Is that him?
That first-year regular from Hyotei, Shun Ishikawa!
The moment they saw Ishikawa, both Hanamura and Shinjo's faces showed intense shock.
They never expected him to show up here. And not only that, but he personally stepped in to save Shinjo.
"Who are you?"
Matsudaira, however, looked at Ishikawa with a mix of caution and wariness.
His smash was incredibly fast. Even players of the same level would struggle to counter it in such a short time.
But this guy…
From such a distance, he managed to predict Matsudaira's smash and interfere with it.
This level of insight and skill was far beyond an ordinary player.
At the very least, he was no match for the guy standing in front of him, who looked like he'd just rolled out of a dumpster.
"Me?"
Ishikawa looked at Matsudaira, who was clearly on edge, and smiled. "I'm just a passing middle schooler."
"A middle schooler?"
Matsudaira's furrowed brow relaxed slightly. "I see."
He thought he might have offended this guy somehow. But it turned out he was just a middle schooler.
"Interesting."
Matsudaira smirked. "Are you planning to disrupt the high school match like he did?"
"No need to put it that way, senpai," Ishikawa replied with a smile. "If you're too scared to play me, just say so. After all, you're not the strongest one here, are you?"
"Huh?"
Matsudaira's expression shifted slightly.
Meanwhile, Hanamura and Shinjo stared at Ishikawa in surprise. Shinjo, in particular, had no idea why Ishikawa was here or why he'd stepped in to help him.
But this Matsudaira guy was seriously strong.
Was it really okay for Ishikawa to jump in like this?
"Kid!"
At that moment, Matsudaira's younger brother, Matsudaira Chikao, who was wearing a green beret, sneered. "Middle schoolers should know their place. This isn't where you belong, and my brother isn't someone you can provoke!"
"Chikao!"
Before Ishikawa could respond, Matsudaira Chikahiko, the older brother, spoke sternly. "Step back. You're no match for him."
"But—"
Chikao tried to argue, but his brother's sharp glare shut him up.
"Kid," Chikahiko said, turning to Ishikawa with a smirk. "If you want to play me, fine. But don't come crying to me if you get hurt."
"Great. That's exactly what I wanted to say to you, senpai."
Ishikawa nodded with a smile.
"This kid…"
Matsudaira's expression stiffened.
He had no idea where this kid got the confidence to challenge him. After all, he wasn't just any player—even at the training camp, he was considered above average.
But something about this kid felt… off.
Still, he was in too deep to back out now.
*Thud. Thud. Thud.*
At the baseline, Ishikawa gently bounced the tennis ball. He looked at Matsudaira and asked, "Senpai, do you know Hyotei's Echi Mitsuki?"
"Huh?"
Matsudaira, who was preparing to receive the serve, froze for a moment at the name.
"What's this kid playing at? Why's he bringing up Echi?"
Matsudaira's mind raced. Then, his eyes landed on Ishikawa's uniform. "Wait… that's Hyotei's jersey. This kid's from Hyotei?!"
In an instant, Matsudaira's expression changed.
He thought this was just some random, cocky middle schooler. But it turned out the kid had connections.
"What are you getting at?"
Still, Matsudaira decided to play it safe and asked for clarification.
"Nothing much," Ishikawa said, holding the ball in his hand. "I heard his serve is incredible, so I wanted to see it for myself. If you know him, senpai, maybe you can tell me how my serve stacks up."
*Whoosh!*
With that, he tossed the ball into the air.
"A serve?"
Watching Ishikawa bend his knees, tuck his stomach, and rise onto his toes, Matsudaira was momentarily stunned. Then he shook his head. "I thought it was something serious. This kid actually thinks his serve can compare to Echi's? Ha!"
He couldn't help but laugh.
It was just too ridiculous.
Sure, this middle schooler might have some decent skills. But when it came to serves, Echi's were ranked number one at the camp.
"This kid must've heard about Echi somewhere and got some crazy ideas."
As Matsudaira adjusted his stance to receive the serve, he thought to himself, "How fast can a middle schooler's serve even be?"
*Boom!*
The next moment, a flash of light streaked across the court.
Ishikawa's racket had barely made contact with the ball when it slammed into the ground just in front of Matsudaira's right side.
The yellow streak exploded like a burst of light.
Matsudaira's expression went blank for a moment. Then, his eyes and face contorted as if he'd seen something terrifying.
*Tap. Tap. Tap.*
The ball bounced and rolled to a stop behind him.
"Gulp."
The high schoolers watching from the sidelines swallowed hard, their faces pale.
"H-he's too strong!"
They stared at Ishikawa as if he were a monster.
None of them had even seen where the ball had been hit, let alone tracked its trajectory.
"What a terrifying serve!"
On the other side, Hanamura and Shinjo were equally stunned.
Shinjo, in particular, had already accepted that he was no match for Matsudaira. But now it was clear that this first-year from Hyotei hadn't even been going all out earlier.
