124. Kanto Tournament Semifinal Opponent: Seishun Shonan

In a park, Akutsu, his silver hair standing straight up, was out for a jog. He recalled the personalized training regimen Inui Sadaharu had devised for him earlier. His pace never faltered, and he paid no attention to the sweat sliding down his face.

“It’s rare for you to ask me for a favor. What is it?”

Inui Sadaharu’s voice echoed in Akutsu’s mind.

“Enough with the nonsense. I want a training regimen of my own, just like that brat’s. So? Can you do it?”

Akutsu gave a disdainful snort as he asked.

“Of course. Your body is naturally gifted, and with a little refinement, it will undergo a tremendous transformation. All you need is some basic scientific training. First of all, jogging is indispensable. It will give you abundant stamina during matches, allowing you to execute even more shots beyond what an ordinary person can achieve.”

Inui opened his notebook and began writing rapidly.

His thoughts returned to the present. Akutsu continued jogging, his gaze sharpening as the crimson glow of the setting sun was reflected in his eyes.

“The National Tournament, huh...”

After parting ways with Fuji, Tezuka arrived at a club called Tennis Enthusiasts. The club was dedicated specifically to tennis lovers and beginners. It had ten outdoor courts, and each one was equipped with a self-service ball machine. As long as customers purchased special tennis tokens, they could use the machines as they pleased.

Continuously returning the fast balls fired by the machine, Tezuka raced across the court. On the table beside him, in addition to a large tennis bag, sat an unopened bottle of water and several stacks of one-hundred-yen coins.

Amid the rhythmic pop-pop-pop of the racket striking the balls, the enchanting crimson glow in the sky gradually faded into darkness. As night descended, the court where Tezuka was practicing was illuminated by white lights.

At last, after the ball machine had fired every ball, Tezuka, drenched in sweat, stared at his left hand—the one holding the racket—then clenched it tightly. He walked over to the table and drank deeply from the bottle of water.

Once he had rested, Tezuka inserted several more one-hundred-yen coins into the machine. The display lit up with the words: “Fifty Balls.”

Bzzzt!

As the machine shook violently, Tezuka stood ready, his gaze focused. Once again, the sharp, rapid sound of balls being struck rang across the court.

...

In his bedroom, Inui Sadaharu continued tapping away at his keyboard. He adjusted his glasses, and the reflected lenses faintly mirrored the black letters on the computer screen.

“At present, our singles lineup has consistently rotated among Tezuka, Fuji, and Matsubara. Except for the match against Rokkaku, when Tezuka was moved up to Singles Three, we have generally placed him last. The main purpose is to prevent the opposing team’s ace from...”

Inui rubbed his chin and continued typing.

“However, now that Fuji has developed his Triple Counter and Matsubara has demonstrated considerable strength in singles, we may be able to make the singles order somewhat more flexible... But given Fuji’s personality, he might also be well suited to doubles.”

Recalling the only time he had played doubles with Fuji, Inui’s fingers slowed over the keyboard. He then deleted a string of words and continued typing.

“We still do not know who our opponent in the next round will be. In any case, even though we have never lost a singles match so far, we cannot afford to assume everything is foolproof. We must prepare for both possibilities.”

Inui continued typing.

The following day.

Boys’ Tennis Club.

“Everyone is working so hard for the Kanto Tournament...”

Iwamura Yuuna gazed through the wire fence at the players inside and murmured.

“Indeed.”

Oda Fuyuka nodded as well.

Tap, tap.

A mixture of footsteps approached. The two girls followed the sound with their eyes and saw Inoue Mamoru and Shiba Saori. Oda Fuyuka smiled.

“It’s Mr. Inoue and Miss Shiba. Are you here to collect material again today?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Inoue Mamoru nodded.

“You two aren’t supposed to be training? If you slack off, you’ll be punished, won’t you?”

Seeing that the girls were wearing the uniforms of the girls’ tennis club, Shiba Saori asked.

“We’re still non-regulars. Unlike the boys’ tennis club, once most of last year’s senior girls graduate, their regular positions are quickly filled by the former second- and first-year students. We may have to wait a little longer before we can become regulars.”

Oda Fuyuka smiled.

“That’s true... The competition in the girls’ tennis club isn’t especially fierce. Besides, there isn’t even a women’s team tournament in events like the Kanto Tournament.”

Inoue Mamoru suddenly thought of something.

“Why is there no women’s team tournament in particular? It feels so unfair...”

Shiba Saori looked indignant.

“There’s nothing that can be done about it. Tennis matches aren’t held solely for competition. They also need to provide the audience with a certain degree of entertainment, so women’s team tournaments have never become part of the mainstream.”

Inoue offered her a reassuring smile.

“I heard that there are no rankings or elimination matches in the boys’ tennis club these past few days. They’re only practicing normally, so you probably won’t be able to gather any useful material, will you?”

Iwamura Yuuna glanced at the courts, then at Inoue Mamoru and Shiba Saori.

“No. Seishun has gradually become one of the favorites for the Kanto Tournament. Whether the information is useful or not, we have to collect it all.”

Shiba Saori took out her camera.

“That’s true. After all, since Seishun was founded, the tennis club has never really distinguished itself in the regional qualifiers...”

Iwamura Yuuna recalled some information she had seen on the girls’ tennis club’s bulletin board a few days earlier.

“I believe everyone can win the Kanto Tournament, just as they won the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.”

Oda Fuyuka held the boys’ tennis club in high regard.

“But we should have the name of Seishun’s opponent in the second round today, shouldn’t we?”

Inoue Mamoru stroked his chin as something came to mind.

“Right. Today is...”

Reminded by him, Shiba Saori remembered as well.

“Oh? It looks as though Inui and Yanagi already know something.”

Inoue Mamoru noticed Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji approaching the courts from a distance.

“Everyone, gather around!”

Once Tezuka had assembled everyone on the court, Inui Sadaharu held up the information in his hand.

“We know who our opponent in the next round will be. It’s Jousei Shonan Middle School.”

“Jousei Shonan...”

Matsubara Narui was startled inwardly. He had assumed they would have a chance to face Hyotei, never expecting Jousei Shonan instead. At this point in time, Jousei Shonan probably did not yet have Sho Ota or Daichi Kiriyama, did they?

“Still, they have Hiroshi Wakato, who can imitate the techniques of professional players and other people; their captain, Takahisa Kajimoto, with his super-high-speed serve; Reiji Jirokushiro, who possesses the special move known as the Rending Power Strike—also called Deep Power, though Rending Power Strike sounds more imposing—and a pair of twin brothers who can determine the direction of the ball through their hearing. They’re hardly a weak team...”

The young man recalled the information in his mind.

“Jousei Shonan?”

Having heard the name from outside the court, Inoue Mamoru was slightly taken aback.

“Do you know something about them, Inoue-senpai?”

Shiba Saori asked.