The Plot Begins to Change

Thump!

The tennis ball flew out and landed precisely on Ibu Shinji's backhand return line. (-_-) (-_-)

Sensing the unusual rotation, a glint suddenly flashed in Ibu Shinji's indifferent eyes.

Then, seeing the tennis ball undulating irregularly on the ground gave him a sense of familiarity.

The opponent's serve is very similar to his sidespin serve!

Upon learning this, Ibu Shinji's indifferent expression suddenly shifted, a smile playing on his lips, almost mockingly.

He took a slight step back and casually stood in his backcourt position.

Nowadays, when facing ordinary opponents, Shinji doesn't even need to clearly observe the landing point of the tennis ball with the naked eye.

With his extraordinary mental sharpness, the trajectory of the tennis ball after it landed was crystal clear.

Hiss hiss hiss...

The tennis ball, which had been held back for a long time, bounced up and flew straight towards his face, while a fierce gust of wind also attacked his side without any regard for his face.

"The serve was beautiful and precise, but the speed and power were too poor. The time it took for the tennis ball to bounce was enough for someone with a slow reaction time to counterattack."

"I had high hopes for Tachibana-senpai's strength, but it seems I was too optimistic!"

Ibu Shinji shook his head, his cold voice causing the Seigaku members on the sidelines to display various expressions.

Upon hearing this, Echizen Ryoma on the other side was also taken aback.

But before he could speak, Shinji had already prepared his counterattack.

With a step back with his left foot, Ibu Shinji pulled himself out halfway, turned his head slightly, placed his right racket above his neck, and delivered a clean and crisp backhand smash.

Bang!

With a burst of power from Shinji, the tennis ball was stretched into a terrifying afterimage.

In the blink of an eye, it leaped across the field, leaving a faint mark on the side of Echizen Ryoma's foot, before passing through Echizen defense.

Boom!

The tennis ball was stopped by the wire mesh behind Echizen Ryoma, making a crisp sound.

"Shinji is becoming more and more like the department head... This guy's personality has become so awful..."

Watching this scene from the sidelines, Kamio Akira seemed to recall the time during the school ranking matches when he faced Shinji's relentless attacks.

The terrifying feeling made his lips twitch.

"Since Shinji embarked on the Mental Power Path with the department head, he's become increasingly terrifying."

"How come I never noticed before that he liked to verbally attack others and then directly exploit their weaknesses?"

After being given orders by Saeki Muneyoshi that he could no longer hold back against his opponents, Shinji felt as if a new world had opened up for him.

Even the quick-witted Kamio Akira at Fudomine has been tormented by Ibu Shinji's nightmares for some time now.

At that moment, just as Kamio Akira had said, Echizen Ryoma, facing Shinji, seemed to be targeted by something terrifying the instant Shinji made his move.

He was unaware that it was Ibu Shinji's unique ability to create mental nightmares.

But his naturally powerful senses made the hairs on the back of his head stand on end in an instant, and an indescribable shock appeared on Echizen Ryoma's face.

What did that guy on the other side do?

"And that ball just now... was so fast."

Not only that, Echizen Ryoma felt a weight on his shoulders, and his attempt to retaliate was firmly suppressed in place.

Ibu Shinji's retort just now seemed to have suddenly placed a heavy burden on his shoulders, slowing down his movements.

This overwhelming sense of oppression... is this guy on the other side just like those monsters?

Or is this the true strength of Japan middle school students?

Just one goal from Shinji made Echizen Ryoma feel like he was questioning the meaning of life.

Of course, it wasn't entirely thanks to Ibu Shinji; it's just that he lost far too many games during his time at Seigaku.

This led to a slight misconception about the abilities of junior high school students.

However, Ryoma is Ryoma after all, and once his mindset returned to normal, he quickly adjusted.

After taking a deep breath, he reached up and pulled his hat brim down, spitting out a haughty remark. "Tch, looks like you're not bad at all~"

Ibu Shinji ignored Echizen Ryoma's provocation. He sized up Ryoma again, lingering on the wrist guard on Ryoma's wrist for two seconds, and said coldly:

"You still act so confident because you haven't shown your true abilities, have you? Judging from the wristband you're wearing, are you Ambidexterity? Or left-handed?"

If you're left-handed, then hurry up and switch hands, otherwise you might not even have a chance to switch hands later.

Ibu Shinji looked at Echizen Ryoma with a detached tone and an expression that was indifferent to everyone else:

"We don't need to hit those topspin shots anymore; that kind of tennis is useless among junior high school students!"

Shinji's words seemed simple, but they completely refuted Echizen Ryoma's tennis skills. Even with Echizen 'Shinji temper, he was speechless and unable to catch his breath.

Hoo-ha...

"Is this the champion team from last year? They're so arrogant, and you actually said my tennis is useless... How interesting."

After calming himself down, Echizen Ryoma Ibu Shinji. On the contrary, Shinji's contempt only fueled his fighting spirit.

Switching the racket from his right hand to his left, Echizen pointed Echizen at Ibu Shinji and said, "You're far from saying my tennis is useless."

Off the field.

"Look!"

"Echizen switched hands so quickly! Is he going to use his full power?!"

When Horio Satoshi saw Echizen Ryoma switch hands, he excitedly waved his arms.

"Echizen, you'll definitely win!"

"Without..."

"Echizen, Echizen-sama!"

However, before the jinx from the Horio Satoshi trio could fully land, it was drowned out by the cheers of Tomoka from the side.

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and cheer for Prince Echizen!"

"Tomoka..." Ryuzaki Sakuno's voice was so weak it was barely audible.

While waving the support flag she had specially made for Echizen Ryoma, Koita Tomoka glared menacingly at Horio Satoshi and the other two.

"Echizen!"

"Seigaku will win!"

Under Tomoka's threat, Horio Satoshi two companions could only use every ounce of their strength to desperately try and poison her.

"Ryoma has only been back for a short time, yet he's already so popular at Seigaku?"

Looking at Tomoka and the others cheering for Echizen Ryoma, Echizen Nanako, who had secretly come to watch Echizen's match, chuckled to herself.

Ryoma was inside the arena, paid no attention to the cheers from outside; his gaze was entirely focused on Ibu Shinji.

Echizen Ryoma's eyes sharpened, and he tossed the tennis ball gently into his hand.

With a quick step, he jumped up, tossed the ball, and prepared his racket—the whole movement was fluid and seamless.

Echizen Ryoma's somewhat slender arms suddenly unleashed a power completely at odds with his appearance!

Bang!

With the collision of the racket and the tennis ball, the tennis ball instantly transformed into a sharp streak of light, flying towards Ibu Shinji!

After switching hands, Echizen Ryoma unleashed his full power in his serve, which was more than twice as fast as his previous somewhat showy Twist Serve.

However, Ibu Shinji has seen far too many tennis balls like this.