By the time Kamikawa and Tezuka returned to Hyotei, the others had been waiting impatiently for them.
Sakaki Taro held the roster for the quarterfinals.
When he saw Tezuka and Kamikawa, he nodded. "As you can see, our next opponent is Seigaku!"
"Seigaku? A third-rate school like that? Why do we even need to play them?"
Mukahi put his hands behind his head, looking completely unconcerned.
They'd played Seigaku not long ago. The team was so weak that even their second-string players could beat them with ease.
"Don't let your guard down, Mukahi!"
Atobe said coolly, "Once the quarterfinals are over, advancing to the semifinals will secure our ticket to the Kanto Tournament. If we lose, we'll have to fight through the losers' repechage for the final spot."
Any team that made it to the quarterfinals was no pushover. Atobe didn't want Hyotei to stumble through carelessness and enter the Kanto Tournament as losers.
"Gakuto, don't let your guard down." Oshitari pushed up his glasses and said calmly, "This is all for the sake of advancing to the National Tournament. Even if Seigaku fields the same useless second- and third-years, we still have to give it our all."
"Yeah, yeah!"
Mukahi waved his hand helplessly. Oshitari made it sound as if he were underestimating their opponent.
If Seigaku fielded that guy this time, though, they might actually have a decent match.
The person Mukahi had in mind was the first-year who'd faced Kamikawa at the Hyotei tennis club and could use Swallow Return Flash and Giant Bear Return.
"Seigaku! I'll be the one to put an end to their rise!"
Atobe spoke calmly, his words brimming with authority. Even though he hadn't become captain of the tennis club, being vice-captain alone had helped him grow a lot. He'd become much