My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level

In the blink of an eye.

November has ended.

As December arrives, the weather in Tokyo is getting colder.

night.

Yumi's Bakery.

Yuki, after finishing her shift at the coffee shop, comes to help her best friend as usual.

"Yumi-nee, isn't that strange?"

While cleaning up the kitchen, Yuki said happily, "I haven't received any complaints from the teachers at school lately. That kid, Ren, hasn't caused any trouble."

"real?"

Yumi was also somewhat surprised.

Akutsu was someone she had watched grow up; she knew his personality very well—he was definitely not someone who could stay idle. Even if things were calm for a few days, he was definitely brewing something mischievous.

That was the case last year.

Akutsu, who had just started junior high school, behaved himself for a while. Just when the two thought the other had changed his ways, a teacher from the school came to their door, saying that Akutsu had gotten into a group fight with some thugs from outside the school.

Yuki was terrified at the time.

Just as she was about to go find Akutsu and take him to the hospital, the teacher gave her a strange look. After hearing the teacher's explanation, the two understood the truth: Akutsu had single-handedly defeated a group of thugs from outside the school.

Yuki breathed a sigh of relief.

But Yumi knew that from then on, Akutsu would definitely become a bully both inside and outside Yamabuki School. Sure enough, from then on, Yuki would receive calls from teachers every few days.

However, since the matters weren't considered serious, she turned a blind eye. But both of them knew that once they entered middle school, Yuuki would no longer be able to discipline Akutsu.

And now, a similar situation has occurred again.

This worried Yumi about Akutsu, and she was also afraid that Shibukawa would get involved. Just as she was about to ask about the details, she heard Yuki laugh:

"You wouldn't believe it, would you? Ah-Ren joined the Yamabuki tennis club. And he even became a regular starter."

"The ball, the team's starting lineup?"

Yumi's mind didn't quite process it at first.

It's not her fault; people familiar with Akutsu would find it really hard to associate him with the word "team starter."

"etc."

Then it dawned on her, "If I remember correctly, isn't Nobuo the captain of Yamabuki?"

"yes."

Yuki laughed, "I called Mr. Banta from the Yamabuki Tennis Club, and he said that Ren is training very hard right now. Also, Shin, as the team captain, is doing very well. Mr. Banta really admires him."

"Tennis club...Mr. Banta..."

Yumi paused, a look of confusion in her eyes. Then, a pang of shame washed over her; after the last incident, she hadn't even inquired about Shibukawa's situation in the tennis club.

"Don't overthink it, Yumi-nee."

Knowing her personality well, Yuki immediately shook her head and said, "You're busy with things at the shop every day, unlike me who's so free. Besides, Shin is much more honest than Ren, so there's no need to worry about him at all."

Even so, Yumi still felt a little guilty. She had decided that when she had time, she would definitely go to the Yamabuki tennis club to see how her son trained.

...

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

at the same time.

In the dimly lit street not far from the bakery.

A figure wearing a dark hoodie is practicing hitting the ball against the wall.

His shots weren't particularly fast, but every single one landed precisely on the same spot. Furthermore, after each shot, he would take a step forward, shortening the distance between himself and the wall.

As the distance between the player and the wall decreases, the frequency of hitting the ball increases. If someone were standing nearby, they would surely be astonished.

too fast!

This level of swing speed is unimaginably fast!

In the dim light, as the boy in the dark hoodie swung his racket, a blue and white arc of electricity seemed to appear above the racket.

Swish!

Suddenly.

The boy swung his racket quickly.

A flash of light, and the racket and tennis ball collided violently.

boom!

A flash of white light.

The tennis ball hurtled out like an electric arc, so fast that it was impossible for the naked eye to follow it. And its landing point was exactly the same as the previous shots.

A loud explosion echoed through the dimly lit alley!

Pedestrians on the distant street stopped and looked over in surprise and disbelief. The motion-activated lights in the nearby residential buildings all turned on at once; to the uninitiated, it would have looked like a thunderclap had just struck.

ziz......

On the wall.

The tennis ball was spinning intensely.

Even in the dim light, you can still see wisps of black smoke drifting by if you look closely.

finally.

