The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

-

"Huh, huh-"

He hit the ball back again, his tired hand trembling so much that his thumb and forefinger were shaking. Five minutes passed, and the score remained unchanged. The opponent was not in a hurry, as if they were slowly boiling him like a frog in lukewarm water.

Honestly, his meat doesn't taste good.

"You look tired, Hachiman."

With a casual flick of his wrist, Yamazaki returned the ball to the opponent's court. He smiled with narrowed eyes, feeling incredibly relaxed. Having spent three months studying in the Red Bean Burial Mound, his physical strength, endurance, and mental fortitude had reached a level that was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

He would never lose in a competition with a normal person.

At that moment, he was a god!

So cringeworthy, but so cool!

Huh? Is he really okay with being so bold? Won't he get called back by the vice-commander to write a self-criticism, or get bombarded by Captain Okita?

"It's just that I haven't adjusted to it yet."

He hit the ball back, and Hachiman's eyes rolled back, revealing more of the whites of his eyes. He returned to his usual half-dead state, his ears twitching slightly.

"It's better not to be stubborn and admit defeat sooner rather than later."

Yamazaki tried to persuade him, saying that surrendering now would make the score look better, and if they waited any longer, it wouldn't be as simple as 15-0.

"Things aren't over yet; there's always a chance, isn't there?"

"Never surrender" is just a slogan for brave people, but he is not a brave person, yet he wants to become one.

"A turning point? Where?"

Yamazaki couldn't understand how there could be any turning point in a singles match. The stronger side was destined to win. This was reality, not an online game, where there was no possibility of disconnection or ping spikes.

"The turning point is just around the corner..."

"Go for it, Hachiman!"

Chisa's voice drifted through the stadium on the wind, followed by cheers from the other members of 'Pab', including some who said things like "Crush him" or "If you lose, we'll use you as Jesus."

"Ugh, this boring refueling phase."

Yamazaki slowly returned the ball, and just as he was about to receive the opponent's return shot, the ball landed directly on Hachiman's side of the court.

He stared at the ball, then turned to Hachiman, who was holding the racket motionless: "What's wrong? Are you too tired to lift the racket?"

The crowd cheering from the sidelines was stunned by what they saw. How could they possibly miss the ball? Chisa gazed at the boy on the court who slowly crouched down, picked up the ball, cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, and continued to shout.

"come on!"

On the field, Hachiman picked up the ball, listened to the referee's words "30 to 0", looked up at the azure sky, and saw the white clouds slowly migrating, turning into mist, weaving a cotton river.

"Yamazaki-kun, you are indeed very good. I have to admit that if we only consider tennis skills, I am not as good as you."

Yamazaki was puzzled. If that was the case, why not just listen to his advice and surrender to end the match?

"But I do occasionally resort to underhanded tactics."

Hachiman waited, tossed the ball high, and swung it with all his might.

"What dirty tricks? It's still just a smash, isn't it?" Yamazaki looked at the ball coming straight at him, speechless. "This level of skill alone is not enough to beat me."

He placed the racket where the ball was about to land, waited patiently for the moment the ball arrived, and then returned it to the opponent in the same way.

The ball approached his racket as he expected.

"It's time to end this, Hachiman. Let me show you the difference between us when it comes to smashes!"

Yamazaki swung his sword with tremendous force!

……

what?

The moment the racket was swung, he didn't feel the ball's presence; he only felt the fleeting sensation of the wind passing through the gaps in the net.

[clatter--]

The ball landed and rolled to one side. Yamazaki looked at the tennis ball on his court and remained silent.

'Audience Seats'

"What was that just now?" Shinji Tokita rubbed his eyes. He seemed to have seen the ball tilt to the left on its own just as the members of 'Tinker Bell' were about to hit it, causing the opponent to miss.

“It’s the Magic Ball,” Iori said in a deep voice.

"Magic ball?"

Iori nodded, her tone incredulous: "A ball technique that's almost impossible to perform in reality."

Hachiman, is it really true that you only know a little bit?

"tennis court"

"how come?"

Yamazaki stared at the ball on the ground. The situation was completely reversed from before. He was as bewildered as Hachiman after losing the first point, even though he should have ended the game.

“Yamazaki-kun, you are indeed very observant, but you’ve forgotten one thing.” Hachiman held up a finger and pointed to the sky. “When doing outdoor sports, you also need to pay attention to the weather.”

weather……

Yamazaki reached out, feeling the playful breeze slip through his fingers: "Could it be..."

"Yes." Hachiman smiled calmly. "The wind is picking up."

"The reason you kept using flat serves was because you were observing the wind changes?"

Yamazaki recalled how his opponent launched a fierce attack at the beginning, trying to end the match quickly, but then found that his initial moves were ineffective in the middle of the match, and so the game turned into a very bland straight shot.

He thought his opponent was trying to increase their chances of winning by exhausting their energy, but he didn't expect that this guy was actually calculating the wind's pulling force by the deviation of the ball's position.

"How is that possible? How could you possibly come up with such a solution in such a short time?"

This is simply astonishing! What kind of calm and collected mindset does this guy have in the face of danger? How could he remain so calm and find a way out when he was in the middle of a crisis?

