Just as he was about to receive the ball, Rito felt a surge of excitement.
But in the next moment, to his utter shock, the tennis ball in the air deviated from its original trajectory. Instead of hitting his racket, it flew straight towards his face!
"Ah..."
The spectating students cried out in alarm. On the court, Rito was hit squarely by the tennis ball, and with a cry of pain, he fell to the ground.
"Oww... It hurts, it hurts..."
No one expected such a thing to happen. Under the tense and shocked gazes of the crowd, Rito slowly climbed up from the ground.
The ball had hit the right side of his face. Although he wasn't seriously injured, it left a red ball mark, and his entire right cheek was slightly swollen.
"Hahahaha... Did that Rito guy play himself stupid? He actually ran into the tennis ball!"
"Hmph, I think he was just staring at Haruna-chan like an idiot. What kind of moron runs into the ball themselves?"
"Yeah, yeah, I think so too. Rito-kun usually seems so honest, I didn't expect him to be this kind of person. I really misjudged him."
...
The surroundings became noisy again. With everyone chiming in, the boys wore looks of contempt and mockery. The girls, though initially puzzled, began to look at Rito with suspicion and disgust after hearing the boys' comments.
As Rito's friend, Saruyama stood among the boys, sighed, and shook his head helplessly. Rito, oh Rito, he thought, these guys were already jealous enough of you. Why couldn't you have done better instead of giving them an excuse to slander and mock you...
"Rito-kun, are you okay?"
Ignoring what everyone else in the class was saying, Haruna ran over anxiously, checking his injuries while asking with concern and guilt.
"Hahaha... Sairenji-san, you're really amazing. I completely lost."
"Don't worry, Sairenji-san, I'm fine, I'm fine."
Although the mocking words stung, seeing Haruna's worried and concerned expression because of him, Rito felt it was all worth it.
Haruna-chan is worrying about me... This is pure happiness...
Though it had only been a short while, the red ball mark on his face had already faded quite a bit. Seeing that Rito was still smiling foolishly and seemed to be okay, Haruna breathed a small sigh of relief.
She knew Rito's character well, and no one knew better than her that what just happened was just an "accident." Although she didn't think badly of him because of the boys' deliberate slandering, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Rito-kun was indeed a very good boy—gentle, considerate, honest, and persistent in what he believed in, no matter the obstacle. He was so much better than the other arrogant boys in class who only knew how to mock others.
But, it would be even better if Rito-kun wasn't so useless...
I'm not asking you to have outrageous grades like Sora-kun, nor am I asking you to be amazing at sports. But can't you at least show one or two strengths? Do you have to be so average that the only impression you give is 'useless' or 'more useless'?!!
Rather than being disappointed in him, Haruna's feelings were more of a sigh of "hating iron for not becoming steel"...
"Rito-kun, are you okay? What exactly happened just now?"
It was Sora's voice. He squeezed through with Risa and Mio and asked with a concerned look.
"Sora-san, I'm fine. My eyes just got blurry for a moment... haha... hahaha..."
Scratching his head with a little embarrassment, Rito was deeply moved as a warm feeling spread through him. While everyone else was mocking and doubting him, Sora was the first to show concern.
In truth, Rito was also confused. He was sure he could have received Haruna-chan's serve, so why did the ball suddenly change direction in mid-air?
He couldn't figure it out, and rather than suspecting something that violated the laws of physics, Rito preferred to believe his eyes had just been playing tricks on him.
Nodding, Sora said no more. Beside him, Risa and Mio pursed their lips, speechless. To have your vision blur on a ball that big, this Rito was really something else.
"Rito-kun, I've warmed up now. Let me have a match with Sairenji-san."
"Risa-san, Mio-san, I'll leave Rito-kun in your care."
Picking up the racket Rito had been using, Sora addressed the three with a smile.
Rito felt a little disappointed. Sora-kun had gone to the trouble of creating this opportunity for him, only for him to waste it. His pathetic performance not only failed to prove anything to Haruna-chan, but she was probably very disappointed in him now.
Rito didn't blame the boys who took the chance to mock him, and he certainly couldn't blame Sora who had helped and cared for him. He only blamed himself for being too useless...
Although Risa and Mio weren't very interested in Rito, since it was a request from Sora, they naturally wouldn't refuse. They flanked him and escorted him off the court.
Following the two girls step by step, Rito didn't resist, just hung his head with his fists clenched, seeming to have made up his mind about something...
"Rito-kun..."
Watching Rito's departing back, a complex expression flashed in Haruna's eyes...
…
"Sairenji-san, do you still want to play against me? If you're tired or not in the mood, we can stop anytime!"
Swinging the racket in his hand to get a feel for it, Sora spoke to Haruna with a grin.
"Of course, we're playing. But Sora-kun, are you all warmed up?"
Gathering her thoughts, she snapped back to reality. The incident with Rito was just a small interlude; she hadn't forgotten that her real target was Sora.
But remembering that Sora hadn't warmed up at all and was just teasing her, the usually reserved Haruna couldn't help but let out a small, sarcastic huff.
"Hahahaha... Warmed up, warmed up! Since you say so, Sairenji-san, let's begin."
Laughing it off and pretending not to hear the sarcasm in her voice, Sora actually found her previous reaction quite cute.
Seeing him still playing dumb, the girl huffed internally but returned to her side of the court to prepare.
