Ice Emperor.
Tennis Club.
During the afternoon club activities, the atmosphere on the training grounds was noticeably more relaxed than usual.
With the regulars, led by Atobe and Ishikawa, along with a few of the stronger second-string players gone, the remaining second-string representatives, led by Kirigawa and Kano, felt significantly less pressure.
Even though Ishikawa had established his authority earlier, he hadn't actually demanded that the regular members increase their training load.
However.
His presence was overwhelming.
Just the fact that he, now the vice-captain, still trained relentlessly every day, making training an integral part of his life, was enough to put immense pressure on everyone else.
No choice.
Kirigawa and the others were forced to follow suit and train harder. Although it paid off, and they could feel their skills and physical abilities improving, the constant pressure from Ishikawa made everyone crave a breather.
Now.
With the regulars gone and Coach Sakaki not strictly supervising their training, they completed their basic training and lounged in the rest area.
Some lay on the grass, basking in the afternoon sun, feeling utterly at ease.
"Hey!"
But just then.
An unfamiliar voice called out from a distance.
Huh?
Hearing this, Kirigawa and the others, who had been half-asleep, quickly stood up. They soon spotted a curly-haired boy in a yellow-and-black jacket, carrying a tennis bag, standing at the entrance of the tennis club.
"Uh…"
Their expressions changed.
Kirigawa and Kano exchanged glances, both looking stunned.
This scenario… they knew it all too well!
Just like last time, with Ishikawa and Atobe absent, an outsider had come to challenge them. To make matters worse, even Oshitari and Shishido weren't around this time. The second-string representatives couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
At that moment.
Their earlier relaxed mood vanished. Never before had they wished so desperately for the presence of that relentless training machine, Ishikawa.
Unfortunately.
Reality was cruel.
"You guys… are the representatives of Hyotei, right?"
Chitose stepped forward, his gaze locking onto Kirigawa and the others.
"Sigh."
They sighed inwardly, knowing there was no way out of this. They prepared to see which school this challenger was from.
After all.
They were still Hyotei's second-string representatives. Their skills were good enough to earn them regular spots in other Tokyo teams, and in some schools, they could even be core players.
"Wait, is that… Rikkai Dai?"
Seeing the prominent "人" emblem on Chitose's jacket, their hopes were dashed. Their faces instantly turned grim.
Rikkai Dai!
The undisputed powerhouse of the Kanto region and the national tournaments!
A regular from Rikkai Dai had shown up at Hyotei?
They exchanged wary glances, instinctively on guard.
"Um… can we help you?"
Finally, Kirigawa stepped forward, addressing Chitose.
"Not really."
Chitose smiled. "Is Ishikawa Shin from your tennis club here? I want to play a match against him!"
Losing to Ishikawa had left Chitose deeply unsatisfied.
After losing to Tachibana the previous week, his competitive spirit had been reignited. He knew he wasn't Ishikawa's match, but he was determined to use him as a whetstone to sharpen his skills.
Chitose was convinced.
If he kept challenging Ishikawa, he would eventually defeat him and achieve his revenge!
"Ishikawa?"
Hearing the name, Kirigawa and the others couldn't help but smile wryly.
Of course, it was about him.
Last time, it was Amachi from Rokkaku who came to Hyotei looking for Ishikawa. The result? Except for Shouhara, who managed to wear him down, the rest of the second-string representatives were defeated.
This time was even worse.
Because even Shouhara had been selected for special intensive training.
"Well…"
Kano stepped forward, awkwardly smiling. "I'm really sorry, but our vice-captain isn't here right now."
"Not here?"
Chitose was taken aback but then asked, "What about Atobe?"
He had come all this way; he couldn't leave without playing at least one match. He remembered Atobe was also a strong player, a national-level talent.
"Sorry."
Kirigawa shook his head. "Our captain isn't here either. None of the regulars are at the club right now."
"None of them are here?"
Chitose looked at them skeptically.
He knew they had no reason to lie. While he was confident he could take on several of Hyotei's regulars, with Ishikawa and Atobe around, Hyotei wouldn't be afraid of him.
"What bad luck."
Chitose shook his head and turned to leave.
"Wait."
After taking a few steps, he turned back and asked, "Are you sure you're not lying?"
"Of course not. Why would we lie to you?"
Kirigawa and the others looked exasperated.
"Really? I don't believe you."
With practiced ease, Chitose pulled a racket from his bag and pointed it at them. "Unless… you play a match with me!"
"This…"
The second-string representatives' hearts sank.
Knowing there was no way out, and figuring they'd have to face him sooner or later, Kirigawa picked up his racket and stepped onto the court.
Thwack!
Ten minutes later.
As Chitose's drive shot landed and bounced past Kirigawa, the referee announced, "Game over! Chitose wins, 6-0!"
"This guy…"
On the other side of the court, a breathless Kirigawa looked at Chitose in shock.
He was too strong!
Kirigawa hadn't even scored a single point. What's more, Chitose's performance was clearly more dominant than Amachi's had been. Kirigawa suspected Chitose hadn't even gone all out.
"So he's really not here?"
Chitose, however, was disappointed.
