"Game, set, match."
Ryohei Rin walked to the net, reminding his defeated opponent before he could pretend to forget:
"According to the agreement—for the next year…"
"You'll be my personal ball boy in the tennis club."
What was promised, had come due.
Taki Haginosuke, pale and frustrated, said nothing but gave a reluctant nod.
Although he was usually hot-tempered and impatient, he still had enough pride to keep his word. He clenched his fists, glaring at Ryohei Rin, and declared:
"I will definitely repay this humiliation. Double."
"Oh?"
The words of the loser.
Ryohei Rin only shook his head with disdain. He turned away without hesitation.
"Repay me? This gap will only grow larger, until it disappears entirely."
Ryohei paused briefly, then added a reminder—half warning, half advice:
"In tennis, there's a limit to how far effort alone can take you. Beyond that… it depends on talent and ability."
"Like how I was able to beat you."
Talent?
Taki Haginosuke froze, staring at Ryohei's retreating back.
The scenes from their match flashed across his mind—point after point, his defeat seemed natural, almost inevitable.
Failure… had become his normal state.
Even though he had always told himself that effort never lies, deep down he knew the truth: the gap was widening. The difference between him and Hyotei's regulars… between him and Rikkai's monsters…
It was only getting bigger.
"Ha…"
Taki suddenly laughed, bitter but oddly calm.
"So there really are people in this world who can only be called geniuses."
"You're a freshman? Pretty impressive."
"My name's Mukahi Gakuto, one of Hyotei's regulars."
"Oshitari Yuushi. Hyotei's victory is a matter of course."
"Akutagawa Jirou. Just call me Jirou. Your playing style is… unbelievable. Hey, can you teach me that disappearing act on the court? It'd help me nap in class without getting caught by the teacher."
"..."
Surrounded by these familiar faces, Ryohei Rin could only smile helplessly.
Were all of Hyotei's regulars this enthusiastic? Or was it simply that Hyotei's culture valued strength above all else, and strength naturally commanded respect?
Either way… he didn't find the atmosphere unpleasant.
"Ryohei Rin. I just joined the tennis club today. Please take care of me from now on."
He politely greeted each of them, before finally glancing at Atobe Keigo. Without another word, Ryohei left.
After all, it was still the first day of school. He had already spent too much time on the courts. If he arrived late to class, his teacher might think he was skipping—and that was a misunderstanding he didn't need.
"The way that guy looked at me…"
Atobe Keigo narrowed his eyes, thoughtful.
He had sharp instincts, and the look Ryohei gave him had not been ordinary. It carried meaning. A silent invitation.
As if to say: Let's talk about tennis.
"Hmph… to challenge authority, you must first prove yourself truly strong."
"Unfortunately… that guy still has a long way to go."
Even though Ryohei Rin had crushed Taki Haginosuke with a clean 6–0, in Atobe's eyes, that level still wasn't worthy of challenging him.
Class 1-A
As expected for a special admission, Ryohei Rin was assigned to Hyotei's elite class.
But while new teachers rotated on the podium, lecturing endlessly about school rules and Hyotei traditions, Ryohei ignored them.
Sitting in the back row, his attention was locked on the glowing blue panel floating before his eyes.
"8,000 support points…"
"What should I do with them?"
The match against Taki Haginosuke had not been without reward.
At the very least, Ryohei had gained a deeper understanding of his current strength. With the two trump cards of [Accelerated Pass] and [Sight Guidance], his level was already comparable to Hyotei's regulars.
Of course, "comparable" didn't guarantee victory. Winning was another matter entirely.
That was why he had to keep improving. If he wanted to secure a spot as a regular before the regional qualifiers and play on the national stage, he needed more support points—and more power.
"System. Spend 8,000 support points to increase Kuroko Tetsuya's template progress."
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for consuming 8,000 support points!]
[Kuroko Tetsuya's template progress: 50% → 58%]
[Congratulations to the host for unlocking a new ability: Accelerated Return – Spiral Rotation!]
"Accelerated… spiral rotation?"
Ryohei blinked, then a grin spread across his face.
This was a stronger form of Kuroko's accelerated pass—adapted into tennis.
Even an ordinary accelerated return had overwhelmed Taki Haginosuke, who specialized in judging speed. And that had been without Ryohei's body at full physical potential.
If he kept building his fitness, the power of this new return shot would skyrocket.
He quickly checked the ability details:
[Accelerated Return – Spiral Rotation]
Like the spin of a bullet, the ball's rotation enhances stability and trajectory. By twisting the body and channeling force into the shot, the ball gains speed, penetration, and destabilizing power.
Can deflect the opponent's racket on contact.
Causes a strong numbing/paralyzing effect.
Twice as fast and powerful as an ordinary accelerated return.]
"Twice the speed and power… racket-deflecting… paralysis effect…"
"If I combine this with the near-invisibility of Sight Guidance…"
Ryohei clenched his fist, excitement burning in his eyes.
"My strength has taken another leap forward!"