The Nightmare That Belonged to Sanada!

"Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichiro."

Kamikawa raised an eyebrow and murmured.

"Who?"

Hearing that, Tezuka turned to look at Kamikawa as well.

Clearly, he didn't know either of them—not even one. One of them was even his opponent in an upcoming match.

"They're our opponents in the next round."

Kamikawa smiled at Tezuka.

His gaze settled on the two boys. The future emperor still seemed a little rough around the edges.

As for Yukimura, he seemed to sense a faint trace of the same aura Tezuka gave off—the manifestation of "presence."

Presence, or aura, was something a player could develop only with powerful mental strength. It was the path to tennis that belonged to them alone. Put simply, it was their own unique style of play.

Only players who had reached a certain level could master their perfect presence. Muga no Kyochi was one manifestation of it, and the Asura Path was no different.

Neither was superior to the other. They were simply two completely opposite paths.

"All right, Sanada."

Yukimura suddenly made his move, sprinting toward the net and swinging hard.

He was a few beats faster than expected. Sanada was caught off guard and froze, unable to react in time.

"Yukimura, your strength..."

Sanada stared for a moment, then looked up at his childhood friend.

Yukimura smiled and slipped his racket into his bag as he said, "Sanada, let's have a proper match in the final."

"Yeah!"

Hearing that, Sanada clenched his fist and nodded firmly. "I'll be waiting for you in the final. Those two over there—are they our next opponents?"

Sanada had a keen sense for these things. After all, it was strange for two boys their age to suddenly show up at an out-of-the-way court. He'd simply been too focused on warming up to pay attention to his surroundings.

"Yeah." Yukimura nodded.

"Nice to meet you."

Kamikawa walked over, smiling warmly at Yukimura and Sanada. "I'm Mutsu Kamikawa, from Tokyo Metropolis. This is Tezuka Kunimitsu, also from Tokyo Metropolis."

"He's mastered 'presence' too?"

Yukimura suddenly sensed the faint aura radiating from Tezuka.

He knew Sanada's strength well. If he faced a tennis player who had mastered "presence," he would most likely lose—and lose badly.

By comparison, the boy named Kamikawa showed no sign of having even begun to develop "presence."

"Hello."

Yukimura put his thoughts aside and smiled. "I'm Yukimura Seiichi, and this is my friend Sanada Genichiro. We're from Kanagawa Prefecture."

"We're your opponents in the next round, too."

Hearing that, Tezuka took another look at Yukimura. Compared to Sanada, Yukimura seemed stronger. He gave off the same aura as Tezuka.

"He's my opponent in the next round? A tennis player from Tokyo Metropolis?!"

Sanada glanced at the boy in gold-rimmed glasses. He looked about the same age, but for some reason, his face irritated Sanada.

"Hello."

Tezuka noticed Sanada's gaze and gave a cool nod in reply.

"Hello."

Sanada answered just as coolly.

For some reason, he had a feeling Tezuka was no ordinary player. That faint pressure he gave off reminded Sanada of the last ball Yukimura had hit during their warm-up.

"Pfft—"

Watching Tezuka act all aloof, Kamikawa couldn't help laughing.

Yukimura glanced at Sanada, the corners of his mouth lifting, and joined in.

Tezuka rolled his eyes. "There's still time. Let's warm up."

"Sure."

Kamikawa readily agreed, then turned to Yukimura. "See you in the semifinals, Yukimura."

"Yeah." Yukimura nodded and said softly, "See you in the semifinals."

Only after Kamikawa and Tezuka had left did Yukimura's smile fade. He couldn't shake the feeling that Kamikawa was no ordinary boy. He had no "presence," yet Yukimura sensed a strong threat from him...

"Yukimura, I'll meet you in the final."

Sanada tightened his grip on his racket. No matter what, he would make it to the final and play a real match against Yukimura.

"I will too, Sanada."

Yukimura nodded. No matter what, he didn't think he would lose. He had never lost—not even against older players or regular middle-school team members from other schools.

"The JR Tournament semifinals are about to begin. All competitors, please get ready!"

At that moment.

At the Lawson Tennis Center.

Half an hour had passed.

The announcement rang out, and the crowd began gathering around the courts for the finals in Groups A and B.

"There are even more people here than before."

"Yeah. A lot of young talents have emerged in this JR Tournament. You should've seen that back-to-the-net counter-smash. It was unbelievably brilliant."

"This year's JR Tournament is packed with talent."

"Absolutely."

The spectators outside the courts chatted among themselves. Coaches from numerous tennis clubs had arrived early to watch the young players who had emerged in the tournament.

The players who had already been eliminated squeezed through the crowd, trying to find the best spots to watch.

Shishido and Mukahi were among them. A sleepy-looking boy with curly hair trailed along beside them, yawning.

"Honestly, Jiro!"

Shishido complained when he saw the curly-haired boy's state.

This was Akutagawa Jiro, the strongest player at Hyotei Elementary School.

Like Shishido and Mukahi, he had been eliminated in the quarterfinals. He'd lost to a boy from Kanagawa who wore a black cap and played an extremely aggressive game.

Jiro's tried-and-true net volleys had been easily countered.

Fortunately, Jiro didn't care much about winning or losing. If Shishido and Mukahi hadn't dragged him here, he would probably have found some shade and taken a nap.

"That's just Jiro's personality."

Mukahi waved a hand and turned toward the court.

He'd wanted to watch Tezuka's match in Group A against the player from Kanagawa who had beaten Jiro. But Shishido had dragged him over, insisting that he see the other player's skills for himself.

Mukahi couldn't talk Shishido out of it, so he'd come along.

"Shishido, is he really as incredible as you say?"

Mukahi pursed his lips. He didn't think the other player could be that strong. Shishido's playing style must have been a bad matchup, which was why he'd lost six-love.

"Just watch and see. Yukimura Seiichi from Kanagawa is strong too. I have a feeling today's match is going to be especially exciting."

"We might even learn a few things we've been wanting to learn."

Ever since that match ended, Shishido had become keenly aware of his own shortcomings.

"Fine."

Mukahi turned toward the court, looking unconcerned.

He'd see just how strong the boy who had bageled Shishido really was. Surely he couldn't be stronger than Tezuka Kunimitsu?!

At that moment.

On the court for the Group A final.

In the distance, a boy wearing a black jacket and black cap rested his hand on the net, testing its tension. His eyes were fixed coldly on the boy in gold-rimmed glasses on the court.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu, from Tokyo Metropolis."

"Hmph."

"Whoever you are, you should be grateful that you're facing me today!"

Holding his racket, Sanada walked onto the court at the referee's signal.

The boy who walked onto the court alongside him would become his eternal nightmare.

Tezuka Kunimitsu!