29. An Unexpected Incident Before the In-School Ranking Tournament

"Um... Matsubara, would you like to play some tennis together?" Fuyuka Oda looked at the boy and extended her invitation.

"Right now?" Matsubara Mei asked for confirmation.

"Yes, Yuna and I just bought new rackets from the sports shop. We were planning to practice at the nearby tennis courts—why don't you join us?" As she spoke, Fuyuka Oda pointed at the tennis bags slung over her and Yuna Iwamura’s shoulders.

"Ah, I think I'll pass... I'm a bit tired today." Matsubara Mei declined with a wry smile. It had nothing to do with his feelings for her; after a two-and-a-half-kilometer run and then racing Akutsu, he simply had no strength left to move.

"Come on, Matsubara, Fuyuka and I really admire your skills. Won't you teach us a bit?" Yuna Iwamura, well aware of Fuyuka’s feelings for the boy, naturally stepped in to help her friend.

"Uh... really, I can't..." Facing the two girls on either side, Matsubara could only laugh awkwardly and refuse. But since his legs were already not his to command, he ended up being dragged away by the two girls, protesting feebly all the while.

The next morning, as the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds and bathed all of Kanto in gentle golden light, Matsubara Mei was already deep into his physical training. The pale light at the horizon had not yet driven away all the lingering darkness, and the air still held a chill. Yet the boy, in nothing but shorts and a T-shirt, was running in the alleyways and along the roadside, already drenched with sweat.

According to the regimen set by Sadaharu Inui and Renji Yanagi, Matsubara had to run five kilometers with weights every day, and also complete muscle training—such as four hundred meters of frog jumps and four hundred meters of walking squats, both after his run.

In addition, he had to do sixty sit-ups in a minute, plus a set quota of sixty push-ups and pull-ups each day.

Under this intense regimen, Matsubara felt the long-forgotten ache of muscle tearing—the cramping and burning of fat rapidly melting away. He would usually run to school every morning, then use his lunch break for more training. If he couldn't finish the day’s program at school, he’d complete it after tennis club practice at home.

Six days slipped away like grains of sand, and soon, the day of the school ranking tournament arrived.

Just as Matsubara had guessed, because the numbers of regulars and non-regulars were uneven, Tezuka simply allowed some non-regular players to join the tournament. However, due to the limited number of courts, not all non-regulars could participate.

Even so, the non-regulars who did take part were all outstanding among their ranks.

The purpose of the school ranking tournament was to update the list of the eight official regulars every month. Thirty-two players, divided into four groups by Tezuka and Fuji, would compete, with only four winners from each group advancing. The sixteen who moved on would then draw lots for opponents, and the eight winners would qualify as regulars.

Although seven players are enough to fill three singles matches and two doubles matches, the eighth regular serves as a backup for emergencies.

Originally, there was no such rule for a monthly ranking tournament at Evergreen Academy. After Tezuka and Fuji joined, Tezuka alone defeated all four existing regulars and established the monthly ranking system.

Having defeated the four regulars led by Uekado, Tezuka earned the captaincy by merit, and Fuji naturally became vice-captain. Later, when Hajime Mizuki became coach, Tezuka’s decisions about the lineup left Uekado and the others quietly dissatisfied, but lacking the skill to challenge him, they dared not speak up.

But things had changed. With Matsubara Mei’s arrival, he brought in more transfers from other schools, who quickly became regulars. Uekado and his group, their frustrations long simmering, finally broke out in protest against this ranking tournament.

Uekado declared that if Matsubara and the other transfers didn’t withdraw from the rankings, they would quit the tennis club.

Expecting Tezuka to try to keep the peace, the four were caught off guard when he simply crossed his arms and agreed, stating that anyone who left the Evergreen tennis club would never be allowed back.

Hearing this, Uekado and his friends erupted in indignation, but Matsubara Mei stepped forward, raising his hands to calm the crowd.

"Gentlemen, I know you are the veterans of Evergreen. After this March’s graduation, two of you are now third-years and two are in second year. Regardless of your current skill, you are the true owners of this place. We’re merely outsiders."

The boy’s words quieted the room, everyone listening intently.

"But even if we’re interlopers, we earned our spots as regulars by ability. The captain has made it clear: the monthly ranking tournament is to ensure fairness and justice. Everyone has the right to become a regular, and anyone might be eliminated."

"Hey! What do you mean you all earned your spots? Maybe you did, but what about the ones you brought in? Didn’t they just get in through the back door?" Shimotsuwa cut in, his voice sharp.

"Exactly! You call yourselves outsiders and still act so high and mighty. I’ve seen shameless people before, but never anyone this brazen," Sakyo chimed in.

"Heh, interesting. So you two feel the same?" Matsubara, noticing Shimotsuwa and Sakyo echoing each other, smiled and then turned his gaze to Uekado and Yuushin.

"Matsubara, I do respect your skills. After all, not even we could easily defeat someone like Hajime Mizuki. But everyone’s right: we can’t accept the four you brought in. I think you should stay, but those four should not be allowed to play," Uekado said, glancing from the boy to Akutsu and his three companions.

"I see. So, in the end, your real objection is that you think those four aren’t strong enough, and their presence in the group stage is unfair. That’s what you’re protesting, right?" Matsubara said, a hint of disdain in his smile.

"Of course. We’re reasonable people. Otherwise, why would we have watched you bring in outsider after outsider without doing anything?" Yuushin, who had been silent, spoke as if it were only natural.

"Then isn’t this the perfect opportunity?" Matsubara smiled, pointing first to Akutsu and his three companions, then at Uekado’s group. "Since you four object, why not play a match against them? Whoever wins stays in the ranking tournament. Whoever loses leaves, and is never to return."

At this, Uekado and his friends exchanged uncertain glances. Ryo Shishido clenched his fists excitedly—he’d been itching for a good fight. In contrast, Sadaharu Inui and Renji Yanagi watched Uekado’s group with expressionless faces.

"This should be fair, right, Captain?" Matsubara looked to Tezuka, who nodded slightly. Fuji added with a smile, "I think this is a perfectly reasonable request. It’s the best chance to prove your strength."

"What now? Are you guys going to back down?" Akutsu asked coldly, glaring at them as though itching for a brawl.

"What do you think, Uekado? Should we play them?" Shimotsuwa asked, his voice quivering with nerves.

"Of course we play. If we forfeit, we’d disgrace the seniors who just graduated!" Uekado replied resolutely.

"We’re not cowards—we accept the challenge!" Uekado declared, even as a bead of cold sweat trickled almost imperceptibly down his temple at the sight of the formidable Akutsu.