Oshitari's Path in Tennis

In the original story, Oshitari Yuushi and Fuji Syusuke had identical stats across all five dimensions. Even after joining U-17, there was not the slightest difference between them.

Yet their paths in tennis were worlds apart.

Fuji Syusuke joined the U-17 representative team and went on to the world stage, while Oshitari Yuushi gradually faded into the crowd.

Perhaps the protagonist's halo played a part, but Oshitari was also responsible for his own fate.

Just as Kannagi Shinichi and Sakaki Taro had said earlier, Oshitari had studied a wide range of tennis techniques, but his breadth came at the expense of mastery.

Fuji Syusuke, on the other hand, did the opposite. He kept the best and discarded the rest, refining his techniques until he could use them with consummate skill.

That was why two players with identical potential ultimately took completely different paths.

After hearing Kannagi Shinichi's reminder, Oshitari began to watch Fuji Syusuke's match on the court in earnest.

Although Fuji was still only a first-year and looked rather frail, Oshitari could still vividly recall how he had shut out his opponent that morning.

And the two doubles matches just now had shown that Yamabuki Middle School's players, even the first-years, were not to be underestimated.

So as Fuji Syusuke's opponent, Liyuan Chuan of Sato Rikai Academy had been on high alert from the start.

On the court, Fuji Syusuke served first. He tossed the ball high into the air, then swung his racket sharply with his right hand. The entire motion was graceful and precise.

Thwack...

The racket struck the ball, and a serve of astonishing speed flew toward the opposite side of the court.

The ball bounced, then shot away at incredible speed, to the spectators' astonishment.

"15–0. Point to Fuji Syusuke."

As the umpire's announcement rang out, Fuji Syusuke's eyes, which had been narrowed, opened slightly. Wearing his usual smile, he looked toward the Hyotei players in the stands.

"Whoa..."

The spectators outside the court were stunned by that serve.

"Was that a provocation? Looks like Yamabuki is determined to challenge Hyotei this year."

When Kannagi Shinichi caught Fuji Syusuke's gaze, he didn't back down. Instead, he lifted the corner of his mouth slightly and met Fuji's eyes.

After seeing that serve, the Hyotei regulars grew more serious. They now understood that this boy named Fuji Syusuke was strong.

Kannagi Shinichi turned to Oshitari beside him. "Yuushi, did you see what was special about that serve?"

At Kannagi Shinichi's question, Oshitari Yuushi pushed up his glasses and narrowed his eyes slightly. His tone was grave. "His technique is excellent. That serve landed perfectly on the line."

Oshitari had been somewhat skeptical of Kannagi Shinichi's earlier words, but after seeing Fuji Syusuke's serve, he was beginning to reassess the player on the court.

Thwack...

Fuji served again. The situation was exactly like before, and he scored directly off the serve once more.

"30–0. Point to Fuji Syusuke."

Thwack...

"40–0. Point to Fuji Syusuke."

"Game. The score is 1–0, Fuji Syusuke leads."

In just two minutes, Fuji Syusuke had held his service game with only four serves.

That set the tone for the match. The score soon began to look like it would end in a shutout.

Whoosh...

"Brown Bear Drop Shot..."

"Game. The score is 4–0, Fuji Syusuke leads."

"Hey, what was that just now? How did he return a smash so easily?"

"I saw Fuji Syusuke use that move once this morning. Seeing it again now, it's still just as dazzling..."

Outside the court, some spectators who had watched Fuji Syusuke's match that morning began explaining his play to the newcomers, excitedly discussing his signature move.

The Hyotei regulars glanced at Oshitari Yuushi with odd expressions. After all, Oshitari had used the same move during the regulars' selection matches.

Only the advisor Sakaki Taro, Kannagi Shinichi, and Atobe Keigo had noticed the slight difference between their Brown Bear Drop Shots.

Of course, Oshitari himself had also noticed the problem with that shot.

"What do you think of Fuji Syusuke's Brown Bear Drop Shot?" Kannagi Shinichi asked Oshitari again.

The Hyotei regulars turned their attention to Oshitari Yuushi as well.

"Interesting. I didn't expect him to be the same type of player as me." Oshitari lifted his head with a smile, then let out a deep sigh. "He's much more adept at using the Brown Bear Drop Shot than I am. It seems to come naturally to him, and every step appears to be within his expectations. Fuji Syusuke is a fearsome player."

As Oshitari Yuushi voiced what he had noticed, Kannagi Shinichi and Atobe both smiled.

Sakaki Taro glanced at Oshitari Yuushi and nodded slightly. Recognizing his weaknesses meant he could figure out how to overcome them. That was how a player found a way to improve.

Besides the Hyotei players, someone else was watching Yamabuki's match from the sidelines.

That person was Inoue Mamoru, a reporter for Tennis Weekly.

"A genius from Yamabuki?"

Inoue Mamoru raised his camera and looked toward Fuji Syusuke on the court.

Fuji's performance in this match had certainly showcased his ability, and it had been quite impressive. Especially with the tall, third-year player Liyuan Chuan as his opponent, Fuji's performance stood out all the more.

Perhaps in the past, seeing a player like Fuji Syusuke would have left Inoue in awe.

But after watching Kannagi Shinichi and Atobe Keigo of Hyotei play, Inoue Mamoru's standards had risen. Although Fuji Syusuke's performance had been dazzling, it no longer seemed quite so extraordinary.

By then, the match on the court had ended. Fuji Syusuke had once again swept his opponent 6–0.

The spectators outside the court erupted in cheers, but Inoue Mamoru shook his head amid the noise.

"It's possible Fuji Syusuke was holding back, but compared with Kannagi Shinichi and Atobe Keigo, he's nowhere near good enough to challenge Hyotei."

Then Inoue Mamoru thought of Yamabuki's new captain, that young genius Tezuka Kunimitsu, and murmured, "If Tezuka Kunimitsu returns to Yamabuki for the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, then challenging Hyotei might not be impossible."

Outside the court, as the match ended, the Hyotei regulars looked serious, but they were still confident they would win the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.

Yamabuki was a strong team, but overall, Hyotei was still stronger.

The Hyotei regulars were getting ready to leave the court. Kannagi Shinichi and Oshitari Yuushi brought up the rear.

"Yuushi, find a chance to play a match against Atobe. You might find your own path in tennis by facing him."

Oshitari listened to Kannagi Shinichi and simply nodded, then looked toward Atobe, who was walking ahead of them.

At that moment, Atobe Keigo sensed that something was off, as if someone had set him up.

"Hmph. Forget it. No one would dare scheme against this great Atobe!"