"What's going on?"
Seeing Kamio frozen in place, Tachibana An instinctively furrowed her brows. She couldn't understand why he hadn't returned the shot.
"Hmm."
At that moment, Ibu muttered, "If I'm not mistaken, that return just now hit Kamio's blind spot."
"Blind spot?"
An was shocked. "Are you serious?"
But Ibu didn't answer. Instead, he continued muttering to himself, "Impressive. He actually saw through Kamio's blind spot in an instant."
"Or maybe it was just luck."
"Either way, it doesn't matter. If the match continues, we'll find out if it was really a fluke."
On the court, Kamio, who had just lost a point, visibly grimaced.
"Again!"
He glared at Ishikawa, then retreated to the baseline and served again.
*Thud!*
The ball landed, and at the same time, a figure appeared at the landing spot.
"So fast!"
Kamio was startled.
This time, he hadn't rushed to the net, wanting to observe his opponent's movements. But as soon as he looked up, Ishikawa was already at the ball's landing spot.
How could anyone be that fast?
*Thud!*
Ishikawa swung his racket, sending the ball to Kamio's backhand side. The shot was fast, and the placement was tricky.
"Nice shot!"
The street court players cheered from the sidelines.
"Hmph, you think a shot like that can pressure me?"
Kamio sneered inwardly, then sprinted toward the ball's landing spot.
*Thud!*
He caught up to the ball and smashed it back with a powerful shot.
"See that? Don't think a shot like that can beat me!"
He was absolutely confident in his speed. In all of Fudomine, only their captain, Tachibana Kyōsuke, could outpace him.
*Thud!*
But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Ishikawa sent the ball to the opposite side.
"This guy..."
Kamio's expression stiffened.
He gritted his teeth and sprinted again, managing to return the ball just before it bounced twice.
"Pant... pant..."
Two intense sprints without a moment to catch his breath left Kamio feeling suffocated and exhausted.
*Thud!*
But then, Ishikawa smashed the ball back again.
"Dammit!"
Seeing the ball coming at him with no loss of speed, Kamio pushed himself to the limit and sprinted once more.
*Tap!*
He barely managed to return the ball, but due to his poor positioning and exhaustion, the shot was weak and arced high into the air.
"Oh no!"
Seeing this, An and Ibu's expressions changed.
*Thud!*
Sure enough, Ishikawa easily returned the weak shot with a flat drive, sending it straight down the center line of Kamio's service box.
Kamio could only watch helplessly as the ball flew past him.
"0-30!"
"Weren't you confident in your speed?" Ishikawa teased, seeing Kamio's狼狈 (disheveled) state. "What's wrong? Can't keep up after just a few rounds?"
"You..."
Kamio raised his racket, pointing it at Ishikawa, but the words caught in his throat.
There was no point in trash-talking. After being thoroughly outplayed in two consecutive points, any bravado would only make him look worse.
Clenching his fists, Kamio silently walked back to the service line, took a deep breath, and served again.
"Kamio's already lost."
Outside the court, Ibu shook his head. "He's fallen into his opponent's trap. His rhythm is completely disrupted."
"How... how did this happen?"
An looked bewildered.
This was Kamio, one of Fudomine's regulars and a key player. How could he be so thoroughly dominated so early in the match?
"Ibu?"
An turned to see Ibu taking off his jacket. "What are you doing?"
"Yeah."
Placing his jacket on the steps, Ibu began stretching and warming up.
It was clear—he was preparing to step in.
*Thud!*
Sure enough, not long after, the umpire's voice rang out: "Game over! X wins!"
*Thud!*
Kamio, who hadn't scored a single point and had been completely outplayed, knelt on the ground, his eyes blank, unable to accept the result.
**[Ding!]**
**[Player has defeated elite player Kamio Akira. Reward: 100 EXP.]**
A single game.
The experience points were reduced to one-sixth of the usual amount. Based on the EXP, Kamio's level and skill were slightly below Hiyoshi's.
"Kamio."
Ibu, now holding his racket, walked to the edge of the court. "Go rest. I'll take care of him."
"Uh... okay."
Kamio reluctantly got up, his face pale as he walked off the court.
When he saw An nearby, his pale face flushed with shame. "A-An... I'm sorry, I..."
"It's fine."
An shook her head, comforting him. "Just rest. Don't dwell on the match too much."
"But..."
The more she tried to reassure him, the more ashamed Kamio felt.
"Enough."
Seeing Kamio's reaction, An grew impatient. "Let's watch the match. I wonder if Ibu can beat him."
"I-Ibu?"
Hearing An's casual use of Ibu's first name, Kamio's eyes widened in disbelief.
Normally, he wouldn't have cared. Everyone called each other by their first names in private.
But now, after losing so badly, Kamio was hypersensitive. He clenched his fists tightly, his gaze fixed on Ibu.
*Tap! Tap! Tap!*
Meanwhile, Ibu lightly bounced the tennis ball, completely absorbed in his own world. He didn't hear the umpire's questions or notice Kamio's strange look.
He was observing Ishikawa.
Analyzing his stance, calculating where to serve and how much spin to apply.
"My opponent is strong."
"If he could dominate Kamio so easily, his skill is far beyond what he's shown. Hiding my abilities would be pointless."
"In that case..."
With that thought, Ibu tossed the ball into the air, leaped, and swung his racket with precision.
*Thud!*
The ball, carrying intense spin, arced sharply through the air and landed near Ishikawa's right outer corner.
"Such a fast serve!"
The street players, including Izumi and Bukawa, were stunned.
*Whoosh!*
But before they could react, the ball, after bouncing, suddenly curved sharply and shot toward Ishikawa's upper body.
"What?!"
Everyone's expressions changed.
The spin on that shot was insane!
"It's here."
Seeing the sharp curve of the ball, An's eyes lit up. "Ibu's... side-spin serve!"
"He's got this!"
Kamio nodded in agreement, now back to his usual self. He was confident in Ibu's serve. "Ibu's side-spin serve isn't easy to return, especially on the first try. Huh?!"
But the next moment, his eyes widened in shock.
*Thud!*
A faint yellow streak exploded at Ibu's feet.
At the same time, Ibu's usually cold and indifferent expression twisted into one of utter disbelief.
His side-spin serve... had been broken so easily?!
**(End of Chapter)**