He's practically the same as a deputy commander!

"It wasn't exactly something I came up with on the spur of the moment."

Hachiman said that he had used this method before, but back then he had already become friends with the wind there, so he could easily strike it. However, the wind here was a bit unruly, so it took him some time.

"Yamazaki-kun, how many people do you usually play tennis with?"

Yamazaki was taken aback by his words: "Normally there should be four people, right?"

“That’s true.” Hachiman took the ball from him and smiled. “But I usually play alone.”

'Audience Seats'

"Alone? Can you play tennis alone?" Hamaoka Azusa asked.

"Oh, no way, this is a team sport after all," Iori replied. Playing tennis alone? Are you going to hit a wall?

"What did Hachiman mean by that?"

"I don't know." Iori shook her head.

"Maybe it's just what it sounds like," Chisa said.

She looked at Hachiman, who had rallied his forces. Just how many experiences did this guy have that she didn't know about?

"court"

The wind rises—

The flag fluttered.

"It's perfect weather for a counterattack."

Hachiman grinned and tossed the ball high into the air.

"Are you kidding me!" Yamazaki raised his racket, becoming serious. "I won't lose to even a non-comedic character."

"Really? Then please accept it."

……

The ball falls.

"The score is 5-1, with 'Pab' taking the lead. The match is now at match point. Good luck to both players."

Hachiman held the ball and looked at Yamazaki, who was panting heavily.

"This is the last ball."

He tossed the ball up, and just when everyone thought he was going to use the magic ball again, Hachiman changed his grip, grabbed the racket with both hands, and slammed the ball into the air with the outside of the racket.

The high-flying tennis ball was like a blazing sun, falling through the air like a shooting star. Yamazaki watched this scene quietly, wanting to reach out, but he had no strength.

"Go forth, God of Destruction soaring through the skies! Meteorite Annihilation!"

Looking at the unstoppable ball, Yamazaki grinned.

"What a hilarious move name."

It seems he made a mistake; the other person does have a knack for comedy.

……

"Match over! Pab wins!"

Chapter Thirty-Two: A Familiar Encounter, The Swallows Return

"Wow! Not only did I get two prizes, but I also earned an extra 10,000 yen! But that's not the most important thing, Kohei."

On the way back, Iori shouted excitedly like a child, his enthusiasm making everyone else smile.

"Yes, the most important thing is..."

Kohei closed his eyes and smiled faintly. A second later, the corners of his mouth turned up to almost the tip of his nose, making him look exactly like a demon.

"I saw the resentful faces of those scumbags after their defeat! It was absolutely gratifying!"

The two said in unison that the happiest moment for them was when they saw others suffer, especially when the other person was someone they disliked. It was happiness upon happiness, or simply happiness squared.

"All of this is thanks to Hachiman."

Shinji Tokita was also quite pleased; with this extra expense, his trip to Okinawa seemed to be going to be even more enjoyable.

"You're right, that last shot really shocked me. What was it called again? Super Special Move: Spiral Tennis?" Hamaoka Azusa nodded in agreement. The impact of that shot was truly worthy of a young boy.

"No, it seems to be some kind of God of Destruction," Iori argued. Although the name was long, he still remembered a few words.

"Huh? Isn't it supposed to be called Lala's most beloved strike?" Kohei wondered. He wasn't thinking clearly at the time, but according to the believers' teachings, when doing something amazing, it should always be named after the idol.

"How could it be that name!"

"Why can't it be this name!"

Listening quietly to their argument, Hachiman subtly moved away from them. He was already feeling ashamed.

Why would he suddenly recite Zaimokuza's cringey chuunibyou quote at that moment? Could it be that he hasn't gotten over his high school sophomore syndrome yet? No, no, no, it must have been due to the situation at the time. When facing a tough boss, you're bound to get excited when you're about to defeat it, especially if it's your first kill. You can't help but recite the move name, right?

However, he wouldn't admit that it was a so-called game-winning shot; he just said that hitting the ball high enough to allow him to play solo was a skill that was truly heartbreaking to hear.

"You've really stolen the show," Chisa's voice came softly from beside her.

Hachiman waved his hand: "What's the big deal? It's just good luck."

"I was lucky enough to land the final blow." Her smile, as bright as a crescent moon, was teasing. "The God of Destruction soaring through the skies, Meteorite Annihilation."

Why do you remember that?

Hachiman looked embarrassed; he thought no one would remember the jumbled words he had uttered.

"I have a better memory." Chisa covered her head with her hands, her beautiful figure right in front of Hachiman's eyes. He glanced at her twice and then quickly looked away.

The girl stood tall, her youthful years sculpting a radiant glow upon her. She walked briskly beside him, occasionally letting out soft hums from her moist, cherry-red lips.

Hachiman quietly enjoyed this relaxing moment. After such a dramatic rise and fall, one's heart is always at peace like never before. Neither birdsong nor howling wind could stir up any waves in his heart.

"Hey, what's that up ahead?"

As Iori spoke, he looked at the person hiding behind a pillar not far ahead. Upon hearing his voice, the person shrank back into the shadows, seemingly preparing to run away, but then stopped for some reason.