"Fujiwara-sama, good luck!!"
"Fujiwara-sama, you must win!!"
"Ahhhhhh, Fujiwara-sama, you're too handsome! I love you! Defeat Hayato Hayama!"
"Hahaha~"
"..."
"The first match, Fujiwara-sama's opponent is Hayato Hayama-san."
"Mari, didn't you always say Hayato Hayama-san was handsome and your heartthrob?"
"Yuka, don't talk nonsense. It would be bad if Fujiwara-sama heard it."
"This is totally switching sides!"
"What do you mean switching sides? Fujiwara-sama is way more handsome than Hayato Hayama-san, his grades are amazing, and he's total boyfriend material. Is it wrong to like him? Look, Fujiwara-sama took off his top! Wow, look at those chest muscles! I want to lick them!"
"Ahhhhhh!!"
Toru took off his jacket, revealing the tight T-shirt underneath. Because it fit snugly, the outline of his chest muscles stood out clearly, drawing loud screams from the girls in the stands.
Even Yukino, who stood beside him, couldn't help but glance twice.
Across from Toru, a blond high school boy gave a wry smile.
He glanced at the teammate beside him, hesitated for a moment, then said, "You're Ibuki-san, right?"
The short-haired blue-green girl gave him a cold, disdainful look, making Hayato even more awkward.
Hearing the crowd's cheers, which were all directed at Toru, Hayato couldn't help but feel a little bitter.
In the past, when he stepped onto the field, weren't all those cheers for him?
Now, the former protagonist had suddenly become the supporting character, and that left him feeling oddly out of place.
Still, Hayato was cheerful by nature. Though the change bothered him, he didn't resent it.
What really troubled him was his uncooperative partner.
People from Advanced Nurturing High School really were a handful. No wonder that school was considered eccentric even among Tokyo schools.
Hayato sighed inwardly.
Even though his opponent was Fujiwara Toru, a ridiculously strong senpai from Tokyo University, he had already accepted that victory wasn't likely.
But losing easily? That, he couldn't tolerate.
His gaze drifted toward the audience.
Haruno stood there in a casual shirt and jeans, her long legs looking particularly beautiful.
At this moment, she was also cheering for Toru and for her younger sister.
But her gaze lingered only on Toru, not even sparing a glance for her former junior.
Damn it. Even if you're Fujiwara Toru, and even if my partner's hopeless, today I'm going to fight with everything I have! I'll make sure you remember me!
Hayato Hayama, ignite!
Determination flared inside him. He would not let this Tokyo University senpai crush him easily.
He was Sobu High School's male idol, and his name was Hayato Hayama!
"Swish—"
A black shadow flashed before his eyes like lightning.
The tennis ball landed on his side of the court at incredible speed before he could even react.
Then came the referee's whistle.
"Fujiwara-Yukinoshita team scores, 15–0!"
"Hey, what were you doing just now? The ball landed right in front of you, and you didn't even move!"
Mio Ibuki glared angrily at him.
Even the mild-tempered Hayato was irritated. "Didn't you see how fast that serve was? That was professional level! You want me to return that? Then why don't you try!"
Toru hadn't invested much skill into tennis—his technique could only be called amateur.
But as the saying goes, power makes up for everything. With enough strength and speed, the opponent couldn't even react.
For a group of high schoolers, their tennis skills were nothing special. Against Toru's raw strength, they stood no chance.
"Fujiwara-sama is too cool!!"
"What a perfect shot!"
"What's Hayato Hayama doing just standing there? That ball was right in front of him!"
"Come on, that serve was so fast, could you return it?"
On the court, Toru said to Yukino, "I'll handle the backcourt, you take the frontcourt. Division of labor, how about it?"
"Okay!"
Yukino nodded firmly.
She also knew how to play tennis, and she could clearly tell how powerful Toru's shots were. With his power alone, he could easily win this entire tournament by himself.
But if he did that, what would be the point of her being here?
