Kunimitsu Tezuka vs. Reiji Shinjo (Flashback)

Reiko Kamimura looked at Reiji Shinjo, and memories flooded her mind. It was an afternoon after club activities ended when she saw Reiji still training his strokes on the tennis court. After watching for a while, Reiji, who had been continuously twisting his waist and swinging his racket, said softly without even turning his head, "Is there something you need, Coach Kamimura? You're always watching from behind, and it makes it hard for me to concentrate."

"So you noticed. I thought you were entirely focused on what was ahead."

Reiko was momentarily startled, then smiled gently.

"Training is already over. Today you've reached nearly twice the standard of a 'reinforced human.' If you train too much, because your playing style requires precise control over every single inch of muscle and bone, failing to rest properly will place a severe burden on your body, just like using that tearing powerhouse smash."

Reiko reminded him kindly.

"If I rest now, my body will quickly cause my form to fall apart due to relaxation."

Reiji turned around and said.

"Your form is already near perfect. Training cannot be carried out every single second. You should take time to do more relaxing things when you are supposed to rest, such as dating or engaging in other leisure sports."

Reiko patted Reiji on the head. Her gentle demeanor made the boy lower his head a bit unnaturally.

"No... I don't have those kinds of hobbies. In my view, paying attention to things outside of my goal would cause me to give up my growth, which I believe is a very foolish behavior."

Reiji's attitude suddenly became resolute.

"If you don't have any, then let's cultivate one. How about this, let your coach take you to experience a leisure sport different from tennis?"

"Just the two of us..."

Reiji's face flushed, and he said with a flustered heart.

Seeing Reiji's dazed look, Reiko closed one eye and smiled playfully, "Just the two of us, yes."

...

Reiji and Reiko sat panting on a bench. The latter couldn't help smiling warmly as she looked at the relaxed and smiling boy, "Well, an amusement park is pretty fun, isn't it?"

"Yes!"

Reiji nodded heavily. Then, the woman looked up at the sky and asked, "Shinjo, do you have any goals for the future?"

"Goals?"

Reiji repeated the word, then also looked up at the sky, his expression turning blank and serious once again.

"I want to become a professional player."

"A professional player?"

Reiko looked at the boy. That was certainly a good choice.

"Yes, I hope to find a way to rapidly enhance my talents within the tennis club as soon as possible, and then make full preparations for entering a higher-level tennis world."

Reiji's tone was extremely firm.

"What does Coach think of my idea?"

Reiji seemed to care deeply about Reiko's opinion of him. After asking, he looked expectantly at the woman with eager eyes.

"I will watch closely as you fulfill this dream."

Reiko turned her face and smiled gently at the boy. The boy once again revealed a rare smile, just like receiving a gift on Christmas.

"Speaking of which, Kajimoto has a similar dream to yours. He has always hoped to participate in the triennial youth selection tournament and is making preparations for that."

"Is that so..."

Reiji said softly.

"You and Kajimoto are both my proudest creations."

Looking at the two chibi doll pendants hanging from the cell phone on her waist, Reiko's smile became doting. She had made them earlier at a handmade shaping shop in the amusement park—one of Kajimoto and the other of Reiji.

Pulling her thoughts back to reality, a gentle breeze blew, rustling the leaves, and the two chibi doll pendants hanging outside Reiko's pocket swayed gently.

Reiji continued to ruthlessly score point after point against Tezuka. At the same time, he muttered inwardly, "Ever since I was little, I've only loved the sport of tennis. Gradually, it became an indispensable part of my life. Other children go out and play all day long, while I revolve entirely around tennis. From four years old until now, it has been eight years, and I have never once felt that tennis is boring. After entering Seishun Academy Junior High and meeting Coach Kamimura, it made me even more steadfast in this path of tennis."

"I will watch closely as you fulfill this dream."

Reiko's sweet smile was deeply engraved in Reiji's mind, and that gentle voice kept echoing without ever fading away...

"Shinjo makes full use of every day he spends on tennis, and his technique and physique are strengthening step by step. Of course, human beings are not robots, but even robots need rest. A proper balance of work and rest allows his playing style to be executed at a hundred percent capacity no matter when."

Reiko crossed her arms and smiled softly.

Reiji scored yet another point, and his inner monologue rang out, "It is precisely because of Coach Kamimura that I have been able to reach my current level. As Coach Kamimura's ultimate masterpiece, I feel deeply honored. This match—the only match before the national-level tournament—I will definitely not lose!"

"Seicha's Shinjo wins! 4-2!"

"The situation is looking really bad right now... Captain Tezuka has only scored four points across two games..."

Shishido Ryo said anxiously.

"Isn't there any way out of this, ne..."

Yanagisawa Shinnya always had a feeling that everything was coming to an end.

"Tezuka's technique is extremely comprehensive. We just need to watch quietly."

Inui Sadaharu was not panicked at all. After gathering some data on Reiji, based on his experience and intuition in processing data, the probability of Tezuka being finished off 6-2 was a mere 0.2%.

"That's right, don't forget the captain hasn't even used the Zero-Shiki or the Tezuka Zone yet. Besides, given his strength, it's still unknown whether this level of his is even full power."

Matsubara Naruai smiled and said.

"Still, this must be Tezuka's first time encountering a player with such a novel playing style, right?"

Inui remarked.

"No matter who encounters him, it's going to be a massive headache. After all, there are simply no flaws to be found..."

Shishido Ryo chimed in.

"Well then, let me see just how much skill you truly possess, Kunimitsu Tezuka. Don't let me down too much."

Reiko watched Tezuka preparing to serve, the corners of her mouth curling up.

Tezuka tossed the ball clockwise, and Fuji's eyebrows twitched slightly, "Is it still that serve?"

After crossing the net, the tennis ball quickly landed and bounced rapidly, yet Reiji returned the ball with his expression completely unchanged, and hit it right back!

Bang!

Feeling the heavy impact transmitted through his racket, Tezuka took a step back while his racket dropped to the ground behind him.

"0-15!"

"No good. If we don't change the serving style, there's no way to defeat that guy."

Akazawa Yoshiro said.

"This is already Tezuka's most threatening serve, but the opponent is clearly able to turn this threat into a favorable situation for himself."

Inui said evenly.

"And here I thought Seishun's captain was about to counterattack. Turns out he's just at his wit's end."

Tanaka Kohei sneered.

"Good job, Shinjo."

Tanaka Yohei cupped his elbow and praised.

"Even though I am the tennis club captain, Shinjo's strength as Singles Two is many times greater than mine. He is the number one ace of the team, and a mere Kanto Tournament won't cause him to suffer any setbacks. The only one who can defeat Shinjo is himself."

"As expected, the only one who catches my attention is you, Matsubara Naruai."

Kajimoto Takahisa looked toward the boy who was watching the match leisurely, thinking to himself.