Click!
Click!
A flurry of camera shutters sounded.
"Is this Seigaku, Inoue-senpai? They look pretty strong.
"And one of their players is so handsome! I have to ask him his name later. Mmm~~"
Shiba Saori said as she took pictures, her eyes lingering on Fuji the whole time.
Seeing her lovestruck expression, Inoue Mamoru could only sigh helplessly.
"Seigaku is indeed quite strong, but their captain, Tezuka, only recently returned from Kyushu, where he was being treated for an injury to his hand!
"He can't perform at full strength, and it's still uncertain whether he'll even be able to play!
"Fuji Syusuke is known as a prodigy. He once competed in the National Junior High School Tennis Championships and won several matches, so he's quite strong too! And with their Golden Pair, along with Inui, they're one of the stronger teams competing in the Metropolitan Tournament!
"Honestly, I really want to watch them play, but I'm even more excited to see Hyotei Academy!
"Saori, remember to take plenty of pictures, especially of Hyotei Academy. I have a feeling Hyotei is going to surprise us!"
Hearing him say that, Shiba Saori looked a little confused.
"Inoue-senpai, is Hyotei Academy the school everyone's been talking about lately, the one with that amazing first-year captain, Chiba Yun Chuan?
"Is Chiba Yun Chuan really that good?"
At her question, the scene of that match immediately came to Inoue Mamoru's mind.
"He's even better than the rumors suggest. His true ability still hasn't been fully revealed! So make sure you take plenty of pictures later."
What did that have to do with taking pictures? Shiba Saori muttered to herself.
"Got it, senpai."
Just then, another burst of cheering rose from the crowd. It was louder than the one that had greeted Seigaku, and the crowd was bigger too.
"Look, Hyotei's here! The one in front must be Hyotei's captain, Chiba Yun Chuan, right? He's so handsome!"
"It's Chiba Yun Chuan! He's so handsome! Hyotei seems to have several first-years on the team this year!"
"That guy leading them is Chiba Yun Chuan? You'd never guess he's a first-year!"
"Hyotei's coming in strong. They're so cool!"
"Hyotei actually brought a whole busload of cheerleaders? That's incredible!"
Amid the surrounding chatter, Chiba Yun Chuan slowly led the team toward the registration desk.
Seigaku, who had arrived ahead of them, had just finished registering when they saw Chiba Yun Chuan and his team approaching.
"I haven't gathered enough information. Hyotei has a match coming up, right? I'll go find out more." Inui pushed up his glasses and said, his expression grave as he watched the Hyotei team.
"Let's go. The matches are about to start." Tezuka glanced at Chiba Yun Chuan, then led the team straight toward the courts.
Chiba Yun Chuan also spotted Seigaku's team, but it was registration time.
So he didn't go over to greet them.
"Number three, Hyotei Academy. Eight players in total. Please check the list." Chiba Yun Chuan, at the front, handed the registration form to the staff member.
"All right, everything checks out. You can go in now. You're playing on Court Three."
At that, Chiba Yun Chuan and Atobe walked onto the court. The match was about to begin!
"We have matches against several schools today. We need to win every one of them, then advance to the Kanto Tournament!
"I don't want anything to go wrong. Remember, don't underestimate your opponents—especially Mukahi and Oshitari!
"Underestimating your opponent is your biggest weakness!
"Don't play the kind of tennis only second-rate players play. Underestimating your opponent is the biggest mistake a tennis player can make! Understood?"
Chiba Yun Chuan reminded them as they walked, his tone relaxed.
Even if Hyotei lost both doubles matches, it wouldn't be a big deal, but finishing the matches early was always better.
"Understood, Captain!"
Hyotei's response immediately drew plenty of attention!
Many people turned to look at the team.
"They've got quite a presence. Hyotei's getting stronger and stronger!"
"Is that big guy a regular too? He doesn't look very bright."
"That guy with the white hair is the scary one, if you ask me. His eyes are terrifying!"
Hyotei's first match was against Zoushan Middle School!
Chiba Yun Chuan still wasn't playing.
Hyotei's second doubles team was Oshitari Yuushi and Mukahi Gakuto.
"Oshitari, Gakuto, give it everything you've got. We'll win three to zero and finish this match right away! Show them what Hyotei can do this year," Atobe said from the sidelines.
"Atobe, we will!"
After saying that, Oshitari walked onto the court with Mukahi.
The second doubles match officially began.
"Go, Hyotei!"
"Hyotei's the best!"
"Hyotei! Hyotei!"
The cheerleaders' chants came in wave after wave. Five minutes into the match, the Zoushan Middle School players conceded!
Hyotei easily won its first match and advanced to the next round.
Hyotei's first match was over, and Seigaku was causing a sensation on the other side of the venue too.
Their first second-doubles match was underway, and it looked like it would be over soon.
It wasn't surprising that Seigaku was this strong. They were, after all, a team capable of reaching the Kanto Tournament.
But judging by the results so far, Seigaku's next opponent would be St. Rudolph. That school was about as strong as Seigaku, so it would come down to how they played on the day!
Hyotei was already preparing for its next match. Their opponent was Fudomine, another weak team at the moment!
So Chiba Yun Chuan didn't take them seriously at all!
Fudomine had just won a match, and the players were celebrating happily.
"Bai Zhang, that return you hit just now was incredible!"
"The other guy was too weak. I didn't even show half my strength!"
"Who's our next opponent? I hope they're stronger. Otherwise, I won't even get to enjoy playing!"
"I think it's Hyotei Academy."
"What?"
As soon as they heard that their next opponent was Hyotei, the venue fell silent.
Nobody said a word!
In the stands behind the Fudomine team sat another group of people.
They looked quite young, and a girl was with them.
The boy leading them had a small round mark between his eyebrows.
"Big brother, Fudomine's next opponent is Hyotei Academy. Do you think they can win?" A young girl with a short, schoolgirl-style haircut asked the person beside her.
These were the players who would become Fudomine's regulars a year later, but for now, they weren't!
One of them was Tachibana Kippei, known as one of the Twin Heroes of Kyushu. The girl was his younger sister, Tachibana An!
She was very sweet-looking, and her red hair stood out.
Behind him were Ibu, Kamio, and the others. They'd come to watch the Metropolitan Tournament matches too!
They weren't with the Fudomine players, though. It seemed the conflict within Fudomine had already begun.
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