Akashi walked slowly toward Rikkai's training court, wearing a gentle smile. As he watched the Rikkai regulars train, the Emperor Eye silently gathered data. The Rikkai members didn't seem to mind—they were already aware of Akashi's unique eyes.
Akashi glanced around. Just as he'd expected, there was no sign of Mōri Juzaburō. He shook his head slightly. Looks like he'd have to rely on Inui and Yanagi to get that drink ready soon. Once that was done, they'd see if Mōri still dared to skip practice. With that thought, Akashi pulled out his walkie-talkie and contacted the staff.
Every part of the estate except for the dorm rooms and bathrooms was under surveillance, so locating Mōri wasn't hard. Soon, the staff reported back—Mōri was napping on an unused court.
Akashi was speechless. He wasn't Akutagawa Jirō, so why did he always end up sleeping? Maybe that's how he developed that strange ability?
Still, Akashi didn't plan to deal with Mōri right away. From what he'd learned from Yanagi Renji, the only one who could actually rein in Mōri was Yukimura—not even Sanada could do it. So, he'd wait for Yukimura to return from his check-up.
So, while continuing to collect data on the Rikkai players with the Emperor Eye, Akashi waited for Yukimura's results. An hour passed quickly.
Then Yukimura finally returned, walking slowly. His expression was grim. Akashi could already guess the results weren't great, so he immediately stepped forward, concern in his voice.
"How'd it go, Yukimura? Did Dr. Takahashi say anything? Is your body alright?"
Yukimura noticed that Akashi's tone seemed slightly different from usual, but he wasn't in the mood to worry about that. He replied in a quiet, downcast voice, "Dr. Takahashi and his team ran a full set of exams. They did find some issues, but he said more testing is needed to confirm."
"I see… then let's wait for the results. Don't worry too much, Yukimura. Dr. Takahashi is one of the top specialists in the world. With him here, your recovery is definitely possible~" Akashi said, trying to reassure him.
"No matter what, I really need to thank you, Akashi-kun," Yukimura said sincerely.
"You don't need to thank me~ If something serious really did happen to you, I'm sure no one would want that outcome," Akashi replied with a soft smile.
"Still, thank you… but Akashi-kun, is it just me, or do you seem a little different?" Yukimura asked. His mood had lightened a little, and he now noticed the subtle change in Akashi.
"Really? You're probably just imagining it. By the way, the staff told me earlier that your senpai Mōri is out on a side court… um… resting. Do you want to go check on him?" Akashi quickly changed the subject.
"You mean he's slacking off and sleeping, huh? Got it. Thanks for the heads-up, Akashi-kun. If Dr. Takahashi has any updates, please let me know as soon as possible!" Yukimura didn't push the issue further.
"Of course. I think we'll have an answer by tonight. I won't keep you from training any longer." With that, Akashi stepped aside to keep observing Rikkai's training. As for Fudomine, with Tezuka watching over them—and knowing how self-disciplined they were—Akashi had zero worries.
Afternoon passed quickly. Only when the speakers announced that dinner was ready did everyone stop training and head for the dining hall. At that moment, Butler Tanaka came over to Akashi with news—Dr. Takahashi had finished analyzing the results and had a preliminary diagnosis for Yukimura.
But Akashi didn't immediately inform Yukimura. Instead, he asked the butler to escort Dr. Takahashi and his team to dinner first. They'd talk after the meal.
Once dinner ended, Akashi approached Yukimura and told him the results were ready. Yukimura instantly said he wanted to go see Dr. Takahashi. However, Sanada happened to be nearby and overheard part of the conversation. He questioned them, and Yukimura had no choice but to tell the truth.
Upon learning what happened, Sanada gave Akashi a deep, formal bow to express his gratitude, then followed them to meet with Dr. Takahashi.
Dr. Takahashi didn't waste any time. He explained that based on multiple tests and lab results, his preliminary diagnosis was that Yukimura might have a neurological inflammation similar to Guillain-Barré syndrome. He couldn't say for sure yet.
The good news was that they caught it early. Only minor signs were present so far, and with the right medication, recovery would be quick. Still, he advised Yukimura to schedule regular hospital checkups going forward. If there were signs of recurrence, they should contact him immediately. He also gave Yukimura his personal contact info.
Yukimura and Sanada both thanked Dr. Takahashi again. Then, with help from one of the doctor's assistants, they went to pick up the medication. Akashi also expressed his thanks to Dr. Takahashi and said he'd arrange a private car to take him to Fuda University Hospital the next day for surgery.
And just like that, the first day of the training camp came to a close—relief for Yukimura and Sanada, satisfaction for Akashi, and excitement for everyone else.
The next morning, a wake-up alarm rang out through the estate's sound system. Every room had speakers installed, so the alarm went off in every room at the same time. For the group who stayed up way too late last night, it was pure suffering.
