"Next up, the singles match number one is about to begin."
"Representing Jyousei Shounan, Kajimoto Takahisa, versus Atobe Keigo from Hyotei Academy."
"Both players, please prepare."
Inside the court.
The showdown between Hyotei and Jyousei Shounan had finally reached its climax—the decisive singles match number one.
Despite losing four consecutive matches and being officially eliminated from the tournament, with no chance of qualifying for the national championships, Kajimoto, the captain of Jyousei Shounan, stepped onto the court with unwavering determination. His resolve earned him quiet nods of respect from many spectators.
However.
Most eyes were still fixed on Atobe.
From the regional preliminaries to the first round of the Kanto tournament, this was one of the rare opportunities to see Hyotei's captain, Atobe Keigo—known as the "Ice Emperor"—in action.
Both inside and outside the court, including scouts from other schools, everyone's attention was glued to Atobe, observing his every move.
Meanwhile.
Ishikawa had left the tennis court but didn't go far. After turning a corner and walking a few hundred meters, he entered another area where a different match was taking place.
"Hyotei!"
"Rikkai Dai!"
"Midoriyama, Midoriyama!"
"Go, Rokkaku Chuu!"
As soon as Ishikawa entered, he was greeted by the lively chatter of the crowd. Unlike the previous venue, the people here looked noticeably older.
That's right.
This was the site of this year's Kanto High School Tournament, located not far from the middle school competition grounds.
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
On the courts, young men in different uniforms were competing.
The players who had made it to the Kanto-level tournament were undoubtedly highly skilled—far beyond the level of middle school players in similar competitions.
It's worth noting that, unlike the middle school tournament, the high school Kanto tournament had replaced team matches with individual matches. As a result, every high school player who had advanced to this level possessed formidable singles skills.
Among them were standout players from various schools, as well as some representing tennis clubs, clearly products of rigorous training programs.
It was evident that the competition here was far more intense.
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
On one of the courts, a fierce match was underway.
"Go, Kurokawa!"
Outside the court, a young man wearing a jacket with "Kitajo High School" printed on it shouted, "That's it! Finish him off in one go!"
The score on the court was 3-0.
Kurokawa, the towering high schooler, had a muscular build reminiscent of a bodybuilder. In contrast, his opponent, a shorter boy wearing a baseball cap, seemed completely overwhelmed.
It didn't look like the latter stood much of a chance.
"As expected of Kurokawa!" someone exclaimed, impressed by the muscular player's dominance. "Club-trained players are on a whole different level."
"Heh," the Kitajo High student smirked proudly. "Of course! Elite club players are in a league of their own. Regular high schoolers don't stand a chance."
*Bang!*
Kurokawa unleashed a powerful smash, scoring yet another point.
"Game!"
"Kitajo High's Kurokawa leads, 4-0!"
"Yes!!!"
The Kitajo High supporters erupted in cheers.
Kurokawa, basking in his commanding lead, flexed his muscles for the crowd, drawing squeals of admiration from some female spectators.
"He looks strong, but…" murmured a boy with reddish-purple curly hair, wearing a yellow-and-black jacket and carrying a tennis bag. "This kind of brute-force playstyle won't cut it at the Kanto tournament."
However, as he glanced around, he noticed that everyone else seemed convinced of Kurokawa's inevitable victory. He sighed inwardly.
"It's hard to find people who share the same perspective now that I've left Rikkai Dai."
Just as he was about to leave, a voice beside him spoke up.
"It's about to start."
"Start? Start what?" A nearby spectator, noticing the speaker was a black-haired boy no taller than 170 cm, frowned. "Hey, kid, this is the high school tournament. Middle schoolers like you don't belong here."
The black-haired boy ignored him and turned to the curly-haired teen. "The guy in the baseball cap is about to get serious."
"You're kidding, right?" The Kitajo High supporters scoffed.
Their leader sneered, "Don't talk nonsense if you don't know what's going on. Kurokawa's about to finish this match in one go."
"Is that so?" The black-haired boy smirked.
His expression puzzled the others, but the curly-haired teen understood perfectly.
*Bang!*
A serve shot past Kurokawa at an incredible speed. The muscular player stood frozen, unable to react as the ball flew past him.
"15-0!"
"N-no way!" The Kitajo High supporters were stunned.
One of them quickly tried to explain, "Kurokawa must've been caught off guard! Yeah, that's it—he wasn't paying attention!"
"Heh." The black-haired boy chuckled softly, while the curly-haired teen smiled knowingly.
*Bang!*
Another serve landed.
Once again, Kurokawa stood motionless, watching helplessly as the ball whizzed past him.
