“Damn it!”
On one side of the court, Muromachi stiffly turned and walked back toward the baseline.
Hearing the chatter around him—especially all the praise being heaped on Shibukawa—left him feeling like he’d swallowed a fly.
He’d started beautifully, serving and rushing the net to score a quick point.
Yet Shibukawa had immediately turned the tables on him, leaving him thoroughly embarrassed.
Still.
Muromachi wasn’t the same kind of person as Honda Ryuichi.
Unpleasant as it felt, during the walk back to the baseline, he repeatedly replayed Shibukawa’s shot in his mind.
It really was just as Sengoku and Uesugi had said.
Shibukawa might have looked slow to react, but he’d actually been waiting to make his move.
And Muromachi himself had indeed been caught off guard because he’d underestimated him, blindsided by that absurdly fast Swing.
‘So it’s not that he’s too strong.’
After figuring out why he’d lost the point, the eyes behind Muromachi’s white-framed sunglasses regained their confidence.
‘As long as I play at my usual level, I can win this match!’
Bang!
With his confidence restored, Muromachi fired off another quick serve.
Tap, tap!!
Immediately afterward, he charged the net again, sprinting even faster than before.
“Again?”
“Did he already forget how he lost that last point?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions.
Muromachi definitely underestimated him just now.
But he’s learned his lesson this time, so things should be different.”
The spectators outside the court began discussing the match among themselves.
Shibukawa looked up and saw the determination in Muromachi’s eyes.
He knew the same trick wouldn’t work anymore.
Yet with just a glance, his Mental stat of 3 allowed him to clearly read the path of his opponent’s shot.
Indeed.
For a match at this level, a 3 in the Five Stats was already terrifying.
After all, even at the U-17 stage, that level of Mental alone would already be enough to eliminate roughly half of the middle schoolers.
Using it against Muromachi from ten months before the original storyline even began was undoubtedly overkill.
At the same time, Shibukawa moved.
With his ability to predict the ball’s path in advance, combined with his 1.5 Speed, he quickly reached the spot where the serve would land.
Then, the instant the ball hit the court, he swung quickly and once again drove it back with a crisp, clean stroke.
Bang!
A sharp impact rang out.
The spectators had barely seen the ball land before Shibukawa had already driven it back across the court.
“What a sharp half-volley!”
Outside the court, Minami, Higashikata, and the other regulars’ expressions shifted slightly.
If nothing else, this half-volley alone could greatly strengthen Shibukawa’s ability to counterattack.
Plenty of offensive players would have to be careful not to have their own attacks turned against them.
However.
Muromachi had already been burned once.
Prepared this time, he immediately stepped sideways to intercept the ball.
With a sharp pop, he struck it toward Shibukawa’s backhand side.
The placement wasn’t particularly difficult, so after immediately changing direction and giving chase, Shibukawa still reached the area before the ball could bounce away.
He hit a backhand drive, attempting to send the ball toward Muromachi’s opposite side.
But because most of his Swing practice had focused on his forehand, the quality of the return was much worse.
Muromachi’s eyes lit up.
Once Shibukawa successfully recovered the ball, Muromachi sent the next shot toward the left.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
And so.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Shibukawa was forced to run from side to side, clearly looking as though he’d been pushed onto the defensive.
“Muromachi’s pretty quick on the uptake.”
Uesugi nodded approvingly.
Honda, who had previously lost to Shibukawa, raised an eyebrow and said thoughtfully, “Shibukawa’s weakness…
is his backhand?”
“That’s right.”
Uesugi nodded.
“He’s always practiced his forehand.
He can hit backhand drives too, but they’re clearly not up to par.
Muromachi noticed that and is trying to use Shibukawa’s backhand as the opening to break through!”
One of the third-year regulars remarked, “A genius really does have sharp observational skills.”
The others nodded in agreement.
Muromachi might not compare to Sengoku from last year, but his reputation as one of Yamabuki’s prodigies wasn’t just for show.
Sengoku rubbed his chin and said curiously, “Now I’m wondering how Shibukawa’s going to deal with this.”
‘Deal with it?’
Uesugi’s expression shifted slightly.
In his view, barring anything unexpected, Muromachi should be able to hold serve in this first game.
