Into the Semifinals

"Ho ho ho!"

"Coach, you can relax now. We were right all along!"

"A national champion from a backwater tennis wasteland? How could Fudomine possibly be a match for us?"

In Nagoya Seidoku's rest area, Gallagher and Calozes burst into unrestrained laughter.

The other exchange student, Siebold, laughed as well. "Tennis is a European sport. No one in Japan can stop us from winning!"

Nagoya Seidoku's coach, watching from the sidelines, didn't respond to the players.

But after Kuratoza scored, the tension visibly eased from the coach's face.

If he could lead the team to a national title in Japan so soon after becoming their coach, it would make quite a story to tell.

On the court, Kuratoza didn't act as arrogant as his teammates after winning that point.

He calmly walked back to the service line, though the aura around him had grown more focused.

His strength and reflexes are both impressive. I'll have to take the second point too!

Kuratoza muttered to himself, then tossed the ball high again.

Whoosh!

The ball rose high into the air. Only after it began to fall from its peak did Kuratoza lightly push off with both feet. His racket whipped through the air with a fierce gust, coming down hard on the ball.

Bang!

Another thunderous crack!

The rapidly spinning ball kicked up a white gust. Wrapped in the swirling air, it seemed to flicker in and out of sight, vanishing in an instant.

"Another topspin serve?"

"But this one's much fiercer than the first. Could he have been holding back? Was he just testing the waters?"

Seeing that Kuratoza's second serve was even more powerful, the second-years from Fudomine looked thoughtful.

Unlike them, Saeki Muneyoshi, Tachibana Kippei, and the others looked unconcerned. Muneyoshi was even reclining leisurely in his seat,