Soon, all the members from Rikkai followed the staff to their assigned rooms. Among them, a figure with wavy, wine-red hair, yawning as he walked, caught Akashi's attention.
If he wasn't mistaken, that should be Mōri Jūzaburō. Originally a first-year at Shitenhōji in Kansai, he transferred to Rikkai in his second year due to his father's job. A natural tennis genius.
He never trained seriously and skipped whenever he could, yet he still had national-level strength as a second-year—something first-year Sanada couldn't do anything about, simply because there was still a gap in skill.
It wasn't until he entered the U-17 training camp that he began taking tennis seriously. His endurance was far beyond normal—he could dislocate his arm just to return a ball, then calmly pop it back in afterward. A true menace.
But what people talked about the most was his unique ability: he could fall asleep without affecting his game and even boost his five attribute values temporarily while doing so. In short, he could beat you while sleeping—how frustrating is that?
Akashi had once considered this technique for Akutagawa Jirō. If Jirō could master it, his hypersomnia would actually become a weapon. But that would depend on the situation.
Once the Rikkai group had settled in, Akashi checked the time—almost noon. He had the staff notify everyone via broadcast to gather in the main plaza.
Akashi himself went to find Sakaki Tarō, Banji, and Ryūzaki-sensei. Though this training camp was his project, these three were the official figureheads. Akashi preferred that they do the opening speech. Even if Ryūzaki-sensei wasn't much of a coach, she had years of experience as a teacher.
As everyone gathered in the plaza, Banji and Ryūzaki-sensei gestured for Sakaki to speak first. At their age, things like this didn't matter to them. Sakaki didn't refuse. He tidied himself slightly and stepped up to the mic, speaking in a calm, unhurried tone:
"Welcome, everyone, to this five-school joint training camp initiated by Fudomine and Hyōtei. Let me introduce myself. I am Sakaki Tarō, head of Hyōtei's tennis club. These two behind me are Coach Banji of Yamabuki and Coach Ryūzaki Sumire of Seigaku."
The claim that the camp was jointly organized by Hyōtei and Fudomine was something Akashi and Sakaki had agreed on beforehand. For now, Hyōtei still had more prestige than Fudomine, which could help avoid unnecessary trouble. Of course, once Fudomine won Nationals this year, the next camp wouldn't need to lean on Hyōtei's name at all.
"The goal of this camp is to help you improve your tennis skills. There will be professional training guidance and full access to proper equipment. Each day, there will be specific training targets. I hope everyone meets them."
While Sakaki introduced the basics, Mōri was already sizing up the surroundings. He had no intention of sweating himself to death training every day. If Yukimura hadn't forced him, he wouldn't even be here. But unfortunately, this time Yukimura had laid down a strict order.
"The detailed schedule has already been shared with your captains. Please follow their instructions. I hope you all gain something from this training camp. That is all."
As soon as Sakaki finished, the crowd broke into applause.
Then, the staff came over to announce that lunch was ready and led everyone to the dining hall. The students followed excitedly. Meanwhile, Akashi approached Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji, giving a polite nod to Yamato and Yukimura before borrowing them.
Yukimura and Yamato had no objections. They weren't sure what Akashi wanted with Inui and Yanagi, but they trusted him enough not to question it.
Taking the two aside, Akashi looked at them and began speaking slowly:
"Sorry for interrupting your lunch, but I need a little favor from you both~"
Inui and Yanagi exchanged a glance, then nodded. They were curious what Akashi wanted. Just moments ago, they'd been catching up with old friends in the crowd.
"Here's the deal—I want you two to develop some health-boosting drinks. Stuff like vegetable juice or bitter teas. But I'd also like you to adjust the flavors… creatively," Akashi said as a sinister glint flickered in his eyes.
That's right—he was talking about the dreaded Inui Juice and Punishment Tea from the original timeline. If Mitsuya had been here, he'd have thrown in Poison Onigiri as well. These were punishments for those who failed to hit their training targets—especially Mōri Jūzaburō, who was 100% going to slack off.
Inui and Yanagi froze for a moment when they heard the request. They hadn't expected Akashi to ask them to make drinks.
But once Akashi explained the idea in detail, they immediately understood. So this was for punishment? Not a bad idea. In fact, they were already considering using the method at their own schools after camp ended.
While everyone else enjoyed their delicious lunch, nobody realized that three people on the estate's edge were scheming something dreadful, all wearing strange smiles.
After settling the details about punishments, the three headed to the dining hall. Once there, Inui and Yanagi quietly returned to their teams and began eating. Yukimura and Yamato curiously asked what Akashi wanted, but both simply replied, "You'll find out soon enough."
