It was as if the dust had settled.
But it was completely different from before.
“Vice Captain!!!”
“The Vice Captain is so strong!!!”
“Hiss, it’s finally over. I feel like I was being slowly tortured.”
“I’m starting to doubt if my tennis is even my tennis anymore.”
“…”
And the moment Atobe Keigo made the announcement,
everyone involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, they didn’t have to face that oppressive force anymore.
And at this moment,
everyone’s attitude towards Songgang Rin was also completely different.
If before, it was because of Atobe Keigo,
then now, it was a heartfelt recognition of Songgang Rin’s existence as the Vice Captain.
“Tch, this is nothing,”
Seeing everyone’s expression, Atobe Keigo pouted, “Rin hasn’t even gotten serious yet. From beginning to end, besides the serve and return… Rin’s position hasn’t changed by more than a meter.”
“What?!”
As Atobe Keigo’s words fell,
everyone instinctively looked in the direction where Songgang Rin had been standing.
Sure enough.
In that spot, Songgang Rin’s footprints hadn’t moved more than a meter!
“Hiss!”
Everyone gasped.
And this time, besides surprise, there was also pride and anticipation.
Shishido Ryo was full of surprise, then looked at Atobe Keigo curiously and asked,
“Captain, do you know what Sensory Tennis is? Do you know what it means for Sensory Tennis to be like breathing? Can you control the tennis ball once you achieve Sensory Tennis? Can you become like the Vice Captain?”
As Shishido Ryo asked, the others also looked over.
Atobe Keigo’s mouth twitched.
“Rin said that?”
As he spoke, Atobe Keigo glanced in Songgang Rin’s direction, his eyelids starting to twitch.
“Don’t listen to that monster.”
Atobe Keigo looked at the expectant crowd in front of him, “That guy Rin is a freak, and a monster!”
“He’s been learning tennis… for a shorter time than any of us.”
“Right now, it should only be about a year!”
“And what he said about Sensory Tennis, controlling the tennis ball… that’s something only a monster can do.”
Atobe Keigo pouted and continued, “Rin’s talent in tennis is incredibly unreasonable.”
“What?!”
Everyone took a deep breath, utterly astonished.
The Vice Captain, who had just completely crushed them, had only been learning tennis for about a year!??
“Hiss…”
“The Vice Captain is so strong. Is his strength comparable to that God’s Child?”
“Is the Vice Captain stronger than the Captain?”
“Speaking of which, we really have a chance at the national championship later!?”
“Even if there’s no chance this year, there will be next year… After all, the Vice Captain’s talent is a bit too excessive!”
Everyone started discussing animatedly, a bit excited.
The so-called God’s Child was the Captain of Rikkaidai Junior High School in Kanagawa Prefecture — Seiichi Yukimura!
He was also almost universally recognized as the strongest junior high student!
Surpassing the upperclassmen, he was the strongest junior high student!
Because this year’s Kanto champion was Rikkaidai!
Yes, it was Rikkaidai, not Hyotei.
Hyotei was only the runner-up because they lost to Rikkaidai.
In fact, in Atobe Keigo’s match against Seiichi Yukimura, the score was only… 1:6!
Seiichi Yukimura, a complete victory!
“Tch! Next time, this great me might not lose to him!”
Amidst the crowd’s discussions, Atobe Keigo pouted in dissatisfaction.
Yet, he showed no signs of trying to cover up his previous defeat.
A loss was a loss. He was outmatched and didn’t want to make excuses for his failure.
This was Atobe Keigo’s pride.
“Seiichi Yukimura, huh?”
Songgang Rin’s pupils flickered slightly upon hearing this.
To be honest, he was also a bit curious about this God’s Child.
Although he only belatedly realized a year ago that this was the Prince of Tennis world and began learning tennis, and due to the passage of time, his memory of Prince of Tennis wasn’t very clear.
But he still knew about Seiichi Yukimura.
In the original work, the two-time consecutive national champion, Seiichi Yukimura, was the Captain of Rikkaidai, who laid the foundation for all of it!
Of course, the current timeline was two years earlier, so these were all events yet to happen.
“I wonder, if I met him now, who would be stronger?”
Songgang Rin was a bit expectant.
Although he had caught up in just one short year,
he believed that there would still be others who had also reached this level.
And as Songgang Rin pondered,
the gazes of the crowd upon him grew increasingly reverent.
However, Songgang Rin paid no attention to any of this.
…
In the tennis world,
news about tennis itself spread very quickly.
Not to mention, the protagonist was Songgang Rin.
A person who, even after joining Seigaku, was still noticed by everyone.
On one hand, it was because Songgang Rin became the only first-year regular at Seigaku.
On the other hand, it was because…
Songgang Rin’s own appearance was simply too striking!
Whether it was other schools, Hyotei, or even the former Seigaku,
there were simply too, too many people paying attention to Songgang Rin.
So, even if Songgang Rin himself didn’t deliberately leak this information,
this news had already spread like a virus, permeating all corners of Tokyo.
…
This was Seigaku.
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
The second and third-year seniors were constantly swinging their rackets and hitting balls.
At the same time, they were giving instructions with angry and impatient expressions—
“First-years over there, pick up the balls faster! At this slow pace, how will you play tennis in the future!?”
“First-years, pay attention! Be more perceptive! Didn’t you see the tennis ball fly into the bushes? Do I have to open my mouth for you to move, huh?”
“Tsk tsk, with you guys, you want to become regulars?”
“…”
Command after command.
Oishi Shuichiro, Kikumaru Eiji, and the others looked at each other, seeing the discomfort and bewilderment on each other’s faces.
Yes, they were truly uncomfortable!
Because just yesterday, when Songgang Rin was still here,
even though they, the first-years, had very few opportunities to train on court, they could still swing their rackets themselves.
But now… they could only pick up balls!
Everything had changed!
This made them truly unable to adapt.
But this was just the beginning.
Soon, with a piece of news, the entire Seigaku fell into a deathly silence.
“Songgang Rin has joined Hyotei!!!”
Someone’s voice rang out, though it was unclear whose.
The entire Seigaku tennis club instantly fell silent.
Even the second and third-year seniors who had just been ordering them around were like this.
Fuji Syusuke and Tezuka Kunimitsu, who were picking up balls, instantly froze, both a bit stunned.
They suddenly realized with stark clarity…
Songgang Rin was truly not coming back to Seigaku!
And this was just the beginning!