Fierce Battle, Kamikawa vs. Atobe!

"Huu..."

On the referee's stand, the referee for this match was Mitsuya Genko.

Tezuka had originally wanted to be the referee, and also to observe the growth of Atobe and Kamikawa during this period. But as the club president of the tennis club, the inter-school ranking matches were not yet over, and he still needed to handle the statistics.

These matters were originally handled by Coach Sakaki, but Sakaki Taro didn't want to deal with them, handing over almost all responsibilities concerning the tennis club to Tezuka.

He didn't care about the changes in the tennis club; he only cared about results...

How to achieve excellent results was what he, as a coach, needed to consider.

The match hadn't even started, and Mitsuya Genko was already sweating.

He knew very well how strong these two were.

"Club President Yuezhi, you didn't feel this kind of pressure even during the freshman stage, did you?"

Looking at Kamikawa and Atobe standing at either end of the court, Mitsuya Genko suddenly had this thought. His heart couldn't help but stir as he said in a deep voice, "The match begins, Atobe serves!"

Thwack!

Thwack!

Atobe hit the tennis ball on the ground a few times, then looked up at Kamikawa.

A while ago, Kamikawa's match against Akutsu had, in a way, added more pressure on Atobe. He knew that he was currently the vice club president, but at Hyotei's tennis club, the strong were respected.

Before the outcome was decided, he couldn't feel secure in this vice club president position.

Similarly, he also really wanted to see just how strong Kamikawa was.

"Huu..."

Atobe took a deep breath, his eyes sharp. He raised his hand and sent the tennis ball flying.

"So terrifying... I'm being too calm right now."

Bang!!

The yellow tennis ball traced an arc, landing precisely on the sideline near the service line.

Whoosh!!

Without holding back at all, he unleashed a high-level serve right from the start.

It was clear how serious Atobe was at this moment.

"What a precise serve!"

Shishido's pupils constricted, and he gasped.

Has this guy improved again during this time?!

"Good serve!"

Tezuka glanced at Atobe's side of the court, not sparing any praise.

The speed of that serve was more than just a little faster than before, meaning Atobe's strength had taken a qualitative leap during this period.

But a serve alone couldn't determine the outcome. While the serve was fast, it wasn't so fast that it was impossible to return, especially when facing that guy.

Tap~

As expected, in the next second, Kamikawa's figure appeared before the tennis ball. His steps were steady and unhurried. With a backhand flick, he sent a standard reverse cross-court shot flying.

Atobe rushed forward, positioning himself before the tennis ball even touched his racket. His eyes saw it very clearly.

Pow!

He brought his racket down, making light contact with the ball.

The tennis ball brushed against the strings of his racket and shot out.

It skimmed over the net and rapidly descended, a textbook slice shot.

Thwack!

Kamikawa quickly moved forward. Before the tennis ball hit the ground, he gently flicked it upwards.

Swish!!

Atobe leaped into the air, his entire body suspended high above. His eyes were fixed on the tennis ball in mid-air, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight smile. "I can see everything clearly, Kamikawa! Not a single one of your movements can escape these eyes of mine!"

Bang!!

As his voice fell, Atobe slammed the ball downwards. The tennis ball descended rapidly, a yellow blur instantly landing in Kamikawa's court.

Crack!

Kamikawa sidestepped and flicked the ball, which traced an arc and shot towards the inverted triangle area of the left half.

"A flat drive and then a lob?!"

Atobe's eyebrows shot up. The moment his feet landed, he charged towards the baseline.

Tap!

The moment the tennis ball landed and bounced, he sidestepped and drove it back.

Atobe moved quickly, but he could only barely return the drive.

Phew...

Before Atobe could catch his breath, he looked up and saw the figure leaping into the air.

Bang!!

The same motion as before, but this time the roles were reversed. Kamikawa brought down the smash.

"Thump... thump thump..."

Atobe took a step, planting one foot and almost instantly absorbing the momentum from his sprint, then charged forward.

In a mere instant, Atobe made the correct move.

As he charged forward, his back turned, he heard the whistling sound of the ball falling. He spread his arms, attempting to return the smash in this manner.

Bang!!

The instant his racket face met the smash, his right wrist went limp. The entire racket flew out of his hand, and the ball grazed past him.

"0-15!"

"Classmate Atobe."

Across the net, Kamikawa retrieved his racket and smiled slightly. "Your Giant Bear Return isn't perfect yet. You can't return my smash like this."

Although the Giant Bear Return could utilize the opponent's smash power, if the opponent's power exceeded the limits one could handle, the move would be easily countered.

Moreover, Atobe's Giant Bear Return was not yet skillful, clearly something he had only recently developed.

"Hoo..."

Atobe remained silent, taking a deep breath.

He wasn't letting Kamikawa's words disrupt his current calm state.

"This is the feeling."

Atobe felt the excitement coursing through his body, his palm unconsciously tightening around the racket. "Let's continue. Show me your current strength."

This feeling of excitement had also appeared during his previous match with Tezuka.

Today, it was particularly intense.

Perhaps deep down, Atobe had always longed for a match against Kamikawa.

This feeling was constantly stimulating his hidden potential, making him even calmer.

"Let's try."

Bang!!

Atobe raised his racket and served.

Unlike the previous flat, fast serve, this one was a slice serve. The difference with a slice serve was that it had a rightward spin, with a slightly downward trajectory.

It wasn't as fast as a flat, fast serve, but its accuracy was high. Coupled with the downward spin, the bounce angle would be lower.

Facing the serve with a tricky angle, aimed at the left sideline.

Kamikawa's eyes flashed, and he quickly moved forward, chasing after it.

Crack!

Kamikawa stabilized his stance and forcefully returned a straight ball.

Crack!

Atobe landed first, turning sideways, lowering his racket face, and executing a backhand slice, controlling the ball near the front of the service box.

Another slice shot. This guy really liked playing slice shots.

Kamikawa's eyes flashed, and he moved forward rapidly. Before the ball could land, he gently flicked his racket.

The next moment, "Kamikawa, immerse yourself in this great master's magnificent tennis skills!"

Atobe leaped into the air, smashing down at the tennis ball, which had yet to reach its highest point.

The yellow tennis ball rocketed towards Kamikawa's body, more precisely, towards his wrist.

Kamikawa lowered his racket, causing the ball, which was originally aimed at his wrist, to change direction, hitting the center of the racket face. This was done almost instantly.

The tennis ball bounced again. Atobe's brow twitched, and he leaped again, smashing down forcefully.

Bang!!

The tennis ball landed on the edge line, carrying an astonishing topspin. It instantly bounced upwards and flew out of bounds.

"15-15!"

"My smash isn't something you can just return casually."

Atobe raised his racket and pointed at Kamikawa, speaking calmly.

Although his demeanor was calm, he knew very well that the smash just now wasn't perfect. It was clearly aimed at Kamikawa's wrist, the position where he held the racket.

And, in that instant, Kamikawa actually lowered his racket face, causing the smash, which was supposed to hit his wrist, to precisely strike the racket face. Although the result was the same – a direct point from a second smash – the effect was completely different from what he had imagined!

This guy clearly understood the principle behind my Shattering Waltz!