Weekend.
Green Forest Tennis Park.
Since two matches were scheduled for today, even schools as far away as Rikkai from Kanagawa had arrived early at the Tokyo venue.
By 9 a.m., representatives from all the schools had gathered.
Outside an open-air court capable of accommodating seven to eight hundred spectators, a crowd had already formed. Most of them were dressed in gray-white jackets.
Though there were no chants, no cheerleading ribbons or pom-poms, the sheer number of people gathered in one place was enough to intimidate any casual onlookers.
"Has Hyotei's support team arrived already?"
On the stepped stands, Inoue, a reporter from *Tennis Monthly*, looked at the sea of people and couldn't help but marvel. "It's not the first time I've seen this, but it's still hard to believe that a middle school tennis match could draw such a massive support group!"
"Yeah," Shishido nodded in agreement.
Her impression of Hyotei wasn't as favorable as her feelings toward Seigaku. However, Hyotei had defeated Seigaku, and with Ishikawa joining their ranks, they had become the top contenders for this year's championship.
Among the other strong teams, aside from Yamabuki facing Seigaku, the remaining powerhouses like Rikkai and Fudomine hadn't yet clashed.
Meanwhile, Yamabuki's star singles player, Akutsu—hailed as a once-in-a-decade tennis prodigy—had joined Hyotei. This move had all but eliminated any remaining suspense in the competition.
Adding to the excitement, this match was a showdown between the champions of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament and the Chiba Prefectural Tournament.
Rokkaku, the opposing team, was also a legendary squad in its own right.
Thus, Inoue and Shishido had chosen this match as their focal point for observation.
Inside the tennis park, the second round of matches had drawn an even larger crowd than the previous week, as the likelihood of strong teams facing off had increased.
Everywhere you looked, there were girls in colorful school uniforms and boys carrying tennis bags, all brimming with energy.
Of course, there were also some less savory characters—teenagers with dyed hair, nose rings, and earrings. Their eyes roamed freely over the girls passing by, their faces plastered with smirks.
"Hey, Yukita, don't you think the girls at this year's Kanto Tournament aren't as good-looking as last year's?"
"True," one of the delinquents replied, shaking his head. "If the security around the women's courts wasn't so tight, we wouldn't have to come here to hit on these plain-looking girls."
"Ugh," the group sighed in unison.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, one of them pointed at a girl walking in the distance. "See that girl with the ponytail over there?"
"Yeah! She's really cute!"
"She's a bit short, but she's totally my type. Hey, don't any of you dare try to steal her from me!"
With a grin, the blond-haired delinquent named Iwagami dashed forward, leaving the others behind.
"Dammit, Iwagami beat us to it!"
The rest of the group cursed their luck but quickly followed.
"Oh no, the match between Seigaku and Yamabuki is about to start. I can't be late!"
The girl with the ponytail was none other than Ryuzaki Sakuno, a member of Seigaku's cheerleading squad and the granddaughter of Coach Ryuzaki. She was anxiously weaving through the crowd.
Originally, she had been with her teammates, but along the way, she had encountered an elderly man with a white beard who asked her for directions to the restroom. Being kind-hearted and unable to refuse, Sakuno had patiently guided him to the park's facilities.
By the time she returned, she realized she was lost.
Now, with the match about to start, Sakuno—as a cheerleader—didn't want to be late and miss the action.
"Hey there, miss. Need some help?"
Just then, a blond-haired boy with a nose ring appeared in front of her, smiling slyly.
"Uh..."
Sakuno instinctively felt uneasy at the sight of his appearance and the way his eyes roamed over her. "N-no, thank you."
"Heh," Iwagami chuckled inwardly, realizing she was shy and inexperienced. "I bet you're lost. I live around here, so I know this place like the back of my hand. How about I show you the way?"
"R-really?"
Sakuno's big, dark eyes looked up at him, her innocent expression making Iwagami's heart race.
"Of course," he said, puffing out his chest. "Helping others is what I do. I wouldn't lie about that."
"O-okay then," Sakuno said, her guard lowering slightly. She bowed. "Please take me to Court 4. Thank you."
"No problem," Iwagami said with a smirk, leading her away from the crowd and toward a quieter area.
"This place..."
