Advancing to the Grand Tournament

“Hey, freshman, are you still hiding some secret moves you haven’t shown yet? Why not use them now? Otherwise, you won’t have any more chances to show off soon.”

“Hehe.”

Matsubara Mei casually switched his racket from his right hand to his left, and this gesture left everyone momentarily stunned. Oishi and Kikumaru, in particular, wore matching expressions of surprise. “L-left-handed?!”

“Just kidding.”

Noticing the slight change in everyone’s gaze, Matsubara Mei switched his racket back to his right hand.

“Tch… I thought you were really left-handed. Turns out you’re just bluffing,” Otaki Heijiro’s eyes grew cold.

“You might be mistaken about something. Even without using my left hand, I still won’t lose to you,” Matsubara Mei continued, “If you don’t believe me, why not give it a try?”

“Let me be the one to hand you your first loss! You’re way too arrogant, kid!”

As Otaki Heijiro tossed the ball, his arm twisted outward, sending a sidespin serve across the court. Matsubara Mei remained motionless at the baseline. Shishido Ryo, however, watched with concern. “With Matsubara’s height, there’s no way he can return that ball without moving!”

“Tap, tap, tap!”

“He’s approaching the net!”

Someone in the crowd shouted out as they saw Matsubara Mei rushing forward.

“Is he planning to intercept the ball before it bounces?” Oishi stood up.

“No, Oishi, he wants to return it before it even hits the ground!” Kikumaru, catching on to Matsubara Mei’s intentions, stood as well.

“That’s impossible. Even if he does manage to reach it, the chances of returning such a serve are slim to none. The spin on that sidespin serve isn’t something you can just neutralize so easily!” Inoue Mamoru shook his head, convinced that Matsubara Mei’s actions were reckless.

“Hmph, there’s no way you’ll return this!” Otaki Heijiro knew full well the power behind his serve. Even a half-volley wouldn’t solve it—not like this!

For Matsubara Mei, whether or not he could return such a spinning serve was never the issue. His only real concern was that people might realize his shots were being accomplished through cheating. Though to the people of this world, such “cheating” would be as blatant as hiding silver in plain sight, the inexplicable spectacle presented to the audience could only be explained as some sort of trickery.

Having an overpowered cheat was one thing; whether he could display it without restraint was another. If he showed off too much, suspicion was inevitable.

Although when he first entered school and played in the internal ranking matches, Matsubara Mei could draw the ball to himself without making contact, and no one had questioned it, that didn’t mean he could be so brazen in the regional preliminaries before so many watchful eyes. So, he had to make his performance look more convincing.

He rushed to the net and intercepted the sidespin serve just before it bounced. Instantly, Matsubara Mei used Shinra Tensei to dispel the spin, and the next moment, he lobbed the ball high into the air!

“No way, he actually returned it!” Inoue Mamoru gripped the rail, astonished.

“It’s a set-up ball!” Hearing the crowd’s exclamations, Otaki Heijiro took several steps back. Given his size, he didn’t attempt a running jump but seized the moment to leap vertically!

Bang!

Facing the smash, Matsubara Mei once again used Shinra Tensei to disperse the force on the ball, then added a pull to it. The yellow-green streak shot swiftly to the opposite side of the court!

“Fifteen all!”

“Hmph, I thought that would be harder to return,” Matsubara Mei casually shook his racket, while Otaki Heijiro turned pale with fright. This brat had effortlessly cracked his serve again. Was he even human?

“No way… he broke the sidespin serve too…”

“Just like with the Volt serve—always after the first ball…”

“Hey, are we really watching a regional tournament?”

“This… this is incredible!”

Inui Sadaharu checked his watch and commented, “At this rate, Matsubara will end the match in under three minutes. He’s already taken complete control of the court, and his opponent is showing signs of desperation.”

“That’s how he is. Once you start playing to his tune, you lose before you even realize it,” Akutsu said coolly, arms folded.

“That’s true. But facing a seeded team like Seigaku, Matsubara’s performance will provide excellent reference material.” As he spoke, Inui Sadaharu quickly jotted down notes in his notebook.

With both of Otaki Heijiro’s signature serves neutralized, he quickly fell into an irretrievable disadvantage. Yet, just as Matsubara Mei pushed the score to 5-0 and was about to throw the set, Otaki Heijiro, exhausted, suddenly collapsed on the court, unconscious!

“Uh…”

Seeing Otaki Heijiro foaming at the mouth, drenched in sweat and sprawled on the ground, Matsubara Mei scratched his head. The referee called for a stretcher and announced, “As Otaki Heijiro is unable to continue the match, Seigaku is deemed to have forfeited. Evergreen Academy wins by three sets to none and advances to the finals!”

A tidal wave of applause and cheers engulfed Matsubara Mei, yet he did not seem particularly happy. Sighing, he took the towel Shishido Ryo handed him and wiped his sweat absent-mindedly. Just as he was about to throw the set, Otaki Heijiro had forfeited due to exhaustion—plans really can’t keep up with changes.

“Well done, Matsubara,” Tezuka said inwardly.

“It seems Evergreen is truly formidable—not just in doubles, but singles as well.” Up in the stands, Ryuzaki Sumire stood beside Yamato Yudai, hands on her hips, forcing a wry smile.

Originally, she hadn’t thought it necessary to attend the regional preliminaries, expecting a sure victory. But after receiving Yamato Yudai’s call, she realized their team might actually lose and hurried over to Shiki Forest Sports Park, arriving just in time to see Matsubara Mei in action.

“Mhm, yes,” Yamato Yudai replied softly.

“I’m sorry, Coach Ryuzaki. I made a mistake in the lineup this time. I sincerely apologize.”

“There’s no need to apologize. None of us foresaw this situation. Maybe running into Evergreen was fate… Perhaps this result is a small punishment for an old lady like me,” Ryuzaki Sumire waved her hand dismissively.

“Please don’t say that. After all, you were attending Sakuno’s entrance ceremony and weren’t at the venue. Actually, I didn’t handle Tezuka’s matter well enough…” Yamato Yudai spoke with deep regret.

“No, staying or leaving was his own decision. As for the other players, all we can do is respect their wishes. We can’t force them to act against their own will. Still, this is the first time since Seigaku became a seeded team that we’ve failed to make it past regionals.”

With a self-deprecating smile, Ryuzaki Sumire slowly walked down the stands. Yamato Yudai lingered in self-blame before noticing that the players on the court had already lined up and hurried after them.

After defeating the top-seeded Seigaku, Evergreen Academy faced the second-seeded Kurofumi Eight in the finals. Yet, in a twist that made onlookers chuckle, the much-touted Kurofumi Eight, expected to challenge Seigaku, lost 0-3 to Evergreen Academy.

The match only reached the third singles—Shishido Ryo versus Deyagi Akimizu—and once again, Tezuka, assigned to singles two, had no chance to play. Matsubara Mei could only laugh wryly—was Tezuka doomed never to see action?

Under the referee’s direction, the players from Evergreen Academy and Kurofumi Eight lined up at the net. The loudspeakers on the side blared:

“The champion of the regional preliminaries is Evergreen Academy Middle School. Second place goes to Kurofumi Eight. We sincerely thank both schools for giving us such exciting matches and look forward to their outstanding performances at the Metropolitan Tournament at the end of May. That is all!”

With those words, the spectators around the court broke into applause.

Purple Pen Literature