By the time Kamikawa and Tezuka returned to Hyotei, everyone else was already getting impatient. Coach Sakaki Tarou held the roster for the quarter-final match. Seeing Tezuka and Kamikawa, he nodded and said, "As you can all see, our next opponent is Seigaku!"
"Seigaku, huh? Is it really necessary for us to play against a third-rate school like that?" Mukahi said, putting his hands behind his head with a nonchalant attitude. They had just played against Seigaku a while ago, and with a weak team like that, even the second string could win easily.
"Don't be careless, Mukahi!" Atobe said coolly. "After these quarter-finals, advancing to the semi-finals means a ticket to the Kanto Tournament. If we lose, we'll have to go to the loser's bracket resurrection match to fight for the last spot." Any team strong enough to reach the quarter-finals wasn't to be underestimated. Atobe certainly didn't want to enter the Kanto Tournament looking like a loser just because of a moment of carelessness.
"Gakuto, don't be careless," Oshitari said calmly, adjusting his glasses. "This is all to advance to the National Tournament. Even if Seigaku sends out those useless second and third-years again, we still have to give it our all."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Mukahi waved his hand dismissively, as if they were accusing him of underestimating anyone. If Seigaku sent that guy this time, it would at least be an interesting match. The person Mukahi was thinking of, of course, was the first-year who could use both the Swallow Return and the Bear Hug, whom Kamikawa had played against earlier at the Hyotei Tennis Club.
"Seigaku! Let Ore-sama be the one to stop their advance!" Atobe said coolly, his words full of authority. Even without being the captain of the tennis club, merely being vice-captain had allowed him to grow a lot. His judgment on certain matters was spot-on, and he worked very well with Tezuka.
"Ryo~ Do you think Seigaku will send out that first-year named Fuji this time?" Mukahi lightly nudged Shishido, who was deep in thought, asking in a low voice.
"Uh... I'm not really sure about that." Shishido, who had been thinking about other things, was startled by the nudge, and he rubbed his head.
Mukahi glanced at Shishido, yawning dismissively, then said, "Huh~ Where's Jiro? He hasn't come back yet, has he?" During the round of sixteen matches, Jiro had found the process too boring, and combined with his diligent training lately, he'd found a spot to sleep as soon as he had some free time. Now, Kamikawa and Tezuka were back, but Jiro was nowhere to be found.
"Mukahi, go find Jiro," Atobe noticed that a regular was missing, and looked at Mukahi.
"Alright, alright~ I got it," Mukahi said testily, then looked towards the shady areas. Jiro loved finding open, cool places to sleep, and the entire Lo-Sen Tennis Center wasn't that big; it would just take a little more time to find him.
"Don't worry about Jiro," Coach Sakaki Tarou said to the remaining group. "Next, I'll announce the roster for our match against Seigaku."
"Singles 1, Tezuka. Singles 2, Kamikawa. Singles 3, Atobe. Doubles 1, Oshitari and Mukahi. Doubles 2, Shishido and Gen Hikaru. As for Jiro, he's the substitute for this match." This was why Coach Sakaki hadn't asked everyone to look for Jiro; it didn't matter if the substitute was there or not. Facing Seigaku, it was highly unlikely they'd need a substitute.
When Shishido heard he was Doubles 2, and partnering with a third-year senior, his eyes widened for a moment. He had always formed a doubles team with Mukahi, even though he preferred playing doubles. But with the current strength of the tennis club, there was no place for him in singles, so doubles was clearly the better option.
"Shishido, don't you dare disappoint me~" Gen Hikaru patted Shishido's shoulder, smiling slightly. He was proud that he could still be a Hyotei regular. This year, perhaps they could truly fulfill former Captain Ochi's dream and win the National Tournament.
"Yes... yes! Gen Hikaru-senpai!"
"No need to be so nervous. Just play with me like you do with Mukahi, but this time you'll have to work a bit harder and play at the net." Though Gen Hikaru wasn't exceptionally strong, he was quite accomplished in doubles, capable of playing both net and baseline positions. In doubles, players generally stood in a cross formation; zone 1 was suitable for offensive players, meaning the net position, while zone 2 was suitable for defensive players, meaning the baseline. In rallies, some aggressive doubles teams would also adopt a double-net strategy, and for defense, they could use a double-baseline strategy. Of course, double-baseline was generally for beginners, allowing the opponent to hit the ball to the baseline, with one person covering each half of the court. Doing this made them easily disrupted by the opponent's drop shots.
"Okay, Gen Hikaru-senpai!" Shishido clenched his fist, nodding emphatically. How could he not know the importance of the net position? In doubles, the performance at the net was the easiest to be noticed and valued by opponents and coaches. If he could perform well, his future in doubles could expand even further. And Shishido was very good at volleys, which was very similar to Mukahi. He and Mukahi's doubles often used a double-net strategy for offense. When facing high lobs, Mukahi could also use his excellent jumping ability to smash steadily.
After a long while, Mukahi, who had gone to call Jiro, still hadn't returned. Atobe was getting a bit impatient and looked at Oshitari. "Call Mukahi. That guy couldn't have gotten lost, could he?"
"He has been gone for a while," Kamikawa, sitting in a chair, checked the time. It had been almost half an hour; by now, he should have covered the entire Lo-Sen Tennis Center. "Could something have happened?"
Everyone looked at each other, nodding silently. It wasn't impossible.
"I'll call Gakuto." Oshitari pulled out his phone and skillfully dialed the number. After a few rings, Mukahi's voice came through the phone: "Something happened! Jiro... Jiro got into a fight with someone!"
Oshitari had the phone on speaker, and everyone gathered around heard Mukahi's urgent voice.
"That guy... got into a fight with someone?" Atobe frowned deeply. Knowing Jiro's personality, he would never just start a fight with anyone. Could someone have picked a fight with him?
"Where are you now?!" Tezuka's tone grew sharper. Causing trouble before a match could lead to disqualification. How could something like this happen now?
"At the court where we played our first round match."
As Mukahi's words fell, everyone streamed towards the previous match court. Before long, they saw Jiro lying on the ground, panting. He was still holding his racket, so it looked like he had just played a tennis match. On the court, a gray-haired boy stood with his hands on the net, his wolf-like eyes fixed on the Hyotei group walking towards him. A mocking smile was on his pale face. His gaze swept over the Hyotei players, finally settling on Kamikawa. "Hello there, Hyotei!"