The tennis ball came to a complete stop, embedded entirely in the wall. The boy glanced at it, then put the racket back in his bag and turned to leave.

"It looks like it's over 90% complete."

The boy, Shibukawa, nodded with considerable satisfaction.

Since the last school selection competition, his days have been very busy. There's daily physical training, evening boxing practice, and nighttime kendo training.

This month's life was more fulfilling than the previous three months combined.

And the results were naturally very good.

Shechuan's five dimensions have been improved again, and his stepping, boxing, and kendo have all been upgraded to level 6, activating three brand-new characteristics.

His other skills have also been significantly improved, making him more well-rounded. If Shibukawa a month ago leaned more towards a high-attack-speed playstyle, he is now perfectly capable of playing an all-around style.

"It's about time to start the second phase of training within the team."

Although Shibukawa wasn't overly serious, his exemplary conduct naturally made the atmosphere in Yamabuki less lively. However, their improved skills meant that no one was too resistant to the new training rules.

Compared to the beginning, the team's overall strength has improved significantly. Even the weakest third-tier players are all able to adapt to the current training volume.

Having transitioned from a rookie to a pro, Shibukawa understands very well that one cannot remain in their comfort zone forever; otherwise, they will never improve. This applies not only to the team but also to him personally, as he has now encountered another bottleneck.

The experience required to upgrade skills has increased.

If he continues with the original training volume, the only way to maintain his original growth rate, or to prevent his progress from slowing down, is to increase the training volume.

"Perfect timing, I can use my custom-made racket and other equipment tomorrow."

After transmigrating, Shechuan systematically planned his training. Now, he has grown from a little over 1.5 meters tall to 1.72 meters tall.

For him, there is absolutely no issue of overtraining affecting his physical development. After all, even the most professional coach cannot compare to the scientific accuracy of a proficiency panel.

Thinking this way.

Shechuan arrived at the entrance of her mother's bakery.

After the shop closed, he, dressed in a black hoodie and with his hair a bit longer, accompanied Yumi and Yuki home.

Halfway there, Akutsu, dressed in a gray coat, appeared with long wisps of white mist rising from her breath, and took Yuki away.

"This guy..."

This was already the umpteenth time the two had met at night. Shibukawa could see clearly that Akutsu was secretly practicing at night.

At first, the other person seemed a little awkward, trying to maintain a cool demeanor to hide their embarrassment. But later, Akutsu came to terms with it; after all, it was practice, and there was nothing shameful about it.

Moreover, Shibukawa's relentless training style made him feel a great sense of urgency. It was as if if he relaxed even slightly, he would fall further and further behind his opponent.

Shechuan is pleased to see this.

If Akutsu can maintain his current training level, Yamabuki's chances of winning next year's national tournament will increase to at least 70%.

The rest depends on whether Sengoku, Kanzuki, and the others work hard enough.

"Little letter."

Walking down the street, Yumi looked at her son's handsome face and couldn't help but say, "Why do I feel like Ah-Ren is avoiding you?"

"Perhaps."

Shibukawa smiled but offered no explanation. He knew Akutsu's personality well; no one wanted to defeat him more than this guy with his explosively high pride.

But Akutsu wasn't confident.

Because the speed of progress of Shechuan was no slower than his, and even faster.

This made Akutsu, who was originally arrogant and did things his own way without caring about others, seem weaker than Shibukawa.

This made Yumi and Yuki very curious.

The latter was surprised by the extent of the changes in Shibukawa, but was also quite satisfied with the current situation. For her, all she needed was someone to keep Akutsu in check.

Yumi was very surprised.

Looking at her son, she was momentarily dazed. It seemed that what she had encountered was only the tip of the iceberg.

"perhaps......"

She thought of the letter she had written thirteen years ago, a letter she had never had the courage to send. Having lost her husband early, she had never considered returning to that home.

But considering Shibukawa's tennis talent, if it's for his future career as a professional, she's willing to continue what she didn't finish back then.

...

The next day.

3 PM.

Yamabuki Tennis Club.

After the basic training ended, Shibukawa gathered all the team members together. During his lunch break, he had already discussed the matter with Banta, Mizuki, Minami, and others. Everyone agreed that the training intensity for Yamabuki could be increased.

