This Guy Is Simply Not Human!

Bang!

Bang!!

On the court, the two players exchanged volleys, the ball speed continuously increasing. However, Akutsu, who had seemed a bit clumsy just moments ago, was now keeping up with Kamikawa's movements.

His eyes, which seemed to see through everything, were fixed on Kamikawa and the rapidly approaching tennis ball.

The moment the racket touched the tennis ball, his body reacted ahead of time.

This was Akutsu's reaction speed, which was beyond normal human comprehension.

A normal player with such terrifying reflexes would undoubtedly become an excellent tennis player.

But Akutsu was different from others; besides his reflexes, he also possessed...

Swish!

As Akutsu sprinted, he planted one foot and forcefully stopped his body.

Slam!

Quickly catching the bouncing tennis ball, he turned sideways and returned it with a swift shot.

"Does that guy actually know how to play tennis?"

Oshitari, who always played by the book, was suddenly witnessing such bizarre strokes.

His mind couldn't help but question if the person before him truly knew how to play tennis.

"His movements are completely unorganized, relying purely on power and speed to sustain him in this match."

Atobe was also seeing this kind of player for the first time.

Moreover, this was someone who struggled just to return the ball at the beginning.

Within just a few rallies, he was now able to exchange shots with Kamikawa.

This ability to adapt couldn't be described as human.

That guy was like a monster.

"His coordination, muscle flexibility, extraordinary explosive power, combined with his wild reflexes—I've never heard of anyone like this before."

Shishido couldn't help but feel puzzled.

He had never seen anyone like this on the Tokyo courts before.

It was just like Kamikawa back then, appearing out of nowhere.

"Can a human really play like this?"

Mukahi swallowed hard. He was skilled at trick shots and had an almost obsessive dedication to "jumping," and despite his absolute confidence in his jumping abilities, a hint of fear crept into him at this moment.

That's right!

Fear!

Utter fear. That guy was playing entirely on instinct.

Slam!!

Just then, a crisp hitting sound echoed.

The tennis ball landed in Akutsu's court, settling firmly in the dead corner along the baseline.

"Game, Kamikawa, 3-0!"

In an instant, Kamikawa had taken three games from Akutsu.

"This guy..."

Akutsu tilted his head up, staring ahead. This guy hadn't used that flashy serve from the second round, starting from his own service game. He had repeatedly drawn his bow left and right, continuously draining Akutsu's stamina.

Even during Kamikawa's service game just now, he hadn't used the "Dancing Golden Snake" serve.

Even so, Akutsu could feel the pressure from Kamikawa's shots. Almost every ball was placed in the corners, and with the slightest lapse in concentration, Kamikawa would score cleanly.

If this continued, he would lose!

"Again, again... again!!"

Akutsu growled, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

Old Man Ban, sitting in the referee's chair, was astonished. He had expected Kamikawa to be good, but he hadn't anticipated him being this monstrous.

His god-like ball control ability, combined with his grasp of the game's momentum, and adding the previous serve, all stacked together—even a singles player who led Yamabuki to the nationals last year...

Would probably not be his opponent...

Keep in mind, Kamikawa was only in his first year of junior high, and his body was still developing.

He would only become stronger than he was now in the future.

Hyotei might truly be on the rise.

With this thought, Old Man Ban's cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp glint. He then looked towards the sidelines, having already noticed the people standing there.

"Those two..."

The old man's eyes were sharp and quickly locked onto Atobe and Tezuka in the crowd.

They were both wearing Hyotei uniforms and looked like members of the tennis club.

"Hyotei Academy... or rather, the current junior high tennis world is about to change."

The old man knew very well that when a team has three national-level players, they have the capital to dominate the nation. All major tournaments are based on two doubles matches and three singles matches.

Even if the doubles matches are a weak point, they can still advance to the top ranks nationally by relying on their singles strength.

Moreover, Hyotei is a traditional tennis powerhouse, and the coach's eye for cultivating players is not much worse than his own.

Akutsu was desperately running around the court, sweat soaking his shirt. He fell several times, and his face was covered in dirt.

Even so, He was being kept on the move by Kamikawa.

The tennis balls, which they thought were aimed at his weaknesses and launched as fatal attacks, were all returned by Kamikawa.

And, Every shot from Kamikawa landed precisely in Akutsu's blind spots. Even with Akutsu's strong reflexes and abundant stamina, he seemed powerless against the constant back-and-forth movement.

As he kept running, Akutsu's legs suddenly went weak, and his body fell forward uncontrollably. Akutsu braced himself with his left hand and got back up in a rolling motion.

"Damn it..."

Akutsu growled in frustration.

His legs were still weak, and he could only watch as the ball landed in front of him.

Even if he risked his life and went all out.

At this moment, his body could no longer support him to move.

"Game, Kamikawa, 5-0."

"Change ends!"

"Hoo... hoo..."

Akutsu sat on the chair, gasping for air, trying to relieve the suffocating feeling in his lungs.

Sweat dripped continuously from his forehead.

He lowered his head, gazing at the ground, watching the sweat drip down. Through the sweat, he seemed to see his current state – how pathetic he looked!

A wave of exhaustion washed over him. He could feel every part of his body reacting, telling him his current condition. He was truly exhausted, too tired to even stand up.

With Akutsu's reckless hitting style, no matter how much stamina he had, it wouldn't be enough. He was purely relying on his physical functions to play this tennis match.

Kamikawa glanced at Akutsu's condition and leaned closer, smiling slightly. "What? No energy to continue?"

"..."

Akutsu kept his head down, and no one could see his expression at that moment.

"Alright then."

Kamikawa stretched his body slightly and said, "Actually, you're quite good, you just don't know how to play very well."

Akutsu remained silent. For the first time, he didn't retort.

"If you're not willing to accept this, then work hard to become stronger."

"I'll be waiting for you at the Metropolitan Tournament. I hope that the next time we meet, your skills won't be as poor as they are now."

Kamikawa smiled, put away his racket, and turned around to see Tezuka and the others standing by the sidelines.

It looked like they had arrived a long time ago.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Kamikawa asked them knowingly.

These guys were following him even after school. Especially Tezuka, who usually seemed quite obedient, but unexpectedly followed him like these people.

It's not like he didn't accompany you home today, is it that serious~

"Cough... cough..."

Oshitari coughed lightly, acting as if he had just arrived. "We were just about to head back, but then we remembered we had a practice match with Yamabuki's tennis club yesterday, so we decided to come and watch."

Kamikawa looked at them with a suspicious expression. Shishido and Mukahi nodded first to show their agreement. Atobe reluctantly nodded, leaving only Tezuka standing there indifferently.

After a moment's hesitation, Tezuka finally nodded in agreement.

"Fine."

Kamikawa knew these people had followed him secretly and definitely weren't here to watch Yamabuki's tennis club.

Especially Atobe and Tezuka; the way they lied was too obvious.

Kamikawa didn't expose them, nor was there any need to.

Coming to play tennis with Akutsu wasn't anything shameful.