My love index is at its maximum.

"Tazaki-san, don't force yourself, just do your best." (This sentence comes from the neutral faction.)

"Kikawa-kun, even though we're rivals, I'll always support you!" (This is a boy cheering for his opponent.)

"It's okay, even if you lose, we'll support you!" (This was shouted by a girl who was lusting after him.)

"Go for it, Tazaki-kun! You're the best in my heart!" (This blind, unrealistic trust comes from Murakami Mizuiro.)

"Game start!"

As the physical education teacher, Yui Asakigawa, made the 'start the ball' gesture, the boys and girls who had been cheering excitedly on the sidelines immediately fell silent. The etiquette for watching tennis, a sport for the elite, was perfectly embodied in this prestigious high school.

Yui Kichikawa bounced the tennis ball on the ground a few times, then skillfully tossed it high into the air.

"boom!"

The grid deformed slightly, and the spinning tennis ball created a slight airflow, pressing hard across the center line.

A powerful serve came crashing down right in the corner, almost bouncing off the court. Tazaki rushed forward and swung the ball with all his might.

empty.

"boom!"

The ball hit the wire mesh behind it, spun violently several times, and then fell to the ground.

"Ace!"

"Drink up! Wow! That was an amazing shot!"

"Tazaki-san can't handle that at all, it's too powerful!"

"ended."

The PE teacher shook his head. Tazaki Tsukasa's judgment of the ball's landing point was too slow, and he simply couldn't keep up with Shigawa Yui's pace.

The score in the first game of the first set is now 15-0.

Yui Kikawa pulled a second tennis ball from her pocket, and the commotion on the sidelines quieted down again. Under the watchful eyes of many, she calmly hit her second ace!

The score in the first game of the first set is now 30-0.

Tazaki Tsukasa wiped his sweat. With the professional instincts brought by his [Swordsmanship (Master)], he sensed a hint of seriousness.

Even though he could use the tennis racket in his hand like a sword hilt, the control of the tennis ball's speed and landing point was completely outside the professional scope of a sword master.

It's true... different professions are like different worlds.

The third ace followed.

40: 0.

The fourth ball was also an ace.

At the end of the first game of the first set, Yui Kawakawa successfully held serve.

No rush, there are six games in a set... Yui's serve speed can't keep up, but she can still put up a fight in her own service games.

After being completely shut out at the start, Tsukasa Tazaki consoled himself and began his serve.

Toss the ball around and swing your tennis racket with all your might.

"boom!"

As the sound came, a prompt flashed through my mind.

Tennis skill proficiency +1

Current skill level: Beginner (1/100)

This must be the effect of [Mastery]. Before Tsukasa Tazaki could study it, Yui Kikawa had already slapped the ball back, at a tricky angle, with the ball landing right in the corner.

Just as the ball was about to bounce off the court again, Tsukasa Tazaki rushed forward desperately, stretching his racket to its limit before finally managing to swing it back with all his might.

Tennis skill proficiency +1

The ball was hit back into the opponent's half, but its speed and distance of flight seemed somewhat lacking.

Qichuan was prepared, leaping high in front of the net and delivering a powerful smash.

Tsukasa Tazaki turned around in a flustered manner and sprinted as fast as he could in the direction the ball might fly. However, the ball landed squarely on the sideline first and quickly bounced off the field.

The score of the second game of the first set was 15-0.

30: 0.

40: 0.

In the second game of the first set, Yui Kawakawa successfully broke serve.

The final score of the first set was 6-0.

The PE teacher, sitting in the referee's chair, yawned boredly and checked the time. The first set had only taken less than fifteen minutes to complete six games.

This was an absolute one-sided victory.

Everyone thought the score in the second set would be either 6-0 or 6-1.

Chapter Sixty: Goodbye, Tsukasa Tazaki.

The rain has completely stopped.

The clouds in the sky are layered, like fine fish scales. When the sunlight shines through the gaps in the clouds, flocks of pigeons fly over the tennis court.

During the break, Yui Kikawa sat on a bench by the court and took a sip of water. After wiping the clear sweat from her forehead, she lowered her head and breathed heavily, her clear blue eyes mostly hidden by her eyelashes.

