"My weakness? That's pretty interesting~" Irie didn't care about losing the point. Instead, he smiled at Kite as he spoke.
"Oh? Rather than saying he saw through Irie's weakness, it's more accurate to say he used the Dark Side to catch a gap in the Black Hole~" Mitsuya said thoughtfully from the bench.
"That's true. Even with his Alternate Dimension, Kanata can't fully cover the entire court with the Black Hole. For the opponent to manage that… as expected from someone at the same school as Akashi-chan~" Tanegashima raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement.
"But I think Irie is about to lose." Mitsuya suddenly said something that left Tanegashima and the others puzzled.
On court, Kite slowly walked to the baseline, taking a ball to prepare for his serve. Across from him, Irie's Alternate Dimension aura suddenly spiked, the range of the Black Hole rapidly expanding. Kite's expression grew tense, already calculating how to use the Dark Side again to find a weakness—but then something completely unexpected happened.
Irie's pupils shrank violently, his face turning pale. He clutched his mouth with his right hand as if to stop himself from vomiting, but even so, blood gushed through the gaps of his fingers.
"Kanata!!!" Tanegashima was the first to stand, his voice sharp with urgency.
Half-kneeling on the ground, Irie heard Tanegashima's shout. He immediately raised his blood-covered hand, signaling him not to come closer, while his left hand used the racket to support his body.
"Damn… no choice… didn't think… it would reach the limit so soon… I really overdid it this time~" Irie forced a bitter smile, his words breaking apart as he spoke.
"Impossible! The Black Hole shouldn't cause any harm to Irie-senpai!" Tokugawa said in disbelief from the sideline.
"Normally, yes. But earlier, Irie was struck several times by the Dark Side. He must've taken internal damage. With the full burst of his Alternate Dimension on top of that, his body gave out first!" Oni said grimly as he stepped behind Tokugawa.
Byōdōin cast a cold glance at Irie, kneeling on the court, brows furrowed but staying silent. Ōmagari, Kimijima, and the others looked worried, yet none of them spoke, quietly waiting to see what would happen.
"Irie boy! Can you still continue?" Mifune asked from the coach's seat, his tone indifferent.
Irie struggled to stand, trying to speak, but his steps faltered and he nearly collapsed again. With a face full of bitterness and unwillingness, he shook his head at Mifune. Seeing this, Mifune didn't push further and simply waved to the umpire.
"Since Irie Kanata is unable to continue, I declare the match over! Second string selection wins! Total score 2-0!"
As soon as the announcement was made, Tanegashima and Tokugawa rushed onto the court. They each supported Irie from one side, carefully helping him to the bench before hurrying to find the medical staff.
Just then, a voice tinged with amusement reached Irie's ear.
"So, how does the taste of food coloring feel? Maybe next time I can change up the flavor for you~"
"Yare yare~ so it's been exposed after all? Still, Mitsuya-kun, I'll just take your good intentions—I won't trouble you further~" Irie, weak and pale, replied faintly. No one else could hear their exchange.
"Heh~ you really go to great lengths just to draw out your opponent's potential~" Mitsuya chuckled, unfazed, and continued.
"Of course. I take good care of my juniors, after all." Irie admitted directly without denial.
Meanwhile, back on the bench, Kite didn't look especially happy, even showing a trace of disappointment. But it wasn't dissatisfaction with the result. After all, the winner of the match was still him.
Akashi glanced subtly at the weakened Irie. With the Emperor Eye, he could clearly see the man's physical state. Obviously, Irie had deliberately conceded, though for reasons unknown.
Even if much of it was an act, Irie had indeed taken some damage. So when the medical staff arrived, he was carried off to the infirmary. Mitsuya shook his head with a faint smile, then rolled his shoulders, stood up, and walked slowly toward the court with his racket in hand.
On the other side, Kintarō's face had lost its usual excitement. His small face was filled with seriousness as he carefully pulled out a rather plain-looking racket from his cloth pouch. The frame edges showed slight wear.
"Granny! I said I'd become the number one tennis player in Japan! This is the most important first step, so I'll use your racket to make it real!" Kintarō looked at the racket in his hand, his tone deadly serious. At the same time, Granny Sugi's words echoed in his mind.
"Wild brat, remember this! In tennis, as long as you read the opponent's moves and seize the key chance ball, whether it's singles or doubles, you can conquer the whole world!"
"Come on! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!" Kintarō suddenly shouted, pumping himself up.
Watching him, Ryōma felt a strange sense of distance. To him, Kintarō had always been that overly simple, airheaded guy. This serious expression on his face felt oddly out of place.
"Go show everyone through tennis! You'll have an endless future, Kintarō!" Akashi spoke up suddenly, his voice reaching Kintarō.
"Up next is the third singles match! Japan Team No. 17 Mitsuya Akuto versus Second String Selection Kintarō Tōyama! Players, please enter the court!"
Stepping onto the court, Kintarō's face finally lit up with his familiar excited grin. Across from him, Mitsuya smiled warmly at him, a trace of fondness flickering in his eyes.
'The head coach was right. This little guy will one day become another legend in the tennis world besides Akashi-kun. Maybe I can do something in this match…' Mitsuya thought as he watched Kintarō bounce happily across the court.
"So my opponent's you, glasses guy! I heard you even beat An before. That must mean you're super strong, huh?" Kintarō said brightly as he came to the net.
That one line made Akutsu's forehead veins bulge while the people around him tried hard to hold back their laughter. Only Tachibana Kippei chuckled openly.
"Akutsu-kun, huh? Mm~ yes, that was indeed a match that left quite an impression on me." Mitsuya nodded seriously in response.
"I knew it! Hey, hey, then let's hurry and start the match!" Kintarō grew even more excited.
But before he could go on, the umpire called for them to decide service. Kintarō won the toss and got first serve. Mitsuya didn't care in the slightest. After smiling at Kintarō again, he turned calmly to the back court.
Kintarō dashed to the baseline, grabbed a ball, gripped his racket tightly, and took a deep breath. Suddenly, a dazzling blue light burst from him, his hair standing straight up.
"Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami!"
"So, Kintarō's going all out right from the start, huh~" Tachibana said, surprised.
"Looks like it. I didn't expect him to be this excited!" Chitose nodded in agreement.
"Then this match is in the bag~" Kirihara got pumped up.
"No! Tōyama's opponent isn't simple. Don't underestimate him, Kirihara!" Sanada's stern voice cut in.
In the high schoolers' section, Ryoga paused at the sight of Kintarō entering Ten'i. Then a faint, meaningful smile appeared on his face. He said nothing, only cast a subtle glance toward Ryōma.
"Yare yare~ give me a break already! I didn't think anyone besides Tezuka could enter Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami~" Ōmagari groaned, troubled.
"Damn it! What the hell is this brat?!" Tōno muttered nearby, his tone carrying an edge of caution.
On court, Kintarō tossed the ball high, leapt up, flipped several times in midair, and slammed the ball down with full force. The ball rocketed into Mitsuya's half.
But in the next instant, a yellow afterimage streaked past under Kintarō, landing right on the baseline and shooting out of bounds. Kintarō, only just landing from the air, blinked in confusion, his small face looking dazed.
"0-15!"
"The probability of a smash serve is 89%! Based on jump height, the chance of not recovering in time is 91%. That makes the probability of scoring on that ball 98%!" Mitsuya's gentle voice carried across the court.