Chapter 32: Precision Kill, Seeing Through the Blind Spot

  Smack!Smack!Smack!

  On the court.

  Shishido kept bouncing the tennis ball, occasionally gncing at the scoreboard that now read 15-0, thoughts turning rapidly in his mind.

  "I was right—against him, the match will be decided in the opening few points. So…"

  Whoosh!

  With that thought, Shishido tossed the ball into the air again.

  Thwack!

  The tennis ball exploded off his racket.

  This serve was incredibly fast. It was his second serve of the game, targeted towards his opponent’s backhand with a sharp, tricky angle.

  Tap tap!

  Even before the ball nded, Shishido had already darted towards the middle of the court.

  The st point had only reinforced his belief, making him act faster and more decisively.

  Thwack!

  This time, Ishikawa returned the shot again—aiming at the same location as before, just slightly closer to Shishido this time.

  "Hmph."

  Seeing this, Shishido sneered inwardly.

  "Give it a rest. That trick won’t work on me."

  Thwack!

  He lowered his speed slightly, raised his racket, and smmed the ball back with force. The ball nded just inside the sideline—another point scored.

  "30-0!"

  "Whoa!"

  "So strong!"

  "Is this the strength of a regur member?"

  "Yeah, that st point didn’t even take 30 seconds, did it?"

  Spectators were full of admiration for Shishido’s dominance.

  But the regurs watching were frowning.

  "What’s going on with Ishikawa?" Hiyoshi asked in confusion.

  "Yeah," Chotarou, equally puzzled. "Is he just being stubborn? He’s hit the same spot twice—it’s basically giving points away."

  If they hadn’t seen Ishikawa win match after match with their own eyes, most would’ve thought he was a clueless beginner.

  Truthfully, Ishikawa wasn’t far off from being a beginner in terms of how long he’d been pying tennis.

  "This isn’t a smart strategy," Oshitari shook his head. "Even if he’s probing, this isn’t the way. Going head-on is inefficient—and Shishido isn’t someone you can read with just two shots."

  He had a hunch what Ishikawa was doing—trying to collect data on Shishido. But this approach was incredibly low-efficiency.

  At this rate—gathering info one point at a time—the match would be over before Ishikawa learned anything useful.

  Thwack!

  Soon after, Shishido served again and unched into motion.

  After scoring two easy points, his tactic seemed to be working. And again, Ishikawa returned the ball to Shishido’s front right side.

  Shishido scoffed and once again smmed it back for a clean winner.

  "40-0!"

  Three points in a row—Shishido was barely breaking a sweat.

  Meanwhile, Ishikawa’s performance left people thoroughly disappointed. Especially those who had come specifically to see this 'new prodigy' in action—they were shaking their heads in disbelief.

  "This is the tennis club’s strongest rookie?"

  "Are you kidding me? I could do that!"

  "Exactly. If we’re just losing, I could lose faster!"

  The crowd buzzed with disbelief.

  But Ishikawa’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

  He had blocked out all the noise, focusing instead on marking shot positions in his mind, repying Shishido’s movements in slow motion, frame by frame.

  Thwack!

  Shishido served again.

  Same speed as before. Same aggressive py style—dashing forward like a leopard.

  Shishido knew—even if he secured this service game, it didn’t mean he had the upper hand.

  After all, Ishikawa’s serve was on par with even Chotarou’s power serve. Ishikawa could afford to experiment. Shishido couldn’t.

  He had to value every point, wear Ishikawa down physically, and wait for his chance to strike.

  Thwack!

  Ishikawa returned it again.

  At first gnce, the shot looked identical to the previous three: same speed, same angle, same direction.

  Spectators groaned and shook their heads.

  Some even ughed, dismissing Ishikawa’s 'strongest rookie' reputation as hype.

  Members of the tennis team were also puzzled—compared to yesterday, Ishikawa looked like a completely different person.

  Even the dullest pyer would’ve changed tactics after failing the same way three times. But Ishikawa looked as if he’d die on that hill before giving it up.

  "I told you…" Shishido muttered impatiently, seeing the ball come toward him again. "This trick doesn’t work on m—huh?!"

  Thud!

  The ball nded.

  But instead of Shishido unching another return, the ball zipped right past him after the bounce.

  He didn’t move. It was as if he’d been frozen in pce by some kind of spell.

  "40-15!"

  "What?!!"

  The score announcement left the crowd stunned.

  And not just the spectators.

  Even Shishido stood there like a statue, staring dumbfounded at his feet.

  "I—I couldn’t move?"

  Just now, he had clearly seen the ball nd and had intended to swing at it.

  But the moment he tried, he realized with shock—he couldn't move.

  He took a deep breath, gring at Ishikawa.

  "Those first three shots… were all for this?"

  "W-What just happened?" Hiyoshi and Chotarou asked, utterly confused.

  "Hmm…" Oshitari narrowed his eyes. "If I had to guess… I’d say Ishikawa was probing for Shishido’s blind spots when he rushes the net."

  Blind spots?

  In just three shots?

  Those nearby were stunned once again.

  "N-No way…" Hiyoshi’s lips twitched, his voice trembling. "Isn’t that a little too much?"

  More than a little—he and Chotarou were dumbfounded.

  "Oshitari's right," a calm voice interjected.

  It was Atobe. He gnced at Ishikawa, who stood on the court with a composed expression.

  "It sounds exaggerated, but it's the truth. I’d say he's already gathered most of Shishido's data."

  Everyone around was floored. It had only been three shots!

  Not even two minutes had passed—and he'd already figured Shishido out?

  But it was Atobe speaking—their captain. So everyone swallowed their doubts and kept watching.

  And sure enough—

  The rest of the match proved Atobe right.

  Trying to secure his service game, Shishido switched strategies, pying it safe instead of charging the net. But Ishikawa never gave him the chance.

  Every return nded exactly where Shishido didn’t want it. Over and over, Ishikawa kept sending shots to the worst possible spots, frustrating Shishido to the brink of spitting blood.

  Thwack!

  Before Shishido could figure out how to respond, Ishikawa unched a fierce shot directly at his left foot—low and bouncing sharply.

  Shishido, gncing down, could even see the fuzzy yellow ball spinning fiercely.

  Then—

  In a moment of helpless dread, the downward-rotating ball skimmed past his racket.

  Thwack!

  "40-30!"

  Silence fell over the court.

  The spectators who had doubted Ishikawa now stood with mouths agape, unable to say a single word.

  "H-How…?"

  Among the regurs, Chotarou looked stunned.

  "Shishido-senpai… is being suppressed?"

  "As I thought," Oshitari said, eyes narrowed. "He’s completely seen through Shishido's blind spots."

  (End of Chapter 32)