"15-40!"
"Wait, I lost that point?" Ryōma looked a little dazed and turned his head. A tennis ball, split clean in two, was wedged in the corner of the wall outside the court.
"What's wrong? Hard to believe? It's really simple, you know. I was just messing around a little," Irie said with a wide smile, his tone light as if it were just a harmless joke.
"Are you kidding?! Ryōma had already activated Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami!" Momoshiro shouted from the sidelines, clearly unable to accept it.
"According to the data, no one actually knows Irie-senpai's true strength. But there's a 99% probability he's on the same level as Tezuka and Yukimura," Inui said slowly beside him.
"Not necessarily! At the very least, I'm not confident I could beat Irie-senpai for sure," Yukimura suddenly appeared behind Inui and spoke gently.
"Then doesn't that mean this Irie-senpai is a world-class player?!" Momoshiro swallowed hard, sounding nervous.
In the corner of the court, Tokugawa was watching Irie closely. He knew Irie was strong—after all, Irie had taught him his strongest techniques. But based on the way Irie had just spoken, it seemed like even he might be following that middle schooler named Akashi Seijurō.
"Akashi Seijurō… just what are you?" Tokugawa muttered, gaze dark as he looked over at Akashi. "You better not get in the way of my revenge."
Back on court, Ryōma had finally pulled himself together. That hit just now had almost broken his concentration—he'd nearly lost his Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami. All along, the other guy was just toying with him. And to think, at first, he thought Irie seemed like a decent person.
"You bastard! You've been playing me this whole time?!" Even Ryōma, usually calm and composed, couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Ma~ ma~ don't be so mad. I wasn't playing you! It was just a little welcome ritual for my adorable kōhai, you know? I mean, crushing a junior right from the start… totally not my style," Irie replied, still grinning.
"I'm gonna make you pay for this, bastard!" Ryōma had never been so pissed—not even his old man had ever made him this mad. But this glasses-wearing guy really got under his skin.
"Okay, okay, don't be angry~ From here on out, I'll get serious! Honestly, I've never had a chance to see the legendary Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami before!" Irie spoke as if coaxing a child.
As he finished, he tossed the tennis ball up and locked his eyes onto Ryōma. Then he swung hard—smack—the ball whizzed past Ryōma's ear, landed on the baseline, and bounced out of bounds.
"Ace! 30-40!"
"Never lose focus during a match, Ryōma," Irie said in a low, deep voice, eyes sharp.
At that moment, Ryōma felt completely seen through. It was the same eerie sensation he got when challenging Akashi. Even back when Atobe's Atobe Kingdom locked onto him, it felt similar. In an instant, he understood the type of player Irie was.
"I officially find you even more annoying now, Irie-senpai," Ryōma said coldly.
Irie only chuckled at the comment, clearly unfazed. He casually tossed the ball up again and unleashed another ultra-high-speed serve. But this time, Ryōma, still in Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami, instantly moved into position and intercepted it with ease.
Gradually regaining his composure, Ryōma felt power surging from within, his body moving effortlessly. It felt like he could catch any ball—no matter how fast. The two players resumed their intense rally. The speed was so high the ball had become almost invisible.
"Hey, just now you said I'm even more annoying. Is it because you think my tennis style reminds you of someone you hate, Ryōma?" Irie suddenly asked during the fierce exchange.
"I refuse to answer that," Ryōma snapped, not even hesitating, and increased the intensity of his attack.
"Such a stubborn kōhai~ Well then, how about this move—what will you think of it?" Irie said as icy light condensed in his pupils. In the next moment, icy crystals formed around Ryōma. Not even the light of Ten'i Muhō could mask them.
Crack! A shard of ice near Ryōma's feet shattered from the impact. But Ryōma himself seemed frozen, unable to move. All he could do was watch helplessly as the ball bounced and flew out of bounds.
"40-40! Deuce!"
"Mmh. Atobe's Ice World really comes in handy," Irie said casually, waving to the sidelines at Atobe like they were good buddies.
"Hmph. That guy," Atobe muttered in irritation but didn't seem to mind Irie's antics too much.
