A week had passed since the district preliminaries.
There was still another week before the metropolitan tournament began.
At the gates of Seigaku on a Saturday morning—
"I'll leave the team's training to you two for the next two days."
"Don't worry, we'll keep them in line."
"And if Yamato can't handle them, I'll step in."
"No need to overthink it. After tasting victory in the preliminaries, Kawasaki and the others will train even harder. Besides, plenty of them are eyeing the regular spots."
Yoru stood at the entrance with Kirihara and Yamato.
After the matches last week, he had seen an advertisement for the JR Tournament on TV—which immediately triggered a system quest.
[Side Quest: Watch the match between Sanada Genichirou and Tezuka Kunimitsu. Reward: Skill Evolution Card ×1]
[Side Quest: Watch the match between Yukimura Seiichi and Tezuka Kunimitsu. Reward: Unlock a second "Fated Player" binding slot.]
Originally, Yoru was just curious about the JR Tournament.
In the original timeline, this was where Tezuka Kunimitsu first crossed paths with Yukimura and Sanada during their elementary school days.
It was also here that Tezuka became Sanada's nightmare.
But the system's rewards made the trip to Kanagawa a no-brainer.
He wasn't sure what the Skill Evolution Card did.
But the second binding slot? That nearly made him drool.
Binding Ryoma alone had already given him strength surpassing even Nanjirou at the same age. Adding another? He'd be unstoppable.
After giving his instructions, Yoru boarded the train to Kanagawa.
Trains in Japan were efficient, scenic, and—given Tokyo's reputation as the most high-pressure city in the world—dead silent.
No one slept. Everyone sat stiffly, avoiding eye contact. The oppressive atmosphere alone was enough to make anyone understand Japan's high suicide rates.
Luckily, the country wasn't large.
Even with transfers, the trip took less than an hour.
The JR Tournament venue wasn't far from the station.
By the time Yoru arrived, the place was packed—far more crowded than the district preliminaries.
The JR Tournament had started as a local elementary school competition in the Shonan region. But as its reputation grew, more and more prodigies from across Japan began participating, turning it into a national-level event.
Most competitors were still locals, though. Few kids from other regions had the time or money to travel here—which was why, in the original story, Tezuka was the only notable outsider.
When Yoru entered, matches were already underway.
Twelve courts were running simultaneously.
With the tournament condensed into two days, the schedule was tight.
Yoru wandered between courts, observing the players.
Most were between 1 and 2 stars—nowhere near Ryoma's level, or even Kawasaki's.
After scanning all twelve courts, he still hadn't spotted Yukimura, Sanada, or Tezuka.
Must've missed their matches… or they haven't played yet.
Just as he started feeling disappointed—
"Excuse me, sir… Are you a regular at Seigaku?"
A young, serious voice spoke up behind him.
Yoru turned.
A bespectacled boy with golden-brown hair stood there, his expression stern. Even without checking the system, Yoru recognized him instantly.
[Name]: Tezuka Kunimitsu
[Age]: 11
[Skills]:
Base Stats (Lv. 6) Tennis Fundamentals (Lv. 6) Twist Spin Shot (Lv. 6) Zero-Shiki Drop (Lv. 6) Zero-Shiki Serve (Lv. 3) Muga no Kyōchi (Lv. 6) Hyakuren no Kiwami (Lv. 3) Tezuka Zone (Lv. 5) Twist Serve (Lv. 6)
[Talent]: Absolute Ball Sense
[Power Level]: 6 Stars
[Absolute Ball Sense]:
Drastically enhances ball control and sensitivity. Amplifies the power of all techniques by a percentage scaling with mental state.
A monster.
An absolute monster.
Even with his expectations, Yoru couldn't help but suck in a breath.
In the original timeline, Tezuka had spent most of his middle school years injured. Even by the Nationals, he hadn't fully recovered—only regaining his peak after leaving for Germany.
His growth had stagnated after entering Seigaku.
By his third year, he was essentially using the same skills he'd mastered in elementary school.
When he first unleashed Muga no Kyōchi and Hyakuren no Kiwami during the Nationals, Oishi had mentioned—
"Tezuka could already do this in his first year. He just sealed it away because of his arm."
His injury had locked away:
Zero-Shiki Serve Muga no Kyōchi Hyakuren no Kiwami
The only "new" technique he developed in middle school was Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami (Insight of the Supreme Limit).
This meant that Tezuka's current strength—right now, at 11 years old—was already terrifying.
Even Yamato, another 6-star, wouldn't last 10 minutes against him.
Power levels represented minimum strength—and the gap between stars widened drastically past 6.
Even an enhanced 6-star Ryoma would struggle against this version of Tezuka.
Factoring in Absolute Ball Sense, Tezuka at full power could even challenge mid-to-high 7-star players.
The system's scaling post-6 stars was brutal.
And Tezuka? He defied it.
"Yes."
Yoru nodded and extended a hand. "Yoru Nan, captain of Seigaku's tennis club. Nice to meet you."
"Captain?"
Tezuka blinked, then shook his hand. "I'm Tezuka Kunimitsu. But… wasn't Kawasaki Junna the current captain?"
Since he lived in Seishun Gakuen's district, Tezuka had already decided to attend Seigaku for middle school.
And as the alma mater of "Samurai" Nanjirou Echizen, Seigaku held a special appeal—even if its recent performance had been lackluster.
So after entering sixth grade, he'd researched the team.
The school's website listed Kawasaki as the current captain.
"He was. Then I beat him and took over."
Yoru smirked slightly. "Planning to join Seigaku next year? We've reformed the rules—first-years can now compete as regulars in the Nationals."
"What?!"
Seigaku had changed its policy?
Tezuka's eyes widened.
Most middle schools in Japan barred first-years from becoming regulars—Seigaku included.
He'd already resigned himself to a year of ball-picking duty.
"Was that… your doing?"
Unconsciously, Tezuka's tone grew more respectful.
Reforming a school's traditions required influence—and as captain, Yoru's strength must have been a key factor.
"Not entirely. But I was the main reason."
"Then—"
[Attention: Tezuka Kunimitsu and Kamiya Shino, please report to Court 6. You have 10 minutes before forfeiture.]
The announcement cut Tezuka off.
Bowing apologetically, he hurried toward the court.