86. On-Campus Group Elimination Tournament

The sound of flushing water echoed in the public restroom, accompanied by the slow creak of a door opening. On Genji Inui's face, pallid and tinged with a bluish hue from extreme dehydration, his features seemed as if chiseled by a knife. “It seems the improved version of this special drink was a failure…”

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On the court, the regulars of Evergreen Academy, clad in blue athletic uniforms, stood side by side with the regulars of Yamabuki Middle School, who wore green. Next to Evergreen stood the regulars of Hyotei Academy, dressed in white and blue. Further on were the pale blue-clad players from Budokai Middle School. Beside them stood the regulars in rainbow-hued uniforms—students of Fangyuan Affiliated Middle School, who had advanced after defeating the eight schools of Kurofumi.

At the very center, the chief organizer of the Metropolitan Tournament, holding a sheet in his hand, announced through a megaphone, “Now, I will announce the results of this year’s Metropolitan Tournament and the list of schools advancing to the Kanto Tournament.”

“Hm?” The organizer adjusted his glasses. Noticing at the bottom of the page that Ginka Middle School had forfeited without reason and hadn’t participated in the regional preliminaries, he quickly corrected himself, “Ah… There will be five schools advancing to the Kanto Tournament.”

“In the National Middle School Tennis Metropolitan Tournament, the champion for the boys’ team division is Evergreen Academy.”

As soon as his words fell, the spectators around the court erupted into a wave of applause. As team captain, Tezuka stepped forward.

“Speaking of Tezuka, it’s quite unfortunate for him. From the regional preliminaries until now, he hasn’t played a single match,” thought Mei Matsubara, recalling the serious expression on Tezuka’s face.

“The runner-up is Yamabuki Middle School!”

After this announcement, another round of applause broke out among the crowd.

“Third place goes to Fangyuan Affiliated Middle School!”

Clap, clap, clap!

“Fourth place is Budokai Middle School!”

“As for fifth place, Hyotei Academy holds a special qualification to participate in the Kanto Tournament, but still won the playoff matches.”

At these words, a commotion rippled through the crowd. Among them, Ryo Shishido complained, “There’s no need to show off here just because you’re strong. They could’ve just waited for the Kanto Tournament to start.”

“No, perhaps you don’t know who sponsored the Metropolitan Tournament this time. The Atobe Foundation sponsored it to increase Hyotei’s popularity. However, the organizers saw through this and unanimously agreed to let Hyotei advance directly to the Kanto Tournament. It was Atobe’s demand that led to the playoff matches being arranged for them,” explained Renji Yanagi calmly.

“Buying popularity with money, huh…” Mei Matsubara looked at Keigo Atobe, standing at the front. As expected of a clever son from a wealthy family—already adept at self-promotion at such a young age. No wonder Hyotei’s tennis club would soon swell to two hundred members, and their cheer squad’s presence would grow even more imposing.

Outside the court, Mamoru Inoue sighed, “Nishihachi, after today, I believe a new storm will sweep through the tennis world.”

“Eh? Why do you say that, Inoue-senpai?” Saori Shiba didn’t quite grasp his meaning.

“Watching Evergreen’s match reminded me of the long-standing worry that our nation’s players might never reach world-class standards. After all, that man only appeared once.” Inoue gazed at the sky, filled with nostalgia.

“You mean that man named Nanjiro Echizen, right, Inoue-senpai? You seem to admire him a lot.” Saori thought of how often Inoue mentioned Nanjiro Echizen. What kind of man was he, really?

“Of course. Though many years have passed without news of him, I’ve always believed Nanjiro Echizen is the ceiling of Japanese tennis—unbeatable.” Inoue’s conviction was firm.

“But now, I think that the one called Mei Matsubara might become someone like Nanjiro Echizen…” Inoue admitted, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

After the Metropolitan Tournament ended, Mei Matsubara and his teammates returned to routine training. Among the schools advancing to the Kanto Tournament, the most formidable, as far as he knew, were Hyotei and Rikkaidai. As for Rokkaku and Shirogane Shonan, Evergreen had about a 60-40 advantage over them; there was little need for concern.

As for the other schools, Mei Matsubara couldn’t be bothered to learn about them. No matter how strong they were, could they rival Hyotei or Rikkaidai? His goal was to topple these two mountains first—only then could Evergreen secure its spot in the National Tournament.

“Everyone, tomorrow we will begin a new round of intraschool elimination matches to prepare for the Kanto Tournament. The rules are the same as the ranking matches: only the final winners can become regulars for Evergreen,” announced Tezuka, gathering Mei Matsubara and the others.

“I heard that since our victory at the Metropolitan Tournament, many students from other schools have joined us. Tomorrow’s elimination matches will be much more interesting than before,” Fuji said with a smile.

“Ah… You’re kidding…” Hearing this, Kumakiri Shibayama sounded dejected. He had a bad feeling his spot as a regular was in jeopardy.

“Don’t worry, Shibayama-senpai. No matter where those new members come from, to us, you’re still the pillar of Evergreen,” Mei Matsubara said, clapping Shibayama reassuringly on the shoulder.

“Enough, Matsubara. Stop making fun of me…” Shibayama, realizing the boy was back to his old tricks, quickly brushed it off.

“Hehehe.”

Hearing this, Mei Matsubara laughed mischievously.

“But since so many outsiders are joining and being added to the elimination matches, we’ll need to carefully plan the brackets and schedule,” Ryo Shishido said, clearly excited.

At that moment, Genji Inui, who hadn’t spoken, pulled out a thick notebook and, using his quantum-speed reading technique, quickly flipped through it, a few knowing smiles curling at the corners of his mouth.

Tennis Monthly Magazine.

Editorial Office.

“Oh? These are the photos you took of Evergreen at the Metropolitan Tournament?” Mamoru Inoue asked, seeing Saori Shiba reviewing the negatives.

“Yes, Evergreen Academy is really getting famous lately. With their victory, many students from other schools have flocked to join them,” Saori nodded.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to tell you. I just got a call from the higher-ups—they specifically requested the two of us to continue covering Evergreen. It’s a great chance to see what kind of new students are joining,” Inoue suddenly said.

“Eh? But weren’t we scheduled to interview Rikkaidai Affiliated Middle School?” Saori asked, surprised.

“Rikkaidai is already a top school, even with many talented new recruits this year. Frankly, readers are starting to get fatigued with stories about them. But Evergreen is the rising star—everyone’s attention is on them. That’s why the higher-ups want us to keep following Evergreen,” Inoue said, raising a finger.

“Well… that does make sense,” Saori agreed with a nod.

“All right, let’s head out quickly, or we’ll miss Evergreen’s intraschool elimination matches,” Inoue said, urging Saori as he hurriedly led the way out.

Purple Pen Literature