Chapter 29

Torrential rain fell for several days, shrouding the entire Kanto region in a continuous curtain of rain. The school's training ground was flooded and unusable, forcing the team to practice basic physical fitness and skills indoors.

Sanada sat in a corner of the training room, staring through the window at the gray sky outside.

The sound of raindrops hitting the windowpane was a resounding one, echoing the weight of Sanada's mood. He didn't know what would happen if the match dragged on, but Sanada decided not to hold back this time and give it his all in pursuit of victory.

The rain ended when Yukimura returned to the team. The moment Yukimura Seiichi stepped into the training room, it seemed as if an invisible force dispelled the dullness and depression.

Yukimura wore a gentle smile on his face as he reminisced with his teammates who often visited him. "Everyone~ Long time no see."

"Yukimura!" "Minister Yukimura!"...

The Rikkai University team members gathered around to check the situation.

Sanada stood up and walked over to Yukimura, worry in his eyes. "This time Yukimura came back earlier."

Yukimura smiled and nodded, giving Sanada a reassuring look in return, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Thank you for your hard work while I was away."

"Are you sure it's okay?" asked Yanagi Renji.

Kirihara Akaya squeezed his way to the front from the back row. "Boss Yukimura, welcome back."

"Pfft~ Captain Yukimura, the military advisor has added a lot of training during your rest days." Niou Masaharu winked mischievously.

Yukimura's smile widened upon hearing this. "Really? Then it seems everyone has become much stronger."

"Of course, Minister." Marui Fumita patted his chest confidently.

Yukimura's gentle yet powerful voice instantly captured everyone's attention. "It seems you didn't slack off during my break. No need to wait for you to give me the trophy later. The most important thing now is to prepare for the upcoming Kanto Finals and face every opponent at our best."

"Yes, Minister Yukimura!"

Yukimura's sudden return gave Rikkai University a shot in the arm and inspired the team's fighting spirit.

After all, Yukimura is the leader of the Rikkai University Big Three. Both Sanada and Yanagi Renji have lost to Yukimura in school competitions. Yukimura is the spiritual pillar of the Rikkai University team.

The three giants of Rikkai University gathered together to train with their teammates who were full of fighting spirit.

Sanada spoke first: "Yukimura."

"Genichirō, I am very clear about my own condition, don't worry." Yukimura smiled lightly.

Sanada frowned, clearly still worried about Yukimura's health. "But, your body..."

"I have recovered well, Genichirō. Besides, I don't necessarily need to play in this match. In the past three years, except for the period when I was sick, my appearance rate in the main competitions has been clear." Yukimura interrupted Sanada, his tone full of determination.

Yanagi Renji nodded silently. "Yukimura is right, but since Yukimura is planning to play, the order of the remaining battles needs to be rearranged."

Sanada was silent for a moment, then gave in. Aside from his impulsive behavior at the hospital, Sanada had never once gone against Yukimura's opinion on a decision.

Yanagi Renji pushed his glasses and began to analyze. Since Yukimura might appear, he must be playing a one-on-one match. "If we want to settle things with Kan, we need to recalculate."

"Just wait and see, Yanagi. For Rikkai University, the only goal is victory." Yukimura's voice was calm and firm, as if Rikkai University should have been the winner.

The Kanto finals were scheduled for the morning of the second day when the sky cleared up and the sun shone through the clouds onto the tennis court.

The Rikkai University team gathered at the old place, sitting on the seats in the restaurant of the tennis park, waiting for the game to start for the third time.

Marui Fumita stretched. "Finally, we can compete. This has been dragging on for so long."

"Don't forget to warm up later, Bunta." Jackal Kuwahara prepared towels and water in advance.

Kirihara Akaya looked listless and not very excited about the upcoming game.

The return of Yukimura is a good thing, but there are only three singles players in the Kanto finals this time. Kirihara Akaya's position as the Big Three is almost impossible to shake, so this time he has to make way for Yukimura.

