When Kenji lines up at the front of the tennis club members for the first time, Yamato-sensei's words wash straight over him.  This is finally his chance to go for glory and to represent the school and the team in real competitions, not just friendly matches.  After all Seigaku has one of the best tennis teams in the area, regularly winning at both prefecture and city level.  Once, they even won the Nationals!

Now that he has made it, there's just one more thing he wants.

"Buchou?"

"Aa?"

"Now that I'm a regular, does that mean I can put my name on the flag?"

The flag was a huge blue one with the Seigaku crest that was proudly brought out for every official match.  It had caught Kenji's attention back in his first year that it was covered in names, most scarcely readable in the black ink.  He had promised himself back then that some day his name would be on there too.  He had asked back then and the captain had merely smiled as if it was just an amusing joke.

"Not yet," came the reply.  The captain was still smiling.  Really, he might as well just tell him what was so funny.

"When?"

"Win Nationals, and then we'll talk about it."

"Win .... Nationals?" Kenji asked falteringly, scarcely believing his ears.  Last year the team had been knocked out of the tournament in the first round of the city tournament.  The chance of them reaching the Natinoals was incredibly slight.

"Of course, that's what the others did."

Kenji sighed, shouldered his racket and threw himself back into his drills.  He only had two years in which to make it so he would have to get better fast, much much better.

The captain's eyes met those of the coach.

"Seigaku's new pillar is coming along rather well," Yamato said at last.

"If that's what motivates him," the captain shrugged expressively.  He really didn't understand how the minds of some of his juniors worked but if it would help their tennis there couldn't be any harm in it.