Chapter 33
After the Kanto tournament, the Rikkai University tennis club quickly became busy. The third-year players were especially nervous. This was their last chance to compete in the national tournament, and everyone wanted to give it their all.
Because the Kanto finals were delayed so far, the time before the national competition was very tight. The Rikkai University Tennis Club needed to make a new round of main draw schedule before the national competition.
Inside the club room, Seiichi Yukimura compared the previous match schedule, made some changes and created a new match schedule.
Yanagi Renji glanced at the battle schedule arranged by Yukimura without saying a word. He took the data book and continued to compile the threat level of the representative teams from each region.
"Take a look at this." Yukimura Seiichi spread out the form on the table.
It saves time and effort to group the doubles teams together. Most of the team members are at the bottom of the team, but they just switch positions. The players in Groups A and B are all at the forefront and eager to compete for the top spot.
Sanada could understand this arrangement. Except for the day when new students joined the club, there would be some preferential treatment for doubles in the main ranking tournament. Of course, there would also be preferential treatment for players who clearly showed their desire for the doubles position.
Except for daily practice, doubles competitors will not be placed in the singles sequence for the team's starting qualifiers.
However, there was a slight change in the team group match this time. According to the delay time, Sanada should be playing the last game of the team match with Yukimura at this point.
Now, Renji Yanagi is in Group A along with Seiichi Yukimura and waiting for the match.
Sanada frowned, his eyes moving back and forth between Yukimura Seiichi and Yanagi Renji. This grouping was definitely not accidental.
"It seems that I will have the opportunity to face off against the captain in this team competition." Yanagi Renji gently closed the data book, and he knew the reason why Yukimura grouped the groups like this.
For Yukimura's comeback match, it would be better to choose Sanada, and it would be best to announce it with a victory.
Yanagi Renji and Sanada can achieve the same effect in the Rikkai University tennis club, but when used on players from other schools, it is obvious that they are still deputy directors.
After seeing Yukimura's arrangement, Sanada was relieved. After all, facing Yukimura, Sanada really didn't know how to deal with it.
Yanagi Renji is a thoughtful person, so he naturally understands Yukimura's intentions and the impact of the Kanto Tournament.
Yukimura Seiichi's eyes narrowed. "Renji agreed. Sanada, what about you? I'd love to see how much you've changed in this time, but preparations for the entire country are more important. Let's take them one at a time."
"I have no objection." Sanada took out the main draw match schedule that all three of them had agreed upon.
The two doubles teams that had finished their required training and were in free training saw what Sanada was holding and surrounded him.
Kirihara Akaya followed behind and looked at his name. "Ah~ This time I'm in the same group with Vice Minister Sanada. Great! I must defeat the three giants of Rikkai University, starting with the Vice Minister."
"This group is easy. Jackal, you can just give up when the time comes. You can't beat me anyway." Marui Bunta found the name in the list and also saw Jackal Kuwabara's.
The jackal Kuwahara kept pulling at Marui Bunta, and since Vice Minister Sanada was still there, they had to talk about it in private.
Hearing Marui Bunta's voice, Niou Masaharu guessed his grouping. If nothing unexpected happened, his opponent would be Yagyu. It was just that the A and B groups were different than Niou Masaharu had expected. "Pfft~ What a shame."
"This time it's in Group D, the time is..." Yagyu Hiroshi carefully checked the date and match of the competition.
Sanada made sure all the main draw players had seen the main draw match schedule and asked, "If you have no objections, go ahead and post it."
This battle list is a formula that is familiar to Rikkai University regulars. You can tell at a glance that it was created by Yukimura.
No one raised any objections, so Sanada posted the form on the tennis club's bulletin board that same day.
In front of the bulletin board, the players of the Rikkai University Tennis Club gathered around the newly posted match schedule and discussed the upcoming matches.
"There are so many people, it seems that this competition will be very intense~ But it's not that easy to get a starting position." Marui Fumita chewed bubble gum and looked at the golden members of the tennis club.
Jackal Kuwabara packed up his training gear and waved goodbye. "Let's go, Bunta."
"Niou, I have to prepare for the game in advance." Yagyu Hiroshi pushed his glasses, turned and walked out of the court.
Niou Masaharu nodded in response to Yagyu Hiroshi and decided to try out his new idea before the national competition. He glanced at the list,
Apart from Yagyu, there are few strong opponents in Group D.
Kirihara Akaya was eager to make a move. "Wait for me! Vice Minister Sanada."
"Kirihara! Don't slack off during the English test." Sanada's sudden reminder made Kirihara Akaya's eyes clear.
