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

"Saitama Midoriyama Junior High School, No. 12."

……

"Gunma Oguchi South Junior High School, No. 13".

……

"Tochigi Kyoyo Junior High School, No. 6".

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"Yamanashi Ikari Junior High School, No. 7."

Soon, the champion teams from each region finished drawing lots, and it was the turn of the non-champion teams.

"Next, please have the representative from Tokyo Hyotei Academy come up to draw lots."

"Hyotei Academy, Tokyo, Number Four".

"I didn't expect Hyotei to draw number four. This is going to be interesting."

Upon hearing this result, Kagura Ichijin's eyes lit up.

Hyotei and Rikkai are in the same half of the draw, which means that if these two tigers fight, one of them will surely be injured.

Regardless of who falls in the quarterfinals, it's good news for Yamabuki.

"Kanagawa Castle Shonan, No. 9".

……

"Chiba Sōjō, number four, number eight."

……

"Tochigi Meishi Kari Academy, Chapter 14".

……

"Tokyo Hojo Junior High School, number 16."

……

"Kanagawa Aihara is number 1, number 11."

……

"Tokyo Star Oizumi, No. 5".

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"Kanagawa Izuka Middle School, No. 3."

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"Tokyo Seishun Academy, Number Two".

After the last school representative finished drawing lots, Kagura Ichijin nodded to Tani Yoshiki Shin, and the two quietly got up, preparing to leave this place of trouble.

"Kagura! I, the great one, will definitely lead Hyotei to victory over Rikkai and into the finals! You just wait, this time I will utterly defeat you!"

Just then, a loud, arrogant shout echoed throughout the conference room.

Atobe Keigo pointed at Kagura Ichijin, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

"..."

Kagura Ichijin paused, turned around helplessly, and looked at Atobe Keigo, who seemed to be under his own spotlight.

Has this guy never learned his lesson? Being so high-profile at this time will only make him a target of public criticism.

With Rikkai University drawing fire in front, they could have quietly made a fortune.

Now look what's happened, Atobe Keigo has directly exposed himself, and dragged him down with him as well.

"Really? I'll be waiting for that day."

Kagura Ichijin replied coldly, then pushed open the door and walked out without hesitation.

"Kagura, shall we head straight back?"

Gu Jimuxin followed, looking somewhat worried.

Kagura Ichijin clearly drew a good lot, but he became the focus of attention because of a single sentence from Atobe Keigo.

Yamabuki originally had a great chance of making it to the semifinals, but now that things have been disrupted, their future path may be much more difficult.

"Let's go back."

Kagura Ichijin sighed and walked towards the school gate.

Since things have come to this, there's no point in thinking about it anymore; we can only take it one step at a time.

"Ugh!"

Looking at Kagura's somewhat lonely figure, Tani Yoshiki Shin felt a pang of sadness.

The once spirited Kagura Ichijin seems to have been bound by invisible shackles ever since he became the club president.

Moreover, as Yamabuki's performance improved, the expectations from the school, coaches, and even teammates grew higher and higher, and all the pressure fell on the shoulders of this first-year student.

"Huh? Senior Guji, why are you stopping?"

Kagura Ichijin turned around and looked at Tani Yoshiki Shin, who had stopped, with a puzzled expression.

"Kagura, are you really that keen on making it to the national tournament?"

Gu Jimin hesitated for a moment, but still asked the question that had been bothering him.

Yamabuki hasn't made it to the national tournament for many years. Although there's a high chance this year, this obsession seems a bit too heavy.

"Of course, senior Taniji. Next year you and senior Ishimaru will be entering high school. If you don't get in this year, you'll never have a chance."

Kagura Ichijin's expression became unusually serious.

Even if these first-year regulars don't make it this year, they can make it next year, and if they don't make it next year, they can make it the year after. Sooner or later, they will make it to the national tournament.

But for the two senior students who will graduate next year, this is their last chance.

Tanigishi Shin and Ishimaru Kanto were very strong and could have easily gotten through the last year.

