Atobe Keigo

At the opening ceremony, the principal of Hyotei Academy, with his Mediterranean hairstyle, was droning on with blessings from the stands.

Kannagi Shinichi, sitting below, found himself dozing off, as if listening to a lullaby that drained all his energy.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before the principal finally finished speaking and stepped down.

At this moment, a host teacher took the microphone, a fawning smile on his face: "Next, we invite the representative of the new students to give a welcoming speech."

As soon as he finished speaking, a boy with purplish-gray hair strode onto the stage with determined steps.

Seeing the boy, the host teacher's voice became even more impassioned: "Welcome, Atobe Keigo, to the stage."

Atobe Keigo didn't even glance at the teacher. Instead, he tossed his hair, picked up the microphone, and with his magnetic voice, addressed everyone in the audience: "Listen up, I'll say this first: starting today, I am the king of Hyotei Academy!"

When Atobe Keigo uttered this arrogant declaration with a confident tone, the entire auditorium fell silent. Everyone's gaze turned towards the brazen and arrogant boy on stage.

Then, a wave of commotion erupted throughout the venue.

Many people even looked at Atobe Keigo with hostile eyes.

"He's only a first-year and dares to claim he'll be the king of Hyotei Academy. He's just asking for trouble," Shishido Ryo, who couldn't stand seeing his peers act so arrogant, said with utter disdain.

Mukahi Gakuto echoed his sentiment, adding, "This guy is just blowing smoke. Why bother with him?"

On the other side, Akutsu looked at Kannagi Shinichi beside him and asked, "Can I teach him a lesson?"

Kannagi Shinichi remained calm and gently shook his head. "No."

He's just a mild case of chuunibyou; there's still hope for him. No need to fight him now.

Atobe Keigo, feeling the eyes on him from the stage, became even more unrestrained in his tone: "This Hyotei Academy has first-class facilities. How you utilize them or ruin them is up to you. Don't let yourselves become lax and lazy. Use your own hands to achieve a fulfilling school life, hahaha..."

After Atobe Keigo finished speaking, he threw his head back and laughed heartily.

The scene was undeniably chuunibyou-esque, yet when Atobe Keigo finished, it didn't feel out of place at all, as if it were meant to be.

In fact, many girls, upon seeing Atobe like this, became even more captivated.

Meanwhile, Kannagi Shinichi, listening from below, couldn't stop thinking about Atobe Keigo's earlier words about Hyotei Academy's first-class facilities.

It seems Atobe has already donated the student cafeteria, which looks like a French restaurant, complete with a chef from a five-star French restaurant, an indoor gym fully equipped with machines, a 24-hour constant temperature swimming pool, and a multi-functional media room...

Thinking of the wonderful school life ahead, Kannagi Shinichi could only inwardly shout: "Atobe Keigo, yyds!"

However, before Kannagi Shinichi could savor his happiness for long, he saw Atobe Keigo on stage continue with a smile: "Is the tennis club captain among the current students in the audience?"

As soon as Atobe Keigo finished speaking, everyone in the venue turned their attention to Kannagi Shinichi.

Following the crowd's gaze, Atobe Keigo also looked towards Kannagi Shinichi.

Kannagi Shinichi also snapped back to attention and began to watch the boy on stage who was looking at him. Their eyes met, and an invisible aura rose between them.

"I am the captain of the Hyotei tennis club," Kannagi Shinichi stated, remaining seated and calmly looking at Atobe Keigo.

Although Kannagi Shinichi exuded a strong presence, Atobe Keigo was unfazed. He met Kannagi Shinichi's gaze and chuckled softly, "From today onwards, I am the tennis club captain!"

As those words landed, the entire venue fell silent once more.

"Is this you challenging me? Or do you intend to use the privileges of the Atobe family's young master to make me hand over the Hyotei captaincy to you?" Kannagi Shinichi's tone was icy, with a hint of mockery on his face.

Seeing Kannagi Shinichi's mocking expression, Atobe Keigo felt a surge of anger. "Of course, whoever is stronger becomes the captain. After all, the captain's duty is to lead the team to victory, and I, Atobe Keigo, am the one who will lead Hyotei to the national championship."

"Is that so? But I don't think you're the one who can lead Hyotei to the top."

"Hmph!" Hearing Kannagi Shinichi's words, Atobe Keigo felt extremely displeased. Right now, all he wanted was to decisively defeat the white-haired boy on the court. "Let's have a match. The winner will be the captain of Hyotei."

"And what about the loser?" Kannagi Shinichi asked Atobe Keigo with a playful smirk.

"Then I will naturally obey the winner's command."

Atobe Keigo's tone was full of confidence, as if the outcome of this yet-to-begin match was already decided, and the victor was none other than himself.

Kannagi Shinichi had been waiting for this.

He had analyzed Atobe Keigo's personality. While confident, narcissistic, and arrogant, Atobe Keigo never went back on his word.

Furthermore, he wasn't like other arrogant rich people who would resort to underhanded tactics if they couldn't defeat someone head-on.

Atobe Keigo was different. He possessed a sharp mind, strong convictions, and his own worldview. He harbored no dark intentions; his path was always straightforward.

When defeated, he would only work harder and win back his victory with his own hands.

Such an Atobe Keigo was, in Kannagi Shinichi's eyes, undoubtedly a charismatic person. Perhaps his only flaw was his somewhat chuunibyou personality.

The ceremony was not yet over, but Kannagi Shinichi had already stood up from his seat. "I'll wait for you on the court."

After speaking, Kannagi Shinichi rose and left, with Akutsu following closely behind.

"Hahaha... Interesting..." Atobe Keigo burst into laughter upon seeing this. He put down the microphone, walked off the stage, and said to Kabaji Takahiro, who was nearby, "Kabaji, let's go."

At this moment, the teacher hosting the welcoming ceremony was the most embarrassed.

Below the stage, the audience erupted into a clamor due to their conversation and subsequent departure.

The leadership of Hyotei Academy looked displeased but helpless. The Atobe Foundation provided too much, so they could only tolerate it.

When the school announced the end of the ceremony, many people rushed to the tennis courts. Some were members of the tennis club or fans, most of whom were heading towards Kannagi Shinichi; many young girls followed behind, drawn by Atobe Keigo.

At this time, on the center court of the Hyotei Academy tennis club, Kannagi Shinichi, wearing a jacket with his arms crossed, held his racket casually. As the breeze blew, his jacket billowed behind him like a cape, exuding an aura of kingship.

Shortly after, Atobe Keigo also arrived at the court with his racket, leading Kabaji Takahiro.

Kannagi Shinichi looked at Atobe Keigo opposite him, a faint smile appearing on his stern face. "Want to be the king of Hyotei? Then today, I'll cure you of your kingly ambitions first."