"Kannagi Shinichi, next time, I'll definitely beat you."
"I told you: the only person who can beat me is myself."
Back at the sidelines, Kannagi Shinichi recalled how Sanada Genichiro had just sworn to defeat him and couldn't help smiling.
After living two lifetimes, he hadn't expected to still be so childish. Faced with Sanada's refusal to give up, he'd even felt compelled to fire back.
Sitting down again, Kannagi Shinichi took a sports drink from Sakaki Taro to replenish his strength. After all, he still had one last match—the final.
"How are you feeling? Is your stamina okay?" Sakaki Taro hadn't actually approved of Kannagi Shinichi constantly using that move, Two-Handed Thunderclap Eight Trigrams. It looked incredibly exhausting.
His opponent had already been injured, and the outcome of the match had been a foregone conclusion.
"I could play ten more matches without a problem," Kannagi Shinichi joked.
If all ten matches were like the one he'd just played, Kannagi Shinichi definitely wouldn't have had the stamina to keep going. But against weaker opponents, he could play not just ten matches, but even a hundred.
Sakaki Taro merely nodded at Kannagi Shinichi's words. The kid was so cold. In all this time, Sakaki had only seen him smile three times, and every one of those smiles had been directed at him.
"Good. That's all that matters." Sakaki Taro folded his arms, paused, then continued, "You think highly of that Sanada Genichiro, don't you?"
"Yeah." Kannagi Shinichi set down his sports drink and replied, "He has a strong will. He never gives up easily when it comes to tennis. I admire that about him."
Hearing Kannagi Shinichi say that got Sakaki Taro thinking. Then he suddenly asked, "What do you think about inviting him to join Hyotei?"
Kannagi Shinichi simply shook his head. "He won't come to Hyotei."
"Not even for money?" Sakaki Taro wanted to use the same method he'd used with Kannagi Shinichi to recruit Sanada Genichiro. "If he joined Hyotei, we'd be the favorites to win the National Tournament."
"You can try." Kannagi Shinichi wasn't optimistic about Sanada Genichiro joining Hyotei.
After all, Sanada wasn't like him. He didn't love money. For Sanada, his dream of playing tennis would always come first.
Sakaki Taro said no more, but he was already figuring out how much he should offer to recruit Sanada Genichiro.
He really hoped this kid, Sanada Genichiro, would be like Kannagi—a boy who loved money.
After spending these past few days with Kannagi Shinichi, Sakaki Taro had already figured him out. In two words: he loved money.
He'd asked Sakaki to pick him up in Nagoya to save on travel expenses. And ever since arriving at Hyotei, he'd been constantly milking Sakaki for money. Just buying him shoes and clothes over the past few days had cost tens of thousands of yen.
Of course, Sakaki didn't mind spending the money. In fact, he was happy to spend it on Kannagi Shinichi.
Ever since seeing Kannagi Shinichi use Complete Body Thunderclap Eight Trigrams, Sakaki Taro had regarded him as a second "Samurai Nanjirou."
If Kannagi Shinichi made a name for himself around the world someday, then Sakaki Taro would be the one who had raised a "second legend."
By then, Kannagi Shinichi had finished talking with Sakaki Taro and turned his attention to the system inside him.
During his match with Sanada, he'd sensed that his system had changed. That was why his Two-Handed Thunderclap Eight Trigrams had been so powerful when he used it later.
But he'd been in the middle of a match at the time, so he hadn't had a chance to check.
Kannagi Shinichi
Five Dimensions Value
Power: 3
Speed: 1
Stamina: 5
Technique: 1
Mental Strength: 8
Total Five Dimensions Value: 8
Kaido Template Progress: 00001%
Special Moves: Dragon's Roar (original move), Two-Handed Thunderclap Eight Trigrams (unlock rate: 00005%), Complete Body Thunderclap Eight Trigrams (unlock rate: 00002%), Wind Blade (locked), Corrupting Wind (locked), Thunderclap (locked), Tornado (locked), Tornado Corrupting Wind (locked), Heat Breath (locked)...
Speed had increased the most, gaining six points in the Five Dimensions Value. It seemed his increased explosive power had boosted his speed.
His power had also gone up by three points, so he really had gotten stronger. More importantly, the unlock rate for Two-Handed Thunderclap Eight Trigrams had increased a little more.
His mental strength had also gained three points. Maybe it was because he'd broken through the confusion in his heart during his match with Sanada Genichiro.
The boost to his mental strength had come at just the right time. His opponent in the final, Yukimura Seiichi, was a mental-type player. With this increase, Kannagi Shinichi felt much more confident about beating him.
Thank goodness this was a tennis world. He could get stronger without losing his hair.
He was grateful that the system had given him Kaido's template from One Piece. If he'd gotten Saitama's template, where getting stronger meant going bald, Kannagi Shinichi swore he'd never play tennis, no matter how much he loved the sport.
How great. I got stronger, but I didn't go bald.
While Kannagi Shinichi focused on his system, Yukimura Seiichi began talking with Sanada Genichiro.
"Sanada, do you need to go to the hospital?" Yukimura Seiichi was very concerned about him. So far, Sanada was the only friend he'd gotten along with so well on his tennis journey.
"I'm fine." Sanada Genichiro looked toward Kannagi Shinichi, who was deep in thought in the distance. Then, his expression solemn, he said to Yukimura Seiichi, "Yukimura, that guy is really strong."
"I know." Yukimura Seiichi followed Sanada's gaze to Kannagi Shinichi. His smile was gentle. "I watched his match just now. As for power, he's stronger than anyone his age—and probably stronger than any middle schooler, too. But there's one weakness in his game."
"A weakness?" Sanada Genichiro looked puzzled. He really hadn't noticed any flaws in Kannagi Shinichi's game. His power, explosive strength, and serve were all practically perfect.
"Yeah." Yukimura Seiichi nodded firmly. "His technique isn't as refined as it looks."
Sanada Genichiro was still confused. "Yukimura, how could you tell his technique was a weakness?"
Yukimura Seiichi's eyes lit up as he looked at Kannagi Shinichi in the distance. He chuckled softly. "Because these eyes of mine can see the true nature of tennis."
Just then, the stadium announcer spoke again:
"Next up is the final of the National Elementary School Tennis Tournament: Kannagi Shinichi versus Yukimura Seiichi. Players, please proceed to Court Two and get ready."
"Is it finally starting?" Chitose Senri murmured as he watched the two players warming up.
Hearing Chitose Senri murmur, Tachibana Kippei also turned his attention to the two players about to take the court.
"I wonder who'll win the championship." Akutagawa Jirou chimed in with a grin.
"Idiot! Of course Kannagi-senpai will win. He's invincible!" Mukahi Gakuto jumped up and shouted, annoyed that Akutagawa Jirou had even questioned whether Kannagi Shinichi would take the title.
Beside them, Shishido Ryo could only cover his head in exasperation at the two of them.
Meanwhile, Sakaki Taro turned to Kannagi Shinichi and said calmly, "Go on. Bring home the championship."
"I will." Kannagi Shinichi took his racket and headed onto the court.
On the other side, Sanada Genichiro was urging Yukimura Seiichi on. "Yukimura, you have to win!"
"Don't worry." Yukimura Seiichi smiled faintly and told Sanada Genichiro with complete confidence, "I'll be the one to win this match!"
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