"You?"
Hearing Echizen's voice, Akaya turned around. Their eyes met in mid-air.
Akaya, visibly surprised, said, "If I'm not mistaken, you're Seigaku's strongest rookie, Echizen Ryoma, right?"
Akaya had heard of Echizen's reputation.
The kid had performed exceptionally well in both the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament and the Kanto Tournament, defeating Hyotei's Akutagawa and Yamabuki's Sengoku.
Especially Akutagawa.
The guy was known as a genius at Hyotei.
After losing to Ishikawa, Akutagawa had become more attentive to his teammates. Echizen, who had defeated Akutagawa and was also a first-year like Ishikawa, left a deep impression on Akaya.
"You're Akaya, right?"
At that moment, Oishi stepped forward, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but we don't allow private matches between players."
It wasn't that he was afraid of Akaya, but he was worried about unnecessary incidents.
After all.
If he remembered correctly, this guy had fought against Fudomine's Tachibana in the Kanto semifinals just a few days ago, leaving both of them covered in blood. It was terrifying.
If nothing happened, it would be fine.
But if something went wrong during the match, whether it was Akaya or Echizen, Seigaku, as the host, would definitely be held responsible.
So.
As Seigaku's vice-captain, Oishi felt it was necessary to stop this meaningless match.
"Let them play."
At that moment, a deep, steady voice rang out.
"Tezuka (Captain!)"
The Seigaku team turned their heads, and when they saw it was Tezuka, they all showed expressions of respect.
Even though Tezuka had lost in the Kanto semifinals.
His unwavering determination for Seigaku had inspired everyone, making them admire him even more.
At that moment.
Tezuka, who had walked forward, glanced at Echizen standing behind Akaya before turning to the former. "It's rare for you to come all the way from Rikkai. But let me make this clear—no matter the outcome, you can only play one match at Seigaku!"
"Huh?"
Akaya was momentarily stunned. "One match? Fine!"
He nodded.
Since he couldn't face Tezuka, this Seigaku rookie seemed like a decent practice partner.
Immediately.
With Tezuka's permission.
The two entered one of the courts. After deciding the serve through a coin toss, they both retreated to their respective baselines.
"Match begins."
Oishi, acting as the referee, nodded. "Echizen to serve, one game only!"
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
The audience's eyes quickly focused on Echizen, who was bouncing the tennis ball.
"Ryoma-kun switched his racket to his right hand?"
"Does that mean…"
"The Twist Serve?!"
The first-year trio immediately got excited.
*Bang!*
Sure enough.
Echizen quickly served the ball.
A beautiful arc traced through the air before the ball landed near the service line in front of Akaya.
"Twist Serve?"
Akaya raised an eyebrow, mentally simulating the possible angles of the ball's bounce, and prepared to return it.
*Whoosh!*
However.
The spin on the ball was sharper than Akaya had anticipated. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but his reflexes were quick enough. He moved his head aside, swung his racket to block, and barely managed to return the ball.
*Bang!*
Echizen followed up with a powerful drive.
The ball landed.
Direct point.
"15-0!"
"This kid…"
Having been caught off guard, Akaya's expression darkened. He gave Echizen a deep look before settling into his receiving stance.
*Bang!*
Another serve came flying.
After landing, the ball spun fiercely toward Akaya's head.
"Hmph, you think I'll fall for the same trick twice?"
Akaya sneered.
His racket swung swiftly, intercepting the ball the moment it bounced, not giving it a chance to shoot toward his face.
"Half-volley?"
Momoshiro raised an eyebrow.
"Not exactly a half-volley."
Inui shook his head beside him. "But his reaction was indeed fast. His judgment is precise. As expected of Rikkai's second-year ace."
Inui had done some in-depth research on Akaya.
As Rikkai's only second-year regular, Akaya's talent was undoubtedly strong.
However.
Echizen was no slouch either.
So far, aside from the match against Atobe, where the gap in strength was too large, Echizen's record was quite impressive.
*Bang!*
Sure enough.
Facing Akaya's return, Echizen unhesitatingly sent the ball to Akaya's backhand.
