The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

Putting aside Iori, can Kohei, who has only played tennis on the PS5, really escape the comfort of playing against AI and hold his own against professional players?

This is no different from killing, dodging, or the Eight-Foot Liu Boss. General, you should take the side path first.

Just when Hachiman felt hopeless about the match, Iori's smash truly shocked him.

"Iori, have you ever played tennis before?"

"I've never heard him mention it."

Listening to the whispers around him, Hachiman had a rough idea of ​​what was going on based on his personality. This guy, who was full of fantasies about the wonderful life in college, had probably heard in high school that playing tennis would attract girls.

Indeed, as one of Japan's main sports, tennis has a male-to-female audience ratio of about 6:4, which is close to an equal ratio. Playing tennis can easily increase your chances of finding a partner. In addition, other sports that make it easier to find a partner include football, baseball, and badminton.

They're all balls! Men really are a bunch of creatures who love "balls".

If that's the case, then he can try to trust Kohei, since as an otaku, he should prefer "balls".

-

"The first half ends with a score of 4-0."

disappointed.

Staring at the scoreboard with his own number zero, Hachiman looked speechlessly at the two who were tearing each other apart. He really couldn't believe in the physical fitness of a shut-in; the ball was practically fed to his face and he still couldn't catch it.

"We must win no matter what, even if it means using your most despicable methods!" Kohei tore at Iori's mouth from side to side. He didn't want to lose to that despicable, popular guy; it would be a stain on his reputation for life.

"I've always been an upright person, how could I resort to such despicable means!" Iori's veins bulged; he was a genuinely good person.

However, if they lose, they'll have to give back all their prize money, which is their prize money for a week-long trip, and they'll lose it to those scumbags.

No! This absolutely cannot be allowed.

In that case...

-

Second half begins

Iori held the tennis ball in her hand, already having devised a plan in her mind.

"Kouhei, I've made up my mind. No matter how ugly the method, we must win. So, you must cooperate with me from now on and not complain in the slightest."

He said in a deep voice, and Kohei smiled confidently upon hearing this.

"Of course, we are best friends."

"Is that so, my dear friend? I'm relieved to hear that."

"Go! Kitahara, unleash your most primal instincts!"

Iori smiled, tossed the ball high into the air, and then struck it with a powerful blow. The ball flew rapidly through the air and, to everyone's disbelief, struck Kohei squarely on the back of the head.

With a "click," accompanied by Iori's cry of "Hit!", Kohei's eyes rolled back and he fainted.

"What are you doing?" Kudo asked, puzzled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, we have an injured player here who can't continue the match, so we'll have to substitute someone."

As she spoke, Iori dragged Kohei by the leg and pulled him off the tennis court. The deathrattle card of her teammates had activated its effect, and the two seniors stood on the court with ferocious smiles. The sturdy tennis ball was almost about to explode under the ravages of her five fingers.

"Is it my turn to go on stage?"

"I can do it too."

Upon seeing this, Kudo and his teammates gaped, their expressions becoming meme-worthy. In a panic, he cried out, "Wait! Wait! I know, let's call this a tie. There's still a friendly match left, right? Let's include that one!"

what?

Hachiman's eyes are dead; don't push such an embarrassing thing onto him.

The group, who were confident of winning the match, looked at Hachiman upon hearing this. Chisa hesitated for a moment before saying, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Your words have put even more pressure on me." Hachiman smiled helplessly. If he lost, he would have to give up everything, and then he would feel so guilty that he would have no choice but to kneel naked and beg for forgiveness.

"What kind of words would you like to hear?" Chisa frowned slightly. Her vocabulary was limited, and she couldn't come up with any encouraging words before the game.

Hachiman picked up his racket and stood up: "Just cheer me on."

-

It's truly unexpected that what was originally a friendly match of 10,000 yen has now turned into a decisive match with bets of more than ten times the stake.

