Atobe's Frustration, Kansai Wolf's Stupor!

"Seriously."

Oshitari flicked his hand in dissatisfaction. "Why do I have to play against someone I just met?"

After speaking, he glanced at Atobe on the adjacent court. Compared to Kamikawa in front of him, he'd rather play against Atobe. That guy's tennis skill was quite flashy~

"Then... let's finish this quickly!"

Bang!

As soon as he spoke, a surprisingly fast serve landed instantly at Kamikawa's feet.

"Hmph~ In the end, he's just another attention-seeking peer."

Oshitari closed his eyes and raised his hand, about to move to the other half of the court.

He only heard a "bang" sound by his ear. The tennis ball appeared on his court instead. Before he could react, the tennis ball slid past his feet.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle!!

The tennis ball hit the wall, making a continuous sizzling sound.

"0-15!"

Just now, that ball...

Oshitari collected himself, looking solemnly at the landing spot, then turned his head to look at Kamikawa on the opposite court.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression becoming serious.

"This guy's strength is formidable."

Just by watching one shot, Oshitari could estimate the opponent's strength. At least for him, opponents like this were rare. This was the standard for a top tennis school that dominated Tokyo.

"I can't be careless."

Oshitari took a deep breath and served another high-quality serve.

This serve was a few points faster than the previous one, and its accuracy was even higher.

"Tap... tap tap..."

Kamikawa moved his feet, lowered his center of gravity, approached the tennis ball, and hit a high-quality reverse cross-court with his racket.

Watching the tennis ball's landing spot, Oshitari rushed out ahead of time, quickly approaching the ball. He suddenly lowered his racket face and hit a slice shot.

Kamikawa seemed to see through Oshitari's move. His figure suddenly appeared at the net. He leaped into the air, swung his racket powerfully, and smashed it down fiercely.

Bang!!

The tennis ball landed in the service box and bounced up sharply.

Oshitari, who was chasing after it, stopped as soon as he reached the service line. He knew very well that even if he caught up to that smash, he might not be able to return it.

"0-30!"

Bang!

Bang!!

The two said nothing more.

Only the sound of the tennis ball colliding back and forth could be heard on the court.

The match gradually tilted in one direction, and Oshitari did his best to restore balance to the original trend, even looking for opportunities to launch a new round of offense.

Snap~

A crisp sound.

The tennis ball was suddenly lobbed high. Everyone's eyes widened, and they began to speak, "Good chance, a golden opportunity."

Facing the mid-high lob hanging in the air, Kamikawa didn't hesitate. He leaped up and smashed it forward fiercely.

Bang!

Kamikawa's smash grazed the center net. Oshitari had already pinpointed the landing spot. His figure suddenly moved backward, and he swung his arm out, striking a unique pose.

"Is that the Giant Bear Return?!"

Shishido's heart trembled. That guy from Kansai knew this move too?!

After all, Shishido had only seen this move on Kamikawa, and it had broken his proud fast attack.

When the smash hit Oshitari's racket, a tremendous force instantly struck, making Oshitari's arm go numb.

The racket was directly shaken out of his hand by the force, and the tennis ball heavily landed on the ground.

"Game, Kamikawa, 3-0!"

"Change ends!"

"In an instant, Kamikawa took three points in a row. Even his unique return smash was broken?!" Mukahi could see clearly that the guy named Oshitari was not weak.

But he was being suppressed infinitely by Kamikawa. Even the flashy Giant Bear Return couldn't withstand that instant powerful smash.

"The Kansai Wolf from Osaka..."

During the changeover, Kamikawa whispered in Oshitari's ear, "I heard you're hailed as the genius of Osaka. Now it seems that title is a bit flashy but lacking substance."

"Hmph~"

Hearing this, Oshitari let out a light snort and said, "Whether I'm a genius or not, you'll find out when you try."

"That's true, let's finish this quickly."

"After all, we have a practice match scheduled later."

Kamikawa nodded and said no more, taking the tennis ball from the ball boy.

On the other side.

"What is this guy... what's going on..."

Atobe's heart trembled as he stared at his own shot in front of him.

It was a tennis shot aimed at the opponent's blind spot, yet the moment it crossed the net, it veered off course, approaching Tezuka in a bizarre manner.

Since the match began, Tezuka hadn't moved an inch from his spot.

Applying subtle spin to the ball, standing slightly behind the center of the court, using his left foot as an axis and shifting his right, he returned the shot with either a forehand or a backhand.

Even Atobe had never witnessed such an astonishing sight.

From the start of the match, the opponent hadn't left his position, and Atobe was being pulled left and right by the cross-court shots Tezuka was hitting.

"This... is this something a human can do?!"

When such an unscientific scene unfolded, even Atobe began to doubt the tennis path he had been pursuing.

An inexplicable pressure bore down on his heart.

This guy is strong.

Stronger than anyone he had ever faced.

Bang!

Bang!!

The match continued, and the score kept rising.

Tezuka vaguely felt a sliver of pressure. Despite being the one expending more energy, Atobe showed no signs of weakness.

After all, Atobe had already played seven or eight matches before this.

His stamina should have been largely depleted.

"Lob~"

Tezuka frowned, his legs moved as he rushed towards the lob that landed on the left baseline.

His Tezuka Zone wasn't perfect yet; against slice shots and lobs, he needed to actively move forward instead of staying put and absorbing them.

(This was also mentioned; otherwise, in the first round of the Kanto Tournament against Hyotei, Tezuka would have already dominated with his Tezuka Zone. It was only after Tezuka perfected it later that this potential issue was completely resolved.)

On the other side, Atobe, relying on his incredible perception, found the gap in the Tezuka Zone and let out a sigh of relief.

The pressure from that move earlier had been immense, so heavy that he almost doubted his own life.

Bang.

Bang!!

Both sides continued, their attacks intensifying.

During this process, Atobe actually became more spirited in his play.

However, the second and third-year students watching from the sidelines saw it clearly, and Shishido and Mukahi could also feel it.

At this moment, Atobe was being perfectly suppressed.

Bang!!

Tezuka unleashed a precise smash, hitting Atobe's blind spot.

Atobe stopped, gasping for air, his condition unable to recover for a moment.

"Match over, Tezuka wins."

"The score is 6-3."

"So... so strong!"

"Is that guy really also a freshman?"

"Gulp~ He actually pushed that Atobe to that extent."

The second and third-year students watching were filled with disbelief. They knew Atobe had shut them out and played multiple matches, yet he lost to this young man before them.

"Tezuka, he's still too serious."

Having already finished his match, Kamikawa spoke softly, holding his racket in one hand.

Watching Tezuka, who exuded an astonishing aura on the court, Tezuka had entered Muga no Kyochi midway through the match and strengthened his control over the Tezuka Zone. High lobs and slice shots that were previously unreturnable were now being pulled back in.

Muga no Kyochi would severely drain the user's stamina, but Tezuka, relying on the advantage of the Tezuka Zone, reduced his running back and forth, thereby lessening some of the drain.

However, Tezuka still held something back, only activating Muga no Kyochi.

He hadn't chosen to activate the Limit of a Hundred Refinements. Compared to the slight increase in the five core stats that Muga no Kyochi provided, the Limit of a Hundred Refinements was clearly a better fit for the Tezuka Zone.