Heavy weaponry, Tiger Cannon

"Inoue, does the technique Mantian Ganya mentioned really exist? It sounds like he's just boasting..." Shiba Saori listened, confused, and asked.

"Though it sounds unbelievable, unfortunately, such a technique does exist—and I witnessed it myself last year," Inoue Mamoru replied, understanding Saori's skepticism. The three girls all turned to him, and Saori's face showed astonishment. "You saw it last year, Inoue?"

"It was after last year’s junior tournament. When the eleven-year-old Kunimitsu Tezuka privately challenged the runner-up, Genichirou Sanada, I saw it with my own eyes. I still remember what Tezuka said at the time."

His thoughts drifted back to a year ago.

Tezuka, facing Sanada—who wore a black cap and whose determined face betrayed a hint of obsession—spoke calmly: "The realm tennis will reach next is mine. It is a place you cannot touch, no matter what you do."

"The Tezuka Domain?" Saori echoed Inoue Mamoru’s words.

"Yes. At the time, all the reporters focused on Tezuka’s victory over Sanada, and no one noticed the technique he used. But I must say, the Tezuka Domain Tezuka employed was identical to the skill Matsubara Mei just demonstrated."

"Then the move Matsubara just used is the Matsubara Domain?" Oda Fuyuka asked.

"Exactly." Inoue watched the referee return to his seat and nodded.

"Amazing... The Matsubara Domain?" Hearing Mantian Ganya name Matsubara’s move, many students from Yamabuki showed envious expressions. Matsubara’s skill exceeded their understanding of tennis—so this was possible after all.

"The Matsubara Domain—once mastered, the rhythm of the match can be firmly controlled," Fuji smiled slightly.

"Interesting," Sengoku quickly regained his composure. As he continued rallying with Matsubara Mei, his fighting spirit grew ever stronger.

"Even with such a refined technique, he keeps launching aggressive attacks against Sengoku," Mantian Ganya observed Matsubara Mei with a smile, thinking to himself. This boy’s silhouette overlapped more and more with that of Echizen Nanjirou, who used to be a scrappy kid.

"In Matsubara’s dictionary, there is no word for defense. His offense is the best defense," Tezuka folded his arms, thinking to himself.

"Thirty-fifteen!"

Sengoku created a chance ball and leapt for a powerful smash, forcing Matsubara Mei to dodge.

"The Tiger Cannon..." Matsubara wiped sweat from his brow. He had relaxed his guard during the rally with Sengoku and unwittingly hit a lob. Only the Tiger Cannon could handle that height and trajectory—he hadn’t expected the Tiger Cannon could be used for both serving and regular shots.

"What incredible jumping ability..." Shishido Ryo exclaimed.

"Comparable to Akutsu’s leaps—Sengoku Kiyoshi isn’t just a baseline attacker. Like Tezuka, he’s a rare all-rounder," Inui Sadaharu said, flipping open his notebook.

"An all-rounder?" Shibayama Kumokiri was surprised.

"Can we pause, referee? I need to change my racket," Sengoku suddenly beckoned as Matsubara dug a ball from his pocket.

"Using a practice racket just can’t unleash the full power of his smashes..." Watching Sengoku mutter to himself, Matsubara Mei shrugged helplessly. Such mind games had no effect on him.

"Sengoku Kiyoshi, who appears sunny and easy-going, is actually a master of psychological tactics..." Inoue Mamoru remarked, sensing something deeper.

"Huh?" Saori didn’t quite understand.

"With the Matsubara Domain Matsubara just displayed, he should have secured a 40-0 victory quickly. But they took even longer than the previous two points, and this time Sengoku scored. In matches, continuous fast attacks keep a player’s nerves taut. The closer the outcome, the more anxious one becomes. If a player suffers defeat at such a moment—especially from a powerful attack—the psychological impact is enormous," Inoue Mamoru explained gravely.

"Did you notice? Just as Matsubara’s mood dropped from its peak and began to recover, Sengoku called for a timely pause. It appeared casual, but his pause disrupted Matsubara’s mentality again," he continued.

The three girls observed Matsubara Mei’s expression and saw his helpless sigh. Saori nodded repeatedly. "He does look a bit shaken..."

"Is Yamabuki Middle only good at these mental tactics?" Oda Fuyuka’s impression of Yamabuki Middle diminished further.

"What a pleasant voice. Let’s continue the match, Matsubara," Sengoku said from the sidelines, pointing at the boy.

After changing his racket, Sengoku became serious, and Matsubara Mei immediately increased his own strength and speed.

"Thwack!"

"One-nil! Evergreen leads! Change sides!"

"His speed and power both increased—he’s on a whole new level compared to before..." Sengoku watched Matsubara Mei saunter over, his expression growing stern.

"And the Matsubara Domain hasn’t reappeared. Logically, no matter where I hit the ball, it should always be drawn back by him... This is quite different from what Mantian said."

Sengoku glanced at Mantian Ganya, who was smiling on the sidelines.

"Matsubara is impressive. Even after a psychological blow, he managed to defeat Sengoku Kiyoshi—who had switched rackets—in a game," Saori observed.

"Yes, indeed. Sengoku was the junior tournament runner-up two years ago, and with his superb jumping ability, even if he’s not on Matsubara’s level, he shouldn’t have only scored once in the opening game. Matsubara is much stronger now than he was in the regional qualifiers," Inoue Mamoru nodded.

"Hey..." Matsubara Mei looked at Sengoku, who was tapping his racket against the court, and smiled.

"Hmm?"

"Why not try another racket? With your current performance, it’s hard to call you Yamabuki’s strongest singles player," the boy said with a deep smile.

Sengoku didn’t answer. After a moment, he gripped the ball and smiled. "If that’s so, I’ll make things a bit more interesting for you."

With that, he tossed the ball high into the air and leapt. The butterfly knots on his light blue tennis shoes fluttered softly in the wind.

"Here it comes—shoelace serve!"

Matsubara Mei recognized the Tiger Cannon stance and immediately tightened his grip on the racket.

"He tossed the ball that high?!" Shishido Ryo exclaimed.

"A very high contact point!" Shibayama Kumokiri looked up, his brows knit.

"Boom!"

Chasing the falling ball, Sengoku slammed down with all his might. The tennis ball became a blur as it streaked toward Matsubara Mei, who barely had time to react before it smashed out of bounds.

"Fifteen-love!"

"How lucky—just as I expected," Sengoku landed and saw the look of surprise on Matsubara Mei’s face. He recalled how he’d forced the opponent into hitting a lob earlier.

Originally, Sengoku had reserved this move to counter the Matsubara Domain. If any shot could be drawn back, surely a smash would break the pattern. But since Matsubara Mei no longer used the Domain, this move would decide the outcome!

Purple Pen Literature