The Famous Specialty of Evergreen Academy

The first time Yanagi Renji saw Sadaharu Inui smile so wickedly, upon hearing the recipe he gave, Yanagi couldn't help but doubt whether Inui's special juice was even fit for human consumption.

"Of course. I just used a few more ingredients than usual. The main component is still fruit and vegetable juice—it's very good for your health," Inui said, his glasses reflecting an odd white light as he grinned mischievously.

"I'll go gather the ingredients first." Placing a thick stack of papers and a notebook on a chair, Inui turned and walked away, stroking his chin as he muttered quietly to himself. "For athletes, celery, rich in protein, carbohydrates, and carotene, is the top choice—let's start with 50 grams... Green onions, lemon juice, ginger, and mustard greens are also essential..."

On the tennis courts.

Whack! Whack! Whack! The unofficial team members were practicing in small groups—some were feeding balls to teammates on the opposite side, others were engaged in matches. The scene was lively and noisy.

"I'm so envious of the regulars. I heard they have two coaches arranging their daily training scientifically. Unlike us, just swinging randomly here."

"Yeah... I heard the new coaches include someone from the famous Seigaku tennis school, and the other from Rikkaidai, the undefeated king's school!"

"Wow... Rikkaidai? What kind of wind blew their players to join our Evergreen team?"

"I heard all these new regulars were recruited by that kid who beat Hajime Mizuki—Nao Matsubara!"

"No way, that incredible?"

"Who is Nao Matsubara, anyway?"

"Seriously? You still don't know who he is? He's the shortest one—you know, that one!"

"Alright, everyone, gather up!"

At Tezuka's loud command, many unofficial team members stopped what they were doing, and those who had been whispering quickly fell silent and hurried over to line up.

Standing at the front of these unofficial players were the regulars in their team uniforms. Among them, the one who drew the most attention was Nao Matsubara—not because of the recent whispers, but simply because he was the shortest in the line of regulars.

Everyone placed their hands behind their backs and spread their feet slightly, at a forty-five-degree angle.

Tezuka stood before the group, and beside him was Yanagi Renji, stopwatch around his neck, arms full of materials and a notebook.

Stepping forward, Tezuka said, "The regional preliminaries are about to begin. We've already selected our seven regulars. In these three days, we will rigorously prepare and train for the upcoming matches."

"The schools participating in the regional preliminaries are all strong, so no one should let their guard down," Yanagi added, glancing at a form in his hand.

"Tezuka."

"Alright, continue practicing. Unofficial members use courts C and D, regulars gather at courts A and B!" Tezuka ordered, nodding to Yanagi.

"Yes!" The group dispersed swiftly. When Nao Matsubara and the others reached court A, they were surprised to see a spiky-haired boy with glasses waiting outside.

"Inui?" Ryo Shishido called out, looking at Sadaharu Inui.

"Hey," Inui greeted with a smile, then picked up a cardboard box at his feet.

"What's this?" Shishido walked over, craning his neck. He saw a variety of training weights inside.

"If our goal is to reach the national tournament, training the ankles and wrists is a must. Core strength training is just as important," Inui said, distributing three different sizes of weights. Watching Nao Matsubara and the others put them on, he adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Each of these weights is one kilogram. With both hands, both feet, and the waist, that's a total of five kilograms."

"Tch. What a pointless trick." Akutsu put on the weights and lifted his arms and legs with disdain. "In Rikkaidai, just one ankle weight was three kilos."

"You have to take it step by step, Jin Akutsu," Yanagi replied calmly, causing Akutsu to pause and then say no more.

"For these three days, you must wear the weights at all times except when sleeping. This is the training program Renji and I have prepared for you," Inui announced with a smile.

"Since Evergreen doesn't have mechanical training equipment, Inui and I have prepared colored cones instead," Yanagi continued, pointing to the red, yellow, and blue cones placed at the far ends of courts A and B. He then brought over another box.

"Inside are tennis balls in red, yellow, and blue. You must hit the ball of each color onto the corresponding cone to pass."

With that, Yanagi took a racket and walked to the other side of the court.

"This is an interesting drill—let me go first!" Shishido, eager to try, stepped forward.

"By the way, you have to hit all three balls to their respective cones at the same time. If you make a mistake, the training is considered a failure, and you'll face..."

Before Inui could finish, Shishido cut him off, ready and excited. "Three balls, huh? Bring it on, Yanagi!"

"Alright, here I come, Shishido," Yanagi said, pleased by Shishido's fighting spirit. He gripped the three colored balls, and with a powerful swing of his arm—

Smack! Smack! Smack! "Whoa!" The three different colored balls flew toward Shishido, whose pupils first widened, then shrank in focus.

"I see them!"

Smack! Smack! Smack! He swung his racket over his shoulder three times in quick succession, returning all three balls. The red ball hit the red cone, but the blue and yellow balls veered widely off course, flying past their respective cones.

"What?!" Shishido exclaimed in disbelief. He couldn't control all three balls to hit the matching cones at once?

"Good dynamic vision, Shishido. You immediately distinguished the colors after I served and managed to return each to the matching marker..." Yanagi observed that the missed balls at least landed near the correct cones, and nodded in approval.

"Heh, my eyesight is 1.2 in both eyes!" Shishido boasted.

"For the record, dynamic vision and static visual acuity are not the same thing. You happen to have decent dynamic vision as well, but..." Yanagi paused. "Although you can distinguish the colors and move to return them, your accuracy is too poor. Eliminated."

"I didn't expect hitting three balls to three different cones at once to be this hard..." Shishido sighed upon hearing he was eliminated, and as he turned to leave, Inui suddenly stepped forward.

Seeing Inui approach, glasses gleaming and smiling, Shishido blinked. "What is it, Inui?"

"You didn't let me finish earlier. If you fail the drill, you have to drink my special vegetable juice," Inui said, producing a glass filled with green liquid from who knows where. Under the sunlight, the green looked particularly sinister.

Watching the green liquid swirl in Inui's glass, Shishido swallowed hard and forced a wry smile. "Uh... actually, I'm not really that thirsty..."

"Anyone who fails the drill must accept the punishment," Inui intoned solemnly, pushing the glass closer.

"Damn, the root of all evil has appeared! Seigaku's infamous specialty—no, now it's Evergreen's specialty..." From afar, Nao Matsubara's face twisted dramatically, his entire demeanor transformed as if possessed by some outrageously exaggerated cartoon character!