With her pride, Yukino didn't want to just be a background player—she wanted to contribute too.
It was the opponent's serve.
After several rallies, Hayato and Ibuki figured out the pattern.
Toru always played the backcourt, while Yukino stayed at the front.
So they focused on hitting toward the frontcourt, avoiding Toru and targeting Yukino instead.
Their strategy worked, putting heavy pressure on Yukino.
Her ponytail swayed as she ran across the court, her sweat glistening. She used her refined technique to return volley after volley.
Sometimes, she made small errors and missed a return, watching the opponent score.
Sometimes, her technique was so sharp that the opponent couldn't counter, earning their side a point.
And when she sent the ball to the backcourt, Toru would rush in like lightning, slamming the ball down with terrifying force. The speed and power left Hayato and Ibuki completely helpless.
Each time Toru swung his racket, he scored, and every strike drew screams from the crowd.
The high school matches used a single-set format.
In the end, with Yukino's relentless effort, they won the match, eliminating Hayato and Ibuki.
"Huff... huff..."
Yukino bent forward, hands on her knees, panting heavily. Sweat trailed down her neck and collarbone, making her even more striking.
If not for her sense of composure, she might have just sat down on the ground.
"Tired?"
Toru picked up a bottle of electrolyte water and handed it to her.
The cap had already been unscrewed. Yukino accepted it and drank more than half in one go, completely forgetting her usual restraint.
"Slow down, don't choke."
Toru hadn't even broken a sweat. He took a small sip of his own drink.
"Thank you, for earlier."
Yukino wiped her mouth and said seriously.
With his strength, Toru could've turned the match into a one-man show. But he'd given her a chance to shine.
"Serious girls are always likable."
Toru looked at her with genuine admiration.
Though her personality could be prickly, her hard work and determination set her apart from most people.
Yukino's cheeks flushed. She quickly changed the subject. "The match over there has ended too."
"Yeah, it's Horikita Manabu and his sister, Horikita Suzune."
"You know that girl?"
Yukino frowned as she looked at Suzune on the other court. She felt a strange, instinctive hostility toward her.
It was the kind that came from similarity—like two mirrors reflecting each other.
When people are too alike, they either become close friends who understand each other perfectly, or they become rivals who can't stand each other.
"You mean Horikita Suzune? I've met her once, but I don't think she likes me very much."
Toru smiled slightly.
The first time they met, he had slapped her.
His words eased Yukino's tension a bit.
The school's sports festival wasn't a professional open, so there weren't that many teams. Only eight in total.
That meant winning just three matches could secure the championship.
The Horikita siblings were strong too. They'd easily advanced and were in the other bracket, meaning they wouldn't face Toru and Yukino until the finals.
"Suzune, what's wrong?"
Manabu noticed his sister's gaze and asked curiously.
"Nothing. I just feel... incompatible with that girl named Yukino."
"Brother, if we win one more match, we'll make it to the final. I want you to give it your all."
Suzune's eyes burned with determination.
Manabu adjusted his glasses, his gaze sharpening as well.
In Karate, he had acknowledged Toru's overwhelming strength.
But as the former Student Council President of Advanced Nurturing High School, a genius who'd been praised since childhood, he wasn't someone who'd accept defeat easily.
If I can't beat you in Karate, I'll defeat you in tennis!
Come on, Fujiwara Toru, I won't lose!
After an hour of rest, Toru and Yukino entered their second match.
They won even more easily this time.
And now, only the final remained.
Because the final required at least two consecutive sets, there would be a two-hour break before the match began.
At that moment, Toru's gaze turned toward a boy from Advanced Nurturing High School.
He recognized him.
After coming to Japan and becoming the Central Intelligence Agency's Japan branch supervisor, Toru had read his file.
The White Room, an experimental education project run by Japanese conglomerates and CIA-affiliated corporations, had produced many subjects.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was one of them—and the most exceptional of all.
Toru walked straight toward him.
He had a plan, and now was the time to put it into motion.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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