Add the previous conditions.

Court B.

At this moment, a practice match between Takashi Kawamura and Makoto Yamagiwa was underway. Kawamura, an unofficial first-year player in Seigaku renowned for his strength, had been exceptionally permitted by Yudai Yamato—the current third-year captain of Seigaku’s tennis club—to participate in practice matches against upperclassmen unofficial players. In Seigaku, no first-year student is allowed to become an official player, and as for real matches, those are simply out of reach. Thus, many of the new members who joined the tennis club in April are relegated to the monotonous task of picking up balls, living out dull days.

Of course, there were a select few first-years allowed to play practice matches, their skills far beyond ordinary freshmen. Among them were Shuichiro Oishi and Eiji Kikumaru, who had just faced off, as well as Takashi Kawamura, now playing against Makoto Yamagiwa.

As for Sadaharu Inui, who stood outside the court secretly taking notes, he was not as fortunate as the other three. At present, Inui could not freely play his data tennis; lacking Oishi’s precise control, Kikumaru’s agility, and Kawamura’s explosive power, he relied solely on a few notebooks filled with data on others, which was somewhat insufficient.

Thus, Inui, whose tennis skills were not outstanding, had not been exceptionally permitted to join the practice matches, focusing instead on retrieving balls as his main task. In his spare moments, he diligently recorded everyone’s playing style and characteristics.

Inui had joined the tennis club after Tezuka, Oishi, Kikumaru, and Kawamura, arriving just a few days before Fuji, the last to join.

During that period, Inui was fortunate enough to witness Tezuka’s astonishing tennis skills—so extraordinary they could almost be called supernatural. Even though his technique could be explained by scientific theory, Inui preferred to believe it was the work of a deity. For Inui, who regarded data as paramount, Kunimitsu Tezuka’s name had become a target to surpass, a towering mountain to conquer.

But the good times did not last. In a practice match, after defeating his senior Takeshi Mukui, Tezuka was injured by Mukui, whose jealousy had twisted him into something ugly, and was forced to quit the club.

Without a goal, Inui became confused about how to spend the next three years in the tennis club. He ended up gathering inconsequential data on the freshmen, losing interest in the powerful upperclassmen.

“Did you get any good data?”

Absorbed in his notes, Inui heard a youthful voice behind him. He turned to size up the boy before him and adjusted his glasses. “You are…?”

“Naruki Matsubara. Hello.”

“My name is Sadaharu Inui.”

“Yes, I know you. You graduated from Midorikawa First Elementary. You’re skilled at collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data, and you excel at using statistics to hit balls your opponents can hardly return.”

After exchanging greetings, the boy smiled faintly.

“You seem to know a lot about me.”

Inui’s glasses flashed. Faced with Matsubara’s familiarity, he did not show much surprise, but quietly became more vigilant.

“Well, you’re a player I have my eye on. If I don’t do my homework, I wouldn’t leave much of an impression in front of someone so versed in data.”

The boy’s words made Inui uncertain. “What… are you after?”

“Of course, I want to recruit you. Was I not clear enough?”

Naruki Matsubara shrugged.

“No… I just don’t understand why me.”

Matsubara’s appearance gave Inui the sense that his current data could not provide a clear understanding of him. Though he appeared calm, Inui was a little nervous.

“Do you know what the true core of a team is?”

The boy watched Kawamura and Yamagiwa’s match intently, smiling as he asked.

“Of course, it’s the captain. As the leader of the entire squad, his presence can—”

Inui answered without hesitation, but was interrupted halfway by Matsubara. “Wrong.”

“By the way, I wanted to ask: that passionate boy with the short chestnut hair—what’s his name?”

Matsubara pointed at Kawamura, who was facing Yamagiwa, and smiled at Inui.

“Oh, him. His name is Takashi Kawamura. Normally, he’s gentle and humble, but the moment he grabs a racket, he becomes fired up, like a completely different person.”

