My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

and.

No one will feel aversion to this standard; instead, they will unconsciously compare their own behavior to it and naturally move closer to where the boy in front of them is.

Swish!

Swish!

Swish!

One side of the stadium.

Sengoku, who had been absent-minded, started swinging his racket at some point, practicing the swing with perfectly standard movements over and over again.

Seeing this, Banta and Uesugi, who was resting on the ground, couldn't help but smile.

Although they cannot predict the future and do not know whether it is a good thing that Shibukawa became the head of Yamabuki today, at least for now, things are changing for the better within Yamabuki.

"Ugh."

Looking at those vibrant faces, Uesugi couldn't help but sigh, a hint of melancholy creeping into his heart.

pity.

He was born in the wrong era.

Even if I were born a year later, I wouldn't miss out on this Yamabuki who is full of endless possibilities.

...

at the same time.

In a residential area near a commercial district in Tokyo, a brown-haired boy with a prominent cross-shaped scar on his forehead stood hesitantly at the door of a house with the nameplate "Fuji".

"call!"

a long time.

The boy seemed to have made up his mind. He took a deep breath, pushed open the courtyard gate, and went inside.

"Yuta's back?"

The mother, who was sweeping the floor, looked at the boy who suddenly appeared in front of her with surprise in her eyes: "Why so suddenly? Did something happen?"

"Mother."

The boy walked up to his mother and said firmly, "I want to transfer schools..."

Transferring schools?

The woman frowned slightly upon hearing this.

This is her second son, and this is the second time he has requested to transfer schools this year.

"You've lost interest in tennis?"

The woman thought for a moment and asked.

She remembered clearly that her son had last begged them to transfer him to the Sarujima Tennis Academy, using the excuse that he wanted to be exposed to more professional tennis.

But before two months had even passed, they backed out again.

Thinking of this, the woman felt a growing sense of dissatisfaction. She felt even more disappointed in the young man's performance.

"Yuta, don't be like this."

The woman thought for a moment, but didn't bring herself to scold her. Instead, she advised in as gentle a tone as possible, "Don't easily give up on what you've chosen, even if you encounter difficulties. I know practicing tennis isn't easy, but don't forget your initial dream..."

"I know, Mom, I..."

The boy, Fuji Yuuta, tried to explain.

"All right."

The woman shook her head and said, "We'll talk about transferring schools later. What you need to do now is calm down and think it over carefully. If it doesn't work out, you can also discuss it with Zhou Zhu..."

"enough!"

however.

The woman's words were like a fuse that ignited an explosion. Yuta roared and stormed into the house, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

"This child...sigh!"

The woman shook her head and sighed with a sorrowful expression.

As a mother, she naturally knew why her son had snapped. She usually tried to avoid touching on that sensitive topic, but today she couldn't help herself and brought it up.

I can tell.

The knot in her second son's heart remained untied.

Tennis, which she had placed her hopes on, did not work as she had wished to resolve the boy's emotional distress.

a long time.

The woman chose to compromise.

She went into the room, knocked on her son's door, and had an in-depth conversation with him.

"So, Yuuta, you want to transfer to Yamabuki?"

A look of surprise flashed in the woman's eyes: "Is the tennis education there even better than that of the Sarujima Tennis Academy?"

"Ah."

The boy's answer was very firm.

Those eyes, filled with expectation yet unwavering determination, were something the woman had never seen before. This was completely different from when he left Seigaku for Sarujima Tennis Academy.

She remembered clearly that her second son's eyes were filled with confusion at the time. The casual mention of the 'Sarujima Tennis School' was clearly just an excuse.

But when he uttered the name 'Yamabuki', he was absolutely resolute, without the slightest wavering.

"I see."

The woman nodded: "This is the last time. I hope you can persevere until you graduate from junior high school."

finally.

The boy transferred to Yamabuki High School as he had wished.

"Yamabuki?"

Not long after, when the woman's eldest son returned home and heard the news, a strange glint flashed in his brown eyes.

Chapter 53 Fuji's Curiosity, Newcomer Joins

The following morning.

Seishun Academy, Class 2-6.

In the classroom, some students were quietly reading. Close female students huddled together, whispering secrets. Meanwhile, the boys in the back row chatted animatedly, discussing their favorite games and movies.

"Young Master Kikumaru is here."

Just then, a boy with dark red hair parted to the sides and a handsome face like a cute kitten walked into the classroom, laughing and joking.

Kikumaru Eiji.

A second-year student at Seishun Academy and a member of the tennis club.