He had deliberately slowed the pace, glancing around during the match to see if Ishikawa would show up. But not only did Ishikawa not appear, none of the other familiar faces, including Hiyoshi, were around.
"Whatever."
Putting his racket back in his bag, Chitose glanced at the Hyotei members and shook his head. "Since those guys aren't here, I'll take my leave."
With that.
He left without looking back.
"What the…"
Watching Chitose's retreating figure, Kirigawa was completely dumbfounded.
Wasn't he supposed to keep playing until Ishikawa showed up?
In the end, he was the only one who got schooled?
Also, the Rikkai Dai member had actually said goodbye as he left, leaving them with an indescribably strange feeling.
"That guy's actually pretty polite."
"What rotten luck."
Leaving Hyotei and arriving at the bus stop, Chitose grumbled, "I thought I'd at least run into one of the regulars, but none of them were there."
He had traveled all the way from Kanagawa to challenge Ishikawa.
And yet.
He hadn't even seen the guy and had to leave empty-handed.
"If the vice-captain finds out, he'll definitely kill me. No way!"
A thought struck him.
Chitose muttered, "I can't just leave like this. I came all the way to Tokyo. Leaving without a decent match would be such a waste!"
"Tokyo… what other strong schools are there?"
"Fudomine?"
Thinking of Fudomine, Chitose's mind automatically conjured up images of Tachibana, and his pupils shrank involuntarily.
"No, no, I can't go to Fudomine."
Tachibana was terrifying.
His violent playing style had left Chitose with lingering psychological scars.
"Besides Fudomine, which other schools have national-level players… Seigaku?!"
Suddenly.
Chitose's eyes lit up.
He thought of Tezuka, who was widely recognized as one of the top national-level players.
Using him as a whetstone would be just as effective as challenging Hyotei's Atobe.
No sooner thought than done.
Unfortunately, Chitose was terrible with directions. After switching buses several times, he finally boarded one heading to Seigaku.
He stayed awake the entire ride, afraid of missing his stop like last time.
About 15 minutes later.
Chitose got off at the Seigaku Gakuen bus stop.
Seigaku Tennis Club.
Unlike the intense training atmosphere from before.
The team's morale had been low since their loss in the Kanto semifinals. With the national tournament still a month away, the atmosphere at Seigaku was as relaxed as it was at Hyotei.
Thwack!
Thwack!
Thwack!
However.
In one corner.
A figure was practicing his shots.
It was none other than Tezuka, who had lost to Ishikawa in the Kanto semifinals. That crushing defeat had given him a taste of what it meant to compete at the national level and beyond.
It had broadened his horizons and ignited a fierce determination to improve.
As the saying goes, only by experiencing the bitterness of defeat can one find the motivation to grow stronger and break through one's limits.
Ishikawa's strength.
Had fueled Tezuka's fighting spirit.
He was practicing his slice shots, aiming to perfect his Zero-Shiki Drop Shot as his ultimate weapon. At the same time, he was trying to develop an even stronger technique, one capable of defeating Ishikawa.
Meanwhile.
Fuji and Kikumaru were playing a match.
Oishi was supervising the first-years' swing practice.
Inui was scribbling notes in a corner, likely recording data.
Momoshiro and Kaido were engaged in a fierce practice match. Kawamura was following Inui's methods to strengthen his muscle flexibility.
Clang!
Just then.
The tennis club's iron gate was pushed open.
"Who's there?"
Everyone instinctively turned to look.
A curly-haired boy with a tennis bag on his back stood at the entrance.
"Isn't that… Rikkai Dai's Chitose?!"
Horio and the others immediately recognized him.
Back at the start of the new semester, before the regional qualifiers had even begun, Chitose had once missed his stop and ended up at Seigaku.
However.
Back then, he hadn't clashed with Seigaku's members, exchanging only a few words before leaving.
Horio and the others were puzzled. "Did he… miss his stop again?"
"Tezuka!"
But unlike the shy image they remembered, this time Chitose boldly called out, "Come play a match with me!"
Huh?
The Seigaku members were taken aback, glaring at Chitose in anger.
"How rude!"
Momoshiro looked over, clearly annoyed. "Even if you're from Rikkai Dai, you can't just barge into another school's club and make such a disrespectful request!"
The others didn't look too pleased either.
Chitose's casual tone and lack of respect for Tezuka showed he didn't take Seigaku seriously.
"What?"
Sensing Momoshiro's hostility, Chitose turned to him and smirked. "You over there, want to play me first?"
"Sure."
Chitose continued, "It's good to warm up before challenging Seigaku's captain."
"You jerk!"
Momoshiro's temper flared.
He was known for his fiery personality, and Chitose's provocation made his veins bulge. He was about to step forward and take on the challenge.
"Momoshiro."
Oishi's voice came from behind him. "Calm down. Don't start a fight with him."
"But I…"
Momoshiro reluctantly backed down.
"Oishi-senpai is right."
A voice called out from the entrance, behind Chitose. "Momoshiro-senpai, there's no need to play this guy. Chitose-senpai, right?"
A boy with a white cap and dark green hair, holding a can of soda, appeared behind Chitose.
"You're absolutely right."
Ryoma grinned. "Before training, a little warm-up match sounds perfect!"
(End of Chapter)
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