The Prince of Tennis: From Data-Driven Tennis to the Pinnacle of His Career

One week later, at the Yamabuki Junior High School tennis club.

With the regional qualifying championship trophy in hand, the morale of the Yamabuki Tennis Club is soaring like never before.

After a short rest, the selected players threw themselves into a new round of high-intensity training.

After finishing his training, Kagura Ijin did not rush to leave, but instead strolled around the tennis court.

With just over twenty days left until the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, this is not only a test for the regular players, but also a crucial period for the development of the entire tennis team.

Those five spots in the reserve team have now become highly sought-after by all non-regular members.

Although this was initially just a pie in the sky that Kagura Iijin made to motivate everyone, as the competition approaches, he now has the idea of ​​actually fulfilling his promise.

The opponents in the early rounds of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament are usually not too strong, which is a great opportunity for newcomers to broaden their horizons and accumulate practical experience.

"Good morning, Minister!"

"Captain Kagura!"

When Kagura Yijin walked over, the team members who were resting on the sidelines or preparing to go on the court stopped what they were doing and greeted him respectfully.

Since Kagura Ichijin became the captain, the atmosphere of the tennis club has been completely renewed.

Those old hands who used to coast along were either purged or forced to pack up.

The current Yamabuki is full of competition and energy.

"Um."

Kagura Ichijin nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the figures engaged in combat, silently assessing each person's potential.

"Department Head Kagura."

A clear voice came from beside me.

Kagura Ichijin turned his head and saw a boy with short, neat hair and covered in sweat walking over, carrying a tennis racket.

"Oh, it's Nishikori. What's up? Just finished a match?"

Kagura Ichijin revealed a gentle smile.

Nishiki Tsubasa, a first-year student and his classmate.

Although he didn't make it into the regular selection in the previous school selection competition, Nishikori Tsubasa's strength is second only to Minami Kentaro, Higashikata Masami, and Niito Yone Inakichi among the freshmen, and she is a potential star that he is paying close attention to.

"Yeah, we just finished a match."

Nishiki wiped the sweat from her forehead, her eyes bright.

"Good, keep up the good work and try to get a spot. I'm planning to let the reserve players get some practice in the Tokyo tournament."

Kagura Ijin nodded approvingly.

Compared to those upperclassmen who stick to the old ways, he values ​​first-year students like Nishiki Tsubasa who are energetic and talented more.

"What? You mean... the reserve players can represent the school in official competitions?"

Nishiki Tsubasa's eyes widened. He originally thought that the reserve team would at most show their faces and submit a list, but he didn't expect to have a chance to officially play.

"Well, conservatively speaking, everyone will have at least one chance to play."

Kagura Ichijin nodded affirmatively.

He didn't just act on a whim. In the future, top universities like Rikkai and Hyotei will hone their new students through real-world experience to prevent a talent gap.

Echizen Nanjiro was the best example back then; Seigaku achieved considerable success because of him.

However, ever since Echizen Nanjiro left Seigaku, Seigaku has plummeted and has not improved in more than a decade.

If Yamabuki doesn't want to become like Seigaku, it must change.

"Great! Thank you, Minister! I'll go practice right away! I definitely won't let you down!"

Nishiki Tsubasa was so excited she almost jumped up.

"..."

Seeing Nishikori Tsubasa rush back onto the court like she'd been injected with adrenaline, Kagura Ichijin smiled.

He walked around the sidelines again, looking at his teammates' enthusiastic performance, and felt very gratified.

He then turned and walked to the convenience store, bought a few bottles of water, and headed toward the training area for the regular players.

At this time, most of the starting players had finished their training and left the training area, dragging their tired bodies.

In the empty field, only one stubborn figure remained, still sweating profusely.

Akutsu Jin was gritting his teeth as he did squat jumps, sweat streaming down his angular face and pooling on the ground.

"Let's take a break."

Kagura Ichijin walked over and handed a bottle of water to Akutsu Jin, while he himself sat cross-legged on the ground, unscrewed another bottle, and took a big gulp.

"call……"

Akutsu Jin stopped what he was doing, took the bottle of water, and gulped down more than half of it in one go.

The cool water flowed down my throat, slightly relieving the heat in my body.

"Kagura... how much longer will this training continue?"

Akutsu Jin wiped the water from the corner of his mouth and asked, panting heavily.

This week was the darkest week of his life; every day he woke up feeling like his whole body was falling apart.

"Until the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament begins."

Kagura Ichijin spoke in a flat tone, as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary.

Currently, their training volume is twice that of other starters, and about a quarter of that of the U17 training camp.

"That long?"

Akutsu Jin's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

If it weren't for Kagura Ichijin constantly training with him, he would have quit long ago.

"Your body is a rough gem; how can it shine without being polished? Other people's physical abilities are already close to their limits; forcibly increasing the workload will only cause injury. But you are different; your limits are far beyond this."

Kagura Ichijin looked at Akutsu Jin with a serious expression.

"Tch, that's easy for you to say."

Akutsu Jin pursed his lips, but the dissatisfaction in his eyes dissipated considerably.

"What about my doubles match with Sengoku? My husband told me to spend three hours every day practicing our teamwork."

He then recalled another nightmare. During this period, he was like a spinning top, practicing doubles during the day and then training afterwards, without even time to rest.

"Keep playing. Doubles is a good way to hone your tennis skills and tactical awareness, and there's no harm in it."

Kagura Ichijin didn't take it seriously.

"..."

Akutsu Jin's face darkened. Was this even human language? He wasn't a machine; he'd be exhausted if this continued.

"What's with that expression? You can't even handle this little bit of hardship? How do you expect to beat me? My training volume is no less than yours, and I even have to manage tennis club affairs. Have I ever complained?"

Kagura Ichijin glared at Akutsu Jin.

Jin Akutsu insisted on extending the training time by more than double, even though it could be completed in three hours.

If Akutsu Jin could complete the training program as quickly as he could, he would have plenty of time to rest and wouldn't be getting more and more tired as he does now.

"..."

Akutsu Jin was speechless.

Indeed, Kagura Ichijin is not normal either.

Despite doing the same training, he always seemed to be doing it with ease, and even had the energy to supervise him.

"Hurry up and keep training! I don't want to stay here feeding mosquitoes with you."

Kagura Ichijin stood up and dusted off his pants.

"I know! Stop nagging!"

Akutsu Jin gritted his teeth and roared, then crushed the empty bottle and honestly began to do the next set of squats.

"..."

Looking at this figure stubbornly persisting in the sunset, Kagura Ichijin's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.