Adjusting his glasses, Inui analyzed.

“Interesting, hahaha.”

Matsubara laughed aloud.

“Is it that funny?”

Inui frowned slightly.

“No, I just think this Kawamura is exactly the kind of player I wanted to tell you about—the true core of a team.”

He raised a finger and shook it. Matsubara’s words left Inui muttering, “The real… core?”

“You said he’s like two different people depending on whether he has a racket in hand. Someone who can switch so completely possesses a decisive power. Just like your data tennis, which remains in Seigaku, recording everyone’s style but not really making an impact. But if you joined our Evergreen Academy, that data would unleash boundless power.”

At this point, Matsubara felt like a cult leader, his persuasive skills suddenly formidable. He couldn’t help but wonder when he’d become so adept at recruiting.

Still, with Kawamura and Yamagiwa’s match right before their eyes, there was no better analogy.

Inui’s data tennis might not be as powerful as Renji Yanagi’s or Akuto Mitsuya’s, but for Evergreen, having Inui or not made all the difference. His addition would surely be a major boost to the team!

“But my data still doesn’t integrate well with tennis…”

Inui closed his notebook and spoke evenly.

“Everything takes time. Think it over. If you stay at Seigaku, first-years can’t become official players and are suppressed by the upperclassmen. Is that really satisfying?”

Matsubara crossed his arms, trying to persuade him.

“I still feel that if I stay, maybe one day I’ll meet him again…”

“Tezuka Kunimitsu, right?”

Matsubara looked at Inui and, smiling, spoke the name. When he’d arrived at the tennis courts, he’d already learned about Inui’s situation from Oishi and Kikumaru’s conversation.

At this moment, the reason Inui refused to leave Seigaku, Matsubara guessed, was that he hoped Tezuka would have a change of heart and return, or perhaps, that by staying at Seigaku, he’d eventually play against whatever new school Tezuka was at.

“No need to look so surprised. I know almost everything about you, but you don’t seem to know Tezuka’s whereabouts, do you?”

Matsubara waved his hand dismissively. Inui quickly asked, “Do you… know where Tezuka is?!”

Everyone in the tennis club, including Inui, knew Tezuka had left Seigaku after being injured, and it had caused quite a stir at the time. Even Captain Yamato had tried to persuade Tezuka to stay, but he insisted on leaving, taking Fuji with him. No one knew their whereabouts after that.

Rumors said Tezuka had quit tennis for good, others claimed he’d transferred to another school. Either way, Tezuka had vanished.

“I suppose I do, but don’t tell anyone. Right now, Tezuka…”

Matsubara did not confirm nor deny, leaning in to whisper something in Inui’s ear.

“What?!”

“Shh.”

Seeing Inui’s shocked expression, Matsubara raised his finger to calm him and softly asked, “So, how about it? If you join Evergreen, you’ll not only gather more player data, but you’ll also continue pursuing your original dream.”

“…”
Inui’s throat tightened. Indeed, learning Tezuka had transferred to Evergreen Academy was like a bombshell. There, he could not only gather more data, but also continue viewing Tezuka Kunimitsu as his target to surpass. The temptation was nearly irresistible.

“And I can assure you, at Evergreen, even first-years can become official players.”

Matsubara knew Inui was still calculating whether leaving Seigaku for Evergreen would be worthwhile, but he was already certain of victory, so he revealed another trump card without hesitation.

“All right, I’ll join Evergreen Academy.”

After a brief consideration, Inui nodded, adjusting his reflective glasses as he agreed. Truly, Matsubara’s offer was overwhelmingly tempting. Inui had no reason to refuse: to be at the same school as Tezuka, to fight him and surpass him, to collect more data and become a regular…

All that Matsubara promised, Seigaku could never provide.

Meanwhile, Matsubara turned and smiled, “Then let me welcome you in advance, Sadaharu Inui.”

“But… before you join, you have to help me with something.”

The boy suddenly added.