As the most anticipated of the three matches in Group D, this match still drew plenty of attention even though Muromachi had already lost to Shibukawa.
Before the match had even begun, a crowd had gathered around the court.
A short while later, the two players stepped onto the court, exchanged a few words, and the referee announced the start of the match.
Muromachi had some luck on his side and won the right to serve first.
Facing a strong opponent, he didn’t dare let his guard down, but neither was he intimidated.
As soon as the match began, he immediately went to his specialty—serve-and-volley.
Bang!
However, Minami’s return was extremely composed.
The ball was clearly aimed at Muromachi’s backhand.
It wasn’t particularly fast, but it was highly accurate, forcing Muromachi to abandon his original plan and move laterally to reach it.
Bang!
But then Minami sent his second shot in the opposite direction from where Muromachi had moved.
Muromachi frowned and hurriedly changed direction, barely managing to return the ball, only for his opponent to attack his backhand once again.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
After only a few exchanges, Minami Kentaro had already taken control of the match.
Compared with yesterday’s match between Shibukawa and Muromachi, his tactics and ball control were far more polished, leaving Muromachi completely suppressed and unable to fight back.
Bang!
Then, spotting an opening, Minami decisively swung his racket and struck a winner.
“0-15!”
The referee called the score.
Muromachi was breathing slightly harder now, his expression grim.
He had thought he would at least be able to cause his opponent some trouble, but he hadn’t expected to be completely shut down from the very start.
Even so, he didn’t give up.
Muromachi remained highly active throughout the rest of the match.
His flexible tactics caused Minami quite a bit of trouble as well.
But the latter was highly experienced and quickly neutralized each of his attacks.
Before long, the match entered its final stretch.
Even after giving it everything he had, Muromachi only managed to take a single game off Minami and fell hopelessly behind in the overall score.
“It’s over!”
“Yeah.
Kentaro is a regular, after all.
Not only that, he’s the vice-captain personally chosen by Advisor Banda and Captain Uesugi.
Muromachi never stood a chance.”
“Can’t be helped.
That’s just how big the gap is between a regular and a non-regular.”
The spectators discussed the match among themselves.
Just then, someone seemed to notice something and exclaimed in surprise, “Huh?
Isn’t that Shibukawa?
When did he get here?”
Sure enough, Shibukawa was standing among the crowd, his black hair hanging over his eyes and obscuring his features.
Even now, he maintained an extremely low-key presence.
Unless he deliberately made his presence known, few people would notice him when he stood in a crowd.
“No wonder he managed to beat Muromachi.”
Seeing him, someone couldn’t help remarking, “His deciding match against Minami is coming up next, yet he can still stay this calm while watching the match and gathering data on his opponent.”
“So he really is a data-driven player?”
“Who knows?
But Advisor Banda and the captain both said so, so they’re probably right.”
On the court, Muromachi’s expression grew even darker when he heard the crowd’s discussion.
He could accept losing to Minami Kentaro.
After all, Minami was the vice-captain and had already made a name for himself.
By the time Muromachi joined Yamabuki, Minami had already secured a spot among the regulars.
But Shibukawa?
He hadn’t even been training seriously for two full months, yet he’d completely crushed him.
Muromachi, who hadn’t thought much of Shibukawa at all in the beginning, now found himself both unwilling to accept it and deeply conflicted.
‘Do I really have to admit defeat?’
Muromachi glanced at Shibukawa outside the court, then shifted his gaze to Minami.
That question applied both to Shibukawa and to this match.
The gap between him and Minami was simply too great.
Even if he admitted defeat and stopped resisting, no one would blame him.
But the moment that thought surfaced, Shibukawa’s image appeared in his mind.
Shibukawa had gone from an insignificant nobody no one ever noticed to where he was today, one step at a time.
Those seemingly pointless, time-wasting Swings kept flashing through Muromachi’s mind.
‘I’m going all out!’
Muromachi sucked in a sharp breath.
Fighting spirit returned to his eyes, now accompanied by a trace of recklessness.
Then, taking advantage of his service game, he once again employed his serve-and-volley tactics.
This time, both the speed and power he displayed were greater than before.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
At the baseline, Minami responded quickly.
With his experience, he could naturally tell that Muromachi was a cornered animal making one final struggle.
As long as he weathered this offensive, he could completely break Muromachi’s resolve.
However, Muromachi’s sudden burst exceeded his expectations.
Minami, who had originally been completely confident, was briefly driven into a difficult position by the counterattack.
Just as his defense was about to be breached, however, Muromachi’s offensive suddenly weakened and then collapsed completely.
Seizing the opportunity, Minami struck without hesitation.
“Game, set, and match.”
“Minami Kentaro wins, 6-1!”
“Hah…
hah…
hah…”
On one side of the court, Muromachi gasped heavily for breath.
His entire body was drenched in sweat.
Every breath felt as though blades were scraping his throat, leaving it burning with pain.
His eyes, meanwhile, were filled with frustration.
‘Damn it!
I was so close!!’
Muromachi clenched his fists tightly.
He could feel that Minami’s defense had begun to give way.
If he could have held on just a little longer, he definitely would have broken through that seemingly impregnable defense.
That made Muromachi recognize his own shortcomings.
If he’d been just a little stronger, the match wouldn’t have ended this way.
‘There’s still time.
I’m only a first-year…’
Especially when he thought about the transformation Shibukawa had undergone after less than two months of training, Muromachi’s desire to become stronger burned even more intensely.
…
‘Watching this match was worth it.’
Meanwhile, standing at the edge of the crowd, Shibukawa gave Muromachi—whose thoughts were rapidly shifting—a meaningful look.
Thanks to Muromachi’s final burst, he’d managed to collect some unexpected data.
It gave him even more confidence for his upcoming match against Minami.
‘Is this kid…
really a data-driven player?’
Not far away, Banda stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching Shibukawa leave with a slightly raised brow.
Indeed.
He greatly appreciated the way Shibukawa approached things.
Mature and steady, he carefully observed before acting, making sure he understood both himself and his opponent.
Those traits were very similar to those traditionally associated with data-driven players.
And yet Banda’s instincts told him that this boy was probably not as simple as he’d imagined.
‘What’s the point in overthinking it?’
After a moment, Banda came back to himself and chuckled.
“No matter what he’s hiding, we’ll find out in the match soon enough.”
Before long, the remaining matches came to an end.
At around 5:30 p.m., the final match of Group D was about to begin—a showdown between the only two players who remained undefeated.
At the same time, the regulars who didn’t have matches, including Captain Uesugi Kenichi and Sengoku, began gathering around the court as well.
A moment later, the referee, seated high in the umpire’s chair, announced in a clear voice: “Next match.”
“Minami Kentaro versus Shibukawa Shin.”