"So, senpai," Ishikawa said, looking at Matsudaira with a smile. "How was my serve?"
"Uh…"
Matsudaira's face shifted through a range of emotions.
He wanted to play it cool, but the memory of that impossibly fast serve made it hard to speak.
"Looks like you didn't see it clearly," Ishikawa said, picking up another ball. "In that case, I'll go a little slower this time."
*Whoosh!*
He tossed the ball into the air again and got into position.
"This guy!!!"
Seeing Ishikawa's movements, Matsudaira clenched his fists. "Who does he think he is? This time, I'll definitely return it!"
*Boom!*
The moment the thought crossed his mind, another yellow streak exploded in front of his right side.
This time…
The opponent switched serving positions, aiming for the inside corner.
Logically, this kind of inside-corner serve should be the easiest to return. Especially since Matsudaira himself had already prepared everything to receive the serve.
However.
When the tennis ball landed.
He could only watch helplessly as the ball flew past him. He could even see the rapidly spinning fuzz on the ball.
Yet.
His entire body seemed frozen, unable to move a muscle.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
The same position.
The same ball lightly bouncing.
The confidence and anger on Matsudaira's face had completely vanished. Meanwhile, the high schoolers looked at Ishikawa with even more awe and respect.
"Sigh."
Ishikawa shook his head with a light sigh. "I thought you, as my senior, could give me some guidance. Seems I was expecting too much. In that case, let's just wrap up this game quickly."
*Thud!*
The serve landed.
Another direct point.
Matsudaira was already numb, while the other high schoolers were too tense and intimidated to even speak.
As for Hanamura and Shinjo, they exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and bitterness in each other's eyes.
The person in front of them was clearly on a completely different level.
"This year's Hyotei..."
Hanamura, snapping out of his thoughts, thought about the Kanto and national tournaments. With the skills Ishikawa had just displayed, even Rikkai might not be a match for them.
*Thud!*
The fourth serve landed.
Matsudaira, whose mentality had already crumbled, was sweating profusely. Still unable to react, he closed his eyes in frustration.
Under the stunned gazes of the onlookers, this high school tennis ace spoke with a grim expression, "This match... let's end it here."
Yes.
A serve doesn't define everything.
But Matsudaira wasn't just any player. He could clearly see that Ishikawa hadn't even used his full strength.
Continuing the match.
Would only drain his stamina without achieving anything. It might even strip away the last bit of dignity he had left.
At least now.
He hadn't openly admitted defeat and had given the other party an out, so it wasn't a complete humiliation.
"However."
Taking a deep breath, Matsudaira looked coldly at Ishikawa and said, "If you think a serve like that is enough to make it in the high school tennis world, you're sorely mistaken."
"This world is far more terrifying than you can imagine!"
He stared at Ishikawa, trying to gauge any change in his expression. But Matsudaira was disappointed.
Ishikawa simply shook his head with a smile and said, "If that's how you put it, Senior, then I'm even more interested in high school tennis now!"
With that.
He put away his racket.
Slinging his tennis bag over his shoulder, he turned and walked away.
The high schoolers, who had been so arrogant earlier, now parted like the Red Sea, making way for Ishikawa as he passed.
"Ishikawa Shin!"
Shinjo clenched his fists, feeling both shocked and deeply impressed.
It was the first time he'd seen someone win over so many high schoolers with just four serves.
"Is this... what tennis is really supposed to be like?"
Watching Ishikawa's retreating figure, Shinjo took a deep breath, then turned to Hanamura and bowed deeply. "Coach, I've decided... from now on, I'm going to forge my own path."
"Shinjo..."
Hanamura was taken aback. Shinjo, who had always been obedient and never complained, was now making such a declaration.
"I understand."
However, a look of relief spread across her face. "Go ahead. Don't let the chains I've placed on you hold you back. Just remember, tennis isn't a tool to hurt others. Go and find your own style of tennis!"
With that matter settled.
Ishikawa didn't leave immediately.
Instead, he continued to wander around the high school courts, observing match after match with his tennis bag still on his back.
At the same time.
It seemed like he was searching for something—or someone—as his gaze swept over the faces of the players on the courts.
"Next up, the first round of Group C."
A broadcast echoed from a nearby court.
"From Kanagawa Prefecture, Rikkai Dai Fuzoku High School's Oojiroh Marui, versus Tokyo's Hyotei Academy High School's Gakuto Oshitari."
"Both players, please prepare."
Hearing this.
Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Finally found it."
With that.
He headed toward the direction of the broadcast.
At that moment.
On one side of the court appeared the same purple-red-haired boy Ishikawa had encountered earlier.
And on the other side.
A towering figure, wearing the same colored jacket as Ishikawa, stepped forward.
"Is this... Hyotei's legendary captain?"
(End of chapter)