Appointed Hyotei's Captain

Early the next morning, Sakaki Taro came all the way from Tokyo, and Kannagi Shinichi's family had already packed his luggage.

Kannagi's grandfather and father looked composed. They were men, after all, and though they were reluctant to part with him, they didn't say much.

But Kannagi Shinichi's grandmother and mother had tears in their eyes, their faces full of worry.

Kannagi Shinichi had often gone away to compete before, but each time, he had only been away from home for a few days.

Now that Kannagi Shinichi was going to Hyotei, he would be gone for several months. It was only natural that his family would hate to see him go.

Kannagi Shinichi was reluctant to leave them, too, of course, but for the sake of his dream, some things had to be set aside for a while.

Red-eyed, Kannagi Shinichi got into Sakaki Taro's car, carrying his family's endless reminders and heartfelt instructions with him as he set off for Tokyo.

They didn't say much along the way. By the time Kannagi Shinichi and Sakaki Taro arrived at Hyotei Academy, it was already noon.

Sakaki Taro first took Kannagi Shinichi to the faculty cafeteria for a bite to eat, then led him to the dormitory the school had arranged for him.

The dorm room was small, just a single room, but it had its own bathroom.

Kannagi Shinichi only glanced around before setting down his luggage and following Sakaki Taro to the tennis club.

In recent years, Hyotei's tennis club had performed brilliantly at the National Tournament, making the school known to almost everyone in the country.

Ochi Moonlight, captain of Hyotei Academy's tennis club, had been the first to make Hyotei's name resound throughout the country.

But Ochi Moonlight was graduating this year, and after he left, none of the younger members of Hyotei's tennis club seemed capable of shouldering the burden of leading the team.

Who could have guessed that Advisor Sakaki and the school would be so determined? They had offered a substantial scholarship to bring in the strongest player of the new generation, Kannagi Shinichi.

Knowing that Kannagi Shinichi would arrive at Hyotei Academy that day, Ochi Moonlight had come to the tennis club's meeting room early to wait for him and Sakaki Taro.

"Creak..."

The meeting room door opened, and Sakaki Taro led Kannagi Shinichi inside. As soon as they entered, they spotted Ochi Moonlight sitting beside the conference table.

Seeing Sakaki Taro, Ochi Moonlight rose respectfully. "Advisor."

"Mm." Sakaki Taro nodded in acknowledgment.

Kannagi Shinichi stepped forward to greet him, too. "Ochi-senpai."

Ochi Moonlight merely nodded coolly. Kannagi Shinichi didn't mind; he knew that was just how Ochi Moonlight was.

Once the three of them had taken seats around the conference table, Sakaki Taro looked at Ochi Moonlight and asked, "Did they invite you?"

Ochi Moonlight nodded slightly. He wasn't surprised that Sakaki Taro knew about it. His advisor was no ordinary person, after all.

After the National Tournament had ended, Ochi Moonlight had received an invitation from the U-17 training camp.

He had accepted, and in a little while, he would be heading to the U-17 training camp.

But before then, he still had some concerns about Hyotei's tennis club.

The third-year members of the tennis club had already submitted their withdrawal applications one after another. Only some first- and second-year students remained.

He knew they were stronger than players at some schools, but they weren't good enough to reach the National Tournament.

There were two reasons he had come that day. First, he wanted to see how the tennis club was doing. Second, he wanted to hand the club over to Kannagi Shinichi.

Seeing Ochi Moonlight nod, Sakaki Taro continued, "That's where Japan's tennis elite gather. I'm sure you'll improve there."

"I understand, Advisor."

"Mm." Sakaki Taro acknowledged him, then looked toward Kannagi Shinichi. "I'm sure you'll have the chance to go there someday, too."

Though Sakaki Taro and Ochi Moonlight seemed to be speaking in riddles, Kannagi Shinichi knew, as someone who had crossed over, that the place they meant was probably U-17.

So he nodded calmly and didn't ask for details.

Just then, Sakaki Taro took a registration form from a drawer and placed it in front of Kannagi Shinichi. "You'll be joining the tennis club when the school year starts anyway. You may as well fill this out now. It's part of the club's procedure, so it can't be skipped."

