"Since when did Seiya learn to serve that insanely well behind our backs!?"
"Right? It's even stronger than Shinji's sidespin serve! He really kept that hidden from us—even from his own teammates!"
Seiya's serve had left everyone on the court stunned.
As the captain of Fudomine, Tachibana Kippei looked at the now wide-eyed Fuji across the court, arms folded as he muttered to himself, "Fuji Shuusuke, Seigaku's genius—definitely a formidable opponent. But if his rival is Seiya, then I can only say: even among geniuses, there are levels."
"30–0!"
"40–0!"
"This game is won by Fudomine's Wenren Seiya. The match score: 1–0."
As Seiya held his serve, the morale that had just begun to rise on Seigaku's side instantly plummeted again.
The one they had pinned their hopes on—Fuji Shuusuke—had lost four points in mere minutes, dropping the first game outright.
"Even Fuji-senpai can't return that guy's serve?"
"With a serve that fast, you can't even see the ball! How could anyone return that!?"
As Horio and Katsuo were lamenting in frustration, Ryoma chimed in calmly, "I think Fuji-senpai will be able to return it soon."
"Yeah, I agree," said Kikumaru. "Fuji's dynamic vision is really sharp. If even I and the little brat can barely see the ball, then Fuji should be able to as well—he just needs a bit of time to adjust."
Hearing that, the Seigaku members finally began to relax a little.
If Fuji could hold his serve and adapt to Seiya's serve speed over time, victory might still be within reach.
As the second game began, Fuji—now completely serious—opened his eyes fully. Gone was his usual easygoing smile; instead, his gaze was sharp, fixed firmly on his opponent, Seiya.
He knew from the first game alone—this opponent was strong.
Winning this game was crucial for Seigaku. Losing it was not an option.
Fuji's sister had once said that Fuji never played tennis for himself.
But whenever he did play with purpose—when something truly drove him—Fuji Shuusuke became terrifyingly strong.
Smack!
With a crisp, clean sound, Fuji's serve landed at the far corner of Seiya's court at a perfect angle.
The precise control drew murmurs of admiration from the crowd—"Beautiful!"
A ball like that would normally be an ace, no question.
But the next second, everyone gasped.
Seiya, who had been standing at the net a moment ago, had somehow appeared at the baseline and returned the ball flawlessly!
"When did he move back there!?"
While the spectators were still in shock, Fuji no longer had the luxury to think about it—Seiya's return had already come flying back at him, and it wasn't just a return—it was fast!
"A topspin, huh? In that case... I'll use that move."
He's strong. I can't afford to hold back. If I lose my serve, it'll be hard to recover later!
Fuji wasn't Momo; while Momo would need several games to adapt to a player like Seiya, Fuji succeeded on the first try.
Not only that—he returned Seiya's topspin with a sharp slice shot of his own.
As the ball crossed the net, it dipped sharply and then skimmed just above the ground as it landed.
"Point for Seigaku's Fuji! 15–0!"
"It's here! Fuji-senpai's Higuma Otoshi! (Swallow Return!)"
Watching the ball glide low across the court without bouncing up, Seigaku's members cheered with excitement.
On the other hand, the Fudomine players were stunned—they had never seen such an elegant technique before.
"Awesome! The opponent may have that 'Aragami Fang' shot or whatever, but Fuji-senpai's got his 'Swallow Return'! At least now, we've got a fighting chance!"
Seeing Fuji take a point, the Seigaku team was overjoyed, and Coach Ryuzaki finally let out a long sigh of relief.
But when she glanced at Fudomine's captain, Tachibana Kippei—arms folded, still composed as ever—her expression darkened again.
"It seems... the situation's worse than I thought."
Hearing Inui-senpai sigh beside her, Seigaku's members looked puzzled.
But Ryoma and Tezuka had already sensed it too.
"Fuji-senpai may have scored with the Swallow Return," Ryoma said, "but look at the other side—Fudomine's captain, and Seiya himself. Do they look the slightest bit worried to you?"
"The one playing singles for them is supposedly just a regular member," Tezuka added quietly. "If they lose this match, it's practically the same as losing the whole thing. Yet even after conceding a point, they're completely unfazed. That can only mean one thing—they haven't shown their real strength yet."
Ryoma's words made the excited Seigaku members fall silent again.
And before anyone could refute him, Seiya proved him right.
During Fuji's next serve, Seiya once again returned the ball with deliberate topspin.
Fuji didn't hesitate—he went for another Swallow Return.
He knew repeating the same move carried a risk—against someone like Seiya, there was every chance it'd be seen through.
But against Seiya's sheer speed and power, it was his only option.
"It's coming again! The Swallow Return!"
The crowd gasped as the ball dipped rapidly after crossing the net.
But in the next moment, they were even more shocked—Seiya, who had been at the baseline just an instant ago, suddenly burst forward at incredible speed and swung before the ball even hit the ground.
"He's going to hit it before it bounces!?"
Smack!
The sharp sound of contact echoed—and the next instant, the ball soared out of bounds, slamming into the chain fence.
"Out! Point for Seigaku's Fuji! 30–0!"
Seiya had managed to hit back the Swallow Return—but couldn't control the power, sending it out of court.
Even so, the entire Seigaku team was stunned.
Because it took him only one attempt to return the Swallow Return!
"That was a half-volley! To think that Fudomine's second-year player has mastered such an advanced technique..."
(End of Chapter)
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