Stealing a Chicken Only to Lose the Rice, the Tennis Club Doesn't Need Useless Eaters!

"Furthermore."

Tezuka's words weren't finished.

The others dismissed their previous thoughts and looked back at Tezuka.

"The original training content must be improved. Especially for the regular players who will be taking over later, their daily training will be double that of ordinary players."

"As the department head and vice-head, you must lead by example. If you ever see that the vice-head and I aren't meeting our training quotas, you can call us out directly, or go to the coach's office to find Coach Sakaki."

"Hyotei's tennis club reached the national top four last year, and my goal this year is to be number one in the nation."

"Put away your lazy and greedy attitudes, and climb your way up with all your might!"

Tezuka's words had an invisible impact on their hearts.

The national top four – this was indeed the first honor Hyotei's tennis club had ever achieved.

But, was being in the top four enough?!

Clearly, it wasn't!

The "veterans" who had followed the Echizen era, who had personally witnessed the unwillingness and humiliation on the faces of the regular players who lost in the match, desired victory more than anyone.

It's just training!

It's not like we haven't trained before. If we can't even beat those first-year students, then we've truly wasted our years.

"Dismissed. Let's start today's training."

Tezuka shook the training schedule in his hand.

He would post the training schedule on the door of the lounge later.

The training content on it was almost all strictly customized by Tezuka himself. Some people with weaker physiques might not be able to keep up at first, but over time, they would catch up to the rhythm of the training program.

At least, that's how Tezuka had climbed his way up.

"Heh heh..."

Kamikawa scratched his head, leaning over with an awkward expression. "Tezuka, about the training subjects on this list, maybe I can skip them."

"No!"

Tezuka shook his head decisively.

"You know I have a specific training volume every day. This isn't suitable for me."

Kamikawa glanced at the training subjects on the list. They were 1.5 times more intense than what he usually practiced.

Although he could improve his physique by training more, spending extra time on content with mediocre results was simply asking too much.

"Then do your best to adapt."

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

Tezuka knew very well that his childhood friend didn't want to participate in any extra training besides his usual routine.

Sometimes, even for practice matches, he had to personally go and call him, and only after paying with a bottle of iced soda would he reluctantly play a couple of games with him.

He was the one who tricked me into coming to Hyotei.

Now he's backing out, as if things could be that easy.

"Fine~ You're the department head, you make the rules."

What else could Kamikawa say? He hadn't completed his training today, so adding a bit more was acceptable.

The regional qualifiers for new student enrollment would be held in the middle of this month. Even Hyotei in the past could crush other tennis schools with absolute strength in the regional qualifiers.

Furthermore, Hyotei had always qualified for the Metropolitan Tournament with first place in the regional qualifiers, so the regional qualifiers were just a formality. Most schools participated with the goal of competing for second place.

"Not bad."

Sakaki Taro, who was watching silently from the second floor, nodded with satisfaction.

To avoid any unnecessary trouble, he had been observing from the window after Tezuka left the classroom.

As it turned out, Tezuka truly possessed the leadership qualities of a manager, and he had also obtained the authority he desired. For a group of first-year students, achieving this was already outstanding.

You must know that Echizen, back in his first year, did not perform as outstandingly as Atobe and Tezuka.

"The genius from Osaka, Tezuka from Tokyo, and that kid from England... He's put together a pretty good team."

Sakaki Taro nodded with satisfaction. "No, it seems there's another kid."

He seemed to recall something, his gaze swept across the crowd, and he locked onto Kamikawa, who was running laps around the court. He recalled yesterday's match in his mind.

"To easily defeat the Kansai Wolf from Osaka 6-0, and he was the champion of the JR Tournament just a few months ago? Is he deliberately holding back?"

Sakaki Taro had a document on his desk, a document about Kamikawa.

At first, Sakaki Taro didn't pay much attention.

After all, geniuses appeared frequently, but that year's JR Tournament was different.

According to his friend in Kanagawa Prefecture, the person Kamikawa defeated was a genius hailed as the Child of God. Furthermore, Kamikawa had also defeated Tezuka in the finals.

"These few individuals might truly be able to reach the top spot in the National Tournament."

"I never imagined that after Echizen left, the Hyotei tennis club would undergo such a transformation."

"This is truly an unexpected turn of events."

Sakaki Taro's eyes flickered slightly, his gaze deepening. He knew very well how important the title of National Champion was, a goal that even he and Echizen couldn't achieve in their three years together.

This time, Sakaki Taro saw a glimmer of hope.

But, it was still too early to say anything.

The National Tournament was not that simple.

Bang, bang, bang~

A series of urgent knocks suddenly came from outside the door.

Sakaki Taro's expression immediately turned grim. He glanced impatiently at the door and said, "Come in..."

As the wooden door was pushed open, the person who appeared was none other than Nagakawa Ino, who had been shouting on the court earlier.

"Coach Sakaki."

Nagakawa swallowed and lowered his head, saying, "I... I've come because..."

"Nagakawa Ino, right?"

Sakaki Taro didn't even look directly at Nagakawa. He slowly sat down in his chair, crossed his legs, and spoke in a cold tone.

"Yes... yes..."

Sakaki Taro's aura was incredibly strong, and Nagakawa found himself unable to speak about the matter.

"I already know why you're here."

Sakaki Taro inwardly scoffed. Unable to defeat the opponent with raw strength, he'd come running for the coach's protection.

It was precisely because of such parasites that the Hyotei tennis club faced a situation of lacking successors.

Before Echizen left the tennis club, he hadn't even decided on the next club president, which showed that Echizen didn't think highly of these people.

He'd rather see the Hyotei tennis club fall into decline than see a bunch of parasites wearing regular player uniforms participate in those matches.

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

Nagakawa's heart leaped with joy, and he looked up at Sakaki Taro.

What he saw were a pair of indifferent eyes. Sakaki Taro spoke unhurriedly, "Since you have voluntarily left the court, you are no longer a member of the Hyotei tennis club."

"What?!"

Nagakawa's eyes widened, unable to believe these words were coming from Sakaki Taro.

"Tezuka serving as club president and Atobe as vice-president, I have tacitly approved this. At the same time, first-year students are eligible to be regular players; I have also tacitly approved this."

"If you don't have the strength to hold onto that position, then leave the tennis club as soon as possible."

"The tennis club doesn't lack loyal people; it only lacks the determination to lead the Hyotei tennis club to national dominance."

Sakaki Taro's icy gaze swept over Nagakawa. His raw strength was insufficient. If the other party's raw strength were outstanding, he would have become a regular player last year. Why would he have to wait until the third-year students like Echizen graduated to gain the status of a regular player?!

In tennis, the victor reigns supreme, and the vanquished are cast aside.

Sakaki Taro was not a pedantic person; he actually advocated more for strength being king.