Stealing a chicken and losing the rice: Hyotei's tennis club has no room for useless slackers!

"Besides."

Tezuka hadn't finished speaking.

The others abandoned their earlier thoughts and looked back at Tezuka.

"The existing training program needs to be improved, especially for those who'll become regulars. Their daily training will be twice as intense as that of ordinary players."

"As captain and vice-captain, we have to lead by example. If you ever see that the vice-captain or I have fallen short of our training, you can call us out to our faces or go to the coach's office and speak to Coach Sakaki."

"Hyotei's tennis club made it to the National Tournament semifinals last year. This year, my goal is to take first place nationally."

"Put your lazy, complacent attitudes aside, and give everything you've got to climb to the top!"

Tezuka's words struck a chord with them, silencing their doubts.

Making the National Tournament semifinals had been a first for Hyotei's tennis club.

But were they satisfied with just making the semifinals?!

Obviously not!

Those who'd been around since Ochi's days had seen the regulars' frustration and humiliation after their losses. More than anyone, they wanted to win.

It was just training!

It wasn't as if they'd never trained before. If they couldn't even keep up with those first-years, then all their years here would have been a waste.

"Dismissed. Start today's training."

Tezuka shook the training schedule in his hand.

He would post it outside the lounge in a little while.

The schedule had been designed almost entirely around Tezuka's own rigorous training regimen. Some players with weaker constitutions might struggle to keep up at first, but with time, they'd match the pace laid out in the program.

At least, that was how Tezuka had worked his way up, step by step.

"Heh..."

Kamikawa scratched his head and approached with an awkward look. "Tezuka, maybe I can skip the training exercises on this list."

"No!"

Tezuka shook his head without hesitation.

"You know I have a set amount of training I do every day. This isn't suitable for me."

Kamikawa glanced over the training exercises on the list. They were one and a half times harder than his usual routine.

Sure, extra training could improve his fitness, but spending more time on exercises with such mediocre results was asking a bit much.

"Then do your best to adjust."

"With your physique, that amount of training is nothing."

Tezuka knew his childhood friend all too well. Aside from his usual training, he didn't want to take part in a single extra session.

Sometimes, Tezuka even had to go fetch him for practice matches. It took a bottle of ice-cold soda just to get Kamikawa to play a couple of games with him.

He was the one who'd tricked Tezuka into coming to Hyotei.

Now he was trying to back out. As if he could have it both ways.

"Fine~ You're the captain. Your call."

What else could Kamikawa say? He hadn't finished his training today anyway, so he could accept doing a little more.

The Regional Tournament would be held in the middle of the month, when the new students started school. Even before this, Hyotei had been strong enough to crush the other tennis schools at the Regional Tournament.

And Hyotei had qualified for years by taking first place at both the Regional and Metropolitan Tournaments. The Regional Tournament was practically a formality; most schools entered hoping to claim second place.

"Not bad."

Watching quietly from the second floor, Sakaki Taro nodded in satisfaction.

To prevent any unnecessary trouble, he'd stayed by the window to observe after Tezuka left the classroom.

The fact was, Tezuka had the decisiveness a leader needed, and he'd secured the authority he wanted for that kid. They were all first-years, so managing this much was already impressive.

Back in his first year, Ochi hadn't been as impressive as Atobe and Tezuka.

"The genius from Osaka, Tezuka from Tokyo Metropolis, and that kid from England... They've put together quite a lineup."

Sakaki Taro nodded in satisfaction. "Wait, wasn't there one more kid?"

He seemed to recall something. His gaze swept over the crowd and settled on Kamikawa, who was running laps around the court. The match from the previous day came back to him.

"He beat Kansai Wolf from Osaka six to nothing with ease, and he was the JR Tournament champion a few months ago. Is he hiding his true ability?"

A file about Kamikawa was still on Sakaki Taro's desk.

At first, Sakaki Taro hadn't thought much of it.

Geniuses turned up all the time, but that JR Tournament had been different.

According to a friend of his in Kanagawa Prefecture, the player Kamikawa had beaten was a genius hailed as the Child of God. On top of that, Kamikawa had beaten Tezuka in the final.

"Those few might really be able to take first place nationally."

"Who would've thought Hyotei's tennis club would transform after Ochi left?"

"Quite an unexpected turn of events."

Sakaki Taro's eyes flickered, his gaze turning deep and thoughtful. He knew how important the title of national champion was. Even he and Ochi, working together for three years, hadn't managed to achieve it.

This time, though, Sakaki Taro could see a glimmer of hope.

But it was still too early to say.

The National Tournament was no easy feat.

Thump, thump, thump—

A sudden, hurried knock sounded from outside the door.

Sakaki Taro's expression darkened at once. He glanced impatiently toward the entrance. "Come in..."

As the wooden door swung open, the person who entered was none other than Nagakawa Ino, who'd been making such a fuss on the court earlier.

"Coach Sakaki."

Nagakawa swallowed and lowered his head. "I... I came here this time because..."

"Nagakawa Ino, right?"

Sakaki Taro didn't look directly at Nagakawa. He sat down slowly, crossed his legs, and spoke coolly.

"Y-yes..."

Sakaki Taro's presence was so imposing that Nagakawa didn't know how to bring up the matter.

"I know why you came."

Sakaki Taro looked down on him. Unable to beat his opponent through sheer ability, he'd come running to the coach for protection.

It was precisely because the tennis club had parasites like him that it had struggled to find players who could carry on its legacy.

Before Ochi left the club, he hadn't even chosen the next captain. That alone showed he hadn't thought much of these players.

He'd rather see Hyotei's tennis club fall into decline than watch a bunch of parasites wear the regulars' uniforms and compete in tournaments.

"Then... Coach Sakaki, I..."

Nagakawa's heart leapt with joy as he lifted his head to look at Sakaki Taro.

What he saw was a pair of cold eyes. Sakaki Taro spoke without hurry. "Since you voluntarily left the court, you're no longer a member of Hyotei's tennis club."

"What?!"

Nagakawa's eyes widened. He couldn't believe those words had come from Sakaki Taro.

"I approved of Tezuka becoming captain and Atobe becoming vice-captain. I also approved of first-years being eligible for regular positions."

"If you don't have the ability to hold on to your position, leave the tennis club as soon as possible."

"The tennis club doesn't lack loyal members. What it lacks is the resolve to lead Hyotei's tennis club to national dominance."

Sakaki Taro's icy gaze passed over Nagakawa. If Nagakawa had been skilled enough, he could've become a regular last year. Why had he only earned that position after Ochi and the other third-years graduated?

In tennis, the winner was king and the loser was nothing.

Sakaki Taro wasn't old-fashioned. If anything, he believed in one thing above all: ability made the king.