"Phew..."
The referee for this match was Mitsuya Genko.
Tezuka had originally wanted to come referee the match, and take the opportunity to see how Atobe and Kamikawa had improved lately. But as the tennis club's captain, he still had to tally the results of the school rankings tournament, which hadn't finished yet.
Those duties were supposed to be handled by Coach Sakaki, but he had no interest in dealing with them. He left nearly everything related to the tennis club entirely in Tezuka's hands.
He didn't care how the club changed. All he cared about was results...
How to achieve excellent results—that was what he needed to consider as a coach.
The match hadn't even begun, and cold sweat was already beading on Mitsuya Genko's forehead.
He knew all too well how strong these two were.
"Even back when Ochi was a first-year, he didn't put off this kind of pressure, did he?"
Looking at Kamikawa and Atobe standing at opposite ends of the court, Mitsuya Genko suddenly found himself thinking that. His excitement stirred, and he announced in a low voice, "The match begins. Atobe to serve!"
Smack!
Smack!
Atobe bounced the ball against the ground a few times, then looked up at Kamikawa.
The match between Kamikawa and Akutsu a while ago had added to the pressure Atobe was under. After all, he was now the vice-captain, but the Hyotei tennis club respected strength above all.
Until they'd settled who was stronger, he couldn't feel secure in his position.
And just as much, he wanted to see how strong Kamikawa really was.
"Phew..."
Atobe took a deep breath, his gaze sharp. He raised his hand and sent the ball flying.
"Terrifying... I'm almost too calm right now."
Thwack!!
The bright yellow ball traced an arc through the air and landed precisely on the edge of the service line.
Whoosh!!
He'd held nothing back, opening with a serve of exceptional quality.
It was clear how seriously Atobe was taking this.
"What a precise serve!"
Shishido's pupils contracted, and he sucked in a breath.
Had that guy improved again lately?!
"Not a bad serve."
Tezuka glanced toward Atobe's side of the court and offered an unreserved compliment.
The serve was far faster than before. In other words, Atobe's ability had made a qualitative leap during this time.
But a serve alone couldn't decide the outcome. It was fast, but not too fast to return—and besides, he was facing that guy.
Smack~
Just as expected, the next moment Kamikawa appeared in front of the ball. His footwork was steady and clean as he swept a standard crosscourt shot back with his backhand.
Atobe was already charging forward. Before the ball even touched Kamikawa's racket, he'd moved into position. His eyes had seen it all clearly.
Thwack!
He lowered his racket and lightly touched the ball.
It brushed against the racket face and sprang away.
It skimmed over the net, then dropped quickly—a textbook slice.
Smack!
Kamikawa darted forward and flicked the ball up before it hit the ground.
Whoosh!!
Atobe leaped into the air, his whole body hanging high above the court. His eyes fixed on the ball overhead, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "I can see it all clearly, Kamikawa! Not a single one of your moves can escape these eyes of mine!"
Thwack!!
As he spoke, Atobe suddenly slammed the ball down. It plunged at high speed, a bright yellow blur landing in Kamikawa's court.
With a smack,
Kamikawa turned his body and swung, sending the ball in an arc toward the left side, aimed at the corner of the backcourt.
"A flat shot followed by a lob?!"
Atobe raised an eyebrow. The moment his feet touched the ground, he sprinted toward the baseline.
Smack!
As the ball bounced up, he turned his body and hit it back.
Atobe moved fast, but he only barely managed to return the shot.
Phew...
Before Atobe could catch his breath, he looked up and saw a figure leaping into the air.
Thwack!!
The movement was the same as before, but now the roles were reversed. Kamikawa brought down the smash.
"Tap... tap-tap..."
Atobe sprang into motion, planting one foot and shedding the momentum of his sprint almost instantly before charging forward again.
In that brief moment, Atobe made the right move.
As he rushed ahead, he turned his back. The whistling sound of the descending ball reached his ears, and he spread both arms, trying to return the smash that way.
Thwack!!
The instant his racket touched the smash, his right wrist gave out. The racket flew from his hand, and the ball brushed past him.
"0–15!"
"Atobe," Kamikawa said with a slight smile as he lowered his racket, "your Giant Bear Return isn't perfect yet. You can't return my smash like that."
The Giant Bear Return could harness the power of an opponent's smash, but if that power exceeded what the player could handle, the technique could be easily broken.
Besides, Atobe hadn't mastered the move. It was obvious he'd only started figuring it out recently.
"Phew..."
Atobe said nothing and took a deep breath.
He didn't let Kamikawa's words disturb his calm.
"This is the feeling."
Atobe felt the excitement coursing through his body. His fingers unconsciously tightened around the racket. "Keep going. Let me see how strong you are now."
He'd felt that same excitement earlier, when he'd played against Tezuka.
Today, it was especially intense.
Perhaps deep down, Atobe had always longed to face Kamikawa.
The feeling kept awakening something dormant within him, making him even calmer.
"Let's see."
Thwack!!
Atobe raised his hand and served.
Unlike the fast, flat serve he'd used before, this was a slice serve. The difference was that it spun primarily to the right, with a little backspin.
It wasn't as fast as a flat serve, but it had a higher success rate. The backspin also made the ball dip, keeping its bounce lower.
Facing the tricky serve aimed at the left sideline,
Kamikawa's eyes flashed, and he hurried forward to chase it.
Smack!
Kamikawa steadied himself and forced a straight shot back.
Smack!
Atobe got there first, turned sideways, lowered his racket face, and sliced a backhand, keeping the ball near the front of the service box.
Another slice. This guy really did like hitting slices.
Kamikawa's gaze flickered as he dashed forward. Before the ball could hit the ground, he gently tipped it upward with his racket.
The next moment,
"Kamikawa, bask in the glory of my dazzling technique!"
Atobe sprang into the air and smashed the ball down before it had reached its peak.
The bright yellow ball thundered toward Kamikawa—or, more precisely, toward his wrist.
Kamikawa lowered his racket, redirecting the ball away from his wrist so it struck the center of the racket face instead. It happened almost in an instant.
The ball shot back. Atobe raised an eyebrow, leaped again, and slammed it down.
Thwack!!
The ball landed on the edge of the line, carrying tremendous topspin. It immediately sprang upward and flew out of bounds.
"15–15!"
"My smash isn't something you can return just any old way."
Atobe raised his racket and pointed it at Kamikawa, speaking coolly.
He looked composed, but he knew the previous smash hadn't been perfect. He'd aimed for Kamikawa's wrist—the spot where he gripped the racket.
Yet in that instant, Kamikawa had lowered the face of his racket, making the smash strike it dead-on. The result was the same: a second smash had won the point.
But the way it happened was completely different from what Atobe had expected!
That guy understood how his Shattering Waltz worked!
Before you continue