Second Doubles: Two Who Can't Get Along

"Fuji, are you okay?"

Oishi suddenly turned to Fuji. At his words, the veteran regulars all looked over at him too.

They all knew that back when Fuji Yuta was at Seigaku, he'd always been called the genius Fuji's little brother because of Fuji's reputation.

Unable to bear living in his older brother's shadow, Fuji Yuta had transferred to St. Rudolph in a fit of anger and become one of their regulars.

"I'm fine. It's all right. Honestly, I'm curious to see how much Yuta has improved. I wonder if we'll meet on the court."

Fuji wore his trademark smile. He actually looked forward to seeing how much his little brother had improved.

"Of course you won't~ With that guy around, how could he let your brother play against you..."

Horio silently grumbled to himself, rolling his eyes. At the same time, he was curious about how much the others at Seigaku had improved while he was away at special training.

When they played their previous opponents, it was hard to tell. Besides, with him showing up...

He'd already thrown off the others' growth trajectories, so Horio had no idea whether he'd affected this world in any way.

"Since last year, St. Rudolph has been gathering talented tennis players from different regions and giving them specialized training."

"Their captain is still playing at a high level. Last year, he even beat one of our senpai, so we can't afford to underestimate him."

"And there's Fuji's younger brother, Yuta. Since last year, he's been focusing on hitting to the left side. He's known as the Lefty Killer, and his goal is to beat his own older brother."

"But I'm not left-handed."

Fuji spoke up after hearing Inui Sadaharu's analysis.

"That's true. They were probably preparing to counter Tezuka, but they didn't expect him to be away this year, getting treatment for his arm."

"Even with the captain away, we still have another left-hander. I guess they got lucky, in a way."

Horio glanced at Ryoma, who still wore his usual cool expression, and couldn't resist teasing him.

"Horio's right. They'll probably put Yuta in Third Singles, which would be a good matchup against Ryoma. Ryoma, be careful when you play."

Inui Sadaharu took Horio's joke seriously and warned Ryoma. Ryoma only gave a casual reply.

"There's one more important thing. Their team manager is also one of their players. I hear he's a tough one. From what I've learned, he spends most of his time gathering information on other schools' teams. He's probably a Data Tennis player too."

After hearing Inui Sadaharu's analysis, the Seigaku players became more wary of St. Rudolph and began preparing for the match.

"Hey, don't mess up when the time comes."

"What did you say? You're the one who'd better not drag me down."

Seeing the Second Doubles pair start bickering again, the Seigaku players shook their heads and headed for the court.

On the other side, a serious-looking boy with short chestnut hair and a tennis bag over his shoulder walked along, murmuring, "Third Singles." He was heading toward Mizuki, who was arranging tactics for the St. Rudolph players.

When Mizuki saw him, he immediately turned around.

"Sorry, Yuta. Looks like they slipped away from us. I thought for sure their Third Singles player would be Fuji Syusuke."

It was Fuji Syusuke's younger brother, Fuji Yuta. He clearly couldn't accept what Mizuki had said.

"That data guy, Inui Sadaharu, tricked us. Looks like they don't want you brothers facing each other."

"There's nothing we can do about it."

Though he knew he couldn't change things, Fuji Yuta's words were still full of frustration.

"It's a shame, but you'll just have to deal with their Third Singles player, Echizen Ryoma. He's left-handed, so you shouldn't have too much trouble."

"Fine. But if that first-year isn't as good as Fuji Syusuke, I'll be angry. I'll beat him so badly he won't be able to fight back."

Fuji Yuta spoke fiercely, then left under everyone's watchful eyes. Once he was out of earshot, St. Rudolph's captain, Akazawa Kichiro, spoke up.

"Mizuki, the Seigaku lineup is exactly what you predicted, isn't it?"

"That's right. Fuji Syusuke is a frightening player. I don't think Yuta can beat him."

"Then why did you want Yuta to play that first-year?"

"I looked into him. That first-year hasn't lost from the preliminaries through the district preliminaries, but he's never faced a left-handed player."

"So you want your Lefty Killer, Yuta, to take him on?"

"Exactly. It's the safest option. Seigaku has two first-years in their regular lineup this year, but I'm not confident about the one named Horio Satoshi. So we only need to make sure we win the first four matches."

"The match between Seigaku Academy and St. Rudolph is about to begin. Second Doubles, please take the court."

At the venue, the referee saw that both Seigaku and St. Rudolph had arrived and announced the start of the match.

A large crowd had gathered in the stands, making the place feel lively and exciting for both teams.

"Tch. Just my luck, getting paired with you."

"Give it a rest. You think I wanted to be paired with you?"

Momoshiro immediately shot back at Kaitou's complaint, then smacked Kaitou on the shoulder with his racket as Kaitou crouched to tie his shoe.

"Don't touch me!"

The blow to his shoulder instantly set Kaitou off. He swung his racket back at Momoshiro.

It hit Momoshiro right in the mouth. His previously relaxed expression immediately tightened.

"That hurt, you snake! What was that for?"

"Hey, you hit me on the shoulder with your racket and you're asking what I did? Want to fight?"

Like a snake provoked into striking, Kaitou immediately stood up and grabbed Momoshiro by the collar. Their hostility left everyone watching from the sidelines at a loss.

Watching the two argue furiously on the court, Horio suddenly stood up, his expression blank, and shouted:

"Senpai, you're amazing! Get into a fight already! If you don't fight, you're not men! This is unacceptable! Come on, fight! Don't worry about the referee!"

At Horio's words, the two stopped grappling and looked at him. Horio didn't shut up just because they'd stopped.

"Go on, have a fight, then hand St. Rudolph a point and take a break! We can handle the rest!"

At that, the two immediately calmed down. Though Horio's words seemed to be egging them on, he was actually trying to bring them to their senses.

"Hmph. I'll let you off for now. I'll deal with you after we win."

"You should be saying that to yourself. Just don't drag me down."

They were still trading barbs, but both began getting ready for the match. Watching from the sidelines, the other Seigaku players couldn't help sighing.

"These two have been arguing ever since they joined the tennis club as first-years. Do they ever get tired of it..."

"The match begins. Seigaku's Momoshiro to serve."

With the referee's announcement, the Second Doubles match officially began.