77. Provoking Akutsu

“We…”
“We lost…”
The Mikami brothers looked at the referee as if awakening from a dream, only now realizing they had been defeated by the pair of Jin Teiji and Yan Renji.

“Hm? What… happened?”
The faint glow surrounding Jin Teiji faded away. He suddenly raised his head, seeing the crowd outside the court waving and cheering for them, and for a moment he was dazed.

“We… seem to have won the match…”
The glow enveloping Yan Renji also disappeared. He trembled like Jin Teiji, and finally, based on the sounds he heard, came to a conclusion that he could hardly believe.

“Well done, both of you. You actually completed a synchronization during the match, even if it wasn’t perfect.”
Narumi Matsubara handed them soft towels and mineral water, praising them.

“Synchronization…”
“Did we enter a synchronized state?”
Jin Teiji was startled.

“What, you two don’t even know what you were doing?”
Ryo Shishido, seeing their bewildered expressions, was somewhat disappointed.

“I just felt that in a sudden instant, I seemed to be soaring in the clouds, my feet unable to touch the ground… a floating sensation, and then I was playing tennis with Renji…”
That was Jin Teiji’s feeling.

“My feeling was similar to Teiji’s. It was as if entering a whole new world, where all sounds from outside couldn’t reach…”
Yan Renji echoed, his voice filled with empathy.

“No matter what, this was a truly spectacular match—telepathy versus synchronization… Shiba, make sure you record the upcoming matches well. This will be important material for the next issue of Tennis Monthly!”
Mamoru Inoue approached, first congratulating the two, then instructing Saori Shiba.

“Don’t worry, Inoue-senpai, leave it to me!”
Saori Shiba picked up her camera, her excitement palpable.

“Sorry, Ban-san…”
“We lost completely…”
The Mikami brothers walked up to Kaneda Ban, ashamed and self-reproaching.

“No, it’s not your fault. The opponents were simply too strong. In that state, perhaps all we could do was feel helpless.”
Kaneda Ban didn’t blame them; instead, he smiled while watching the gathering of Matsubara and the others. Evergreen Academy… truly a remarkable dark horse of a school!

“Here, senpai.”
At this moment, Taiichi Dan hurriedly brought towels and water to the Mikami brothers.

“Mikami-senpai, we’ll take over from here.”

As the club president, Kenta Minami smiled reassuringly.

“Please do.”
Mikami Saten nodded solemnly upon hearing this.

“As long as you give it your best.”
Seishun Sengoku flashed a handsome smile as he spoke.

“The first doubles match is about to begin. Will the players from both sides please enter the court.”
The loudspeaker announced, and soon Kenta Minami and Masami Higashi, Ryo Shishido and Akutsu Ichiro entered together.

“Tezuka.”
Kaneda Ban smiled as he gazed somewhere.

Tezuka turned his head and faced him. “Is something the matter, Coach Kaneda?”

“Although you won a round, it was only because the two players happened to synchronize. Clearly, that wasn’t something planned.”
Hearing this, Tezuka’s gaze became serious.

“Sending out an ordinary doubles pair that might have internal conflicts in the regional qualifiers—it’s rather disrespectful to Yamabuki, a school renowned for its doubles.”
Kaneda Ban watched Shishido and Akutsu walk past, smiling as he spoke.

“What did you say, old man?”
Akutsu stopped in his tracks, glaring at Kaneda Ban’s provocative smile, his voice icy.

“Hey… Akutsu…”
Seeing Akutsu’s reaction, Shishido gently tried to dissuade him.

“Oh, it’s nothing, it’s nothing. I just think that with your talent and physical prowess, leaving Yamabuki is truly a pity.”
Kaneda Ban, showing no remorse, rubbed the back of his head and stood up, audaciously patting Akutsu’s muscles, sighing, “Really impressive.”

“Old man, are you looking for trouble?”
Akutsu, feeling offended, grabbed Kaneda Ban’s collar. The move startled many, and the referee rushed over, shouting, “Hey, Evergreen!”

“Akutsu!”
Tezuka’s authoritative voice boomed. Akutsu, reflexively, released his grip, frowning as he turned away.

“Don’t let their provocations cloud your judgment.”
As Akutsu passed Tezuka, the latter sternly reminded him.

“Coach Kaneda.”
Tezuka turned his head again to look at Kaneda Ban. “No matter what kind of doubles you send out, I trust you won’t stumble twice in the same place, will you?”

Kaneda Ban was momentarily taken aback, then responded with his usual smile, saying nothing more.

“Akutsu… brother…”
Taiichi Dan gripped the wire fence, worriedly watching Akutsu’s impulsive behavior.

Outside, Saori Shiba, seeing Kaneda Ban sitting on the bench adjusting his clothes, commented with some disgust, “He looks like such a kindly old man—how could he do something so despicable…”

“No, that’s exactly what makes Coach Kaneda formidable. Hidden blades in his words always deliver heavy psychological blows at crucial moments. In tennis, strength isn’t the only thing that matters; psychological tactics can have unexpected effects.”

“Tactical players… their hearts must be pretty dark.”
Fuyuka Oda couldn’t help but furrow her delicate brows after hearing this.

“No wonder he’s called Ban-san. After hearing those words, the opponents must be feeling pretty upset.”
Kenta Minami glanced at Akutsu’s terrifying expression across the court, admiring Kaneda Ban’s veiled barbs.

“He does it so we can defeat them better. Hey, stay sharp, Kenta. We should appreciate Ban-san’s intentions.”
Masami Higashi, fully aware of Akutsu’s temperament, knew that Kaneda Ban’s provocative and sarcastic remarks had struck Akutsu’s most sensitive nerve.

“Mm, of course I understand.”
Kenta Minami said confidently.

“Akutsu, can you stop losing your cool every time they provoke you? If Tezuka hadn’t stopped you just now, who knows what you’d have done.”
Ryo Shishido still felt uneasy about Akutsu nearly attacking the Yamabuki coach and grumbled.

“Are you ordering me?”
Akutsu, after tying his shoelaces, stood up and grabbed Shishido’s collar, shouting angrily.

“They’re… fighting again…”
Mamoru Inoue recalled how they nearly fought at the regional qualifiers and didn’t know what to say.

“Yeah, and it looks even worse than last time.”
Fuji nodded with a smile, seemingly curious about what more intense actions the two might take next.

“These two are a bit like Momoshiro and Kaido…”
Narumi Matsubara’s mouth twitched in exasperation.

“Hey, you’d better not drag me down in the match. If you don’t communicate properly, I don’t care what secret moves you’re hiding. If you mess around in front of me, I’ll knock you out.”
Akutsu released Shishido’s collar and warned him.

“I’ll give that lame warning right back to you, unchanged.”
Shishido, clearly unfazed, retorted disdainfully.

“One set decides the winner! Evergreen’s Shishido to serve!”
The referee announced.

Purple Pen Literature