Chapter New Prince of Tennis Chapter 276, 277 and 278 Discussion

Kaoz · Oct 5, 2019

Chapter 276
Chapter 277
Chapter 278

Thanks to @imperfekti for contributing to the summary.

Golden age 276: Hot-blooded vs. Cool-headed

The match between Oni and QP continues.
Both players keep holding serve. Oni makes the most of his chances whereas QP calmly defends against the ferocious attacks. Not just their styles contrast each other, but so do their mannerisms, with Oni letting out loud grunts on every shot and QP playing in complete silence.
Oni holds serve again and takes a 6-5 lead. He's only one game away from taking the first set. The middle schoolers are cheering Oni on. Duke notes that they've really grown fond of him. In response, Byoudouin asks if Duke's trying to rub Oni's popularity into his face.
Surrounded by cheers from the audience, QP gets ready to serve. But, suddenly he stops bouncing the ball and just drops it. The umpire asks him what's wrong. QP responds that he can't concentrate with all the noise around and that it's the umpire's job to issue a warning when the crowd hasn't stopped cheering by the time the player enters his service motion.
The umpire follows QP's directions and the crowd falls silent.
Oishi says QP's scary. The spectators were cheering for him after all. The contrast between QP and Oni becomes even clearer.
Inui says that, according to what he heard, QP even discarded the coach who was with him since childhood.

Golden age 277: Quark Puppe (Indifferent doll)

The chapter opens with a flashback to the German Tennis Academy, 12 years ago.
The director of the GTA is in a meeting with two coaches. They discuss one of the students. The director says that if the boy won't open up to any of the coaches, he won't be of any use.
One of the coaches, Ken Lendoll, strongly objects. He assures the director that the boy has real talent and just hasn't learned how to open up to others yet. The director asks how Lendoll will take responsibility if the child never opens up in his whole life. He then proposes a challenge: if the boy plays a match against a middle schooler in one month's time and shows results, he gets to stay. Lendoll objects again, saying it's completely unreasonable to pit a five-year old against a middle schooler.
The director cuts Lendoll off. If Quark Puppe is unable to get results, he will be sent back to the orphanage he came from.
A young boy is hitting against a wall, always cleanly to the same spot. Lendoll is watching him. After sitting in silence for a while, Lendoll applauds the kid and praises him, saying he's truly extraordinary. He introduces himself and asks if he may become the boy's coach.
When asked for his name, the boy responds that everyone calls him Quark Puppe, or QP in short.
Lendoll draws more numbers on QP's wall and instructs QP to hit them in order. Lendoll thinks this is a difficult exercise, but QP remains indifferent to it. Shortly afterwards, Lendoll is called away by academy staff. Before leaving, he installs a seesaw with two birds in a tree. He tells QP to tip the seesaw to the other side once he's completed the challenge and Lendoll himself will tip it to the left again when he has a new challenge for QP. As he leaves, Lendoll says he will come back the next day.
When Lendoll returns the day after, QP is nowhere to see. Lendoll is disappointed at first, but then he notices that there's an additional number on the wall now and the seesaw has been tipped over as well...
"And like this, our blue bird seesaw began to move everyday."

Golden age 278: Spread your wings, blue bird

Lendoll explains that one month passed this way. Every evening, he would pose QP a new challenge and tip the seesaw to the left. Every morning, QP would complete the challenge and tip the seesaw to the right.
When the director finds out how Lendoll has been coaching QP, he's furious, especially because Lendoll didn't mention the match to QP at all. Lendoll begs the director to give QP just a bit more time. He says that children develop at their own pace and adults shouldn't destroy their future because of their own ego. Like before, Lendoll remains convinced that QP will turn into an outstanding player.
Three years pass and the seesaw continues to move.
One day, QP overhears a group of other kids. They talk about a coach who was dismissed as a coach three years ago because he defied a GTA official, but who stayed with the GTA as a cleaner out of compassion. They wonder why he didn't just leave the academy.
Wondering who was moving the seesaw for these past three years, QP rushes over to the practice wall. When he sees Lendoll hitting against it wearing a cleaner's uniform, he realizes it was his fault that Lendoll lost his coaching position.
Ken notices QP and tells him that he's no longer some Quark Puppe, Quality of Perfect, the blue bird that will spread its wings toward the world.
QP resolves that he will become stronger than anyone, and then...
The scene cuts back to the match. QP wins the first set 7-6.
As the crowd cheers, Irie remarks how composed QP is. He goes on to say that in this match, where both sides were holding serve, QP was judging the openings Oni showed and only did as much as was necessary. Then he exploded in the tiebreak to decide the set in his favor.
QP comments that he's tired, but confirms with the coach that it's all going according to plan so far.
The German coach compliments QP, "Nice game, blue bird!" - On the bench sits none other than Ken Lendoll.