Right after speaking, Irie tossed the ball into the air. With a sharp crack, the serve blasted across the net at extreme speed, flying straight toward Kite's backhand corner. But Kite didn't move, as if he hadn't reacted.
Just when everyone thought Irie had scored an ace, Kite's figure suddenly shifted like teleportation, appearing at the baseline corner. His left hand snapped forward, racket whipping across the ball with an irregular spin.
"Kite's Shukuchihō is getting more and more polished!" Tachibana Kippei said with a smile from the bench.
"Heh~ but that trick, Habu, is useless against Irie," Atobe commented flatly from the side.
The ball crossed the net, then began darting erratically through the air, like a cobra weaving at impossible speed. But a second later, Irie's racket intercepted it cleanly.
"Sorry~ but spins like this don't work on me," Irie said with a smile as he countered.
The return rocketed off his racket, sharp and fast, aimed right at the deep corner of Kite's backcourt. In the next instant, Kite's figure vanished, reappearing exactly at the landing point. His Shukuchihō made his movements impossible to track.
"Whether it works or not, you won't know until you try, right, Irie-senpai?" Kite sneered as he twisted his wrist, slamming the ball with his left hand. The speed spiked and the shot tore across the court into Irie's forecourt.
Under Irie's surprised eyes, the ball suddenly circled irregularly around his body before smashing onto the baseline and out of bounds. Irie hadn't expected it at all.
"Ohabu!"
"0-15!"
"You really don't give up, do you~ But that move won't work on me again," Irie said, still smiling even after conceding the point.
"Heh~ that was just a greeting, Irie-senpai. I never expected to win off Big Habu alone," Kite answered with a feigned smile.
"For some reason, I feel like the aura between those two matches way too well," Kikumaru shivered in the stands.
"Not gonna lie, I feel the same~" Oishi agreed beside him. Oshitari chuckled faintly at their words but said nothing.
Irie picked up another ball and tossed it high without hesitation. His left arm whipped through, smashing another ultra-fast serve. But Kite was ready, Shukuchihō fully unleashed. He flickered straight to the spot.
The muscles in his left arm bunched, then with a thunderous crack, the ball exploded off his racket like a cannon shell toward Irie. Irie stepped forward with both hands on his racket, but the impact sent it flying from his grip. His hands went numb.
"Big Bang!"
"0-30!"
"So you've locked onto my weakness—lack of power?" Irie rubbed his wrists, slowly picking up his racket from the side.
Kite didn't answer. Instead, he cast him a deep, meaningful glance. To say Irie lacked power—he didn't believe it at all. Just look at Black Hole: a technique that compressed space itself. Without immense strength, such a move was impossible.
"Kite Eishirō! Third-year regular of Fudomine! Power 5.5, Speed 5, Stamina… unmeasurable, Technique 7, Mental 5.5. Total score unknown. Specializes in delivering fatal strikes. Has mastered the Super Sweet Spot technique!" Kurobe and the others had quietly appeared behind Mifune, a tablet in hand as they read aloud.
"Tch~ worthless stuff. Just take a glance if you want. At the level of these little monsters, you'll never get their real data," Mifune scoffed, utterly dismissive.
"Game! Second String Selection! 1-0!"
While Kurobe and Mifune were talking, on court Kite had already taken the first game using Shukuchihō and Big Bang. His expression didn't change at all, because he knew perfectly well—this was Irie holding back on purpose.
But Kite didn't mind Irie's performance. He wasn't one of those hot-blooded fools who demanded their opponents go all out in a slugfest. Winning was what mattered. Whether the opponent held back or not—what did that have to do with Kite?
The second game was Kite's serve. Without hesitation, he unleashed a Big Bang serve, this time using the Super Sweet Spot. Its destructive force leapt to a new level. It wasn't quite on par with Glowing Shot, but it rivaled Ishida Gin's Wave Motion serve.
Irie kept up his act, his racket repeatedly blasted from his hands by the Big Bang. His face twisted with pain and frustration, as if lamenting his short stature and inability to handle such raw power.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"Ace! 30-0!"
"Ace! 40-0!"
Three straight serves and Kite had racked up the points. Watching Irie's performance, Kite showed no mercy. He tossed the ball up again and hammered it forward like a cannon shell.
"Damn it! I've always known my weakness, but I still can't overcome it. That's the difference between me and world-class players! If only I had a little more strength… if only I were taller…" Irie muttered in apparent pain, eyes on the incoming ball.
The next instant, a black void snapped open, freezing Kite's Big Bang in midair. Its energy drained away, then poured back through Irie's racket. The return exploded past Kite, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Black Hole!"
"40-15!"
"Gotcha~ But judging from your reaction, I guess I've blown my cover, huh, Kite-kun?" Irie said cheerfully after scoring.
In truth, he didn't care if Kite had seen through him. What mattered was whether people acknowledged his acting, and Kite had done just that—going so far as to play along.
"I don't really get why you're so obsessed with performance, senpai. But everyone has their own way of thinking, so I won't interfere or judge. For me, as long as I win, that's enough," Kite answered flatly.
"You're really confident in yourself, huh! Then let's keep the match going~" Irie smiled, a touch of approval in his eyes.
Kite nodded, though his eyes flashed dangerously. He tossed the ball, twisted his left wrist, and hammered it down. The ball spun furiously toward Irie's court.
Irie appeared at the landing point instantly. When the ball bounced, it veered wildly through the air. Just as it slipped behind him, another black hole swallowed it whole.
"I can already see through your intentions, Kite-kun!" Irie said with a flourish, countering the shot back.
"Oh? Is that so? Then I'm sure you've predicted this next one too, haven't you, senpai?" Kite sneered as he flickered to the ball's path, left hand ripping through with his racket.
The instant it touched, the ball vanished. Darkness consumed the entire court. Only in Irie's eyes did a massive, black-glowing sphere appear, streaking straight toward him.
"Dark Side!"
A scream tore from Irie's throat as the black space shattered. When the light cleared, everyone saw him clutching his stomach in agony, kneeling on the court. The ball lay not far from his side.
"Game! Second String Selection! 2-0!"
A sudden crack rang out from the high schoolers' side of the stands. Everyone turned in surprise. Byōdōin had crushed a tennis ball in his bare hand, teeth gritted, his eyes locked on Kite with the ferocity of a beast.