"Not bad. It's been years since I last played tennis, so it'll take quite a while to get back into shape.
How's it going? You look like things are going smoothly." Hana took the towel Chiba Yun Chuan handed her and wiped the sweat from her forehead as she replied.
"Could anything go wrong with my skills? Tomorrow, you're coming with me to Hyotei Academy. They're far too weak!
You'll have to train them properly.
Besides,
I need to find a powerful teammate. I'm determined to win the National Tournament!
No one can stop me."
After saying that, Chiba Yun Chuan picked up his racket and started training on his own!
The next morning,
Hyotei's tennis club.
Although Chiba Yun Chuan came from a wealthy family, he still had to attend class.
Once all the lessons were over, it was time for club activities!
But today was the weekend, so there were no classes!
The news that Chiba Yun Chuan had swept Atobe Keigo six games to love the day before and taken over as captain of Hyotei's tennis club had spread throughout the school.
As a result, the name Chiba Yun Chuan had become famous throughout Hyotei!
So even though the tennis club's activities hadn't started yet, plenty of people were already waiting.
"Have Hyotei's regulars not arrived yet?"
"I can't wait! I wonder what Chiba Yun Chuan looks like. They say he's really handsome."
"Handsome doesn't even begin to describe him. He's insanely good-looking!"
"Quiet, they're here! Look, that's Shishido Ryo from the second year!"
Most of the people who'd come to watch wanted to see what kind of person Chiba Yun Chuan was. How could he have beaten Atobe Keigo, the so-called Emperor of Hyotei, six games to love?
Most importantly, Chiba Yun Chuan had said that today he'd play against the regulars without using his Mental Tennis Skill!
That was why Hyotei's tennis club was unusually lively today. The crowd included not only students from the school,
but also plenty of people from outside.
Hyotei was famous throughout the Kanto region, so there were many schools keeping an eye on it!
Many schools wanted to get the latest information so they could prepare for the tournament a few months away.
After all, they were all in the same region. They'd have to face each other sooner or later.
By now, most of Hyotei's regulars had arrived. Only Atobe, Kabaji, and Chiba Yun Chuan were missing!
"Hyotei's regulars this year are all new faces. I wonder how good they are."
"Are these Hyotei's regulars? They seem pretty average."
"Chiba Yun Chuan and Atobe aren't here?"
"I heard there are three first-years on their regular roster."
Even though the matches hadn't started yet, plenty of people had already arrived and started chatting.
When he saw that Chiba Yun Chuan still hadn't arrived, Mukahi Gakuto, who was warming up with his racket, couldn't help getting curious.
He turned to ask Oshitari Yuushi, who was warming up beside him,
"Hey, Oshitari, how good do you think Captain Chiba is without using his Mental Tennis Skill?"
As soon as he said that, his doubles partner Oshitari Yuushi glanced at him, pushed up his glasses, and replied,
"Gakuto, don't talk about the captain behind his back!"
"I'm just curious. Aren't you all curious too?"
Just after Gakuto said that, Atobe walked slowly toward them with Kabaji.
Atobe had apparently arrived on the court without them noticing!
And he'd heard what Gakuto said.
"Even without Mental Tennis, I can't take a single point from him right now," Atobe said as he walked.
But he added silently,
Who knows what'll happen in the future!
When they saw Atobe arrive, Oshitari and the others instinctively straightened up!
"Atobe, you're here!"
Even though Atobe had lost, he was still the strongest player at Hyotei apart from Chiba Yun Chuan.
"With him on our side, winning the National Tournament will be a piece of cake. The two of us will lead you all to create a glorious future for Hyotei!" Atobe's expression was utterly serious. He knew just how strong Chiba Yun Chuan was!
Oshitari and the others looked eager after hearing Atobe's words!
This was the National Tournament championship, after all!
Just then, a commotion broke out near the front of the court!
"That's Chiba Yun Chuan!"
"So that's Hyotei's captain, Chiba Yun Chuan?"
"Who's the woman beside him?"
A handsome boy in Hyotei's regular team uniform, with a tennis bag slung over his shoulder, was walking slowly side by side with an exceptionally beautiful, curvy woman wearing a blue tennis cap.
They paid no attention to the chatter around them. As they walked, Hana said to Chiba Yun Chuan,
"This club is pretty big, kid. Just look at the facilities on the courts—they're all state of the art."
"That's all thanks to Atobe."
The two of them were Chiba Yun Chuan and Hana.
Chiba Yun Chuan was now as tall as Hana, and both of them had an imposing presence!
"That's Yagami, the one who beat Atobe six games to love yesterday! He looks incredible."
"His presence is so strong! He hasn't even arrived yet, and I can already sense his air of power!"
"How come I don't feel anything?"
"He's here, he's here! That's Lord Chiba. He's so handsome! But who's the woman beside him?"
"Who's that girl beside Lord Yagami? No way—Lord Yagami is mine!"
"He's mine!"
Some people were already arguing over who got to claim Chiba Yun Chuan.
The scene was getting pretty lively.
"Youth is wonderful, kid. You seem to have quite the way with women!" Hana gave Chiba Yun Chuan a teasing look as she spoke.
Chiba Yun Chuan happened to catch Hana's alluring gaze.
His heart immediately started racing, but he still managed to act calm as he said,
"We're almost there. Let's go."
With that, he quickened his pace.
Even though this body was only in middle school, Chiba Yun Chuan had the soul of a university student!
"Hehe, what an interesting kid!" Hana said, then followed after him.
Hyotei Academy was now bustling with all kinds of people! There were reporters as well as people from various schools.
As soon as Chiba Yun Chuan arrived, they started taking photos and gathering information!
They were all kept busy!
"All regulars, assemble!" Chiba Yun Chuan shouted. At once, all the regulars gathered around him.
A minute later, Chiba Yun Chuan looked at the Hyotei regulars standing before him and said,
"Good, everyone's here. First, let me introduce someone!
This is the coach I've brought in for you. You can call her Coach Hana!"
As he finished speaking, Hana stepped closer to his side.
"Hello, Coach Hana!"
"Good! From today on, Coach Hana will be in charge of all your training!
Any questions?"
When they heard Chiba Yun Chuan, Hyotei's regulars all looked at Hana.
They were surprised that their coach was a woman, but female coaches weren't unusual, so they replied,
"No."
Hana stepped forward and said,
Before you continue