"Whoosh..."
From the referee's chair, Hikaru Gen was officiating this match.
Originally, Tezuka wanted to be the referee and check on Atobe's and Kamikawa's progress, but as the- club president of the tennis club, the intra-school ranking matches weren't over yet, and he still needed to tally the scores.
These tasks were supposed to be handled by Coach Sakaki Tarou, but Sakaki Tarou didn't want to bother with them. Almost everything concerning the tennis club was left entirely to Tezuka.
He didn't care about the changes in the tennis club; he only cared about the results...
How to achieve excellent results, that was what he, as a coach, needed to consider.
Even before the match began, Hikaru Gen's forehead was already slick with cold sweat.
He knew very well how strong these two were.
"Ochi-部長, even when you were a freshman, you didn't have this kind of pressure, did you?"
Looking at Kamikawa and Atobe, who stood at opposite ends of the court, Hikaru Gen suddenly had this thought. His heart stirred again, and he said in a deep voice, "Match start! Atobe to serve!"
Thwack!
Thwack!
Atobe bounced the tennis ball a few times on the ground, then looked up at Kamikawa.
Recently, Kamikawa's match against Akutsu had subtly added more pressure on Atobe. After all, he was the 副部長 (副部長 - vice-captain) now, but the Hyotei Tennis Club was a place where strength reigned supreme.
Until the victor was decided, his position as vice-captain felt unstable.
Likewise, he was eager to see just how strong Kamikawa truly was.
"Hmph..."
Atobe took a deep breath, his eyes sharp. He raised his hand and struck the tennis ball.
"This is terrifying... I'm far too calm right now."
BAM!!
The bright yellow tennis ball arced through the air, landing perfectly on the baseline.
WHOOSH!!
Without holding anything back, he started the match with an incredibly high-level serve.
This showed just how serious Atobe was at this moment.
"What an accurate serve!"
Shishido's pupils constricted, and he gasped.
Had this guy improved even more during this time?!
"That's a good serve!"
Tezuka glanced at Atobe's side of the court, praising without reservation.
The speed of that serve was significantly faster than before, meaning Atobe's strength had made a qualitative leap during this period.
But a serve alone couldn't determine the outcome. Although fast, it wasn't unreturnable, especially when he was facing that guy.
Thwack~
Sure enough, a second later, Kamikawa appeared in front of the tennis ball. His steps were steady and unhurried. He executed a backhand drive, hitting a standard cross-court shot.
Atobe had already moved into position, anticipating the ball's trajectory even before it touched his racket. His eyes saw everything clearly.
Thump!
He lowered his racket, gently making contact with the tennis ball.
The ball brushed lightly against the racket face and shot out.
It flew over the net and quickly plummeted downwards—a perfectly executed drop shot.
Thwack!
Kamikawa quickly moved forward, and before the ball could even bounce, he lightly flicked it up, sending the ball soaring high.
SWISH!!
Atobe leapt into the air, his entire body suspended high above the ground. His eyes fixed on the tennis ball in mid-air, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "I see everything clearly, Kamikawa! Not a single one of your moves can escape my eyes!"
BAM!!
As his words fell, Atobe slammed the ball down. The tennis ball plummeted rapidly, a bright yellow blur instantly landing in Kamikawa's court.
Thwack!
Kamikawa turned his body and pulled back, hitting the ball with an arc towards the left-hand corner, into the inverted triangle area.
"A flat drive lob?!"
Atobe raised an eyebrow. The moment his feet landed, he sharply dashed towards the baseline.
Thwack!
As the tennis ball bounced, he turned his body and hit it back with a side-on drive.
Atobe's movements were swift, but he barely managed to return that drive.
Hmph...
Before Atobe could even catch his breath, he looked up and saw a figure leaping into the air.
BAM!!
The same motion as before, only this time the attack and defense had switched. It was Kamikawa who unleashed this smash.
Tap... tap-tap...
Atobe's feet moved, one foot planting firmly. He instantly shed the momentum from his sprint and surged forward instead.
In a mere instant, Atobe made the most correct move.
As he lunged forward, he turned his back, hearing the whoosh of the ball descending. Both his arms were extended, attempting to return this smash in such a way.
BAM!!
The moment the racket face touched the smash, his right wrist instantly lost all power, and the entire racket flew out of his hand, while the tennis ball whizzed past him.
"0-15!"
"Atobe-kun,"
Across the net, Kamikawa retrieved his racket and smiled slightly. "Your 'Bear Killer Shot' isn't perfect enough. You can't return my smash like that."
While the 'Bear Killer Shot' can utilize the opponent's smash power, if the opponent's power exceeds one's own mastery limit, then this move will be easily countered.
Besides, Atobe's 'Bear Killer Shot' wasn't skilled enough; it was clearly something he had just started figuring out recently.
"Hmph..."
Atobe said nothing, taking a deep breath.
He wasn't swayed by Kamikawa's words, maintaining his calm state.
"This is the feeling."
Atobe felt the excitement emanating from his body, his palm unconsciously tightening its grip on the racket. "Keep going. Let me see your current strength."
This kind of excitement had also appeared during his previous match against Tezuka.
Today, it was particularly intense.
Perhaps, deep down, Atobe had always longed for a showdown with Kamikawa.
This feeling continuously spurred on the hidden potential within him, making him even calmer.
"Let's try it."
BAM!!
Atobe raised his hand and served.
Unlike the flat, fast serve from earlier, this was a slice serve. The difference with a slice serve is that it primarily carries a right-side spin, with a slight underspin.
Its speed isn't as fast as a flat serve, but its accuracy is higher, and it carries a downward spin, making its bounce angle lower.
Facing this tricky serve, aimed precisely at the left sideline, Kamikawa's eyes flashed. He quickly moved forward, chasing after it.
Thwack!
Kamikawa stabilized himself and forcefully returned a straight shot.
Thwack!
Atobe had already moved into position, turning his body and lowering his racket face. He executed a backhand slice, controlling the tennis ball to land at the front of the service box.
Another drop shot? This guy really seems to like hitting drop shots.
Kamikawa's eyes gleamed. His figure quickly moved forward, and before the ball could land, he lightly flicked it up with his racket.
The next moment,
"Kamikawa, just immerse yourself in my elegant tennis!"
Atobe leapt into the air, powerfully smashing the tennis ball before it even reached its highest point.
The bright yellow tennis ball rocketed towards Kamikawa's body—or, to be precise, towards Kamikawa's wrist.
Kamikawa lowered his racket, causing the ball, originally aimed at his wrist (where he gripped the handle), to deviate and strike the center of his racket. This happened almost instantaneously.
The tennis ball bounced off again. Atobe's eyebrow twitched. He leapt once more, striking down fiercely.
BAM!!
The tennis ball landed on the sideline, carrying an incredible topspin. It instantly shot upwards and out of the court.
"15-15!"
"My smash isn't something you can just casually return either."
Atobe raised his racket, pointing it at Kamikawa, and said calmly.
Though he appeared calm, he knew very well that the previous smash wasn't perfect. It was clearly aimed at Kamikawa's wrist, the part holding the racket handle.
Yet, in that instant, Kamikawa had actually lowered his racket face, causing the smash to precisely hit the racket face instead. Although the result was the same—a direct point from a second smash—the effect was completely different from what he had imagined!
This guy understood the principle of his 'Destructive Waltz'!