Prince of Tennis: Shocking! Hyotei's Demon King is a Yukimura fangirl!

During the break between games when players change rackets.

Atobe stood in front of the net, glanced at Tezuka's back, and a sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

He thought that Tezuka, who was avoiding battle, could come up with something more substantial.

So, that's all there is to it?

Sitting on the coach's bench, Mochizuki Ryo watched Atobe walk over to switch sides and said something in a low voice, just loud enough for Atobe to hear.

"Tanhäuser's spin control was very good. But on the third ball in the second game, your center of gravity shifted two centimeters to the right in the first two steps after landing. If your opponent's return hits your backhand, you'll have half a step more to adjust. Also... calm down a bit."

Atobe didn't stop walking, and snorted, "Uh-huh. You don't need to tell me."

His tone was still arrogant, but his steps were much steadyer.

……

In the stands, Luna, who was practically melting in Yukimura's arms, suddenly stirred. Her little nose twitched, and she gasped for breath, sticking out her tongue. She raised her head to look towards the entrance, her ears perking up slightly.

Less than two minutes later, the butler of the wilderness came over with several bodyguards and gently placed four exquisite wooden insulated food boxes by the aisle, the movement so quiet that it was almost silent.

"Greetings, everyone." Butler Haruno nodded slightly in the direction of Hyotei and Rikkai. "The matriarch instructed that some refreshing afternoon tea snacks be sent over."

Cilang's eyes lit up instantly, all the drowsiness he had just felt vanished: "Dessert!"

Marui was the first to turn around and take a look, almost swallowing the gum in his mouth: "Wow! Four big boxes, are these for us?"

Kirihara jumped up from the steps, fanning himself with both hands, his seaweed head sticking up: "Do you still have any chilled ones? It's so hot!"

The butler smiled and nodded, gesturing for the bodyguard to open the food box. As soon as it was opened, a cool breeze wafted out. Tiny droplets of water condensed on the jars of chilled tea and peanut milk, dripping onto the wooden box and leaving small circular marks. Mung bean cakes, millet cakes, almond cookies… were neatly arranged. Beside them were French desserts like macarons and canelés, all served on silver plates adorned with lavender patterns.

Very exquisite.

"These were all ordered by the old lady to be made by the kitchen." Butler Haruno bowed and smiled, his voice gentle. "A portion was also sent to the medical building, for both Mukahi and Kabaji."

Cilang had already moved closer, and upon hearing this, his eyes lit up even more. He reached out, grabbed a piece of mung bean cake, stuffed it into his mouth, and squinted his eyes into crescent moons.

"So delicious! It's the same as the one I had at Ling's house last time!" He said, his mouth full of food, his words muffled. "It's a pity Yue Ren and Hua Di aren't here, otherwise they would definitely love this."

"Senior Jiro, didn't Butler Haruno say that the medical building has also been delivered?" Feng smiled and took two pieces of mung bean cake, handing one to Shishido Ryo. "They must have already eaten them over there."

Marui's eyes sparkled as he stared at the food. Just as he was about to reach for it, he remembered he was in a competition, scratched his head sheepishly, and stole a glance at Sanada's expression.

Sanada's eyebrows twitched, but he didn't say anything in objection, his gaze remaining fixed on the scene.

Marui looked away, then grabbed a piece of millet cake from the edge of the box. He ate it until his cheeks were bulging, muttering, "Mmm! The sweetness is just right! Ling's grandma's cooking is amazing!"

Kirihara hugged a can of peanut milk, took a big gulp, and got some milky white residue on the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away casually and exclaimed coolly, "It's so refreshing! It's so cool!"

Irie leaned over and unceremoniously took a piece of almond shortbread: "Oh, thanks to Coach Mochizuki, I get afternoon tea too."

Tokugawa stood to the side without making a move. The butler handed him a cup of cold tea, which he thanked with a slight nod and accepted.

