Why him?!
If Atobe became the tennis club部長 (buchō, president/captain), he would never let anyone else be vice-captain. Almost everything in the tennis club would be decided by him; that was Atobe's style.
But Tezuka had chosen him to be vice-captain.
Kamikawa was always by Tezuka's side; if anyone should have been chosen, it should have been Kamikawa.
Such nerve!
He truly couldn't do it.
When Atobe arrived at the tennis club, the new students, including the second and third-year veterans, were all standing in rows on the court, waiting for the others to arrive.
There was no choice. They couldn't beat him in skill, so they certainly couldn't just quit the tennis club because of yesterday's loss.
"At someone's request..."
Atobe walked to the front of the assembled crowd and slowly declared, "From now on, this ore-sama will serve as Hyotei Tennis Club's vice-captain. My demand is simple: daily training must meet its quota."
"If anyone else has a problem with that, they can come directly to ore-sama for a match. If ore-sama loses, I'll hand over the vice-captain position immediately."
Atobe's gaze swept over the second and third-year regulars first, his eyes icy.
Those former regular players all looked at each other, clear panic etched on their faces.
"As for daily training, that guy will announce it later."
Atobe didn't give direct orders but pushed the training task onto Tezuka. "For the rest of the time, feel free to do as you please. Find a court, play a casual match, or just train however you like."
"That's all. Dismissed."
After speaking, Atobe proactively grabbed his racket and found an empty spot to train.
Tezuka hadn't told him today's tasks, and Kamikawa hadn't mentioned it either at first. He couldn't be bothered with these things. His priority now was to get stronger, to become even stronger than Tezuka, and reclaim his emperor's throne.
"This..."
Everyone looked at each other, unsure what to say.
Finally, they helplessly looked towards the former vice-captain, Hikaru Minamoto.
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"Why are you looking at me?"
Hikaru Minamoto snapped, "I'm just a member of the Hyotei Tennis Club now, not the vice-captain! Everyone, go do what you need to do!"
What else could he say? He was nothing now.
Just as Atobe had said earlier, he was only a few years older than Atobe, and had eaten a few more years of rice.
Now, Hyotei Tennis Club was all about skill supremacy. Everything else was just empty talk.
Only with absolute skill could they reclaim the glory that was once theirs.
But...
Could they really do it?
Forget Tezuka, who had defeated Atobe. Just the nominal vice-captain, Atobe himself, was enough to overwhelm everyone present.
"Tsk..."
Kamikawa chuckled, unsurprised by Atobe's attitude. "He's certainly 'decisive,' isn't he?"
He hadn't finished his training for the day yet.
There was still plenty of time, and no practice matches today. He might as well finish it first.
Finding an empty court, Kamikawa took out his racket and a marker from his bag. He casually drew a few circles on the wall, then nodded in satisfaction. Putting the marker away, he picked up his racket and began his daily training.
Thump, thump, thump!
"Please come in."
At the door of the piano classroom, a refined boy wearing glasses gently knocked on the wooden door. A voice of authority came from behind it.
After receiving permission, the boy pushed the door open and entered.
The entire piano classroom looked magnificent. A piano was placed by the window, and a distinguished middle-aged man sat in front of it.
"Coach Sakaki, I'm a new student in the tennis club..."
Tezuka looked at the middle-aged man, drawn by his noble aura.
The middle-aged man waved his hand, saying, "I know you, Tezuka Kunimitsu."
"I watched yesterday's match through the window. You have remarkable talent and have mastered some interesting things."
"You're here now, probably to bring me some interesting little trinkets, aren't you?"
Sakaki Tarō's gaze was deep as he pointed at the papers in Tezuka's hand.
As Hyotei's coach, he had, of course, seen yesterday's match clearly.
He had to admit, Tezuka was very strong.
Originally, Keigo Atobe was his designated next president of the Hyotei tennis club.
Even back when Tsukimitsu Ochi moved up, and Hyotei faced a potential dilemma, he had already gone to England to meet that boy. He had to admit that Atobe had extremely high talent and his personality suited him well.
However...
Something unexpected happened.
And that unexpected event was Tezuka Kunimitsu.
Possessing even greater talent than Atobe, by all accounts, he should have gone to Seigaku. He shouldn't have appeared at Hyotei, yet here he was.
And in yesterday's revolution, he had directly defeated that boy who returned from England.
"Coach Sakaki, this is a report I compiled."
Tezuka nodded, handing over the documents he had spent the entire morning organizing.
It detailed the current shortcomings of the Hyotei Tennis Club, its future development, training, and the selection of regular members.
After a few minutes, Sakaki Tarō quickly skimmed through it, then his gaze fell on Tezuka. He had to admit that Tezuka was an excellent leader and possessed astonishing talent.
With just a quick glance, Sakaki Tarō saw hints of Ochi in the report.
In some ways, perhaps he was a better fit for the current Hyotei than Atobe.
"Have you decided on the vice-captain?"
Sakaki Tarō placed the report aside and picked up the red wine glass on the table.
His words implicitly acknowledged Tezuka's current position in the tennis club.
"I'd like to choose Atobe."
Deep down, the person Tezuka truly wanted to choose was always Kamikawa.
Before making his decision, he had repeatedly asked Kamikawa for his opinion.
And the only answer he got was two words: "No way!"
"Atobe... Since you've made your decision, I won't interfere."
"I know what you're worried about..."
"Those second and third-year students might have contributed a lot to Hyotei and shown their loyalty."
"But now... Hyotei has undergone a new revolution, so..."
"New blood is needed to flow."
Sakaki Tarō spoke slowly and deliberately, laying out his rationale.
As a decisive coach, Sakaki Tarō knew better than anyone what Hyotei needed right now.
The loyalty of those second and third-year students was definitely stronger than that of the new students.
But, can loyalty feed them?
Can loyalty make the Hyotei Tennis Club stronger?
Clearly, no!
Since that's the case, let the winds of reform blow even stronger.
"Good."
And Tezuka was waiting for precisely those words from Sakaki Tarō.
He couldn't push the reform of the Hyotei Tennis Club with his own strength alone.
He wasn't Atobe, who had the Atobe Zaibatsu backing him.
"Do what you believe is right."
Sakaki Tarō smiled at Tezuka, then seemed to recall something and added, "If you need anything, you can come to me, or to that boy Atobe."
"Even if that boy lost to you and isn't happy about it, he's not someone who can't handle losing."
Tezuka's mind also pictured Atobe's figure, and he silently nodded.
"Phew..."
Back at the tennis club, Kamikawa had almost finished his control training for the day and let out a long breath.
Behind him stood a group of people, their faces filled with astonishment, unable to believe what they were seeing.
On the wall, the areas where the circles were drawn were covered in dust.
Aside from that,
The vast expanse of the wall had not a single speck of dust.
The stage is set for Hyotei's new era! What do you think Tezuka's leadership, backed by Coach Sakaki and even Atobe, will bring to the club?
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