The sharp, clear chirping of birds brought Tsukasa Tazaki back to his senses from his resting state with his eyes closed. He looked up at her. Her ears were hidden beneath her hair, out of sight. Fine strands of golden hair clung to her snow-white cheeks, like the intricate patterns left on a snowfield by unharvested wheat stalks.

Such a scene has not been seen for a long time, so long that it seems like it happened a long time ago, in some unknown place.

Perhaps I'm destined to be a writer...

Tazaki Tsukasa wiped his face haphazardly, picked up his racket, and headed to the court.

Kikawa Yui followed closely behind.

In the first game of the second set, Tsukasa Tazaki served first.

"boom!"

Tennis skill proficiency +1

Current skill level: Beginner (100/100)

Tennis (Beginner) → Tennis (Advanced)

Current skill level: Proficient (0/1000)

The ball grazed the center net, bounced off the ground, and hurtled at high speed toward Yui Kikkawa's left side. The ball almost hit the left sideline, which was undoubtedly outside Yui Kikkawa's swing range since she is right-handed.

However, she seemed to have anticipated that Tsukasa Tazaki would serve to the left. She was ready to counterattack, so she took a step with her left foot as a pivot, quickly spun around in a dance-like motion, and then received the ball with her right backhand.

That pose was really cool.

The tennis ball was countered and landed quickly in the center of the net. Tsukasa Tazaki couldn't get there in time and could only watch helplessly as the ball bounced twice on his own side of the court.

In the first set, Yui Kawakawa scored first.

"You underestimate me."

She shook her head and said in her usual indifferent tone, "I beat the person who taught me tennis after only a month of learning. Most sports, no, not just sports, everything is the same. I only need a short time to reach a level that most people can't achieve."

“Geniuses are indeed terrifying…” Tsukasa Tazaki exclaimed sincerely, tossing the ball in his hand into the air and saying, “But the game is only just beginning.”

After saying that, he jumped, shifting his center of gravity steadily upwards.

With a crisp snap, the net trembled, and the tennis ball, like a flash of yellow light, streaked across the center net.

Qichuan didn't move at all. According to her calculations, the ball would land directly outside the court, so there was no need to waste her energy catching it.

A flash of yellow light streaked across the corner of her eye, then settled firmly on the inverted triangle of the service line.

Live score of the first game of the second set: 15:15

"Hiss... Good shot, nice shot, Tazaki!"

Murakami Mizuiro, who had almost given up hope, suddenly jumped up, waving her hands and shouting, "Go for it and take her down! I have over sixty girls' Twitter accounts, I'll share them all with you later!"

[Scumbag! Kuriyama Sakura's stock index has dropped 10 points; current stock price: 30]

[Scumbag! Qichuan Stock Index drops 5 points, current stock price: 5]

This unexpected disaster...

Tazaki Tsukasa suddenly felt as if an arrow had struck his knee by an ally, and the pain was excruciating.

The chill on Yui Kikawa's face intensified. She glanced at Mizuki Murakami and said coldly, "It's infuriating to be friends with someone like that."

“I actually find it quite easy to be friends with people like that.” Tsukasa Tazaki glanced back at Mizuki Murakami, who was full of resentment, and said naturally, “From the perspective of your big family’s values, I would rather never have a friendship where you have to say things against your conscience depending on the occasion, keep in touch, match topics, and go to great lengths to maintain interests.”

"Hahahaha..." Murakami Mizuiro burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "Tazaki-kun, just for that, I'll cover your meals for this month!"

Kuriyama Sakura's gaze darted back and forth between the two boys a few times, then she nodded thoughtfully.

[There's some merit to that statement! Kuriyama Sakura's stock rose 10 points; current price: 40]

Tsukasa Tazaki glanced back at her and saw that she had already taken out paper and pen and was walking towards the bench.

Kikawa Yui remained unmoved: "There's no point in saying more, let's continue the match."

The ball was thrown into the air.

Tsukasa Tazaki swung his racket steadily.

boom!

With a muffled thud, almost the same movement, the ball even faster than the previous one, landed firmly in the same spot.

Live score of the first game of the second set: 15:30

Tsukasa Tazaki serves for the fourth time.

Qichuan Yui's move was timely; the previous two shots were just strategic probes, and she wouldn't hold back from now on.

boom!

A crisp sound of the ball being struck rang out.