Sanada had intended to say that he shouldn't be distracted during the competition, but the minty aroma wafting from the herbal tea made him swallow his words back. Yanagi handed him a can of herbal tea, and the touch of Sanada's fingertips on the cool can instantly dissipated most of the summer heat.

Yukimura remained seated and did not move.

The butler then approached him and handed him a cloth-wrapped food box embroidered with lilies of the valley, saying with a smile, "The old lady said this is for Yukimura-kun. They're all served warm or cool, with less sugar, so they won't be too sweet."

"Please thank Grandma for me." Yukimura said as he took the cloth bag, his fingertips touching it, which was still a little cool.

He looked up at the Hyotei coaching bench, where Mochizuki Ryo was resting his chin on his hand, watching the court. Noticing his gaze, she raised her chin at him, her eyes filled with a smug "come and try it" look.

Yukimura's eyes crinkled into a smile, and he lightly tapped the food box with his fingertip, as if in response.

The butler's gaze swept over the adorable kitten staring at Yukimura in his arms, then he took out a small baby bottle from the insulated bag, held it in his hand, and handed it to Yukimura. "This is goat milk prepared for the young master. It's warm. The old lady specifically instructed on the temperature."

Yukimura looked away, thanked her, and took the food box. He placed it on his lap, but before opening it, he bent down, picked up the kitten bottle, and held it to Luna's mouth.

Luna, who had been listless, immediately lifted her head upon smelling the milk. She clutched the bottle in her little paws and drank guzzlingly, her tail swaying gently, and her little ears no longer drooping. After drinking about half the bottle, she suddenly stopped, snuggled into Yukimura's arms, let out a small burp, curled up into a little black ball, and began to droop her eyelids.

"Tired?" Yukimura asked softly, scratching the kitten's chin with his fingertips. The kitten purred twice and drifted off to sleep.

He carefully placed the cat into the smart cat carrier next to him, pressed a button on the side, and the ventilation system started working gently, keeping the temperature inside constant.

"Go to sleep for a while, I'll wake you up when it's over."

The mesh fabric was breathable and felt cool inside. Luna rubbed against the lining, adjusted to a comfortable position, and fell into a deeper sleep.

Yukimura zipped up the zipper halfway, leaving the mesh screen open for ventilation, and moved very gently.

After doing all that, he opened the food box. The pastries inside were neatly cut, and there was a small bottle of peanut milk next to them.

Oshitari stood beside Atobe, holding his coat. Just as he reached for the can of peanut milk, a folded piece of paper slipped out of the coat pocket and fell onto the steps with a "thud".

"Hmm?" Taki bent down to pick it up, and was about to put it back when he caught a glimpse of the writing on the paper out of the corner of his eye, and he paused.

It was Hyotei's standard letter paper, written with a black fountain pen, and heavily marked with corrections.

"This is... a battle formation chart?" He unfolded it, paused for a moment, and muttered softly.

The top of the document reads "Seigaku Formation Prediction and Analysis".

The following are listed in rows:

Doubles Match 2: Gakuto Mukahi/Yushi Oshitari vs. Shuichiro Oishi/Eiji Kikumaru (Predicted win rate 72%)

A cross was drawn next to it, and it was changed to: Gakuto Mukahi/Oginosuke Taki, enter the game. If the golden duo is broken up, the win rate increases to 95%. (Gakuto is extremely competitive, be careful to avoid injury. If... it depends on the severity of the situation. Be careful!)

Doubles Match 2: Ryo Shishido/Chōtarō Ootori VS Sadaharu Inui/Kaoru Kaidō (Seigaku's only data-driven player will definitely be in the doubles match, with a 100% chance of him leading a second-year student. Predicted win rate: 90%)

Singles Match 3: Kabaji Takahiro vs. Kawamura Takashi (Predicted win rate 65%, Note: Beware of the backlash from the wave ball; if the "red line" appears, Kawamura will fight tooth and nail to win, or force a draw!!! Extremely dangerous, be careful to avoid injury.)

