The farewell ceremony had come to an end.
On the way home, Yamato was the only one left by Yoru's side.
After QP returned to his home country, Kawasaki and the others had moved up to the high school division.
To prevent senior students from bullying the juniors, the entrances to the middle school and high school buildings were placed in opposite directions, far apart from each other.
As they walked, Yamato asked, "Captain, Tōzuka and the others are about to enroll, right? I wonder if our tennis club will still have such a strong lineup next semester. At least QP is coming back."
Yoru rolled his eyes. "How could you say something so ridiculous?"
Was Seigaku's lineup really that strong?
Without the boost from his runes, all four of their doubles players—including Yamato himself—were practically amateurs.
But this year's batch? This was the true golden generation.
- Tōzuka Kunimitsu and Fuji Syusuke—two super prodigies.
- Inui Sadaharu—a top-tier strategist with solid skills of his own.
- Ōishi Syuichirō and Kikumaru Eiji—a doubles pair with national-level potential.
- And let's not forget the fiery Kawamura Takashi.
This lineup was leagues above Kawasaki and the others—not even comparable in terms of raw talent.
In the original story, aside from Rikkai Dai, Seigaku had the most gifted players in nearly every position.
Yet despite holding such an incredible hand, Ryūzaki Sumire had split them up haphazardly, turning Seigaku into a team that couldn't even make it past the Kantō Tournament.
The following year, Tōzuka and the others had clawed their way into the Nationals through sheer individual skill—despite the chaotic lineup decisions—but were eliminated in the first round.
Thankfully, Ryūzaki had already left Seigaku before the new year.
Before her departure, she told Yoru that she had found a new coach from overseas—a former professional player and a stunning beauty who had just retired.
The description sounded familiar, but Yoru couldn't quite place it.
Still, having a coach was a good thing.
Once Tōzuka and the others enrolled, QP could help train Inui and the rest, but he had his own regimen to focus on.
And as for players like Tōzuka and Fuji? Only Yoru could properly guide them.
Yamato could sort of teach doubles, but he was far from an expert.
A coach who could coordinate the club's operations and tailor training plans for each member would make everything run smoother—especially if it meant Yoru could slack off a bit and focus on researching that mysterious gate.
"Captain, I'll head home first!"
Yamato lived in a different direction, so they parted ways at the train station.
Truthfully, walking home from Seigaku took less than half an hour, but the train was more convenient.
Tap, tap, tap—
"Yoru-senpai!"
The sound of hurried footsteps approached, followed by a voice calling his name.
Yoru turned, surprised to see none other than Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichirō from Rikkai Dai running toward him.
"We finally caught up!"
The two boys stopped in front of him, hands on their knees as they caught their breath.
Yoru blinked. "Yukimura, you're out of the hospital?"
"Yes, I recovered before the new year," Yukimura replied, standing straight.
Come to think of it, Yukimura had undergone surgery during the Nationals. A few months of recovery made sense—especially in the Prince of Tennis universe, where physical resilience bordered on superhuman.
In the original story, even at his weakest, Yukimura bounced back almost immediately after surgery.
Yoru vaguely remembered that Yukimura had his operation on the day of the Kantō Finals, then returned in time for the Nationals shortly after. His recovery speed was like a toned-down Wolverine.
Now, months later, a full recovery was only natural.
"Yoru-senpai, hello!" Sanada bowed respectfully.
Yukimura, still slightly breathless, explained, "We left early today, but we still arrived too late—by the time we got to Seigaku, everyone had already disbanded."
"Today was the farewell ceremony, so club activities ended early," Yoru said with a nod. "What brings you here?"
"Um…" Yukimura hesitated, a faint blush on his cheeks before he finally spoke. "Yoru-senpai, could you… train us?"
Both boys looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"Sure."
Yoru agreed without hesitation.
After all, these two were meant to be Ryōma's future "experience boosters."
Thanks to Yoru's influence, Ryōma was far stronger than in the original story. By the time the main plot kicked off, there'd be fewer and fewer rivals who could challenge him. If he didn't nurture Yukimura and Sanada now, how would Ryōma evolve later?
Right now, Yoru could coast on the feedback from Oni Jūzaburō and QP, but in the long run, he'd need Ryōma—especially when it came to that mysterious gate.
There was a good chance only Ryōma could help him open it.
If by the time Yoru graduated, there were no strong rivals left in middle school to push Ryōma, what then? How would he ever stand a chance against Nanjirō Echizen?
Would he just charge in screaming about bonds and get wrecked?
Defeating Nanjirō was his dream now.
"Follow me."
With Seigaku closed, Yoru led the two to the tennis courts under the train bridge.
Seeing the perfectly intact courts, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Who the hell keeps fixing these courts? It was like a respawn point—no matter how much destruction they caused, the place always magically restored itself.
"Let's play a match first."
Yoru pulled out his racket and gestured for them to warm up.
At those words, Yukimura and Sanada gulped. The final two shots from the Nationals were still fresh in their minds—especially the moment Byōdōin Hōō was sent flying.
That scene had left a deep impression on them, even though Yukimura had been hospitalized at the time.
Still, they obediently began their warm-up.
Yoru took the chance to check their stats.
---
[Name]: Sanada Genichirō
[Age]: 12
[Techniques]:
- Base Stats (Lv. 6)
- Tennis Fundamentals (Lv. 6)
- Fuurin Kazan (Lv. 6)
- Muga no Kyōchi (Lv. 3)
[Talent]: Sengoku Creed
[Power Level]: 6 Stars
---
[Name]: Yukimura Seiichi
[Age]: 11
[Techniques]:
- Base Stats (Lv. 6)
- Tennis Fundamentals (Lv. 6)
- Yips (Lv. 6)
- Weakness Insight (Lv. 6)
- Muga no Kyōchi (Lv. 1)
[Talent]: Flawless
[Power Level]: 6 Stars
---
Yoru suddenly noticed Sanada was already 12.
Technically, they were the same age.
The first time he'd checked Sanada's stats—back after the regional preliminaries—he might not have had his birthday yet, so it showed 11.
"Come to think of it, my birthday's coming up soon, right?"
From what he remembered, his birthday was in March—probably within the next few days.
He wasn't sure about the others, but he had a rough idea of Tōzuka's age group.
Sanada (May) > Tōzuka (October) > Yukimura (late March).
Yukimura was almost a full year younger than the other two. In the original Nationals, he was only 14.
But what caught Yoru's attention was that Sanada had already fully developed Fuurin Kazan, with all techniques at Lv. 6.
"Sanada, you serve first."
Even though the age gap was minimal, Yoru still liked calling him "Little Sanada."
After all, he had lived two lives—and the height difference didn't hurt either.
---
Switzerland – Pro Tennis Club
Johanna Langmann turned to her new manager.
"Today is Yoru's birthday. You made sure the gift was delivered on time, right?"
"Relax, Langmann. We already got the confirmation—it's been signed for at the Echizen residence."