Prince of Tennis: The Emperor's Eye

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Inui Sadaharu’s Growth

At that moment, Mitsuya’s words felt like opening a new door for Inui Sadaharu. So this was another way to use data. As expected, he still had a lot to learn.

What Mitsuya had just demonstrated in plain terms was this: by unleashing an overwhelming volume of data, he overloaded the opponent’s CPU. Of course, this technique only worked on players who also specialized in data tennis.

The foundation of data tennis lay in data collection. Mitsuya turned every possible outcome into data and fed it to his opponent. Faced with an endless stream of numbers, anyone trying to process it in real time would break down completely—there could be only one result: total collapse.

With Inui’s decisive defeat, Seigaku’s run in this year’s Tokyo District semifinals had officially come to an end. But as one of the top four, they still secured a spot in the Kanto Regional Tournament. For Seigaku, who hadn’t even qualified in recent years, this was already a solid result.

”Lucky! Looks like I didn’t even need to play~” Sengoku Kiyosumi grinned from the Yamabuki player seats, completely unaware of the dangerous look forming on Coach Banda’s face beside him.

Ryūzaki Sumire glanced at Inui’s face—half ashamed, half exhilarated—and stepped forward to offer a few symbolic words of comfort. Honestly, she felt her mission was complete. Getting Seigaku to Kanto was enough, and she doubted the school board would complain now.

But just as she let out a relieved sigh, Banda suddenly smiled and spoke up:

”Aiyaa~ Ryūzaki-sensei! So sorry about today. Who’d have thought we’d win so quickly~ It feels like only yesterday Nanjirō was still on the court. These days, I hardly see you at tournaments, Ryūzaki-sensei. It’s kind of lonely, y’know~”

”Cut it out! You old fossil. I know exactly what you’re like. So what if Yamabuki won today? You think you’ll beat Rikkai Dai in Kanto?” Ryūzaki snapped, slightly flustered.

”Hohohoho~ Of course Yamabuki’s no match for Rikkai Dai. But Seigaku, on the other hand... I noticed you’ve got a lot of first-years this year, Ryūzaki-sensei~ Need us to share a little Kanto Tournament experience? We’ve been regulars for years now~” Banda smiled warmly, but every word hit like a blade.

”You... Seigaku doesn’t need your help, thank you very much. You’d better focus on your final tomorrow. Fudōmine is on fire lately~” Ryūzaki countered. She had just received news of Fudōmine’s victory during Inui’s match.

”Fudōmine, huh? What a strange school~ I guess we’ll...” Banda suddenly clutched his chest mid-sentence, twisting his face in pain.

”Hey! Mikiya! Are you alright?! Somebody call an ambulance!” Ryūzaki panicked at the sight.

”Aah~ I’m fine! You’re still just as easy to trick, Ryūzaki-sensei!” Banda said cheerfully, sticking out his tongue and making a face.

”Banda Mikiya!!! You dirty old man!”

”Hohohoho~ Maybe I’ve lived too long~”

With Seigaku and Yamabuki’s match wrapped up, all semifinals of the Tokyo District Tournament had concluded. Tomorrow, Fudōmine and Yamabuki would face off in the final to decide the champion. In the morning, Seigaku and Hyōtei would play for third place.

Unlike the semifinals, tomorrow’s two matches would be played one after the other. The organizers had spaced them out to boost spectator numbers for the final.

At that moment, on the bus ride home, the Fudōmine players were celebrating their spot in the Tokyo final. Worst case, they’d be runners-up. Thankfully, Akashi didn’t know what they were thinking—otherwise, they’d surely get scolded. To him, second place was just the biggest loser.

Ignoring the noisy chatter of the club members up front, the regulars sat quietly in the back few rows of the bus. Some were resting with eyes closed, others gazing out the window. None seemed overly excited about making the final—it felt expected. And in truth, it was.

Suddenly, Akashi, who had been deep in thought, clapped his hands. It wasn’t loud, but enough to get the attention of all the regulars. Once everyone looked over, he began speaking:

”For tomorrow’s final against Yamabuki, the lineup needs a few adjustments. First, Akutsu—you’re back in for Singles 3. Your doubles play was... hard to describe.” He gave a glance toward the pouting Akutsu.

”Judging from today’s match against Seigaku, Yamabuki probably won’t use Mitsuya again for Singles 3. Most likely they’ll send out that first-year, Sengoku Kiyosumi. Mitsuya should appear as Singles 2, so I’ll handle that spot myself.”

Of course, part of that statement was directed at Akutsu. Though Akutsu wasn’t the type to fear anyone, only Tezuka understood the deeper meaning behind Akashi’s words.

”As for doubles, considering Yamabuki’s reputation for strong pairings—Doubles 2 will be Tachibana and Liliadent. Doubles 1 will be Tezuka and Chitose. Let’s aim to take both doubles matches. With Akutsu locking down Singles 3, Mitsuya might not even get a chance to play.” Akashi said this half-jokingly.

”Kite will take Singles 1. Consider it a rest day—you haven’t had one since the district preliminaries, have you?” Akashi shifted his gaze toward Kite.

Kite simply nodded without expression. He was already at peak Kanto-level strength. But doubles was a different story—it required many other considerations. And Yamabuki’s national-level doubles lineup wasn’t to be taken lightly.