Singles Match 2: Atobe Keigo vs. Tezuka Kunimitsu (88% predicted win rate, key matchup, it will definitely be him.)

Singles Match 1: Yuushi Oshitari vs. Syusuke Fuji (Predicted win rate 85%, I deliberately ranked it this way because I wanted to see it.)

Substitute: Jiro Akutagawa (Very Important) VS Ryoma Echizen (A safe matchup, but surprises are possible; risk management is necessary. Worth noting.)

Shishido leaned over and took a look. Every pairing on the paper matched Seigaku's lineup for today perfectly. Singles match three was written as Kawamura Takashi, with the words "hard fight, hand injury" written next to it. Singles match two was clearly written as Tezuka Kunimitsu, with a small sketch next to it.

An arrow was drawn on the side, with the words "Keigo Exclusive" written on it.

The contrast with the previous meticulous handwriting is stark.

Shishido stared at the graffiti, his lips twitching. He wanted to say it wasn't fancy, but then he remembered it was drawn by Mochizuki Ryo, and changed his words to, "...This was drawn by Ryo?"

Renji also came over, saw the little peacock, and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Who else could it be but him? He was the one scribbling on the bus this morning, turns out he was drawing this. I must say, it's quite cute."

The paper quickly circulated, and after the Hyotei students finished reading it, they all handed it to Rikkai.

Kirihara squeezed in, and after reading it, his eyes widened even more: "You guessed it all right? Senpai is amazing!"

Liu leaned over to take a look. The data entries were clearly listed, with the win rate of each pair marked as a percentage. The handwriting was neat, except for the simple line drawing, which had a slightly wicked feel to it. "All the formation orders were correct. All kinds of win rates were calculated, even the situation where Da Shi was injured and had to take his place was calculated."

When the paper was passed to Niou, he chuckled and tapped the drawing with his fingertip.

"Not only are your calculations accurate, but you also have plenty of free time. This little peacock is quite lifelike, pupina~"

He pointed to the corner of the form, where a simple peacock was casually drawn with a pen. It wore a small crown on its head and held a trophy in its wings. The lines were childlike and cute, revealing a playful and mischievous side.

Yagyu adjusted his glasses, a faint smile playing on his lips. "He predicted everything before the match even started. No wonder he wasn't flustered at all. After all, he's already started idly creating art."

Everyone crowded around to look and couldn't help but laugh.

"Is this Atobe?"

"The Crown Trophy definitely belongs to him."

"That arrogant air of his is captured so perfectly."

After reading it, Sanada remained silent for a few seconds. "His troop deployment is flawless."

The battle formation list eventually reached Yukimura.

He gently brushed his fingertips across the little peacock with its tail held high, its crest lightly touching the peacock's crown. A smile spread across his eyes, even the corners of his eyes softening. Beside the paper were notes in French that Wang Yueling had casually written; though the handwriting was messy, only he could understand them.

Yukimura stared at it for a few seconds, then said in a low voice, his voice soft, with a hint of helplessness and indulgence.

"I always like to draw these little things; it's childish."

Irie leaned over from the side and glanced at the screen: "Wow, they really are playing their cards openly. But they even calculated the matchups and injury scenarios perfectly. This isn't just a coach, he's practically a prophet."

Tokugawa glanced at the densely packed revision marks on the form, revealing the process of the deduction. He didn't speak, but his gaze towards the blond figure on the coach's bench deepened.

Shinobu stuffed the lineup chart back into his coat pocket, shaking his head and laughing: "Luckily, he's our Hyotei's coach. If he were the opponent's, it wouldn't be so fun."

……

The second game started quickly, with Tezuka serving.

Tezuka held his new racket, the strings tightened more securely, his left hand still slightly numb. He moved his wrist, his expression unchanged, as if he weren't the one whose racket had just been knocked away.

