Ding-dong~
The agonizing morning classes finally ended.
To avoid being swarmed by fangirls, Yoru swiftly left the classroom.
In the Prince of Tennis universe, club activities were a big deal. The basic setup was regular classes in the morning, with afternoons entirely dedicated to club time.
On their first day, freshmen had to apply to join a club voluntarily.
Those who didn't would be automatically assigned to clubs with fewer members.
...
"Tennis Club..."
Following the signs, Yoru made his way toward the tennis courts.
To be honest, Seishun Gakuen (Seigaku) was far larger than he'd imagined. Just walking from the classroom to the tennis club took nearly ten minutes.
Sure, some of that time was spent figuring out the way, but still—the campus was massive.
Hard to believe this tiny island nation could afford such a lavish school.
When he arrived at the tennis club's entrance, he spotted a black-haired student wearing Seigaku's regulars jersey and a pair of "traitor glasses" (as fans often joked) handling registrations.
Yamato Yuudai?
In the original story, this was exactly how Yamato Yuudai looked during his middle school years—way too recognizable, practically screaming "look at me!"
Timeline-wise, Yamato should only be in his second year of middle school. And he's already wearing a regulars jersey?
Yoru's lips twitched. Seigaku's situation is even worse than I thought.
[Name]: Yamato Yuudai
[Age]: 13
[Techniques]:
- Personal Five Stats (Lv. 5)
- Basic Tennis Skills (Lv. 5)
- Misdirection Shot (Lv. 5)
- Quick Half-Volley (Lv. 4)
[Talent]: Morale Boost
[Combat Power]: 5 Stars
[Morale Boost]: Inspires teammates with speeches, enhancing their performance.
Well, well.
So he's a support card.
His actual strength was even worse than Ryoma's current level—and that was after Yoru's special training had already made Ryoma stronger than his original storyline version at this point.
Yet Yamato, a senior four years older, was still this far behind? Unbelievable.
Combat Power represented a player's minimum performance level. That meant Yamato's baseline was at least a full star below Ryoma's.
How the hell did someone like this force Tezuka to awaken "Muga no Kyōchi" (Zone of Absolute Self) in the original story?
"Guess it's the whole 'rock-paper-scissors' dynamic."
Yoru smirked.
But no matter how much he wanted to吐槽 (tsukkomi), the long registration line demanded his patience.
Even though Seigaku's national tournament record had been terrible in recent years, it was still the alma mater of Asia's former #1, Echizen Nanjirou.
Plus, with Seishun Gakuen being the only middle school in the area, the tennis club naturally had a lot of applicants.
The registration process itself was uneventful.
After submitting his forms, Yoru stepped onto the courts.
The sounds of training echoed around him, but it seemed first-years were only allowed to pick up balls—ordered around by so-called "seniors."
Nope.
Absolutely not.
Yoru frowned. He had zero interest in Japan's hierarchical "seniority culture."
No way in hell I'm fetching balls for a bunch of scrubs. Not a chance.
"So, how do you find Seigaku's atmosphere?"
A slightly aged voice spoke up behind him.
Turning around, he saw an old woman in a purple tracksuit approaching, a confident smile on her face.
Ryuzaki Sumire?
Yoru paused.
Why does she look like she already knows me?
Then again, considering she'd also recognized Ryoma immediately in the original story (thanks to Nanjirou), it wasn't that surprising.
"Not great."
His tone was flat.
"Oh?"
Clearly, that wasn't the answer Ryuzaki expected. "Why do you say that?"
"They're weak. And despite that, they still boss others around."
Ryuzaki's expression stiffened.
"What you're seeing are just the regular members. First-years have always started with ball duty—it's not about skill."
"If someone shows promise, they can participate in the regulars' selection matches at the end of the term. Talented first-years can make the team."
That much was true.
Even in the original story, Ryoma had to start with ball duty.
He only escaped it after the selection matches—and that was only because Tezuka and Ryuzaki both gave him special permission.
"Seigaku's results are already this bad, yet you're still sticking to tradition?"
"What's the point of becoming a regular by the end of the term? You're wasting a whole national tournament cycle, robbing talented newcomers of a year's worth of experience."
Yoru's voice never wavered, remaining calm and detached.
Yet every word felt like a nail hammered into Ryuzaki's heart.
She wanted to反驳 (hanpatsu—refute), but couldn't find the words.
Results spoke for themselves.
Seigaku's best performance was barely scraping into nationals—they'd never even touched a national championship.
Since then, their record had only gotten worse.
From a national powerhouse to a Kanto (关东) contender, then to a Tokyo tournament team, and now? They often couldn't even qualify for the Tokyo preliminaries.
"...You're not wrong."
"Wait—since when did I start getting lectured by a kid?!"
Ryuzaki suddenly snapped out of it.
She'd only come over to greet him—how did she end up cornered like this?
Studying Yoru's unreadable expression, a wild idea flashed through her mind.
"First time meeting. I'm Ryuzaki Sumire, Seigaku's coach."
She extended her hand.
Yoru frowned slightly, unsure of her intentions, but shook it out of courtesy.
"Nice to meet you, Coach Ryuzaki. I'm Yoru."
"Make sure to attend the freshman orientation later. Something... interesting will happen."
With that, she walked off, leaving Yoru utterly baffled.
---
The orientation continued.
To avoid being roped into ball duty (and the inevitable conflicts that'd follow), Yoru observed from a corner.
After scanning the area, one thing became clear:
Aside from Yamato Yuudai (still busy with registrations), the rest were all trash-tier—3-star combat power at best. Even the few regulars only reached 4 stars.
Honestly?
Current Ryoma could solo this entire team.
Yoru knew Seigaku was weak in this timeline.
But according to the original story, none of the notable players were here yet.
The confirmed characters at this point were:
- Seigaku: Yamato Yuudai
- Okayama Oe : Oni Juujirou
- Mizudera : Houou Byoudouin
- Hyoutei: Ochi Tsukimitsu
- Rikkai: Mitsuya Akuto
- Shitenhouji: Hirakoba Rin & Harada Zenzou (plus Mouri Juusaburou)
- Shishigaku: Washio Kazuya & Suzuki Shun
- Maizuru : Tanegashima Shuuji & Irie Kanata
- And Tokugawa Kazuya, training overseas.
The rest? Definitely not at Seigaku.
In this era, Seigaku was bottom-tier.
With this lineup, even reaching Kanto tournaments would require a miracle—let alone nationals.
At this rate, they'd need Echizen Nanjirou's grave planted on a dragon vein to have any hope.
"All tennis club members, assemble at Court 1!"
Suddenly, Ryuzaki's voice blared over the PA system.
---