"That guy just doesn't want Yuushi to get to the net!" Mukahi yelled, sounding a bit anxious as he watched Yanagi Renji dominate the match, wielding his serve to control the flow. "His ball control is no joke either; almost every shot lands precisely within the two corner triangles."
"Mm!" Shishido grunted softly, his eyes tracking the tennis ball's every movement. At first, he could just barely keep up with their rhythm, but as time wore on, he started to feel exhausted. Both of their returns were simply perfect.
The two continued their rally for over a dozen exchanges. Through continuous, high-intensity play, they had a pretty good grasp of each other's abilities. The player lacking power would try to break through with speed, while one lacking speed would consider using technique. Essentially, they were using their strengths to exploit their opponent's weaknesses.
Just then, Oshitari launched the first attack.
Bang!!
Oshitari swung powerfully towards the ball, but just as Yanagi Renji made his corresponding move, Oshitari suddenly lowered his racket face. The ball gently grazed the racket, bouncing up only slightly. Yanagi Renji, still at the baseline, made no unnecessary movements and decisively gave up on returning the ball.
"15-0!"
"A fake drop shot! He can remain so calm in a situation like this." Yanagi Renji, having stopped his movement, stared at Oshitari across the net. "It seems I've underestimated you." Yanagi Renji opened his eyes, his gaze fixed entirely on Oshitari. "To be able to serve as a regular team member at Hyotei Academy as a first-year, you certainly have some skill."
Since joining the Rikkai Dai Tennis Club and becoming their strategist, Yanagi Renji hadn't encountered such an interesting opponent in a long time. However... his strength wasn't enough, at least he didn't possess the aura that Sanada and Yukimura exuded.
If that's all there is to it...
Bang!!
Yanagi Renji tossed the ball up, raised his hand, and served. Oshitari's eyes flashed, and he lunged forward towards the ball.
Bang!
Oshitari suddenly lowered his racket face, hitting a beautiful drop shot right at the net.
Step... step-step...
Yanagi had already moved closer to the net and seemingly barely managed to return the net ball. When Yanagi hit the ball back, Oshitari had already positioned himself, creating enough space, and unleashed a powerful forehand drive. The ball rocketed towards the baseline's diagonal!
Yanagi Renji glanced at the ball's landing spot. He didn't bother to chase it, simply walking back towards the baseline.
"What?!" The Hyotei team members' faces were filled with confusion.
Bang!!
Immediately after, the ball landed, carrying a strong topspin, leaving a deep mark on the court, then bounced high backwards.
"Out! 15-15!"
"Out? How could that be! Yuushi, how could he make such a rookie mistake?!" Mukahi was utterly shocked. Oshitari's singles ability was second only to the three from Kamikawa. Besides those three, he could practically sweep through all of Hyotei, especially with his ball control, which was usually rock-solid. How could he make such a basic error so early in the match? What on earth happened?
"Topspin," Kamikawa seemed to have figured something out. "That guy, Yanagi Renji, seemingly barely returned the net drop shot, but during the hit, he subtly added some topspin. He seems to have anticipated that Oshitari would hit a powerful topspin shot." Tezuka, standing nearby, also understood what happened and explained to the others. "Too much topspin, or too little, would affect the quality of the return and be easily detected by the opponent. But just now, his control was extremely precise."
"Oshitari, that old fox, was outsmarted by his opponent," Kamikawa added, looking at Yanagi Renji with increased interest. At this stage, Yanagi Renji's performance was much better than Inui's. And that last return shot was definitely precisely calculated. Was he launching an offense while gathering information? No wonder he's considered one of Rikkai Dai's Big Three; his fundamentals are equally solid.
Bang!
Bang!!
On the court. The two launched a new round of offense and defense. The player with the serve should have the initiative in the match. Yet, it was Oshitari who kept attacking, while Yanagi Renji had seemingly become the defender. As time passed, Oshitari, who had initially been at the net, was gradually pushed back to the baseline, appearing to have lost control of the match. Through a series of attacks, Oshitari also felt a subtle strangeness.
Bang!!
Then, another ball landed just inside Oshitari's right leg.
Hiss-hiss...
Oshitari took a few steps back, creating a suitable hitting position, and frowned.
Bang!
"30-15!"
Bang!!
"40-15!"
Bang!!
"40-30!"
Bang!
"Game, Yanagi, 1-0!"
After losing an early point, Yanagi Renji, relying on his precise ball control, successfully held his service game first. Oshitari glanced at the ball's landing spots on the court, then looked at Yanagi Renji across from him.
"While rallying from side to side, he also unexpectedly hits short balls, and their placement is just perfect." "And by doing so, he's implicitly limiting my ability to get to the net. Is he trying to wear down my patience this way?!" "If so, then I can only say you're still too naive."
Oshitari was now sitting on the coach's bench, thinking about some of the previous rallies. His earlier display of eagerness to attack had indeed fooled Yanagi Renji. If that's the case, then the rest of the match will be simple.
"Yuushi Oshitari of Hyotei! An interesting fellow." Yanagi Renji squinted, turning his head to look at Oshitari resting on the coach's bench.
As the rest period ended, both players began a new round of strategic battling. Oshitari continued to show an eager attacking stance, while Yanagi Renji remained at the baseline, committed to defense.
Bang!!
"Game, Oshitari, 1-1!"
Bang!!
"Game, Oshitari, 2-1!"
Bang!!
"Game, Oshitari, 3-1!"
With continuous attacks, Oshitari successfully took three games from Yanagi Renji. From Oshitari's performance, these three games seemed to have been won with surprising ease.
"Oh dear~ Our Rikkai Dai strategist is falling behind," Mouri said half-jokingly, scratching his head. From the match's flow, Yanagi Renji was indeed at a disadvantage, even losing his own service games consecutively to his opponent.
"Mouri-senpai, the match has only just begun," Yukimura said with a slight smile, not taking the temporary setback to heart.
"Yukimura is right, Mouri. Don't you know Yanagi's strength?!" Ishihara Chu, who had been silent all this time, calmly glanced at Mouri, looking utterly unconcerned. As third-year doubles players for Rikkai Dai, they knew better than anyone the true strength of the Rikkai Dai Big Three. To be on par with Yukimura and Sanada, Yanagi Renji's real power had yet to be fully revealed.
"Rikkai Dai over there isn't tense at all," Tezuka suddenly spoke, his gaze falling on Rikkai Dai's regulars. "That means they have absolute confidence in the player currently on court, even after losing consecutive service games."
"I think they're just intimidated by Yuushi's skill," Mukahi chuckled, pointing at Yanagi Renji on the court.
"Don't be careless, Mukahi!" Atobe, who had been lying in the stands, had unknowingly sat up. His eyes were fixed on Yanagi Renji. With his heightened insight, he also noticed something unusual about Yanagi Renji. His fundamentals were solid, his speed and power weren't weak, and his ball control was precise. The match was now at 3-1, and Yanagi Renji only had a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. In contrast, Oshitari, who had been constantly attacking, seemed to have slightly declined in stamina. Atobe, familiar with Oshitari's personality, also guessed Oshitari's thoughts. However, this match might just see a clever reversal!
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