In a corner of the dining hall, Mōri had already finished eating and was dozing off. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his back, like some kind of scheme was aimed directly at him. He looked up and glanced around, but saw nothing unusual, so he didn't think much of it and went right back to napping.
After everyone had finished eating, Sakaki Tarō announced a one-hour lunch break. After that, everyone was to gather on the courts. This afternoon wouldn't involve any intense training—just basic drills to help everyone get familiar with the layout of the estate.
Akashi wouldn't be joining the training himself. His main goal this time was to collect data on Rikkai's players. He had already gathered most of the other schools' data during the various tournaments. Only Rikkai remained a blank slate, especially the five attribute development of Yukimura and Sanada, which he was eager to observe.
When the break ended, everyone headed to the courts. Despite the large number of players, the estate was equipped with 15 premium-level courts, along with several smaller ones spread throughout the grounds. These smaller courts were perfect for friendly matches during downtime.
Under the trainers' guidance, everyone began their basic drills in an orderly manner. The regulars from each school, meanwhile, started to socialize under Akashi's lead. Many weren't sure how to approach the Rikkai members yet, but lively personalities like Kikumaru, Sengoku, and Marui helped break the ice.
With Akashi already acquainted with Yukimura and Sanada, conversation flowed easily. Everyone was chatting about their perspectives on tennis—though Akashi was the only one who noticed that the interaction between Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji seemed a bit… off.
"So you're Yukimura Seiichi from Rikkai, huh? At the Kantō Tournament, your team better get ready to be dazzled by my brilliant style!" Atobe's usual self-love was on full display.
"Hmph! Atobe Keigo, I'll personally drag you into the depths of defeat at the Kantō Tournament!" Before Yukimura could respond, Sanada had already snapped back.
"Hah? Sanada, you're just the vice-captain. You're not even on my level!" Atobe shot back without holding anything back.
"That's enough, Genichirō. Talking about this now is meaningless. We'll find out the results at the Kantō Tournament. We're here for training, so let's not be rude~" Yukimura stopped Sanada and turned to Atobe with a smile. "Atobe-kun, I look forward to facing you at the Kantō Tournament. That is, assuming Hyōtei makes it far enough to meet Rikkai."
"Yukimura-kun, you sure are confident~ But I'd like to have a proper match with Atobe-kun too!" Fuji chimed in cheerfully, clearly enjoying the tension.
"Great~ Just wait. I'll defeat all of you one by one!" Atobe's eyes gleamed sharply.
"Enough about the Kantō Tournament. The real reason I invited you here is to give you something. Fuji-kun already received his copy earlier, but it's time for an update." Akashi cut in, redirecting the conversation.
"Akashi-kun, are you talking about the training plan?" Fuji asked, suddenly realizing something.
"Training plan?" Yukimura asked curiously.
"Akashi-kun gave me a detailed training regimen before. It suited me perfectly and played a big part in my rapid progress over the past few months," Fuji explained.
"Hmph! I knew it! This is all because of your eyes, right, Akashi?" Atobe didn't look surprised at all. He knew exactly how terrifying Akashi's vision was. Even though he believed his own insight wasn't inferior, he had to admit that Akashi's ability to uncover hidden potential was unmatched.
"Oh? I didn't know Akashi-kun had such a skill. Fudomine really is lucky~" Yukimura's tone was light, but a flicker of alarm flashed through his eyes.
Sanada also stared at Akashi, thoughts churning. 'If Tezuka's been training under him this whole time, wouldn't his growth rate be even crazier?!'
"It's not as exaggerated as Fuji makes it sound, but yes, my eyes are a bit special. I can spot hidden talents in players and help them grow faster and more efficiently," Akashi said calmly.
"There's something I don't get!" Sanada suddenly interjected.
Akashi had already guessed what he was going to ask, but he nodded for him to go on. Encouraged, Sanada continued seriously:
"If you have such an ability, Akashi-kun, why not just focus on leading Fudomine to become stronger? Why host this joint training camp and help players from other schools improve too?"
Sanada's question was one everyone had been thinking. After all, wasn't it better to quietly build up power rather than share resources?
"I knew you'd ask that. But before I answer, let me ask you something first." Akashi's expression turned serious.
"What do you all think of the overall tennis level of our generation?"
The group looked puzzled but began to reflect. Most were very confident in their own skills.
"From what I've heard, our year has a lot of strong players. Not just the ones here—there are also many exceptional first-years in Kansai," Yukimura replied.
"You're right, Yukimura. But you've probably heard from your upperclassmen that last year's graduates were unbelievably strong. So, where are those seniors now?"
"Or rather—have you ever heard of the U-17 training camp?" Akashi dropped the bomb.