Out on the sidelines, Shiba Saori continuously snapped photos with her DSLR camera, her brows furrowed in concern. "Senpai, Seigaku has already lost both doubles matches. If they lose in Singles 3 as well, then Fudomine will take the victory for this tournament."
Because she was more familiar with Seigaku's members, Saori actually hoped Seigaku would win.
But looking at the current situation, anyone with eyes could see—they were being pushed to the edge.
"I didn't expect even Seigaku's Golden Pair to lose… Fudomine is far stronger than I imagined. And their playstyle… it's as if they know Seigaku's players inside and out."
Inoue couldn't hide his shock.
He had thought Fudomine, no matter how much of a dark horse they were, would at best be evenly matched with Seigaku.
But now, the match had turned completely one-sided.
And if Fudomine's Singles 3 happened to be that Wenren Seiya...
"Next up, the Singles 3 match! Fudomine Junior High's Kamio Akira versus Seishun Academy's Echizen Ryoma!"
When the umpire announced the players' names, both teams cheered their players on.
"Akira! Your opponent's just a first-year! Beat him, and Fudomine wins the regional championship!"
"Echizen, don't you dare lose! You know what's at stake—we can't drop another match!"
"Do your best, Ryoma! x5!"
Under the cheers of his teammates—Momoshiro and the other first-years—Ryoma calmly picked up his racket and stepped onto the court.
"Can't believe Seigaku is entrusting the decisive match to a first-year brat."
Arrogant as ever, Kamio sneered when he saw his opponent was a small-statured underclassman.
But as it turned out, someone on the other side was even more arrogant than him.
"Honestly, I'd rather play against that Wenren guy over there than waste time with you. You're not even close to his level."
Of course, Kamio had already been briefed on Ryoma's playstyle—courtesy of Seiya's intelligence.
At the start, Kamio relied on his rhythm advantage to take the first game.
However, compared to players like Momoshiro, Ryoma and Tezuka were all-rounders with almost no weaknesses.
And Ryoma—being the story's protagonist—naturally came equipped with plot armor.
After an intense hour-long rally, Kamio eventually fell victim to that very power of destiny and lost the match.
With Ryoma's win in Singles 3, the overall score now stood at 2–1.
Seigaku's previously slumped morale reignited like a spark catching fire.
"Nice! Echizen pulled it off! Fudomine's aces have already played in doubles. For Singles 2 and Singles 1, there's no way Fuji-senpai and the captain would ever lose!"
Seeing Ryoma's victory, Momoshiro cheered loudly along with the other first-years. The earlier doubles losses had weighed heavily on him—but now, things seemed to be turning around.
After all, no one at Seigaku could imagine Fuji or Tezuka losing a match.
Even Coach Ryuzaki finally exhaled in relief.
"You guys are celebrating a bit too early, don't you think, Momoshiro from Seigaku?"
Momoshiro turned around to see a familiar face. "You're that girl—Tachibana's sister, the one who was with Wenren Seiya last time…"
"My name is Tachibana An, a second-year from Fudomine! I'm not someone's sister, and I'm definitely not 'that girl who's always with Seiya'… Anyway, that's not what's important right now. What matters is that Seigaku is about to lose this match."
An's confident declaration immediately earned her a series of hostile glares from Seigaku's bench.
Kaidoh, whose temper was already explosive and whose presence was downright intimidating, snarled, "What did you say!? Say that again if you dare!"
But An didn't flinch. Arms crossed, she said coolly, "Sure, Seigaku pulled one back—but it's still Fudomine's match point. Fuji Shuusuke and Tezuka Kunimitsu are indeed formidable opponents. However… the next player representing us is Seiya."
"If it's him, then no matter who the opponent is—he will not lose!"
An's faith in Seiya wasn't blind. Though, yes, girls in love tended to see things through rose-colored lenses—she had personally witnessed Seiya's true strength.
That night after returning from the street tennis courts, she and her brother visited the Wenren household again.
There, her brother Tachibana Kippei faced Seiya on his private tennis court.
During that match, Kippei had made up his mind—he went all out, unleashing the full might of one of Kyushu's former "Twin Kings."
Yet, despite giving everything he had, the match ended in a devastating 6–1 defeat.
That single game was all Kippei could take from Seiya.
It was then that both Kippei and An finally understood the sheer terror of Seiya's ability.
Kippei's strength was already at the national tournament level—top ten among all middle schoolers in Japan.
And even so, he was completely overwhelmed.
So now, with Fudomine already holding two wins before Seiya had even played, An had not the slightest doubt in her heart—they would not lose this final match.
"Now commencing the Singles 2 match between Fudomine Junior High and Seishun Academy! The server—Fudomine's Wenren Seiya!"
As the umpire's announcement rang out, everyone's attention turned to the court.
The moment Seiya tossed the ball high into the air, Ryoma and Momoshiro's eyes sharpened.
"It's coming—the serve!"
"Wenren Style, Form One—Storm Fang!"
Boom—!
A powerful gust of wind erupted across the court as the ball was struck. The sound cracked like thunder—an explosive boom echoing through the arena.
By the time the spectators even registered the sound, the ball was already rolling past Fuji's baseline.
"Fifteen–love."
Even the umpire looked momentarily stunned—clearly rattled by the sheer speed and force of Seiya's serve.
"What the hell was that!? Did anyone even see the ball just now!?"
"I knew he was strong, but this—this is insane!"
"No way… even in broad daylight, we can't see the ball at all! So it wasn't because the lighting was bad last night…"
(End of Chapter)
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