**Weekend.**
It was time for the weekly grind again.
In the morning, after completing his basic tasks at Hyotei, Ishikawa headed to the street tennis courts.
"Dammit!"
Upon seeing Ishikawa arrive, the street players who had been praying he wouldn't show up couldn't help but curse inwardly.
However, despite their frustration, none of them dared to voice their complaints. They just silently vowed to never come back to this place after today.
Soon, the matches began.
Ishikawa unapologetically took the role of the challenger and swiftly defeated two groups of opponents who had foolishly hoped to take him down.
Seeing this, the others hesitated. No one wanted to step forward, knowing they'd likely lose.
Realizing he might have been too harsh and scared everyone off, Ishikawa smiled and said, "Alright, how about this? Any pair that challenges me three times today will get a personal coaching session from me."
Coaching?
The players exchanged doubtful glances. This mysterious "X" player didn't look much older than them, so his offer to coach them didn't seem very convincing.
Still, his skills were undeniable. And since the first two groups had already lost once, they figured they had nothing to lose by trying again.
One pair stepped up and challenged Ishikawa twice in a row. After their second defeat, Ishikawa kept his promise and pointed out the flaws in their footwork.
At first, the two were skeptical, but after trying Ishikawa's modified techniques, they immediately noticed smoother movements and better coordination.
"It's actually working?!"
The two were thrilled and quickly thanked Ishikawa for his guidance.
"Is this for real?"
The others were still doubtful. Someone muttered, "Are those two plants? Did he set this up?"
"Idiot, don't you recognize them?" another player shot back. "That's Yamazaki and Suzuki, veterans of the street courts. They're not plants!"
"Besides," someone else added, "what do we even have that's worth scamming? We're just a bunch of amateur players with no money. And all he's asking for is three matches in exchange for coaching. If anything, he's being generous!"
That made sense.
With their doubts cleared, the players eagerly lined up to challenge Ishikawa. And true to his word, every pair that lost to him three times received personalized advice.
Compared to a week ago, Ishikawa had not only grown stronger but also sharper in his insights. As someone nearing national-level skill, combined with his mastery of [Chess Strategy] to enhance his mental acuity, he could easily spot the weaknesses in his opponents and offer the most effective corrections.
The more he coached, the more the players respected him. They felt he was being incredibly kind to them.
The atmosphere became electric as everyone enthusiastically threw themselves into the challenges.
By noon, Ishikawa was exhausted from the constant matches and decided to take a break.
At 2 p.m., after lunch, he returned to find the street courts packed with nearly a hundred people, all holding rackets and ready to challenge him.
Seeing this, Ishikawa set new rules: each pair could only challenge him three times, and he would only offer one coaching session per day.
Even with these limitations, the players' enthusiasm didn't wane.
By 4 p.m., after a full day of matches, Ishikawa defeated the last pair and finished their coaching session. He let out a deep sigh.
"Finally, it's over."
He rubbed his sore arms and checked his experience points on the character panel. The grind had paid off, and his mood lifted slightly.
"At this rate, I should hit Level 30 in about two weeks."
Leveling up would give him plenty of skill points and valuable secondary profession points. Plus, this marathon of matches was also improving his stamina, maximizing the benefits of his grinding.
"It's about time to head back."
Ishikawa glanced at the sky. His weekend plans weren't just about grinding; he also needed to set aside time to practice his ancient martial arts.
This secondary profession was still at a low level and didn't require much experience to improve. For now, he could focus on training to level it up, and later use secondary profession points to maximize his gains.
"Are you leaving?"
Seeing Ishikawa pack up, the street players, led by Izumi and Bukawa, stood up and looked at him in unison.
The scene almost made it seem like a street gang was seeing off their leader.
"Yeah," Ishikawa nodded with a smile. "That's it for today. I'll be back at the same time tomorrow."
"I see..."
Though disappointed, Izumi and the others nodded.
From their initial disdain, to fear and resistance after being defeated, and now to respect and admiration, they had come to see Ishikawa almost as a mentor.
"Alright, see you tomorrow."
Ishikawa waved and slung his tennis bag over his shoulder, ready to leave.
"Wait!!"
But just then, a sharp voice called out from the steps.
"Hey, you."
A sweet female voice followed. "You can't just bully people and walk away like that, can you?"
Huh?
Ishikawa looked up to see three figures standing on the steps. In the middle was a girl with short brown hair, dressed in a blue-gray school uniform. On either side of her stood two boys in black jackets, their expressions cold.
"That voice... Oh no!"
The moment they heard the voice, Izumi and Bukawa felt a sinking feeling in their stomachs.
When they saw who it was, their hearts dropped.
Tachibana An!
At the end of last week, they had asked her to help them deal with Ishikawa, who they saw as a nuisance to the street courts.
After that, An hadn't shown up, and they thought she had forgotten about their request. But now, she had actually brought backup.
However, the situation had completely changed since then.
Everyone at the courts now held no resentment toward Ishikawa. Instead, they respected him for taking the time to coach them and help them improve.
"This is bad..."
Izumi and Bukawa exchanged worried glances.
"Uh, Tachibana, we appreciate your help, but..." Bukawa started, trying to explain.
"Don't worry," An interrupted, misinterpreting his hesitation as fear of Ishikawa's influence. "We've got this handled."
"Heh!"
The boy with wine-red hair, Kamio, smirked. "So you're the one they call 'X,' huh? I heard you're pretty strong. Let's see how good you really are!"
**[Ding!]**
At that moment, a system notification popped up in Ishikawa's mind.
**[New Quest: The Street King's Dignity]**
**[Quest Objective: Defeat the challengers and assert your dominance as the king of the street courts.]**
**[Reward: 500 EXP]**
**(End of Chapter)**