The Prince of Tennis: From Data-Driven Tennis to the Pinnacle of His Career

Tokyo, night.

The tennis courts along the street appeared exceptionally tranquil under the dim streetlights, with only the occasional chirping of insects breaking the silence.

Kagura Ijin and Fuji Syusuke walked into the court side by side, their shadows stretching out long.

Without exchanging pleasantries, they tacitly placed their tennis bags on the bench, took out their rackets, and headed straight for both ends of the net.

"A single game decides the outcome, and the serve is the only option."

Fuji Syusuke stood in the service area, gently tossing the tennis ball in his hand.

At that moment, his previously squinted eyes opened slightly, revealing a glimmer of azure light.

"Bang!"

The tennis ball flew towards the other side with a sharp whistling sound.

"0-15!"

With a casual flick of his wrist, Kagura Ichijin sent the tennis ball bouncing back at an even faster speed, landing precisely on the baseline.

"Fuji-kun, get serious."

Kagura Ijin retreated to the receiving area and resumed his defensive stance.

"It's definitely different."

Fuji Syusuke took a deep breath, his azure eyes wide open, and stared intently at Kagura Ichijin opposite him.

He hadn't felt this kind of pressure in a long time; Kagura Ichijin's strength was indeed formidable.

"Bang!"

Fuji Syusuke serves again.

This time, he subtly applied side spin to his wrist when tossing the ball, and added a strong backspin at the moment the racket touched the ball.

Instead of bouncing as expected, the tennis ball slid sideways strangely after landing, as if it had suddenly disappeared.

"15-15!"

"The missing serve?"

Kagura Ichijin's swing missed, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he looked at the empty racket.

He had seen Yuushi Oshitari use this serve in today's final, and it was easily countered by Kanto Ishimaru.

He thought he could retaliate in the same way, but he didn't expect that Fuji Syusuke's serve was a little different from Oshitari Yuushi's.

"Kagura-kun, I'm going to serve again."

Fuji Syusuke gave a reminder, tossed the ball again, and fixed his gaze on Kagura Ichijin.

"interesting."

Kagura Ichijin's lips curled into a playful smile. Since Ishimaru's method of observing people wasn't working, he'd try another.

"Bang!"

After missing his target once again, Kagura Ikjin did not pause at all. Using the momentum of his swing, he quickly turned around and swung a second shot with his backhand.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound rang out as the tennis ball was steadily returned.

"They found a solution so quickly..."

Fuji Syusuke felt a chill run down his spine; Kagura Ichijin's reaction speed and adaptability far exceeded his expectations.

This was his improved serve, yet it was read out in just two attempts.

"Bang!"

Fuji Syusuke rushed to the net, trying to regain his rhythm with a volley.

However, just as he swung his racket, he saw another figure appear in front of the net.

"Bang!"

Kagura Ichijin flicked his wrist, sending the tennis ball flying in a tricky arc, landing behind Fuji Syusuke.

"15-30!"

Kagura Ikjin didn't turn around, but walked straight back to the receiving area, leaving Fuji Syusuke with a dashing back view.

"That's fast."

As Fuji Syusuke watched Kagura Ichijin's retreating figure, he was secretly amazed.

Back in the service court, he once again unleashed the serve that had vanished.

"Bang!"

Kagura Ichijin had already anticipated this serve and easily returned the ball.

But when he saw that Fuji Syusuke had already taken a counterattack stance, he immediately frowned.

Although he could return the ball, the power and angle of his returns were generally poor, making it difficult to effectively limit Fuji Syusuke.

"A great opportunity!"

Catching a sliver of topspin in Kagura Ijin's return shot, Fuji Syusuke decisively made his move.

"The swallows return to their nests!"

The tennis ball glided along the ground at high speed without bouncing at all.

"30-30!"

"High-speed slice?"

Kagura Ichijin glanced at his racket, lost in thought. His return shot just now was indeed a bit careless, giving Fuji Syusuke an opening.

If he hadn't applied topspin to the ball, Fuji Syusuke wouldn't have been able to use the Flying Swallow Return.

"Bang!"

When he served again, Fuji Syusuke keenly noticed that Kagura Ichijin's return shot had changed.

The shot was a flat shot, completely blocking the spin required for the "Flying Swallow Returns to Its Nest" maneuver.

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

After several rounds of back-and-forth fighting, Fuji Syusuke deliberately hit a high lob to lure Kagura Ijin into smashing it.

"Snapped!"

Kagura Ijin leaped high and delivered a powerful smash.

"Brown bear captured!"

Fuji Syusuke swung his racket with his back to the ground, attempting to use centrifugal force to neutralize the power.

However, the moment the racket touched the ball, his expression changed drastically.

An irresistible force traveled through the handle of the racket, and the racket flew out of his hand.

"30-40!"

"As expected, he's not a national-level player yet."

Kagura Ichijin shook his head.

The current Fuji Syusuke might still be able to gain the upper hand against ordinary opponents through his skills.

But against an opponent like him who has no obvious weaknesses, these flashy skills seem somewhat pale and powerless.

"Bang!"

When he served again, Fuji Syusuke's expression became unusually serious.

Kagura Ichijin put too much pressure on him, immediately pushing the intensity to the maximum, giving him no chance to breathe.

This is completely different from when he sparred with Tezuka Kunimitsu.

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

A gentle breeze swept across the stadium.

"wind……"

A glint of light flashed in Fuji Syusuke's eyes.

"Beluga whale!"

The tennis ball soared high into the air, tracing a strange arc. Upon landing, it didn't bounce backward but instead flew back towards Fuji Syusuke.

"what?"

Kagura Ichijin, who had just run back to the baseline to receive the ball, paused for a moment, then quickly reacted, rushing forward and hitting the ball into the other corner before it flew back to Fuji Syusuke.

"Game, Fuji Syusuke, 0-1!"

After successfully breaking Fuji Syusuke's serve and triple return, Kagura Ichijin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was being very careful, but he still almost didn't react in time.

"boom!"

When it was his turn to serve, Kagura Ijin tossed the ball high into the air, leaped into the air, and swung his racket forcefully!

"15-0!"

"So fast..."

Looking at the tennis ball still rolling behind him, Fuji Syusuke's face darkened.

He had seen this serve before during Kagura Ichijin's match, but he didn't really understand it back then.

But after experiencing it firsthand, he realized the overwhelming feeling of suffocation.

"boom!"

……

"30-0!"

……

"40-0!"

……

"Game, Fuji Syusuke, 0-2!"

After successfully securing the serve, Kagura Ichijin immediately began to silently recite the system's commands.

Fuji Syusuke (First year of junior high school)

Speed: 2.5

Power: 2

Stamina: 2.5

Spirit: 2.5

Technology: 4

Total: 13.5

"Fuji Syusuke is indeed very strong."

Kagura Ikjin nodded secretly.

These tennis prodigies, who have been playing since childhood, are all highly skilled. If he hadn't completely dominated them in other aspects, this match would have been really tough.