As soon as the first round began, the character controlled by Eriri launched a fierce attack. Judging by the action, it was an almost one-sided beatdown. (Continued)

Now, he felt like this match had become a form of torture.

"Hasegawa takes the game, 5–0!"

The referee mercilessly lowered the little flag in his hand. Another game was over.

Guys, does anyone get it?

Just now, Hasegawa had used another one of those moves he'd mentioned. What was it called? "Limit of Talent Blooming." He said he could predict scoring after three shots.

One shot would've been enough, but he had to use three?

Seriously, I'm gonna cry.

Then he explained that it was one of the three gates of the State of Selflessness. There was also the Limit of a Thousand Refinements, which let him return shots with double the power, and the strongest of them all, the Limit of Seamless Perfection.

But since his own skills weren't good enough, he couldn't make Hasegawa use that one.

If everything he said was true, then I should be grateful he didn't go all out and kill me on the court.

"You're still a long way off."

A short distance away, Hasegawa Izumi held his racket in place as he hit the final ball. After leaving those words behind, he walked toward the other rest area without looking back.

He didn't need to look to know how the ball had landed.

"Arigato, Hasegawa-san."

"Because of you, I've seen just how vast this world is!"

As his strength gave out, Kawamura Kentaro's vision gradually blurred. His eyes opened and closed, and the only thing he could still see was that imposing figure, forever etched into his mind—so far beyond his reach.

"Thud."

He toppled to the ground.

"The match is over! Hasegawa wins this match, 6–0!"

The referee delivered the final verdict, looking somewhat numb.

The match had been completely one-sided. Kawamura, the Tennis Club president, hadn't had a chance to fight back.

This was truly the darkest day in the Tennis Club's history!

But he quickly realized just what kind of tennis prodigy could defeat Kawamura with such ease.

If he could recruit him...

He hurried after Hasegawa and extended an earnest invitation. "Hasegawa-kun, you're a man who can shoulder the future of Tou-ei tennis! Please join our club! We'll make you the greatest tennis star there is!"

"Oh, thanks, but I'm not interested... Besides, I'm in a hurry, so I can't stay and chat."

Hasegawa Izumi passed him without a change in expression and tossed the racket in his hand back to its owner.

Now that the match was over,

all he could think about were the half-price potato chips at the supermarket near his house.

Dirty Players

"Izumi, thanks to you, the Far East Magic Society has scored another victory! From now on, those guys will finally feel the pressure we're putting on them! The day our Far East Magic Society reaches the summit isn't far off!"

As he headed back, Takanashi Rikka came over of her own accord. She spoke while making a fist, already dreaming of the future.

"The plan is proceeding as expected."

Hasegawa Izumi nodded.

After all, he'd only been facing ordinary people with a little talent. It was only right that he beat them. Perhaps a match against an opponent from the inner world might give him some sense of accomplishment.

"Izumi-chan is even more famous now, and he's got lots more fans, too. I feel like I can finally hold my head high in class, hehe..."

Fujiwara Chika came over as well, walking close by his side.

"The peak attracts false supporters. Twilight reveals true believers... I couldn't care less about that sort of thing. Let it be."

Perhaps it was something the girl worried about, but he had never cared about it. If anything, he saw right through it.

"Izumi-chan's answers are always so cool~"

Fujiwara Chika leaned forward slightly and looked at his stern face, now back to normal, with a cheerful smile.

"They seem to be getting along pretty well."

Not far away, Eriri watched them in secret, biting her lip.

"And Izumi, too! How could he get along so well with some weird girl behind my back?!"

Her eyes practically blazed with fury.

"Sawamura-san, it's time to pack up!"

A member of the Art Club called out beside her.

"O-okay, I know."

Eriri turned around with another radiant smile.

"Hostility detected."

As Hasegawa Izumi left the tennis court, he suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back. He turned and saw several members of the News Department approaching.

It was the customary post-victory interview.

"Could you tell us what the 'moves' you showed during the match were?"

He gave a brief reply and offered a reasonable explanation for how the tennis techniques worked.

He explained how to hit a topspin serve, for instance, and how to do the Wave Ball. It was also a way of making up for the terrible beating the Tennis Club had taken.