Of course, this was the idea that Yanagi Renji conveyed to Kirihara Akaya. Yanagi Renji didn't tell anyone about the real plan except letting Yukimura know a little bit.

Yagyu Hiroshi took out his usual racket. "Niou, what are you looking at?"

"Of course it's Seigaku. They're not in a hurry and aren't late this time." Niou Masaharu pointed to the Seigaku people standing at the registration desk.

Yukimura stood on the sidelines, his gaze deep, feeling the power surging through his body. Although there was almost no chance of him playing in the match, this feeling was something he hadn't felt in a long time. "Let's go, Sanada."

Sanada nodded and followed Yukimura. The two of them took steady and powerful steps, approaching step by step under the gaze of everyone in Seigaku.

The return of Seiichi Yukimura is not only a boost to the team's strength, but also a huge spiritual encouragement.

At this moment, everyone at Seigaku noticed Rikkai University's arrival, and the atmosphere instantly became tense. Everyone knew that this Kanto finals would be a tough battle.

The members of Seigaku looked at each other, and the atmosphere was heavy.

While the initial encounter with Rikkai University had given them the motivation to reach the finals, they were actually less confident. The second time around, they had more time to prepare and were ready to give it their all. The third time around, their morale was tempered by a sense of trepidation. After all, Rikkai University's strength was evident, especially with the return of their captain, Yukimura Seiichi, placing unprecedented pressure on the Seigaku team.

The two sides lined up, and Sanada stood silently beside Yukimura. The vice-president of Rikkai University, who used to have such a strong aura that even the air seemed to freeze, made the president of Rikkai University look unfathomable.

"The match between Rikkai University High School and Seishun Gakuen will now begin..."

Following the referee's announcement, the spectators breathed a sigh of relief.

Yamabuki Junior High School student Sengoku Kiyosumi found a spot with a good view. "Lucky~ I came out just in time."

"I didn't expect the Kanto finals to stop twice." Dongfang Yamei looked at her partner.

Minami Kentaro tilted his head. "Lucky Sengoku! We missed two trips."

The people from Bingdi occupied a large and spacious area.

"It's really not glamorous. Right, Karachi." Atobe Keigo glanced at the many intelligence agents from other schools who were hiding and collecting information.

Huadi responded: "Yes."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, this is Yukimura's first game back at Rikkai University. Even if the chances of him playing are slim, everyone wants to test it out." Ozuki Yuushi chuckled.

Akutagawa Jiro couldn't take his eyes off Marui Bunta. He wasn't sleepy at all today, staring at his idol in the Rikkai University rest area with shining eyes. "Bunta is so cool."

Of course, the Rikkai University match was not complete without the entire Fudomine team being accidentally injured by their captain.

Kamio Akira clearly supports Rikkai University's opponent. "Keep going, Seigaku!"

Fudomine's teammates all echoed.

"Always win! Rikkai University!"

"Let's go! Let's go! Rikkai University! Take the lead and win first place!"...

The audience gradually quieted down and focused their attention on the center of the court.

Kunimitsu Tezuka of Seigaku was still absent, and vice-captain Oishi Shuichiro stepped forward on behalf of the team.

Oishi Shuichiro stood there stiffly, very nervous. "Please, please give me more guidance."

Rikkai University's captain, Yukimura Seiichi, slowly walked to the front of the court, his smile as usual, his tone gentle but undeniable: "Oishi-kun, I'm looking forward to the match against Seigaku."

Without waiting for Oishi Shuichiro to react, Yukimura Seiichi turned back to Rikkai University's half of the court and calmly sat in the coach's chair, waiting for the game to begin.

Hideichiro Oishi stared blankly at the departing back of Seiichi Yukimura, and it took him a while to realize that he had to vacate the competition venue.

"Double 2 Rikkai Daininou Yagyu vs. Seigaku Kaido Momoshiro, Momoshiro serves."

Momoshiro quickly got into the game. Although the combination of Momoshiro Kaido was not as well-coordinated as that of Oishi Kikumaru, they also had unique tactics and coordination.

At least they could choose the most suitable doubles position from among the various combinations in Seigaku.

