Monster from Kanagawa Prefecture!

"Ryo~ are you okay?"

Having just finished his match and still feeling a bit dejected, Mukahi arrived at Area B2 only to see Shishido lying on a chair, his face pale.

Did Shishido lose too?!

How is that possible? How could some tennis player whose name I've never even heard of beat Shishido?

But when Mukahi looked at the scoreboard, his face was filled with horror.

6-0.

Such a glaring score. Shishido had lost so badly.

"I lost, Mukahi. That guy... he's a monster."

Shishido, having recovered his senses, sat up from the chair, his eyes filled with lingering fear.

That guy could have finished the match much faster, but he deliberately dragged it out until the very end, wearing me down endlessly. Every single shot was placed just within my reach.

"How did you lose?"

Mukahi was still unwilling to give up, wanting to hear some details about the match.

Shishido was silent for a moment, then recounted the details of the match. Mukahi listened, utterly shocked. Shishido, who was his equal at Hyotei Elementary School, had been completely toyed with by his opponent.

He hadn't even won a single point, completely Soru'd.

Just like me.

And judging by Shishido's current state, he seemed to be in an even worse condition than I was.

In Mukahi's match against Tezuka, Tezuka had also won 6-0. Tezuka hadn't held back; every shot was clean and decisive. Aces, service return winners—Mukahi had barely touched the ball a few times.

As expected, they came together. Their skills shouldn't be too different.

"It's okay, Ryo. In the next match, he'll have to face that monster."

Mukahi seemed to have thought of something and said with a hint of schadenfreude, "That monster from Kanagawa Prefecture."

"You mean him?"

Shishido's mind also conjured up the opponent's image.

"Yeah, Yukimura Seiichi! He hasn't lost a single match since the group stage, and his opponents haven't even won a single point!" Mukahi said with a smile, patting Shishido's shoulder.

"Right~" Shishido nodded. "In Group A, Tezuka's next opponent is also that monster from Kanagawa, isn't he?"

Before they even entered the quarterfinals, Shishido and Mukahi had noticed those two players from Kanagawa. Their strength was off the charts; almost every match ended with a 6-0 score.

Thinking of this, a slight smile appeared on Shishido's face. If I couldn't beat Kamikawa, someone else will. I wonder how many points this guy can take from him.

What if that guy named Yukimura loses?!

Shishido's heart became conflicted at this thought. If Yukimura won, it would mean he couldn't even beat the opponent Yukimura had defeated. But if Kamikawa won, he would still be in a bad spot, though perhaps better than the former.

At least, he and Yukimura would have lost to the same opponent.

The semifinals.

It would definitely be the main event. Shishido and Mukahi didn't want to miss it.

There was still some time before the semifinals.

After the matches ended, the crowd dispersed briefly.

They chattered about the exciting duels that had just taken place on the various courts.

"Tezuka, you're out already?"

After his match, Kamikawa noticed Tezuka sitting on a chair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, holding a soda, with his racket resting horizontally on his lap, looking rather smug.

Tezuka, who hadn't yet become the captain, was somewhat similar to a certain person in personality.

Neither his tone nor his approach to things was as steady as it would be later.

"You're just too slow."

Tezuka handed Kamikawa the soda can and asked, "Was your opponent strong this time?"

"Hmm~ So-so~"

Kamikawa took the soda, opened it, and took a small sip.

To be honest, this match had dragged on a bit. Kamikawa had his own selfish reasons; he wanted to train Shishido more, as he was destined to join the Hyotei tennis club in the future.

With his current meager skills, he might not even make it as a regular player later on.

Hearing this, Tezuka didn't reply. He opened his soda can and took a small sip.

The atmosphere became awkward.

"Aren't you worried I won't make it to the finals?"

Kamikawa said, half-jokingly.

This year's JR Tournament was more competitive than the previous two years. A new batch of fresh talent had emerged. This generation's talent was no less than that of the Byodoin generation; it could be called a golden generation.

"Don't worry."

Tezuka shook his head and said, "Although you've been hiding your strength, I can feel it. You're very strong."

"You have so much confidence in me."

Kamikawa chuckled.

The two of them had played tennis together since they were children, experiencing many friendly matches. They had won and lost against each other, but had never truly revealed their full strength.

Perhaps this JR Tournament would be a chance to see each other's true abilities.

Hearing this, a fighting spirit flickered across Tezuka's face. "This isn't a friendly match, it's the main tournament. I hope you'll show your current strength without holding back."

"You mentioned the three doors of Muga no Kyochi before. Don't tell me you've mastered one of them?"

Tezuka's first encounter with Muga no Kyochi was under Kamikawa's guidance. This guy knew many things that others didn't, and even explained the effects of the three doors of Muga no Kyochi with perfect clarity.

"Which path do you think suits me?"

Kamikawa smiled, his gaze falling on Tezuka.

He was different from others. He couldn't immerse himself in the joy of tennis with his whole heart like Tezuka, opening the radiant light of love within Seamless Clothes. Nor could he grasp the origin of power and open the light of solitude.

Similarly, for the resolute light that becomes stronger for someone, Kamikawa believed he wasn't that noble. The final chapter of Muga no Kyochi was the limit of Seamless Clothes.

Since he couldn't achieve these things, why bother walking down that path?

There were many paths in tennis, and one would surely suit the current him.

"I'm not sure..."

Tezuka shook his head. "There's still some time before the semifinals. Shall we find a court to warm up?"

Kamikawa waved his hand. "You're going to use up your energy beforehand. Aren't you afraid of losing to your opponent in the semifinals?"

"It's fine."

Tezuka said calmly, "The JR Tournament, while it's the highest honor in the Kanto elementary school division, isn't important to me. I only care about..."

Hearing Tezuka say that, Kamikawa felt a bit strange. "Alright, I'll accompany you for a warm-up."

"Yeah!"

Tezuka nodded and followed Kamikawa towards the unassigned courts at the Lawson Tennis Center.

Outside the Lawson Tennis Center, besides the courts designated for matches, there were many empty courts available for recreational play.

Many participants also chose some of these courts for warm-ups.

Some who came from tennis clubs would ask their coaches for practice matches, but none of the players who reached the top four in this JR Tournament had coaching support; they had almost all made it to the semifinals through their own abilities.

When Tezuka and Kamikawa arrived at an open court.

They also noticed two young men with extraordinary bearing, about their age. One, wearing a baseball cap, was warming up with a young man in a light blue jacket and dark blue hair.

From their footwork, movements, return points, and landing spots, it was evident that these two were not weak. At this moment, the two on the court also noticed the two uninvited guests standing outside the court.