But these two senior students still trained hard, even harder than the freshmen. Why? Wasn't it for their dream of winning the national competition?

Since his seniors trust him so much, how could he possibly betray that trust?

"..."

Upon hearing these words, Gu Jimuxin was stunned. A warm feeling welled up in his heart, and his eyes became slightly hot.

"Senior, let's hurry up and go. Master Ban is still waiting for us to go back and report."

Kagura Ichijin smiled and gently nudged Tani Yoshiki Shin's back. The two walked side by side toward the bus stop near Rikkai University.

"Kagura-kun, wait a minute, I have something to ask you."

Just as Kagura Ijin and Tani Yoshiki Shin were about to step out of Rikkai University's gates, an urgent shout suddenly came from behind them.

Kagura Ichijin stopped and turned around in surprise.

What comes into view is a signature black baseball cap, beneath which is a face that appears cool and serious even in the sweltering summer heat.

"Sanada-kun, is there something you need?"

Kagura Ichijin raised an eyebrow as he watched Sanada Genichiro walk quickly towards him.

Genichiro Sanada stopped in front of the two and asked bluntly, "Where's Tezuka? Why can't I see him?"

As far as he knew, there were five spots available for the Kanto Tournament in the Tokyo area, and Seigaku was naturally among them.

He searched the venue for a long time but still couldn't find Tezuka Kunimitsu.

"Tezuka is not eligible to participate in today's lottery."

Kagura Ichijin gave a helpless, bitter smile.

The person representing Seigaku for the lottery this time is Yuta Yamato, and the other representative is the vice-captain, who is a third-year student.

How could Kunimitsu Tezuka, who hasn't even been selected as a regular student, be qualified to appear in this kind of occasion as a school representative?

"What? Tezuka isn't qualified? Are you kidding me?"

Sanada Genichiro's usually composed face was now filled with disbelief, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

With Tezuka Kunimitsu's abilities, he would be an ace in any school he went to.

Even if Tezuka Kunimitsu disdains vying for the captain's position, he is absolutely an indispensable core pillar of the team.

How could someone like that not even be qualified?

"I'm not kidding. Tezuka's situation is... a bit complicated. You probably won't be able to run into him in this year's Kanto Tournament."

Kagura Ichijin looked at Sanada Genichiro's unwilling eyes, a hint of amusement flashing in his own.

He knew very well that Genichiro Sanada was an extremely proud person.

The crushing defeat after the Jr. tournament has always been a thorn in Genichiro Sanada's side.

This guy trained so hard so that he could avenge his previous defeat and get revenge on Tezuka Kunimitsu.

Unfortunately, this idea was destined to fail.

"How could this happen..."

Genichiro Sanada's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists.

He trained so hard, but now he's being told that his opponent didn't even get a chance to play.

This feeling of powerlessness, like punching cotton, made his chest feel extremely tight.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Anyone who goes to Seigaku will end up like that, unless you're that person's son."

Kagura Ichijin shrugged, his tone carrying an undisguised sarcasm, while a hint of relief flickered in his eyes.

When he was choosing a school, he was lucky he didn't go to Seigaku, otherwise his fate wouldn't have been much better than Tezuka Kunimitsu's.

Whether it's fighting and dropping out of school, getting injured and hospitalized, or just picking up balls and wasting time, none of these are acceptable to him.

"What do you mean by that?"

Genichiro Sanada keenly grasped the deeper meaning in Kagura's words, and his brows furrowed even more.

Judging from Kagura Ichijin's tone, it seems that Tezuka Kunimitsu's days at Seigaku are not going well.

"It's nothing, Sanada-kun. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. We need to catch our train."

Kagura Ichijin didn't intend to explain too much; some things were best left unsaid, as saying too much would only make it seem like gossiping behind someone's back.

"..."

Genichiro Sanada watched Kagura Ichijin and Tani Yoshiki Shin's departing figures, then looked at the empty streets in the distance. He pulled down his hat brim, the gloom in his eyes lingering for a long time.