The so-called street tennis court was a public facility, but since this was a world of tennis, it naturally attracted a large crowd.
Because the lighting was bright and this particular court was rather famous in the area, many people with decent skill often came here to show off. Over time, the place had become a popular hotspot.
As night slowly fell, Seiya noticed that aside from him and An Tachibana, there were plenty of other young couples on dates and even a few people skateboarding nearby. The tennis court sat right in the center of the square, surrounded by onlookers—it was indeed a perfect stage for anyone wanting to show off.
"So this is what you meant by 'a place full of hidden masters'? Those guys on the court don't even look like middle schoolers. Seems like your plan to gather information isn't going too well."
An had claimed earlier that the street court had some strong players, so Seiya had watched a few matches carefully. But after a while, he realized that everyone playing there was only average—maybe not complete amateurs, but barely above the level of casual players.
Still, any place that attracted show-offs inevitably had its main characters.
Just as Seiya was losing interest and about to leave, two students carrying tennis bags—one tall, one short—appeared at the court. The shorter one wore a cap, while the taller had a head of spiky black hair that stood out even under the lights.
Once the two got on the court, their strong serves and returns quickly earned them ten consecutive wins, drawing everyone's attention like a magnet.
The rule for this street court was simple: one game to decide the winner, the challenger serves, and only doubles matches were allowed.
Seeing the pair dominate the field, An's eyes widened in surprise.
Even though she had confidently told Seiya earlier that there were skilled players here, she knew full well that most of them were nowhere near the level of the top tennis schools' players. She used to come here often, but she had never seen this pair before.
"I can't believe it—you were actually right this time. There really are regional tournament players showing up here."
The Prince of Tennis was a long series, and Seiya couldn't remember every single match or character, but he still remembered the main storylines and the more iconic ones.
When Seiya spoke up, An gave him a puzzled look.
"They're the official members of Seigaku's tennis team—our rivals in the regional tournament.
"The short one with the cap is a first-year—Echizen Ryoma. Don't be fooled by him always using his right hand; he's actually left-handed. He's short, but man, does he love to show off.
"The spiky-haired one is Momoshiro Takeshi, a second-year. He's known for his bullet serve and slam dunk smash—great explosiveness and reflexes, but a bit hot-headed."
An blinked, completely stunned.
This was beyond unbelievable—not only did Seiya know their names, but he also knew their personalities and signature techniques. If she hadn't known him since their first year and shared the same class all along, she might've thought he was a Seigaku spy.
"They're Seigaku's doubles players?" she asked curiously.
"Doubles? No way. They're both powerful singles players. Seigaku's doubles lineup is actually pretty weak, and the two of them together? Absolute disaster.
"The only reason they look strong right now is because their opponents are too weak. If they faced an actual solid doubles team, they'd get schooled fast."
Almost as soon as Seiya finished speaking, a pair named Izumi and Fukagawa stepped onto the court to challenge them.
Though Seiya thought their skills were nothing special, the two had great teamwork. It didn't take long before they exploited Ryoma and Momoshiro's lack of coordination and dominated them—ending in a quick defeat and even some mocking from the crowd.
"They're both strong individually, but their doubles play is a mess," someone commented.
"Seiya, could you have been mistaken? If this is the level of the top-seeded school in the regional tournament, that's... pretty disappointing."
Ryoma and Momoshiro, though unwilling to admit defeat, had no choice but to leave the court. But just as they turned away, a certain girl's voice from the crowd made them both stop in their tracks.
Seiya sighed and turned toward the culprit—An—who was sticking her tongue out playfully. "We just happened to run into Seigaku's regulars. Don't you want to test their skills a bit? You could even collect some intel."
Ever since learning who they were, An had been itching with curiosity.
But since the street court only allowed single-game matches, and Izumi and Fukawa weren't strong enough to push Seigaku's pair, she had purposely provoked them.
"...Please take back what you said just now," Momoshiro said flatly.
"You sure talk big. How about we settle this with a match?" Ryoma added, smirking.
Ding! An has used "Provocation" on Seigaku's first-year Echizen Ryoma and second-year Momoshiro Takeshi.
Ding! It's super effective!
If the ones here had been Seigaku's third-years, her taunt probably wouldn't have worked so well—but against hot-headed first and second years? It was devastating.
Seeing Seiya remain silent, both Ryoma and Momoshiro grew irritated. Clearly, they thought he was the one who had mocked them, and now he was just too cowardly to step up.
"Wait a second! You've got it all wrong—the one who trashed you was her, not me!" Seiya said, pointing at An helplessly. "If you want to prove yourselves, challenge her! I'm just a random bystander here!"
But the two didn't seem convinced. Their eyes locked on Seiya as if he were the real offender.
"Why me?! I didn't even say anything!" Seiya groaned inwardly. "Is it just because I look stronger or something?"
Just as he was about to sneak away to avoid unnecessary trouble, An suddenly clung to his arm and declared with a bright smile, "We're both from Fudoumine Middle School—and we're also your opponents in the regional tournament."
(End of Chapter)
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