"Another blind spot? So you really are the same type as that guy!" Ryōma stretched his body and said to Irie.
The match resumed again, but it felt like Irie could see right through everything Ryōma did. Even with the bonus from Ten'i, Ryōma still couldn't easily score—his every move was anticipated ahead of time.
"40-40! Irie Kanata leads!"
"Game! Irie Kanata! 5-2!"
The situation on court had flipped completely. Every time it got critical, Ryōma would slip up just slightly—and Irie would always catch it and take the point, as if he knew exactly when Ryōma would make a mistake.
"Didn't expect that even with Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami, Ryōma still can't beat Irie-senpai," Fuji said with a sigh.
"That's what's scary about Irie—his ability to read people is one of a kind," Tanegashima said, walking over with a Kansai drawl.
"If you played Irie-senpai, who do you think would win?" Fuji asked curiously.
"Spare me~ I don't even want to imagine that match. Just thinking about it gives me a headache," Tanegashima said, dodging the question.
Back on court, things kept getting worse for Ryōma. But he didn't seem too shaken—still attacking with all he had. Unfortunately, Irie had already figured out all his patterns. He could even guess what Ryōma was thinking most of the time.
"Game! Irie Kanata! 5-3!"
"Game! Irie Kanata! 5-4!"
"Game! Irie Kanata! 5-5!"
In no time, Irie had tied the game. Some of the high school players watching looked surprised. Others who recognized Ryōma's current state were staring at Irie in shock.
"Ryōma's Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami is still too immature. Plus, his overall ability is way below Irie-senpai's," Chitose said out of nowhere.
"Knew it… even after coming back here, Ten'i Muhō alone won't be enough to do anything big," Tachibana Kippei said thoughtfully.
"To activate Ten'i Muhō at this age is still pretty insane though. Guess it makes sense if he's the samurai's kid," Oni said, also sounding impressed as he watched Ryōma.
"Even with Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami, Ryōma's max strength is just at top national level. Beating Irie with that? Not even close," Akashi replied calmly.
"Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami, huh? Glad I graduated early!" Mōri said cheerfully.
Mōri's words left Ochi speechless beside him. In Mōri's mind, it felt like the U-17 players weren't even on the same level as the middle schoolers anymore. But thinking about it, this year's national tournament really didn't lose to the First String ranking matches—it might've even surpassed them.
The tenth game started quickly. It was Ryōma's serve. He tested the ball's bounce, then looked up with a confident smile.
"Guess it's about time. Gotta admit, senpai, your skills were more than I expected—but this is the end of the line. I'm not planning on losing right after showing up here."
With that, he tossed the ball high and—bam! Before anyone could figure out what he meant, there was a loud smack. Irie's vision blurred, and the ball was already behind him, bouncing out of court.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"What's wrong, senpai? Didn't see that? Want me to slow it down next time?" Ryōma grinned, full-on taunting mode.
"Wh-What the hell?! Why did your serve speed jump like that?! I thought I'd already figured you out!" Irie looked genuinely stunned.
"Heh~ No one ever told you? Irie-senpai's acting is a little over the top," Ryōma said, eyeing Irie's expression with total disbelief.
Just as Ryōma finished his sentence, a heavy pressure suddenly slammed down on him. It was way stronger than anything he'd felt facing Atobe's Ice Emperor—it left Ryōma completely confused.
"Oh no! Looks like Irie's about to snap!" Tanegashima said, his voice suddenly tense.
"Ryōma totally stepped on a landmine! Fuji, do something!" Kikumaru shouted in panic.
"Relax. Akashi-kun's here, so nothing crazy will happen. But Ryōma's probably going to suffer a bit," Fuji sighed and replied calmly.
On the other side, Oni was clearly tense too, worried Irie might actually break Ryōma. He might've looked fierce, but Oni had a soft, careful heart—especially when it came to gifted players.
"You! What did you just say? Say it again! What's wrong with my acting?!" Irie's voice dropped to a dangerous tone, each word slow and sharp as a blade.
Furious Irie Kanata.