After announcing the three things, Kannagi Shinichi dismissed the group and told everyone to head to their respective classes to check in.
He had been exhausted earlier, but had recovered some of his strength. Now he was on his way to Sakaki Taro's office alone, to report what he had announced on the tennis court.
Knock, knock, knock...
"Come in." Sakaki Taro set down the documents in his hands. He knew Kannagi Shinichi had arrived.
"Advisor."
Kannagi Shinichi stepped forward and greeted him.
"I saw what happened on the tennis court. I have no objections to holding new tryouts for the regulars. After all, Hyotei has always valued strength above all else;
"But I don't know why you appointed Atobe Keigo as vice-captain of the tennis club. You should know that Hyotei only needs a king who reigns supreme. The title of second-in-command has no value."
Hyotei had made a name for itself across the country in recent years, but the tennis club had only ever had a captain, never a vice-captain. That was Sakaki Taro's rule. In his eyes, Hyotei needed only one king.
"I want to go out and see the tennis world."
Does he want to make his way onto the world stage? Sakaki Taro mused.
Kannagi Shinichi's reason didn't surprise Sakaki Taro. It was only natural that he would eventually move on to a bigger stage.
Sakaki Taro just hadn't expected Kannagi Shinichi to want to leave so soon.
"Although you're very strong now, you're only twelve. If you want to go out onto the world stage now, it's still a little too soon for you."
But Kannagi Shinichi shook his head. "Not long ago, my strength broke through to the world-class level. There are no opponents left for me in middle school. If I want to become stronger, I can only go out and find even stronger opponents."
During this time, Kannagi Shinichi had realized through his matches that his system template could only improve greatly when he encountered and defeated powerful opponents. And the stronger the opponent, the greater the improvement.
Meanwhile, Sakaki Taro had already suspected that Kannagi Shinichi's strength had reached an incredible level.
But even so, hearing Kannagi Shinichi say outright that his strength had broken through to the world-class level still left Sakaki Taro stunned.
"So you made Atobe Keigo vice-captain because you plan to have him manage the Hyotei tennis club after you leave?"
By now, Sakaki Taro understood why Kannagi Shinichi had made Atobe Keigo vice-captain.
Kannagi Shinichi nodded. "That's right. Atobe Keigo has not only exceptional tennis skills, but also strong leadership abilities. As vice-captain, he'll be able to lead the Hyotei tennis club forward when I'm not there."
Then Kannagi Shinichi remembered that Hyotei had paid a hefty sum to bring him in to win the national championship, so he continued, "But don't worry, Advisor. I'll take part in all of Hyotei's major tournaments."
After all, defeating the major characters from the original story could also greatly improve his system panel. Kannagi Shinichi didn't want to miss out on a chance to grow stronger.
For example, after he had just subdued Atobe with a single Kou Sanze In Naraku, his system template had changed a little.
He had simply been in too much of a hurry to report to Sakaki Taro to check the template.
Listening to Kannagi Shinichi, Sakaki Taro fell silent for a long while, considering whether to change Hyotei's long-standing rule.
After a while, a faint smile appeared on Sakaki Taro's composed face. "All right. Starting today, Atobe Keigo will be vice-captain of the Hyotei tennis club."
"Thank you, Advisor."
Kannagi Shinichi had great respect for Sakaki Taro, not only because Sakaki Taro had paid a hefty sum to recruit him, but also because he was a highly capable coach.
Perhaps his belief in strength above all else seemed cold and ruthless, but Kannagi Shinichi thought Sakaki Taro was right.
After all, on the tennis court, the strong were king.
In response to Kannagi Shinichi's thanks, Sakaki Taro merely nodded. "Before you go out into the world, I'll recommend a place for you. With your current strength, you'll be able to establish yourself there quickly. But we'll have to wait until after the Metropolitan Tournament to discuss it."
"Thank you, Advisor."