As Akaya moved to retrieve it, Echizen quickly approached the net.
"This kid."
By the time Akaya reached the ball, he noticed Echizen had already positioned himself near the center of the court. His expression changed. "Trying to compress my space and leave me no room to return, huh?"
With a cold laugh.
Akaya raised his racket, preparing for a slice.
*Snap!*
The ball spun fiercely, shooting out with sharp precision.
"High-speed slice?"
Seeing this, the Seigaku team's expressions shifted slightly.
This technique wasn't something just anyone could pull off. It was surprising that Akaya not only executed it but also aimed for Echizen's backhand. (Echizen was holding the racket in his right hand at the time.)
"Hmph."
Seeing Seigaku's reaction, Akaya sneered.
The high-speed slice.
It was a move he had learned from Yanagi. While his imitation wasn't as polished as Yanagi's, it was more than enough to handle the current situation.
"Huh?"
However.
When he looked at Echizen's movement, his expression suddenly changed. "This kid is fast!"
Compared to his previous position.
Echizen had already closed in on the landing point of the high-speed slice.
*Swish!*
Chasing down the ball, Echizen raised his racket and sliced it back with precision.
*Snap!*
The ball spun fiercely, shooting toward Akaya's far side with equal sharpness.
"High-speed slice?!"
Seeing Echizen's return, Akaya's expression turned grim.
Clearly.
This was Echizen's way of returning the favor.
*Step!*
*Step!*
However.
Like Echizen.
Akaya also had the single-foot shuffle technique. After reading the ball's trajectory, he immediately sprinted toward the landing point and returned it swiftly.
*Snap!*
But to his surprise.
Echizen, already prepared, played a drop shot.
"Huh?"
Akaya was stunned.
Watching the ball gently fall near the net, his expression turned incredibly vivid.
"30-0!"
Oishi announced, and Akaya's eyebrow twitched. His gaze grew serious. "Well then, Echizen Ryoma, you've successfully caught my interest."
"Heh."
Echizen simply chuckled in response.
*Bang!*
He attacked again.
Making full use of the advantage of his serve, he pressed forward step by step, keeping Akaya on the defensive.
Soon.
Echizen secured the third point.
Leading 40-0.
*Bang!*
Fourth point.
Akaya reacted quickly, but this time Echizen didn't opt for a change in rhythm. Instead, he engaged in a fierce baseline rally with Akaya.
*Snap!*
Once Akaya got used to the rhythm, Echizen suddenly changed tactics, playing a gentle drop shot.
*Step! Step!!*
As Akaya rushed forward to return it, Echizen also accelerated. Reaching a certain speed, he slid into a crouch and, to Akaya's astonishment, executed a bouncing drive—Drive B!
"Game!"
"Echizen, 1-0!"
"As expected of Ryoma-kun."
"That's right, Echizen, finish him off in one go."
"Well played, what a beautiful drive!"
The Seigaku team cheered and applauded for Echizen.
*pat-reon:belamy20*
"Good kid."
Akaya gave Echizen a deep look. To everyone's surprise, he removed the wristband from his hand, then rolled down his sock and took out the weights inside.
"What?"
Seeing this, Horio and the others exclaimed, "He's been playing with weights on all this time?"
That was insane!
Considering the level Akaya had shown earlier—his adaptability, his single-foot shuffle—it was already impressive.
And yet.
He had been wearing weights during the match?
"Echizen Ryoma."
Akaya looked at him confidently. "Now, the real match begins."
"You're right, Akaya-senpai."
To Akaya's surprise, Echizen switched his racket from his right hand to his left and smiled. "The match… has just begun!"
"Left-handed?"
Akaya's expression changed. "You're a lefty? So you were holding back earlier? Good, very good!"
By the end.
His words were almost gritted through his teeth.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
The match continued.
The second game was Akaya's serve.
Without the weights, his strength had clearly increased. Although Echizen was also skilled, Akaya clearly held the advantage in his serve game.
After a series of exchanges, both sides scored points, but Akaya managed to pull ahead.
In the end.