Kannagi took the form and filled it out quickly, then handed it back to Sakaki Taro.

Sakaki Taro glanced over it and put it in the drawer. Then he asked Ochi Moonlight, "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss today?"

"Advisor, I plan to step down as Hyotei's captain." As he spoke, Ochi Moonlight looked toward Kannagi Shinichi. "I'd like Kannagi to be Hyotei's next captain."

After hearing that, Sakaki Taro looked at Kannagi Shinichi as well. "Kannagi, are you willing to become Hyotei's new captain?"

Captain? Of course he was willing. Though Kannagi Shinichi felt a little awkward about taking the position from Atobe Keigo, as in the original story, he agreed anyway.

After all, he didn't want Atobe Keigo ordering him around in the future, so Kannagi Shinichi didn't hesitate at all. "I'm willing to be Hyotei's new captain."

Sakaki Taro and Ochi Moonlight exchanged nods, then stood up together. Sakaki Taro looked at Kannagi Shinichi. "Come on. Let's go to the courts and introduce the new captain to the club members."

With that, Sakaki Taro led Ochi Moonlight out.

Kannagi Shinichi followed close behind. Watching the two of them, he shook his head with a smile. They really were alike.

They seemed cold, yet cared about others more than anyone.

Soon, the three of them reached the tennis courts. Kannagi Shinichi saw the first- and second-year club members training.

"Everyone, fall in!" Ochi Moonlight called sternly.

At once, the entire tennis club assembled as quickly as possible.

"How many members does the tennis club have now?" Kannagi Shinichi asked absentmindedly, looking at the players lined up before him.

"After the third-years left, the club has seventy-one members, including two regulars," Ochi Moonlight replied.

Seventy-one?

That was far fewer than the more than two hundred members in the original story. How could Hyotei show off its prestige in the future with so few?

So when the new school year began, the tennis club would have to recruit more members. Even if they couldn't play matches, they could still be cheerleaders.

Mm, he'd leave that to Atobe.

Though Atobe Keigo hadn't come to Hyotei Academy yet, Kannagi Shinichi had already assigned the job to him. He was confident he could win Atobe over.

At that moment, Ochi Moonlight stepped forward and looked at all the Hyotei players.

"I have an announcement."

Pointing to Kannagi Shinichi on his left, Ochi Moonlight stared straight at them with mirror-like eyes. "Kannagi Shinichi will be the next captain of Hyotei's tennis club."

A commotion broke out.

"That's him! That's Kannagi Shinichi..."

"Hey, everything Tennis Weekly said was true. That guy really did come to Hyotei..."

"Kannagi Shinichi beat Tono Atsukyo of Makino Fuji and our captain. He's a complete monster..."

The players buzzed among themselves, but no one objected. Every one of them thought it was only right that Kannagi Shinichi become captain.

Kannagi Shinichi had been planning to go through the classic three-step routine: show off, slap down the doubters, and establish his authority. In the end, he couldn't do any of it.

Kannagi Shinichi suddenly felt troubled. Being too famous could be a problem, too. It had thrown all his plans into disarray.

"All right, quiet down," Ochi Moonlight called sternly. Then he turned to Kannagi Shinichi. "Kannagi, do you have anything to say?"

Kannagi Shinichi shook his head indifferently. These guys were too weak. Even the remaining regulars didn't seem to be at the Kanto level. There was no point giving them a speech now.

It would be better to wait until the new school year, when the talented first-years joined the tennis club, before revising some of Hyotei's rules.

Seeing that Kannagi Shinichi had nothing to say, Ochi Moonlight looked at the players on the court and called, "Dismissed."

The moment Ochi Moonlight made the announcement, the players began to disperse. Once dismissed, they returned to their individual training routines.

Ochi Moonlight turned to Kannagi Shinichi with a solemn expression. "Kannagi, I'm leaving Hyotei in your hands."

"I'll take Hyotei to the top of the country."

When Kannagi Shinichi said those words again, he meant them more sincerely than before.

After all, he was Hyotei's new captain now.