After standing at the baseline, he adjusted his breathing, tossed the ball, and served, his movements as precise as a textbook.

The ball flew over the center net line with strong topspin.

A tug-of-war quickly ensued at the baseline.

The yellow ball flew back and forth across the net, each hit producing a crisp sound, followed by a dull thud as it struck the rubber court. The wind swayed the ball slightly, but it didn't affect the accuracy of either player.

Tezuka's shots were very stable, with extremely precise spin control, and every shot landed right on the baseline. Atobe's returns were powerful and tricky; the two players rallied from the baseline, the sound of their rackets hitting one after another, the rhythm so fast it was dazzling.

The stands gradually quieted down, everyone watching the ball fly back and forth.

After seven or eight shots, Atobe suddenly lifted the racket face, and the ball bounced high with strong topspin, landing deep in front of the net and near the baseline.

Tezuka quickly stepped forward, his wrist twisted upwards by the strong spin, and he returned the ball from an incorrect angle.

It's golf!!!

Everyone held their breath.

Right now.

Atobe's eyes sharpened, he strode forward, jumped, and smashed the ball.

"Bang!"

The first smash came down hard, and Tezuka barely managed to raise his racket to block it. The racket hit his wrist with a "bang," and the ball bounced up again, just inside Atobe's control.

The second jump followed immediately. Atobe adjusted his posture in mid-air and smashed the ball down again with great force.

"A waltz toward destruction."

He uttered a few words in a low voice, and the ball slammed heavily into the baseline, so hard that it sank several inches into the court and didn't bounce back at all.

"15-0".

The murmurs in the room fell silent for half a second, as if they had been cut off.

Then the Hyotei cheering squad erupted... The chants of "Atobe! Atobe!" surged from the center of the golden sea of ​​fans, drowning out all other sounds from the stands.

"My God, that smash was absolutely brutal!"

"This is Atobe's signature move, the Waltz Towards Destruction!" someone in the audience shouted, their voice filled with excitement. "I've only ever seen it in magazines! It's so amazing to see it played in person!"

"Two smashes! The first one sent the racket flying, the second one scored the point—who can stop that?"

"Did Tezuka lose his balance just now? Why does his left arm feel so limp?"

"Nonsense, Atobe's smash is so powerful, you wouldn't be able to stand up either."

On Yamabuki's side, Sengoku whistled: "Wow, that smash power, the only person who can catch it with their bare hands is 'this guy'."

As he spoke, he gave a thumbs up.

Tan Taichi, clutching his support scarf, exclaimed with wide eyes, "Atobe-senpai jumped so high!"

The old man, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, slowly explained to them, "It wasn't just a smash; he deliberately forced Tezuka to lob the ball high, calculating every single shot."

The atmosphere in the Seigaku stands grew even heavier.

Momoshiro slammed his heavy cheering device against the railing, the metallic "humming" causing the surrounding audience to cover their ears and cast strange glances.

Completely oblivious, he gritted his teeth, his face contorted with anger: "That move was too vicious! That first spike was clearly aimed at the minister's hand."

Upon hearing this, the Hyotei supporters sitting behind him glared angrily at Momoshiro.

"Amo, don't talk nonsense." Oishi noticed the dissatisfaction of the surrounding audience and spoke in a deep voice before they could start cursing: "Atobe deliberately created spin on the moment of the previous return, causing Tezuka to hit a high ball that went astray, and then scored with a double smash. In short, it was a very beautiful tactical combination technique."

Momoshiro clearly wanted to say something more, but Oishi stopped him with a serious look. The members of the Hyotei council behind them then chuckled and let them go.

Kikumaru clung to the railing, his long, curly hair swaying back and forth, his face full of anxiety: "What do we do? Tezuka won't just keep getting beaten down, will he?"

Fuji didn't speak, but his eyes widened even more. He had clearly seen that ball; Atobe hadn't just hit a high ball by chance, but had been controlling the spin and arc of each shot, deliberately bringing Tezuka's return upwards.