With Akashi’s plan finalized, Fudōmine’s lineup for tomorrow’s final was set. As the bus slowly pulled away, it carried the team back to Fudōmine Middle School.

On the other side, Seigaku’s group had rushed to the hospital right after the match to check on their captain Yamato. According to the doctor’s diagnosis, Yamato’s arm injury was quite serious. He was just short of needing surgery. After emergency treatment, he was admitted for observation. There was no way he could play in tomorrow’s match against Hyōtei.

Ryūzaki Sumire handled Yamato’s admission herself and told him to focus on recovery, assuring him that everything at Seigaku would be handled. Then she left the hospital with the rest of the team, her mind already thinking through who to send out in tomorrow’s match.

The next morning, the Tokyo District Tournament finals officially began. All four top-four teams arrived early at the venue. Since the third-place match would take place first, Fudōmine and Yamabuki simply took their seats and watched as spectators.

Soon the match between Seigaku and Hyōtei was about to begin. Akashi looked at the two familiar uniforms and felt a bit nostalgic. ’Good thing Tezuka isn’t at Seigaku,’ he thought. ’Otherwise Atobe would’ve had another fated rival to deal with.’ Though by now, Fuji’s strength probably wasn’t far behind Atobe’s either.

In Doubles 2, Hyōtei sent out Oshitari and Mukahi, while Seigaku’s pair was Inui Sadaharu and Kawamura Takashi. With Yamato hospitalized, Seigaku had to shuffle its lineup.

Akashi felt a twinge of regret—he had hoped to see Kikumaru and Mukahi clash at the net. With both players masters of acrobatic play, it would’ve been a thrilling matchup.

As the match began, Oshitari and Mukahi opted for an aggressive all-out attack. Part of that was due to Mukahi’s limited stamina, and part was because Inui’s data tennis was suited for drawn-out games. If they got dragged into his tempo, they’d likely lose.

Honestly, Sakaki Tarō’s tactical decisions were leagues ahead of Ryūzaki Sumire’s. The funny thing was, Sakaki Tarō wasn’t even a full-time tennis coach—he also taught music at Hyōtei.

Just as expected, the match played out in Hyōtei’s favor at the start. With Mukahi charging the net and Oshitari covering the back, Inui and Kawamura struggled to keep up. They were even hesitant to hit high lobs because of Oshitari’s deadly Higuma Otoshi.

”Game! Hyōtei Academy! 1-0!”

”Game! Hyōtei Academy! 2-0!”

”Game! Hyōtei Academy! 3-0!”

”Game! Hyōtei Academy! 4-0!”

Under Hyōtei’s power offense strategy, they quickly took four straight games. But on the sidelines, both Sakaki and Atobe frowned. Even with the massive lead, Mukahi’s breathing was already labored, and Oshitari was sweating much more than usual.

Over in the crowd of Fudōmine and Yamabuki spectators, Mitsuya stood beside Akashi and said with a smile, ”Looks like Hyōtei’s pair hasn’t realized they’ve walked right into my adorable junior’s trap~”

”Expected. Hyōtei’s tactic makes sense—if this were still the old Inui. But after your little ’lesson,’ Inui’s use of data has become far more discreet.” Akashi responded calmly, though he got the feeling Mitsuya was showing off a bit.

Just as Mitsuya and Akashi predicted, everything changed in the fifth game. Inui completely switched gears, taking command of Kawamura’s positioning. Kawamura followed every instruction perfectly, turning their entire offensive focus toward Mukahi.

”Angle shifted left 5 degrees. Taka-san, baseline position—go for the crosscourt!” A gleam flashed behind Inui’s glasses as he gave the call.

Oshitari noticed the shift and tried to move forward to help, but Kawamura’s powerful crosscourt returns pinned him to the baseline, unable to close in and relieve pressure from Mukahi.

”High lob chance 86%, opponent’s Higuma Otoshi probability 95%!” Inui said as he stepped to the net and leapt high into the air, tapping a drop shot just over. Mukahi tried to follow, but his legs gave out and he could only watch the ball fall helplessly.

”15-0!”

That single point was like a trumpet sounding Seigaku’s comeback. From then on, Inui’s data tennis took complete control. Mukahi, already drained, was overwhelmed, and even Oshitari couldn’t keep up.

”We’ve been tricked. Inui used the first four games to set a trap. We let our guard down!” Atobe muttered with a sour look.

”My fault in strategy too. Looks like we’re going to lose this one.” Sakaki admitted plainly, not even trying to excuse it.

”Your guidance seems to have worked. Inui isn’t just collecting data anymore—he’s using it to bait Mukahi into unnecessary movement. It’s no longer basic data tennis,” Akashi said, with a hint of admiration.

Even he hadn’t expected it. In the original storyline, Inui barely had any presence beyond his famous vegetable juice. But now, with a bit of interference and his early encounter with Mitsuya, he was showing remarkable change. No wonder he was part of the protagonist’s team.

”Game! Seishun Academy! 4-1!”

”Game! Seishun Academy! 4-3!”

”Game! 6-4! Match over! Winner, Seishun Academy!”

Mukahi’s stamina was drained in no time, and Oshitari couldn’t hold on alone. Under the dual assault of Inui’s data tennis and Kawamura’s power game, Hyōtei lost the Doubles 2 match.