122. Daily Life: Takeshi Momoshiro and Kaoru Kaido (Part Two) [4,000-Word Chapter]

Just as the two were about to explode into an argument like a volcanic eruption, two figures sprinted past them.

"What’s going on?" Takeshi Momoshiro tilted his head, watching the running race between Meii Matsubara and Ryo Shishido, and muttered.

"Hiss... no idea." Kaoru Kaido blinked his upturned eyes and replied in a cold, deep voice.

"Wait, that face..." Momoshiro watched the pair run to the end of the tennis court and back. When his gaze landed on Meii Matsubara, he seemed to realize something.

"Are those two... out of their minds?" Two children who had been watching Momoshiro and Kaido argue couldn't help but ask when they saw Matsubara and Shishido racing, their exaggerated, dramatic expressions paired with comical physical gestures.

"It just feels like... they’re being total chuunibyou..." the other child nodded in agreement.

"It’s Meii Matsubara!" Momoshiro shouted, confirming his suspicion.

The synchronized state was broken. Matsubara stopped in his tracks, and as he turned around, he saw a boy with spiky hair rushing toward him. "It’s just like the magazine said! You’re handsome and you play great tennis!"

"Uh... huh?" Matsubara was still bewildered. Just as he was about to look at Shishido, a boy wearing a light yellow bandana appeared in front of him, looking at him with disbelief and a touch of excitement. "Ano sa... are you really Shishido-niisan?"

"Ah... I am Shishido..." Shishido, looking just as confused as Matsubara, nodded.

"Wow... it’s just like the magazine said, but they look even cooler without their uniforms." The two observing children ran over; one of them held up the magazine to compare the boys, speaking with certainty.

"Huh?" Shishido looked up, walked over to the child with the magazine, and took it. His eyes drifted to the top section, where several bold, elegant characters were written. "Dark Horse Tennis School: Chojo Academy..."

"!" Looking at the series of photos below, Shishido noticed Matsubara in the first one and himself in the second. Realizing the article was edited by Saori Shiba, he flipped the magazine over and understood. "Naruhodo... so it was reported by Ms. Shiba. I remember she’s a reporter for the Tennis Monthly magazine..."

The two children looked at Shishido and said, "We never thought we’d run into you guys here. We’re so lucky."

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Ah... yeah... hello there." Shishido laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.

"Wait... this guy looks so familiar. Is he also..." Matsubara looked at the wide-eyed Momoshiro and the expectant Kaido standing nearby, then pointed at them and exclaimed, "Are you guys..."

Momoshiro and Kaido looked at each other, then back at Matsubara. The former asked, "Do you know us?"

"Ah... not exactly. I have a friend whose two kids look just like you..." Matsubara realized he shouldn't identify them directly here and made up an excuse.

"We don't look like them at all." Kaido didn't like Matsubara; his idol was Shishido. Faced with the teenager's words, he shot him a cold glare and rejected the notion.

"Exactly! Who would want to look like this stinking viper? I’m way cooler than him!" Momoshiro folded his arms and scoffed defiantly.

"What did you say, you damn monkey?!" Kaido lost his temper again.

"I said you're a stinking viper!"

"What’s that? You want to fight?!" The two said in unison and grabbed each other by the collars.

"Ahhh... they're fighting again..." The child holding the magazine half-closed his eyes, looking helpless.

"Alright, alright, you two, stop fighting..." Matsubara laughed awkwardly and pulled their arms apart. Looking at the elementary schoolers, he squatted down, grinned, and asked, "What are your names?"

"I’m Takeshi Momoshiro, I go to Seishun Academy Elementary School. I’m 12, and you can call me Momo!" Momoshiro pointed his thumb at himself, flashing a confident smile.

"I’m Kaoru Kaido, I also go to Seishun Academy Elementary School. I’m 11." Kaido introduced himself with a look of disdain.

