Start of School!

The starlight adorned the Tokyo night, illuminating the neon-lit streets bustling with a considerable number of pedestrians. They chattered excitedly, recounting the day's events.

Among them, many mentioned the elementary school division tennis tournament held at the Lawson Tennis Center. In the past, the elementary school matches were merely a warm-up for the middle school and high school divisions.

However, it seemed the main course had been brought forward to the appetizer's position. Such an astonishing display of skill might not even be seen in the middle school or high school divisions.

The names Kamikawa Mutsu, Tezuka Kunimitsu, and Yukimura Seiichi, without anyone realizing it, echoed throughout the Kanto region, drawing the attention of many renowned tennis schools.

Meanwhile, within a courtyard in Tokyo, one figure remained oblivious to all these external affairs.

Bang!

Bang!!

With controlled swings of his racket, the yellow tennis ball, struck by the youth, landed steadily in a hollowed-out spot at the center of the wall. Upon closer inspection, it appeared as though this indentation was gradually formed by countless impacts of the ball.

Time ticked by, and the youth's movements, once swift, became slower. Yet, his control over the ball remained as precise as ever.

Bang!!

The youth's arm strength increased, and with a sudden forward swing, the yellow tennis ball struck the very center of the hollow, causing intense friction before bouncing back into the youth's palm.

"Haa..."

"I thought I'd met today's training quota."

"Turns out, it doesn't count."

Kamikawa slumped onto the ground, as if all his strength had drained away, gasping for air.

The data panel before him indicated that the daily training, as mentioned, had been preliminarily completed, with only some strength and endurance training remaining.

He had played three matches from morning till afternoon. Among them, Yukimura's and Tezuka's matches had lasted the longest, consuming the most stamina.

Originally, Kamikawa had been lying in bed, ready to sleep, but the moment he opened the data panel, he saw the full day's training requirements.

With no other choice, he had to get out of bed and continue training.

Training was non-negotiable. Ever since Kamikawa obtained this data panel, he hadn't missed a single day. He couldn't let the demanding matches of the day interrupt it.

"Next up is Asuka~"

Time flowed onward.

Soon, the new school year arrived with the opening season.

In early April, the streets of Tokyo, lined with cherry blossom trees, were in full bloom. A gentle breeze rustled the treetops, scattering cherry blossom petals in its wake.

Kamikawa Residence.

"Understood, Grandpa! I'll be careful."

Kamikawa, already dressed, haphazardly grabbed his tennis racket bag hanging nearby. With a slice of bread in his mouth, he mumbled incoherently as he walked towards the door.

"Brat, I told him yesterday to get ready early, but he just wouldn't listen."

The old man's face darkened as he watched Kamikawa's flustered state.

Hyotei Academy, unlike other schools, was a renowned tennis school in Tokyo and also a private middle school. To be admitted, besides having decent academic performance, most students had attended Hyotei Elementary School from a young age and were promoted.

Such a school would, in the near future, become an aristocratic institution, all thanks to the returnee from England who had achieved this.

"Brat, you look quite the part wearing that uniform."

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

"Yo~ Old friend, you're out of the house early today."

Just as the old man was about to turn away, a familiar voice reached his ears.

Following the sound, he saw a gray-haired, bearded, and somewhat sturdy-looking elderly man standing at the entrance of Tezuka's house, gazing at Grandpa Kamikawa.

This person was none other than Tezuka's grandfather, Tezuka Kunikazu.

"Old friend, aren't you out early yourself?"

Grandpa Kamikawa raised an eyebrow and glanced at Tezuka Kunikazu.

"Going fishing?"

Tezuka Kunikazu held up a bucket containing a fishing rod and cheerfully invited him.

"Sure, since I have nothing else to do, I'll accompany you for a bit." Grandpa Kamikawa nodded and turned to go into the room to fetch his fishing gear.

Hyotei Academy in Tokyo was not far from Tezuka and Kamikawa's homes; it only took about ten minutes by bicycle. In fact, the distance was even shorter than the route to Seishun Academy.

On their ride, they saw many youths wearing Hyotei Academy uniforms and, of course, some outdoor tennis courts.

Quite a number of people were out training and playing tennis early in the morning. This... was, after all, a world uniquely dedicated to tennis!

Soon, after about ten minutes of riding, Kamikawa saw the full panorama of Hyotei Academy.

Compared to Seishun Daiichi Elementary School, Hyotei Academy was far more imposing. The school entrance was lined with an uncountable number of luxury cars. Speaking of which, Hyotei Academy could be considered a semi-private aristocratic school.

The shareholders of Hyotei Academy were naturally the Atobe Group of the Atobe family. Almost the entire Hyotei Academy was sponsored by the Atobe family, and its scale was top-notch throughout the Kanto region.

"Tezuka, how is it?"

Kamikawa nudged Tezuka's waist with his elbow and said with a smile.

"Mm, not bad."

Tezuka nodded, also quite satisfied with the aristocratic school before him.

With Tezuka's grades, attending Hyotei Academy wouldn't require much effort; basically, anyone who applied would be accepted. It was just that at the time, Tezuka had wanted to advance directly to Seishun Academy.

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

Kamikawa pointed to the student list posted on the door. Under "First year of junior high, Class B," the names Kamikawa and Tezuka were clearly written.

"Yeah, that's great."

Tezuka was also a little surprised, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

After a brief glance at the names on the list, Kamikawa and Tezuka entered the classroom together.

The classroom was noisy. The vast majority of students had advanced from Hyotei Elementary School and knew each other from childhood. They gathered in groups of three or five, chatting about their lives and exams.

Kamikawa also took a quick look before following Tezuka towards a window seat in the back row.

"That's..."

In the crowd, Kamikawa also spotted a boy with long hair and a somewhat immature appearance, tied in a high ponytail, looking dejected. It was clearly Shishido Ryo, one of the three Hyotei Elementary School swordsmen he had defeated in the JR Tournament.

He must have spent a lot of time training during this period, but the training results weren't very good.

This is getting more and more interesting.

Hyotei!

Meanwhile, A boy with deep blue hair, wearing round glasses, and a maturity on his face that didn't belong to his age, was on a train from Osaka to Tokyo. He held a piece of paper and, after hesitating for a moment while looking at the train in front of him, walked towards it.

"This should be it."

The boy, with a tennis bag slung over his right shoulder, looked at the passing pedestrians and said with a hint of helplessness, "Tokyo is really a mess, it's so troublesome."

He was wearing the Hyotei school uniform and was clearly a new student in the first year of junior high at Hyotei.

However, judging by his current state, he probably hadn't been in Tokyo for long.

"That?!"

The boy looked up and saw a group of students wearing the same uniform as him boarding the train ahead.

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

"Wait..."

"I haven't gotten on yet!"

The boy watched, wide-eyed, as his train and the train on the opposite track departed.