The Start of the School Year!

Stars dotted the night sky over Tokyo Metropolis. Neon lights gleamed along the streets, where plenty of people strolled by, chatting and laughing as they talked about what had happened that day.

Some mentioned the elementary school division matches held at the Lawson Tennis Center. In the past, those matches had served as warm-ups for the junior high and high school divisions.

But now, it seemed the main course had been served before the appetizers. A match that thrilling might not even be seen in the junior high division, let alone the high school division.

The names Kamikawa Mutsu, Tezuka Kunimitsu, and Yukimura Seiichi had spread throughout the entire Kanto region, drawing the attention of numerous prestigious tennis schools.

Meanwhile, in a courtyard in Tokyo Metropolis, one figure paid no heed to the bustling world outside.

Thwack!

Thwack!!

The boy kept his racket under control, and the yellow tennis ball struck by him landed squarely in a dent at the center of the wall. Looking closely, the dent seemed to have been worn into the wall by ball after ball.

As the seconds ticked by, the boy's movements slowed, no longer as swift as before. But his ball control remained just as precise.

Thwack!!

The boy put more strength into his arm and swung forward with all his might. The bright yellow ball hit the center of the dent, scraped against it with a harsh friction, then bounced back into his palm.

"Phew..."

"I thought I'd finished enough training for today."

"Turns out, it doesn't count."

Kamikawa collapsed onto the ground as if all the strength had left him, panting heavily.

The daily training listed on the data panel before him was mostly done, but some strength and endurance exercises remained.

He had played from morning to afternoon, competing in three matches over the course of the day. His match against Yukimura had lasted the longest, and it had drained the most energy.

Kamikawa had already been lying in bed, ready to sleep, when he opened the data panel and saw the packed schedule of training for the day.

With no other choice, he'd crawled out of bed and resumed training.

His training was nonnegotiable. Ever since Kamikawa had received the data panel, he hadn't missed a day. He couldn't let a single day of grueling matches bring that to an end.

"Next up, flying birds~"

Time passed.

Before long, the new school year began.

In early April, cherry blossoms bloomed along both sides of Tokyo Metropolis's tree-lined streets. A gentle breeze rustled through the branches, carrying petals through the air.

The Kamikawa household.

"Got it, Grandpa! I'll be careful."

Kamikawa hurriedly dressed, grabbed his tennis bag from where it hung nearby, and stuck a piece of bread in his mouth as he rushed toward the door, words muffled.

"That brat. I told him yesterday to get up early, but he wouldn't listen."

The old man scowled at Kamikawa's panicked haste.

Hyotei Academy was unlike other schools. It was a prestigious tennis school in Tokyo Metropolis, as well as a private junior high school. Most of its students had attended Hyotei Elementary School from a young age, while the rest had to meet a certain academic standard to get in.

Before long, the school would become an academy for the wealthy, thanks to the young master who'd returned from England.

"That brat looks pretty sharp in that uniform."

The old man opened the door and saw Kamikawa cycling away with Tezuka.

"Hey, old friend! Got time to step outside today, I see."

Just as the old man was about to turn and leave, a familiar voice rang out beside him.

He followed the voice and saw a gray-haired, muscular-looking old man with a full beard standing at the Tezuka residence, watching Kamikawa's grandfather.

It was Tezuka's grandfather, Tezuka Kunikazu.

"Old friend, you're out of the house early too."

The old man raised an eyebrow and glanced at Tezuka Kunikazu.

"Want to go fishing?"

Tezuka Kunikazu held a bucket with a fishing rod inside and invited him with a cheerful smile.

"Sure. I've got nothing else to do, so I'll join you." Kamikawa's grandfather nodded, then turned back into the house to get his fishing gear.

Hyotei Academy in Tokyo Metropolis wasn't far from the Tezuka and Kamikawa households. It took only about ten minutes to get there by bicycle, making the trip even shorter than the one to Seishun Academy.

On the way, they saw quite a few boys in Hyotei Academy uniforms, as well as several outdoor tennis courts.

There were plenty of people up early to train and play tennis. After all, this was a world that belonged to tennis!

After cycling for about ten minutes, Kamikawa finally caught sight of Hyotei Academy.

Compared to Seishun Daiichi Elementary School, Hyotei Academy was far more impressive. So many luxury cars were parked outside the gate that he couldn't even count them. Hyotei Academy was practically a private school for the wealthy.

The school's backer was the Atobe Group, owned by the Atobe family. The family had sponsored almost the entire academy, which was among the largest in all of Kanto.

"Tezuka, what do you think?"

Kamikawa nudged Tezuka in the side with his elbow and grinned.

"Not bad."

Tezuka nodded. He was quite pleased with the prestigious school before them.

With Tezuka's grades, getting into Hyotei Academy wouldn't take much effort. As long as he applied, he'd be accepted. At the time, though, Tezuka had wanted to go straight to Seishun Academy instead.

"Tezuka, we're in the same class."

Kamikawa pointed to the class lists posted at the entrance. Their names were both on the roster for first-year junior high, Class B.

"Yeah. That's great."

Tezuka looked a little surprised, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

After scanning the names on the list, Kamikawa followed Tezuka into the classroom.

The room was noisy. Most of the students had advanced from Hyotei Elementary School, so they'd known one another since childhood. They stood in groups of three or five, chatting about their lives and exams.

Kamikawa took a quick look around, then followed Tezuka toward the window seats in the back.

"That's..."

Amid the crowd, Kamikawa spotted a young-looking boy with long hair tied in a high ponytail. He wore a worried expression. It was Shishido Ryo, one of the three aces from Hyotei Elementary School who Kamikawa had defeated at the JR Tournament.

He must have spent a lot of time training lately, but the results didn't seem very good.

This was getting more and more interesting.

Hyotei!

Meanwhile,

A blue-haired boy wearing round glasses was aboard a train from Osaka to Tokyo Metropolis. His face held a maturity beyond his years. He held a slip of paper in his hand and hesitated for a moment as he looked at the train in front of him, before walking toward it.

"This should be the place."

With a tennis bag slung over his right shoulder, the boy watched the people passing by and said with a helpless sigh, "Tokyo Metropolis is such a confusing hassle."

He was wearing a Hyotei uniform. He was clearly a new first-year student at Hyotei Academy's junior high division.

From the looks of it, he'd only recently arrived in Tokyo Metropolis.

"Huh?!"

The boy looked up and saw a group of students wearing the same uniform as him heading toward the train in front.

"Did... did I get on the wrong train?!"

"Wait..."

"I haven't even boarded yet!"

The boy could only stare, eyes wide, as his train and the train on the opposite track pulled away.