At this moment, Kamikawa, completely unaware of the commotion, arrived at the Yamabuki Tennis Club. His eyes immediately scanned the crowd and found him: the mushroom-haired, pale-faced young man with defiant eyes. His right hand, scarred from years of fighting, was wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages. He finally found him. The tennis prodigy—Jin Akutsu!
"Hm?" Akutsu suddenly felt someone staring at him. He stopped his hitting motion and turned his head to look outside the court, instantly locking onto Kamikawa.
"What's wrong, Akutsu?" Old Ban, who was acting as a hitting partner, also stopped, looking at Akutsu with a puzzled expression. Had Akutsu already gotten tired after only playing for a short while? That couldn't be right; even if he wasn't passionate about tennis, he should at least be able to last an hour.
It must be said, Old Ban still underestimated Akutsu too much. This guy's physical prowess didn't seem like it came from a lack of training or refinement. He appeared to be a beginner, yet he could perform extraordinary hitting actions by relying on his physical condition, reflexes, and flexibility.
"Old man, is that guy from your Yamabuki Tennis Club too?!" A cold voice suddenly echoed in Old Ban's ears.
Old Ban turned his head and saw Kamikawa standing outside the court, carrying a tennis bag. He narrowed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "Everyone from the tennis club has already gone back. That guy is wearing an Ice-Imperial Academy uniform, so he's clearly from Ice-Imperial Academy."
"Ice-Imperial Academy?!" Akutsu raised an eyebrow. He had heard of that aristocratic school. "So he's an outsider, then? Old man, from the looks of him, he seems to be here to challenge the club. What a laugh! The Yamabuki Tennis Club doesn't seem like much, after all!"
As soon as Akutsu finished speaking, the racket in Old Ban's hand thudded to the ground. He clutched his lower back, looking like an old man worn down by age. Yet, he had been perfectly fine when playing against Akutsu moments ago.
"Oh dear~ This old man is getting old; I can't even hold a racket anymore." Old Ban smiled at Akutsu, clearly implying he couldn't help with this matter.
"Tch." Akutsu waved his hand, nonchalantly saying, "I couldn't care less about your petty problems. Just tear down the whole tennis club. What's so fun about tennis, anyway?"
Just as in his reputation, because everything came too easily to him, Akutsu treated everything with only fleeting interest. Just now, he thought tennis was a bit interesting, but now he felt that playing tennis was completely unnecessary; it was simply too easy~
With that, Akutsu casually threw his racket onto the court, walked with his hands behind his back, and headed out of the court.
A Provocation
"Yamabuki Tennis Club, a famous school in Kanto, doesn't look like much, does it?" Kamikawa's voice reached Akutsu's ears, making Akutsu stop. He raised an eyebrow and sneered, "It really isn't!" Akutsu turned to leave with his hands still behind his back, but then he heard Kamikawa's next words.
"Quite pathetic, actually." Kamikawa smiled faintly and said softly.
"Hey. You...!" Akutsu suddenly spun around, his eyes glaring at Kamikawa. "Were you talking about me just now?!"
"Hm?" Kamikawa looked around a bit confused, then waved his hand. "Is there anyone else here? You just walked out of the court; could I have been talking about that old man?"
"No way, no way!"
"A prestigious Kanto tennis school actually lets an old man past his prime be an official member. You must be joking!"
Akutsu's pupils constricted slightly, and an uncontrollable surge of anger rose within him. He reached out and directly grabbed Kamikawa's collar, his defiant eyes glaring fiercely at Kamikawa. "You brat, do you want to die?!"
A year ago, in a karate dojo, some guys had mocked him in a similar tone. And that talented karate senior had his arm broken by Akutsu himself. Since then, he had never gone back to a karate dojo. Just like the tennis he had once encountered, this sport, which others saw as requiring ten or even a hundred times the effort, was utterly meaningless in his eyes.
"I'm not very good at fighting," Kamikawa said, placing his hand on Akutsu's arm and slowly pulling it down, a smile on his face. "But if it's tennis, I'd be happy to oblige."
"This guy..." Akutsu was startled. He could feel the force coming from Kamikawa's palm. This guy... had quite a lot of strength. From Kamikawa's stance, he was definitely here to challenge the club. It was just a coincidence that he had been lured here by Old Ban to learn tennis. With that thought, Akutsu released Kamikawa's collar, pushed forward with his palm, and Kamikawa stumbled back a step or two.
"What's so fun about tennis?" Akutsu looked at Kamikawa nonchalantly and said coldly, "Boring!"
"Are you scared?!" Kamikawa provoked again. "Are you afraid of losing to me, huh?!"
"Are you looking for trouble with me?!"
The next moment, Akutsu took a large step forward, just about to grab Kamikawa's collar, but was blocked by Kamikawa's racket.
"As you can see, I'm here to challenge the club," Kamikawa retrieved his racket, pointed at Yamabuki's tennis court, and said, "Right now, you're the only one I see. How about we play a match?"
"How about you use your prized talent and play a match with me?!"
"You wouldn't happen to be..." Kamikawa looked Akutsu up and down, a slight smile. "Scared?!"
"A joke." Akutsu sneered. "If you lose, what then?"
A gentle breeze rustled Akutsu's hair, his mushroom-cut swaying with the wind. His defiant eyes were filled with intense malice. Those who knew him well knew that Akutsu was truly angry at this moment.
"If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me." Kamikawa's answer was straightforward.
"Good." Akutsu tightened the bandage wrapped around his right wrist. He had already figured out how to teach this guy a lesson: he would destroy him with his fists, one punch at a time. And along with it, destroy his prized tennis.
"What if you lose?" Kamikawa's words made Akutsu stop.
"You're not willing to bet anything! Then what's the point of playing?"
"If I lose, I'm at your disposal," Akutsu responded calmly, then walked towards the court. For some reason, the other party's words just now gave him a strong sense of threat. For so many years, he had survived by relying on his wolf-like instincts. That feeling just now was incredibly strong.
However, who was he?! He was Jin Akutsu! No matter who his opponent was, he would never surrender; that was always his way.
"Hm?" Old Ban, who had been narrowing his eyes, suddenly opened them, his gaze falling upon Kamikawa, dressed in the Ice-Imperial Academy uniform. Due to his many years of coaching, he had excellent judgment of people. From this young man, he even saw a shadow of Nanjirou Echizen. That momentary illusion only strengthened his inner conviction.
"A first-year freshman from Ice-Imperial Academy, huh?" Old Ban sighed softly. He had originally thought Yamabuki's overall strength was inferior to theirs, but now it seemed that Ice-Imperial Academy had gained an extraordinary freshman. A freshman of such skill wouldn't be content to stay beneath those "veterans." He would undoubtedly climb relentlessly, even leading the entire Ice-Imperial Academy to new heights.
"Ice-Imperial Academy~ What good luck."
"First Ochi, and now this young man..."
Old Ban sighed softly, looking at Akutsu. This one from Yamabuki wasn't bad either; perhaps the other party's presence would ignite this guy's tennis fighting spirit. If so, Yamabuki's originally weak singles game would also improve further. This club challenge was well-played!
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