This terrifying ball control is even stronger than rumored.

The next few goals on the field.

Atobe noticeably increased the pace, widening the ball's trajectory to the left and right at extremely high angles, forcing Tezuka to run extensively. His backhand shots were both tricky and heavy, each hitting into the elbow's power dead zone, with ridiculously strong spin.

When the score was 30-0, Tezuka received a backhand smash, and his left arm suddenly twitched almost imperceptibly.

The amplitude was very small and so fast it was almost an illusion; even the driver sitting closest to the line didn't notice it.

Atobe, however, captured it precisely.

His icy blue eyes narrowed slightly for a moment, and in the next round he deliberately played a shallow shot to lure Tezuka forward. Tezuka did indeed move forward to chop the ball, but Atobe was half a step faster, flicking the ball high with his racket.

The sunlight fell on the ball, making people dizzy, and even the audience subconsciously squinted.

Atobe leaped into the air, his knees bending in a beautiful arc, his racket held high above his head, his muscle lines bulging through his uniform.

"A waltz toward destruction."

The first smash slammed heavily onto the racket face, and Tezuka instinctively raised his racket to block, causing the ball to bounce even higher.

Atobe adjusted his posture in mid-air, exerted force from his waist and abdomen, and his second smash followed closely behind, hitting the baseline precisely. The ball bounced up, grazed the net post, and flew out, hitting the net with such force that it made a loud thud before finally getting caught inside.

I reckon it won't even be able to be buttoned up.

The score quickly widened to 40-0.

Atobe forced out three high balls in a row, shattering the waltz three times, and scored cleanly and decisively.

Tezuka stood at the baseline, his breathing slightly heavier. His left hand tightened its grip on the racket, but his eyes remained calm, showing no sign of panic. As he served the next ball, he suddenly changed direction, unleashing a backhand slice.

The movements were very subtle, almost without any warning.

The ball, with a strong backspin, skimmed over the net, then plummeted down, landing in Atobe's half of the court.

Instead of bouncing forward after landing, it rolls back towards the net.

Zero short ball! ! !

Atobe rushed to the net, his shoes scraping against the rubber surface with a hissing sound, but he was still a step too slow; the ball stopped just as it rolled over the net.

"15-40".

Cheers erupted instantly from the Seigaku stands.

"Good shot! Captain Tezuka!"

"Great, we've held on. It's a zero-ball, let's keep this up and win!"

Shisako became instantly excited in the press box, frantically snapping over a dozen photos with her camera, the shutter clicking away, her eyes shining brightly.

"That was so cool!" she exclaimed excitedly, leaning forward slightly. "I knew it! How could Tezuka be on the defensive all the time! Once he throws the Zero Style short ball, nobody can catch it! Even Hyotei's captain, Atobe Keigo, can only watch helplessly."

Inoue visibly relaxed, nodding in agreement: "The backspin of the Zero-style short ball is indeed effective against smashes, and Tezuka adjusted quickly. As long as we stay calm, we'll definitely win!"

The audience seats also became lively.

"Holy crap, the Zero-Style Short Ball! Is this the legendary ball that doesn't bounce after landing and just rolls back?"

"That was amazing! I thought Tezuka was going to lose a point, but then he turned the tide with a short ball."

"As expected of Tezuka Kunimitsu, his ball control precision is truly outrageous."

"I knew it! Tezuka can't stay on the defensive forever. Now it's a back-and-forth battle, keep it up!"

Yukimura watched Atobe's back as he slowly walked back to the baseline, seemingly unperturbed.

He curved his lips into a smile.

How many points would Tezuka score with that move?!

On the court, Tezuka made a stunning run, scoring three consecutive points to quickly tie the score.

His rhythm clearly stabilized, combining long and short shots, occasionally dropping a short ball, forcing Atobe to run back and forth, making it impossible for him to jump and smash comfortably anymore.

