My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level

Having gained previous experience with the swing.

Shibukawa's current plan is to trigger as many new skills as possible and quickly improve his basic abilities using the proficiency system.

that's it.

He watched as his running proficiency improved, carefully sensing the changes in his body. Only when his legs felt like lead, and he could barely lift them, did he return home.

Mother has not returned yet.

Exhausted, Shibukawa took a shower and went to bed.

the other side.

Inside the Yumi Bakery in the Kuwatacho shopping street, a woman with long, flaxen hair tied up, fair skin, and a pretty face is carefully cleaning the bread-making tools.

At this time.

The shop door was pushed open.

A woman with short, coffee-colored hair and delicate features walked in, carrying a handbag.

"Aren't you done yet, Yumi-nee?"

"It's Yuuki."

Upon seeing the visitor, the bakery manager, Yumi Shibukawa, said somewhat apologetically, "I'm so sorry that you come to help out every day."

"What do you mean by helping or not helping?"

The woman, Akutsu Yuki, who works at the coffee shop next door, laughed and said, "If it weren't for you guys, Yumi-nee, Ren and I would have starved to death on the streets long ago."

original.

Yuki Akutsu, also a single mother, was originally a fiery and rebellious young woman. Young and naive, she unwittingly had a child with her boyfriend.

As a result, before Akutsu was even born, that scumbag had already disappeared.

Yuki was already in despair at that time.

It was around that time that Shibukawa's family learned of her situation and offered her a great deal of help. Later, Shibukawa's father died in a car accident, and Yumi became a single mother. Sharing similar experiences, the two became inseparable sisters.

Yumi also takes good care of Yuki on a daily basis. She often lets Yuki take bread from the store home, and Yuki doesn't want to take it for free, so she comes to help clean up after get off work every day.

She put down her handbag, skillfully put on her apron, and began to tidy up.

With Yuki's help, Yumi's tidying time was greatly reduced. Before long, the two had finished cleaning the bakery. Yumi changed her clothes and picked up the beautifully packaged gift bag from the table.

"Huh? Yumi-nee, what's going on?"

Yuuki looked surprised, but then, as if she had thought of something, she smiled meaningfully: "Looks like it's another gift from one of your suitors, isn't it?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Yumi shook her head repeatedly. Seeing her best friend's disbelieving look, she had no choice but to explain, "The sports store near the street was having a sale today, so I bought some sweatbands for Shin's tennis rackets."

"So that's how it is."

Yuki gave an awkward laugh.

I almost made a huge blunder.

"That child is naturally introverted."

Yumi sighed and said, "I hope playing tennis can change his personality. Putting everything else aside, I'd be satisfied if he had half of Ren's cheerfulness."

"Huh? Him? Cheerful?"

Yuki looked on in astonishment upon hearing this.

She knew her son's personality better than anyone. But then again, Akutsu's personality and physical talent certainly meant he didn't suffer much outside.

However, an overly arrogant personality, once it goes too far, can easily bring trouble to Akutsu.

Thinking of this, Yuki's gaze fell on Yumi's gift bag.

"Tennis? That's a good choice."

Yuki thought to herself.

She didn't want her son to achieve anything significant; she just wanted to give him something to do.

The two chatted the whole way.

They chatted about their work and their thoughts on their children's future. Before long, they arrived near the apartment and went home.

"Um?"

However, when Yumi habitually turned on the living room light, she couldn't help but pause in surprise.

"This is......"

As expected, the messy dining table was cleaned up very neatly, and the kitchen was also cleaned.

Yumi felt a surge of relief. Her tired body and mind, exhausted from a long day, felt much lighter.

...

Ring ring ring.

The next day.

The alarm clock in Shibukawa's room kept ringing.

Yumi next door was also woken up, but to her surprise, the door to Shibukawa's room opened after the alarm clock was turned off. Normally, he would stay in bed for at least another half hour.

To her even greater surprise, after washing up, Shechuan went on a rampage in the kitchen. Just as she was starting to worry, the aroma of fried eggs wafted into her room.

"What's wrong with this child?"

She really wanted to go out and see what was going on, but she was afraid of disturbing the other person. If she scared Shibukawa, given his introverted personality, he would probably become even more withdrawn.

But soon.

Less than 10 minutes later.

She then heard a bang, the sound of the other person closing the door and leaving.

"This child..."

Yumi tiptoed out of bed, slightly opened the door a crack, and peeked outside.

The living room was quiet.

There seemed to be a breakfast of eggs, milk, and bread on the table. Curious, she went out of the room and into the kitchen, finding the stove clean and the frying pan and other utensils back in their original places.

If she hadn't heard the commotion and seen the still-warm breakfast on the table, she might have even wondered if she was hallucinating.

"Huh? What's this?"

Then.

Back in the living room, Yumi found a note on the table. The tennis racket sweatband she'd left there yesterday was gone.

"Thanks."

When she saw what was written on the note, she froze, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.

"Ashin...you've finally...grown up!"

At this moment.

The pain and despair she felt after running away from home to be with her husband, the pain and despair he experienced after his accidental car accident, and the hardships of raising her child alone all these years were all smoothed over by those two simple words in front of her.

But then...

Yumi became even more curious about what had happened to Shibukawa.

"Could it be tennis?"

The thought that the sweatband she had bought had been taken by the other party stirred something within her.

"If it really is tennis..."

A thought inexplicably popped into her mind: "I wonder if this child will be able to gain their approval."

Thinking of this, Yumi couldn't help but picture the face of a middle-aged man covered in wrinkles.

Thirteen years have already passed.

But his father's face had never been as clear as it was at this moment.

I went back to my room.

Yumi took out a yellowed photograph from the middle of a magazine that was clearly quite old.

He was a young man with flaxen hair and a robust build. He had a high nose bridge, and his narrow eyes shone with a sharp light like a hawk's.

At the top of that magazine page, the headline read: "The Strongest Man in Men's Singles in the Kanto Region - Kohei Kimishima!"

"I never imagined that 30 years would have passed in the blink of an eye."

Seeing the date written in the magazine, Yumi felt a mix of emotions, but also a struggle in her eyes.

She thought of her own father, who hadn't achieved his dream, and knew how much effort he had poured into tennis. But she was even more worried about the immense pressure that dream would place on Shibukawa.

"Let's forget about it."

She shook her head, put the photo back, and placed the magazine in its original spot, as if she had never opened it.