As the number of people around them dwindled, Sakuno's unease grew.
"This is a shortcut. Heh, if you weren't a girl, I wouldn't bother showing you the way," Iwagami said, pretending to be annoyed.
"I'm sorry," Sakuno apologized, thinking she had misjudged him.
However, as they walked further, she suddenly noticed several delinquents with brightly colored hair ahead. Her heart sank.
She turned to leave, only to find her path blocked.
"Hey, where are you going, little girl?"
A red-haired boy with a nose ring, Yukita, smirked. "Don't worry, we're not bad guys."
"Yeah," Iwagami turned around, his smile turning sinister. "I really will take you to Court 4... as long as you agree to go out with me!"
His true intentions were now laid bare. As for Court 4? Who even knew where that was.
"Y-you're a bad person!!!"
Sakuno's face turned bright red, but she glared at him fiercely.
However, her "angry" expression only made her look cuter in Iwagami's eyes. The other delinquents stood by, not interfering. This was their rule: whoever made the first move got the girl.
"Don't come any closer!"
As Iwagami stepped toward her, Sakuno panicked. She had never been in such a situation before and had no idea what to do.
"Help! Somebody, help!"
She screamed, hoping someone would hear her.
"Ha!"
Iwagami sneered. "Stop yelling. No one's around here. And even if they were, they wouldn't dare mess with us!"
He loomed over her like a wolf eyeing its prey.
*Whoosh!*
But just then, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
A yellow blur shot toward Iwagami, striking him squarely on the left cheek before he could react.
*Thud!*
The force of the impact sent the blond delinquent sprawling to the ground, howling in pain.
"Who's there?!"
Yukita and the others spun around in alarm.
*Step. Step.*
Two tall boys in red vests walked toward them.
"You bastards!"
Seeing only two opponents, Yukita roared, "Who do you think you are, messing with us? Let's teach them a lesson!"
With that, he and another delinquent charged forward.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The two boys in red vests calmly tossed tennis balls into the air. When the delinquents were within ten meters, they swung their rackets with precision.
*Thwack! Thwack!*
Two powerful shots struck Yukita and his companion on their cheeks, sending them tumbling to the ground.
"W-who are you?!"
The remaining delinquents froze in fear.
"Tsurugi."
"Mm."
After a brief exchange, the two boys—Kuroki Harukaze and Amane Hikaru—looked at the delinquents with disdain. They tossed more tennis balls into the air and swung their rackets, knocking down the remaining three with pinpoint accuracy.
In moments, the seven delinquents were writhing on the ground, groaning in pain.
"Th-thank you so much!!"
Sakuno, finally realizing what had happened, bowed deeply to her rescuers.
"You're from Seigaku," one of the boys said, recognizing her. "Next time, don't wander off alone, and don't trust strangers."
"Y-you know me?"
Sakuno looked up in surprise. When she saw the school emblem on their vests, it clicked. "You're from Rokkaku?"
Her forgetfulness and sense of direction had finally caught up with her. These two were none other than Kuroki Harukaze and Amane Hikaru from Rokkaku, the team that had trained with Seigaku just a few days ago.
"Let's go."
The two shook their heads, thinking that Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter from Seigaku was a bit too naive and endearing.
"O-okay."
Sakuno nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
After she left, Kurobe and Amane glanced at the delinquents lying on the ground, groaning in pain, and then walked away.
"Those... those Rokkaku guys..."
Iwami, Yukita, and the others, their faces twisted in pain, glared at the retreating figures of the two with malice in their eyes.
"We... we won't let you get away with this!"
Soon after, they struggled to their feet and headed toward the more crowded areas, determined to find members of Rokkaku—especially those who were alone—to exact their revenge.
However, the place was packed with people.
And every time they spotted a boy carrying a tennis bag, they instinctively flinched in fear.
"Dammit!"
After searching for a while and failing to find a single Rokkaku member, they began to feel disheartened.
"Hey!"
Yukita, in an extremely foul mood, grabbed a boy wearing a sun hat and barked, "You! Do you know where the Rokkaku guys are?"
"R-Rokkaku?!"
The boy was startled. Seeing these delinquents looking so menacing, he felt a pang of fear.
"Wait..."