Momoshiro's powerful serve went straight in, and Niou Masaharu jumped lightly and easily hit the ball back.

Kaidou Xun followed closely behind, using his unique snake ball technique to make the ball's trajectory unpredictable.

Hiroshi Yagyu stabilized Rikkai University's position with his accurate prediction and steady return.

Yagyu Hiroshi's glasses caught the light and he glanced at Niou. "How's your observation?"

"Let's start with Momojo. It's too obvious, an emotional type." Niou Masaharu immediately came up with two or three strategies.

Firstly, Seigaku's doubles pairings were not fixed, and in the early days, they were primarily focused on singles. This combined with the two players left a lot of room for maneuver. Furthermore, according to the military advisor, Momoshiro's direct style of play, while Kaidou's steady, made them strong rivals... Apart from anything else, Momoshiro's strokes were easier to track.

Of course, using Phantom to change styles is a good idea, but the opponent won't be able to arrange the real person. There's a player on Shonan's team who has a similar style, but it can't compare to Phantom. It's just that the effectiveness is discounted. "Using the same method to cover up is actually not bad. But forget it~ It's more interesting to save it for a bigger stage."

A sly smile appeared on Niou Masaharu's lips.

Sanada turned his head away. It was obvious that Niou Masaharu had a solution.

Seiichi Yukimura, sitting in the coach's seat, was watching the game on the field with a calm look, as if he had seen through the subsequent direction of the game.

Masaharu Niou and Hiroshi Yagyu cooperated to feed the ball to Takeshi Momoshiro, but they only gave insignificant small points to boost the mood.

Taocheng Wu fell into the trap and chased and attacked with high emotions. "Vertical jump attack!"

"Game Qingxue Momocheng Kaidou, 30-40!"

Seeing this, Kaidou Xun frowned, feeling something was wrong, but Momoshiro's attack was too fierce and he couldn't stop it at all.

"Game Tatekai Dainin Wang Yagyu, 3-0!"

Niou Masaharu and Yagyu Hiroshi took advantage of Momoshiro Takeshi's impatience, constantly adjusting his position and looking for flaws.

"Kaidou, Momoshiro, calm down!" Kawamura Takashi shouted with the help of the racket.

When Takeshi Momoshiro heard Takeshi Kawamura's shout-like reminder, he quickly adjusted his mentality and tried to get rid of the feeling of being led by the nose.

Kaidou Xun took a deep breath, determined not to let Momoshiro fight alone. He used the Hajime ball he had mastered during special training with all his might, trying to break the deadlock.

"Game Seigaku Momojo Kaido, 2-4!"

Yagyu Hiroshi turned his head to look at Niou Masaharu. "Change tactics?"

Niou Masaharu shook his hand. "No need. No need to force the ball. Just counterattack."

Yagyu responded to Kaidou Kaoru's snake ball with a precise interception, while Niou was looking for a flaw on the side and made a fatal blow.

Niou Masaharu planned to retain some of his strength, so Yagyu Hiroshi went all out. "Laser beam."

Hiroshi Yagyu's ball speed suddenly increased, like a laser cutting through the court, hitting Kaidou Kaoru's baseline, returning the previous wave ball.

"Game Tatekai Dainin Wang Yagyu, 5-2!"

Masaharu Niou and Hiroshi Yagyu did not give the second-year pair of Seigaku a chance to breathe, and with a tacit cooperation, they won the game.

Although Kaidou Xun fought back with all his might, his speed was still a little inferior, and the ball fell to the ground and flew out of the court.

"Game Tatekai Dainin Wang Yagyu, 6-2!"

Kaidou Xun and Momoshiro Takeshi looked at each other with unwillingness in their eyes and walked off the field.

Niou Masaharu twisted his braid around his head and stood in front of Yukimura with Yagyu Hiroshi.

Yukimura Seiichi smiled at his teammates. "Get some rest, Niou and Yagyu. The next match will be between Marui and Jackal."

The opening match was glossed over lightly, as if the result was destined to be that way.