Hachiman looked at the unassuming boy on the other side of the net who had switched from a badminton racket to a tennis racket. From the moment their eyes met, the boy had given him a faint sense of pressure.

"Hachiman... classmate, right? You seem to have a very low profile."

The other side spoke before the match even started.

Hachiman was slightly taken aback by his words. "So little presence?" He thought. "Those are such nostalgic words. The last time I heard him say that was when he was running around the film set next door."

"Um, this person..."

“My name is Yamazaki, Yamazaki Tai.” The other person pulled his hat up and pointed his racket at him. “Like you, I’m someone with a very low profile.”

...He has a strong presence on set. After all, he's the main character, and the story unfolds mostly from his perspective. You can't mistake him for another comedian just because he occasionally wears glasses.

Why aren't you answering?

"I replied."

"Hmm? What did you reply?"

"Returned to silence."

“…Oh, I see.” The other person put down their racket, and after a few seconds, suddenly complained, “Yeah, right! What’s with the silence?! This inability to even respond to a conversation with the air is like a computer that won’t boot up no matter how many times you restart it, like it’s been flooded!”

"Oh, did you time travel?"

"how do you know?!"

Hachiman looked at the drama queen in front of him and played along with his performance: "Generally speaking, according to the tropes of online novels, a computer getting wet is always a prelude to time travel, and the other one is being hit by a truck."

"It hurts so much no matter which one it is! Isn't there an easier way to transmigrate without dying?!"

"Yes, there are some, but that person's life after transmigrating was worse than death." Speaking of which, he seems to have even visited the film set of that world.

Why did he run around to so many film sets?

Why is he still so poor after running around so much?

"Time travel is truly a terrifying thing..."

Hachiman nodded in agreement. Nowadays, being reborn is easier than being reincarnated. Although transmigrating may bring some buffs, you are unfamiliar with the place and always have to face some insurmountable difficulties. Rebirth is different; it's always a great start to a novel.

"that……"

The referee, sitting by the net, held his whistle and watched the two begin to talk.

"Can the match begin?"

"oh oh."

That's true, let's get the important business done first.

Hachiman gripped his racket tightly, staring at Yamazaki. Both of their eyes were filled with a calm light; they were determined to win this match.

Chapter Thirty-One: The Winning Strategy of the Lonely

"Hachiman, did you know that crows are extremely unsuitable as a monitoring tool?"

Yamazaki tossed the ball up and hit it—a very ordinary shot, one that even a beginner could catch. Hachiman easily returned the ball, his relaxed demeanor contrasting sharply with his opponent's search for a blind spot in his opponent's field of vision.

"why?"

Yamazaki Tai smiled slightly, walked quickly to where the ball had returned, and casually hit it with a simple straight shot.

"Because people have a fixed attitude towards crows, believing that the arrival of crows symbolizes the arrival of misfortune, their presence will always be noticed, and the most important thing in monitoring this matter is to keep it hidden."

"From what you're saying, you're very good at this?"

A powerful dunk landed at an angle near the edge of the court, but Yamazaki quickly leaned forward, raised his arm, and bounced the ball back.

"I received a lot of praise from my team for this."

Despite being constantly belittled by others, it is undeniable that this is an extremely difficult task. He wanted to give up many times, but he persevered under the encouragement (and pressure) of Mr. Hijikata.

He can say with great confidence that his monitoring skills are unmatched within the group.

"Hachigaya-kun, while you were observing me, I was also observing you." Yamazaki smiled faintly, as if in his eyes, the other party had nowhere to hide. "You are very good at dunking. It seems that in life, you are the kind of person who tends to resort to extreme measures when faced with indecisive situations."

Hachiman loosened his grip on the racket slightly. His eyes remained dejected, but there was a hint of seriousness and doubt hidden within them. Only when the sound of the ball cutting through the air was almost in his ear did he respond and hit the ball back.

"Don't be so surprised."