But Shibukawa was no ordinary player either.
Once it was his turn to serve, he would most likely be able to play to his strengths and minimize the number of chances his opponent had to target his backhand.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
However.
As time passed, everyone gradually realized that something wasn’t right.
Indeed.
Muromachi’s fast-paced attacking style had suppressed Shibukawa to a certain extent.
Combined with his deliberate targeting of Shibukawa’s weak backhand, it left the latter looking even more passive.
But the expected scenario of Muromachi riding that momentum and taking his service game in one fell swoop never materialized.
Instead, he found himself dragged into a war of attrition.
In particular, after Muromachi extended his lead to 40-15 and reached game point, the rally on the fifth point became even more drawn out.
‘Damn it, why?’
On the court, Muromachi’s expression darkened as he continued attacking.
He had clearly seized several opportunities to attack Shibukawa’s backhand directly, yet shots that he was certain should have won him the point kept coming back.
“Interesting.”
At that moment, Sengoku seemed to notice something, and the corner of his mouth curled upward.
“What is it?”
The others turned to look at him.
Uesugi, meanwhile, frowned slightly with a thoughtful expression, as though he had noticed something as well.
“Muromachi’s offense is definitely impressive, but Shibukawa’s reactions are also incredible.”
Sengoku smiled.
“Almost the moment Muromachi attacks, Shibukawa starts moving too.
It’s obvious that he’s reading Muromachi’s shots immediately.”
“Is there…
something unusual about that?”
Honda Ryuichi, Maeda Yuji, and several others looked confused.
Vice-Captain Minami shook his head.
“It means Shibukawa can react in the shortest possible time.
That effectively reduces the advantage Muromachi gains from targeting his backhand and moving him from side to side.”
“Exactly.”
Sengoku nodded with a smile.
“That’s also why Shibukawa has managed to drag Muromachi into a prolonged battle despite being at a disadvantage.
But that’s not even the most important part…”
As he spoke, he looked toward the black-haired boy constantly running from side to side on the court, his eyes filled with surprise.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
On the court.
Muromachi continued darting from side to side.
Whenever he targeted Shibukawa’s backhand in particular, every shot was fast and heavy, clearly intended to deliver the finishing blow.
Yet Shibukawa returned the ball time and again.
His footwork and endurance made him incredibly difficult for Muromachi to deal with.
Moreover.
Muromachi had a faint sense of unease, as though there was something he’d overlooked.
“This time, I’ll finish you off for good!”
Near the middle of the forecourt, Muromachi practically roared as he swung his racket with all his strength and drove it into the ball.
Bang!
With a crisp impact, the ball shot toward Shibukawa’s backhand side like an arrow released from a bow.
“Great shot!”
The regulars watching from outside the court immediately lit up.
Captain Uesugi nodded in satisfaction as well.
Muromachi was quite talented, and after attacking repeatedly, he’d gotten thoroughly into his rhythm.
This shot, in particular, had clearly surpassed his usual level of play.
Barring anything unexpected, it should win him the point.
From there, the match would proceed almost exactly as Uesugi had predicted.
‘So the key from here on is whether Shibukawa can hold his own service game under his opponent’s pressure.’
Uesugi thought to himself.
He thought highly of Shibukawa as well, but the latter’s abilities were still too one-sided.
He could even be said to have an obvious weakness.
By comparison, Muromachi was still better suited to be a regular.
Of course, if Shibukawa could overcome his weakness going forward, becoming a regular would only be a matter of time.
Even if he lost this match, it would still give him plenty of valuable experience.
‘I hope he can…
Hm?’
However.
Just as Uesugi looked up, about to say something, his gaze fell on Shibukawa—and he suddenly froze.
Whoosh!
The black-haired boy’s Swing was so fast that his racket seemed to leave a faint afterimage behind.
Then came a crisp bang.
The ball abruptly landed beside the smiling Muromachi.
“Uh…”
Muromachi visibly froze, the pupils behind his white-framed sunglasses contracting sharply.
‘W-Wait.’
Staring at his opponent, the boy hailed by others as Yamabuki’s prodigy suddenly had a shocking thought.
‘While playing against me, he actually…
overcame his weakness on the backhand?!’