Hyotei's Ambition

Sensing the aura emanating from the four, Inoue Mamoru gazed at them intently.

Kannagi Shinichi, known as the number one of the new era; Atobe Keigo, the young prodigy who conquered the British junior tennis scene; Oshitari Yuushi, the renowned tennis genius from the Osaka region; and this one named Akutsu, who was personally brought into the Hyotei tennis club by Kannagi Shinichi, and judging by his appearance, he was no ordinary person.

At this moment, when the four heard Inoue Mamoru's request for an interview, only Akutsu showed a hint of impatience on his face, while the others did not refuse.

"Since we still have some time, Mr. Inoue, please ask whatever you wish quickly."

As the club president, Kannagi Shinichi naturally spoke first, and even Atobe Keigo, who loved the spotlight the most, did not retort.

"Alright, then I'll be imposing on you." Inoue Mamoru took out his pen and notebook, found a seat, and then surveyed the people at the table before continuing, "From what I know, Hyotei has many new recruits this year, including geniuses like Atobe and Oshitari. I'd like to ask Kannagi, how do you view Hyotei's current strength?"

Listening to Inoue Mamoru's words, Atobe and the others stopped their cutlery and looked at Kannagi Shinichi.

Kannagi Shinichi did not ponder for long, merely pausing for a moment, a slight smile appearing on his usually stern face. "We've gained many excellent players this year. Even though they've just entered junior high, their strength is by no means weaker than the seniors in other junior high schools. Therefore, Hyotei is very strong this year, stronger than all other schools."

"If what Kannagi says is true, then Hyotei's goal this year is the championship of the national tournament." Stronger than all other schools, wouldn't that mean the national championship?

"Not just this year, but next year, and the year after that. What Hyotei aims to achieve is an unprecedented three consecutive national championships."

Listening to Kannagi Shinichi's words, Atobe and the others at the table showed slight emotion on their faces.

Inoue Mamoru looked at Kannagi Shinichi and Atobe and the others, thinking to himself: If these people are here, perhaps Hyotei tennis club's three consecutive national championships might actually be realized.

After recording Kannagi Shinichi's words, Inoue Mamoru turned to Atobe Keigo and Oshitari Yuushi. "I'd like to ask Atobe and Oshitari, why did you choose Hyotei for junior high?"

Atobe listened, a faint smile on his handsome face. "Hyotei Academy was built by the Atobe Zaibatsu. As the eldest son of the Atobe Zaibatsu, it's only natural for me to choose Hyotei..."

"I chose Hyotei simply because I wanted a change of environment." After Atobe finished, Oshitari also stated his reason for coming to Hyotei.

Inoue Mamoru hadn't expected that their reasons for joining Hyotei had nothing to do with tennis.

He then looked at the last person, Akutsu, and finally asked, "Akutsu, I heard you were recommended to join Hyotei by Kannagi?"

Akutsu simply shook his head coldly. "No, I'm just following him to learn tennis."

"He's only been playing tennis for a short while," Kannagi Shinichi interjected. "Although he's a novice, his tennis talent is definitely among the best of his peers. He can be called a once-in-a-decade tennis prodigy."

Hearing Kannagi Shinichi's words, Atobe and Oshitari's expressions changed slightly. They hadn't expected Kannagi Shinichi to have such a high evaluation of Akutsu.

"Then, how does Akutsu's talent compare to yours, Kannagi?"

Glancing at Akutsu, Kannagi Shinichi said calmly, "He's still a long way from me. As for now, his talent can only be compared to Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichiro."

Atobe didn't know Yukimura or Sanada, so he naturally didn't understand what Kannagi Shinichi was saying.

However, Inoue Mamoru and Oshitari Yuushi knew that the two people Kannagi Shinichi mentioned were already national-level experts. One could imagine how high their talent was.

Yet, Kannagi Shinichi said that Akutsu's talent could be compared to these two, which couldn't help but shock Inoue Mamoru and Oshitari Yuushi, making them look at Akutsu as if he were a monster.

At this moment, Atobe Keigo also noticed the change in their expressions and asked, "Are Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichiro very strong?"

"At least stronger than you are now," Kannagi Shinichi interjected, teasing Atobe.

"Hmph!" Atobe merely snorted coldly, remaining silent, but his face clearly showed disbelief.

"Don't disbelieve me. I've played against them, and their current strength is indeed greater than yours," Kannagi Shinichi said, seeing through Atobe's thoughts. A smile touched his stern face. "Although they are stronger than you now, in terms of talent, perhaps you and Akutsu are still above them. It might not take too long before you catch up to them."

Hearing Kannagi Shinichi's words, Akutsu and Atobe Keigo showed some joy, as people generally like to hear good things.

"Hmph." Atobe Keigo snorted coldly again, then said with arrogance, "If there's a chance, I'd like to play against them."

A flash of excitement crossed Akutsu's face. He played tennis to change his current life, and now his talent was affirmed by stronger individuals. There was no better encouragement than this.

Listening to Kannagi Shinichi's evaluation of Atobe Keigo and Akutsu Jin's talent, Oshitari Yuushi beside him also gazed intently at Kannagi Shinichi, wondering what his talent was in the eyes of this first-year club president.

Looking at Oshitari Yuushi's expectant eyes, Kannagi Shinichi also shared his thoughts on Oshitari Yuushi. "Oshitari, I've heard that your tennis has a thousand unique techniques?"

"Those are just minor tricks, not really unique techniques," Oshitari Yuushi said very humbly. Compared to the moves of Kannagi Shinichi and the others, his techniques indeed fell far short.

Kannagi Shinichi did not refute him but nodded. "Your talent is not weak, otherwise you wouldn't have developed so many techniques. But precisely because you've learned so broadly, you have few truly decisive finishing moves.

Therefore, I suggest you refine your tennis techniques, discarding the unnecessary and focusing on perfecting the moves that can decide a match. Only then can you keep up with our pace."

In fact, although Oshitari Yuushi's talent might not compare to Kannagi Shinichi or Atobe, his talent was by no means weaker than Fuji Syusuke's.

Why was it that in the original story, two geniuses, one entered Japan's U-17 and became a main player in the junior high division, while the other gradually faded into obscurity at Hyotei?

It wasn't that Oshitari Yuushi's talent was inferior to Fuji Syusuke's, but rather that Fuji Syusuke knew that those minor tricks were useless against truly skilled players, and he focused on developing moves that could decide a match.

Even in the original plot, at the very beginning, Fuji Syusuke only had three types of shots, but his strength was still greater than Oshitari's, who knew a thousand unique techniques.

There was no other reason; it was entirely because Fuji Syusuke had mastered those three shots to perfection.

Listening to Kannagi Shinichi's words, Oshitari Yuushi seemed to gain some understanding and nodded slightly at Kannagi Shinichi. "I understand, Captain."

Meanwhile, the reporter Inoue Mamoru, watching Kannagi Shinichi point out Oshitari Yuushi's tennis weaknesses, couldn't help but sigh, "Kannagi Shinichi will be a good captain."

"Reporter Inoue, do you need photos for this interview?" At this moment, Kannagi Shinichi also looked at Inoue Mamoru. "If you do, let's take a picture together, the four of us!"

Inoue Mamoru did not refuse and took out his camera. Kannagi Shinichi then pulled Atobe and the other two into position.

The four lined up in two rows, with Akutsu and Atobe Keigo crouching in the front, and Kannagi Shinichi and Oshitari Yuushi standing behind.

All four of them wore smiles, even Akutsu