As the words fell, the sound of an object hitting the ground rang out. Hachiman stared blankly at the ball slowly rolling to his feet. Before he could react, the opponent swiftly smashed the ball to take the first point.

"15-0, Tinker Bell is in the lead."

The referee announced the changes in the score.

Yamazaki rested his racket on his shoulder as if holding a knife: "As someone who doesn't have much of a presence, my hobby is also observation."

An invisible pressure emanated from him. Hachiman looked at him and, in a daze, saw a glimpse of his suppressed, sinister smile. This guy…

"As a comedic and sarcastic character, you have to be more sensitive than others to keep up with the conversation."

Yamazaki reflected on his years of trials and tribulations. Within the Shinsengumi, he was the only one with a very ordinary character. He had always been the one to take the blame for various things. Through countless setbacks, he had learned how to maintain his public image.

That means observing more and speaking less.

From the moment he first saw the boy, he sensed a kindred spirit within him. This spirit was subtle, almost imperceptible. What was present was that the boy was also quite inconspicuous, while what wasn't was that he was not an ordinary or comical character.

Of all the people he knew, only Brother Zhong could be identified with this name. However, compared to the man who was always silent, the boy in front of him seemed to be more lively.

Hmm, a new character design? Could it be the protagonist or something? After all, the protagonist is always the first to try out a new template.

If that's the case, he started to get excited. This was a rare opportunity. It was absolutely impossible to piss on the 'boss's' head, but defeating a mere kid was still extremely easy for him.

You know, he used to be the fearsome mountain demon slayer!

Yamazaki gripped the ball, his eyes focused: "Get ready, the second ball is coming."

Hachiman gripped his racket tightly, focusing his gaze intently on the green tennis ball. It was only one point; it was too early to give up.

The ball hovered high in the air, and with a loud "thump," like a fierce eagle, the tennis ball sped towards the sky, drawing a silvery arc.

Hachiman reluctantly accepted the attack, but then came another fatal blow. It seemed his opponent intended to defeat him in his area of ​​expertise, a truly despicable attitude. However, it was undeniable that his opponent possessed such strength.

With this level of skill, he could easily make it into the national team.

It's really difficult.

-

The crowd watching from the rest area watched as the tennis ball went back and forth, never touching the ground, and heard a chorus of "Wow!"s.

"I never knew that Hachiman's tennis skills were so good."

Shinji Tokita looked at Hachiman Hikigaya swinging his racket on the court. Today had given him a huge information gap. He hadn't expected that two of the new members he recruited would have tennis skills that were on par with clubs that specialized in this area.

Luckily, he acted quickly enough, otherwise these two talents would have ended up in the tennis club.

First come, first served! First come, first served!

"Yeah, this guy even said he only knows a little bit, he's really modest."

Kohei woke up from his coma, but due to brain damage, he had forgotten what had just happened. However, Iori told him that he had fainted from heatstroke on the way and hit his head.

Seriously, is his body that weak now? He was able to take on two opponents at once last time without being at a disadvantage.

"But I feel like Hachiman is struggling a bit," Hamaoka Azusa commented honestly. Hachiman was sweating, while the other person seemed to be handling it with ease, not even panting.

“That’s true.” Ryujiro didn’t know much about tennis rules, so he looked at Iori. “Iori, what do you think?”

"I'll just sit and watch."

Iori spread his hands and made a small joke, but his expression was solemn. As someone who had studied tennis, he could tell that his opponent's level was obviously beyond that of an ordinary person. Although Hachiman returned every ball, his posture, breathing, and the force applied to his hands were all obviously distorted.

If this continues, they will definitely lose the game because their bodies will eventually give out.

He clenched his teeth, staring intently at the game. Was he going to fail at the last minute?

Although he didn't give a clear answer about the current situation, everyone could tell from his less-than-ideal expression that if things continued like this, they would definitely be the ones to lose.

Everyone fell silent. Chisa looked at Hachiman, who was struggling to cope not far away, her eyes filled with an incomprehensible light.