4. Such a Terrifying Elementary School Student

“Watch out!”

The students saw the red-haired youth launching a sneak attack on Akutsu Jin, and cries of alarm broke out among them. Yet, to everyone’s astonishment, just as the tennis ball was about to strike Akutsu Jin, it inexplicably slowed down. The boy turned, and with a deft flick of his racket, caught the ball and tapped it lightly. The red-haired youth and his companions stared, dumbfounded, while the students erupted in a chorus of disbelief.

“He caught that fast ball so easily!”

“It’s as if he has eyes in the back of his head…”

“Is this a joke?”

At that moment, a brown-haired girl entered the classroom, followed by a pink-haired girl. Noticing the commotion, the former moved to the window to see what was happening below. Spotting the boy juggling the ball, she quickly called out, “Hey, Fuyuka, isn’t that Akutsu down there?”

“Akutsu?” The pink-haired girl named Fuyuka approached the window, gazing at the confrontation below. Her starry blue eyes flickered in surprise as she murmured, “What’s he doing?”

The two girls were Akutsu Jin’s classmates. The brown-haired girl, Yukina Iwamura, was gentle and serene, while the pink-haired, Fuyuka Oda, was quite the opposite in temperament. Yet despite their differences, the two shared a close friendship.

He recalled that after joining Evergreen Academy today, Fuyuka seemed to harbor some feelings for him, though he himself felt little for her. After all, among the female characters in the Prince of Tennis world, Akutsu Jin’s favorite was always An Tachibana from Fudomine. Apart from An, there weren’t many other female characters he found appealing—though Nanako was no less charming, she was probably still abroad with her family at this time.

Fuyuka Oda, of course, had no idea what Akutsu Jin was thinking. Unwilling to ignore someone she liked, she stepped forward and addressed the red-haired youth and his companions, “Is it really adults bullying a child here? You should be ashamed.”

“What?!” The red-haired youth glared coldly at Akutsu Jin, “Hey, Akutsu Jin, do you only hide behind girls?”

“Akutsu Jin?”

The two girls paused in surprise, while the boy stepped forward, expressionless. “How about we play another match? If I lose, you can do whatever you want. But if you lose…”

He slowly lifted his gaze, his voice steely, “I’ll make your face look just like Byaku’s.”

“…”

The group instantly recalled how Byaku’s face had been ruined by Akutsu Jin. As silence weighed heavy, Akutsu Jin looked at the red-haired youth, mocking, “What’s wrong, are you scared?”

“Tch, bring it on!” the red-haired youth retorted, refusing to back down.

“Akutsu… you shouldn’t fight,” Yukina Iwamura said anxiously.

“No, it’s just a tennis match. Oh, and from now on, please call me Akutsu Jin.”

Akutsu Jin gave the two girls a meaningful look. Fuyuka Oda frowned slightly, “You… can play tennis?”

“A little,” the boy said, brushing his nose lightly.

“They all seem like adults. You’re not their match—maybe we should call campus security…”

Just as Fuyuka moved to act, Akutsu Jin caught her hand, smiling calmly, “I remember both you and Yukina played tennis, right?”

“Yes,” Fuyuka nodded softly.

“Then I’ll ask you to keep score for us at the girls’ tennis court. I want to show them… what true strength is.”

With that, the boy turned and strode away.

“What’s with him? The boys’ tennis court is right ahead…” Fuyuka was flustered by Akutsu Jin’s actions.

“He’s like a boy carried by the wind. No wonder, Fuyuka, I think I understand why you like him,” Yukina said, a little dazed.

“If you mean it as praise, I’m happy to accept,” Fuyuka replied, following after him.

“Is that elementary kid really planning to challenge adults?”

“He doesn’t stand a chance—he’s looking for trouble.”

“I can already picture him getting crushed by the red-haired guy.”

Many students watching the scene scoffed at Akutsu Jin’s actions. In their eyes, only Evergreen Academy’s main team could hope to beat these skilled outsiders; an elementary kid was simply out of his depth.

The girls’ tennis court.

“Which side?” Akutsu Jin flipped his racket upside down. The red-haired youth, standing at the net, replied coolly, “Front.”

“Click.”

Looking at the letters at the base of the racket, Akutsu Jin tutted, “Lucky you.”

Fuyuka Oda clenched her fists in frustration that Akutsu Jin hadn’t gotten serve rights. Seated at the umpire’s chair, she declared, “One set decides the winner! Match start!”

As the match began, a crowd gathered outside the court, most of them upperclassmen who had doubted Akutsu Jin. They were less interested in whether the boy could win than in seeing how badly he would embarrass himself.

Even students from Akutsu Jin’s own grade didn’t expect much; regardless of his tennis skills, the gap in age and physique between him and the red-haired youth made victory seem impossible.

Members of the girls’ tennis club had heard that a sixth-grade student was going up against an outsider and abandoned their practice to watch. They, too, were curious how a child would fare against adults.

“Heh!” The red-haired youth served, Akutsu Jin swung his racket—

Bang!

After returning the ball, the boy’s eyes sharpened, his jaw clenched as he gripped the racket with his left hand, both arms straining to send the ball back. Seeing the red-haired youth rush the net, he couldn’t react in time and could only let the opponent volley the ball.

Thud!

The ball smashed onto the baseline and shot out of bounds.

“…15-0!”

Fuyuka Oda announced the score, her face showing shock.

“Hmph~” The red-haired youth sneered, seeing this ‘Akutsu Jin’ didn’t seem so formidable after all. He thought so—how could an elementary kid beat an adult? Byaku had exaggerated.

Seeing Akutsu Jin lose the first point, Fuyuka’s face paled. As expected… was this too much for him?

Around the iron fence, the spectators jeered in unison. In their view, there was no suspense in a match between a child and an adult. If Akutsu Jin managed to score, it would be a miracle.

“This match is mine!” The red-haired youth breathed easily, wiping sweat from his brow, his face relaxed and smiling.

By contrast, Akutsu Jin’s breathing was steady, not a drop of sweat on his face. He glanced at those whispering about him outside the court, his expression unreadable.

“The serve is even stronger than Mizuki’s…” Akutsu Jin caught the ball from the red-haired youth, smiled slightly, and muttered, “One… shot… to the soul!”

With the racket striking the ball dead center, the yellow-green tennis ball blurred into a streak of light, shooting across the court and bouncing up rapidly after landing, finally smashing into the wire fence and dropping to the ground.

Tap, tap…

The red-haired youth stared at the ball rolling to his feet, mouth slightly agape. The crowd’s expressions shifted dramatically, a wave of disbelief washing over them. Had a child really hit a ball like that?

“The ball… didn’t spin…”

A girls’ tennis team regular stared blankly.

“Are you serious, Kaede? There was no spin on that return?” another regular asked, half suspicious.

“Of course, Sara. My dynamic vision is the best in the club. If that return had spin, the red-haired guy could have caught it—but it just shot straight, no spin at all. No wonder he missed…”

The regular’s words sent shockwaves through the crowd.

“No spin? That’s impossible!”

“There’s no such thing as a serve without spin—it’s not scientific!”

“Was the kid hiding his strength all along?”

Ignoring the commotion, Sara looked at Kaede, whose dynamic vision was so sharp. It seemed she was telling the truth—a child had hit an ultra-fast ball that adults couldn’t return. Sara frowned, “To produce such a powerful ball at his age… it’s terrifying…”