The cheers from Seigaku on the sidelines gradually rose, and three first-year students, clutching their support scarves, shouted "Go, Captain!" at the top of their lungs with flushed faces.

At the end of his service game, Tezuka hit another slice shot with an extremely low arc, which looked like it was about to land in front of the net, replicating his previous Zero-style short shot.

Everyone thought that the breakup was a sure thing, and some people from Seigaku were already cheering in advance.

Saori Shiba had even raised her camera, ready to capture the moment the score was made.

The ball dropped rapidly after clearing the net, and it looked like it was about to land and roll back.

Just then, Atobe appeared.

The instant Tezuka swung his racket, his feet had already moved from the baseline towards the net. He positioned himself in front of the landing point of the Zero-style short ball, crouching down before it crossed the net, catching it with his racket face close to the ground. With a deft flick of his wrist, the ball was lifted over the net.

The most dramatic thing was that the return shot was a short ball.

The ball grazed the net and landed in the opponent's court, only ten centimeters from the net, before bouncing lightly and stopping.

Tezuka didn't have time to step forward.

Score.

"Game, Hyotei, 2-0. Hyotei is in the lead."

For ten seconds after the referee announced the start of the show, the entire stadium was silent, and then it erupted in a roar.

"Holy crap! They actually caught that?!"

"And then he hit a short ball back?!"

"How is that possible! Doesn't the ball roll back after landing? How did he know where it would land...? Isn't the zero-ball short ball unsolvable?"

"He moved in advance! He moved as soon as the opponent made their move! That prediction is ridiculously accurate!"

"...This can no longer be explained by experience alone."

"Not only was his serve broken, but even his Zero-Shiki short ball was broken on the second try? That's one of Tezuka's signature moves!"

The stands were in complete chaos. Some were rubbing their eyes in disbelief; others were excitedly standing up and clapping; still others were arguing with the people next to them, saying that the goal must have been a fluke.

At Rikkai Grandstand, Sanada's fingers tightened, making a slight cracking sound as he gripped the railing.

"It started three seconds in advance. He anticipated it again."

"Indeed, Atobe anticipated the shot by 0.3 seconds, hitting the ball precisely at the moment of landing. He's trained, and trained for a long time." Liu's pen flew across the paper without looking up: "Tezuka Kunimitsu's 'Zero-Shiki Short Ball,' used twice. The landing accuracy, backspin intensity, and ball speed all meet the data standards. However, the follow-through is delayed by about 0.4 seconds... slower than the previous shot. Tezuka's shooting motion might have subtle differences that we didn't notice, which Atobe caught with his exceptional eyesight. Of course, it could also be..."

"The limit of talent can be absolutely predicted."

Yukimura continued what Yanagi hadn't finished saying, watching Atobe's finishing move on the court. His posture was neat and beautiful, clearly showing that he had practiced countless times.

There was a hint of understanding in his eyes. "He's been waiting for this ball for a long time."

"You even remembered the delay in the closing ceremony?" Marui turned his head to look at Liu.

"Hmm. The data doesn't lie." Liu marked a new line of data on the paper. "According to my model, Tezuka's left arm trembled slightly at the end of the exertion, which may be the reason for the subtle change in movement."

Sanada stood at the front, his gaze fixed on Tezuka's left arm beneath the brim of his hat. He recalled his match against Tezuka, when Tezuka's every Zero-Shiki short ball was cleanly and crisply finished, without any such "delay".

So what exactly caused this delay?

Kirihara squatted beside the food box, holding a canelé, his eyes wide, his seaweed-like head bobbing, "Catch, I caught it. What a quick reaction!"