Then, as if remembering something, he pointed at a figure sitting on a bench not far away. "Uh, that guy over there is Rokkaku's coach."
"Rokkaku's coach?!"
Yukita and the others turned to look. They saw a short, bald old man with a long white beard, sitting cross-legged on the bench, resting.
Immediately, the furious group surrounded him.
"Old man, are you Rokkaku's coach?"
Iwami stepped closer and growled, "Your players hurt us. You better figure out how much compensation you're going to pay for our medical bills!"
The others also glared at him menacingly.
These delinquents had originally planned to pick a fight with Rokkaku's players.
But they hadn't expected their coach to look so... easy to handle.
"Hurt you? Medical bills?"
The old man slowly opened his eyes and looked at the bruised, rough-looking boys in front of him. He nodded slightly. "Good. Kids like you deserve to be taught a lesson."
"What did you say?!"
Iwami, Yukita, and the others widened their eyes in disbelief.
They couldn't believe that this shriveled-up old man, who looked like a twig, dared to talk to them like that.
"You old geezer!!!"
Enraged, Yukita grabbed the old man by the collar and lifted him off the bench. "Are you tired of living?!"
"Ah?!"
The people around them were startled and quickly moved aside.
This reaction made Iwami and the others feel quite satisfied with the intimidation they were projecting.
However, what they couldn't understand was why this isolated Rokkaku coach, now suspended in mid-air, showed no sign of panic on his face.
"Old man!"
Yukita sneered. "You think your players are going to come save you? Don't kid yourself. If you don't give us a proper explanation, don't think we'll go easy on you just because you're old."
Yet, the old man remained completely unfazed.
"You bastard!"
Seeing this, Iwami stepped forward, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "Looks like we need to teach you a lesson."
As he was about to strike the old man—
Whoosh!
A familiar whistling sound cut through the air.
"Again?!"
Feeling a sense of impending doom, Iwami instinctively turned his head, only to see a yellow blur rapidly expanding in his vision.
"So... so fast..."
Realizing that the tennis ball was moving much faster than before, Iwami tried to dodge but found himself unable to react in time.
Thud!
A dull impact echoed.
The ball struck his right cheek, sending him flying backward. Two bloodied teeth fragments flew out of his mouth.
"I-Iwami..."
Seeing their companion in such a miserable state, Yukita and the others were both furious and terrified.
"You bastards!!!"
They instinctively turned to see who had attacked.
Yukita even considered using the old man in his grip to threaten those damn Rokkaku players.
But when they turned around, they froze.
The person standing there wasn't a Rokkaku player in a red jacket. Instead, it was a group of boys in gray-and-white school uniforms.
The leader was a handsome boy, but clearly still young.
Yukita and the others didn't pay much attention to him. What truly sent chills down their spines was the boy standing behind him—a cold-faced teenager with spiky grayish-white hair.
"A-Akutsu?!"
Recognizing him, the delinquents trembled like mice cornered by a cat.
"Hey."
At that moment, the handsome boy spoke up. "Could you do me a favor and put the old man down?"
"You..."
Yukita and the others were both furious and terrified.
They were scared of Akutsu, not this kid who seemed to be riding on his coattails. Akutsu hadn't even spoken yet, and this guy was already giving them orders.
"Akutsu-senpai."
The handsome boy suddenly smiled. "Looks like they're more afraid of you than me."
"This guy's done for!"
Seeing how casually the boy spoke to Akutsu, Yukita and the others, who had been on the verge of despair, suddenly felt a surge of hope.
They knew Akutsu's temperament well. This ruthless guy hated nothing more than being ordered around.
"Uh..."
However, to their astonishment, after the black-haired boy finished speaking, Akutsu showed no sign of anger.
"Senpai."
The black-haired boy spoke again. "Could you help me... 'communicate' with them?"
"Hmph!"
Akutsu snorted in displeasure.
But to the shock of Yukita and the others, instead of lashing out at the boy who had just ordered him around, Akutsu actually stepped forward as if following his command.
"Gulp."
Feeling the intense danger approaching, the delinquents instinctively swallowed hard.
They all stared at the black-haired boy as if he were some kind of monster.
That Akutsu... was actually taking orders from him?
Just who... is this guy?!
(End of chapter)