"Atobe, where are you going?!"
Oshitari couldn't bear to see Atobe sink into despair, so he stepped in front of him.
"I think I've found it, a path that belongs solely to me."
Atobe didn't meet Oshitari's gaze, calmly responding with his head down.
"But..."
"Let him go."
Tezuka watched Atobe's retreating back, speaking calmly.
Hearing Tezuka, Oshitari no longer blocked Atobe, allowing him to leave the tennis club.
"Don't you think you went a bit too far with that?"
Back in the lounge.
Kamikawa, having just finished a match, naturally returned to change into fresh clothes.
After arranging other training sessions, Tezuka also came to the lounge and saw Kamikawa sitting on a chair.
At this point, Tezuka hadn't yet experienced significant setbacks, so his heart was still quite kind. He didn't have the icy demeanor of the "Iceberg Buchou" (部長 - club president) that he would show in the original story during his third year.
"He was bound to go through this sooner or later."
Kamikawa looked up at Tezuka, appearing very calm, as if stating a simple fact.
"What about his mentality? Won't it..."
"No!"
Kamikawa shook his head. He understood Atobe better than anyone. This "King," the more setbacks he experienced, the faster he would grow. His true talent hadn't fully emerged yet.
This was just about making Atobe face reality.
It was like Tezuka's brutal 6-0 match against Sanada at the JR Tournament, which directly made Sanada confront reality. This led him to train even harder, striving to surpass Tezuka and everything else.
"Tezuka."
Kamikawa stood up, patted Tezuka's shoulder, and smiled calmly, "Do you remember what I said? I want to make the Hyotei Tennis Club dominate the nation, to achieve a three-peat at the National Tournament."
"Furthermore, I now want to lead the tennis world, to ascend to an even higher peak and look down upon all others."
"Our generation might not be as strong overall as the last, but I firmly believe that our generation will be the best era."
"Hm~"
Tezuka was startled. He gazed at Kamikawa, whose face was filled with confidence and pride. This was the path Kamikawa had always steadfastly walked.
"The regular spots should be set by now, right?"
Kamikawa put away his pride, smiled slightly, and asked.
"Yes, it's me, you, Atobe, Shishido, Mukahi, Oshitari, Hikaru Gen-senpai, and Akutagawa Jirou."
There were seven players who could participate in a match, plus one substitute, making a total of eight. Jirou was the last name Tezuka added.
Although Jirou had suffered a crushing defeat to Oshitari, Tezuka had seen the talent he displayed. It was a cut above those second and third-year senpais.
Of course, this official roster would be adjusted repeatedly. Intra-school ranking matches would be held periodically, and any regular player who performed poorly and lost a match would be immediately rotated out.
This ensured that Hyotei's eight regular players were all carefully selected.
"Our team is missing one or two suitable doubles pairs."
Kamikawa said with a hint of helplessness, looking at the roster.
Mukahi and Shishido were two of the "Hyotei Three Swordsmen"; their styles could be somewhat compatible. But then there were Oshitari, Jirou, and Hikaru Gen.
These three were all solid singles players. Jirou, especially, had no doubles experience whatsoever and was naturally someone who disliked doubles.
As for Oshitari, with a little training, he could participate as a doubles player.
However...
Given Oshitari's talent, putting him in doubles would be a waste.
Oshitari's personality was a bit like a fox—scheming and cunning. In reality, in doubles, he couldn't control his partner and win through unconventional means like Renji Yanagi or Sadaharu Inui could.
His cunning nature was better showcased in singles. If he played doubles, it would inadvertently weaken his strength and limit his potential for growth.
"For now, we'll stick with the players on the list."
Tezuka glanced at the roster in his hand. "As for the match order, I need to discuss it with Coach Sakaki."
"Alright."
Kamikawa nodded in understanding.
Everything concerning the tennis club revolved around Tezuka.
Kamikawa didn't care about these things; he only cared about how long it would take Atobe to recover.
Although Atobe was a player who grew faster with more pressure, too much pressure might break him. Had he been too hasty?
As soon as Kamikawa thought of Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku, he quickly dismissed his doubts.
Sanada, who had been severely beaten by Tezuka, had already grown rapidly. If Atobe couldn't keep up with Sanada's pace, even if he and Tezuka could guarantee two singles victories, then Rikkai would definitely win the remaining three matches!
Rikkai's doubles, even at the Kanto level, were top-tier. With Renji Yanagi's input, their doubles strength might even exceed the Kanto level, possibly even reaching the national level.
"Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku!"
"Seiichi Yukimura, we'll meet again at the Kanto Tournament."
Days passed.
On the street tennis courts of Tokyo, a unique figure always appeared.
Street tennis courts had no proper rules; only strength reigned supreme.
On that neon-lit court, a pale-faced boy with spiky hair swung his racket. This was a bustling area, yet no one dared to challenge him.
As the boy powerfully struck, the tennis ball shot out like a cannonball, forcefully hitting the solid concrete wall. A clear, loud sound erupted between the ball and the wall.
From the point of impact, a noticeable crack appeared on the wall. The crack rapidly spread, extending outwards, tearing the once-solid concrete wall into shattered pieces.
Under the impact and spin of the tennis ball, concrete fragments rained down, clattering to the ground like raindrops.
For a moment, dust flew everywhere!
"Kamikawa Muzuki!"
The boy lifted his head, stared at the wall in front of him, glanced at the shattered tennis ball on the ground, held up his racket, and turned to leave the street tennis court.
After the boy left, those hiding in the shadows slowly emerged.
They all looked at where the boy had been training, swallowing hard.
"That guy... he's a monster. He trains here almost every day."
"Yeah, yeah, I heard he just arrived a while ago. From the looks of it, he's a first-year middle schooler this year."
Among the crowd, upon hearing that he was a first-year middle schooler, faces universally showed shock.
"H-how is that possible? He's only a first-year?!"
"At first, I didn't believe it either. But then someone followed him and saw him enter Yamabuki Middle School with their own eyes. And judging by his height, he really is a first-year student."
"Are first-year middle schoolers this monstrous nowadays?!"
"Sigh~ Who knows? Some people fought him before, one person or two people, they were all defeated by that kid, and every player in those matches ended up bruised and battered."
"Anyway, it's best not to provoke that kid casually."
"..."
In a luxurious area of Tokyo, inside a detached villa, a boy continued to swing his racket on a tennis court. Behind him followed a burly boy with a blank expression.
And in the middle of a small alley, at the Kamikawa residence.
A boy lay in the courtyard, gazing at the starry sky, raising his hand, as if trying to grasp the myriad stars.