The incident with Rito was already forgotten. Everyone's attention was once again focused on Sora and Haruna on the court.
Both Haruna and Sora were very popular among the girls in the class. The girls couldn't decide who to cheer for, but they were all incredibly excited, shouting "Go, Haruna-chan!" one moment and "Go, Sora-kun!" the next.
The boys, naturally, were cheering for Haruna-chan, but they booed Sora with immense jealousy. The sound of their jeers was even louder than it had been for Rito.
Seeing Rito from the sidelines giving him a look of shared suffering, as if comforting him and telling him not to mind, Sora chuckled and shrugged with an indifferent expression.
With Sora's state of mind, he naturally wouldn't get angry over a few kids booing him. In fact, he found them rather amusing. It was precisely because of their envy and hatred that he would feel a greater sense of accomplishment when he blew their minds in a moment!
"Sairenji-san, I'm very good, you know. And even though you're a girl that everyone likes, and we're deskmates, don't expect me to go easy on you."
Looking at the girl across the court, Sora bounced the ball and spoke with a smile.
"Sora-kun, you're certainly confident. And you'd better be as good as you say, otherwise don't come crying when you lose later."
Even the good-tempered Haruna couldn't help but get a little fired up by the great Demon King Sora. He was so handsome and popular with the girls in class, but how could he have absolutely no gentlemanly grace?!!
She felt that Sora and Rito were two completely different types of people. Rito-kun was gentle and humble, while Sora was confident and lazy, with a bit of a dark and domineering side.
It was natural for her to have some good feelings for Rito-kun, but what stunned Haruna was that, despite her outwardly annoyed expression, deep down she felt no aversion to Sora at all...
"Crying..."
Sora found it amusing. To think she wanted him, of all people, to cry. This girl really had an imagination.
Feeling the time was about right, Sora smiled and said no more. Although there was still a long road ahead, today was the first step in conquering the girl before him.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Sora tossed the ball into the air and hit it with a seemingly ordinary and casual motion.
Although the boys were jealous and disdainful of him, and the other girls were simply infatuated, Haruna, whose mind was still replaying the scene of Sora flashing into the air to kick the principal away, knew that he definitely had some unknown secret. He was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.
Every nerve in her body was tensed to the extreme. In truth, the girl also had a side that refused to admit defeat. Sora-kun slept through class every day, yet his exam scores were better than hers, even with all her hard work.
Just as Rito wanted to prove himself to Haruna, the reason she had invited Sora to play was not only to take the opportunity to break the stiff deskmate relationship they'd had but also to prove herself to him!
Watching the tennis ball whistle towards her, leaving a long afterimage, Haruna moved quickly, calculating the ball's landing spot and bounce direction. Just as she was swinging her racket to return his serve, the next moment, a scene that stunned her and all the spectators unfolded—
Sora's serve was aimed at the right side of the court. After bouncing, the ball should have naturally rebounded to the right. But to everyone's astonishment, after the tennis ball bounced, it flew towards the left!
Haruna stood frozen in place, looking completely lost and bewildered. All she could do was let the tennis ball whistle past her on the left. The unexpected event left her brain unable to react at all!
You could hear a pin drop. The entire scene was deathly silent. Seeing everyone's dumbfounded expressions, a triumphant curve formed on Sora's lips.
He was using the Twist Serve of a guy named Echizen Ryoma from a world dominated by tennis. If he couldn't even stun a bunch of kids with this, then this Sora could really just go and die.
"Point, Sora-kun! 15-love."
"Amazing... So amazing..."
"Oh my god, is that really tennis? It's like a special effect from a movie!"
"Yeah, I could understand it if it were table tennis, but this is the first time I've ever seen a tennis ball do that..."
...
Finally snapping back to reality, the girl acting as referee announced Sora's point with great excitement, while the other students gasped in amazement.
The boys forgot their jealousy and mockery of Sora, and the girls' infatuation with him grew even more feverish...
"Sairenji-san, no need to look so incredulous. It's actually quite simple. I just used a little trick when I served to make the ball spin at high speed. The shear force generated by the friction between the spinning ball and the ground caused it to change direction after bouncing. Simple and scientific, right?"
Looking at the still-shocked girl, Sora shouldered his racket and spoke with a grin.
Snapping back, Haruna's eye twitched, and she was speechless.
Although what you said sounds scientific, it'd be a miracle if it were really that simple!
A tennis ball isn't a light object like a ping-pong ball. To make it spin at high speed requires not only precise grip and serving angle but also explosive power far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Although it was theoretically possible, very few people could actually do it. At least, Haruna and everyone else present had never seen anyone else do it before!
"Sairenji-san, I told you I was very good. Do you still want to continue?"
Looking at the girl across from him, Sora asked again with a smile.
"Hah..."
Taking a deep breath, Haruna tried to calm herself.
"Sora-kun, I want to continue. So, please!"
A strange light flashed in her eyes. The girl bowed to Sora, her tone filled with sincerity and determination.
"Heh... Since you've said so yourself, then I won't be polite."
"In my eyes, you are no worse than any boy, so I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl. If you're prepared, then please look forward to being properly bullied by me!"
His eyes narrowed with a wicked expression. Sora's voice sent a slight tremor through the girl's body and soul. She straightened up and looked at him, her lively eyes sparkling with a unique light...