As Oni Jūjirō's changing tactics continued to take effect, he broke Reinhardt's serve again and again, widening the gap.
But despite his lead, Oni Jūjirō felt an inexplicable pressure weighing on him.
Under his relentless attacks, he could sense that Reinhardt was gradually learning to handle them perfectly.
The clearest evidence was that the rallies between them were growing longer and longer.
At first, a point took only one or two shots to win. Now, they had to trade twenty or thirty before either player could claim it.
Oni Jūjirō could see that the match was only going to get harder.
But Oni Jūjirō also knew that if he hadn't kept changing his tactics and putting pressure on his opponent, those three games wouldn't have ended so easily.
At the umpire's instruction, they changed sides, and both players had a brief ninety-second break.
As they passed each other, Reinhardt suddenly stopped and glanced back at Oni Jūjirō.
His expression, which had grown stern during the match, softened again. Watching Oni's back, he gave a faint, calm smile.
"So this is the full extent of your strength? I have to admit, it's terrifying. But thanks to you, I've corrected this weakness, too. You won't be able to score so easily from here on."
Oni felt Reinhardt's gaze and looked back at him.
But Reinhardt had already turned away and walked back to the bench.
As Oni Jūjirō replenished his fluids and wiped away his sweat at the sidelines, Muneyoshi considered his words, then stepped forward a few paces.
"Senior Oni, Reinhardt's greatest strength isn't his technique or power. It's his innate ability to correct his own weaknesses and shortcomings. After adapting to you over the past few games, he'll be even more dangerous. Be careful."
Muneyoshi didn't hold back. He told