Kikumaru's arrival made the classroom atmosphere even more lively, as he was the class's liveliest and most popular member. He chatted with everyone in a playful manner, and then, as if he had discovered something, he walked towards the window seat in surprise.

"What's wrong, Fuji?"

Kikumaru leaned against the table, looking curiously at the brown-haired boy in front of him and asked.

"This is the first time I've seen you like this."

"nothing."

Upon hearing this, the brown-haired boy, Fuji Syusuke, looked up, a gentle smile appearing on his handsome face. He narrowed his eyes and said, "I was just thinking about something. But you, Eiji, are you confident about the school's qualifying rounds this afternoon?"

"Hey."

When the topic of the match came up, Kikumaru immediately perked up and laughed heartily, "Actually, I was confident of becoming a starter before summer. However, I was unlucky and ran into the team of Captain Yamazaki and Tezuka."

"In that case, it's definitely a bit of bad luck."

Fuji shook his head with a hint of regret.

Tezuka is Seigaku's strongest player, and captain Yamazaki is a top-tier player in the Kanto region. Kikumaru was indeed unlucky to run into these two.

"I'm sure I'll advance this time."

Kikumaru said confidently, "It would be best if we could face a third-year senior, otherwise it would be too boring."

"As expected of you."

Fuji smiled somewhat helplessly.

His classmate and teammate was a very outgoing and cheerful person. He was not only the class's mood-maker but also the team's darling and was very popular.

Thinking of this, Fuji couldn't help but recall the stubborn expression on his younger brother's face, and he sighed inwardly.

I wish the other person had a personality like Kikumaru's. An optimist who's happy every day and has no worries.

In contrast.

Although Yuuta didn't say it, Fuji was well aware that his younger brother had always lived under the scrutiny of others. Therefore, he could understand Yuuta's actions, but as the older brother, Fuji couldn't help but feel some worry.

"First it was Sarushima Tennis School, and now she's transferred to Yamabuki..."

The former didn't rank high in the Metropolitan Tournament, and their strength can only be described as average. Yamabuki, on the other hand, achieved a top-four finish in this year's Metropolitan Tournament, and even Seigaku had to fight hard to defeat them.

therefore.

In Fuji's opinion, Yamabuki was indeed a better fit for his younger brother's development than Sarujima. But ultimately, he still wanted to go to Yamabuki in person, preferably to see firsthand his brother's life and training.

However, it's Seigaku's match day recently.

Although Fuji was very confident in his abilities, Seigaku had strict rules, and neither the captain, Yamazaki, nor the vice-captain, Tezuka, could tolerate any wrongdoing.

"Wait a minute."

Fuji looked down at the empty tennis court and thought to himself, "I'll go check on Yuta's situation again in a while."

...

the other side.

St. Rudolph College.

Unlike usual, Class 5 of Grade 5 was unusually quiet today, with students playing around and making noise.

But this wasn't because a patrolling teacher appeared, but because of the dark-skinned boy sitting in the back row, whose aura was terrifyingly gloomy.

"That guy, Mizuki, said he was going to investigate intelligence last time, but he just disappeared for two days. He didn't come to school yesterday either. What on earth is that guy up to?"

The boy was none other than Yoshiro Akazawa, the captain of the St. Rudolph Tennis Club.

Before joining the tennis club, he was a notorious delinquent at school. Skipping classes and fighting were commonplace for him.

By sheer chance, he got into a conflict with the tennis club members. Outnumbered and on the verge of losing, Akazawa had a brilliant idea: to settle the score with tennis.

The other party readily agreed.

He believed he had Akazawa, an outsider, figured out.

Unexpectedly, although he dominated Akazawa in the first half of the match, Akazawa suddenly took advantage of his declining stamina in the second half and reversed the game in one fell swoop.

The match was over, and although the tennis club members were unhappy, they could only accept it reluctantly. However, the tennis club captain stopped Akazawa, and just when Akazawa thought the other team was cheating, the captain invited Akazawa to join the tennis club.

Akazawa expressed no interest, and subtly implied that tennis was nothing special.

Then.

The club president smiled and invited him to a match, promising that if he lost, everyone in the tennis club would avoid Akazawa from then on.

Young and impetuous, Akazawa readily agreed, only to be met with a crushing defeat.

It was then that he realized how ridiculous his previous understanding of tennis had been. In the end, he didn't break his promise; instead, he joined the tennis club and, thanks to his outstanding talent, became a regular starter on the team.

In his second year, Akazawa was the vice-captain. And this summer, he became the captain of the team, enjoying immense popularity.

However, Akazawa knew that Saint Rudolf was not strong enough.