"Keep it up. At your level now, you're totally qualified to challenge the First Court!" Suzuki said to Tachibana Kippei and Chitose Senri after the match.
"Thank you for the guidance, senpai!" Tachibana and Chitose bowed respectfully to both Washio and Suzuki.
Even though there was still a big gap in strength, Washio and Suzuki had always been easygoing. Back when Tachibana and Chitose were in their second year, they'd looked after them well and shared a lot of doubles experience. So of course, proper respect was still necessary.
After the two of them stepped off the court, the expressions of everyone on Court Three darkened. Even Irie Kanata looked troubled—but honestly, no one bought it. At that moment, Yukimura Seiichi stood up slowly with his coat draped over his shoulders, racket in hand, and walked onto the court.
Facing him, Irie walked up as well with a helpless look. This outcome had completely blindsided everyone on Court Five. They'd all assumed Irie would take the Singles One slot.
The two met at the net and shook hands. Irie glanced at Yukimura and said with an exasperated tone:
"Man, what's Yukimura-kun doing in the Singles Two slot? Looks like there's no escaping a drop back to Court Five."
"I wouldn't say that. Getting to face Irie-senpai in Singles Two—what an honor~" Yukimura replied with a smile.
"Yare yare~ Yukimura-kun's way stronger than I am. I just hope you'll go easy on me in this match," Irie said with a small smile of his own.
With that, the pleasantries ended. Under the umpire's direction, they started the coin toss. Irie didn't bother playing the senior role this time and directly gave up the serve. When the coin revealed the result, Irie said cheerfully:
"Ara~ Looks like luck's on my side. I'll go ahead and take serve, Yukimura-kun!"
"Now starting Singles Two: Court Three's Irie Kanata vs. Court Five's Yukimura Seiichi! One set match! Court Five to serve first!"
Watching the two step onto the court, everyone around—whether middle school or First Court regulars—looked on with interest. Even Akashi Seijūrō fixed his gaze on them. He was curious himself: between Irie and Yukimura, who was stronger?
Yukimura walked to the baseline, turned, and bent forward slightly. His expression turned serious, fully focused. He had no intention of underestimating Irie.
A serious Yukimura Seiichi.
On the other side, Irie stood at the baseline and let out a breath to settle his emotions. Then he tossed the ball, raised his left hand with the racket, and smashed it hard. The ball flew at incredible speed into the opposite court.
Not sure why, but it seemed like every lefty in this world was ridiculously strong—whether it was Tezuka, Ryōma, Chitose, Shiraishi, or even Irie or Tokugawa. Maybe this world just had a thing for southpaws.
Yukimura flashed instantly to the bounce spot and intercepted with a swing. His coat fluttered in the breeze, and his return looked effortlessly elegant. The ball came off his racket with a sharp angle, aimed at Irie's back-right corner.
But Irie didn't seem like he was hiding anything this time. He quickly retreated to the ball's path and lashed out with his left hand. The ball turned into a yellow blur and screamed toward Yukimura's left sideline.
Yukimura slid left to intercept and, using his coat to block Irie's view, quickly switched his racket from right to left. With a flick, he sent the ball flying at a weird arc toward Irie's blind spot.
"Mirage Mirror!"
Quick side note: a lot of people think Yukimura's Mirage Mirror and Ryōma's Nitōryū are basically the same move, just with a fancier name. But in reality, they're fundamentally different.
Nitōryū lets a player hit with both hands, but there's always a dominant side. Even Nanjirō's right hand is slightly stronger than his left—though that's more because he didn't bother training his left.
Yukimura's Mirage Mirror, on the other hand, makes both hands perfectly identical. Power, speed, spin—it's all exactly the same. Which means the opponent can't predict which side the next shot will come from.
Most Nitōryū players can't pull this off. Whether it's Ryōma, Tezuka, or even Omagari Ryuuji, their dual-wielding is more about smoother movement and better control—not truly equal-handed offense.
Back to the match: by the time Irie spotted the incoming ball, it was already too late. Even though he reacted fast and lunged for it, he missed by a hair. The ball skimmed just past his racket and shot out of bounds.
"0-15!"
"That really caught me off guard~ I guess I can't underestimate you, Yukimura-kun!" Irie glanced at the ball outside the court, then turned to Yukimura and spoke.
"I doubt Mirage Mirror alone is enough to deal with Irie-senpai. I hope you're not holding back," Yukimura said, his face now calm and cold, all trace of a smile gone.
"I wouldn't dare hold back against you, Yukimura-kun. Let's keep going then!" Irie gave a self-deprecating smile, then tossed the tennis ball into the air.
Another ultra-fast serve came flying, but it posed no real threat to Yukimura now. The two instantly entered a fierce rally, neither giving an inch. Seeing Irie going all out from the very start even surprised Oni a little.
Just as Yukimura intercepted a passing shot and returned it, a glint of icy light flashed in Irie's eyes. It quickly spread toward Yukimura, freezing him in place like a statue.
"Ice Bind!"
"15-15!"
"Phew~ As expected of Irie-senpai. You saw through me that fast?" Yukimura said calmly as he regained movement.
"I take great interest in promising underclassmen, so I ended up learning a bit more than usual," Irie replied gently.
"That was amazing! I couldn't follow a thing just now!" a high school player exclaimed in shock.
"Same! I didn't think Irie-senpai was this strong… and that middle schooler Yukimura is even crazier. But… how's that coat of his still on?" another nearby student added.
"Impressive rally. Not just fast-paced, but intense too. One slip, and it's game over. No easy points here," Shiraishi said from the sidelines with admiration.
The match resumed on court. The fierce back-and-forth continued, both players firing off sharp-angled shots, returning each one cleanly. The crowd couldn't help but be impressed.
After more than ten rallies, Irie's eyes once again filled with icy light. Yukimura froze in place again, and Irie followed with a clean strike. The ball shot past Yukimura's feet and flew out of bounds.
"30-15!"
"That move really is annoying~ In that case… Zero Senses Tennis!" As Yukimura spoke, his pupils lost focus. His world became nothing but a black court and a gray ball.
"He's erased his presence completely? I knew it wouldn't be that simple," Irie sighed, a little disappointed.
Even so, Irie didn't hesitate. He served right away, but Yukimura, now with heightened ball sense, returned it swiftly and cleanly. The sudden pressure shift threw Irie off, making it hard to adjust.
After just a few rallies, Irie exposed a slight opening. Yukimura caught it immediately and drove the ball into the open right corner. Irie turned too late and could only watch the ball fly past and out of bounds.
"30-30!"
"This is bad," Irie muttered under his breath, looking grim.
Just as Irie feared, the next rally tipped further in Yukimura's favor. With Zero Senses Tennis boosting his perception and explosive power, Irie struggled to keep up. After just a few exchanges, another hole in his defense showed.
"30-40!"
At the same time Yukimura scored, a terrifying wave of mental energy surged from him and swept across the court, targeting Irie directly and quickly penetrating his body.
As Irie launched another ultra-fast serve, Yukimura's aura flared. He dashed to the landing spot, his racket glowing with mental force, and smashed the ball back across the net.
Irie sensed something was wrong but rushed toward the ball anyway. The moment his racket touched it, the world around him went silent. His vision faded. Everything vanished into endless darkness.
"Game! Yukimura Seiichi! 1-0!"
"Looks like you've lost all five senses, Irie-senpai~" Yukimura said quietly after taking the first game.