"What's wrong?"
When Kamikawa came to his senses and turned around, he saw a group of people staring at him with strange expressions.
Some looked conflicted, some astonished, but most seemed incredulous.
"N-nothing."
Shishido's expression changed the most. His eyes were wide, and he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
For the past half hour, Kamikawa had hit almost every ball in the order marked out with the marker. At first, no one had paid much attention.
But as Kamikawa's movements grew faster and the training went on, they finally realized just how big the gap between him and everyone else was.
Whether they could even manage it aside, the ball control he had just displayed was already better than that of most of the second- and third-year upperclassmen present. They were "veterans" who had weathered the National Tournament, yet they couldn't match a new student.
"What are you all staring at?"
"Do you have nothing better to do?!"
As they stood there stunned, a cold rebuke rang in their ears.
They followed the voice and saw Atobe, who had been training just moments earlier, now approaching with an unhappy look.
Even though it was free practice, Atobe still had to say something when they were all gathered together doing nothing. After all, he was the vice-captain.
"Come on, let's go."
Seeing this, Mitsuya Genko and the others headed off to their own training without another word.
The remaining first-year students looked at Kamikawa's back, then took out their rackets and began training for the day.
The court, which had seemed crowded just moments earlier, suddenly felt spacious.
Atobe raised an eyebrow and walked over with his racket, a spark of interest in his eyes. "Your ball control is strong. Want to practice together sometime?"
"Sure!"
Kamikawa nodded, not particularly bothered.
"Interesting."
Seeing how readily Kamikawa agreed, Atobe took another look at him. Then he turned his attention to the circles drawn on the ground, which were marked with the order of the shots.
Kamikawa had been training his ball control here just now. The Great Atobe could handle that level of training too.
With that thought, Atobe took a fluorescent yellow tennis ball from his pocket and stepped into the spot where Kamikawa had been standing. He tried to get a feel for the training method Kamikawa had just used.
"This guy's pretty dedicated."
Seeing Atobe like this, Kamikawa said nothing. Atobe seemed a little arrogant, like he thought the world revolved around him, but deep down, he still wanted to become stronger.
Especially when it came to tennis. Otherwise, despite lacking an advantage in speed, strength, and technique, he wouldn't have carved out a place for himself in the English junior tennis scene and honed his extraordinary powers of observation.
When it came to talent, Atobe was absolutely on par with Sanada.
He was simply too comfortable. Put enough pressure on him, and he could turn that pressure into motivation to move forward and grow stronger.
"Tch."
All of this had been noticed by Nagakawa Ino, a second-year and former regular member of the Hyotei tennis club. He curled his lip in disdain.
They were nothing but a bunch of first-years. At Hyotei Academy, as at other schools, there was an unwritten rule that first-years couldn't become regulars.
He believed Coach Sakaki would surely see that justice was done for them.
"What's the point of working hard?"
A cold glint flashed in Nagakawa's eyes. He had spent a whole year picking up balls. "First-years, no matter how impressive they are, still have to pick up tennis balls for a year and be good little 'ball boys'!"
After a while.
As soon as Tezuka left the piano room, he headed straight for the tennis courts.
He was still carrying the report he had earlier submitted to Sakaki for review, and he had also received Sakaki's approval.
When they saw Tezuka arrive, everyone stopped what they were doing. Uneasy, they gathered on an empty court, not daring to let their guard down.
This was Tezuka Kunimitsu, who had defeated Atobe yesterday. His skill surpassed theirs, and he was already being hailed as the leading figure of Hyotei's new generation.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
"Good afternoon!"
No one dared look Tezuka in the eye. They lowered their heads and bowed as they answered.
Kamikawa looked at Tezuka with a broad smile. Nearby, Atobe stood with one hand in his pocket and his body turned toward Tezuka. Even Oshitari, usually so unruly, was currently hiding among the crowd with the air of an old fox.
Tezuka nodded slightly and looked at everyone calmly. "I just met with Coach Sakaki. He has appointed me captain of the Hyotei tennis club, and Keigo Atobe will serve as vice-captain."
At his words, the second- and third-year regulars in the crowd stiffened. They raised their heads, their faces filled with disbelief. Had the positions of captain and vice-captain really been decided so casually?!
And both were first-years!!
"Why? This is unfair! I'm going to demand an explanation from Coach Sakaki."
Nagakawa raised his hand in protest. Why should first-years hold the positions of captain and vice-captain?
Then what had he spent all last year picking up tennis balls at Hyotei for?!
"Go ahead."
Tezuka's gaze swept over Nagakawa. He had expected the second- and third-year upperclassmen to make trouble.
In fact, he needed someone to step forward so he could establish his authority.
"Hmph."
Nagakawa snorted and walked straight out of the crowd.
Just as he was about to take a step, a hand reached out from the crowd to stop him. Following the arm, Nagakawa saw that it belonged to Mitsuya Genko, the former vice-captain of the Hyotei tennis club.
Mitsuya looked serious and gave Nagakawa a slight shake of the head, signaling him not to act rashly.
But Nagakawa wouldn't listen. He broke free and said, "I want to see whether Coach Sakaki is on his side or on the side of us veterans who've fought tooth and nail for the Hyotei tennis club."
As Nagakawa reached out to push open the court's metal gate, he heard a cool voice beside him. "If you leave the court now, senpai, then from today onward, you'll no longer be part of the tennis club."
Tezuka stood with one hand in his pocket, his voice strikingly cold.
Nagakawa swallowed. Coach Sakaki's face came to mind again. He refused to believe the coach would blindly side with a first-year. He was a Hyotei regular!!
"Nagakawa's being too impulsive."
"Couldn't they have discussed this privately?"
"He had to do something this stupid. Honestly, I just..."
The second- and third-year regulars in the crowd murmured among themselves. They all thought Nagakawa was an idiot. Even if he took this to the coach, it wouldn't end well.
Hadn't Tezuka just said he'd already discussed it with the coach? He was now the captain of the Hyotei tennis club. There was no doubt about it.
"Silence!"
Tezuka's gaze passed over the group, his expression stern. "Starting tomorrow, we'll adopt a system where the strongest prevail. Students of any year will be eligible to become regulars. As long as you prove that you're better than everyone else, you'll qualify."
"Remember, I said students of any year!"
Everyone's expression changed.
Especially the second- and third-year regulars led by Mitsuya Genko.
Putting this rule into effect meant they could lose their places on the regular team. After all, quite a few of the new students were stronger than they were.
Though this rule was decidedly unfavorable to them, no one dared speak up in protest.
If Tezuka had announced the rule, that meant Coach Sakaki had agreed to it.
Besides...
They'd even made first-years captain and vice-captain. What else could they possibly refuse to accept?
Before you continue