Kirihara Akaya walked off the court stiffly with his racket in his hand, and there was no trace of English letters in his mind.
On the other hand, Seigaku, whose time was almost the same as Rikkai University, first welcomed back Kunimitsu Tezuka who had recovered from his hand injury, and then held the same school competition.
Fuji Shusuke constantly reflected and adjusted on the Seigaku training grounds. In the match against Rikkai University, his triple return, while powerful, seemed lacking against Sanada. "Find new breakthroughs and elevate my skills to the next level."
Atobe Keigo of Hyotei has obtained a place in the Tokyo selection and is working hard to improve his strength.
Other schools in various districts across the country are also preparing for the upcoming national competition.
Like Shiraishi Kuranosuke and others at Shitenhoji, the schools participating in the national competition prioritized Rikkai University, which had won two consecutive championships, as the biggest stumbling block on the road to victory, and formulated strategies...
At this time, the Rikkai University Tennis Club is making its final sprint for the national competition.
"Group D, Niou forfeit, Yagyu wins."
"Group C, Marui wins, 6 to 2!"
Niou Masaharu, who was fixing his braids and not even heading to the competition venue, asked, "Didn't we agree to forfeit the competition? How did we get into this fight?"
"Think about it, it won't take much effort to have a fight. I practice with Jackal every day anyway." Marui Bunta could feel Sanada's gaze looking at him from the edge of the court even though he was several courts away.
Sanada's serious aura was a positive boost for Niou Masaharu. If he hadn't heard Marui Bunta's plan, Niou Masaharu would have considered a match with Yagyu Hiroshi. "I changed my mind, so tell me in advance. Now I'll be the only one to bear Sanada's wrath. Pfft~"
"You're not afraid. Besides, how can the data from outdoor stadium games be counted?" Marui Fumita muttered secretly while pointing at the visitors from other schools.
Although he said this, the invisible pressure from Sanada still made Marui Bunta unconsciously speed up his pace and move away from Niou Masaharu.
The finals of the remaining two groups, A and B, were held indoors. Group A consisted of Yukimura Seiichi and Yanagi Renji, while Group B consisted of Sanada and Kirihara Akaya.
Sanada called Kirihara Akaya to enter the court first with a racket in hand, and the lights focused on the center of the court.
"End of the game, cut to the original serve!"
Kirihara Akaya tossed the ball high in the air and swung hard, sending it hurtling towards Sanada with a powerful spin.
Sanada caught the ball steadily and hit it back.
Marui Fumita tilted his head. "Kirhara is really serious. He starts with an irregular serve."
"You're even using small steps on one leg. Aren't you afraid that you won't have enough energy to keep up?" Jackal Sangyuan looked worriedly at the people running back and forth in the field.
Kirihara Akaya also immersed himself in the game, keeping his eyes fixed on the movements on the court.
Sanada dodged and saved the ball almost as it landed, responding with a brilliant lob that caught Kirihara off guard.
"15-0, Sanada leads!"
Yukimura Seiichi nodded slightly on the sidelines, quite satisfied with Kirihara Akaya's performance. Although he lost points, Kirihara Akaya had improved a lot. He couldn't compare with Sanada, but changing his opponent would show his growth during this period.
Yanagi Renji stood by, notebook in hand, quickly recording key statistics from the match. "The match won't be long. Sanada will definitely make time to watch Yukimura's match. Keep pressing him. Kirihara is about to enter Red Eyes mode."
As Yanagi Renji expected, Kirihara Akaya gradually showed signs of Red Eye Mode under the suppression of Sanada's skills.
"2-0, Sanada leads!"
Relying on his rich experience and solid foundation, Sanada controlled the rhythm of the game, and Kirihara Akaya's attack failed to turn into points.
Kirihara Akaya was not discouraged, but instead aroused a stronger fighting spirit. His eyes became blazing and his breathing became rapid.
"Bang!" The ball hit the racket with a loud bang. Sanada successfully saved the ball at the sideline and responded with a quick volley.
The decision sounded in the arena, announcing that Sanada had scored another point.
Once in Red Eye Mode, Kirihara Akaya's strength increases dramatically, and he uses his increased speed, strength, and focus to constantly engage Sanada.
Sanada remained calm and composed. Facing Kirihara Akaya's fierce attack, he didn't panic at all, but instead focused on the details of the return. "Invasion like fire!"
A powerful return shot directly hit the tennis ball on Kirihara Akaya's backhand, forcing his opponent to make a mistake.
"The match is over, 6-0, Sanada wins!"