"Then who will your next challenger be?"

Asahi Shizuku asked, holding back a smile.

"The Soccer Club."

He gave the answer he'd decided on earlier.

"As for the trash-talk segment this time..."

His expression turned ice-cold.

"Tell them to wash their necks and wait!"

After saying goodbye to Chika and Rikka,

Hasegawa Izumi left the train station and hurried to a nearby supermarket.

After buying the remaining half-price potato chips and Happy Water, he also stocked up on ingredients for the next few days.

As the saying went, you didn't know the value of firewood and rice until you ran a household.

Ever since he'd taken charge of the household, he'd started watching his spending.

His family wasn't rich, after all, and he had to make his allowance last. Otherwise, he wouldn't have enough left to buy games, novels, and the like.

"Seriously, money from the 2D world is so easy to make."

Back home, he looked at the many figurines on his bookshelf and couldn't help grumbling.

Shuchiin High School.

In this age of widespread internet access, the result of yesterday's challenge had quickly spread throughout the school.

Hardly anyone could dispute Hasegawa Izumi's performance in the match. He'd gained a huge number of fans at Shuchiin almost overnight, and his personal prestige had reached its peak. For a time, no one could match his popularity.

When Hasegawa Izumi stepped onto campus, he immediately noticed the way everyone looked at him had changed.

They no longer looked at him with arrogance, disdain, and condescension. Now their gazes held more envy, jealousy, and admiration.

He'd successfully turned his reputation around, from negative to positive.

But he wasn't satisfied.

"Sage, you don't seem very happy today. Could it be... the Management Bureau has launched an attack on you?"

Takanashi Rikka looked around warily.

The tallest tree catches the most wind!

Naturally, they'd made plans for this sort of thing while making such a big commotion.

The enemy wouldn't just sit back and let their organization grow stronger!

"No. What I find strange is, why hasn't anyone volunteered to join even after I've gone this far? Are they still waiting to see what happens?"

Hasegawa Izumi closed his eyes and pondered, stroking his chin with one hand.

"Is the prestige of defeating the Go Club and the Tennis Club still not enough?"

Takanashi Rikka pondered along with him.

The student sitting in front overheard their conversation and struggled to hold back a laugh.

Could it be that everyone simply didn't want to join and become a "chuunibyou"?

It had nothing to do with their personal abilities. They just didn't want people treating them like idiots!

After lunch, during the break,

"Izumi-chan, let's play a new game today! This time, I'm definitely going to beat you!"

Fujiwara Chika cheerfully came over to his desk.

Deep in the girl's eyes, Hasegawa Izumi saw a familiar competitive spirit.

"Sure, let's do it."

Keeping his earlier promise, he nodded.

"Wait...!"

A slender arm came between them.

"Takanashi-san, why are you stopping us? Do you want to play Old Maid, too?"

Fujiwara Chika turned and asked curiously.

"If you want to challenge the Sage, you have to beat me first!"

Takanashi Rikka covered her eyepatch with one hand and spoke with a cool look in her eyes.

"Okay! Then I'll beat you first, and then I'll beat Izumi-chan!"

Fujiwara Chika readily agreed, not looking intimidated in the slightest.

She was brimming with confidence, as if victory were guaranteed.

Hasegawa Izumi lent his chair to Chika for a while, so she and Rikka could face off across a student desk.

They played with a total of 53 cards, taking turns drawing from each other's hands. Any matching pairs were discarded. The loser would be whoever was left holding the joker.

It looks like a game of luck. As long as you don't give yourself away when someone draws a card... Is Chika trying to gamble against me?

Hasegawa Izumi watched the game and pondered.

But he had a feeling it wouldn't be that simple. After all, this was Chika!

Before long, Fujiwara Chika and Rikka had drawn from each other until each had only two or three cards left.

This draw would decide the winner.

"Which one could it be?"

Fujiwara Chika wore a sly smile as she tapped each of Rikka's three cards in turn, apparently watching Rikka's expression before deciding what to do.

"This one...!"

At a certain moment, Takanashi Rikka's expression noticeably changed. Chika immediately pulled that card from her hand.