At the North Wind Tennis Park in Tokyo.
On the upper court, it was Hyotei versus Yamabuki.
On the lower court, it was Rikkai Dai versus Rokkaku.
These four teams almost always have their ace players leading them into the National Tournament every year. However, the most anticipated schools remain the Kanto powerhouse, Rikkai Dai Fuzoku, and Hyotei Academy, who pushed Rikkai Dai to the brink last year.
Both matches were held simultaneously. Hyotei and Rikkai Dai are powerful teams, so both courts were packed with spectators. Compared to the previous two rounds, these matches had a lot more excitement.
Thwack!
"Game, Hyotei's Gen and Kawamura win, score 6-0."
Thwack!
"Game, Hyotei's Oshitari and Mukahi win, score 6-2."
Yamabuki Junior High's two doubles teams were completely overwhelmed by Hyotei's absolute strength. Yamabuki, usually known for their doubles prowess, lost both doubles matches in the semifinals.
When Kitayama and Inagaki walked off the court, they were stunned. If they had lost to Gen and Kawamura, Hyotei's strongest doubles pair, they wouldn't have been so bewildered. But they had lost to Hyotei's first-year duo, and they had been led by the nose the entire time.
"Hyotei! Their strength is a step above what we saw in the Tokyo Prefectural Tournament. Hyotei's coach, Kamitaro, is quite something," Banko said, shaking his head from the coach's chair. It seemed Hyotei's doubles and singles were both impeccable now. Even though their Doubles 1 featured two first-years, the skill they displayed was beyond what Kitayama and Inagaki could match.
"Well done, Oshitari, Mukahi! Now it's up to Singles 3." Shishido shouted, pumping his fist towards Oshitari and Mukahi. The two players, who had just stepped off the court, heard Shishido's cheer. Oshitari's usually cool expression broke into a rare smile. This was their first time playing Doubles 1 since they formed their partnership, and the match had been simpler than they expected. Yamabuki's doubles were strong, but compared to Rikkai Dai's doubles, they were nothing.
Now, it was up to Singles 3. Oshitari and Mukahi both knew exactly who was about to step onto the court.
"It's my turn, Old Man Ban!" Sengoku said with a grin to Banko.
"Be careful, Sengoku! Observe your opponent's movements closely, play with the skill you know you have, and make good use of your luck," Banko casually pointed out Sengoku's shortcomings. Sengoku was the only singles prodigy Banko genuinely admired besides Akutsu. He didn't want this kid to spend all his time chasing girls. The meaning and joy of tennis should be woven into every part of life. Only then could Sengoku truly grow, and by next year's National Tournament, he would be able to freely unleash his power and his inherent lucky aura.
"Got it, Old Man Ban!" Sengoku waved his hand, seemingly not taking Banko's words to heart.
"Kamikawa, it's your turn." Atobe crossed his arms, clearly having no intention of playing. In the original plan for this match against Yamabuki, Atobe was supposed to play Akutsu in Singles 2, serving as a warm-up before the finals. Atobe had readily accepted this, but he hadn't expected them to win two doubles matches in a row. This meant the upcoming Singles 3 would be the decisive match.
"Remember to buy me a soda, Atobe~" Kamikawa lightly ran a finger across his face, then picked up his racket and walked towards the court. This time, Kamikawa didn't even warm up. In his opinion, the only noteworthy singles player on Yamabuki was Akutsu. As for Sengoku, he was even defeated by an ankle-twisted Momoshiro during his third year. Even if Momoshiro had the protagonist's aura and Seigaku's blessing, that was no excuse for Sengoku's loss. A third-year losing to a second-year—that alone showed how much time Sengoku had wasted not playing tennis. He was wasting his own talent, and by extension, the talent of the entire Yamabuki Junior High tennis club.
Under Sengoku's shocked gaze, Kamikawa walked up, shook Sengoku's hand, and returned to the baseline. This match was a clean, easy 6-0 win. Even though Sengoku used every trick in his book, he couldn't change the gap between the two of them.
"Game, Hyotei's Kamikawa wins, 6-0!"
"The match between Hyotei and Yamabuki is over. Hyotei Academy wins, with a total score of 3-0!"
Over the loudspeaker, the referee's voice rang out again, declaring Hyotei's victory in the semifinals. This match gave everyone a clearer understanding of Hyotei's strength. Even Yamabuki, with their national-level doubles, still lost to Hyotei by a large margin.
After the match, the only person who was clearly unhappy was Akutsu of Yamabuki. Having been placed at Singles 2, he missed the chance to play against Kamikawa this time.
"Kamikawa!" As soon as the match ended, he quickly approached Kamikawa, his eyes filled with a hint of challenge! Akutsu's wild eyes showed a fierce glint: "Are you avoiding me?!"
"What do you think?" Kamikawa didn't answer directly.
"You're clearly scared of me!" Akutsu reached out, grabbing Kamikawa's collar and roaring. However, Kamikawa's attitude grew cold. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "You're too weak right now. You still need some time to mature."
"You—" Akutsu gritted his teeth, momentarily unable to find a retort. He suppressed his anger and said, "What do you want me to do?!"
"Make it to the National Tournament, or defeat some opponents you deem suitable, then come find me," Kamikawa said.