"Oh? Seishun Academy Elementary, huh..." Matsubara was slightly taken aback. Momoshiro and Kaido, thinking he was surprised they went to the same school, said simultaneously, "Me and this guy..."

"No, no, that’s not what I meant. I was just saying... your school is affiliated with the Seishun Academy Middle School division, right?" Seeing the tension rising again, the teenager quickly intervened, raised a finger, and asked with a dry laugh.

"Yeah..." Momoshiro nodded, adding that he planned to consider joining the middle school division after graduating next year. Kaido heard this and said unhappily, "To be in the same school as you, how unlucky..."

"What did you say, you stinking viper? If it weren't for my parents' wishes, I wouldn't be in the same school as you either!" Momoshiro clenched his fists angrily.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing..." Matsubara sighed, finding their bickering a headache. He tried to soothe them, saying, "Why not consider Chojo Academy when you graduate next year? Chojo isn't that far from Seishun Academy. Most importantly, we have an excellent tennis club at Chojo. Looking at you two, you must really love tennis, right?"

Seeing Matsubara’s attempt to recruit them, Shishido’s mouth twitched. *This Matsubara guy... the more I watch him, the more he seems like a pyramid scheme recruiter. Does he try to pull in every kid he sees who likes tennis?*

However, thinking that Momoshiro and Kaido were a grade below him, Shishido suddenly felt that Matsubara might be thinking of them as reserves. After all, the current Chojo regulars were all first-years; if they all graduated at the same time, there wouldn't be a single regular left. Even though there were decent players among the non-regulars, they were mostly second and third-years, and players like the second-year senior Shibayama were far behind the regulars in both skill and charisma. Plus, they would graduate a year before him...

With this thought, Shishido felt a sense of trepidation. He crouched down next to Matsubara and smiled at Kaido. "What do you think? Want to consider it?"

"I don't have a problem with it..." Kaido looked at his idol and agreed immediately.

"If I can be in the same tennis club as Matsubara-niisan, I don't have a problem either, though I'd have to ask my folks..." Momoshiro didn't mind, then lowered his head to think. "But no matter what, I don't want to be in the same tennis club as Kaido!"

"I don't want to be in the same club as you either!" Kaido’s eyes flashed with hostility as he folded his arms coldly.

"Hey, Momoshiro, Kaido, let me ask you one thing: do you love tennis?" Matsubara smiled meaningfully. The question left both boys momentarily hesitant. Kaido answered first: "I don't play tennis because I love it, but when I see people playing, I always treat them as my greatest enemies and try my best to defeat them..."

"Souka." The teenager smiled gently, understanding.

"I do love playing tennis, but... compared to listening to music or playing games, I don't think I like it *that* much... but whenever I see this guy, I can't help but feel a strong interest in tennis, because... I treat him as my enemy too, and I want to beat him." Honest Momoshiro revealed his true thoughts, feeling a bit embarrassed by the end. Kaido looked surprised, but quickly turned disdainful and gave a light huff.

"Kaido and Momoshiro often come to this unsupervised street court to compete. Ever since they saw that magazine, they’ve become your loyal fans," the other boy said as he walked over.

"Hey... don't say unnecessary things!" Momoshiro and Kaido said in unison again. Their expressions stiffened as they glared at each other with hostility.

"Alright, alright, you two. Since we’re both here, how about we sign some autographs for you?" Matsubara, truly weary of their constant bickering, turned to Shishido and smiled.

"Autographs?" The two children looked at each other, then stood behind Momoshiro and Kaido, clearly having their own favorite idols.

"Shishido-niisan, please sign for us!" Kaido and the boy said.

"Ah... sure..." Shishido, experiencing being idolized by younger kids for the first time, touched his ponytail, feeling flattered, and agreed.

"Heigh-ho, all signed!" Matsubara, showing no signs of panic, naturally tore off the page from the magazine featuring the Chojo Academy background and his own photo, signing it for Momoshiro and the boy with the magazine.

