Baby Steps

Eiichirou Maruo is a meticulous honor student who decides to start exercising in the small pockets of free time he has, worried that his lifestyle is affecting his health. At the start of his freshman year, a flyer leads him to the Southern Tennis Club, where he signs up for a trial and steps onto the court for the first time.

There he meets fellow first-year Natsu Takasaki, whose love of tennis fuels her goal of becoming a professional. Eiichirou, by contrast, has been driven more by obligation than enjoyment—until the sport’s challenges begin to break up his routine and capture his attention. As he trains, he channels his hardworking, perfectionist mindset into building a personal style of play, gradually sharpening his skills and aiming to compete alongside the best.