"Thank you very much for the guidance, senpai!" Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji gave a small bow to the Mutsu brothers, then walked toward the bench with wry smiles on their faces.
Akashi watched the two as they returned, saying nothing. He clearly knew they had done their best. If their opponents hadn't been the Mutsu brothers, their chances of winning would've been much higher. Unfortunately, they had arranged a powerful matchup for themselves.
"That loss might affect your chances to compete in the World Tournament. You both realize that, right?" Akashi finally spoke up when he saw them standing before him with their heads lowered.
"Ah… I know. Half of this loss was because of our own arrogance. We thought we could gather all the opponents' data during the match," Yanagi said seriously.
"Data itself wasn't the problem. But our own strength is still too weak. Even if we don't make it to the World Tournament, it's to be expected. Right now, what matters most is improving our physical conditioning and raising our limits," Inui added after a moment of reflection.
"Since you both understand that, I have nothing more to say. Go take a break." Akashi nodded coolly, motioning for them to return to the players' bench.
On the other side, Byoudouin only gave a calm glance toward the Mutsu brothers and then looked away. The brothers didn't care either. In perfect sync, they walked back to the bench to recover their stamina.
"Now for the first singles match! Representing Japan, No. 14—Hakamada Izō! Versus the second-string selection's Liliadent Krauser! Both players, please enter the court!"
Krauser walked onto the court with a cold expression. Honestly, many middle schoolers didn't know much about Hakamada, because when they were second-years, he hadn't even been on the first string. He only made it onto the team this year as No. 14.
"I've heard people say you middle schoolers are strong. Some of you even sound like monsters. Let me see for myself just how strong today!" After the handshake, Hakamada spoke first with a slightly provocative tone.
"Oh? You sound pretty confident in your abilities. Let's hope you can keep that mindset when the match ends. Oh, and I'll let you serve first, senpai." Krauser suddenly gave a twisted smile, sounding condescending as he turned and walked to the baseline.
"You bastard…!" A vein bulged on Hakamada's forehead, but with Byoudouin and Akashi watching courtside, he could only swallow his anger.
"Best of three sets! Japan team to serve!" the umpire announced, automatically accepting Krauser's offer to give up the serve.
Fuming, Hakamada walked to the baseline, his expression growing dangerous. In his mind, he was already planning to give that rude little foreigner a harsh lesson. Judging by the look of him, the guy was probably just a half-Japanese outsider.
"Hakamada's already lost his cool from the start," Tanegashima said with a shake of his head, sounding bored from the spectator seats.
"Now now, Shūji, don't say that. He's still pretty strong. I couldn't beat him myself~" Irie suddenly appeared beside him, smiling cheerfully.
"You're about to play soon, right? You still have time to joke around, Kanata?" Tanegashima looked at his friend with a chuckle and a hint of exasperation.
"It's fine. I don't really have much chance of winning anyway~" Irie waved it off. Surprisingly, Byoudouin didn't snap at him—he just gave a cold snort and shifted his gaze back to the court.
"This serve is my little show of senpai kindness—don't collapse, okay? Vanish!" Hakamada tossed the ball high, crossed his arms in the air, then drew a half-circle and swung down with his left hand in a violent smash.
The tennis ball spun at high speed and flew over the net. After bouncing, it kicked up a cloud of dust so thick that it completely blocked Krauser's vision. Only the sound of the ball scraping along the ground could be heard.
Suddenly, a flash of yellow shot out from the dust cloud and zipped past the side of Krauser's face, nearly striking him in the head. But Krauser's expression didn't change. Only his eyes grew sharper.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"Next time, I won't hold back, you damn foreign brat!" Hakamada growled after scoring.
"So this is your style of tennis? Sounds perfect for me," Krauser grinned darkly, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Heh, bluffing, huh? That doesn't work on me! Vanish!" Ignoring Krauser's words, Hakamada grabbed another ball and tossed it up again, this time smashing it even harder than the first.
Once the ball crossed the net and bounced, it stirred up an even larger dust cloud, completely covering Krauser's half of the court. It was now impossible to see the ball with the naked eye.
From within the dust cloud, the tennis ball spun violently, slithering across the court like a snake. Using the swirling dust as cover, it darted toward Krauser's feet and then suddenly sprang up just as it got close. But Krauser only tilted his head slightly, calmly dodging the ball.
"Ace! 30-0!"
"You dodged it?! Looks like you're not just all talk!" Hakamada's gaze sharpened slightly, though he still felt confident in his tennis.
"What's Krauser doing? He should be able to return serves like that easily," Sanada muttered with a frown, confused.
"He's adjusting. In a way, Hakamada's tennis is very similar to the style he used to play," Kite explained, adjusting his glasses. But a cold glint flickered in his eyes.
"Looks like Liliadent's been holding back for a while. I guess he's decided to have some fun this match. Let him do as he pleases," Akashi said casually from the bench, having already figured out what Krauser was up to.
"Ace! 40-0!"
"Game! Japan Team! 1-0!"
Hakamada served two more Vanish shots, but Krauser dodged them just as easily. Although Hakamada was slightly annoyed, he still managed to hold his service game.
"You're pretty good at dodging, huh? But that won't win you the match, foreign brat!" Hakamada taunted after scoring.
"I kinda miss playing this style. Hope this match lasts a bit longer," Krauser said cryptically before heading to the baseline.
Standing at the baseline, Krauser wore a faintly mocking smile, but his hands moved steadily. He tossed the ball and fired off a high-speed serve straight toward Hakamada's left sideline.
"Looks like your strength doesn't quite measure up to the others~ Vanish!" Hakamada laughed as he sprinted to the landing point, smacking the ball back with a heavy spin, sending it straight back toward Krauser's side.
Once again, the court filled with dust. Krauser seemed to lose sight of the ball, wandering randomly as if unable to track it. The ball slipped right past his side.
"0-15!"
"Huh? He dodged it again?" Even Hakamada frowned at this, but Krauser had already launched his second serve, leaving no time to think.
Seeing another ordinary high-speed serve, Hakamada started to wonder if the second-stringers had decided to give up on this singles match. After all, they wouldn't send someone this weak into a real match, would they? He had heard rumors last year about how strong the middle schoolers at the training camp were, but never saw them himself.
Back then, most of the middle schoolers were spending their time at the Cliff of Heart. They only came to the training camp occasionally for matches with first-stringers. They rarely interacted with players from other courts.
And the only one who had been a full-time presence at the camp was Akashi, since he was officially part of the first string. With a No. 3 rank, even the high schoolers didn't dare mess with him. So Hakamada didn't know much about the true strength of the middle schoolers.
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
"Game! Japan Team! 2-0!"
Hakamada quickly used his specialty Vanish serve to take the second game as well. That made him even more certain the middle schoolers had abandoned the singles matches tactically. They were probably saving their top players for the top 10.
"Just as I thought. This match is gonna be boring," Hakamada muttered to himself, already losing interest.
And just like he imagined, Krauser's performance was average at best. Hakamada even stopped using Vanish, since it put too much strain on his shoulder.
"Game! Japan Team! 3-0!"
"Game! Japan Team! 4-0!"
"Game! Japan Team! 5-0!"
In no time at all, five games had passed. Hakamada easily took them all, though there wasn't a hint of satisfaction on his face. It was a match with a foregone conclusion.
The sixth game was Krauser's service game. He walked to the baseline, face as calm as ever. Despite losing five straight games, there was no frustration or regret in his expression. Just as Hakamada was about to end the match quickly, Krauser—about to serve—spoke up:
"Those five games were my welcome gift to you, senpai. Now, I hope you'll enjoy what comes next."