107. Shu Osu vs. Kojiro Saeki (Part One)
“15-0!”
Hearing the referee’s call, Saeki smiled confidently. “Just as I thought. No matter how strong Fuji is, if he doesn’t unleash his triple counterattack, he absolutely can’t beat me.”
His pupils reflected Fuji’s figure. At Fuji’s feet, Saeki spotted more and more weaknesses—each one appearing like a glowing circle, one after another.
Despite Fuji’s serve, Saeki returned the ball with ease. At the Evergreen side, Akazawa Jirou and Yanagisawa Shinya had rejoined the team. Seeing that both were unharmed, Matsubara chuckled softly. “Fuji’s match has already started.”
“Oh? Then our two singles players…”
Yanagisawa’s face lit up with excitement.
“Yes, the Minister and I have both won our matches smoothly.”
Matsubara nodded, while Shigayama Kumakiri boasted, “And both with a clean 6-0.”
“Is that so… As expected of the Minister and Matsubara, truly exceptional.”
Yanagisawa gave a dry laugh and nodded.
“How’s the injury?”
Inui Sadaharu looked at Akazawa’s leg and asked.
“It’s nothing serious, just a cramp. After a short rest, it was fine. The doctor said there’s no problem.”
Akazawa smiled and patted his leg.
“How about the Vice Minister?”
Compared to himself, Akazawa was more concerned about the singles match, as it was crucial for Evergreen’s advancement.
“Not looking too good. Though Saeki just took the first game 15-0, Fuji seems to be led by the nose. No matter what counter he makes, Saeki can predict his moves as if he’s done thorough research.”
Yan Lian’er said calmly.
“So the opposing Minister isn’t an easy opponent either…”
Yanagisawa had thought Fuji’s skill would make this easy, but it turned out otherwise.
Akazawa said nothing, his gaze fixed intently on the running Fuji.
“Saeki’s dynamic vision is exceptional, even surpassing Shishido and Akutsu, and on par with Sengoku. Everything seems slow-motion to him; he sees details we can’t. That allows him to target Fuji’s weaknesses precisely.”
Inui analyzed.
“I got this point too.”
Saeki’s pupils narrowed, and he sent the ball to the area flickering with a white glow at Fuji’s feet!
*Plop!*
“30-0!”
Fuji opened his blue eyes wide, stunned to see the ball again at his feet.
“Impossible… That shot looks nearly impossible to return.”
Shigayama clenched his teeth.
“This isn’t good. As Inui said, Saeki’s dynamic vision is better than ours. To him, Vice Minister Fuji must be a sitting duck…”
Shishido Ryo said gravely.
“But… are those spots really that hard for Fuji to reach?”
Akutsu disagreed with Shigayama.
“How so?”
Everyone looked to him.
“To me, it looks like Fuji ran past the ball each time.”
Akutsu said coldly.
The room fell silent, unsure how to respond. What exactly was on Akutsu’s mind?
“Interesting.”
Matsubara thought to himself, then glanced at Shishido.
Looks like Akutsu’s eyesight surpasses yours, Shishido.
“Come on, Vice Minister Fuji!”
As the player with the most female fans at Evergreen Academy, Fuji’s influence was considerable. Many girls from the school cheered loudly whenever he appeared, even the girls from the women’s tennis club joined in.
“Minister Tezuka and Matsubara won so easily, but when it came to Vice Minister Fuji, things suddenly got tough…”
Oda Fuyuka clenched her small fist.
“Don’t worry, he is Evergreen’s Vice Minister after all. He’ll find a way.”
Iwamura Yuna said gently, offering comfort.
Saeki smiled confidently at Fuji’s return and sent the ball to the right center line near Fuji’s right wing!
*Plop!*
“40-0!”
Fuji and Saeki faced each other. Though Fuji had lost three points, his expression remained calm and unruffled.
“As expected of Saeki, every shot is perfectly placed…”
Another fierce rally ensued. Seizing the moment, Saeki unleashed a long straight shot. Fuji took a few steps forward, then looked back in disbelief.
“That was dangerous… almost…”
*Clack… plop plop…*
The tennis ball rolled gently back. The referee’s voice echoed through the arena: “Game Saeki! 1-0! Change sides!”
“Good thing Fuji’s mobility is decent. Otherwise, that last shot…”
Yanagisawa silently wiped sweat from his brow. This match was not only tense but thrilling.
“Tch… He probably almost got it. He’d caught up to the ball, but his swing was half a beat late. Some shots he can’t reach, but his racket swings fast. It feels off.”
Akutsu’s face first flashed with displeasure, then he calmed himself inwardly.
Tezuka sat on the bench, arms crossed, watching Fuji and Saeki switch sides with an expressionless gaze.
It was Saeki’s serve next. Just as Fuji and Saeki’s clash hinted at a possible win, Shishido suddenly said from the sidelines, “That’s a no-spin ball!”
“No-spin ball?”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Fuji. His blue eyes filled with seriousness. He changed his stance hurriedly but moved too slowly, allowing Saeki an easy point.
“15-0!”
“Unexpectedly, besides Itsuhiko, Saeki can also play no-spin balls.”
Inui was surprised.
“They probably don’t know the order Tezuka arranged the players in.”
Yan Lian’er added.
“I think it’s meant specifically for Vice Minister Fuji.”
Matsubara stepped forward.
“The two of them grew up together. Plus, Fuji’s breakout at the regional tournament caught attention. As the Kokkaku Middle School team, knowing they’d face us first in the Kanto tournament, they must have studied each of us carefully. So the no-spin ball is something he and Itsuhiko learned for emergencies. Tezuka’s unintentional placement of Fuji in singles led to this unexpected matchup with Saeki.”
The boy’s reasoning startled many. Then Inoue Mamoru suddenly said, “He’s practically an adult. No… his logic is even sharper than an adult’s.”
“Is he really… a first-year student?”
Shisaori was also shocked.
“Maybe Matsubara’s right. It’s just coincidence, otherwise how else to explain Saeki’s no-spin ball and the chance matchup with Fuji?”
Inui adjusted his glasses, agreeing after calculating the odds.
“No matter what, if Saeki can play no-spin like Itsuhiko, that’s terrible news for Fuji. Unlike us, Fuji can’t perform one of his triple counterattacks—the ‘Swallow Returns to Nest’—without spin.”
Yan Lian’er’s expression grew heavy.