"30-0!"
"Whoa…"
If the first point was a fluke, the second one made it clear: the boy in the baseball cap had shifted into high gear.
"No… impossible!" Kurokawa muttered on the court, his confidence visibly shaken.
A tall, burly young man with a buzz cut, Kurokawa, gripped his racket tightly with both hands. He spread his legs wide, adopting a defensive stance, and declared with confidence, "As an elite member of the club, someone who has the potential to go pro within two years, there's no way I'd miss a shot from someone like you!"
*Thwack!*
But then...
The opponent served another ball.
Watching the tennis ball land squarely on the court, Kurokawa swallowed the taunt he was about to throw out.
"40-0!"
*Drip.*
A bead of sweat rolled down Kurokawa's forehead.
He realized he was up against a true expert—a top-tier player.
Meanwhile, outside the court...
The members of Kitajo Middle School's tennis team, who had been cheering Kurokawa on as their leader and dismissing other players as no threat, were now staring in stunned silence. Their captain, Kurokawa—an elite player from a prestigious Tokyo tennis club—was being completely outplayed by an unknown opponent. He couldn't even touch the ball!
*Thwack!*
Ten minutes later...
The young man in the baseball cap delivered a powerful smash, and the referee's voice rang out: "Game, set, and match! Akiba Kureha wins, 6-3!"
*Thud.*
As soon as the words left the referee's mouth, Kurokawa, visibly shaken, collapsed to his knees on the court.
"W-who... who are you?" he stammered.
"Me?" The young man named Akiba adjusted his cap and replied casually, "Just an ordinary high schooler."
With that, he turned and walked off the court.
"He's... he's incredible!"
"Akiba Kureha? I've never heard that name before. Which school is he from?"
"Maybe his school wasn't strong enough in the middle school tournaments, so he never stood out," someone speculated.
In high school singles competitions, it wasn't uncommon for talented players from lesser-known middle school teams to emerge.
"He's really strong!" exclaimed a boy with curly, reddish-purple hair, watching Akiba's retreating figure. "That guy's skills are way beyond what he showed today."
"Exactly," agreed a black-haired boy. "I'd say he was only using about 60% of his true ability."
"60%?!" The curly-haired boy was shocked. He had thought Akiba was on par with him, but this boy was claiming Akiba had been holding back.
"It's not an exaggeration," the black-haired boy said, shaking his head. "And Akiba's background isn't as simple as it seems."
"Oh?" The curly-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "You know who he is? Oh, by the way, I'm Mori Juzaburo, from Rikkai Dai Fuzoku High School."
"Ishikawa Shin," the black-haired boy introduced himself with a smile. "I'm from Hyotei."
"Hyotei?" Mori's eyes widened. "Wait, doesn't your high school team have that one incredibly strong player?"
"Yeah," Ishikawa nodded.
He smiled inwardly as he looked at Mori, who had a straightforward and earnest personality. According to the original storyline, that formidable Hyotei player would soon become Mori's opponent.
"By the way, Ishikawa," Mori said, returning to the earlier topic, "are you saying you know something about Akiba's background?"
"Not exactly," Ishikawa replied after a moment of thought. "I've just heard from some seniors that there's a secret training facility somewhere in Tokyo. My guess is that Akiba is from there."
"A secret facility? Like a tennis club?" Mori nodded to himself.
That would explain why he'd never heard of Akiba Kureha before.
"Well, I'll catch you later, Ishikawa," Mori said with a nod. "It was great meeting you. Let's talk more sometime."
Mori was also a participant in the tournament, and his match was coming up soon. Though he was curious about Ishikawa, he didn't want to risk being late for his game.
"Sure," Ishikawa nodded, watching Mori leave.
Truth be told, Ishikawa had come to the high school tournament not just to observe the matches but also to scout a specific player—or rather, Mori's upcoming opponent.
With that in mind, Ishikawa wandered off, strolling through the high school courts, hoping to spot some familiar faces from the original storyline.
"Hey, kid!"
Just then, Ishikawa heard an irritated voice call out. "What's with the homeless look? Get out of here! This isn't a place for someone like you."
"Huh?"
Ishikawa looked over and saw a blond teenager with a pompadour hairstyle yelling at a boy in a light green short-sleeved shirt, his hair cut in a jagged, gear-like pattern.
The blond seemed to be a high schooler, while the other boy was none other than Shinjo Reiji, whose confidence Ishikawa had shattered on the court, causing him to flee.
"A high schooler?"
Already on edge, Shinjo snapped. He raised his racket and pointed it at the blond. "You... you think you're tough? How about a match?!"
(End of Chapter)