Hyotei's Emperor, Atobe Keigo!

After he spoke, the classroom filled with another round of discussion.

"So his name is Chiba Yun Chuan? But how could he dare say that? Hyotei's tennis club is famous across the country!"

"Wow, he's so manly. He's exactly my type."

"Isn't he way too arrogant? A first-year wants to be captain? I heard the current captain of Hyotei's tennis club is Atobe Keigo, known as Hyotei's Emperor."

"Does every first-year talk like that now? Any one of Hyotei's regular players could beat you."

Chiba Yun Chuan's words

caused the students below to buzz with discussion, creating quite a stir.

"All right, everyone, quiet down! Chiba, you can sit over there!" Since Chiba Yun Chuan was tall, the teacher assigned him a seat near the back.

And so, after Chiba Yun Chuan finished introducing himself, class officially began.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for afternoon activities. Chiba Yun Chuan picked up his tennis bag and slowly made his way to Hyotei's tennis club.

Hyotei Academy Tennis Club

It was not long after the new students had joined, and all of Hyotei's regular players, including their captain, Atobe Keigo, were there.

They were in the middle of tennis practice!

"First-years, stop slacking and get moving! Oshitari, aren't you training with Gakuto today?

Where did that guy Jiro run off to sleep now?" Atobe stood with his arms crossed, urging the club members to train.

A tall boy stood obediently behind him!

These two were Hyotei's captain, Atobe, and his most loyal follower, Kabaji!

Hyotei Academy's best result had been reaching the national semifinals, so the team was renowned for both its strength and its prestige!

After Atobe became Hyotei's captain, he poured huge sums of money into expanding the tennis club and other clubs, turning Hyotei into a truly prestigious school!

Every year, countless students from wealthy families enrolled at Hyotei.

Atobe checked the time. It was about that time!

"Fall in!"

Atobe's shout sent all the players running toward him.

Then they lined up in perfect order.

They had assembled in just two minutes!

It was almost time for the tennis club's activities to begin, and members from every grade, first-year through third-year, were present. The lines were impeccably neat!

Six people stood in a separate row at the very front.

They all wore the same black-and-white regular team uniforms!

That's right, these five were Hyotei's current regular players.

They were Oshitari Yuushi, Mukahi Gakuto, Shishido Ryo, Chotaro, and Hiyoshi Wakashi!

All of Hyotei's regular players stood in a line. Facing them was the captain of the entire Hyotei tennis club, the club's emperor, Atobe Keigo!

"Wow, look! Emperor Atobe is so handsome!"

"Atobe, I love you!"

"Captain Atobe, I want to marry you!"

The girls at Hyotei Academy were utterly infatuated with Atobe.

Even the regular players standing in front of him could barely resist laughing, but out of respect for Atobe, they held it in!

Hyotei Academy qualified for the Kanto Tournament and even the National Tournament every year, and consistently ranked among the top teams.

Although they had been eliminated in the quarterfinals of last year's National Tournament, Sanada of the reigning champions, Rikkai Dai, had called them the best team to appear in the Kanto Tournament year after year!

The current Hyotei Academy had more than just Atobe Keigo, a captain who had only recently reached national-level strength. They also had two doubles pairs with top Kanto-level strength: Mukahi Gakuto and Oshitari Yuushi, and Shishido Ryo and Ootori Choutarou; one singles player with top Kanto-level strength, Akutagawa Jirou; and one singles player with regional-tournament-level strength, Hiyoshi Wakashi!

Their strength could be called unrivaled in the Kanto region.

Atobe had taken over the tennis club in his first year. Through his own efforts, he had broken with the old ways and established the principle that strength came first at Hyotei's tennis club.

Then, in just a few months, he had earned the respect of all 200 members of Hyotei's tennis club as their new captain!

He had earned the title of Hyotei's Emperor!

How many people could win the loyalty of 200 others? Atobe Keigo had that kind of charisma.

At that moment, Atobe Keigo wore the Hyotei tennis club's regular team uniform. His brown-and-white hair was striking, and confidence radiated from him. His skin was neither dark nor pale.

The mole beneath his right eye naturally drew people's attention.

"Beautiful weather today, isn't it, Kabaji?" Atobe said, stretching.

"Yes."

After saying that, he instinctively glanced to his right, then turned to look at the five regular players in front of him.

It felt like someone was missing. A closer look confirmed it: someone was indeed missing. There was no need to guess—it had to be Akutagawa Jirou!

Atobe turned his head and, sure enough, spotted him in a tree beside the tennis courts.

But Atobe didn't call out to him. Instead, he looked at the six regular players in front of him.

"Wow, are those the tennis club's regular players? The one standing at the front is the club captain, Atobe Keigo, known as the emperor!"

"Wow, Atobe is so handsome! I love him!"

"So this is Hyotei's tennis club. My dream is to become one of its regular players!"

Many people around them gazed enviously at the regular players in front. Becoming a regular player at Hyotei was a goal they all shared!

Atobe glanced over the six regular players before him, paying no attention to what the background characters had just said.

"Today is the first group activity since the new students joined. Stay sharp, understand?

Hyotei: strength comes first!

I don't care what you do in your free time, but if you lose a match, you'll be removed from the list of Hyotei's regular players!

That goes for me, too.

Understood?

Our goal this year is to win the National Tournament. All you have to do is keep up with me!"

When Atobe finished speaking, the regular players in front of him shouted,

"Understood, Captain!"

When they heard Atobe declare that their goal was to win the National Tournament, all the regular players except Akutagawa Jirou grew excited, and they roared in unison.

The allure of becoming national champions was undeniably huge.

Hyotei had never won the national championship.

"Dismissed! Go train!"

After he said that, everyone in the Hyotei tennis club went off to train.

Hyotei's tennis club and Seishun Academy's tennis club were complete opposites.

Hyotei believed in strength above all. If you were good enough, you could become a regular player—or even the captain!

That was one of the reasons Chiba Yun Chuan liked Hyotei Academy!

It was also one of the main reasons Hyotei could stay so competitive.

Unlike Seigaku, where first-years had no chance to get ahead—even if you were talented, you still had to pick up the balls!