"Brother, regardless of whether Seiya made a huge improvement or had been hiding his strength, now that he has this kind of power, we can definitely win the regional tournament, right?"
As Kippei's sister, An knew how much effort her brother had poured into the Fudomine tennis club over the past two years. She had also witnessed the hard work of the other club members, which was why she was so invested in the club's success.
"Yeah, Shinji and Kamio are growing incredibly fast. With Seiya's strength, we might have a chance to make it to the Kanto Tournament this year. But winning the regional tournament won't be easy. We still have strong opponents like Seigaku."
Compared to Fudomine, Seigaku's tennis club was well-known. They were the number one seed in the regional tournament, while Fudomine wasn't even ranked. However, the strength Seiya showed today was a pleasant surprise for Kippei. If he played his cards right, Fudomine might just shock everyone and win the regional tournament.
To better gauge Seiya's limits and plan their strategy, Kippei played a few practice matches against him over the next few days. The results were shocking to everyone! It was one thing for Seiya to dominate Kamio, as he was always a bit stronger than him. But in the eyes of the Fudomine tennis club members, Kippei was a god. He not only revived a dead-end club but was also a formidable player himself. Yet, in their practice matches, Seiya won more than he lost. In other words, Seiya was now stronger than their captain!
"Seiya, you still haven't used your full strength in these practice matches, have you?"
With the regional tournament starting tomorrow, practice ended early. As Seiya was changing and getting ready to go home, Kippei suddenly appeared behind him and asked.
"You're the same, aren't you, Captain? I don't know what kind of past you have, but I hope that one day, I can fight you at your full strength."
After a few days of practice matches, Seiya's sword tennis had become even more refined. Just as Kippei noticed Seiya holding back, Seiya also felt that Kippei was hiding a lot of his power. Or perhaps it wasn't that Kippei was trying to hide it, but rather that he was afraid of losing control and accidentally hurting Seiya if he used his full strength. As one of the "Two Kings of Kyushu," his strength was at least at the national level. But because of his past, Kippei was holding back, only playing at a Kanto-level.
After hearing Seiya's words, Kippei smiled but said nothing, eventually turning and walking away. He was no longer the ace of Shishigaku Junior High but the captain of the Fudomine tennis club. He would lead his team to victory with his dream in mind. Having a clear understanding of Seiya's skill level, he now felt much more confident.
Because of the power-sharing, Seiya felt that he was now capable of playing "homicidal tennis." His national-level strength might not be the most impressive at later stages, but in a regional or metropolitan tournament, it was practically a cheat code.
Although Captain Kippei said they could go home and rest, Shinji and Kamio were still training on the court, showing how serious they were about the tournament. Seiya, however, was already packing his racket bag and getting ready to sneak away.
"I knew you wouldn't stay and train like Kamio and the others. Since you have nothing else to do at home, why don't you come with me to a fun place? Consider it a date." An, who had been waiting for him at the school gate, blocked his path.
"No, thanks. I'm not interested in dates. Women only slow down my sword... my racket." Seiya gave a look of disdain. He was a sigma male who wouldn't be tempted by a beautiful girl. An, who had been waiting at the school gate with hopeful eyes, changed her expression instantly. She put her hands on her hips and pouted, "Don't lie. I know you're meeting up with Hashimoto from our class to play video games. Seriously, you're rejecting a date with a beautiful girl like me just to play video games with a chubby guy? You're so unromantic. Or... are you a gay, Seiya? If so, I'll have to tell your mom and Yasuka."
Yes, in this world, Seiya had a family and a wealthy one at that. His mother was a successful businesswoman, and his older sister was an idol. An had been to Seiya's house before, and his mom and sister were very fond of her. This was why An had so much power over Seiya. She would go to his mom and sister and tell on him, and they would cut his allowance. So, in the end, under her tyranny, Seiya reluctantly let her drag him away.
"So, the date you're talking about is drinking bubble tea and watching other people play tennis?" Seiya didn't have high hopes for the date, but he didn't expect her to take him to a street tennis court.
"What's wrong with that? Normal dates are so boring—just movies and dinner. It's better to come here and watch people play tennis. I heard that a lot of regional tournament players come here to practice. This way, we can have a date and also gather information on other schools. What's not to love?" An took a sip of her bubble tea and found the taste a little strange, so she handed it to Seiya and grabbed his uneaten ice cream.