The moment the shop door opened, the Yamabuki regulars, who had been celebrating, stopped what they were doing. Their voices fell silent, and they stared in surprise at the people outside.
Eight boys stood in the doorway, wearing gray-and-white uniforms. The Yamabuki regulars recognized them at once: they were all current regulars of Hyotei.
The atmosphere was completely silent. Dozens of eyes met as the two sides looked at one another, but neither was the first to speak.
As the biggest rivals in the Tokyo area, the two teams had run into each other unexpectedly—and at a celebration, no less. The situation felt awkward in a way that was hard to explain.
Fortunately, the silence didn't last long. Behind the counter, Kawamura Takashi set down the sushi he was making and greeted Akutsu warmly. "Akutsu, what brings you here?"
Akutsu ignored Kawamura's enthusiasm and replied coldly, "We came to celebrate."
Hearing that, Kawamura took off his gloves and rubbed the back of his head. A cheerful smile appeared on his face. "Akutsu, congratulations on Hyotei winning the regional tournament."
Kawamura sounded completely sincere, but Akutsu merely nodded indifferently.
Kannagi Shinichi and the others, standing nearby, didn't say anything. They simply followed Akutsu into the shop.
Once inside, Kannagi Shinichi swept his gaze over the Yamabuki players. Then a faint smile crossed his stern face as he congratulated them. "Congratulations to Yamabuki as well on winning the regional qualifiers."
In response to Kannagi Shinichi's congratulations, Fuji Syusuke stepped out from among the Yamabuki regulars. His ever-present smile brightened as he invited Kannagi and the others to join them. "Thanks. If you don't mind, why don't you all join us?"
Kannagi Shinichi accepted Fuji Syusuke's invitation with a nod. "Thanks for having us."
With that, Kannagi Shinichi led the Hyotei regulars to some empty seats.
Fuji Syusuke also moved from his seat to the one beside Kannagi Shinichi.
He watched the boy hailed as the strongest of the new generation with a curious gaze. The boy had long silver hair, handsome features, and a maturity that seemed beyond his years.
Fuji Syusuke had always been curious about Kannagi Shinichi.
After all, people considered the boy's tennis ability to surpass that of every other middle schooler. He was the very pinnacle of middle school tennis.
Even Fuji's close friend Tezuka Kunimitsu had once admitted that he wasn't confident he could beat the Hyotei captain.
Now, for the first time, Fuji was sitting this close to Kannagi Shinichi. He had seen him once before at the regional tournament, but Kannagi and the others had been sitting in the stands, and Fuji had only caught a glimpse of him from afar.
With Fuji Syusuke staring at him so intently, Kannagi Shinichi felt strangely uncomfortable. Fuji was certainly handsome, but they were both men, and being watched so closely by another man made Kannagi feel uneasy.
"Fuji, is something the matter?"
As Kannagi Shinichi spoke, he shifted slightly, trying to put a little more distance between himself and Fuji Syusuke.
Noticing Kannagi Shinichi's reaction, Fuji Syusuke gave him a mischievous smile and leaned closer, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Everyone says you're really strong, Kannagi. I just want a chance to play a match against you."
"We'll get our chance. Maybe we'll face each other at the metropolitan tournament."
Kannagi Shinichi moved farther away again. He could tell Fuji Syusuke was doing it on purpose, but he still couldn't handle having another man stare at him from so close.
"The metropolitan tournament?" Fuji stopped teasing Kannagi Shinichi. He turned back around, his expression growing serious as he thought of the bespectacled boy from Iceburg. He murmured, "I wonder if Tezuka will be back by then."
Hearing Fuji's mutter, Kannagi Shinichi replied, "I hope he comes back. At the very least, I don't want Tezuka Kunimitsu to miss the match between Hyotei and Yamabuki."
Kannagi Shinichi had his own idea about whether Tezuka would play in the metropolitan tournament. Tezuka might miss the first few rounds, but if Hyotei and Yamabuki both made it to the final, he should have recovered in time.
"Yeah. He definitely will."
At Kannagi Shinichi's words, the serious look on Fuji Syusuke's face gave way to a smile.
They fell silent, and Kannagi Shinichi picked up a piece of sushi and ate it quietly.
While Kannagi Shinichi and Fuji Syusuke sat in silence, the other regulars from the two schools were getting lively.
"Hey! I was going to eat that! Why'd you take it?"
Mukahi Gakuto was clearly annoyed that Kikumaru Eiji had taken the sushi from in front of him.
Kikumaru Eiji didn't seem bothered by Mukahi Gakuto's annoyance. Instead, he picked up another plate of sushi and set it in front of Mukahi. "What's the big deal? Here, have mine."
"Uh... Eiji..."
Watching Kikumaru's antics, Oishi Syuichiro could only give an awkward laugh. There wasn't much he could say.
"Hey, that plate you took is mine. Please give it back."
"Who are you?"
Shishido Ryo looked at the hedgehog-haired boy in front of him, unable to recognize him.
"I'm Yamabuki's vice-captain, Minami Kentaro. Give me back my sushi!"
Meanwhile, Atobe had only eaten two or three pieces of sushi before stopping. Then he spotted a pot of coffee nearby, walked over, and poured himself a cup.
"I never thought you could even get coffee in a place this plebeian."
"Stop! Don't—"
Oishi Syuichiro saw the cup in Atobe's hand and cried out, eyes wide with alarm.
The other Yamabuki regulars saw what was happening and shouted for him to stop, too.
But they were too late. Atobe had already collapsed in his seat, unconscious.
"Atobe..."
No matter how loudly the Hyotei players shouted, Atobe showed no sign of waking up.
Just then, a bespectacled, hedgehog-haired boy drifted by with a notebook in hand. A glint flashed across his lenses, and a sly smile spread across his face. "Hyotei's vice-captain, huh? Looks like I can collect some good data again..."
And so, time passed. Hyotei's first gathering came to an abrupt end when Atobe lost consciousness.
By then, Akutsu had gone home, while the other regulars carried Atobe back to Hyotei.
It was completely dark by the time they reached school. Only then did Atobe slowly regain consciousness.
"What happened? I think I only drank one cup of coffee..."
Thinking about that cup of coffee, Atobe shivered all over for some reason.
Meanwhile, Fuji Syusuke was making an international call. "Tezuka, the players at Hyotei are all really interesting. You have to recover and come back in time for the metropolitan tournament final..."
Before you continue