At the net, two players of similar height shook hands. Chitose smiled and said, "I thought it would be Akutagawa, but it's really you."
"That guy?" Yukimura shook his head. "He's been asleep since we entered the court. If it were him, he'd have been woken up during the first doubles match to warm up."
"True," Chitose nodded.
The two of them seemed like old friends, familiar with each other's quirks and habits.
"Let's get started," Yukimura said, glancing at the sky. "If we wait any longer, the heat will only get worse. It won't do either of us any good."
With that, he turned to leave.
Chitose raised an eyebrow. "What, not going to guess heads or tails for the serve?"
"No need," Yukimura replied calmly. "When it comes to the lucky Chitose, no matter which side I pick, the outcome will always favor you."
"Oh?"
Chitose's eyes showed a flicker of surprise. It had only been two or three months since they last met, but Yukimura's demeanor had changed so much. In the past, even if he knew his luck might not match Chitose's, Yukimura would still have fought for it. Now, his desire to win seemed to have diminished significantly.
"How strange," Chitose thought, curious about what could have caused such a shift in Yukimura.
He then turned and walked back to the baseline.
A moment later, after the referee confirmed both players were ready, he announced, "The match begins! Chitose of Yamabuki to serve, one game only!"
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
As the referee's voice faded, the audience's attention turned to Chitose, who was bouncing the tennis ball with his racket.
"Ready, Yukimura?" Chitose called out, holding the ball in his hand and glancing at his opponent with a slight smirk.
*Whoosh!*
He tossed the ball high into the air.
Then, to the astonishment of the onlookers, he leaped off the ground with incredible force, soaring to an impressive height.
"Whoa!" someone from Hyotei exclaimed. "How is he jumping that high?!"
"It's coming," murmured Shishido, Mukahi, and others, their expressions turning serious.
At the peak of his jump, nearly 80 to 90 centimeters off the ground, Chitose swung his racket down with a powerful smash.
*Bang!*
The ball shot forward like a cannonball, slamming into the service box on Yukimura's left side.
"There it is!" the Yamabuki team cheered. "Chitose's Tiger Cannon!"
"15-0!"
The serve had scored directly, leaving Yukimura unable to return it.
"Has it gotten even stronger?" Yukimura thought, his brow slightly raised.
The two had faced off before, albeit not in an official match, and Yukimura had experienced the sheer power of Chitose's Tiger Cannon. But compared to then, the speed and force of the serve had clearly increased.
"So," Chitose said with a grin as he landed smoothly, "figured out how to break my serve yet?"
"Keep going," Yukimura replied flatly.
His calm demeanor surprised Chitose even more. Yukimura's personality had truly changed—he wasn't the same as before.
"Is he just pretending to be calm?" Chitose wondered, giving Yukimura a deep look before turning to switch his serving position.
Another Tiger Cannon followed.
*Bang!*
"30-0!"
"Another direct point?" The Hyotei team's expressions grew tense. While Chitose's serve didn't seem as fast as some power serves, its sheer force was undeniable.
"As expected of Yamabuki's ace," Atobe remarked with approval. "Chitose's jumping ability and explosive power are truly impressive."
A year ago, during the national junior selection camp, Atobe and Chitose had represented Tokyo together. During training, Chitose had defeated many talented players from across the country with this very serve.
Unfortunately, Chitose had later slacked off in his training, reportedly due to his habit of flirting with girls—a fact that Atobe found regrettable.
*Bang!*
Another Tiger Cannon landed.
This time, however, Yukimura, who had clearly read the ball's trajectory, chose not to attempt a return.
"40-0!"
"Why?" Chitose frowned, not feeling the usual satisfaction of scoring. "You must have seen through it by now. Why aren't you countering?"
"Pity," Yukimura said, his calm expression tinged with disappointment. "Your serve... isn't fast enough."
Huh?
The crowd was baffled. Wasn't the problem supposed to be that the serve was too fast to return? Why was Yukimura saying the opposite?
*Swish!*
While the audience was confused, the Hyotei team seemed to understand. Their eyes turned to Ishikawa.