The training volume for ordinary team members, i.e., the third tier, has increased to 1.5 times the original amount. The training volume for the second and first tiers has also increased by 1.5 times.

However, because the original number was larger, the feelings of the people were more intense.

As soon as training began, some people complained incessantly.

Despite the calls, no one chose to give up, especially Muromachi and Yuta, who wanted to become regulars in the next school selection competition. They rushed to the front of the second team, looking determined to defeat the regulars.

Basic training is over, and it's free time now.

Shibukawa walked to the side and took out a racket that was entirely silver-black, gleaming metallically in the sunlight. This was a specially made racket with all his current pocket money.

There's nothing particularly special about the string.

However, the racket itself has a sufficient amount of lead added. Because of its high density, it feels heavy in the hand, which is just right for Shibukawa to use for his usual training.

In addition, he was equipped with two sets of weighted gear, including wrist and ankle sets, each 1.5 times the size of a normal weighted set.

After putting it on, Shechuan felt as if he were wearing shackles, and his swing and movement were noticeably slower.

He would definitely take it off when facing a strong opponent. But it's quite good for daily training, or even practicing with ordinary opponents.

really.

After putting on his new gear, he swung his racket a few times and was very satisfied with the feeling of dancing in shackles.

the other side.

In the corner opposite Shibukawa.

Sengoku is also practicing basic swing techniques.

Although many people believe that someone at Sengoku's level doesn't need to continue this basic training, Sengoku, who is comparable to Shibukawa, approaches every swing with the utmost seriousness, striving for perfection.

The effect of doing this is very obvious.

Although only a month has passed, Sengoku can clearly feel that his swing has become more stable. He can even now place a full cup of water on his racket and swing it at a relatively fast speed without spilling any water.

On the court, Sengoku could hit the same ball with far less effort than before. This not only increased the consistency of his shots but also reduced unnecessary strain.

There's not much difference between rallies involving one or two balls.

However, when the time dimension expands from seconds to minutes, and even to hours, the benefits of maintaining sufficient stability with each swing become considerable.

Especially after learning boxing.

Sengoku became more patient and cautious. He would even calculate the gains and losses of each ball. After all, boxing may seem like an exhilarating fight, but it is actually a sport that requires constant attention to detail and accumulating small victories into a big win.

Swish!

Suddenly.

Sengoku's bandaged right hand swung rapidly, and wherever it passed, a sharp metallic whistling sound pierced the air.

Whoosh!

Just then.

A whooshing sound came from behind him without warning.

The ball came very fast, and at a rather tricky angle, shooting diagonally from Sengoku's right. Even if an average person noticed it, it would be difficult to judge the trajectory and direction of the attack in such a short time.

However, Sengoku seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. His bandaged right hand flipped backward as if carrying a sword, and with a thud, he steadily intercepted the tennis ball that was shooting towards him.

Sizzle...

The tennis ball spun wildly on the racket.

However, Sengoku, who received the ball in a relatively awkward posture, did not move his right hand, which was holding the racket, at all.

*Smack! Smack smack!*

As applause erupted, a figure walked over. A hint of admiration appeared in those eyes, which were usually filled with wisdom and calculation.

"As expected of you."

The person who arrived was Mizuki, the manager of the Yamabuki Tennis Club, who said with a smile.

"You always like to do this kind of thing."

Sengoku turned his head and gave the other person an annoyed look: "Speaking of which, it's not right for you to keep asking me to play matches, is it? The stats of those two guys over there should be more appealing to you."

It turns out that during this period, Mizuki had been asking Sengoku to have practice matches. After mastering boxing techniques, the latter also needed real-world testing to better combine boxing and tennis.

The two hit it off.

They have to fight every two or three days.

But after a while, Sengoku, who was being relentlessly exploited by Mizuki, couldn't take it anymore.

"Don't worry, I called you here today to discuss the competition."

Mizuki smiled, twirled a strand of hair, turned his head, and his gaze fell on a black-haired boy not far away, who was earnestly swinging his racket.

"It's been a month."

"Don't you want to test just how much stronger that person has become?"

Ok?

Upon hearing this...

Sengoku, who was originally about to wave his hand in refusal, suddenly perked up.