49. Moon-Climbing Interception

“One set to determine victory! Seigaku’s Oishi serves!”

“It’s finally starting, Doubles Two!”

The unofficial players of Seigaku spoke with overwhelming excitement.

“A match between former tennis club members, huh? Evergreen really knows how to set things up,” Sugiyama remarked, folding his arms.

“It’s not that I look down on Evergreen, but Oishi and Kikumaru’s doubles are nothing like the rabble from Fuzaki. Whether it’s data tennis or flashy, showy techniques, in front of Seigaku, they’re just clowns,” Otaki said haughtily, and Kawai echoed, “Exactly! Oishi and Kikumaru, let them see the power of the Golden Pair! If you dare lose, you won’t get away with it!”

“So they’re already the Golden Pair?” Matsubara Meii murmured softly. Today’s lineup against Seigaku was arranged entirely by Sadaharu Inui and Renji Yanagi; it seemed the four had already agreed to settle things before the match.

Though Oishi and Kikumaru were the Golden Pair, Inui and Fuji weren’t pushovers either. Who would win this match? The young boy was filled with anticipation.

Oishi gripped the tennis ball tightly before tossing it up and serving to Fuji. The latter, preparing to receive, paused for a moment and, after brief hesitation, opted for a backhand return.

“Smack!”

“!”

Noticing Kikumaru suddenly appear at the net, Fuji was startled. As the ball sped toward him, Inui rushed up and volleyed the ball into an open spot.

“Hey!”

“Kikumaru… Beam!”

Spinning rapidly in place, Kikumaru’s movement was flawless. Before his body even completed the 180-degree turn, his right hand sent the ball straight back. A yellow-green streak shot directly through the gap between Fuji and Inui!

“15-0!”

“That’s…”

Watching Kikumaru’s dance-like stroke, Fuji murmured in astonishment.

“It’s Kikumaru’s signature technique—dance-style stroke. Some call it a specialty shot,” Inui explained, adjusting his glasses without surprise.

“Dance-style stroke, huh? Fascinating,” Fuji, eyes narrowed in a smile, responded.

“Kikumaru is a first-year at Seigaku… No, he’s perhaps the player with the best athletic nerves in the entire Seigaku boys’ tennis club—muscles, joints, flexibility, and balance all exceptional. That’s why he can pull off the dance-style stroke.”

Inui knew Fuji and Tezuka had left the club early and weren’t familiar with Oishi and Kikumaru’s details, so he patiently continued sharing the information he’d collected.

“Oishi’s insight and control are top-notch in the club. Not long after you and Tezuka left, Captain Yamato gave him special permission to join the practice match roster. He was the first unofficial player to compete in real matches as a first-year.”

“I see, no wonder that serve earlier was so precise and targeted my weak spot. As expected of Oishi,” Fuji recalled Oishi’s serve—if he hadn’t quickly adjusted his stance and changed his stroke, he would have lost the point outright.

“Well done, Eiji!” Oishi praised Kikumaru for drawing first blood.

“Hehe.”

Tossing the ball and swinging his racket, Oishi’s second serve targeted the same spot as before. From such subtle changes, it was clear that Fuji’s backhand near his feet was his weak point.

“Again to the same spot?” Fuji noticed Oishi’s serve and preemptively stepped back, returning the ball.

“Smack!”

This time, Oishi hit the ball toward Inui. Focusing solely on one player in doubles was unwise—it seemed to restrict both, but if the opponent was prepared, they could quickly turn defense into offense.

Watching the spinning ball fly through the air, a stream of data flashed before Inui’s eyes.

“The probability of a right-handed forehand slice is 95%.”

Instantly analyzing Oishi’s shot, Inui thought as he swung, “Kikumaru’s lateral speed is 20% slower than his forward and backward movement. The chance Oishi fails to reach this ball is… 94.25%!”

Inui’s playing style was swift and fierce. The ball slanted across the net and landed out of reach. Kikumaru and Oishi seemed glued to the ground, unable to move, watching helplessly as Inui took the point.

“15-15!”

“So frustrating! I can see the ball’s trajectory but still can’t reach it!” Kikumaru grumbled, a hint of temper in his voice.

“It’s okay, Eiji. Let’s try harder,” Oishi quickly comforted him, silently clicking his tongue. “As expected of Inui, he’s already researched our data so thoroughly?”

Oishi now had to analyze the best offensive route for his side. Fuji’s first weak spot seemed miraculously overcome, but his backhand remained vulnerable—he needed to find a chance to hit a ball Fuji couldn’t return with his backhand.

As for Inui, Eiji’s slow lateral movement had been uncovered, although Eiji himself seemed unaware. Oishi would have to cover the sides defensively, lest Inui exploit them again.

After tossing and serving the tennis ball, Fuji received it and noticed this shot wasn’t as uncomfortable as before; returning it felt easy. During the rally with Oishi, Kikumaru suddenly moved in another direction. Oishi in the backcourt paused, then immediately mirrored Kikumaru’s movement, though the two ran in opposite directions.

Fuji instantly realized opportunity had appeared. His ball control was no less impressive, and he fired the ball to a spot neither opponent could reach. But Kikumaru, running in the opposite direction, flashed a mysterious smile, suddenly braked, leaped back, and swung his right arm without even looking, “Kikumaru… Rocket!”

“!”

Fuji’s blue eyes snapped open as Kikumaru’s shot zipped past his face. Inui, who’d been watching the play, appeared like a shadow on the ball’s trajectory, his racket colliding with the ball with a loud crash.

“What a heavy return!”

Inui chose a two-handed grip to volley. Watching Kikumaru suspended in midair, he murmured, “Kikumaru’s chance of catching this ball in midair is 0%. Oishi’s chance of missing the backcourt ball while running is… 97%!”

If the pair hadn’t been running, Inui wouldn’t have targeted the backcourt. Oishi’s physical ability and shot technique had almost no weaknesses, and with him covering the backcourt while Kikumaru intercepted at the net, a reckless attack on the backcourt would be disastrous if he couldn’t break through Kikumaru’s defense.

But now, things were different!

“Hehe.”

For some reason, Kikumaru was grinning triumphantly. Oishi, who’d been running in the opposite direction, dashed back, using momentum and inertia to drag the tip of his racket swiftly across the ground.

“Crack! Crack!”

Dust streaked in lines, crescent-shaped marks quickly formed on the surface. As Oishi swung his racket, the incoming tennis ball scraped against it, a moon-like arc slicing through the sky in an instant.

“What?!”

Inui was stunned. Seeing the high-flying ball, he jumped to intercept, but despite stretching out his arm, the sweet spot of his racket was still several centimeters from the arc-drawn ball.

“Smack!”

The tennis ball seemed flattened, spinning rapidly along the white baseline before bouncing out of bounds!

“30-15!”

Fuji and Inui turned back in disbelief to look at the faint mark right on the baseline. What had just happened?

“Mission, complete success!” Kikumaru teased, sticking out his little red tongue, while Oishi smiled in satisfaction, as if he had anticipated all of Kikumaru’s unpredictable moves. “Well done, Eiji!”

“What was that? To hit a crescent arc in the sky like that—is that really a volley?”

“It even spun when it landed on the baseline, unbelievable…”

“Was that baseline shot really not lucky?”

Ignoring the surrounding gasps, Inui listened intently, his expression grave, as Oishi slowly said, “That move is called the Moon Volley.”