"Haha..." Momoshiro opened his mouth and laughed happily at Matsubara’s autograph. Kaido, having received Shishido’s, dropped his usual viper-like coldness and slowly smiled. As for the two boys who liked Matsubara and Shishido respectively, they happily showed off their autographs to each other; they clearly didn't share the same oil-and-water relationship as Momoshiro and Kaido.

Matsubara’s original purpose in coming to this street court was to play tennis. Seeing Shishido as an opponent, he smiled and said, "How about we have a match, Shishido?"

"Hm? Ah, sure. Since we're here, let’s have a match." Shishido nodded, loosening up his arms, looking eager.

"Wow, can we watch your match?" Momoshiro clenched his fists, excited.

"Of course. You guys want to watch, right?" Matsubara asked, looking at Kaido and the other two children.

"Yeah!"

...

They flipped a racket to decide who would serve first, and Matsubara won. He tapped the ball on the ground, a light smile on his face. "I'm coming at you, Shishido."

"Bring it on! Even though I've been dropped from the regular list, I haven't slacked off on my training!" Shishido gripped the top of his racket, took a stance, and smiled fearlessly.

"Here it comes! It’s Matsubara-niisan’s heavy serve!" Momoshiro shouted excitedly.

Matsubara opened with his signature serve. He expected Shishido to miss it, but to his surprise, after a brief struggle, Shishido returned it with a two-handed shot!

"15-0!" Kaido couldn't wait to call the score.

"Hey, not bad." Matsubara complimented him.

Next, Matsubara used his no-spin serve. Momoshiro shouted excitedly again when he saw it. This time, Shishido still returned it, but he didn't stand still like before; he sprinted to the net for a quick smash. Matsubara’s reaction was no joke, either; he performed a volley as soon as the ball bounced!

"Super-fast half-volley!" Kaido’s eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim.

"30-0..." Shishido watched as Matsubara had no chance to return his shot, and he curled his lips, saying.

However, Matsubara seemed to know what the former was thinking. A faint smile touched his lips, and suddenly, the ball from the super-fast half-volley seemed to be pulled by a powerful suction; it spun in the air and landed right on Matsubara’s forehand!

"Oh no, it’s the Matsubara Field!" Shishido gasped as he watched the ball trace a bizarre trajectory.

"Matsubara Field!" A glint seemed to flash in Momoshiro’s eyes. He had been completely won over by Matsubara’s technique. *The Matsubara Field... this move is just too cool!*

"40-30!" Matsubara scored three points in a row to overtake Shishido. Momoshiro proudly announced the score.

As the sun set, the match ended with Matsubara winning the tie-break 21-19.

Because the match was so intense, the unsupervised street court was left in a mess: the net was scattered, the posts were tilted, and the ground was covered in shallow black pits, with dust covering the white lines.

Watching his idol win, Momoshiro cheered wildly, while Kaido remained in deep shock, unable to recover.

Looking at Kaido’s expression, a sweaty Shishido wiped the moisture from his chin and apologized, "Sorry, Kaido, I lost."

"No... even though you lost, Shishido-niisan, you were amazing... the super-fast half-volleys, the even faster ones... and more than that, your spirit of never giving up until the very last moment..." Kaido shook his head, moved.

"Is that so? Then I hope that while you become even stronger than me, you will also, like me, never give up on tennis, even if you reach the very last moment and the result is a loss, Kaoru Kaido." Shishido smiled and held out his sweaty hand. Kaido took it seriously and gripped it firmly.

Matsubara watched Shishido and Kaido under the beautiful red sunset, then wiped the sweat from his cheeks with his soaked shirt. He looked at the spiky-haired boy a head shorter than him and encouraged, "You need to work hard too, Momo. I'll be waiting for you at Chojo."

"Yes! I will work hard at tennis, and I will definitely be as strong as Matsubara-niisan!" Momoshiro promised firmly.

"No, you have to surpass me. Be stronger than I am." Matsubara shook his head, denying the goal.

"Of course!" A look of firm determination filled Momoshiro’s eyes.