"Wow, this guy... he's really tall!"
On one side of the court.
Mori, with a smile on his face, walked to the edge of the court, racket in hand. He was stunned as he looked at the young man standing across from him, who towered over two meters tall. His heart skipped a beat.
*Yuechi Moonlight.*
17 years old.
Captain of the Ice Emperor Academy High School tennis team.
Five years ago, as the captain of Ice Emperor's middle school team, he led his squad all the way to the national tournament, achieving impressive results.
It was because of him that Ice Emperor entered a new era.
By the time Atobe took over Ice Emperor, the school had already become one of the nation's top teams.
Now in high school, the team format had shifted from group matches to individual competitions. Yuechi, freed from the constraints of the team, had entered a higher level of play.
At this moment, he was the most likely contender to win the Kanto Tournament—the true number one seed.
As soon as Yuechi stepped onto the court, the attention of the surrounding spectators immediately shifted to him.
"Yuechi!"
"Yuechi!"
"Yuechi!"
Fans who supported him began chanting his name.
"He really lives up to his reputation as Ice Emperor's top player," Mori thought to himself, nodding slightly. He didn't dare let his guard down as he stepped onto the court.
"Hello," Mori said with a smile, extending his hand at the net to greet his opponent. "I'm Mori from Kanagawa's Rikkai University Affiliated High School. Looking forward to the match."
"Hm."
Yuechi's response was nothing more than a single, emotionless syllable.
"This guy is so cold!" Mori thought to himself. But he was no stranger to intense matches. After a slight nod, he and Yuechi flipped their rackets to decide who would serve first.
Mori won the serve and retreated to the baseline. When he turned around, Yuechi was already in position, his icy gaze making Mori slightly uncomfortable.
"So, this is the legendary figure from Ice Emperor?" Mori thought as he gripped the tennis ball. "Let's see just how good you really are."
*Thwack!*
With a sharp motion, Mori sent the ball flying across the court.
At the same time, he kept his eyes locked on Yuechi, eager to see how the towering player would respond.
"My serve has a strong topspin, and the landing point is deep. With his height, he'll have to step back to return it. Otherwise, bending his legs too much will put a lot of strain on him. That'll give me more room to maneuver."
Thinking this, Mori shifted slightly toward the center of the court.
He wasn't planning to attack just yet. Instead, he wanted to test the waters and see how Yuechi would react.
*Thwack!*
But the moment Mori moved toward the center, a flash of yellow light exploded at his side.
"W-what?!" Mori's eyes widened in shock as he looked down at the clear white mark left by the ball near his feet. "That was... so fast!"
"0-15!" the umpire called.
Mori's expression shifted. He looked up, his gaze locked on his opponent, his face now serious.
He realized he was up against someone far more formidable than he had anticipated.
"But I'm not going to back down," Mori thought, a spark of confidence flashing in his eyes. He served again.
*Thwack!*
The ball landed, and Mori kept his eyes glued to Yuechi's movements. As Rikkai's prodigy, Mori hadn't participated much in regular training sessions. But that didn't mean he lacked experience.
In fact, his keen observational skills were one of his greatest strengths. He watched closely, trying to figure out how Yuechi was returning the ball so effortlessly.
*Swish!*
Yuechi moved.
He took a step back, but his speed was astonishing. At the same time, his racket swung up, and in one fluid motion, he struck the ball.
*Crack!*
The ball shot over the net, and before Mori could even react, it landed right in front of him.
*Thud!*
The ball bounced, and Mori, now prepared, tried to intercept it with his racket.
*Clash!*
But the moment the ball made contact with his racket, Mori's expression changed.
"It's so heavy!!" he thought, his face darkening.
The force of the shot pushed his racket down, and he had to use both hands to return it.
*Thwack!*
But Yuechi was already waiting at the baseline. Without hesitation, he slammed the ball back with a powerful drive.
*Thud!*
The ball landed at Mori's side before he could even react. This time, he could only watch as it flew past him.
"0-30!"
The Rikkai players watching from the sidelines gasped.
"Mori... he can't even react?" one of them muttered in disbelief.
"No way... he's Rikkai's genius. He was a key player in last year's middle school national tournament!"
"National tournament? That's middle school level. This is high school now. And besides, Yuechi's achievements are even more legendary."
The murmurs continued, but one thing was clear—no one was betting on Mori. All eyes were on Yuechi.
"This feeling..." Mori clenched his teeth.
As Rikkai's prodigy, Mori had always been the center of attention. Never before had he been so thoroughly ignored.
What made it worse was that Yuechi didn't even seem to care about him. The indifference was almost insulting, and it fueled Mori's determination.
He tightened his grip on his racket, his eyes sharpening.
*Thwack!*
Mori served again.
This time, he rushed to the net, hoping to use his agility, speed, and explosive power to dominate the front court and limit Yuechi's options.
*Thud!*
But before Mori could even cover three meters, Yuechi's return shot landed right in front of him. The ball's sharp topspin and tricky placement forced Mori to stop in his tracks.
