The Demon King and the Prince's First Face-to-Face Encounter

After Muneyoshi had taken his place on the court, he heard Hanamura Aoi's words and looked back at the Fudomine players before turning his gaze to her at the sidelines.

Muneyoshi's stern face broke into an utterly confident smile. Then he said,

"Coach, I told you: Fudomine's bid for a second consecutive national championship has no weak spots..."

And on the Seigaku side of the court,

even though everyone knew Echizen had almost no chance of winning this match, they still held on to a glimmer of hope.

Especially Ryūzaki Sumire. After all, Echizen Ryoma was the son of a samurai.

A Samurai Second Generation!

What if Echizen Ryoma suddenly broke through his limits and won this match?

Everyone had a little hope to cling to.

"Come on, Echizen! Beat that guy!"

"Little runt, you have to win!"

Momoshiro, Horio, and Kikumaru all shouted encouragement.

Even Tezuka, who had just finished his match and hadn't said much before, spoke in a low voice. "Give it everything you've got, Echizen..."

Echizen Ryoma appreciated everyone's cheers, but still arrogantly tugged at the brim of his cap. Then he looked toward the tall figure already standing on the court.

"Hmph. You've got a long way to go."

With that, Echizen Ryoma lifted his chin and walked onto the court.

"Come to think of it, Saeki Muneyoshi still hasn't lost an official match in his middle school career, has he?"

Many people in the surrounding stands had already guessed the outcome, and they began discussing it. Most of their comments focused on Saeki Muneyoshi's strength and record.

Their discussion naturally reached the Hyotei players as well. Atobe lazily straightened up and looked toward the court, then scoffed dismissively.

"Huh? What are they even talking about? I haven't beaten Saeki yet. How could he