My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

He lost.

A crushing defeat.

The person who defeated him was not Tezuka of Seigaku, Atobe of Hyotei, or any of the Sanadas from Rikkai.

He lost to his own teammates.

Furthermore, Sengoku remembers very clearly that less than three months ago, the other party was just a nobody whose name he could barely remember and who had no presence.

In just over sixty days, his opponent had surpassed him. Moreover, he had completely defeated him through a direct confrontation.

Frustrated.

Dejected.

I have no will to live.

A host of negative emotions lingered in Sengoku's mind.

At this point, he had completely lost interest in tennis and the like. A deep sadness welled up within him; had he not been strong enough, he probably would have already broken down.

even so.

In Sengoku's mind, the path of tennis seemed bleak and hopeless.

"how."

At this moment, Shechuan, who was on the other side, spoke up.

He glanced at Sengoku and said in a playful tone, "Do you think losing to me is something shameful?"

Ok?

Sengoku subconsciously looked up and met the other person's sharp, piercing gaze, causing his heart to tremble.

“Your awareness should be more than this, otherwise, it would be too disappointing.”

Shechuan spoke calmly.

Done.

He walked to the sidelines, put his racket down, slung his tennis bag over his shoulder, and turned to leave.

"Shibukawa... Ugh!"

Watching the other person's back, Sengoku narrowed his eyes, his feelings complicated.

"Yes."

"I lost, but if I lost to you, it's not shameful at all."

If it were the previous Shibukawa, losing to Sengoku would indeed have been a death wish. But with this new figure before him, exuding a sharp aura and an imposing presence, he felt a sense of relief.

Although the opponent's current strength is not yet up to the national level, Sengoku believes that by the time the new season starts next year, the opponent will definitely be able to stand at the same level as those top players.

Thinking of this, his previously quiet and gloomy heart couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency.

The person before me will surely bring about a different kind of change in Yamabuki. And Sengoku will be a third-year student next year; this is his last chance to compete in the national tournament.

He's already missed it twice, is he going to miss it a third time?

In that case, he would probably never forgive himself.

...

"We gained a lot from this match."

the other side.

After finishing the match and leaving the street tennis court, Shibukawa reviewed his gains from the game. He had improved his basic skills to varying degrees.

But most importantly, two brand-new ball skills were born.

now.

Two new messages then appeared before his eyes.

[You've mastered a technique by cleverly using the edge of your racket to hit the ball, creating a skill that's highly effective against specific players. Please name it.]

[You have created a unique skill by combining technique and swing speed. Please name it.]

The two techniques are a smash that is remarkably effective against dynamic vision, and a special shot that, through rapid swings and the application of special skills, makes the tennis ball seem to disappear, leaving only a shadow without its trajectory.

A thought struck me.

Shechuan named the two moves "Afterimage Ball" and "Shadow Kill" respectively.

The former is similar in principle to the ball technique that Akazawa used against Kikumaru in the original work, but because Shibukawa's technique and swing are stronger, the execution of this special ball technique is also higher.

The latter is similar to the fusion technique of Chitose, one of the ace players of Shitenhoji, and Sanada, the emperor of Rikkai University tennis, in the original work.

of course.

Each of these three ball skills has its own merits.

However, Shibukawa's ball skills possess two special effects, and if used by someone with the same stats, the power is obviously stronger than the other two ball skills.

"The Thousand Stones issue has been resolved; now, only that position remains."

After gathering his thoughts, Shechuan's eyes became even sharper.

He has long since passed his initial developmental stage. His complete domination of Sengoku in the later stages of the previous match, culminating in a single shot that pierced Sengoku's racket, proves that he no longer needs to lie low.

therefore.

For him, the next goal is simply to remove the last obstacle and become the head of Yamabuki.

The junior high school league is ultimately a team competition. No matter how strong an individual is, there are limits to how strong they can be. For example, Echizen Nanjiro in the original work, no matter how strong he was, his Seigaku still lost to Kuwamin Junior High School led by Banta.

Now, Banta lives in Yamabuki.

While Yamabuki's overall strength isn't weak, it's not exactly a top team either. Only by becoming captain can Shibukawa implement his will and completely transform Yamabuki.

According to his plan, the future Yamabuki will not be at a disadvantage even if he faces the top teams from the original story alone.

By then.

Let alone the Grand Tournament or the Kanto Tournament, he would even try to win the National Tournament championship, which is considered unattainable by everyone.

After leaving the tennis court.

