Arriving at the Clark Base

"I'm sorry, Vice President! I..."

"When I get back, I'll be punished with 8,000 swings, and I'll swing 10,000 myself."

Kirihara, who had been trembling with fear, understood the meaning behind Sanada's words and immediately relaxed.

"Don't forget about our Shitenhoji!"

Five people already had a port they wanted to go to, and now Shiraishi joined them.

As the number of people grew, Atobe, sitting on the motorboat, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"My jet ski has two seats. With so many people, are you going to swim across?"

Upon hearing Atobe's words, everyone was immediately plunged into an awkward situation.

Atobe hadn't expected anyone else to act on their own, and the others hadn't even considered the traffic issue.

"What's bothering you? You can rent a boat for just two hundred pounds now, or another hundred if a guided tour is included at night."

Just then, a sound broke the awkward silence. Turning around, they saw that it was Kite leading a few people from Higa Junior High in a boat.

"How did you end up here? You weren't on the invitee list."

"Won't you be going to Okinawa after the National Tournament?"

"Looking back, it was truly an exciting adventure. In order to master even stronger ultimate techniques, we trained in different countries."

It's such a coincidence that I ran into you all while I was in London.

Faced with everyone's questions, a look of nostalgia immediately appeared in Kite's eyes, and several students from Higa Junior High behind him had tears welling up in their eyes.

"So you didn't make it back to Okinawa, and then somehow ended up here again, right?"

"You guys are really amazing. It seems like you were planning to row back to Okinawa after the National Tournament, but you managed to row all the way here..."

Atobe saw through Kite's excuse at a glance, while Kirihara used his most sincere exclamation to rub salt into the wounds of everyone at Higa Junior High.

"So you're working to earn money for your trip?"

"So, are you guests planning to rent a boat? We have a great deal, and since you're regulars, I'll give you a discount—just five hundred pounds."

Presumably hurt by Kirihara's words, Kite immediately doubled the price, and Kirihara and Kite started arguing.

"Stop your nonsense, you commoners, swipe your card."

At this moment, Atobe took out a black card, which stunned everyone in Higa Junior High.

We are dedicated to serving you. Please feel free to let us know if you need anything.

Kite, Kite had been arguing fiercely with Kirihara, abandoned all dignity upon seeing the black card in Atobe's hand.

So, after the people of Higa Junior High provided a boat, along with the Kite, a total of seven people set off for the castle where Clark was located.

Can I ask you a question?

Horio and Lin Xiu were sailing on the sea.

He had only heard a general outline of what Clark Tennis Club was like from a ghost, and knew nothing about the specifics.

So I wanted to ask Lin Xiu before we reached the castle where Clark Tennis Club was located.

Lin Xiu seemed to know what Horio wanted to ask, and instead of answering Horio, he began to speak on his own.

"When I was little, I came here because of my dad's connections, but I didn't understand English at the time, and I couldn't fit in with everyone at school."

The first person to talk to me and even teach me how to play tennis was Keith.

Since we started playing doubles, we've been practically invincible, and we've almost never encountered an opponent.

But in a later match, my opponents showed absolutely no sportsmanship; they aimed their tennis balls specifically at my body, and I ended up with many injuries.

Seeing his opponent's despicable actions, Keith became anxious and retaliated with even more ruthless methods.

In the end, we even managed to get our opponent hospitalized, but because they had powerful connections, the official result was a suspension for us.

Since then, we've been rejected by school clubs and various tennis organizations, leaving us with no tennis to play with.

"So that's why you founded the Clark Tennis Club? To specifically injure people and make them lose confidence in tennis."

"That's right. Because we were treated unfairly, Keith felt that we had to rely on ourselves and teach those who looked down on us and misunderstood us a lesson."

Because Keith was treated this way because he stood up for me, I didn't complain at all, even though I knew it was wrong.

But that time, when I happened to see someone we had disciplined before, who could no longer hold a racket and had become afraid of tennis, I realized that all our actions over the years had been wrong.

So I left the Clark Tennis Club at that time, and Keith was furious because of my betrayal. The injuries I have are from when I was trying to escape from them.

Hearing Lin Xiu calmly recount his past with Keith, Horio couldn't help but shake his head.

Two excellent tennis players went astray because of unfair treatment.

One of them, after realizing his mistake, wanted to atone for his sins, but the other did not understand.

Both of them have their own opinions, but resolving the conflict is not so easy.

"So that's why you want to destroy Clark Tennis Club? To crush your own best friend in order to ensure the safety of others."

"No, I just want Keith to go back to the old days, the days when the two of us could play ball happily together."

Whether it's me or him, we've both sunk too deep into the sea of sin, if we can't defeat him.

Neither I nor he will ever be able to float.

Hearing that Lin Xiu's reason was so simple, Horio couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement at the man in front of him.

"So you want Keith to remember the days you two struggled together, and pull him back from the wrong path."

That's a really good reason. I believe he's probably waiting for you too.

After saying that, Horio looked toward the oppressive atmosphere of the castle on a small island not far away.

At that moment, Peter's phone rang in the castle.

"He's here! Keith! Xiu has appeared!"

Peter seemed very excited upon hearing the voice on the other end of the phone.

Meanwhile, Keith, who was doing push-ups on the field, remained calm and asked questions as he did so.

Was he alone?

"No... no, there's also a brown-haired brat."

"Hmph, if I'm not mistaken, that's the guy from that night."

Keith's eyes lit up with excitement when he heard that Horio had come with Lin Xiu.

Peter, who had been suffering for a long time after being hit by Horio's ball last time, immediately turned into a ferocious expression when he heard Horio's name.

"Is this Clark's base? I didn't expect a street tennis team to be so wealthy."

Horio was also taken aback by the sight of the castle that covered an entire island.