After everyone finished washing up, the staff led them to another building, where they were split up by grade level before going in. Teachers from each subject were already waiting inside. Hearing this, some students immediately wore expressions of utter despair.
But the unluckiest was Mōri, since he was the only second-year student in the entire training camp. That meant he got the full attention of the teachers—one-on-one. It made him regret ever coming to this cursed place even more.
Still, when everyone saw that even Akashi and Atobe weren't exempt, they suddenly felt a lot better. Human nature really is strange sometimes.
After three hours of academic study, they were finally freed. One by one, they dashed excitedly toward the tennis courts—completely unaware of what was waiting for them.
The estate's trainers had spent yesterday afternoon observing and had now finalized the daily baseline training targets. Meanwhile, Akashi had worked with the system overnight to create customized training programs tailored to each school's regulars. Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji had helped as well.
Mitsuya, Yanagi Renji, and Inui Sadaharu—these three were insanely talented when it came to data analysis and training program design. Even professional coaches couldn't compare to them.
When each school's regulars received Akashi's training plans, they were all shocked. It felt like he understood them better than they knew themselves. Aside from some personal secret techniques, the programs covered practically everything.
That only boosted their motivation. Even Sakaki Tarō and Banji were impressed. Ryūzaki Sumire, however, had some doubts—she didn't fully trust a first-year to design perfect training plans. But seeing how the other schools had no complaints, she stayed quiet.
And so, everyone officially settled into training camp life. Mornings began with academic classes, and the rest of the day was packed with tennis practice. Every day was full and intense.
On the third day of training, Inui and Yanagi finally completed the special drinks Akashi had been waiting for. Inui not only made his classic vegetable juice, but also prepped some rice vinegar in advance—his talents in this area had clearly leveled up.
Yanagi, on the other hand, created a special bitter tea and even refined the flavor profile. Akashi guessed one sip could knock someone out cold. Either way, he had zero interest in trying it himself.
Akashi handed their creations over to each school's coaching staff, without explaining the drinks' true power. He just said they had great health benefits and suggested giving them to students who didn't meet training goals to boost their stamina.
The three coaches and Yukimura, unaware of the drinks' effects, all agreed. Only the cunning Banji caught a hint from Akashi's expression and smiled knowingly.
After training ended that day, Rikkai's court echoed with Mōri's desperate scream—but it vanished as quickly as it came. Most students didn't know what had happened… but they'd find out soon.
Because similar screams soon rang out from Seigaku, Yamabuki, and Hyōtei. Fudomine had it the worst. Aside from a few regulars, nearly one-quarter of their members failed to complete their training targets.
On Seigaku's court, everyone stared blankly at Kikumaru, who was foaming at the mouth. Even Ryūzaki Sumire glanced nervously at the drink on the table. Thankfully, Inui explained the ingredients, and only then did everyone stop worrying about Kikumaru—but their eyes toward Inui were now filled with fear.
Only Fuji picked up a glass of vegetable juice out of curiosity, took a sip, and commented that it tasted pretty good. Even Inui was stunned. But then he remembered he still had the rice vinegar, so he wasn't worried.
Sengoku from Yamabuki, Hiyoshi from Hyōtei, and Jirō were all victims of the vegetable juice, now lying peacefully on the ground. All they needed were candles around them to complete the scene.
With the arrival of the vegetable juice, the next day brought the bitter tea. This made everyone's training drive skyrocket. They pushed themselves like mad to meet their goals. No one dared slack off anymore—not even Fuji, who ended up collapsed thanks to the rice vinegar. That traumatized the rest of Seigaku.
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, a week had gone by. During that week of training, most regulars had seen clear improvement. Fudomine's members, though, showed no obvious changes—they'd always trained this way. Akutsu, however, fully consolidated his national-level strength.
Tezuka had completely developed his Zero-Shiki Serve, but Akashi limited how often he could use it. Elsewhere, Tachibana and Akutsu started to show faint signs of a shared beastly aura—wild and powerful. Chitose fully mastered Hyaku Ren Jitoku, though he still couldn't freely shift the flow of Muga no Kyōchi.
Krauser further enhanced the strength of Wirbel Taufe, but whether it would work against national-level players was still unknown. Kite kept pushing all five stats and could now fully enter the Muga state on his own. His overall strength had reached the halfway point to national-level.
Akashi had taken note of everyone's progress. Feeling the time was right, he notified the staff that inter-school matches between regulars would start tomorrow.
Only through real matches could one truly measure growth. But Akashi's attention wasn't on that now—he was thinking about someone he'd been watching for a long time.
On Rikkai's court, Niō Masaharu was still training hard. After a week of effort, his overall strength had clearly gone up. And for some reason, he felt like his training plan was more detailed than everyone else's. But he didn't think much of it.