Leaving

The Fudomine Tennis Club's Regular selection tournament continued in this manner.

Everything proceeded according to Muneyoshi and the others' plan.

On the field.

After shaking hands with Sakurai Masaya, Kamio Akira hurriedly ran towards another court.

"Huh... the match is over already?"

Looking at the now-empty court that belonged to Saeki Muneyoshi in the knockout stage, Kamio Akira's face showed great regret.

Although it was a pity, he wasn't surprised, since it was a match that Saeki Muneyoshi was participating in.

His gaze fell on the scoreboard next to the court, which displayed 6 and 0 in black letters on a white background.

The name of Ibu Shinji, which appears at the 0 mark, also indicates the identity of the opponent.

"The minister is truly powerful. I wish I had that kind of power someday!"

"However, I hope Shinji won't be too discouraged by such a crushing defeat."

"Hey, Kamio, are you done on your end too?"

Looking at Akira Kamio, who was standing blankly on the sidelines with Kamio Akira racket in hand, Lin Xiu's voice came from the entrance of the Tennis Club.

Holding two cans of iced soda in his hand, Lin Xiu walked towards Kamio Akira with a smile, and while still a few meters away, he casually tossed one of the cans at Kamio Akira.

"Ah!"

Seeing the can being thrown at him, Kamio reacted quickly, tucking his racket under his elbow and catching the Lin Xiu easily with both hands.

"Kamio, it seems your strength is indeed quite impressive now; you reacted so quickly even when I ambushed you."

Lin Xiu narrowed his eyes and chuckled.

"Thank you for buying me a soda, Senior Lin Xiu. You seem so happy today, is there some good news?"

Kamio unzipped the can, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp. After he had enjoyed it, he asked a question.

"Good thing... Hmm, does it count if I drew an opponent I can beat?"

Lin Xiu also took a small sip, then let out a satisfied burp. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Kamio, who was completely unaware of what was happening, and a hint of sympathy appeared in his eyes.

"Haha, congratulations in advance, Senior Lin Xiu! But who's your unlucky opponent...?"

Kamio didn't seem to mind and asked casually.

"It's you... Kamio..."

"Don't blame me for not showing mercy then."

Lin Xiu came to inform Kamio that he would be Kamio's opponent in the next round, and then left, leaving Kamio standing there in a daze.

Remembering his earlier words of congratulating Lin Xiu in advance, Kamio Akira clenched the can in his hand tightly, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

"It's actually Senior Lin Xiu..."

"Shinji lost to the minister."

"I also lost to Keith. If I lose to Senior Lin Xiu as well, my position Regular will be in danger..."

"There are still a few rounds left, and I might run into other senior students. No, I can't slack off anymore. If I lose again, I might really fall to the second team."

Akira Kamio paused for a moment, his hand holding the aluminum Kamio Akira moving, and took a deep breath.

Kamio's worries were not unfounded; in the following matches, he lost to both Lin Xiu and Tachibana Kippei.

He suffered three consecutive losses, bringing him to the brink of elimination, but fortunately, he held on in the final match against Ishida Tetsu.

Ishida Tetsu wanted to win through brute force, but Kamio became calm and did not fight Ishida head-on. Instead, he used his speed to wear Ishida down.

When the elimination rounds finally ended, Kamio Akira a sigh of relief.

Only then did he have the leisure to observe Ibu Shinji was "even luckier" than him.

After losing to Saeki Muneyoshi, Ibu Shinji seemed to have started a losing streak, losing to Tachibana Kippei in succession.

His performance was even worse than Kamio's; he was dropped out of the Regular lineup and relegated to the second team.

However, Fudomine has a rule that any member can challenge a Regular member after the selection competition.

Judging from their records, Ishida Tetsu and Kamio Akira, who performed the worst, are obviously easier targets for a challenge.

When Hanamura Aoi announced the end of the selection rounds and the start of the free challenge, Kamio Akira immediately noticed a strange light in Shinji's eyes.

Seeing this, Kamio, who knew Shinji's personality very well, could easily understand what the other party meant, and Kamio expression was somewhat forced.

But then, Shinji's gaze shifted away from him, which relieved Kamio's pressure, and he even reassured himself with some trepidation.

