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

One day later, Okayama Junior High School, Okayama Prefecture, Chubu region.

When Kagura Ijin and Tani Yoshiki Shin finally stood in front of the slightly dilapidated gate of Okayama Oku Junior High School, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally arrived... This place is way too remote."

Kagura Ichijin looked overjoyed.

Fortunately, he and Gu Jimusin had arranged a meeting point in advance to come together. If he had come alone, he didn't know how long it would have taken him to find this place.

The draw ceremony for this year's national competition was held at this high school.

Next, school representatives from major regions including Kanto, Kansai, Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kitashin-Etsu, Tokai, Chubu, Shikoku, and Kyushu will gather here to decide their respective fates.

"There's nothing we can do. Okayama Oku was the national champion last year. That's the privilege of being a champion."

Gu Jimin glanced at the somewhat dilapidated school building, his face full of emotion.

Who knew there was such an obscure school in the central region before?

But ever since that monster named Oni Jujiro led Okayama to a stunning upset victory, the school's name has spread throughout the country.

Originally, the central region was just an insignificant supporting player in the national competition, with only one spot available.

But with the emergence of Oku Okayama as a dark horse, the landscape was instantly rewritten.

This year, the number of slots for the Chubu region has increased to three, which is now on par with the Tokai region and second only to the Kansai region, which has always had a large number of slots.

"Ugh! It's really unpleasant to travel all the way to another school to draw lots. Senior Guji, let's go find the place to draw lots quickly."

Kagura Ichijin sighed helplessly, adjusted his tennis bag, and stepped into the gate of Okayama Olympic School, heading towards the office building indicated on the sign.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Unless we become the champions and have next year's draw ceremony held in Yamabuki, we'll just have to put up with it."

Gu Jimu Xin followed closely beside Kagura Yiren, looking around at the surroundings as they walked.

The campus environment of Okayama Oku is indeed very average. It's not even comparable to those wealthy private elite schools in Tokyo, and even Yamabuki is much better.

The playground was somewhat old, and the landscaping looked rather haphazard, completely failing to reflect the grandeur of a champion school.

Soon, the two followed the signs and found the conference room located on the second floor of the office building.

Pushing open the somewhat heavy wooden door, a solemn atmosphere immediately greets you.

A dozen pairs of sharp eyes turned towards them simultaneously, scrutinizing representatives from top schools across the country, their gazes filled with undisguised coldness and a sense of competition.

Kagura Ichijin remained unfazed, as if he hadn't noticed the stares, and walked straight to an empty seat in a corner to sit down.

He put down his tennis bag and silently observed everyone present, his eyes calm and profound.

After an unknown amount of time, a flurry of footsteps sounded as the last few school representatives, who were late, hurriedly arrived.

Immediately afterwards, the organizers' staff and reporters carrying cameras and microphones entered the venue one after another, and the previously noisy conference room became quiet.

"The national competition draw ceremony is now officially beginning. First, please invite the representative from Okayama Junior High School in the Chubu region to come up on stage to draw lots."

The staff member placed a tightly sealed cardboard box on the table, cleared his throat, and announced in a loud voice.

"Senior Guji, what number are we in the draw?"

As the representative of Okayama Oku walked onto the stage with an arrogant expression, Kagura Ichijin frowned slightly and asked in a low voice.

He astutely noticed that those who were called up to draw lots first were all schools that had achieved excellent results in the national competition last year.

Following closely behind Okayama Oku are Makinofuji and Maikozaka from the Kansai region.

"It should be quite far back in the list."

Gu Jimu Xin's face showed bitterness.

How could he not know the importance of the order of the draw? The earlier the draw, the more choices there are, and the easier it is to avoid those strong schools.

Unfortunately, this is Yamabuki's first time making it to the national tournament. It's estimated that they'll have to wait until all the schools that made it to the top eight last year have been drawn before it's the turn of the regional champion schools.

"Ugh!"

Kagura Ichijin sighed, his gaze fixed on the cardboard box that would decide his fate.

Then, the names of Kuroshio, Kabuto, and Shitenhoji in the Kansai region, Shishiraku in the Kyushu region, Rikkai University in the Kanto region, and so on, were read out one by one.

Soon, the huge whiteboard was covered with dense school names.

When it was finally Kagura Yiren's turn to go on stage, there weren't many seats left for him.

Whether you're drawn into the upper or lower bracket, you'll find yourself surrounded by formidable and troublesome opponents.

Tsubakigawa Academy in Hokkaido, St. Icarus Academy in the Tohoku region, Kushimaki-Higashi in the Shikoku region, and Echigo-Heiji in the Kitashin-Etsu region.

After representatives from schools such as the Shimizu Affiliated School of Joshu University in the Tokai region and Takagi Gakuin in the Kyushu region completed their draws, the long and tense lottery ceremony finally came to an end.

"Kagura, we were pretty lucky. At least we avoided those schools that made it into the top eight in the country last year in the first round."

Looking at the match schedule that was already covered with all the participating schools, Gu Jimin carefully checked it, nodded slightly, and breathed a sigh of relief.

This year, a total of 21 schools participated in the national competition, with the Kansai region leading the pack with seven schools making it to the finals.

There are three schools each in the Tokai region and the Chubu region.

There are two schools in the Kanto region and the Kyushu region.

The remaining regions of Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kitashin-Etsu, and Shikoku each have a single specimen.

This shows how terrifying the Kansai region is. If it weren't for Okayama Oku's sudden emergence and defeat of Makino Fuji last year, the Kansai region would probably have continued to monopolize the national championship.

"Let's not let our guard down. Schools that can fight their way out of various regions and make it to the national competition are definitely not easy. Senior Guji, let's go, we still need to catch the Shinkansen back."

Kagura Ichijin withdrew his gaze, stood up abruptly, and walked out of the conference room without the slightest hesitation.

The Chubu region is just too far from Tokyo; the journey alone is exhausting.

Unfortunately, this year's national tournament will be held in Aichi Prefecture in the Chubu region. Unless they withdraw, they are destined to suffer the hardship of traveling.

"Sigh, another two-hour journey."

Gu Jimin gave a wry smile and followed.

In the two years leading up to their victory at the Okayama Olympics, Makino Fuji dominated the national championships. Back then, the draws always went to the Kansai region, which was closer to the Chubu region.

However, for them, who live in the Kanto region, going anywhere is a long journey, so there is not much difference.

"Kagura-kun, wait a minute, are you guys going back?"

Just as Kagura Ikari and Tani Yoshiki Shin had walked out of the conference room, a gentle voice came from behind them.

Kagura Ichijin stopped and turned around, seeing Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichiro quickly catching up.

"That's right, we're going to take the Shinkansen. What about you? Are you taking a plane or something else?"

Kagura Ichijin looked at the two core figures of Rikkai University in front of him without any surprise.

The representatives who draw lots on behalf of the school are usually the head and deputy head of the tennis department of each school, which is why it is always him and Guji Muxin who draw lots.

There are only two spots available in the Kanto region this time, so it's inevitable that we'll run into Rikkai University here.

"Let's go together, let's take the Shinkansen too."

Yukimura Seiichi smiled slightly. Although they were fierce rivals in the Kanto Tournament, the situation was different now.

The draw results for the National Tournament have been finalized, with Rikkai University placed in the lower half of the bracket and Yamabuki University in the upper half.

Unless both teams manage to advance to the finals, they definitely won't meet.

"OK."

Kagura Ichijin nodded, without refusing.

The four of them turned around and walked towards the school gate of Okayama Oku.

This year, the Kanto region's performance in the national tournament will depend entirely on how far Yamabuki and Rikkai go.