"So that's it," Coach Sakaki murmured, his eyes narrowing slightly before he shook his head. "He still hasn't let go of that serve."
During Hyotei's internal selection matches, Yukimura had faced Ishikawa and been completely overwhelmed by his serve, the *Stardust*. Even now, it seemed Yukimura was still fixated on returning that serve.
"What's this?" Munehiro sneered. "If you can't return it, just say so. Plenty of people can't handle the Tiger Cannon. There's no shame in admitting it."
"Munehiro," Chitose snapped, turning to scold him.
Then, he looked back at Yukimura. "I don't know what's going on with you, but I'd appreciate it if you'd take this match seriously."
"Of course," Yukimura replied.
Having tested the speed and power of the Tiger Cannon, Yukimura now had a good grasp of Chitose's abilities.
*Whoosh!*
Chitose tossed the ball high once more.
He leaped into the air, reaching an astonishing height, and smashed the ball down with all his might.
"So you've seen through my serve, huh?" Chitose thought.
"Alright then, let's see how you return it!"
*Bang!*
The ball shot like a cannonball, landing sharply in the inner corner of the service box on Yukimura's right side.
"What?!"
The Hyotei team was stunned. No one had expected Chitose to aim for that side. Typically, when a right-handed server faces a right-handed receiver, the fourth serve is directed to the opponent's left side, making it harder to return.
But Chitose had chosen the opposite direction.
"Playing against expectations, huh?" Coach Sakaki thought, impressed by Chitose's strategic thinking. His ability to read the game was clearly on another level compared to the rest of Yamabuki.
For an average player, this unexpected move might have been enough to throw them off.
But this was Yukimura.
He hadn't assumed where Chitose would aim. Instead, the moment Chitose's racket made contact with the ball, Yukimura had already read the trajectory.
In an instant, he moved swiftly to the right, positioning himself perfectly. As the ball landed, his racket was already in place, meeting the ball with precision.
*Thwack!*
The ball was sent flying back across the net.
Chitose, still in mid-air, could only watch as the ball sailed past him, completely out of reach.
"40-15!"
"What a quick half-volley!"
Outside the court.
A brown-haired boy with a cross-shaped scar on his forehead, wearing a St. Rudolph jacket, looked shocked.
It was none other than Yūta Fuji, the younger brother of Seigaku's tennis prodigy, Syūsuke Fuji.
Yūta himself was known for his expertise in half-volleys.
But at this moment.
The half-volley played by Ōshitari had left him utterly stunned.
Watching Ōshitari calmly reposition himself, Yūta exclaimed in surprise, "Is he really not a fast-attack specialist?"
"Hmm."
Next to him, Mizuki, dressed in a white jacket and constantly fiddling with his hair, nodded. "According to the data, he's more of a steady player, good at counterattacks."
"But judging from what's happening now…"
Recalling Ōshitari's clean and precise half-volley, Mizuki shook his head. "It seems like something has changed within Hyōtei recently, something we don't know about."
"Perhaps…"
His gaze shifted toward the handsome black-haired boy in the Hyōtei camp. "It might have something to do with that new guy!"
"Him?"
Yūta looked at Ishikawa. Despite being a first-year, his height was already on par with his older brother.
"I heard he defeated Tachibana from Fudomine. If that's the case, he'll probably play as the singles 2 in the next match against Seigaku…"
The thought made him tense up.
"Don't worry."
As if sensing Yūta's concern, Mizuki shook his head. "Syūsuke is strong. In our match… he didn't even show his true strength."
"Right."
Yūta nodded, feeling somewhat reassured.
*Thwack!*
*Thwack!*
*Thwack!*
The match continued.
After having his *Tiger Cannon* broken, Senji finally dropped his carefree smile. His expression turned serious as he locked eyes with Ōshitari and slammed the ball across the court.
*Thwack!*
Ōshitari quickly returned the shot.
And once again, it was the same half-volley.
