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

7 PM, at Kawamura's sushi restaurant.

Warm yellow light shone on the wooden tabletop, and the air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and the cheerful laughter of the boys.

When Kagura Ichijin pushed open the door and went in, he saw the Yamabuki group gathered in twos and threes, enjoying their meal.

"Kagura, what have you been busy with? We've been here for quite a while."

With a piece of roasted meat stuffed in his mouth, Gu Jimusin mumbled incoherently.

After winning the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, they accepted the trophy as is customary, endured a barrage of interviews from reporters, and went to the sponsor's store to select new sports equipment.

But Kagura Ichijin, after receiving the trophy and taking the group photo, seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving all those troublesome reporters to them.

"Get a note from the school board, then go to the finance office to apply for activity funds for the tennis club."

Kagura Ichijin walked to an empty table, unzipped it, and took a bulging paper bag out of his tennis bag.

He took out boxes of brand-new flip phones and SIM cards and handed them to the Yamabuki group present.

Everyone present deserves credit for Yamabuki's victory in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.

As the captain of the Yamabuki Tennis Club, he naturally wanted to find ways to bring benefits to everyone.

"Vice President Kagura, are there other candidates like us?"

Nishikiori Tsubasa stared wide-eyed at the phone Kagura Ichijin handed her, her hands trembling slightly as she took it.

He originally thought that being able to have a celebration banquet with the regulars would be a great honor, but he never expected that Kagura Ichijin would give them such a valuable perk.

"Of course, everyone who has participated in the competition will receive a share."

Kagura Ichijin smiled and nodded.

Currently, only a very small number of well-off members of the Yamabuki Tennis Club have cell phones; most people still rely on landlines for communication, which is too inefficient in terms of information transmission.

He had long wanted to improve the situation, and this victory gave him an excellent reason to apply for funding from the school.

"Very good!"

Nishiki Tsubasa was so excited she almost jumped up, lovingly stroking the smooth casing of her phone, completely ignoring the sizzling grilled meat on the table.

"These cards are all internal numbers, and calls between them are free. After you insert the cards, remember to save everyone's numbers so it will be easy to contact each other in the future."

After quickly distributing the phones, Kagura Ichijin went straight to Banta Mikiya's side.

He took out an exquisitely crafted cushion from another bag and handed it over respectfully.

"My dear, I didn't know what you needed, so I took the liberty of buying you a back cushion. Since you sit for long periods of time, this can help relieve your back fatigue."

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Kagura."

Banta Mikiya took the cushion, a relieved smile on his face.

He tried putting the cushion behind him and felt the perfect support, which made him sigh comfortably.

For an elderly person like him, this thoughtful gift is more valuable than anything else.

"Of course."

Kagura Ichijin sat down next to Banta Mikiya, picked up a pair of clean chopsticks, and unceremoniously picked up a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth.

Banta Kanya spent the whole day with them today; it must have been exhausting.

"Kagura, the meat I grilled is ready, do you want some?"

Just as Kagura Ichijin was focused on finishing the sushi in front of him, Akutsu Jin's voice came from the next table.

"Eat, grill some more."

Kagura Ichijin turned his head and glanced at it, then got up and walked over without hesitation.

"no problem."

Akutsu Jin transferred all the perfectly grilled meat from the grill pan to an empty plate, and then skillfully filled the grill pan with fresh pork belly, beef brisket, and chicken thigh meat.

"Eat more too, you have more special training tomorrow."

Kagura Ichijin put a few pieces of meat on Akutsu Jin's plate, then started eating them himself, saying casually as he chewed.

"What?"

Akutsu Jin's hand, which was holding the meat, froze in mid-air, staring at Kagura Ichijin with disbelief.

He just won the championship for Yamabuki, and it hasn't even been two hours, and Kagura Ichijin is already repaying kindness with enmity?

He even offered to grill meat for Kagura Ichijin; wasn't he just asking for trouble?

"Training? Why are you so surprised? The Kanto Tournament is next month, and you'll be a key player then, so you'll be playing a lot."

Kagura Ichijin flipped the meat on the grill, his tone so calm it was as if he were simply saying that the weather would be nice tomorrow.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament is just the beginning; the upcoming Kanto Tournament will be the real test.

Only by achieving good results there can they qualify for the national competition.

"Can I skip the special training? I'm confident I can win the match."

Akutsu Jin frowned, trying to bargain.

Those training sessions were so tiring. Now that we've finally won the championship, shouldn't we relax a little?

"No, we had a lot of luck in winning this time, but we won't be so lucky next time."

Kagura Ichijin shook his head, his expression serious.

This Tokyo tournament demonstrates that strong schools like Hyotei, Hojo, and Hoshino Oizumi still possess considerable strength.

In the Kanto Tournament, there are many strong schools like this.

Given Yamabuki's current overall strength, they might get through one or two rounds if they're lucky, but they could be eliminated in the first round if they're unlucky.

"Surely not? We're the champions of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, after all."

Akutsu Jin was somewhat unconvinced.

Yamabuki is currently riding high, so how come he becomes so easily defeated in Kagura's eyes?

"There are seven such champions in the entire Kanto region."

Kagura Ichijin slowly revealed a heartbreaking truth.

Besides Tokyo, the Kanto region also includes Kanagawa, Chiba, Tochigi, Yamanashi, Gunma, and Saitama.

Although the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament is larger in scale, it doesn't mean that Yamabuki can easily defeat the champions from other regions.

The Kanto Tournament is a true battleground. Even Hyotei, led by Koichi Tsukiko last year, ultimately fell in the finals, while Yamabuki didn't even make it to the semifinals last year.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Akutsu Jin fell silent, his brows furrowing tightly.

The Kanto Tournament is so complex; no wonder it's been so difficult for schools in Tokyo to win the Kanto championship all these years.

"Akuzu, how far Yamabuki can go largely depends on whether you can keep winning. There are many national-level players in the Kanto Tournament. Even I, or my seniors Taniyoshi and Ishimaru, will eventually lose."

Kagura Ichijin looked at Akutsu Jin with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility.

He never said these words to Sengoku Kiyosumi, Minami Kentaro, or the others, because it would be useless; their limits were fixed. But Akutsu Jin was different; he had limitless potential.

"I understand, I will continue the special training tomorrow."

Akutsu Jin nodded with a wry smile.

While the feeling of being trusted is nice, the price is too high.

Except for the short rest before the competition, he basically spent all his time training.

He also noticed that the more Kagura Ichijin valued someone, the higher his expectations of that person became.