"Yukimura is every bit as formidable as I expected. He puts tremendous pressure on his opponents, and his technique, mental strength, and speed are all already outstanding."
"Even after working this hard, I still haven't caught up to him. Is this what a true genius is? I really want to have a proper match with him!"
From watching and simulating the match, Saeki Muneyoshi could feel a heavy pressure bearing down on him. But he wasn't afraid. The gap between them wasn't all that great—as long as he could make a breakthrough.
Then they would be standing on the same starting line.
Watching the two shake hands, a strange glint flashed in Muneyoshi's eyes.
"Hmm, let Yukimura experience the view from the top first. There's fun to be had in being the one chasing, too..."
After one last glance back at Yukimura and Sanada, who were about to face off, Saeki Muneyoshi squeezed through the crowd and headed for the vending machines.
"Standing around for so long has made me a little thirsty."
He wasn't in a hurry to leave. He had nothing to do until the school year began, anyway.
He was also thinking that once Sanada and Yukimura had finished their match and had time to rest, he'd find an opportunity to ask one of them for a match.
Thinking of this, Muneyoshi couldn't help remembering the tennis club.
Fudomine was a genuine mess. Before Tachibana Kippei arrived, they'd been such a sorry team that they couldn't even win the regional preliminaries.
And compared to Seigaku's bad habit of making first-years do nothing but pick up balls, Fudomine was even more ridiculous. Even second-years could only serve as practice partners; only third-years could become regulars.
When he thought of trailblazers like Yukimura and Atobe, who had begun ushering in change as first-years, he couldn't afford to fall too far behind.
But Fudomine's situation was more complicated. Unlike private schools like Seigaku, Hyotei Academy, Rikkai Dai, Yamabuki, and Rokkaku, it was one of the few public schools in Tokyo Metropolis.
Being a public school meant its student body wasn't especially strong, and the club's fortunes often affected the reputation of local politicians.
"Hmm, maybe I can find a way to work things out from that angle... I remember my father's company has some connections with the local politicians. Could I...?"
Kumamoto, Kyushu.
The same kind of match was taking place at the Kumamoto Tennis Forest Gymnasium.
A tall boy with a mop of curly hair and another boy with long blond hair walked onto the court at the same time, each carrying a tennis racket. They took their places at the net, exchanged a glance, and sighed.
"Kippei, you've gotten even stronger."
The curly-haired boy was Chitose Senri, while the blond-haired boy was Tachibana Kippei, one of the future pillars of Fudomine whom Muneyoshi had been thinking about so much.
The two were famous tennis prodigies in Kyushu. In the end, they were the ones who had made it to the final of the Kyushu junior tennis tournament.
At Chitose's words, Tachibana glanced at him but didn't underestimate him in the slightest.
He knew his friend's abilities very well. Chitose was no weaker than he was.
A beastly aura radiated from Tachibana as he spoke, his fighting spirit burning bright.
"Chitose, you're no slouch either. If I'm not careful, I might not come out ahead against you."
"But that's what makes it fun. Tennis is exciting because I have a strong opponent like you."
"Kippei, you really are something. You don't give me a moment to catch my breath or slack off!"
Knowing his friend's personality well, Tachibana ignored Chitose's complaint and continued.
"Chitose, I can't wait to enter junior high and work alongside you to lead Shishigaku to the top of the national stage. Will you do it with me?"
"My, my, Kippei, I haven't thought that far ahead. Instead of dreaming about the future, we should focus on the present. But I have no intention of letting you win this match."
"That's just what I wanted to hear, Chitose!"
"Heads or tails?"
"Heads!"
"Match begins! One set, winner takes all. Chitose Senri to serve."
Kansai, Osaka.
To escape his grueling training schedule, Mori Juzaburo had slipped away from the club early that morning and hidden himself in a corner on the roof of Shitenhoji Junior High's main building.
He covered himself with his jacket, put on his headphones, and was just about to close his eyes for a quick nap.
"Mori-senpai, you've snuck off to slack here again."
A brown-and-white-haired boy, apparently just back from training and still panting, had caught Mori in the act.
Mori Juzaburo opened his bleary eyes and glanced over casually. "Oh, it's you, Kozonnosuke. Did Hirazeni send you, or was it Ashu?"
"But it doesn't matter. Let me sleep a little. It feels like I just got here. Go tell them I'll be there in a bit."
He finished speaking, pursed his lips, and drifted off to sleep.
Shiraishi Kuranosuke was still in elementary school, but thanks to his exceptional talent, Coach Ashu of Shitenhoji had discovered him and brought him into the school's training program early.
He was usually the most energetic member of the club, but even he couldn't do a thing about Mori-senpai.
In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and return to the training court.
Shiraishi trudged back to the training hall. Nearby, Ashu slowly opened his eyes, looking lazy and languid.
"Hey, what's wrong, little Shiraishi? Did Mori get the better of you again? Hahaha..."
Shiraishi Kuranosuke rolled his eyes helplessly. It wasn't that Mori had gotten the better of him; he was just frustrated that Mori wasn't living up to his potential. Deep down, he envied Mori-senpai's talent.
Mori was far more talented than he was.
It was a shame that, despite Mori-senpai's tremendous tennis talent, he kept wasting it. That infuriated Shiraishi, who had always believed in training above all else.
But he was still a junior and shouldn't treat his senior that way. After suppressing his anger, Shiraishi Kuranosuke finally asked, puzzled:
"Coach Ashu, why do people with talent choose to waste it like this?"
"Oh, are you jealous of someone else's talent?"
"..."
Shiraishi didn't answer, but his expression said it all.
After a long silence, Ashu stood up, brushed the dust off his backside, gestured for Shiraishi Kuranosuke to follow, and walked ahead.
Shiraishi didn't understand what Ashu meant, but he followed him into the coaches' dormitory.
"Coach Ashu, what is this? It's so heavy!"
"Heh, it's solid gold. Oh, and Shiraishi, you'll wear it until you graduate."
"Uh..."
"This is everything I own."
With that, Ashu headed toward the gym without looking back. He casually waved to Shiraishi over his shoulder. "I'm counting on you. Make sure nobody finds out!"
"Ah, wait, Coach Ashu!"
Ignoring Shiraishi's panic and bewilderment behind him, Ashu's gaze remained calm.
"Little Shiraishi, even if you keep working on the basics, you still have a chance to surpass a genius. Keep working hard."
Back in Tokyo Metropolis, an hour had passed, and the junior tournament final had already ended.
Saeki Muneyoshi sat up from the grass. The sun was already beginning to set.
"Hmm, I actually fell asleep."
"Is the match over already? Looks like I missed it. Oh well, I should head home. There'll be plenty of chances to meet them in the future."
Brushing the dry grass off himself, Muneyoshi slung his tennis bag over his shoulder and walked out through the park.
Before you continue