"Ōshitari, this guy…"
Seeing the flawless, technically perfect half-volley, Shishido's expression grew complicated. "Has he been focusing on perfecting this move all this time?"
But there was no denying it.
If he wanted to return that serve—the one even more terrifying than the *Heavy Cannon Serve*—he'd need lightning-fast reflexes and an incredibly precise half-volley.
"Yeah."
Hearing Shishido's comment, Chōtarō beside him nodded. "Every day at the end of practice, Ōshitari-senpai would ask me to help him train."
After a pause, he added, "As of yesterday, his success rate at returning my *Heavy Cannon Serve* has exceeded 80%."
Eighty percent?!
That's insane!
The other Hyōtei members, as well as nearby spectators from other schools, were visibly shocked.
They had just witnessed how powerful Chōtarō's *Heavy Cannon Serve* was.
And yet, Ōshitari could return it with an 80% success rate?
But based on what he'd said earlier, it still wasn't enough to return *that* serve.
Just how fast must *that* serve be?!
*Thwack!*
*Thwack!*
*Thwack!*
On the court.
The two players were locked in a fierce exchange.
Ōshitari's attacks were swift, his movements seamless. Unlike Tachibana's aggressive style, his play was fluid, almost like a flowing stream of water.
At first.
Senji could keep up with his reflexes.
But as Ōshitari's shots grew faster, Senji began to fall behind. If it weren't for his dynamic vision, which allowed him to slow down his opponent's movements, he would've already lost.
Reluctantly.
Senji changed tactics.
Switching from drives to slices to ease the pressure.
"Senji (senpai)…"
Seeing this.
The Yamabuki team was stunned.
This was Senji, Yamabuki's undisputed singles 1 player. He had even participated in national junior tennis selections and made a name for himself as a formidable singles player.
But now.
He was being pushed to the brink by Hyōtei's singles 3?
However.
The change in strategy proved effective.
By stepping away from the rapid exchanges and leveraging his dynamic vision to disrupt the rhythm, Senji finally scored on his third serve after having his *Tiger Cannon* broken.
"Game!"
"Yamabuki Senji, 1-0. Change sides."
After an intense battle.
Senji managed to hold his serve.
This was far from the match he had envisioned before it started. As he glanced at the calm-faced Ōshitari, Senji felt a heavy pressure.
He could sense the intensity radiating from Ōshitari.
Yet, the other boy's demeanor was so composed, as if he didn't even see Senji as a threat.
This irked Senji.
But.
When the second game began.
Ōshitari's combination of fast attacks and half-volleys allowed him to score within just two minutes, leaving Senji completely deflated.
Reluctantly.
Senji focused on holding his serve while trying to adapt to Ōshitari's evolving playstyle.
*Thwack!*
"Game!"
"Yamabuki Senji, 2-1!"
*Thwack!*
"Game!"
"Hyōtei Ōshitari, 2-2!"
The two continued to trade points.
By the end of the ninth game, with Senji leading 5-4, he finally decided to take the initiative.
"Ōshitari."
Narrowing his eyes at his opponent, Senji declared, "Let's settle this with the next point!"
*Thwack!*
Facing Ōshitari's serve, Senji quickly raised his racket and sent the ball high into the air.
"A lob?"
"Did Senji make a mistake?"
"Even though he's been playing for a while and his stamina's dropping, he wouldn't make such a basic error, right?"
"No, wait!"
"This isn't a mistake! He's provoking his opponent!"
Everyone's eyes turned to Ōshitari, who stood at the baseline on Hyōtei's side.
At that moment.
The calm expression on his face tightened, and a faint, oppressive aura began to emanate from him.
"Senji's messed up."
Outside the court.
Atobe, who had seen through Senji's plan, sighed. "He must've studied Ōshitari's techniques in private. Normally, that might've worked, but now…"
Glancing at Ishikawa, who stood nearby as if completely detached, Atobe shook his head.
For Ōshitari.
Aside from his obsession with perfecting the half-volley to counter ultra-fast serves, there was now another taboo.
And today.
Senji had managed to cross both lines!
(End of chapter.)