"Perhaps... Shinji won't choose me as his challenger?"

Shinji wasn't surprised that Kamio could see through his thoughts, but after seeing Kamio's current state of mind, Shinji gently shook his head.

"Kamio, entrusting your Fate to others is a mistake in itself."

Shinji didn't say anything more, nor did he delay. He simply took a step forward and called out loudly.

"Coach, I want to challenge Kamio Akira!"

Shinji pointed a finger, and a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face, which seemed to be wearing a ceramic mask.

The moment Ibu Shinji finished speaking, Kamio Akira, who had been clinging to a sliver of hope, felt a tremor run through him as his gaze met Shinji's eyes.

This was the first time Kamio had ever seen so many emotional changes in Shinji's eyes—bright and confident, with a sense of determination to win.

"Alright, each of you has ten minutes to prepare. Let the challenge begin."

Hanamura Aoi showed no surprise. This specially arranged selection tournament, besides Muneyoshi wanting to teach Kamio a lesson, had also deeply affected the second-year students under Hanamura Aoi's guidance.

However, now that the selection process has come this far, regardless of who wins or loses, it's been a good mental experience.

"Kamio..."

Ibu Shinji glanced at Kamio Akira, who was warming up on the opposite side of the field, and recalled what Saeki Muneyoshi had told him: sometimes, you can't give your opponent too many false impressions.

"I'm sorry, Kamio, I'm determined to get that spot on the Regular!"

Half an hour later.

"Kamio! You have too many fears in your heart. If you're immersed in them, you'll never make any progress. Let me detonate them for you!"

Bang!

With Shinji's final swing, a silver-gray beam of light shot out from his racket, flashing past Kamio Akira's bottom corner.

After one ball, the nightmare of fear that Kamio Akira had been triggered by Ibu Shinji erupted in full force, and Kamio Akira could no longer hold on.

"Game, Ibu Shinji, Score 6-3."

"Match over! Ibu Shinji wins! Challenge successful!"

Facing Shinji's unleashed full power, the terrifying mental force exerted a crushing effect almost unseen by the others, leaving the other members watching in silence.

Kamio Akira also lost his spot on the Fudomine Regular in a very dejected manner; at least before the Metropolitan Tournament, he had no chance of becoming Regular.

"Coach Hanamura!"

"Thank you so much, Fudomine! You actually agreed to give us a full interview about the intramural ranking tournament!"

The Fudomine intra-school ranking tournament has ended, and Inoue Mamoru repeatedly thanked Hanamura Aoi.

Hehehe!

"Mr. Inoue, you're too kind. Your report has attracted quite a few people to join Fudomine," Aoi Hanamura said with a smile.

"Well then Coach Hanamura, we'll take our leave now..." After exchanging a few more polite words, Inoue Mamoru said goodbye to Hanamura Aoi.

This major change in the Fudomine school ranking tournament is a significant event for Tokyo Metropolis.

A few days later, in some unknown little shop.

"I'm so tired, the interviews are finally coming to an end today!"

As she entered the small shop, Shiba Saori tugged at her elbow and stretched her slightly sore shoulders.

In less than a week.

Besides Fudomine, she and Inoue Mamoru also completed runs for the Hyotei Academy and Yamabuki teams.

"Ashiba, hurry up and finish your food. We still have two interviews to do this afternoon," Inoue Mamoru said to his assistant, Shiba Saori, while eating lunch.

Although in Tokyo Metropolis, the most famous schools are Fudomine, Seigaku, Hyotei Academy, and Yamabuki.

But besides going to Seigaku this afternoon, Inoue Mamoru also wants to find his idol.

Although he wasn't a paparazzi, he already knew his idol's address.

Moreover, it was Echizen Nanjirō who told him this during last year's Four-Nation Exchange Tournament.

The new semester began in this slow yet fulfilling time, and Kamio Akira once again began his intensive training.

However, none of this has much to do with Saeki Muneyoshi anymore.

After completing the school selection, he handed everything over to Tachibana Kippei and asked Hanamura Aoi for leave.

The coaching staff at the training camp sent a message:

Byōdōin Hōō suffered another injury in Europe, leaving the qualifying expedition team without a key player, and they urgently need him to provide support.

P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets!"