The High Schoolers Refused to Back Down
After the fierce battle for the ball ended, Kurobe's voice came over the radio again.
"This training camp will be based on ability, with venues numbered one through sixteen."
The smaller the number, the stronger the player. Our Coach team will select several groups of players to have alternating, random rounds of matches before each day's practice.
The winner advances to the previous arena, while the loser is relegated to the next arena.
To all the high school students who didn't retrieve the ball, as I just said, please go back immediately.
Kurobe's final words were a death sentence for the high school students who failed to get the ball, but some of them were not convinced.
"What a joke! You bunch of kids! Why do you get to hog so many balls all by yourself!"
At this moment, a high school student stood up. Just because they dared not resist the Kurobe does not mean they cannot find a way out from the middle school students.
"It wasn't said that each person would get one. Everyone got one based on their own ability. Whose fault is it if you didn't get one?"
"That's right, whoever gets the ball wins!"
Seeing the high school students targeting Kintaro, Shiraishi, as the Captain, stepped forward.
"It's just a bit of luck, stop being so arrogant. That doesn't prove anything about the strength of tennis!"
A competition, yes, let's settle this with a competition.
When intimidation failed, the high school student proposed using a competition as the wager.
"Uncle, just give up, stop struggling."
"Stop talking nonsense! You're not scared, are you!"
Kintaro kindly tried to persuade the high school student, but the student simply wouldn't listen.
"Looks like these high school students haven't given up yet."
"But that guy who stood up really looks old, almost like a ghost."
In a secluded corner outside the stadium, Horio, Oni, Irie, and Tokugawa were watching the situation inside the stadium.
"You don't know yet? That high school student is the demon's younger brother."
Hearing Horio's teasing, Irie couldn't help but laugh.
Upon learning that the high school student Kintaro called "uncle" was actually Oni's younger brother, Horio immediately suppressed a laugh.
Although the demon's face always looked fierce, it clearly darkened even more after hearing Horio's teasing.
"Don't you understand the difference? How foolish."
Inside the stadium, Gan heard what Gui's younger brother said and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark, only to find that Gui had overheard him.
Hey! You over there with glasses, come out here and wager your tennis ball against me!
Upon hearing that the other party had actually challenged him, he adjusted his glasses and prepared to go on stage.
"No, damn it, he's talking about me."
"Really? But you're not the only one wearing glasses, Kite. I think he's challenging me."
"Speaking of wearing glasses, I should be the one."
A high school student's single sentence provoked four people at the same time: Miki, Kite, Yanagi, and Oshitari all wanted to join the fray.
"You guys better behave..."
"Hey! Can we start now? I'm ready."
Before the demon's younger brother could finish speaking, Kintaro on the other side was already ready.
He, who wasn't wearing glasses before, actually snatched them from his teammate, Konjiki Koharu.
"Xiao Jin! Give me back my glasses! I can't see anything!"
"Thanks, Xiaochun! Here you go!"
Konjiki Koharu was very flustered because she lost her glasses, but Kintaro returned them immediately.
"It's you again, you brat! What can you do besides fetch balls? Get out of my way!"
"Sasabe, leave it to me."
The demon's younger brother was originally named Sasabe. When he wanted to get Kintaro out of the game, another high school student stepped forward.
"Matsudaira... since you want to play, then it's up to you. But the opponent is a brat, so remember to go easy on him."
"Hmph, too unfortunate. I have no idea what it means to show mercy."
Sasabe was already seated on the referee's bench, and he looked at Kintaro's entrance with great amusement.
However, this guy named Matsudaira doesn't seem to be going easy on me; he struck a strange pose right from the start.
He squatted down with his left leg bent and his right leg slightly extended forward, lowering his center of gravity.
"It's okay, it's okay! Just keep hitting!"
Kintaro remained as lively as ever, unchanged despite Matsudaira's seriousness.
Kintaro's action inadvertently angered Matsudaira, who tossed the ball into the air and then swung his racket to hit it.
"Flame Bullet!"
Bang!
They are high school students after all, even if they are not as talented as these junior high school students.
However, with several more years of practice time and the invitation to a joint training camp, their skill level is still quite respectable.
When Matsudaira unleashed his Flame Bullet serve, the tennis ball possessed extraordinary speed and power.
The ball bounced off the ground and flew right in front of Kintaro, leaving Kintaro somewhat bewildered by the shot.
However, even a player as strong as Kintaro reacted in an instant.
He pushed off with both legs and actually kept up with the speed of the ball.
"They actually hit me with that kind of shot! It almost hit me, but it's kind of fun, isn't it?"
After saying that, Kintaro swung his racket in response.
"Return it... return it! We returned it on the very first ball."
High school students familiar with Matsudaira and aware of the power of the Flame Bullet were incredibly surprised that Kintaro easily countered it.
Matsudaira, seeing that Kintaro possessed strength beyond his expectations, became even more excited, and for a moment the two were locked in a stalemate.
"Seriously, when is Matsudaira going to stop playing around?"
On the referee's stand, Sasabe saw that Matsudaira was not scoring any points and assumed that Matsudaira was deliberately stalling for time.
"Hey Senpai, let's finish this match quickly, or we'll run out of stamina."
"Yeah, it's time for a change of players. It's too boring playing alone."
"If you keep hitting that brat, he'll start crying."
The high school students off the field shared the same thought as Sasabe, but only Matsudaira on the field knew the specifics.
"Those high school students are really arrogant, talking about changing players. There's absolutely no need for that."
"How boring. They can't even see the situation on the field clearly, yet they're spouting nonsense."
"That guy Kintaro is clearly just playing with that high school student."
Unlike high school students, junior high school students have a clear understanding of the situation on both sides.
"Damn it, that brat is imitating my shot! How dare he mess with me like that..."
Bang!
Matsudaira on the field was still unhappy because he couldn't score any points, and even pointed the finger at Kintaro.
But the sound of the tennis ball bouncing after hitting the ground brought him back to his senses.
After he returned the ball, Kintaro hit it to his feet with a speed that exceeded his reaction time.
"Hey you high schooler in the hat, you were aiming for my face with that first serve, weren't you?"
It's infuriating that a high school student could go to such lengths, so I've decided to get my revenge—double the amount!