101. Kunimitsu Tezuka vs. Ishihara Kondo

Tezuka walked steadily and rhythmically toward the court. Seeing Kondo Ishihara approach the net, he paused briefly in surprise, then walked over and shook his hand.

“Let’s have an exciting match,” Tezuka said.

“I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a first-year,” Kondo Ishihara replied, licking a lollipop with a sinister smile.

“Is Kondo Ishihara some kind of monster? That height—he must be about 190 cm!” Ryo Shishido exclaimed, feeling as if the sunlight itself was being blocked.

“According to the data, Kondo Ishihara, a third-year regular on the Rokakucho middle school team, stands 188 cm tall and weighs 95 kg. His favorite thing is lollipops. But I didn’t expect him to be assigned to singles three; clearly, Rokakucho has no intention of dragging the match to a fifth set,” Sadaharu Inui said, adjusting his glasses as he flipped through his notebook.

“Another power player? I have a feeling Tezuka might lose…” Kumakiri Shibayama muttered, recalling how the Rokakucho doubles pair Kuroba Harukaze and Itsuki Hiko relied on sheer strength to overcome the Kanyanagi duo.

“Relax, Senpai Shibayama. Captain Tezuka isn’t someone who can be easily manipulated,” Narui Matsubara replied, suppressing the urge to scold him but maintaining a polite smile as he patted Shibayama’s shoulder.

“One set to decide the winner! Evergreen’s Tezuka to serve!”

Tezuka crouched slightly, his pale, slender hand gripping the tennis ball as he bounced it on the court. Moments later, his right hand tossed the ball into the air, and his left hand swung down decisively.

“Ah!”

Facing Tezuka’s serve, Kondo Ishihara returned the ball effortlessly. Sensing a clear change in power and speed, Tezuka aimed the ball at his opponent’s left side.

“What incredible speed!”

Mamoru Inoue was astonished to see Kondo Ishihara sprint instantly to intercept the ball aimed at the left wing.

“Whoa!”

With a powerful backhand, Tezuka returned the ball, feeling the force and speed shift once more, refusing to be outdone.

“Amazing... Tezuka Kunimitsu is holding his own against Senior Kondo. That slender frame can actually keep up!” Satoshi Shuto exclaimed repeatedly.

“But Senior Kondo isn’t any less impressive. Even with Tezuka targeting both wings, Kondo responds quickly and hasn’t lost control of the rally,” Saeki added.

“They’ve been rallying for over ten shots, haven’t they?” the students from Evergreen remarked, surprised at how tightly Tezuka was being challenged by Kondo Ishihara.

“What’s going on with Tezuka? It’s so strange...” Fuji opened his sapphire-like eyes and said intently.

“Did you notice something, Fuji?” Sadaharu Inui turned his head and asked.

“Tezuka could have scored with his Zero-style drop shots, so why isn’t he using them?” Fuji shared his suspicion.

“I think it’s because Kondo Ishihara’s mobility is impressive. That big guy moves quickly both vertically and horizontally. Most importantly, his stride is wide, allowing him to intercept balls early with just a few steps,” Renji Yanagi said gravely.

“They’re on the twenty-sixth shot now...” Narui Matsubara had wanted to count how many shots Tezuka could endure against Kondo Ishihara, but he hadn’t expected the match to still be so evenly matched after twenty-six rallies. Even if the Zero-style drop shot isn’t used lightly, surely Tezuka has other tricks?

“Hey... haven’t you noticed? Since the start, Tezuka hasn’t moved his feet at all,” a keen observer from Rokakucho pointed out, drawing widespread attention. Narui Matsubara whispered to himself with a light laugh, “Finally, the Tezuka Domain has appeared!”

“Pockets on the route, searching for friends’ pockets,” Fuji squinted his eyes and smiled again. “Because of the opponent’s speed and wide stride, short balls can’t be used to decide the point, so Tezuka is opting to use the Tezuka Domain to endure a prolonged battle of attrition.”

“So this is Captain Tezuka’s Domain. It really is similar to Matsubara’s...” Ryo Shishido marveled as he noticed a black circle scorched onto the court beneath Tezuka’s feet. No matter how Kondo Ishihara returned the ball, Tezuka never stepped outside that circle.

“This Tezuka Domain is truly eye-opening.”

Sadaharu Inui frantically scribbled in his notebook, feeling that Tezuka’s shots were suddenly imbued with an artistic beauty. Every return was flawless, using the Domain to exhaust his opponent—such a brilliant tactic!

“Every ball with Tezuka’s spin seems magnetically drawn back to him,” Fuji explained softly, his smile growing warmer and brighter.

“Tezuka Domain... Matsubara Domain... Such divine techniques can only be mastered by them,” Kumakiri Shibayama shook his head, feeling humbled. This was no longer a realm achievable by ordinary people.

“Tezuka Domain... to think such a technique was invented...” Kuroba Harukaze longed to step onto the court to study the Domain in detail. Nearby, Itsuki Hiko asked as usual, “Why is it that no matter where Senior Kondo hits the ball, it’s always sucked back by that strange white circular whirlwind?”

“Tezuka Kunimitsu... truly not to be underestimated,” Saeki’s gaze darkened quietly.

“Ah...” An old man sitting on the bench cried out in surprise upon seeing the Tezuka Domain.

“Tezuka Domain, huh? So this first-year becoming captain isn’t just because of a poker face...” Kondo Ishihara tried to hit the ball out wide near Tezuka’s right wing, but inexplicably, the tennis ball was pulled back by that strange suction force. No matter where he aimed, the ball was irresistibly drawn back to Tezuka.

Crunch!

Kondo Ishihara bit down hard on his lollipop and shouted angrily before striking the ball with full force directly at Tezuka himself. If the ball would be sucked in no matter where it flew, he might as well hit it straight at him!

Tezuka’s eyes widened slightly. His arm tensed as he returned Kondo’s shot, but he felt a numbness creeping through his arm.

“Whoa!”

After Kondo Ishihara unleashed his strength recklessly, even though Tezuka didn’t have to expend much energy thanks to the Domain and no longer needed to physically confront his opponent, problems still arose. Soon, a flaw was exposed, and Kondo Ishihara scored with a powerful shot.

“15–0!”

“Tezuka Domain... has been broken?!” Fuji was the first to express shock. He hadn’t expected the Domain, which could attract all types of returns, to fail against a heavy ball from Kondo Ishihara.

“Well done, Senior Kondo!”

“Let’s defeat him like this!”

The students from Rokakucho cheered as Kondo Ishihara finally scored.

“Matsubara, isn’t that Domain supposed to attract all balls? Why couldn’t Tezuka return Kondo’s heavy shot?” Shishido asked.

“I think it’s because the power behind that shot was just too great...” Narui Matsubara speculated that the Domain’s failure was due to the immense force. After all, Tezuka had just entered middle school as a first-year, while Kondo Ishihara was already in his third year, with that height and weight. A destructive heavy shot is exactly what counters the Tezuka Domain.

It’s like the national tournament match between Sanada and Tezuka in the original story—Sanada’s aggressive “Thunder” attack could completely break through the Tezuka Domain. Kondo Ishihara’s shot is a weaker version of Sanada’s “Thunder”—a ball Tezuka can receive but cannot counter.

Purple Pen Literature