"This is just the beginning." Niou chuckled, ruffling his seaweed-like hair, his fox-like eyes narrowing with a mischievous grin. "This is going to be even more fun. Tezuka's two signature moves—one he's always on guard against with his serve, and the other his short ball—have been completely exposed. His trump cards have been laid bare. What tricks does he have up his sleeve now, puri~"

The scene at Hyotei was even more lively, with Jiro jumping high in the air, dropping mung bean cake crumbs all over the ground.

"Yushi, did you see that?! Atobe took it back!" He shook Shinobu's arm, his eyes sparkling. "And did you see the angle of his arm rotation just now? It was so beautiful!!! If I were in his place, I would definitely be twisted into a pretzel."

Shinobu swayed with his movements, nodded with a smile, and said, "I've been practicing for almost a month, and it's finally come in handy."

Shishido's lips curled up slightly, then quickly suppressed it, and he said in a low voice, "Atobe played well in these two games, taking less than fifteen minutes."

"Yes." Feng smiled gently, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement. "The minister's efforts have not been in vain."

Irie crossed his arms and gestured with his chin toward Tokugawa: "See that? His predictive ability is almost as good as Mori's."

Tokugawa's gaze fell on Atobe, and he nodded in agreement: "His insight is exceptional, a rarity in the country."

He had previously dismissed it as just child's play among middle school students, but after watching these few games, his expression became completely serious.

The cheers from the Seigaku stands abruptly stopped with the referee's announcement, as if they had all been choked and forced to exhale, their faces turning red and purple.

"He predicted the landing point of the Zero-Shiki short ball..." Oishi stared stiffly at the court, his voice a little tense, "Atobe's start was half a beat before the ball landed, how... how did he do that?"

"It's all thanks to his keen eye." Fuji stood beside him, his voice soft. "He has an innate, exceptional perception as a foundation, and with targeted training, his predictive accuracy has been further enhanced. He's not betting on Tezuka's landing point; he can tell where the ball will land just by looking at the angle of Tezuka's racket face."

"H-How is this possible…" Kikumaru's eyes widened, the smile still lingering on his face: "That's the Zero Style Short Ball… and it's already been broken?!"

Momoshiro's voice came from the front, but it was clearly less confident than before: "Only two innings, there's still a long way to go. Captain Tezuka will definitely catch up."

"But..." Horio's voice trembled slightly, "Tezuka still can't return that serve from the Hyotei captain properly. Will he get worse and worse..."

"Shut up!" Haitang turned around and glared at him. "Hiss~ When has the minister ever disappointed anyone?"

Horio shrank back, too afraid to speak again.

Ryoma Echizen sat on the coach's bench with his hat pulled low, but his eyes were fixed on Tezuka on the field.

He remembered something his father had once said: "To see if an athlete is in good form, you don't need to look at their score; just look at their breathing rhythm after they run."

The minister's breathing rhythm became half a beat faster than usual after the first set ended.

Ryoma Echizen glanced down at the tennis ball he was spinning in his hand, then stopped spinning it.

He pressed the ball into his palm and clenched it tightly.

Meanwhile, far from the stadium, under the eaves of a traditional Japanese house, Nanjiro was lying on the wooden floor of the porch, his ear pressed against a portable radio, his hand stroking his stubble pausing for a moment.

"Wow, that was a powerful shot!"

He clicked his tongue twice, grabbed the teacup next to him, took a sip, and remarked with feeling, "The coach is a tier below, and the players aren't any better... Sigh, that brat's team is doomed."

As he spoke, he pressed his ear back to the radio, humming an unknown tune.

-

Tezuka stood in front of the net, looking at the ball marks on the ground, his eyes behind his glasses darkening.

Atobe was able to catch the Zero Style short ball so quickly.

Moreover, they anticipate the landing point in advance, wait at the landing point, and are quite skilled at changing the angle of their counterattack.

This suggests that... his opponent may have already studied his short game and has a fairly sophisticated countermeasure.

Atobe put away his racket, casually tapped the frame, and a smug smile appeared on his lips. "Hmm, Zero-style short ball, nothing special."