Kannagi Shinichi already had a good idea of what place Sakaki Taro meant. It was almost certainly Japan's U-17 training camp.
"All right. If there's nothing else, go check in with your class."
Seeing that Sakaki Taro was dismissing him, Kannagi Shinichi didn't linger. "Then I'll take my leave."
After Kannagi Shinichi had gone, Sakaki Taro picked up his phone and called. "Teacher Mifune, it's..."
Meanwhile, by the time Kannagi Shinichi left the office, it was already noon. So he didn't head to his classroom, but made his way to the student cafeteria while checking his system panel.
Kannagi Shinichi
Five Dimensions Value
Strength: 5
Speed: 1
Stamina: 5
Technique: 4
Mental: 8
Five Dimensions Value Total: 3
Kaido Template Progress: 00001%
Special Moves: Dragon's Roar (Original Skill), Two-Handed Thunderclap Eight Trigrams (Unlock Progress: 00005%), Complete Body Thunderclap Eight Trigrams (Unlock Progress: 00002%), Kou Sanze In Naraku (Unlock Progress: 00002%), Wind Blade (Locked), Corrupting Wind (Locked), Thunderclap (Locked), Tornado (Locked), Tornado Corrupting Wind (Locked), Heat Breath (Locked)...
Only his strength had increased by 2 among the Five Dimensions Value gained from the system template. It looked like this half-finished system really intended to turn him into a powerhouse like Kaido.
Fortunately, his new special move, Kou Sanze In Naraku, had improved. It seemed he wouldn't be completely exhausted after using that strike again.
He put away his system panel and, before he knew it, had arrived at the student cafeteria.
As soon as he entered, he saw that the cafeteria had been completely transformed. The decor was brand-new, making it look like a high-end French restaurant.
There was also a mountain of delicious food: sushi, steak, seafood, desserts...
Looking at it all, Kannagi Shinichi was in love!
He picked up some cutlery, chose an assortment of delicacies, and found a seat by himself to eat and replenish his strength.
Just as Kannagi Shinichi was secretly enjoying his meal, several sets of cutlery appeared on his table at once.
He looked up and saw Atobe Keigo, Oshitari Yuushi, and Akutsu Jin sitting down together.
The three hadn't arranged to meet. They had simply happened to come to Kannagi Shinichi's table.
Composing himself, Kannagi Shinichi swept his cool gaze across the three of them. "What is it? Is something up?"
Atobe was the first to speak. With a hint of mystery, he asked, "Do you know which class you're in?"
"Of course. A Group, No. 1. Advisor Sakaki arranged it for me from the start."
The three of them twitched at that. Damn, he'd gotten in through connections.
Seeing their expressions change, Kannagi Shinichi couldn't help but smirk to himself. He teased them, "It's not every day we're all gathered together like this. Why don't we introduce ourselves? I'll go first. I'm Kannagi Shinichi, first-year A Group. I like tennis, and I'm also the tennis club captain. Your turn."
"Hmph. I'm Atobe Keigo." Atobe huffed again, looking at Kannagi Shinichi with clear irritation. "A Group, No. 2. I'm seated next to you, and I like tennis. My goal is to defeat you and take the Hyotei captaincy."
Kannagi Shinichi ignored Atobe's displeased expression and turned to Oshitari Yuushi.
Feeling Kannagi Shinichi's gaze, Oshitari Yuushi calmly pushed up his glasses and said, "I'm Oshitari Yuushi, H Group, No. 9. I like tennis, and I also enjoy reading."
After Oshitari finished, they all turned to Akutsu.
Akutsu spoke coldly. "Akutsu Jin, first-year C Group, No. 15."
This brief round of introductions would mark the first time the four of them got to know each other. In the years to come, they would become a renowned group across Japan.
"Could I interview you all for a moment?"
Just then, a familiar figure appeared in front of Kannagi Shinichi and the others. It was the reporter, Inoue Mamoru, who had stayed at Hyotei all this time instead of leaving.
Before you continue