Before the Kanto Tournament Semifinals
The day after Muneyoshi challenged Byōdōin, Rokkaku Old Man also took Rokkaku Middle School to Tokyo.
The Kanto Tournament in Japan has entered the final round of elimination matches to determine the Semifinals- finalists.
Ariake Tennis Forest Park.
Court No. 4, Area A
The stadium was surrounded by spectators watching the game and many school members.
This knockout match is the most suspenseful of all the group matches, and it is very likely to reveal a lot.
Therefore, a particularly large number of people came to watch the game.
On the tennis court.
The two sides currently engaged in a duel are familiar to Muneyoshi; they are Rokkaku Middle School and Yamabuki Middle School.
Banda Kenya VS Rokkaku Old Man.
The two have had numerous opportunities to clash over the years, and therefore, they are both wary of each other.
Yamabuki Middle School is particularly strong in doubles, while Rokkaku Middle School is more well-rounded.
The match was very close, with the score remaining very tight.
And just as the match was progressing to doubles match one...
A commotion arose outside the circle of onlookers, as if some sight had caught their attention...
"Hey, isn't that the biggest dark horse of the year, the Seigaku team!"
How did they get here?
"Shouldn't they be playing the knockout stage against Hoshi Dai Koizumi right now? Why are they here so early?"
They watched as the fully armed Seigaku contingent approached from around the corner.
Many viewers who turned around, as well as the eliminated schools, expressed their doubts.
However, some quick-thinking individuals grasped the key point and couldn't help but make a bold guess.
"Could it be that...!"
"No way!"
"How could it be so fast!"
"It hasn't even been an hour!"
"Our opponent is Hoshi Dai Koizumi Oizumi!"
As the main group of Seigaku arrived, or rather, the passersby who walked in front of Seigaku's group, their bold guess was directly confirmed.
"Hey, hey, hey, your information is way out of date! Group B's matches are already over!"
"Three resounding victories, a complete sweep of Hoshi Dai Koizumi, Seigaku has advanced to tomorrow's semifinals!"
"Seigaku is really going to stick to their dark side!"
In an instant.
The news quickly spread among the crowd.
All the schools that heard the news showed expressions of disbelief and horror.
What was the original situation with Seigaku?
Don't they know?!
Furthermore, Seigaku had experienced a conflict before the Metropolitan Tournament, leading many to believe that Seigaku would never recover.
However, with such a drastic change in personnel, Seigaku seems poised to go all the way down the dark path.
Are you kidding me?
Many astonished gazes fell upon the Seigaku members who had already reached the outer perimeter and were now quietly watching the tennis match below.
Silence fell.
Once the facts are laid bare, there's no longer any need to question whether they're true or false.
However, immediately afterwards...
The noisy and chaotic storm of discussion began to shift from the focus of conversation, from Rokkaku and Yamabuki who were playing in the arena below, to Seigaku.
They were all very curious about what had happened at Seigaku, and why such a big change had occurred.
Meanwhile, Seigaku remained completely unconcerned about the discussions among the crowd.
Tezuka Kunimitsu is in the center position, with Inui Sadaharu and Fuji standing to his left, and Akutsu and Kikumaru to his right.
With their eyes fixed on each other, they made no attempt to conceal their observation of the situation between Yamabuki Middle School and Rokkaku Middle School, who were currently competing.
Even they themselves didn't know which school would make it to the end.
Therefore, they are also eagerly anticipating the final result.
Meanwhile, on the Yamabuki coaching bench, an elderly man in his sixties with a kind smile was talking to the players who were about to take the field.
Her gray hair was meticulously combed, yet it possessed a natural and flowing quality.
That squinting smile gave everyone on Seigaku's side a strange sense of familiarity.
Brush!
With a unified movement.
Everyone turned their heads and looked straight at their good friend— Fuji Shusuke!
After observing for a moment, they all turned their heads in unison.
Everyone looked away.
Only Kikumaru.
His distinctive, bright, cat-like eyes.
Amidst Fuji's increasingly awkward yet polite smile, his gaze began to linger back and forth between the old man and Fuji.
"Eh~ Eh~~~"
"Fuji, Fuji, look! Isn't that what you'll look like when you're old?!"
