The next day.
9:30 AM.
The sports park hosting the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.
It was a weekend, and the weather was clear and sunny.
The tennis court area, surrounded by a large green lawn, had become a popular spot for nearby residents to enjoy their weekend outings.
However, today, in addition to the locals, there were many groups of students in various school uniforms, chatting and laughing as they made their way through the park.
"Is this the venue for the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament?"
At the entrance to the tennis courts, a professional-looking woman with neatly combed brown hair and a shoulder bag sighed in admiration. "It's so different from the regional preliminaries!"
Shishido Saori.
23 years old.
A recent university graduate working as an intern at the renowned sports magazine, *Tennis Monthly*.
"Of course it's different."
A gentle voice chimed in.
A middle-aged man with a thin face, carrying a briefcase and wearing a brown striped shirt, walked over.
Inui Mamoru.
30 years old. (As revealed in Chapter 11 of the original series, surprisingly young.)
A seasoned reporter for *Tennis Monthly*.
Due to his dedication to his work and frequent overtime, he looked older than his actual age. However, this also gave him an air of maturity and reliability.
Today, Inui was accompanying Saori on a field investigation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament. If possible, they would also interview some of the seeded schools.
"Let's go and see which teams are participating this year."
Inui glanced around at the groups of students in various colored uniforms, but his gaze quickly moved past them.
Clearly, these people were not his primary target.
"This year's seeded teams are the top four schools from last year's Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament."
Inui led Saori to the bulletin board at the entrance, where the tournament bracket was posted. He explained, "Last year's champion was Hyotei, followed by Seigaku in second place. The other two schools were Yamabuki and Hokuto."
"Based on last year's bracket, these four schools shouldn't face each other until the quarterfinals."
"Our main targets for interviews today, aside from Seigaku, are Hyotei!"
"Seigaku was only second?"
Hearing Inui's explanation, Saori's eyes widened in shock. "Just how strong is Hyotei?"
"Hyotei is indeed very strong."
Inui's tone became serious. "In last year's Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, everyone from Seigaku lost except for Tezuka."
"Wha—?!"
Saori's expression changed again.
She had visited Seigaku many times before, and every member of the team seemed incredibly strong to her. Yet, Inui was now telling her that everyone except Tezuka had lost!
"Surprised?"
Seeing Saori's reaction, Inui smiled. "And this is just the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament. The competition at the Kanto and National Tournaments is even fiercer."
"The Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament has 108 participating teams, but only the top four and the winner of the consolation bracket—five teams in total—advance to the Kanto Tournament."
"And at the National Tournament, only 32 teams from across Japan compete."
"R-right."
Hearing Inui's explanation, Saori nodded repeatedly, beginning to grasp the scale of middle school tennis competitions.
"Also,"
Inui paused, as if remembering something, and added with a smile, "I heard that Hyotei also has a highly talented newcomer this year. Like Echizen, he's one of only two first-year players participating in the Metropolitan Tournament!"
"A first-year like Ryoma-kun?"
Saori's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
About ten minutes later.
The entrance to the tournament grounds began to buzz with activity.
"They're here, they're here!"
Someone shouted, and the crowd's attention turned to a group of boys in blue-and-white uniforms approaching.
"It's Seigaku! Last year's runner-up, Seigaku!"
"Is that Tezuka? His presence is overwhelming!"
"Fuji is so handsome!"
As the onlookers chattered, they automatically made way for the Seigaku team.
Led by Coach Ryuzaki, the team made their way to the registration desk, which was set up under a shaded canopy.
"What's Echizen doing?"
Ryuzaki glanced at her watch, her expression darkening. "It's already this late, and he still hasn't shown up?"
"Um, Coach,"
Oishi spoke up awkwardly, "he just called me and said he encountered a pregnant woman in labor on the way and took her to the hospital. He's on his way now."
"Ugh!"
Ryuzaki's mouth twitched.
While mentally吐槽ing Echizen's ability to come up with excuses, she thought for a moment and said, "If we can't field eight regular members by the 10 AM registration deadline, we'll be disqualified."
Her gaze shifted to Horio, who was standing nearby. She grabbed him and had Kaidou take off his jacket to dress Horio.
"We'll have to make do with this for now."
With that, the team proceeded to register.
Meanwhile, the team's training advisor, Inui, headed to the other courts to gather information on Seigaku's upcoming opponents.
"Hmm?"
Just then, another commotion broke out at the entrance.
"That's..."
Inui focused his gaze and locked onto a tall, sharp-eyed boy leading the group.
"Atobe... Hyotei is here too?"
Seeing Atobe, Inui's brow furrowed, and he instinctively felt a wave of pressure.
This was a bona fide national-level player.
Whether it was his fundamentals, techniques, or mental fortitude, Atobe had no weaknesses. In all of Seigaku, only Tezuka could match him.
Although, based on the bracket, Seigaku and Hyotei wouldn't face each other until the finals. For Seigaku, however, Hyotei and Atobe were an unavoidable hurdle in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.
As such, Inui's primary task today was to gather data on Hyotei. But he also knew that, following Hyotei's usual practice, they wouldn't field their full lineup until the second round of the finals.
For example, at this moment, the players following Atobe weren't the usual faces. Even Hiyoshi, who had shone at last year's Junior Selection Tournament, was absent.
"That guy is... Shishido?"
Noticing the boy in the blue-gray baseball cap behind Atobe, Inui's eyes showed a hint of surprise. "He actually cut his hair. It seems the rumors are true. He lost to that mysterious Hyotei newcomer and even cut off his signature hair."
Inui felt a pang of sympathy.
His own situation wasn't much different.
Two months ago, during the intra-school ranking matches, he had lost to Echizen and Kaidou in succession, costing him his spot as a regular.
"I wonder if that Hyotei super rookie will make an appearance today."
As Inui was about to look away, something caught his eye.
"Wait!!"
In the next moment, the usually calm and collected Inui wore an expression of utter shock.
"That person... is actually a member of Hyotei?!"
(End of Chapter)