Chapter 8: The Rules of Hyotei
Bang!Bang!
On one of the courts at Hyotei’s tennis club…
Saburo Shinohara, standing tall, was now running frantically across the court, his face full of panic.
Despite being an experienced pyer, he was completely overwhelmed.
In contrast…
Standing opposite him was a handsome, fresh-faced bck-haired boy, exuding an air of absolute composure. Every seemingly ordinary return he made forced Shinohara into desperate, frantic movements.
If they hadn't witnessed it themselves, no one would believe that just over ten minutes ago, this boy had never even held a racket before.
"T-This is insane!"
Outside the court, Ryo Suzuki—Shinohara’s close friend and a fellow third-year pyer at Hyotei—spoke with a slight tremor in his voice.
In just ten minutes of py…
His friend—the same one who had privately told him he was aiming to become a regur on the second team—hadn’t won a single point.
Not just a single game…
Not even a single point or a single rally!
"This is ridiculous!"
Around the court, the second- and third-year members of Hyotei's tennis club gaped in shock.
Meanwhile, the first-year pyers were utterly thrilled. No one had expected this rookie—who was initially dismissed as unremarkable—to completely dominate an uppercssman!
His victory felt like a shared triumph for all the first-years.
Smack!
At that moment…
Shinohara, exhausted from the intense rallies, lost focus. His form broke down, causing his shot to go too high.
"It’s over."
Seated in the umpire’s chair, one of Hyotei’s regur pyers, Yuushi Oshitari, calmly made his judgment.
Bang!
The next moment…
Ishikawa leaped into the air and delivered a decisive smash.
"Game, set, match! Ishikawa Shin wins, 6-0!"
Thud!
As soon as Oshitari announced the result, Ishikawa nded firmly on the ground.
Ding!
[Pyer has successfully executed a smash, unlocking skill: Basic Smash.]
[Pyer scores with a smash, gaining +3 Basic Smash experience.]
[Pyer has won a practice match, gaining +15 experience points.]
[Pyer has completed the quest: First Challenge, earning +80 experience points.]
A series of game notifications echoed in Ishikawa’s mind.
"Not bad."
He was quite satisfied with this beginner’s tutorial quest.
Not only did he earn 95 experience points, but he also unlocked five fundamental tennis skills: Basic Serve, Basic Smash, Basic Drive, Basic Slice, and Basic Topspin. A fantastic haul!
Ding!
At that moment, another system notification popped up.
[Pyer has achieved a milestone: Shutout Victory, earning +1 Skill Point.]
"Oh?"
A sudden bonus!
Thud!
But before he could examine this new Skill Point, his defeated opponent, Shinohara, colpsed to his knees, completely drained of energy.
Instantly, the entire court fell silent.
The uppercssmen no longer wore their usual proud expressions. Instead, their gazes were filled with unease as they watched Oshitari step down from the umpire’s chair.
"Saburo Shinohara."
Oshitari gnced at the sweat-drenched Shinohara and spoke in a neutral tone, "You know what to do, don’t you?"
"I… I know."
Shinohara’s face paled.
Then, under the bewildered gazes of the first-years and the complex stares of the second- and third-years, the once-arrogant third-year pyer struggled to his feet, walked over to Ishikawa, and deeply bowed.
"T-Thank you for the match."
After saying this, he turned and walked off the court, standing among the other stunned first-years.
"What… was that?"
Ishikawa was confused. What was the meaning of this ritual?
"That is the rule of Hyotei."
Oshitari seemed to notice his confusion. Scanning the crowd, he spoke in a stern voice,
"The weak step down, the strong rise up."
"If you choose to py an unsupervised practice match, you must take full responsibility for the outcome."
"Shinohara lost to Ishikawa. So from this moment until the next official training session, their roles are reversed."
"Ishikawa will join the main training group, while Shinohara will take over his previous task—retrieving balls."
"Huh?!"
The newly joined first-years gasped in shock. None of them had expected this to be the consequence.
At the same time…
A fire burned in their hearts. They started imagining themselves defeating an uppercssman and instantly rising in rank.
However…
As their eyes drifted toward the older pyers, seeing their cold, indifferent expressions, their excitement quickly faded like a withered flower.
"So that’s how it works?"
Ishikawa was surprised. But after some thought, he found it reasonable.
Tennis is a competitive sport, one where strength dictates status. The purpose of a tennis club should be to cultivate the strongest pyers through a fair system.
Of course…
His situation was a special case. These rules only favored exceptional talents like him.
"A system designed for prodigies?"
Ishikawa nodded inwardly. "No wonder Hyotei has dominated the Tokyo tournaments for so many years."
"Train hard, all of you."
As he left, Oshitari addressed the group, especially the first-years,
"Use your time wisely to build a solid foundation. Improve your fitness, sharpen your strokes, and don’t waste this opportunity at Hyotei!"
At the end of his speech, he gave Ishikawa a meaningful gnce before walking away.
"Phew!"
The moment Oshitari left, the uppercssmen visibly rexed—the presence of a Hyotei regur was no joke.
Then…
They turned toward Ishikawa. Many seemed hesitant, as if they wanted to say something, but in the end, they kept quiet.
None of them wanted to become another Shinohara. And more importantly, they now recognized that this rookie was no pushover. Provoking him wasn’t wise.
Meanwhile, Ishikawa was happy to be left alone. Although he had won the match, his stamina was nearly depleted. Ultimately, his physical endurance was still too weak.
He was above average among first-years, but compared to third-years, he was far behind.
It was unimaginable how strong Hyotei’s regur pyers must be—especially someone like Atobe Keigo, whose stamina was among the best in junior high tennis.
Not to mention…
In the National Tournament, another first-year—Echizen Ryoma—had pushed Atobe to the brink of exhaustion.
And then there was Shitenhouji’s super rookie, Kintarou Toyama!
Thinking about these monsters…
Ishikawa gnced at his character status panel. A sudden sense of urgency filled his heart.
Looking toward the rest area, he walked over, determined to analyze his experience points and pn his next phase of training.
Shff!
As he passed, the second- and third-years instinctively moved aside, forming a clear path. Their gazes, filled with respect and awe, followed him as he left.
Seeing this…
The other first-years stared at Ishikawa in pure admiration. To dominate on his first day in Hyotei’s tennis club?
The st person to do that was… Atobe Keigo.
Could it be that this guy was also—?!
Hiss!
Realizing that possibility, excitement surged through their hearts.
(End of Chapter 8)
