Defeat

“To be honest, Tezuka, Sengoku’s departure has had quite an impact on us—not just in terms of strength, but our morale has dropped considerably.” Kaneda Kanji stroked his chin as he spoke, claiming to be in a difficult situation, yet his demeanor suggested that even if the world were burning around him, he would remain unperturbed.

Despite Kaneda Kanji repeating twice that he was telling the truth, Tezuka, sitting across with arms folded, showed no intention of yielding. For this sly old man trying to poach his players, Tezuka would never agree to hand over Naruki Matsubara, regardless of any terms offered.

“Think it over, Tezuka. Even if you lose Matsubara, your team won’t suffer much, will it?” Kaneda Kanji extended his hand with a smile.

“No, there’s no need to consider it. I refuse, Professor Kaneda.” Tezuka’s arms remained firmly crossed, his attitude resolute.

The air fell quiet for several moments.

“Very well, since you are so determined, please accept this regardless. Though you’re only a first-year now, two years will pass quickly, and then you’ll have to face this issue. I believe Japan is merely a small stage for your talents.” Kaneda Kanji took a file from his briefcase, unsealed it, and revealed documents concerning overseas student benefits and lists of renowned high schools abroad. Rising slowly, he departed the staff room.

“Thank you very much!” Tezuka, seeing the materials related to studying abroad, immediately understood Kaneda Kanji’s intention. He stood up and bowed respectfully.

Resettling into the sofa, Tezuka picked up the documents from the table and examined them closely.

…

“So that’s it—these are famous schools that have produced world-class professional players…” Tezuka’s eyes betrayed his astonishment as he continued to read.

…

After perusing the overseas school brochures, Tezuka closed them and gazed out the window. Studying abroad…?

Haruno University.

The tennis courts beneath the overpass.

Today, Ryo Shishido had once again skipped tennis club activities, choosing instead to train furiously alone.

“Smack!”

“Smack!”

“Smack!”

He tirelessly served ball after ball, and the last one, struck too forcefully, soared out of the court. Following its trajectory, Shishido saw a delicate, youthful boy outside the wire fence, drawing a racket from his tennis bag. Raising the racket high, he caught the stray ball with ease. At that moment, a train sped across the overpass, its roar echoing overhead.

“Tap, tap…”

The train still thundered by. Watching the boy bounce the ball repeatedly, Shishido’s mouth opened slightly, “Ma…Matsubara?!”

“Training alone here must be boring, right?” Naruki Matsubara laughed softly as he approached. Shishido, recognizing the boy, asked in disbelief, “Why are you here?”

“What’s wrong? You haven’t joined club practice for two days—don’t tell me you’re afraid of losing your spot and want to give up?” Matsubara sidestepped the question with a light smile.

“I am not!” Shishido’s expression stiffened, then quickly denied it. Yet his stubborn demeanor soon faded into uncertainty.

“Is that so? From your current state, I’d say you’re ready to quit. If you skip practice for three or four days, Captain Tezuka, who enforces strict discipline, will automatically expel you.”

Matsubara’s smile grew a shade lighter.

Seeing Shishido lower his head in silence, Matsubara gently flicked the ball across the court with his racket, his smile fading as he spoke evenly, “Honestly, you’re really useless, Shishido.”

“Huh?”

Shishido looked up at Matsubara, whose tone and expression had shifted so completely from before. Matsubara pulled a tennis ball from his pocket. “Ready?”

“Hm?!”

Before Shishido could react, Matsubara served, and Shishido instinctively gripped his racket.

“Boom!”

Catching Matsubara’s serve, Shishido swung hard, but as he returned the ball, he sensed something was amiss.

“Smack…tap, tap…”

The ball went straight out of bounds. Matsubara glanced away, his expression contemptuous. “Just two days and you’re weaker than you were against Yanagi Renji.”

“So it wasn’t a no-spin serve…”

Shishido realized his instincts were correct—the serve’s power was far less than Matsubara’s usual.

“I’m coming again.”

Matsubara served once more, rushing to the net before Shishido could return the ball. “Do you know how Akazawa and Yanagisawa, who transferred from Saint Rudolph, are gossiping about you behind your back since you stopped attending practice?”

He unleashed a heavy shot with excessive repulsion force. “Who told me that if there was even a sliver of a chance, you’d fight for it? Now… you’re truly laughable!”

Matsubara returned Shishido’s shot with a move charged with excessive traction. Shishido, failing to catch the ball, tumbled face-first to the ground. Matsubara caught the rebounding ball calmly. “Score: 4–0.”

Watching Matsubara—face unflushed, breath steady—Shishido gripped his racket with both hands, drenched in sweat. Somehow, after battling Matsubara, he felt as if his body had been… completely drained.

“What’s with that lost look in your eyes? Even when you lost to me two days ago, you still had a determined gaze.”

Matsubara stared into Shishido’s eyes and saw the wavering within them.

Hearing this, Shishido suddenly recalled his previous matches against Matsubara and Yanagi Renji, memories playing uncontrollably in his mind like a film reel.

Matsubara served again—this time, no no-spin or heavy serve, just a standard shot. Shishido, still dazed, was suddenly galvanized.

“Hah!”

He responded with a super-speed half volley, and before he realized it, Matsubara was already at the net. “Hmph, super-speed half volley? Let me break your… first attempt!”

Shishido’s technique was simple, and Matsubara already anticipated what he would do against a normal serve. He rushed to volley first, but as he spoke, Shishido shouted and, to Matsubara’s shock, returned a shot he couldn’t catch!

“15–0!”

Shishido watched the ball roll back to Matsubara’s feet, wiped his brow, and smiled confidently. “No matter what, I’ll never give up. That’s my tennis.”

With that, Shishido pointed his racket at Matsubara.

“An impressive return—faster than your super-speed half volley?” Matsubara recovered from his surprise. He knew the half volley was a technique where the ball is struck just before it reaches its peak after bouncing, and Shishido’s version hit the ball one to one-and-a-half ball lengths earlier than usual, meaning the super-speed half volley returned the ball almost immediately after it bounced. But Shishido’s net shot just now hadn’t bounced at all…

Seeing Shishido’s eyes regain their fierce determination, Matsubara felt compelled to respond.

“Ha… ha ha ha ha!” He threw his head back and laughed, then collected himself. “I’m coming, Shishido. Are you ready?”

…

“Match over! 6–4! Ryo Shishido wins!”

Shishido watched Matsubara, whose short sleeves were soaked with sweat, hunched over and gasping for breath. Shishido, likewise drenched, smiled.

Purple Pen Literature