Singles 3

Back at the Seigaku bench, Kaidoh and Yamato bowed to everyone. "We're sorry, we lost!"

Tezuka waved his hand and helped Yamato Yūdai up.

"It's okay, Yamato-senpai! This is just the Metropolitan Tournament. There's still the Kanto Tournament and the National Tournament! As long as we can gain something from this match, we just need to make sure we don't lose next time."

"That's right, Kaidoh! It was already great that we could play this well against Hyotei's doubles pair, and if anyone's to blame, it's me!" Oishi added by way of comfort.

Comforted by everyone, the two, who had been blaming themselves for losing the match, felt a lot better.

After all, they knew that with the skills of Fuji, Tezuka, and Akutsu, their chances of winning in singles were as high as 90%.

At this moment, Akutsu, who was preparing to warm up, walked past everyone with a racket tucked under his arm and an arrogant stride.

"Leave the next match to me!"

However, their expressions changed when they saw Hyotei's lineup for singles 3.

Hyotei's singles 3 was none other than Hyotei's king, Atobe Keigo!

"What, Atobe is playing singles 3!"

"Hyotei isn't leaving Seigaku any chance at all!"

"They're aiming for a straight-sets victory!"

Yamato Yūdai and Fuji Shusuke, who had just sat down, turned pale at this.

If it were anyone else, Akutsu Jin would have had a high chance of winning, but they hadn't expected the opposing captain to be playing singles 3.

"Tch, so it's this guy, perfect!"

Compared to the worries in everyone else's hearts, Akutsu's thoughts were much simpler.

He had long been annoyed by this "monkey king." Someone who could act more arrogant than him.

He had wanted to teach the guy a lesson for a long time, and now was the perfect opportunity.

With that, Akutsu grinned sinisterly and walked towards the warm-up court behind them.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

In the warm-up court, Akutsu was warming up against the wall, his racket hitting the tennis ball repeatedly, sending it straight towards the white circles marked on the wall.

Anyone who knew him well would have noticed.

As Akutsu continued his practice, his control over the ball improved significantly.

The scattered ball marks gradually converged, eventually merging into one.

"Is that Akutsu-kun?"

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice interrupted Akutsu's warm-up.

"Thwack!"

Akutsu caught the incoming tennis ball with one hand, straightened up, and turned his head to look.

"St. Rudolph's regular?"

"That's right, I'm Mizuki from St. Rudolph. Hello, Akutsu-kun!" Mizuki said with a slight chuckle, leaning against the fence at the entrance and adjusting his hair.

Akutsu put away his racket and walked towards the sidelines indifferently. He glared at Mizuki, who was blocking his path. "I don't care who you are. Move aside!"

Mizuki's expression faltered, seemingly surprised by the other's unapproachability. However, he hadn't come here to make friends, so he said readily, "Akutsu-kun, don't you want to know some information about your opponent..."

Not far away, Muneyoshi, who was lounging on the grass pretending to nap, happened to witness this dramatic scene and chuckled inwardly.

Mizuki still didn't understand Akutsu's personality; he was likely going to suffer a big loss.

As expected, the two seemed to have a slight argument. Akutsu grabbed Mizuki by the collar, lifted him up, berated him, and then pushed him aside...

"Yo, Akutsu, your opponent in this match won't be easy. Good luck~"

Seeing Akutsu getting closer, Muneyoshi propped himself up on his arm and looked up, waving at Akutsu.

"Hmph! You guy..."

Akutsu had noticed Muneyoshi long ago, but having been beaten by him so many times, his personality wouldn't allow him to greet him first.

Therefore, he didn't respond to Muneyoshi's greeting.

On the court, Akutsu stared intently at the smug and arrogant-looking boy opposite him, recalling what Muneyoshi had said about his opponent being difficult.

This brought a hint of pleasant surprise to his heart. If even that guy said the opponent was difficult, it meant they had some real skill.

Entering Seigaku, after playing for so long, besides that guy and the cold, poker-faced captain, plus Fuji.

The other opponents weren't that engaging to play against.

It seemed today, he finally had a chance to face a worthy opponent on the court.

With that thought, he suppressed his emotions and regained his composure.

Next, he would have a go at this Hyotei captain and see if he was as difficult to deal with as Muneyoshi said.

On the opposite side of the court, Atobe gently brushed a stray strand of hair from his forehead, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

He actually felt a sense of camaraderie with the Seigaku captain, whose experiences were similar to his own when he joined the club.

He had hoped to have a match against him.

But as the captain of Hyotei's tennis club, Atobe couldn't completely act on impulse. For Hyotei's tennis club, he needed this championship.

Therefore, he also felt a surge of surprise at the prospect of winning the Metropolitan Tournament finals.

As expected of Coach Sakaki, his match simulations always hit the core, especially in controlling the flow of the game.

It was precisely because of his ability that Atobe wholeheartedly followed Sakaki's arrangements.

"This match will end at my hands!"

Atobe thought to himself as he watched Akutsu retreat to the baseline to receive the serve.

"Tokyo Metropolis Metropolitan Tournament Finals, Seigaku versus Hyotei Academy, Singles 3 match begins."

"Hyotei Academy's Atobe Keigo VS Seigaku's Akutsu Jin, best of one set, Atobe Keigo to serve."

"Oh?, what a well-trained physique, but I wonder if the technique is as flashy!"

Atobe couldn't help but praise as he looked at the muscles Akutsu revealed.

Bang!

Toss, bend knees, crouch, leap, all in one fluid motion!

A super-high-speed serve was sent towards the corner on Akutsu's right side.

Akutsu darted out like a leopard, his swift strike sending the ball back into Atobe's court.

A sharp glint flashed in Atobe's eyes, a sliver of coldness emanating from him as he instantly judged the ball's landing spot.

With a proud smirk, he moved his feet, sprinted, leaped, and using the momentum of his charge, held his racket with both hands, Atobe unleashed a powerful backhand smash!

Bang!

"15:0."

Atobe pushed back the bangs covering his eyes and said with his head held high, "En~ My aesthetic brilliance shines every moment, doesn't it, Akutsu?"

Seeing Atobe score, the Hyotei cheerleaders erupted in cheers.

Atobe's fan club never missed an opportunity for him to admire himself.

Atobe continued to serve, still aiming for Akutsu's furthest reach, forcing Akutsu to chase the ball.

"Hya!"

Bang!

Akutsu powerfully hit the ball over the net.

Bang!

Unfortunately, Atobe had already reached the ball and, with another backhand jackknife, quickly returned it to the other corner.

"The same trick won't work on me!"

However, Akutsu reacted quickly, roaring as he moved with incredible speed, chasing down the ball with sheer determination.

Seeing that Akutsu could still reach it, Atobe was a little surprised by his speed, but he wasn't caught off guard. Instead, he sent the ball to Akutsu's other half of the court.

Akutsu slipped, twisted his body, and charged forward in a way that defied the laws of physics. He lunged forward, his racket striking the tennis ball heavily.

Bang!

A Hyper-Offensive tennis shot, abandoning defense!

The tennis ball smashed towards Atobe like a cannonball, the whistling sound of the racket and ball making Atobe look at Akutsu with newfound respect.

As someone whose tennis was inspired by the English style, Hyper-Offensive tennis was his favorite.

"Heh, I accept your determination!"

ps: "Three updates again today. I wrote a bit while working overtime at the company last night. Please vote with monthly tickets~"