Cough cough~~~
Kikumaru's surprised words caused even the usually composed Fuji to cough involuntarily.
The others were also embarrassed, wanting to laugh but too shy to do so.
At that moment, Inui Sadaharu took out a notebook, opened a page, and said calmly.
"Banda Kenya is known in the tennis world as 'Banda Grandpa' or 'Banrō'!"
"He is the advisor and coach of the Yamabuki Middle School Tennis Club, and has been a coach at Yamabuki Middle School for over twenty years. He is a pillar of the team."
"His coaching ability is exceptional."
"It is precisely because of Banrō that Yamabuki Middle School has become a powerhouse in Tokyo, and even in the Kanto region. Under his leadership, Yamabuki Middle School is a team that consistently makes it to the National Tournament."
The Seigaku members were already quite familiar with Inui Sadaharu's reliability, and they all nodded in agreement.
However, the topic Inui Sadaharu.
"In addition."
"The Yamabuki, led by Banrō, and our Seigaku are old rivals with a long-standing grudge..."
"Arch-rival?"
Inui Sadaharu's words left the Seigaku members bewildered and suspicious.
He then explained the background of the matter, namely the suppression of Seigaku during the time of Echizen Nanjirō.
This ignited the emotions of the Seigaku members; they were all a group of chuunibyou (delusional) teenagers, in the prime of their passionate youth.
As Inui Sadaharu finished speaking, the crowd's attitude towards Yamabuki Middle School took on a slightly different flavor.
Kikumaru, Oishi, and the others once again turned their attention to the old man in the stadium's rest area below.
This time, however, their gazes were extremely solemn and serious.
After introducing Yamabuki's coach, Inui Sadaharu's introduction continued.
"Yamabuki Middle School is renowned nationwide for its powerful doubles team."
"Under the guidance of our Banrō coach, our doubles team has never experienced a break in National Level competition."
"Based on my current intelligence analysis."
"The current doubles team at Yamabuki Middle School is definitely National Level doubles team."
"National Level doubles..."
Kikumaru and Oishi exchanged a glance, both noticing the tension in each other's eyes.
Although they have grown rapidly along the way, their current strength is still too weak, and Seigaku's doubles is their biggest weakness.
However, without pausing at all, after introducing Inui Sadaharu, he began to introduce Yamabuki Rokkaku Middle School.
This gave everyone a general understanding of the two schools.
At this moment, Tezuka, Fuji, and Akutsu turned their attention to the boy who looked eight or nine parts similar to Saeki Muneyoshi.
He was the third singles player in this match.
During the time they were gathering intelligence, the Yamabuki doubles team did indeed perform to their full potential.
Having won two consecutive matches, Rokkaku is now on the brink of elimination.
In the singles match, the Banrō watched with a smile as the first-year student Sengoku Kiyosumi, took to the court.
They coached while competing.
With the guidance of the Banrō, the situation changed from an absolute disadvantage at the beginning to a point where Sengoku Kiyosumi could barely keep up with his own powerful luck "buff".
However, having grown up training alongside Saeki Muneyoshi Kojiro, Torajiro's current strength is far beyond what it used to be.
With guidance from his Rokkaku Old Man, he quickly stabilized his form and then effortlessly won the singles match 3 with a score of 6-3.
"Tch, that brat who looks like that damn guy isn't bad at all..."
Seeing Saeki Kojiro win so easily, Akutsu had a slight urge to react to that face, spat out a vicious remark.
His words also expressed the feelings of Tezuka and Fuji.
Nowadays, aside from being less creative, Saeki Kojiro is no weaker than Fuji and Akutsu in terms of raw skill.
However, with only one strong point, the disadvantage of the Rokkaku became apparent. In the subsequent match, although the former captain of the third year fought hard to score a point.
However, Yamabuki ultimately won the match.
Yamabuki Middle School won 3-2, advancing to tomorrow's semi-finals and securing their ticket to the National Tournament.
Seeing this, the Seigaku members knew it was time to leave.
At that moment, the smiling Banrō looked up and gazed directly at Seigaku.
"Seigaku, they've really risen to prominence..."
P. S.: "The book will be available tomorrow, and I'll be releasing ten chapters in a row. I'll keep my promise, so please support me with your monthly votes!"