Bang...
"Game, 1–0. Akutsu Jin of Hyotei Academy leads."
The match had barely begun, and Mizuki Hatsuharu was already caught off guard. Akutsu had easily held his serve with four Leopard's Cry serves.
Now it was Mizuki's turn to serve. His face was dark. He had been utterly helpless in the previous game, unable even to touch the ball. For someone as proud as Mizuki, it stirred up a nameless fury.
Mizuki glanced over Akutsu's side of the court and identified a spot where his data suggested Akutsu struggled to return the ball. He tossed it into the air, picked his landing spot, and slammed it with his racket.
Bang...
Mizuki's serve wasn't fast. It was downright mediocre.
Only Akutsu felt something awkward in his body after the ball bounced. But thanks to his flexibility, he still swung hard and returned the serve.
Bang...
Tap... tap...
"You're pretty good. You can return a shot from an angle you're not suited to, but there's no way you'll return it from this spot."
Mizuki ran to the ball. He glanced around Akutsu's side of the court, picked another landing spot, and swung his racket.
Bang...
The ball dropped onto Akutsu's side of the court with a fierce spin.
But the shot didn't go as Mizuki had expected. Akutsu used his explosive power to leap backward, turning the awkward angle into a straight-on shot.
Bang...
The crisp sound of the racket rang out. The ball flew at incredible speed, exploded beside Mizuki's feet, then shot straight out of bounds.
"15–0. Akutsu Jin of Hyotei Academy scores."
As the umpire announced the point, Mizuki stood frozen on the other side of the court. After a long moment, he stared at Akutsu in disbelief, his voice verging on hysteria. "Impossible! You shouldn't have been able