Another semifinal was now underway, and the action was heating up.
The teams were Ginka Middle School and Yamabuki Middle School.
The singles No. 3 match was currently in progress.
The scoreboard nearby showed:
Doubles No. 1: 6–2, Doubles No. 2: 6–3, Singles No. 3: 4–1!
Yamabuki Middle School had already won both doubles matches, and they were also leading in the singles No. 3 match.
On the coaches' bench, an old man with white hair seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, though his face seemed to be smiling.
There was something rather eerie about his expression.
"Coach, the match between Hyotei and Seigaku has ended. Both teams have left."
A middle-aged man walked over and leaned down to speak to the white-haired old man.
The white-haired old man sitting on the bench was Yamabuki Middle School's coach, Banda Mikiya!
He had been coaching Yamabuki for nineteen years!
Even now, at sixty-seven years old, Banda Mikiya was still coaching Yamabuki Middle School.
Thanks to his coaching ability, he had led Yamabuki to the National Tournament almost every year. Without him, Yamabuki would never have made it to the National Tournament.
His exceptional coaching had earned him widespread recognition, which was why everyone called him Old Banda!
He was from the same era as Ryuzaki Sumire, and it was no exaggeration to say he was a man of vast experience!
He had once led Yamabuki Middle School to victory over Seigaku, who had been at the height of their power, and made a name for himself with that win.
It had been a crushing blow to Seigaku at the time. He was a formidable figure.
Hearing the middle-aged man's report,
Old Banda, who had been squinting with a smile, opened his eyes and asked,
"Oh? It's over already? What was the score?"
Looking at the old man before him, the middle-aged man quickly replied,
"The overall score was 3–1. Hyotei won Doubles No. 2, 6–1. They forfeited Doubles No. 1 because of an injury, and won both Singles No. 3 and Singles No. 2, 6–0!
"Hyotei's Singles No. 3 player was their former captain, Atobe Keigo, while Seigaku's was the tennis prodigy Fuji Syusuke. In Singles No. 2, Seigaku's captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu, faced Hyotei's current captain, Chiba Yun Chuan!
"Tezuka Kunimitsu didn't score a single point against Chiba Yun Chuan!"
The middle-aged man had watched the entire match, and he was still in shock. Hyotei was incredibly strong. In his opinion, Yamabuki didn't stand a chance against them.
At the middle-aged man's words, Old Banda's eyes flew open for the first time.
"Seigaku's captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu, didn't score a single point? And Fuji Syusuke, the one they call a prodigy, lost 6–0 to Atobe Keigo?"
Old Banda found the news unbelievable. His words even came out a little unsteadily!
He hadn't faced Seigaku yet, but they were a team whose strength couldn't be underestimated from one year to the next!
This year in particular, two of Seigaku's players were already famous:
Their captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu, and the tennis prodigy Fuji Syusuke!
Both were players he was watching closely.
But he hadn't expected them both to lose 6–0.
And Tezuka hadn't even scored a point!
Hyotei had already earned the label of a formidable rival in his mind, and he wasn't confident he could beat them.
"These young people are incredible. They're already this good in their first year! The next generation is truly something!"
Old Banda sighed, then continued,
"Ryuzaki Sumire probably won't be able to sit still. With that connection, Nanjirou's son should be joining Seigaku next year.
"Seigaku is starting to feel more and more like they did back then.
"But there's no challenge in it unless you can beat a team like that."
Listening to Old Banda mutter to himself, Sengoku had appeared at some point.
"Coach, we'll be facing Hyotei tomorrow. Have you thought of a strategy?"
At that, Old Banda's expression turned serious.
"Tomorrow? We'll figure something out!"
As Old Banda spoke, he closed his eyes again. It was hard to tell whether he was resting or resting.
Hearing Old Banda's answer, Sengoku was still a little worried. He had watched Seigaku's match. They were strong!
But even a team like that had lost to Hyotei, 3–1!
He was already worrying about tomorrow's final.
Meanwhile, Chiba Yun Chuan slowly walked toward an exit in a corner of the court, his tennis bag slung over his back!
He had seen someone leave through that exit just a moment ago.
Most of the spectators around the court had already left. Some had gone to watch the match between Yamabuki and Ginka.
So it was very quiet.
Fifty meters from the exit in the corner of the court,
"Hey, miss, you're quite pretty. Are you here to watch the tennis matches too? Come on, let your seniors teach you how to play!
"Ahahaha!"
A middle schooler with dyed red, spiky hair wore a leering smile as he spoke to the girl in front of him.
He kept moving closer, forcing her to back away.
"Yeah, come on. We'll teach you how to play tennis, one-on-one. I'm only a little weaker than Chiba Yun Chuan!"
"Don't be scared. We won't hurt you. Hahaha!"
Several shrill voices rang out, mixed with leering laughter.
They cornered the girl against the wall.
"Stay back! My brother is Tachibana Kippei from Fudomine Middle School. He's really good at tennis. If you don't leave, I'll have him deal with you!
"Get away from me!"
A girl's voice rang out, full of panic and fear.
It was Tachibana An.
After watching Chiba Yun Chuan's match, she had stopped to get a better look at him. That had left her by herself, and a few middle schoolers had blocked her path!
Now she couldn't get away!
It was just that kind of coincidence.
As if fate had arranged it, Chiba Yun Chuan had seen what was happening and followed them.
Tachibana An had both hands over her head and was shouting for help. She had squeezed her eyes shut and curled up in the corner.
Her voice was choked with tears.
"Stay away! Help!"
She could hear terrifying laughter all around her. She was scared, but all she could do was scream as loudly as she could.
Hoping someone would hear her.
But it seemed no one was passing by. She began to despair!
Just as Tachibana An felt terrified and helpless, a deep, magnetic voice sounded in front of her.
"Hey, what kind of men gang up on a girl?"
To Tachibana An, that voice was like a savior's!
She knew whose voice it was: Hyotei's captain, Chiba Yun Chuan!
"I'd like to see who dares—"
One of the boys with yellow hair turned around. When he saw Chiba Yun Chuan, he didn't finish his sentence.
He fell silent, while his companions forgot all about Tachibana An and turned around as they spoke.
"Hey, Lin Mu, what are you—"
"C-Captain of Hyotei! Ch-Chiba Yun Chuan!"
The boy at the back turned around too, staring at Chiba Yun Chuan in terror.
Chiba Yun Chuan stood there with his tennis bag slung over his back, his Hyotei uniform fluttering despite the still air.
His aura suddenly erupted, bearing down on the three middle schoolers before him.
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