The So-Called Captain

Just as Muneyoshi and his mother landed on the plane bound for Spain, the finals of the Kanto Tournament officially began.

Because of Muneyoshi's appearance, and with him constantly flapping his butterfly wings.

This caused some subtle changes to the original course of the Kanto Tournament.

Let's rewind a little to the evening before the final of the competition.

The last rays of the setting sun were already casting their glow from the west, making the plaque of Rikkai Dai Affiliated Middle School shine brightly.

Couples of Rikkai Dai walked out of the school gate, their long shadows trailing behind them, chatting and laughing.

At this time, it's already time for all the school's clubs to disband and go home.

However, things were not peaceful at Rikkai Dai Affiliated Tennis Club.

Bang!

Bang!

The sound of the ball being hit carried far through the gradually emptying school.

A figure wearing a baseball cap was vigorously hitting a tennis ball next to the washbasin.

The unseen backswing motion creates a popping sound as the tennis ball flies through the air, the two sounds gradually merging and eventually intertwining.

"Genichiro, aren't you leaving yet?"

Wearing Rikkai Dai Regular's jacket, Yukimura Seiichi crossed his arms and spoke to the sweating boy on the field who was constantly venting his dissatisfaction.

Sanada did not reply.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

Another burst of rapid hitting sounds followed, the tennis ball reaching an incredibly high speed invisible to the naked eye.

Meanwhile, wisps of dust continued to fall from the wall that Sanada had attacked, demonstrating the astonishing power of Sanada shot.

"Smack!"

Sanada put down his racket, caught the rebounding tennis ball, glanced at Yukimura, pulled his hat brim down, and said in a low, silent voice.

"I'm sorry, Yukimura..."

Are you still angry that Tezuka Kunimitsu couldn't make it to the Kanto Tournament finals?

A hint of helplessness flashed in Yukimura's eyes as he asked.

He understood his childhood playmate's thoughts far too well.

Sanada vividly remembers the crushing defeat a few months ago and is determined to avenge it at the Kanto Tournament.

Unexpectedly, Tezuka, who had previously agreed to face off again, failed to even reach the finals of the Kanto Tournament.

How could Sanada, who had been bottling up his anger with nowhere to vent it, not be furious?

According to information gathered from Mitsuya- senpai and Yanagi, Tezuka didn't even get to play when Seigaku faced Hyotei Academy, as Hyotei Academy took them down in three innings.

This greatly displeased Sanada, who had been waiting for Tezuka for a long time, but he didn't know who to vent to, so he could only sulk alone.

"Let's go. There's the final match tomorrow. Since Hyotei Academy was able to beat Tezuka's Seigaku, it means they're not weak either. Don't underestimate them tomorrow."

Yukimura smiled and patted Sanada on the shoulder.

Unlike Sanada, he had no obsession with Tezuka.

Although Tezuka's performance at the time inspired him to fight, in his view, ultimate victory and glory were the most important things.

Glory, on the other hand, is the culmination of all abilities.

In Yukimura's view, even if Tezuka was incredibly strong, it would still be a failure if he couldn't lead Seigaku to the end.

As a minister, one cannot attribute the cause of one's failure to other reasons.

Being dragged down by his school, or having teammates who aren't good enough—these all seem like excuses.

Even if all of this is true, it's Tezuka's own fault.

This has always been Yukimura's viewpoint.

Rights and reputation are earned through strength.

"Don't worry, Yukimura, I won't..."

After venting Sanada anger, Sanada's mood calmed down slightly.

Although he has a strong obsession with Tezuka, he cannot let his actions affect Rikkai Dai's victory.

Tomorrow's Kanto championship is equally important for him, Yukimura, and everyone else in the Tennis Club.

On the other side, Yanagi Renji looked at Mitsuya Akito with some confusion. What had he just heard?

"Akito, are you serious?"

With a hint of disbelief, Yanagi Renji asked in confusion.

"Yes, Renji, this Kanto Tournament is probably the last tournament we'll ever play together."

Mitsuya Akito pushed up his glasses, his mind wandering. He never expected that at this time, his family would ask him to transfer schools.

What I didn't expect was that along with the transfer notice came an invitation letter.

However, he was also told that his whereabouts could not be revealed to anyone else, so he didn't know how to explain it to Renji and could only say softly.

Then came a long silence, and the two of them walked toward home, both deep in thought.

Both of them were very rational people. Yanagi Renji knew very well that Mitsuya Akito's decision was definitely the result of careful consideration and there was no room for negotiation.

Moreover, their relationship was anything but ordinary.

Mitsuya Akito was the one who introduced him to Data Tennis, and he regarded him as an older brother.

Hearing the sudden announcement of their impending departure filled Yanagi Renji with a myriad of emotions, yet he didn't know where to begin.

"Akito- nii, can you tell me where you're transferring schools?"

"I'm sorry, Renji, I can't say, but if fate allows, we'll definitely meet again in the future."

"So Akito- nii, will you give up tennis in the future?"

Receiving another negative response, Yanagi Renji's eyes welled with tears. He lowered his head and asked again, his voice trembling slightly.

"No, Renji, don't be sad. As long as you don't give up tennis, we'll definitely meet again someday..."

Akito felt helpless. The request from the other side was very urgent; otherwise, he would have fought the entire National Tournament with his teammates before going.

"Renji... I've taught you everything I needed to teach you about Data Tennis. From now on, you'll have to walk your own path."

"As for my own future development path, you can learn from it, but you can't completely imitate it, otherwise..."

Touching Yanagi Renji's smooth, short hair, Mitsuya Akito smiled gently, without finishing his sentence.

Hyotei Academy, Tennis Club.

Under the moonlight, two figures continued to crisscross the field.

Bang!

Atobe casually returned the tennis ball.

Hiss hiss hiss...

After landing, the tennis ball began to spin violently and irregularly, then slid a distance before launching into the sky at a right angle.

5-0.

Atobe wore an elegant smile, and in the moonlight, the beauty mark under his right eye looked particularly captivating.

"Towards a disheartening giggle!"

On the field, Oshitari in shock, seemingly stunned by Atobe's amazing move, staring blankly at Atobe's continued showy actions.

Under the moonlight, the boy's figure exuded an imposing aura.

"Continue!"

A few seconds later, Oshitari came to his senses, his gaze sharpened, and he said coldly.

Having witnessed Atobe's significant growth in just over a month after his defeat at Muneyoshi's hands, Oshitari, who hadn't made much progress himself, was extremely Oshitari.

Tomorrow is the final of the Kanto Tournament. He asked Atobe to be his sparring partner so that Atobe could put pressure on him and help him improve again.

As the minister, Atobe Keigo was naturally willing to accept this.

The match resumed.

Watching Oshitari against his attacks, unable to mount an effective counterattack, he watched as Shinobu was constantly on the run.

Furthermore, after Atobe used his full strength, Oshitari's weaknesses were constantly exposed, and he struggled even more.

Atobe's eyes showed no emotion, but his movements slowed considerably.

It seems they deliberately found Oshitari's weakness and then made him adapt to it.

The night before the match, both team managers offered their players different forms of support in their own ways.