"Akutsu, it's not time for the match yet, is it?" Kamikawa knew this guy was looking for him. Jirou didn't have a single injury, so it was clear Akutsu held back and didn't deliberately aim for Jirou's body.
"Kamikawa~" Akutsu said coldly, "I can't wait any longer. Come down here and play me."
That's right, Akutsu couldn't hold back his temper. After that one loss, he couldn't stop thinking about Kamikawa's face. He wanted revenge, to completely defeat that guy.
Now, with the guy right in front of him, he absolutely had to play this match.
"Kamikawa, the next match is starting soon." Tezuka reached out and pulled Kamikawa back, calmly stating, "Don't cause trouble at a crucial moment like this."
"I know." Kamikawa wouldn't let his emotions get the better of him. He then said, "Akutsu, if you want to play, I'll be waiting for you in the singles three match of the finals."
"Hmph!" Akutsu snorted lightly, took his racket, turned, and left the area.
Beside him, Mukahi quickly helped Jirou, who was gasping for breath, up from the ground.
Shishido saw this and jogged over to lend a hand.
"Are you okay, Jirou?" Atobe looked at Jirou, his expression grim.
"I-I'm fine," Jirou managed to force out a smile. "I-I'm just too tired."
"I said, Gakuto..." Oshitari gently pushed up his glasses and walked over to Mukahi, saying, "Didn't you say Jirou got into a fight with someone?"
Mukahi paused, then pointed at the court and said, "Isn't this fighting someone?"
Oshitari's mouth twitched. So that's what this guy meant.
He had thought Jirou got into an actual fight.
It wasn't just Oshitari; the other Hyotei members had the same thought. They really thought Jirou had gotten into a fight with someone, but who would've thought he was just playing tennis and simply got exhausted?
"Gakuto, you really are..." Oshitari was speechless for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say more but couldn't.
"That's enough." Under everyone's gaze, Tezuka's face remained calm. "The quarter-finals are about to begin. In this match, let them see the true strength of the Hyotei Tennis Club. Even if the opponent is weak, we must use our full strength to face them. The champion of this Prefectural Tournament belongs to Hyotei..."
Everyone nodded silently at his words.
Someone in the crowd was the first to shout, "Hyotei!"
Immediately after, thunderous cheers erupted throughout the entire court.
---
In the afternoon, all the quarter-final matches were scheduled.
Outside one of the courts, people wearing matching blue and white shirts stood packed together, cheering and shouting constantly.
At this moment, the second round of doubles was already underway on the court.
In the first round of doubles two, Shishido and Genki Hikari, despite playing together for the first time, displayed a strength that Seigaku's doubles pair couldn't match.
They easily won with a score of 6-0.
And this second round of doubles proceeded even faster.
*Thwack!!*
"Game!"
"Hyotei's Oshitari and Mukahi pair win!"
"Score: 6-0!"
---
"The winner is Hyotei!"
---
"The winner is Hyotei!"
---
In just fifteen minutes, they secured the victory in doubles one. Thunderous cheers immediately erupted from outside the court, all rooting for the Hyotei players.
Such terrifying momentum unconsciously put immense pressure on the players both inside and outside the court.
"Hyotei! There's no weakness to be found in their doubles!" Kikumaru bit his lip, glaring intently at the player named Mukahi.
His playing style was very similar to Mukahi's, both relying on their jumping ability at the net to return seemingly impossible balls. What's more, Mukahi's jump height was even greater than his own.
"Not only that, but the one named Oshitari." Fuji's expression was serious, his eyes wide open. "He returned almost all of Mukahi's difficult shots. In defense, he's virtually flawless."
"Is this... this is the standard for a team that's consecutively won the Prefectural Tournament, was runner-up in the Kantou Tournament, and reached the national semifinals?!" Oishi's voice trembled. He had considerable talent in doubles, yet he couldn't spot any mistakes from his opponents.
Their synergy seemed raw, yet even so, they could win purely based on individual skill.
This was the terrifying aspect of Hyotei.
Take any one of them for a singles match.
In the end, everyone's chances of winning were practically zero, except for Fuji.
"I'm sorry, Yamato." The third-year senior who partnered with Inui looked at Yamato with regret.
He had lost, and looking back at the match, he was completely dragging Inui down. Even though Inui was close to gathering enough data, he couldn't defend the other half of the court, and their opponents continuously broke through.
"Kamata, you did really well. Our opponents were just too strong this time," Yamato said with a bitter smile. *Was it still impossible?*
Then, Yamato looked at Fuji, took a deep breath, picked up his racket, and walked towards the court. He had volunteered for the singles three position specifically to score points in doubles one, singles three, and singles two.
Now that doubles one was lost, the only hope for victory lay in the crucial singles three match.
Fuji's skill was superior to his. Before the roster was submitted, Yamato specifically discussed with Coach Ryuzaki to place himself at singles three and have Fuji play singles two for this match.
"Next, we will begin the singles three match."
"Seishun Gakuen's Yuudai Yamato vs. Hyotei Gakuen's Keigo Atobe."
"It's your turn, Atobe!" Tarou Sakaki waved his hand lightly, signaling Atobe to enter the court.
"Finally, it's the great Atobe's turn! Wouldn't you agree, Kabaji!" Atobe casually tossed his jacket aside. Standing nearby, a stoic young man calmly caught the jacket Atobe threw.
With a height of 1.7 meters, emotionless eyes, and short hair, he slowly opened his mouth and echoed, "Yes!"
This person was **Takahiro Kabaji**, who had just entered sixth grade at Hyotei Elementary this year. He had been Atobe's childhood friend since forever and had returned from England with Atobe to follow him, joining Hyotei Elementary.
For this Prefectural Tournament, Kabaji had specifically taken leave to watch the match.
"Who's that guy?!" Kikumaru asked with a hint of curiosity, pointing at the young man helping Atobe with his jacket. He looked incredibly mature. If he weren't wearing the Hyotei uniform, Kikumaru would have suspected he was a high schooler.
"Takahiro Kabaji, transferred from England, just started sixth grade in elementary school this year."
Inui, who had just come off the court, heard this and took out his notebook to explain.
"Wh-what?" Kikumaru's eyes widened, looking incredulously towards Kabaji. He pointed at Kabaji and muttered, "Th-that guy is only in sixth grade?!"
"Yes, he's 1.7 meters tall, but he is indeed only in sixth grade." Inui nodded emphatically. At first, he didn't believe it either, but all the data he collected ultimately confirmed that Kabaji was indeed only in sixth grade.
"Hyotei is truly terrifying," Fuji said, a hint of admiration on his face. With such height, once he enters middle school, Hyotei will usher in a whole new generation. And with his height, his strength is likely extraordinary too.
"Yuudai Yamato, captain of the Seigaku Tennis Club. I hope you've improved a bit since a week ago," Atobe said, slowly walking to the center of the court and glancing calmly at Yamato.
"Keigo Atobe, vice-captain of the Hyotei Tennis Club." Yuudai Yamato smiled slightly and didn't hold back his own words. "I hope you can show me strength that's not inferior to Tezuka's and Kamikawa's."