99. Mired in a Bitter Struggle

"It feels like... something is coming." Matsubara Narui watched the Kisarazu brothers, a bad premonition washing over him.

Sadaharu Inui, Renji Yanagi, Ryo Shishido, and Akutsu all turned their gazes toward the boy simultaneously.

Snap!

Ryo Kisarazu served. Yoshiro Akazawa saw it and returned the ball with power. Seeing Atsushi Kisarazu rush to the net for a volley, he quickly shouted to Shinya Yanagisawa behind him, "Yanagisawa! Watch the backcourt!"

"Heh."

Atsushi Kisarazu executed a short volley. Seeing that it wasn't a long, straight shot to the backcourt, both Akazawa and Yanagisawa looked surprised. However, the former's reaction was swift, and he charged forward!

Thump.

He successfully saved the ball, and his action made Yanagisawa breathe a sigh of relief. A feint by the opponents, perhaps? But that wouldn't change the course of the match; victory would surely be theirs!

"An opportunity ball!"

Those watching from outside the court saw Akazawa's lob flying toward the backcourt. Ryo Kisarazu, who was running, tried to chase it down, but Atsushi Kisarazu, positioned at the net, was also heading for the high ball!

"What's going on?" Akazawa and Yanagisawa exclaimed in unison. Atsushi leaped high into the air, while Ryo charged straight ahead. As Atsushi reached the height of the lob, many in the crowd gasped. What kind of jumping power was that? Even with the momentum of a run-up, wasn't that jump a bit too high?

"It's impossible to return! Even if he reaches it, that posture is incredibly difficult for a right-hander to generate power from," Akazawa thought, certain that Atsushi couldn't mount an effective counterattack. But just as the thought formed in his mind, Atsushi completed a brilliant mid-air twist, faced the ball, and used a backhand volley to drop a short shot!

"That move is?!" Inoue Mamoru gasped.

"The one Harukaze Kurobane used..." Shibasaki Saori suddenly remembered.

"How can this be? Atsushi Kisarazu can actually use Harukaze Kurobane's techniques?!" Shishido Ryo was filled with disbelief.

"This guy is more flexible in his rotation than the other guy, and his swing is smoother..." Akutsu said coldly.

"I never thought this kid named Atsushi Kisarazu had such a trump card kept in reserve. But as long as your shot is a short volley, you can't break through my defensive line!" Akazawa was shocked by the unexpected counterattack, but he was right at the net. A long ball might have been troublesome, but a short one was easy to return!

"Akazawa! Don't hit a long ball!" Yanagisawa immediately realized the opponent's intention, but Akazawa wasn't paying attention. The moment he hit the long ball, he realized Ryo Kisarazu had already rushed to the net and quickly intercepted his shot!

"Clack!"

"15-0!"

Akazawa panted heavily, watching the ball roll under the wire fence. "Damn... so Ryo Kisarazu running from the backcourt to chase my lob was just a decoy. The real goal was for Atsushi to return it, aiming at my tendency to hit a powerful short return from the net, and then using even more force to drive the ball to the right wing..."

"Hey, Akazawa, are you okay?" Yanagisawa asked, concerned, ignoring the lost point as he noticed Akazawa's poor condition.

"Yeah, it's nothing. I just didn't expect them to have an ace up their sleeve." Wiping the sweat from his face, Akazawa shook his head.

"The Kisarazu brothers from Rokkaku are amazing. To be able to stay calm and coordinate at a moment like this—their mental fortitude is incredible," Saori remarked.

"Indeed. Even after being down 4-0, they didn't show a hint of discouragement. Not only did they exploit Akazawa's psychology, they also anticipated that Yanagisawa, positioned in the backcourt, wouldn't be able to cover the gaps on the left and right wings. Their strength is greater than the Mikami brothers from Yamabuki. Although they lack the telepathic connection that makes the latter pair so synchronized, they are skilled enough to force their opponents into making mistakes," Inoue nodded.

