undetectable concern, walked to the kitchen and quietly asked Kannai.

Carefully setting down the simmering soup, his mother Kannai replied with a hint of helplessness, "But Muneyoshi was expelled from the tennis club and has been forced to take a leave of absence from school for a period."

"I see..."

A flicker of understanding crossed Saeki's mind. Judging by this, the kid probably wasn't bullied; at least, he didn't lose a fight...

"Remember not to mention this in front of Muneyoshi."

Suddenly, Kannai's expression shifted. Holding a soup ladle, she reminded him again. She knew her husband had been extremely strict with Muneyoshi since he was young.

If Muneyoshi hadn't had such strong self-discipline from a young age, who knew what might have happened.

"Alright, alright... I won't mention it..."

In the bathroom.

Saeki Muneyoshi was completely submerged under the water's surface in the bathtub.

His mind kept replaying scenes from his previous match, trying to fully grasp a very peculiar feeling.

The extreme emotional outburst had driven a wild release of mental power, projecting the dark shadows in his heart back out through his mental power.

This, along with his own skills, power, and sweet spot hitting, ultimately ignited a spiritual flame that broke through the Gate of Opening for this world's tennis techniques.

The amplification and enhancement he received at that moment were akin to Tezuka's State of Selflessness.

However, the State of Selflessness was external, while Darkness was incredibly internalized.

"So mental power can be used like this..."

With all motives silenced and all presence hidden, like a suppressed volcano, awaiting the final ignition and eruption.

The path of Darkness was also an incredibly wide road, with many realms and techniques worth exploring.

Saeki Muneyoshi continuously organized and summarized in his mind...

Since he had already embarked on this path, he could only understand it himself and truly integrate it into his own tennis, forming his own tennis system like Tezuka.

Knock, knock, knock...

"Muneyoshi, hurry up, it's time to eat."

His mother Kannai's gentle voice sounded from outside the door.

"Yes, Mother, I'll be out soon."

Silence filled the dinner table. Looking at Muneyoshi, who seemed a bit lost in thought, his father Saeki wanted to say something but decided against it after some consideration.

The family didn't mention anything about school, but it was a silent form of support for Muneyoshi.

After dinner, Muneyoshi told his parents he planned to take a leave of absence for a trip. After some thought, both parents agreed.

ps: "Dear readers, please shower me with all sorts of votes!"