"Become the pillar of Seigaku!"
That remark sent a shock through everyone watching from the sidelines.
Especially Oishi and Kikumaru.
Even Fuji, who was usually unruffled, fixed his gaze on Yamato Yudai on the court.
At that moment, Yamato seemed to radiate an extraordinary charisma.
Beside them, Inui pushed up his glasses, a glint flashing across the lenses. He wrote in his notebook as he spoke. "All we can do now is believe in Captain Yamato. Besides, this match isn't over yet."
"Yeah!"
Oishi and the others clenched their fists and watched the court.
For a moment, that uniquely Seigaku sense of unity seemed to take shape.
Sadly, only a handful of the new students watching from the sidelines had forged that bond and held fast to the team's honor.
Become the pillar of Seigaku?
Tezuka's eyes flickered. If he joined Seigaku, perhaps he, too, could become its pillar.
But right now, he was at Hyotei.
He was a tennis player worthy of admiration.
Thwack!!
Tezuka raised his hand and fired another high-quality serve that clipped the line.
"15-0!"
"That was so fast. It's on a completely different level from what we saw before."
Kikumaru's voice trembled a little.
The timing, placement, and power of the serve had all improved by a whole level. The angle was so vicious that none of them could have returned it.
"Tezuka Kunimitsu..."
Inui took a deep breath. "It's just a basic flat serve, but judging from its speed and the tricky angle, his ball control may be beyond anything we imagined."
Beside him, Fuji kept his eyes fixed on Tezuka. Even he would need time to adjust to that serve—not to mention Tezuka's strange Domain Technique.
Thwack!
"30-0!"
Thwack!!
"40-0! Match point!"
In the blink of an eye, Tezuka had fired two