Tezuka had taken the court himself so Seigaku could win!
"I know. I'll do my best!
"Inui, gather as much information as you can!"
Tezuka spoke as he headed toward the court.
"Tezuka!"
At that, Inui gripped his notebook so tightly that the pressure left a deep mark on it!
When the spectators saw who was taking the court for each team, their excited chatter grew even louder.
"Wow, is this a showdown between the two teams' captains? This is going to be amazing!"
"Tezuka is Seigaku's second singles player, and Chiba Yun Chuan is Ice Emperor's!"
"What happened? Did they plan this together?"
"This is going to be incredible. Both players are captains!"
Chiba Yun Chuan and Tezuka had both made it clear that they would be playing second singles. The atmosphere in the stadium reached its peak!
Seeing what was happening on the court and hearing the crowd's chatter, Inoue Mamoru was visibly taken aback.
"Wasn't Tezuka's arm injured? Has it healed already? And he's playing second singles? Chiba Yun Chuan is, too?"
Inoue quickly looked toward Chiba Yun Chuan and Tezuka.
Sure enough, Chiba Yun Chuan had already picked up his racket and was heading for the court.
Among the Seigaku team,
"That guy is their second singles player?" Momoshiro said indignantly.
"Peach, you know him?" Oishi asked curiously.
"I don't know that arrogant guy! Tezuka's definitely going to win." As he spoke, he recalled the scene at the store and the things Chiba Yun Chuan had said.
Among the Ice Emperor team,
"Their player is Tezuka, just as I thought. I can't believe Chiba knew!
"He really is as hard to read as his skill level.
"I wonder how many points Tezuka can get off Chiba. I'm really looking forward to it." Atobe watched Tezuka walk onto the court with his racket and thought to himself.
"Their player is their captain, right? Too bad for him. They may both be captains, but Chiba is invincible!" Chotaro said confidently.
"That's right! Captain Chiba's sure to win, no matter who he's up against!"
Shishido's gaze brimmed with confidence.
Everyone on the Ice Emperor team believed Chiba Yun Chuan would win!
"All of you, watch closely. Chiba thinks very highly of this player! I have a lot of faith in Tezuka, too!
"This match should give us a glimpse of some of Chiba's skills!
"And this is Chiba's first match!"
Atobe rested his left hand against his head and spoke thoughtfully.
On the court,
"The second singles match between Ice Emperor and Seigaku is about to begin. Players, please take your places!"
At the referee's announcement, the much-anticipated match was about to begin!
Chiba Yun Chuan slowly walked toward his side of the court.
"That's Chiba Yun Chuan, Ice Emperor's captain."
"I came all the way from Kobe to watch him play."
"Really? Me too."
"Captain Chiba is so handsome!"
Chiba Yun Chuan's arrival caused a huge commotion. The spectators all around excitedly discussed him,
as if they could go on forever.
"Shiba Saori, hurry and take some pictures!" Inoue Mamoru said.
"Got it, senpai."
Shiba Saori's camera clicked away as she kept shifting angles.
The match between the two teams' captains was unquestionably the main event!
"Go, Yagami!"
"Yagami is the best!"
"Yagami will win!"
Suddenly, Chiba Yun Chuan heard the Ice Emperor cheer squad start chanting. He turned around and, sure enough, saw Atobe snapping his fingers!
Atobe really knew how to put on a show. Still, it felt pretty good!
"Their cheer squad has so many people! We can't lose, either. Go, Tezuka! Tezuka will win!" Momoshiro was fired up.
"Go, Tezuka!" Kawamura shouted, too.
"Go, Tezuka!" Kikumaru and Oishi called out together.
"Tezuka, just do your best," Fuji thought silently as he watched Tezuka.
Even Atobe, Ice Emperor's strongest player, had been shut out by Chiba Yun Chuan. Atobe's words just now had also put Fuji on high alert!
Was Chiba Yun Chuan really that strong?
By now, Chiba Yun Chuan and Tezuka had reached the net. As they shook hands, Chiba Yun Chuan looked at Tezuka Kunimitsu, the bespectacled player before him, his eyes filled with anticipation and fighting spirit!
This was the first time the captains of Seigaku and Ice Emperor had faced each other!
Click, click!
Shiba Saori's camera captured the handshake.
"Tezuka, I've waited years for this day! At last, it's finally here! Give it your all, okay?
"I've been looking forward to this."
Chiba Yun Chuan's words made Tezuka's expression flicker with surprise, but he quickly composed himself.
"How did you know I would play? And why are you playing second singles?"
Perhaps because Chiba Yun Chuan had healed Tezuka's arm, Tezuka's expression was much gentler toward him, and he spoke more than usual.
"No one knows Seigaku's past, present, and even future better than I do!
"I guessed you'd play second singles, so here I am!"
Chiba Yun Chuan smiled, his tone full of confidence.
"I don't understand what you're talking about, but now that my arm has healed, I'll lead Seigaku forward!
"I won't hold back! Chiba, let's have a proper match.
"Show me just how strong Ice Emperor's captain is."
Tezuka looked seriously at Chiba Yun Chuan, his eyes filled with boundless fighting spirit.
"I'm looking forward to playing you, Tezuka."
After Chiba Yun Chuan said this, they decided who would serve first. Tezuka won the serve!
Once the referee saw them take their places at the baseline, he announced,
"The second singles match between Seigaku and Ice Emperor begins now. Seigaku to serve."
"It's starting!"
"Yeah, I'm so nervous!"
"Both of them have such a powerful presence!"
On the court,
Tezuka stood at the baseline, looking across at the confident Chiba Yun Chuan.
Although he didn't know how strong his opponent was, judging by the overall strength of the Ice Emperor team, Chiba Yun Chuan was unquestionably at the national level!
He might even rank among the best at that level!
Tezuka could already feel the pressure coming from Chiba Yun Chuan. Even the aura he gave off unintentionally was powerful.
That was because Chiba Yun Chuan was taking this seriously now!
Even when he was relaxed, Chiba Yun Chuan always seemed to exude a faint, almost imperceptible pressure.
Now that he was serious, he was gradually letting that aura show.
"Captain's completely different from usual! It reminds me of the first day he came to Ice Emperor," Chotaro whispered as he watched Chiba Yun Chuan on the court.
"Yeah, the captain beat Atobe 6–0 that day." After saying that, Shishido glanced at Atobe.
"Shishido, could you stop bringing that up all the time? Do you think being injured means you can escape punishment?"
Before you continue