The players watching on the sidelines were inspired by the intense competition and kept applauding.
Sanada walked to the front of the net and extended his hand to Kirihara Akaya.
Kirihara Akaya exited Red-Eye Mode after the match and shook hands again. "Vice-Minister, I'll be the winner next time."
"You're really driven, but that's also Kirihara's strength, never giving up." Niou Masaharu turned his head and looked at those preparing to play. You know, few people want to experience the skills of Yukimura-san, so only Kirihara Akaya would keep fighting despite repeated defeats.
Yanagi Renji put away the recorded data and picked up the racket.
The Group B match ended and the Group A final began.
The duel between Yukimura Seiichi and Yanagi Renji is undoubtedly the one that everyone is most looking forward to.
Sanada made room and stood behind Yukimura.
Yukimura Seiichi and Yanagi Renji stood on each side of the net, and the spectators around them held their breath.
The closest distance to the sidelines of the field was crowded with people. Everyone wanted to see the strength of the Son of God and whether he had changed after experiencing illness.
Seiichi Yukimura gently shook the racket in his hand and put on his coat.
Yanagi Renji stared at Yukimura with a focused look on his face.
Yukimura Seiichi served the ball and swung his racket. The tennis ball traced a beautiful arc in the air and landed neatly in the opponent's court.
Yanagi Renji reacted quickly and hit the ball back. The match with Yukimura didn't allow for a few extra innings.
The tennis ball flew back and forth across the court, and with every ball, Yanagi Renji was constantly improving and summarizing during the match.
Yukimura Seiichi is able to handle himself with ease even when facing an opponent like Yanagi Renji who is known for his statistics.
"3-0, Yukimura leads!"
Yanagi Renji adjusted his strategy, trying to find an opportunity to break through Yukimura's defense.
Seiichi Yukimura kept returning the ball and exerting pressure.
Niou Masaharu was the first to react to Yukimura Seiichi's scattered mental energy, covering his head and refusing to watch the game. "Yips."
"Oh~ Yukimura made a move." Marui Bunta was not as sensitive as Niou Masaharu, but it could be seen from his reaction that the military advisor had made many small mistakes that he shouldn't have made.
This isn't a match like the Kanto finals, where you can just score an extra point by lowering the circuit.
Jackal Kuwabara silently cheered for Yanagi Renji in his heart and did not shout out loud to disturb the game.
Under pressure from Yukimura Seiichi, Yanagi Renji displayed a precise grasp of data. Relying on data analysis, Yanagi Renji was able to return the ball even when he had lost some of his perception.
Yanagi Renji's return requires careful calculation, without excessive force, and with deliberately applied spin and guesswork.
Yukimura Seiichi's excellent prediction allows him to send the ball to the position where Yanagi Renji is most difficult to deal with at the most appropriate time.
"5-0, Yukimura leads!"
At this point, Yanagi Renji could no longer hear any sound from the outside world. Yukimura's match was a test of his own strength and will.
Yanagi Renji exhaled, concentrated his energy, and prepared for a final fight. This was the world Yanagi Renji wanted to convey to Inui Sadaharu: data tennis still needed to evolve.
A faint smile played across Yukimura Seiichi's lips, his swing of the racket revealing composure and confidence. "Last ball, Renji."
Yanagi Ren held the racket with his second hand, even though his five senses were affected.
Yukimura Seiichi's serve was slow, but the trajectory was incredibly tricky. Yanagi Renji moved quickly and managed to get the ball back. However, Yukimura Seiichi was already waiting at the net, and a brilliant volley ended the match.
"The game is over, 6-0, Yukimura wins!"
Yukimura's playing style is elegant and sharp, and he is still so powerful.
One game proved that the Son of God is still as charming as ever.
Despite his defeat, Yanagi Renji's face showed no regret, but rather a sense of relief and a sense of enlightenment. This match with Yukimura Seiichi was a test of data tennis, and it gave Yanagi Renji a new perspective on the subject.
Sanada looked around the court. After Yukimura showed his strength, the haze hanging over the Rikkai University Tennis Club disappeared, as if they had returned to the invincible era of two consecutive championships.
"Next up, it's the national tournament." Yukimura Seiichi put away his racket, his eyes gleaming with determination to win. "At the national tournament, we're definitely going to win the third consecutive championship."
The members responded one after another, and in the end the contestants for the main competition remained unchanged, but the morale was high.
With the conclusion of the A and B finals, the Rikkai University Tennis Club's intramural tournament concluded successfully. The players packed up their belongings and prepared for the upcoming national competition.
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