Fuji Against Shiraishi

"Fuji- Senpai! I'm counting on you for our first win in Third Singles!"

Inside the stadium, Fuji, who was Third Singles match, had already entered the court.

"This feels so comfortable."

Feeling the soft breeze blowing towards him, Fuji opened his eyes.

"This is Fuji's first singles match in the National Tournament. He hasn't played since his doubles match against Higa Junior High. He seems to be really motivated."

"But that man from Shitenhoji, Shiraishi Kuranosuke, is no ordinary man either."

Although Shitenhoji was defeated by Rikkai Dai last year, he was already the First Singles when he was a sophomore, but it wasn't his turn to play as the team captain at the time.

In other words, the man with extremely mysterious strength is Shiraishi Kuranosuke.

Shiraishi appeared after Fuji entered the arena. Since Shiraishi did not have the opportunity to play in the Shitenhoji tournament last year, there is no information about him.

For Gan, anyone who lacks detailed information but is praised by others is labeled as mysterious.

"The semifinal Third Singles match between Seigaku and Shitenhoji has officially begun, with Seigaku Fuji against Shitenhoji Shiraishi. Seigaku Fuji serving."

The two shook hands briefly and then parted ways. Fuji returned to the baseline, tossed the ball up, and swung his racket to hit it.

Shiraishi immediately launched a cross-court shot, luring Fuji from the right to the left.

Fuji's backhand return shot lost some power, Shiraishi quickly moved his forehand to drop a short ball, further reducing the force and spin, before hitting the ball back to Fuji's backhand.

Fuji had no choice but to return the shot with his backhand, but Shiraishi immediately went to the net after hitting a drop shot.

By the time Fuji realized it, he had already hit the tennis ball back.

Having positioned himself well at the net, Shiraishi immediately unleashed a backhand Slice Shot, followed by an even more tricky drop shot.

Fuji had no time to react. By the time he tried to catch the ball, it had already landed in his half of the court, and the bounce prevented him from swinging his racket.

Shitenhoji Shiraishi scores, 15:0

"Ah~ That feels so good, absolutely amazing."

After scoring, Shiraishi smugly uttered his catchphrase. The Seigaku members on the sidelines were astonished to see Fuji being completely outmaneuvered by his opponent from the Fuji beginning.

"That last shot... Fuji was completely on the defensive."

"It's perfect; his playing style has absolutely no unnecessary movements."

"A well-aimed, diagonal smash can defeat an opponent's precise, spin-heavy return."

"To be able to fight against Fuji using a textbook-perfect style of play, he is indeed a very strong player."

Tezuka was generous with his praise for Shiraishi's impeccable fundamentals.

"Completely faithful to the fundamentals and proven perfection of tennis—this is the bible of our Shitenhoji, Shiraishi Kuranosuke."

On the other side, at Shitenhoji, Oshitari Kenya was also amazed by Shiraishi's power.

"This is the power of solid fundamentals; it not only optimizes energy conservation but also puts greater pressure on the opponent."

However... even the most perfect fundamentals are hard to gain an advantage against a significant difference in skill level.

Shiraishi's basic skills also amazed Horio, but if it were the old Fuji, this match would have been a foregone conclusion.

However, Fuji is now stronger and more aggressive, so there is no suspense in their match.

On the court, Fuji began preparing to serve the second ball.

Instead of using the usual serve, he rotated the tennis ball counter-clockwise in his hand and then swung the racket to hit it.

The Disappearing Serve appeared, and as Fuji's strength improved, these unique tennis skills of his also became stronger.

The spin on the tennis ball is stronger, and the range of the ball's vibration after bouncing upon landing is larger, and the frequency of the vibration is also faster.

Finally, the tennis balls merged into one, Shiraishi swung his backhand.

The tennis ball passed through Shiraishi's racket and continued flying backward.

Shiraishi swung his racket and missed, then twisted his body in the direction of his swing to catch up with the tennis ball flying backward, and swung his racket again.

The second shot hit successfully, and the tennis ball was returned.

"What!? This isn't the first time Horio has played against Fuji..."

"But Fuji stronger now than he was back then, and the power of his Disappearing Serve has also increased, yet Shiraishi was able to return it on his first try."

The Seigaku members were once again surprised to see that Shiraishi's return of the Disappearing Serve, was exactly the same as Horio's back then.

On the court, Shiraishi successfully returned his serve, Fuji wasn't too surprised.

Just like the previous shot, he quickly moved to the net and hit the same return shot as before.

"Returning the same ball to your opponent, you really are unwilling to admit defeat, Fuji."

As he spoke, Shiraishi quickly went online to retaliate.

Using the slight height of the tennis ball's bounce, Shiraishi hit a Half Volley.

The tennis ball arced through the air and landed on the baseline in Seigaku's half of the court.

Shitenhoji Shiraishi scores, 30:0

"So... so strong..."

"I thought I'd gotten the perfect comeback, but I never expected..."

"Honestly, being led by the nose like this isn't the real him at all."

Shiraishi's easy response once again extinguished the passion that had just been ignited in the hearts of the Seigaku members.

The Disappearing Serve was countered, Fuji decisively chose to give up and opt for a regular serve.

However, the situation didn't improve much; Shiraishi kept hitting the ball to the furthest point from Fuji or to the most uncomfortable spot for Fuji.

Fuji could only hurriedly run left and right to catch the ball. For a moment, one player seemed relaxed and at ease, while the other looked rather disheveled.

Bang...

Shitenhoji Shiraishi scores, 40:0

Bang...

Shitenhoji Shiraishi scores, score 1-0

"They took the game so easily..."

"Fuji is completely suppressed! What's going on?!"

"That Shiraishi..."

Fuji's serve was broken before the Seigaku players could even react.

At the start of the second game, Shiraishi tossed the ball up and then swung it out with a move that looked like it was copied from a textbook.

"Even his serve is so perfect, it's exactly the same motion as in the book..."

"Shiraishi Kuranosuke is known for his perfect fundamentals, which is why he is called the 'Tennis Bible'."

Hearing Kawamura's exclamation, Kane pushed up his glasses.

On the court, Shiraishi's serve, executed with the most standard form, was just as powerful as some other players' serves.

Fuji moved his feet and returned the ball.

Shiraishi swung his backhand, Fuji positioned himself in the trajectory of the tennis ball.

He assumes a slightly crouched, sideways stance, and as the tennis ball bounces, Fuji swings his racket to deliver Fuji"Swallow Returns to Nest" shot.

The tennis ball traced a downward arc, flying like a swallow towards the half of the court at Shitenhoji.