"It's too fast!" Mori thought, gritting his teeth. He had no choice but to halt his advance.
*Thwack!*
Yuechi's next shot landed perfectly at the baseline, forcing Mori to scramble back.
"0-40!"
"His insight is terrifying," Ishikawa murmured from the sidelines, his eyes fixed on Yuechi.
The opponent's returns were incredibly fast, but what was even more terrifying was the decisiveness and confidence behind each shot. Every ball landed in a critical spot, completely locking down Mori's movements. This was the same Mori who, in the original story, had shut down the "Speed Star" of Rikkai during the national tournament—a powerful, nationally-ranked player. Yet now, he couldn't even mount a counterattack.
*Thud!*
Another ball.
Mitsui scored on the return.
"Game!"
"Ice Mitsui, 1-0. Switch sides."
As the referee announced the score, someone instinctively checked the time and exclaimed, "How is that possible? The entire game took less than a minute?!"
"Hmph."
Hearing this, Mori's expression darkened even further.
For Mitsui, breaking the serve in such a short time was undoubtedly impressive. But for Mori, it was nothing short of humiliation.
As they switched sides, Mori stood at the baseline, his sharp gaze fixed on his opponent. "This time, it's my turn to score on your serve!"
*Whoosh!*
At that moment, Mitsui tossed the ball into the air.
Mori immediately focused, his eyes locked on his opponent.
*Swish!*
But in the blink of an eye, Mori was stunned to see Mitsui already putting his racket away.
"W-what just happened?!"
It wasn't just Mori—even the players outside the court were left speechless.
"Hmm."
Only Ishikawa's eyes immediately darted to the spot behind Mori. There, a tennis ball rolled gently before softly tapping against the back of his heel.
"This..."
Feeling the slight touch on his foot, Mori looked down. When he saw the ball, his pupils contracted sharply as realization dawned on him.
"Referee," Mitsui spoke up. "Wasn't that point counted?"
"Uh..."
The referee on the high chair hesitated, his expression shifting. He glanced at the tall camera positioned at the edge of the court and quickly spoke into his headset, "Control room, please review the footage from just now. Confirm the serve."
*Beep!*
A moment later, the referee nodded as he received the response. "The serve is valid! 15-0!"
*Gasps!*
The announcement caused an uproar among the casual spectators and Rikkai supporters, who instinctively gaped in shock.
"Heh."
Meanwhile, the Ice High players chuckled. "This is just the beginning. What the captain just served was just a regular serve."
"A... regular serve?"
Hearing this, someone immediately retorted, "No way! How can a serve like that be considered regular?"
It was no wonder they reacted so strongly. If a serve that was practically invisible to the eye was considered "regular," then what did that make their own serves?
"This guy..."
Mori, however, stared at Mitsui, whose expression hadn't changed at all, and clenched his fist. His instincts told him that Mitsui had indeed just served a regular shot. This realization shook him to his core, extinguishing the last flicker of hope he had for winning.
*Thud!*
"30-0!"
*Thud!*
"40-0!"
*Thud!*
"Game!"
"Ice Mitsui, 2-0!"
In the blink of an eye, Mitsui ended his serve game with four consecutive aces. The points came so quickly that many spectators hadn't even processed what had happened before it was time to switch servers again.
After this double blow, Mori's fighting spirit crumbled. He knew that after losing his first serve game and facing an opponent with such a terrifying serve, he stood no chance of winning.
This thought took root in his mind, slowly eroding his will to fight.
*Thud!*
Finally, in the eighth minute of the match, as Mitsui's serve landed, the referee's voice rang out: "Match over! Ice Mitsui wins, 6-0!"
*Huff... huff...*
On the court, Mori was gasping for breath.
To others, this had been an eight-minute, one-sided domination. But for Mori, it felt like an eternity. Every second he spent facing such an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, against whom he had no chance, was pure agony.
Now, he was filled with regret. If only he hadn't slacked off during training, the outcome of this match might have been different.
With this thought weighing heavily on his mind, Mori dejectedly turned and left the court. Throughout the entire process, Mitsui didn't even spare him a glance.
After packing up his gear and slinging his tennis bag over his shoulder, Mori wandered aimlessly around the competition area like a lost soul. He had no idea how long he'd been walking, but he couldn't seem to leave the court area. By the time he finally snapped out of it, over twenty minutes had passed.
With a bitter smile, he found a water station, splashed some water on his face, and prepared to leave.
"Hey, kid."
Just then, a voice called out—one of the Ice High players from earlier. "This area isn't for middle schoolers like you."
"Huh?"
Curious, Mori looked over and was surprised to see Mitsui and a few other Ice High players. Having finished their match, they seemed to be leaving the court as well.
"Wait... is that him?!"
As Mori wondered who had the audacity to block Mitsui's path, he caught sight of a familiar face.
*Swish!*
In the distance, a handsome black-haired boy pulled out his racket and, under the stunned gazes of everyone—including Mori—pointed it at Mitsui.
"Senpai... would you play a match with me?"
(End of Chapter)