Chapter 17: Battle against Ibu Shinji

"Match over, Yuuki Satoru wins, score 6-0."

Off the court, the freshman who had just finished the match braced his hands on his knees, sweat pouring down like rain, gasping for breath.

"To think I couldn't even take a single point; the Captain is truly strong."

In this match, he was defeated and convinced of his loss.

"That's only natural. Yuuki is different from us."

The senior beside him nodded in agreement.

He gazed at Yuuki Satoru, who was filling out the score near the umpire's chair, his eyes filled with a hint of longing.

He really is strong...

On the other side.

"Match over, Ibu Shinji wins, score 6-0!"

Not long after, Ibu Shinji, who was in the same group, had also finished his match, currently five wins out of five.

Today, his sharp edge was fully exposed; he finished every game with extreme speed, showing no mercy, and not even the second-year members could take a point from him.

People called it brutal.

After winning five matches, Ibu Shinji had already secured the starting spot for Group 1 ahead of schedule, yet he didn't relax in the slightest; instead, his expression remained cold, ready for a serious battle.

Because his next opponent was none other than Yuuki Satoru.

"Heads or tails?"

"Heads."

Ibu Shinji remained expressionless, his thoughts unreadable, only his slightly sweaty palms betraying his inner state.

Yuuki Satoru chuckled, applied a little force with his fingertips, and the racket began to spin on the ground.

Whirrr.

As the rotation slowed, the racket began to wobble, then slowly tipped over.

Clatter!

Glancing at the racket on the ground, Ibu Shinji said nothing and silently retreated to the baseline.

Seeing this, Yuuki Satoru understood his determination: "In that case, then take a good look at the real world."

"Match starts, one set to decide the winner."

"Ibu Shinji to serve."

A member who had a bye sat in the umpire's chair to act as a temporary referee.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Ibu Shinji gently bounced the tennis ball.

In the Tennis Club, Shenwei Ming was extremely fast, Shitian Tie's power could not be ignored, Neicun Jingjie excelled at net volleys, Yingjing Ya was skilled at powerful topspin, and Sen Chende had a solid foundation of techniques.

Their strength was quite good, but if they met on the court, Ibu Shinji had full confidence in winning the final victory.

But only before Yuuki Satoru...

He just stood there, yet it made people feel as if they were looking at a bottomless, dark pool, terrifyingly still.

Will I lose?!

Pop!

Ibu Shinji grabbed the bouncing ball, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

The match hadn't even started, yet he felt the outcome was already decided—this was the first time he had ever felt this way.

He took a deep breath, his expression exceptionally grave.

I have never lost before, and I will not lose in the future!

Bang!

With a crisp sound, the tennis ball hit the ground, but instead of bouncing immediately, it spun violently.

"What kind of serve is this?!"

The members watching from the sidelines were shocked.

For most people, a move at the level of a sidespin serve was something they might never be able to hit in their entire lives.

"The trajectory of the serve is decent, but the speed is too slow."

Before the ball could bounce, Yuuki Satoru had already appeared at the landing spot, his right hand swinging the racket like lightning.

His evaluation of Ibu Shinji at this moment was just like that of Bu Er Zhou Zhu half a year ago.

That time, that moment, was exactly like this time, this moment.

This was the perspective of someone standing on a mountain peak looking at the climbers still at the foot of the mountain.

Only, compared to Bu Er Zhou Zhu back then, the mountain peak Yuuki Satoru stood on now was even higher.

Of course, there were still more mountains in this world waiting for him to climb; he could not afford to slack off.

Boom!

A sharp yellow streak of light pierced the air, the violent rotation emitting a dangerous aura.

Clatter~

The tennis ball slammed into the green wire fence behind Ibu Shinji, causing a tremor.

"0-15!"

Yuuki Satoru broke the serve first; he had no intention of holding back, launching an attack without mercy from the very beginning.

"So fast!"

Ibu Shinji's pupils constricted; even though he was mentally prepared, seeing such a return made him gasp.

However, this speed could still be dealt with.

Ibu Shinji subconsciously brushed back his scattered deep blue hair.

The tennis ball left his hand.

Bang!

The ball shot out, another sidespin serve, but compared to the last one, the speed was at least thirty percent faster!

"How about this? Can you still manage a return like the one just now?"

Looking at Yuuki Satoru, who was still at the baseline, a faint smile flashed across Ibu Shinji's expressionless face.

But the next instant, that smile was completely frozen.

Boom!

A sharp light flashed, kicking up a wisp of smoke after hitting the ground; the speed was fast to the extreme.

After hitting the wire fence, the ball rolled back to Ibu Shinji's feet.

"0-30!"

Yuuki Satoru indifferently called out the score, then walked to the other side to prepare for the next serve.

"Come, continue."

Bang!

The tennis ball sped out.

This time, Ibu Shinji abandoned the sidespin serve that relied on variation and chose a faster flat serve.

But clearly, Yuuki Satoru's speed was faster, fast as lightning.

Boom!

The racket flashed.

The tennis ball turned into a yellow afterimage, streaking across the court; even the other members outside the court couldn't see the ball clearly.

"0-40!"

Bang!

Boom!

"Game, Yuuki Satoru, score 1-0."

"The Captain is so strong!"

The members watching from the sidelines gasped, and even the second-year veterans of the Tennis Club felt incredibly shocked.

When Yuuki Satoru played against them, he had never attacked so fiercely.

Junior Ibu, can you hold on?

They couldn't help but feel worried in their hearts.

And Ibu Shinji hadn't yet recovered from the previous game.

Although he had only been serving and the rallies hadn't even begun, just facing this pressure made sweat seep from his pores incessantly.

"Focus your attention from now on, otherwise you won't even be able to see the ball."

After switching sides, Yuuki Satoru suddenly spoke.

Ibu Shinji's heart tightened, his nerves immediately tensed, and he focused all his attention on Yuuki Satoru's movements.

Swish!

Yuuki Satoru tossed the ball up lightly; when it reached its peak, he leaped up, his stretched body resembling a bent bow.

Faint, almost invisible blue electric arcs flickered and jumped between the racket strings.

Thunder Triple Concerto.

First Movement·Thunderclap!

The moment the racket made contact with the ball, there was a crisp sound like an electric shock.

Crackle!

A white light flashed across the court.

And Ibu Shinji couldn't catch the shadow of the ball at all.

"Can't see it! How could—"

Just as he gasped, a white light flew past his cheek.

Danger!

Just as his body wanted to move, a severe warning sounded from the depths of his heart, and he was instantly pinned to the spot, unable to move a single step.

Pfft!

At this moment, a muffled sound came from the wire fence surrounding the court, a gap appeared where it had been pushed aside, and the green coating on the wire had turned pitch black.

"15-0!"

The member acting as the temporary referee had long since been unable to see the situation of the match, so Yuuki Satoru calmly called out the score.

Ibu Shinji stiffly turned his neck, looking back at the charred patch on the wire fence.

"What is this?!"

In that instant just now, he felt as if he had experienced a great terror between life and death; the hair all over his body stood on end, and goosebumps covered his skin.