"Watch closely. This next ball is going to disappear."
Seeing the twin pair acting so jumpy, Fuji—whether out of kindness or just to mess with them—said it before serving this time.
"Kōhei, did you hear that? That guy said the tennis ball is going to disappear."
"Focus, Yōhei. Maybe he's trying to psych us out. He just wants to scare us."
The twins clearly thought Fuji was bluffing. On the coaches' side, Hanamura watched Fuji with anticipation.
"What other surprises are you keeping from me, Fuji Syusuke...?"
Fuji's smile never faded. He spun the ball in his hand, let it drop, then swung down and served.
It looked like an ordinary serve. Seeing that it was nothing special, the twins let out the breath they'd been holding.
Kōhei stood behind where the ball was headed, ready to return it. As it drew closer, he swung.
But his powerful shot hit nothing. He felt none of the impact he should have felt when racket met ball.
Yet a tennis ball was lying right behind him.
"Seigaku scores. 15–0."
"It really... disappeared. The ball went right through Kōhei's racket..."
Kajimoto, captain of Josei Shonan, had just watched a tennis ball pass through a racket and vanish.
"What an incredible shot. To make a slice serve do that is truly remarkable."
When Fuji first served, Hanamura had thought it was merely an impressive slice serve. But seeing the ball disappear right before her eyes still startled her.
"What's gotten into Fuji today? He's giving them no chance to fight back."
"Yeah. Fuji seems a lot more aggressive than usual."
"Oh... Senpai Fuji playing to win? I like it."
The Seigaku players also thought Fuji was unusually aggressive today. In his usual matches, he tended to wait until his opponent's attacks had petered out