Akaya held his serve, tying the score at 1-1.
Then.
He pressed his advantage, speeding up his attacks during Echizen's serve game, trying to break through and gain an early lead.
But unfortunately.
Echizen's tennis IQ, skill, and mental toughness were not to be underestimated. Akaya was visibly falling behind in points.
However.
He didn't give up.
Facing Echizen's repeated Drive B shots, Akaya kept trying to find a way to counter them.
But he never succeeded.
*Swoosh!*
On the court.
Echizen slid into a crouch once again, and just like before, he accurately judged the timing, leaped up, and swung his racket.
*Bang!*
The ball landed sharply.
Then bounced high.
"Here it comes!"
Seeing the high bounce, Akaya knew this was the key to countering the shot. He jumped with all his might, raising his racket high to intercept the ball.
However.
His talent was no match for Atobe's.
Despite stretching his racket as far as he could, he was still just short of reaching the ball.
*Thud!*
In the end.
Akaya, out of strength, fell from mid-air and, due to his unstable stance, landed on the ground.
"Game!"
"Echizen, 2-1!"
"This guy, does he think he's Atobe?"
"Exactly, Echizen's Drive B isn't so easy to return."
"Well, now he's learned his lesson."
The Seigaku team couldn't help but tease.
"This isn't good."
But Inui, who knew Akaya's tendencies, suddenly looked grave. "If he gets too agitated, he might awaken to another state."
"Right."
Fuji nodded. "Once Akaya's emotions spiral out of control, his eyes turn red, and his playing style becomes more violent."
"This…"
Hearing this, the team's expressions changed.
Horio and the others quickly shut their mouths, afraid of provoking the Rikkai player.
"Hmph."
At that moment.
Akaya got up from the ground, turned to look at the crowd, and sneered. "You guys, stop looking down on people!"
"Huh?"
Everyone was stunned.
Because Akaya's state hadn't changed at all.
"Was the intel wrong?"
Inui frowned in confusion.
He remembered clearly that Akaya was prone to drastic emotional shifts.
However.
As the match continued.
Akaya never entered that red-eyed state.
It wasn't that Akaya had become kinder, but after losing to Tachibana, Sanada and Yanagi had warned him not to let his emotions take control.
Being away from home.
Akaya knew he represented Rikkai, and with Sanada and Yanagi's advice, he kept his emotions in check.
However.
Echizen's strength was indeed beyond his expectations.
Both players held their serves, engaging in a fierce battle. The score went from 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, all the way to 6-6, forcing a tiebreaker.
"Huff… huff…"
Akaya was breathing heavily.
Echizen wasn't faring much better.
Akaya had suppressed his emotions, never entering the red-eyed state. Echizen, too, had restrained himself from using the State of Selflessness.
After losing to Atobe, Echizen had reflected on himself. He realized that the State of Selflessness had taken over his consciousness, reducing his ability to judge the situation.
So.
He had suppressed it, refusing to use it.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
On the court.
Both players were giving it their all.
In the end, Echizen's match experience gave him the edge. He seized a moment of weakness in Akaya's serve game, cleverly playing a lob.
As Akaya desperately chased the ball and lost his balance after returning it, Echizen sent the ball to Akaya's backhand.
"Great shot!"
Momoshiro and the others couldn't help but cheer.
This point.
Was the turning point.
*Swish!*
But at that moment.
Akaya, who should have been off-balance, suddenly narrowed his eyes. His movements sped up dramatically, and with an unbelievable swing, he smashed the ball back.
*Bang!*
A flash of yellow light exploded near Echizen's side.
"6-5, Akaya leads!" (Tiebreaker score: 6-5)
"What… was that?"
Outside the court.
The Seigaku team stared in shock at the mark left near Echizen's side.
The speed of that shot was unreal!
"Wait, wait."
At that moment, as if noticing something, Kikumaru exclaimed, "Look at Akaya's state!"
*Swish!*
Everyone turned to look.
When they saw Akaya's current state, their expressions changed.
At that moment.
A faint white aura was swirling around Akaya's body.
"Is this… the State of Selflessness?!"
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