[Ding! Congratulations, Master, on becoming the captain of Seigaku's tennis club. You have successfully bound Seigaku Tennis Club and unlocked the Team Rune function.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Master, on obtaining: Training Rune.]
"Holy crap!"
"Aren't you just a 'Binding & Refund System'? Since when do you have a training mode?!"
Yoru's eyes widened in shock.
[Binding is not limited to 'Chosen Ones'—it also applies to teams.]
"That's… amazing."
Yoru was stunned.
Is this system spoiling its host now?
He shook his head, dismissing the wild thought—after all, nearly a hundred club members were staring at him.
Taking a deep breath, Yoru spoke with firm determination: "Now that I'm captain, I'll make our goal clear—we're aiming for a National Three-Peat!"
A National Three-Peat?!
The team froze.
Even the previous captain's most ambitious goal had only been to reach the Kanto Tournament—and they hadn't even made it past the District Preliminaries.
No one denied Yoru's strength.
But the National Tournament was a team competition. No matter how strong one person was, they couldn't carry an entire team to victory.
Even qualifying for Nationals seemed impossible, let alone winning three times in a row.
For a moment, even the regulars looked uneasy.
It wasn't that they didn't want to believe—but reality was harsh.
Yoru wasn't surprised by their reaction.
After years of poor results, declaring a Nationals victory sounded like pure delusion.
"If I say it, I'll make it happen," Yoru said calmly.
He wasn't entirely sure how the system's new "training function" worked, but if it came from the system, it had to be good. That alone made his bold claim worth it.
I'll just ask the old man to draft a training plan later.
With Echizen Nanjiro's expertise, even a basic regimen would bring noticeable improvements.
Before the team could react, Yoru continued:
"In two weeks, we'll hold a new regulars' selection match. All members—first-years, second-years, third-years—can participate."
"And from now on, everyone who isn't a regular will take turns picking up balls and cleaning!"
The announcement sparked an immediate uproar.
"F-First-years can join the selection match?!"
"Seriously?! This is amazing!"
"Not surprising. The captain's a first-year himself—he'd push for this."
"Between last year's Yamato and this year's captain, it's clear some first-years have insane potential. This is a good change."
"But the ball-picking part..."
"First-years getting a shot at being regulars feels unfair..."
"Seigaku's definitely changing!"
Opinions were mixed, but overall, the team supported the new rules—because strength spoke for itself.
Yoru had already proven his dominance.
Though Seigaku was weak, Ryuzaki Sumire's relentless motivational speeches had kept the team united. Everyone wanted Seigaku to improve.
Right now, no one truly believed they could win Nationals—but the seed had been planted. It was up to Yoru to nurture it.
After club activities ended...
Yoru left the school.
"System, explain this 'team training function.'"
[Master, you can earn runes through matches and embed them into rune slots to buff your teammates. You receive the highest bonus from the rune page.]
"Runes?"
It had been a while since he'd heard that term in this world.
[You currently have one unassigned rune. View it?]
"View."
[Training Rune]:
Boosts training effectiveness by 100% for regular members, 300% for regulars, and 500% for the master. All members recover from fatigue/injuries 500% faster!
[Available Rune Slots: 0/8.]
Damn.
A godsend.
For a team like Seigaku, this effect was game-changing.
"Too bad it's useless for me."
Yoru smirked.
Sure, he got a 500% boost—but he never trained. His strength came entirely from Ryoma's hard work.
"Equip the Training Rune."
[Training Rune embedded. Available Slots: 1/8.]
At home...
Echizen Rinko and Nanako were preparing dinner.
Yoru greeted them before heading to the backyard.
As usual, Nanjiro was sprawled on the deck, one hand propping up his head while the other held a magazine.
"Back already, brat~"
Nanjiro didn't turn around—he recognized Yoru's footsteps. "How'd it go today?"
"Weaker than I expected."
He'd been curious about Yamato Yuudai, but the match was disappointingly one-sided.
Nanjiro wasn't surprised.
Yoru continued: "Old man, draft a training plan for me—something for Seigaku's average members."
Nanjiro reluctantly set down his magazine. "Why bother training them?"
"I'm Seigaku's captain now."
"Huh?"
That gave Nanjiro pause—but only for a second. "So that old hag Ryuzaki finally got a clue."
"A clue?"
Yoru frowned, but Nanjiro didn't elaborate.
"I'll give it to you tomorrow," Nanjiro said lazily. "But my training plans are brutal."
"Doesn't matter."
Yoru shrugged.
Brutal is fine. They're too weak to complain.
Besides, with the Training Rune, as long as they didn't die, he'd train them to death.
Meanwhile, at a street tennis court...
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The sound of tennis balls echoed as a lone figure dashed across the court, swinging his racket relentlessly against the wall—practicing control.
Strangely, despite every swing appearing to send the ball straight forward, the ball always struck the opposite side of the wall.
"Not enough… needs a slightly wider angle."
Panting heavily, the bespectacled boy adjusted his stance and kept hitting.
Yamato Yuudai.
After school, he'd come straight to this street court to train.
Today's match had shaken him.
Yoru's overwhelming dominance haunted him like a nightmare.
Never before had he felt such a burning desire to improve.
To him, his "Misdirection Shot" still had room to grow.
That wall is Yoru.
If he could make his shot land outside the opponent's reach, he could score.
He needed to evolve the Misdirection Shot to the point where even if the opponent saw it, they couldn't return it.
To do that…
He had to widen the shot's true angle far beyond the opponent's defensive range.
Maybe even outside the "Zone's" coverage.
No matter how strong the Zone was, it couldn't return a ball it couldn't touch.
Thud!
Exhaustion finally caught up to him.
Yamato stopped, hands on his knees, gasping for air as the ball rolled into the bushes.
He didn't retrieve it immediately—instead, he stared at the wall in confusion.
The ball marks showed significant progress. Each shot was landing further toward the outer edge than before.
Normally, days of practice wouldn't make such a difference.
"Is it… because I was pushed to my limits?"