Instead of going home or to the tennis club for training immediately, Shibukawa went to a nearby barbershop and got his hair styled.

In front of the mirror.

Looking at the handsome young man in front of him with short hair, only a wisp of hair sticking up, who exuded an air of unruliness and dashingness, and was both neat and frank, Shibukawa smiled.

now.

No one could reconcile him with his previous image.

This is also the most profound change he has experienced since his time travel. He wants to use this image to completely sever ties with his past self.

Leaving the barbershop, Shechuan stepped out, already on the road to the future.

Chapter 49 Ministerial Candidates (4000)

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

on Monday.

7:30 a.m.

Yamabuki Junior High School, Class 6, Grade 2.

As a private junior high school, Yamabuki's academic level may not be comparable to the nearby renowned Hyotei Academy. However, the quality of its students is not low, especially Class 6, which is considered one of the top-performing classes in its grade.

Half an hour before class officially started, the classroom was already full.

"Seishundai Club, Sarujima Tennis Junior High School... um."

In the back row of the classroom, a boy with tousled hair muttered to himself, lost in thought.

As the vice-captain of the tennis club, Kentaro Minami may not be particularly talented, but he is meticulous and methodical in his work.

This year's league results for Yamabuki weren't great, but they certainly weren't bad either. The only problem was probably bad luck; they ran into the defending champions, Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School, in the first round.

Ultimately, Rikkai won the national tournament, proving that Yamabuki's inability to advance from the Kanto tournament was simply due to bad luck.

However, luck is often a crucial factor in determining results. Even the most unwilling Yamabuki team members would never attribute their failure to bad luck.

This is thanks to Bantian's teaching, which encourages team members to engage in deeper thinking.

Kentaro Minami, who was greatly influenced by Banta, naturally noticed that his coach had been frequently organizing practice matches in the past two weeks.

Obviously.

The other side is preparing for next year's season.

At times like these, Nan, as the team's vice-captain, has many things to consider: the training of the starting players, teamwork, talent selection...

Especially with the club president, Uesugi, facing entrance exams and having little time to focus on the tennis club, his responsibilities as vice president have become even heavier.

"It's a pity that Sengoku didn't have any ideas, otherwise I wouldn't mind working for him."

The South has self-awareness.

He was well aware of his own limitations; as the team's captain, he would certainly not be able to achieve the same level of cohesion and leadership as Sengoku.

"If it's Shibuya..."

immediately.

In Nan's mind, a silent face, almost always expressionless, appeared.

The classmate who defeated him in the previous school selection competition was Shibukawa Shin.

Nan felt somewhat conflicted about this person.

Firstly, as the vice-captain, he witnessed his peers rise step by step and felt a sense of inadequacy, seeing himself as a stepping stone. At the same time, he was also moved by their hard work and dedication; such individuals, as role models for the team, truly inspired the first and second-year players.

For example, first-year student Juji Muromachi and second-year student Kazuma Kita have been very enthusiastic about training recently and have made great progress.

Deep down, Nan really wanted Shibukawa to become the vice minister. For him, the idea of ​​assisting Shibukawa was still a difficult hurdle to overcome internally.

But the problem is, time waits for no one.

As the vice-captain, he has the responsibility and obligation to cooperate with Banta's training plan. Moreover, Kentaro Minami himself is ambitious, aiming to lead the team into the national tournament.

"Ugh."

Torn by inner turmoil, he felt a growing headache and subconsciously rubbed his temples.

And just then...

The classroom, which had been somewhat noisy, suddenly fell silent for some reason. Nan frowned subconsciously and looked up.

But then a figure passed by the podium and walked straight to the back of the classroom.

"Who is this person?!"

Nan frowned deeply.

He had no recollection of ever seeing this person before.

His short, choppy hair was refreshing and dashing. At about 1.7 meters tall, he looked as upright as a cypress tree. His face was handsome and dashing, with cheek lines that looked as if they had been sculpted with an eyebrow razor, giving him an imposing and dignified aura.

Are there any handsome boys in Class 6?

Not only Nan, but the other students also looked puzzled. Yet, they also saw a sense of familiarity in this unfamiliar boy's face.

"That location... wait?"

It wasn't until the other person walked to a certain spot and sat down that everyone's eyes widened suddenly, as if they had remembered something.

"Involved in... Sichuan?"

"He's Shibukawa-kun?!"

One of the girls instinctively covered her mouth and exclaimed in utter surprise.

"Shechuan?"

"How is this possible?!"

The others looked like they'd seen a ghost.