The next day.
Nine o'clock in the morning.
Rin Matsuoka stood before the principal of Hyotei Academy.
The villa he resided in wasn't far from Hyotei—or, for that matter, from anywhere in Tokyo.
At this moment, he had already completed a series of entrance exams for transferring to the school.
His scores in every subject? Perfect.
And the time it took him to finish the exams? Less than an hour.
The teachers of Hyotei stared at Rin Matsuoka in astonishment, as if they had stumbled upon a rare treasure.
His transfer application was unanimously approved.
Of course, even if Rin's academic performance had been less than stellar, he still would have been accepted.
Feeling the weight of the teachers' gazes, the corner of Rin's mouth twitched involuntarily.
Honestly, if he hadn't aced the exams, he would've started questioning himself.
"I'll take my leave now," Rin said.
After receiving his Hyotei uniform, he headed straight for the tennis club.
Along the way, every pair of eyes seemed to gravitate toward him.
"Who's that? He's so handsome! I've never seen him before!"
"Is that… Rin Matsuoka? Oh my gosh, he's my new crush! How did he end up at Hyotei? Is that… a Hyotei uniform?!"
"Rin Matsuoka? The only first-year regular at Seigaku? Why is he here? Wait—did he transfer? And wasn't your crush supposed to be Captain Atobe?"
"…Not expelled, but I heard he was about to drop out. Seems like Seigaku kicked him out first!"
"What?! Seigaku kicked out Rin Matsuoka? Are they insane?"
The whispers and chatter followed him relentlessly.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the striking youth with flowing red hair, a tall and lean frame, and features so refined they seemed almost unreal.
The girls, in particular, couldn't take their eyes off him, their gazes sparkling with admiration.
Rin, however, ignored it all.
He'd experienced this kind of attention countless times before.
The only thing that made his mouth twitch again was overhearing someone mention that others had dropped out of Seigaku alongside him.
In Japan, transferring schools was common enough.
Dropping out didn't carry the same stigma as being expelled, but it still wasn't exactly a badge of honor.
Amid the buzz of gossip, no one dared approach him.
That is, until a voice cut through the crowd.
"Tch, you finally showed up, huh?"
All heads turned toward the source of the voice, and a collective gasp rippled through the students.
There, radiating arrogance and flamboyance as if the word"subtle" didn't exist in his vocabulary, stood—
Keigo Atobe!
"What are you doing here?"
Rin asked, glancing at Atobe with a raised eyebrow.
The brief exchange was enough to make it clear to everyone watching:
Keigo Atobe and Rin Matsuoka knew each other. And not just casually—they were close.
"Tch, obviously I'm here to pick you up,"
Atobe said with a smirk, his tone dripping with mockery."Some people are blind, but I'm not one of them. Come on, let's head to the tennis club. My childhood friend… and Hyotei's new vice-captain!"
His words landed like a bombshell.
The atmosphere froze, turning almost eerie in its silence.
The students exchanged stunned glances.
Blind?
What did that mean?
And… Hyotei's vice-captain? Atobe's childhood friend?
Who?
Rin Matsuoka?!
They'd heard bits and pieces about Rin and Seigaku, but this was the first they'd learned of him being Atobe's childhood friend.
Seigaku kicked him out? Were they out of their minds?
Rin's mouth twitched again at Atobe's theatrics.
"Alright, that's enough," he said, shrugging lightly.
A faint trace of emotion flickered in his eyes."Besides… we'll see who ends up regretting this."
He had been ready to submit his resignation from Seigaku's tennis club and withdraw from the school entirely.
But before his request could be processed, Coach Ryuzaki, perhaps out of spite, had expelled him first.
Rin had only just learned of this.
So, at this moment, Atobe was livid on his behalf.
But Rin himself? After the initial anger, he'd calmed down considerably.
Truth be told, leaving Seigaku didn't weigh on him much.
Though his memories of Prince of Tennis were growing hazy with time, he figured that even if Seigaku had some kind of"protagonist aura," it was probably starting to crack.
Because…
Just yesterday, before he'd ended his call with Nanjiro Echizen, Ryoma Echizen—that fiery kid—had declared with absolute conviction that he would never join Seigaku.
And Nanjiro? He hadn't said a word to stop him.
Rin hadn't expected his departure from Seigaku to spark such outrage from Ryoma and Nanjiro.
Glancing at Atobe beside him, he could tell it was the same story.
Atobe was clearly pissed off on his behalf.
"Thanks," Rin said simply.
Between friends, there was no need for more.
Just as he hadn't lingered on Ryoma and Nanjiro's anger, there was no need to overexplain here either.
"Tch,"
Atobe scoffed, waving it off."If you really want to thank me, don't hold back later."
"Hold back? Not a chance,"
Rin replied, raising an eyebrow.
Neither said it outright, but they both knew what the other meant.
It was clear that some members of Hyotei's tennis club weren't thrilled about Rin's arrival.
And Atobe? He had no intention of smoothing things over for them.
Why? Because he believed Rin could handle it.
Besides…
"This'll be interesting,"
Atobe said, exchanging a knowing glance with Rin.
In the world of tennis, earning respect from another player came down to one thing:
Proving yourself.
It was the fastest, most direct, and most effective way.
Rin agreed completely. In tennis, you let your racket do the talking.
Whether it was gaining acceptance or making others understand you, nothing was quicker than a match.
Meanwhile, at the Hyotei tennis club, a heavy silence hung in the air.
It had been brewing ever since Atobe left.
Or rather, it had been simmering since yesterday.
They could accept a new member joining the Hyotei tennis club.
But the catch? That new member wasn't just joining—he was being parachuted in as vice-captain.
"Vice-captain? I'd like to see just who this guy is," Ryo Shishido said, his tone laced with defiance."What, you guys are just okay with some random person waltzing in as vice-captain?"
The others fell silent.
Of course they weren't okay with it.
Even Atobe had earned his place as captain—and kept it, even ousting the former vice-captain—because he was undeniably stronger than any of them.
The same rule applied now.
"Hey, Oshitari, what do you think?" Shishido asked, turning to a blue-haired youth, Yushi Oshitari, as the others followed suit.
Aside from Jiro Akutagawa, Oshitari was the strongest player after Atobe.
He was the most likely candidate for vice-captain.
"What do I think?"
Oshitari said, glancing at the group."The guy who's coming… it's Rin Matsuoka."
"What?!"
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
Rin Matsuoka?
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