As Ryo Kisarazu served again, Akazawa—not yet realizing he had become the primary target—began to falter due to increasing fatigue. Because he failed to communicate with Yanagisawa, a massive defensive blind spot opened up between them, and the Kisarazu brothers easily took the game.

"4-1! Rokkaku wins the game! Changqing's Yanagisawa to serve!"

"Snap!" "Snap!" "Snap!"

The Kisarazu brothers continued to target Akazawa. The perceptive Yanagisawa noticed the pattern and shouted, "Akazawa, I'll take this one!"

"Snap!"

However, Akazawa, still unaware of the looming crisis, rushed in front of Yanagisawa to return the ball, but it failed to clear the net.

"15-0!"

"Hey, Akazawa, you should have let me take that," Yanagisawa said anxiously, seeing that the ball hadn't even crossed the net.

"We can't stop attacking. If you had taken that one, we wouldn't be able to keep tearing through their defensive line," Akazawa shook his head.

"But... it seems like they're hitting every ball toward you," Yanagisawa frowned.

"It's been like that since the first game. Aren't I the one leading the offense between us? What's wrong with you, Yanagisawa?" Akazawa laughed bitterly.

"That may be, but your stamina is reaching its limit, isn't it?"

Yanagisawa hesitated for a moment, his voice full of worry.

"There are only two games left. We can't give up halfway. Just listen to me and keep supporting me." Akazawa's stubbornness left Yanagisawa with nothing more to say, and he could only nod in agreement.

The situation did not improve. Although Akazawa gritted his teeth and pushed through his exhaustion and heavy legs to keep attacking, his reaction speed and return power had dropped significantly compared to the first four games. He missed more and more balls, and soon the Kisarazu brothers secured the second game.

"Game, Changqing, 4-2! Rokkaku's Atsushi Kisarazu to serve!"

"Inoue-senpai, why does it feel like Changqing's play has become so chaotic? Akazawa is making more and more mistakes as the front-court player. Even if Yanagisawa tries to cover for him, there are still many times when neither of them can reach the Kisarazu brothers' shots," Saori said, sensing something was wrong.

"Akazawa's stamina is nearing its limit, yet he insists on playing the front court. As the back-court player, Yanagisawa has to cover a much larger area than Akazawa. It’s like a trapezoid; the closer you are to the net, the smaller your defensive area. If the front-court player makes a mistake on a ball that looks easy to return, it becomes a nightmare for the doubles partner behind them. That's why they've lost two games in a row," Inoue explained.

"What is that guy Akazawa doing? He's in that state, yet he won't share the burden with Yanagisawa. Trying to force it won't work!" Shishido watched, feeling frantic.

"Akazawa is blinded by the game now. Between the victory within his reach and his failing stamina, the dual pressure has left him completely unaware that he has fallen into the opponent's trap. This match... is going to be very difficult," Inui said calmly.

"The doubles formation we taught them hasn't even come into play. I thought that by winning four games, Akazawa and Yanagisawa could change their style to throw the Kisarazu brothers off rhythm. It seems putting them together in doubles... was a bit of a stretch," Yanagi sighed.

"If we don't let them play doubles, wouldn't our singles lineup be too crowded?" Shibayama Kumakiri disagreed. He felt that if Tezuka, Fuji, and Matsubara Narui weren't playing singles, wasn't it a waste to form a doubles pair?

"But based on the current situation, the probability of Akazawa and Yanagisawa winning this doubles match has plummeted from 90.9% to 12.4%," Inui said slowly, reading from his notebook.

"The only one who can give advice now is Tezuka, who is on the court," Yanagi said, looking toward Kunimitsu Tezuka, who sat on the bench with his arms folded.

"4-3! Changqing leads! Change sides!"

As Ryo Kisarazu scored with a smash, the Kisarazu brothers had now taken three games in a row.