"Suitable opponents! Are you talking about Fuji from Seigaku?" Akutsu immediately thought of Fuji Syusuke from Seigaku. In his opinion, Fuji Syusuke was someone he could look squarely in the eye.
Kamikawa shook his head. "Fuji was already eliminated by you. Do you think that's suitable?"
Akutsu looked at Kamikawa impatiently, then asked, "Then tell me! Who should I look for?"
Kamikawa smiled slightly. "You should know that the high school division also held the Kanto Tournament recently. You can go play with those high schoolers."
"High schoolers?"
"What? Are you scared?!"
"Hmph! Me, scared? What a joke." Akutsu released Kamikawa's collar, saying dismissively. In his eyes, teaching some high schoolers a lesson wasn't a difficult task. Official matches weren't an option, but Akutsu could invite them to play at a public court.
"Remember, don't hit anyone." Kamikawa patted the spot where Akutsu had grabbed him, quietly reminded him, then turned and left. There were still many promising players from the U-17 training camp who hadn't been selected yet at the Kanto Tournament. The U-17 training camp selected players in batches. Top tennis players like Byoudouin, Oni, Ochi, and other U-17 training camp No. 10 players were naturally prioritized for the training camp. The lower-ranked players still needed to be observed more during the Kanto Tournament.
At the same time, on another court, Sanada, playing Singles 3, hit a serve so fast it was barely visible, easily winning the point.
---
Thwack!
The sound of the tennis ball hitting the ground announced the end of Rikkai Dai's match against Rokkaku.
"Game, Rikkai Dai Fuzoku's Sanada, 6-0!"
"The match between Rikkai Dai and Rokkaku is over. Rikkai Dai wins, with a total score of 3-0!"
The two teams from last year's championship and runner-up matches both delivered satisfactory results in this Kanto Tournament, with consistent 3-0 sweeps and complete dominance.
"Fifteen minutes, not bad at all." Yukimura glanced at his watch and smiled slightly.
"Oh my~ Our vice-captain doesn't show any mercy to his opponents, does he?" Mori said with a playful laugh. He had clearly moved past the shadow of that previous match, and his daily training was on point.
Sanada shot Mori a warning glance but didn't say much. He knew the skill of this unpredictable senior. With him in Rikkai Dai, their chances of winning the finals in two days increased.
"Mori-senpai, please don't tease Genichirou." Yanagi Renji still disliked Mori's attitude, but he had to admit that Mori was incredibly talented. After just a few days of training, he was showing a completely different level of play. His talent, combined with the training regimen calculated by Yanagi Renji's data, meant that Mori-senpai would become an even stronger tennis player in the future, perhaps even surpassing—
Yanagi Renji thought of this and instinctively glanced at Yukimura. Ever since that tied match, he could feel the aura emanating from Yukimura becoming more intense. That powerful mental strength could definitely defeat any player.
"Let's go, it's time to head back," Yukimura's gentle voice carried, his brown eyes sparkling with a faint glow. The matches were over, and it was time for them to return. The two teams did not meet; they left the Kanto Tournament venue alternately.
The sun slowly set. At the gates of Hyotei Academy, students laughed as they left the school grounds. At this time, various school departments were also heading home. But within the Hyotei tennis club, the sound of tennis balls being hit could still be heard from the courts.
---
Thwack!
On the court, a young man in casual clothes relentlessly slammed tennis balls against the wall, the crisp thwack of the ball and the muffled thud of the racket echoing together. The young man hit each tennis ball precisely onto the sequence he had marked, controlling the racket with his wrist to guide the ball, consistently hitting the designated spots on the wall. Until the very last moment.
Just then, Shishido, who had just changed clothes, was surprised to find another person on the court. Under the lights, Shishido quickly recognized the person in front of him: "Atobe! It's this late, and you're still on the court?"
Whizz!
As Shishido's voice faded, Atobe stopped his swinging motion, reaching out to catch the bouncing tennis ball. Sweat dotted his forehead. He turned and looked at Shishido, saying, "Now, come play a set with me."
"You... shouldn't you rest?" Shishido looked at Atobe, who was drenched in sweat. This guy had no idea how long he'd been playing here. He didn't want to take advantage of someone in that state!
Whizz!!
The tennis ball whizzed past Shishido, hugging the ground as it slid, then violently slammed into the wall behind him. It was so fast that Shishido didn't react for a moment, only realizing what had happened when he heard the impact close to his ear.
"Atobe, you're serious about this!" Shishido jumped, startled. If that ball had been just a little off, it would have hit him.
"I said, come play a set with me." Atobe's previously cold demeanor softened as he looked at Shishido with a smile. "This state I'm in right now is my best state, and it's also your best chance to defeat me."
"You must want to play in a match, right?! Even if tomorrow's opponent is Rikkai Dai." Atobe's words, like needles, deeply pierced Shishido's heart. For a moment, Shishido didn't know what to say. After a long silence, he slowly began, "This is all for Hyotei's victory, isn't it?!"
"Compared to me, you're more suited to play in tomorrow's match." Shishido shook his head. He knew deep down that there was no place for him in Hyotei right now. The only thing he could strive for was a regular spot next year, taking over Gen-senpai's position as Hyotei's Doubles 2.
"You certainly see things clearly!" Atobe smiled, then pointed to the court. "I don't want to say it a third time."
"Alright!" Shishido didn't refuse and walked onto the court with his racket.