"Our last match is the U17 qualifier, right?" Keigo Atobe's racket spun in his hands.

"It has been a long time.

Tezuka. "

"It's only been four months."

Tezuka adjusted his wrist guard and lifted his head to look at the ambitious blond boy. It was rare for him to take the initiative. "Heads or tails?"

Underneath his calm words was a boiling desire to fight.

This was rare.

Sanchū Ming thought.

The Tezuka Kunihiko she knew was always calm and controlled.

The Atobe she knew was the same.

"Heads." Like a torch that had been lit.

Keigo Atobe's excited smile was as bright as his shining blond hair.

The racket spun.

Keigo Atobe was right.

He had the right to serve.

The yellowish-green tennis ball was tossed up and down lightly.

The blond boy took a step back.

He bent his body slightly, and his sea blue eyes were clear and sharp.

"Be careful, Tezuka!" He tossed the tennis ball high and squatted down.

"Not only are you improving, so am I."

Keigo Atobe's racket hit the tennis ball heavily.

With a whoosh, the ball flew at Tezuka with a snowstorm!

Sanchū Ming, who was sitting with his chin resting on his hand, straightened his back.

… What is this?

Playing tennis … can create a snowstorm?

Sanchū Ming's mouth fell open.

She rubbed her eyes cutely.

"Hei … Kuronuma?" Her tone was dreamy.

She reached out to pull on the girl's sleeve.

"Did you see this?"

"… Ah …" Shueko Kuronuma was not much better.

She was even more dazed than Sanchū Ming.

"I saw it … Snow in June …"

"Using the Frost Emperor as soon as the match starts?" Fuji chuckled.

"Atobe sure is spirited."

"It even has a name?"

Sanchū Ming's expression was like he had seen Newton lift the lid of a coffin. He turned to ask the boy, "All of you know how to serve?"

"Atobe's serve can be considered one of the best among U17 players."

"Fuji Shushu misunderstood Sanchū Ming's words.

"There are very few people who can hit a ball with such power."

"What I mean is,

Sanchū Ming raised her hand and drew a circle in the direction of the court. Thousands of words were written on her face. "… special effects?"

"Special effects?"

Fuji frowned as if he couldn't understand why Sanchū Ming had such a big reaction. "Didn't you watch the match between Yukimura and Echizen?

Using Echizen as an example, his Flaming Whirlwind Smash could ignite flames due to the intense friction with the air, and his Storm Spin Serve could trigger a storm.

Although Yukimura doesn't have many moves, he can deprive his opponent of their five senses and make them fall into a dream. "

Shueko Kuronuma: "…"

Sanchū Ming: "…"

Three Suns and Moon Ming silently watched the ice, snow, and strong wind fight back and forth on the field, exchanging precise blows with each other. Under the horrified gaze of Blackmarsh Shuangzi, he let out a long sigh, as if he had unraveled a knot in his heart. "I know why Xing Cun lost to that first year."

Under Fuji Shushu's questioning, she shook her head mysteriously.

*

Keigo Atobe got off the court and met Sanchū Ming's gaze that seemed to have seen through the mundane world.

"… What kind of expression is that?"

He licked his lips impatiently and accepted the glass of water that Sanchū Ming passed him to rehydrate. He then sat down between Fuji Shushu and Sanchū Ming like the throne was reserved for him.

"I'm just having a few words with Sanchū." Fuji Shushu, who was glared at by Keigo Atobe, waved his hand. "Atobe, you don't have to look at me like that."

"Are you done?" Keigo Atobe scoffed and raised his chin to point at the court. "Tezuka is looking at you."

Fuji turned around and met Tezuka Guohiko's cold and stern eyes. When their eyes met, Tezuka Guohiko pointed at the court.

"…" Fuji thought, No, I really didn't slack off this time.

"Let's chat another day." Fuji stood up and smiled at Sanchū Ming. He picked up his racket and left the resting area.

Keigo Atobe used a towel to wipe his sweat. He waited until Fuji was far away before he asked, "You know Fuji Shushu?"

"I know his sister, Fuji Yumiko." Facing Keigo Atobe, Sanchū Ming was obviously more talkative. "Our family's business is handled by his sister's law firm. She was once our appointed lawyer's assistant."

At this point, Sanchū wrinkled his nose. "But he knows me. He said that he saw me during Yukimura's match."

Tsk.

Fuji's prank and curiosity are always so out of place.

Keigo Atobe thought to himself.

"So?" Keigo Atobe took the notebook from Sanchū Ming's hands. "What did you find?"

"Yukimura's loss is not unjustified."

Sanchū Ming said seriously. "How can a Psychic Mage win against a magically enhanced melee DPS?"

Keigo Atobe drew a circle with the notebook in his hands and threw it at Sanchū Ming's head.

It wasn't a heavy hit, and the force was light, like a helpless tap.

"I say," Keigo Atobe was exasperated. "I purposely fought with Tezuka in the first match, but I didn't let you play tricks on me."

He took off the towel on his head and turned to look at Sanchū Ming. "Since you learned about the first practice match with Seigaku, you've been very strange.

"Weak to the core," the golden-haired King criticized impolitely.

Sanchū Ming was stunned.

Keigo Atobe took back the notebook from Sanchū Ming's head and carefully flipped through the pages. His beautiful eyebrows gradually raised. "… Isn't this a very careful observation?" With some surprise, he smiled with satisfaction. "Sanchū?"

"Surprised?

Sports are my specialty. "

Sanchū Ming took back the notebook and continued to record the data of the Ice Emperor members. "I've practiced with Yukimura before."

"No wonder." Keigo Atobe glanced at Sanchū Ming. "What?

Did I hit the nail on the head? "

Before Sanchū Ming could return the slap to Atobe, he added, "After watching my practice match with Tezuka, are you still worried about those useless questions?"

Keigo Atobe's observation was incredibly sharp.

"… It's not what you think."

Sanchū Ming pressed his lips together and subconsciously twirled the pen in his hand. "A loss is a loss; there's nothing to say about it.

It's just that the process was too unexpected. "

"I don't care what you think about the match between Yukimura and Echizen," Keigo Atobe said. "They gave it their all.

"Just like the match between me and Tezuka." He gave a short laugh. "At the time, Tezuka's old injury had not healed, and we were in a tiebreaker."

In the Kanto Tournament against Seigaku, Keigo Atobe noticed that Tezuka Kunihiko's elbow was injured, so he chose to stall for time. He even changed the angle of his shot, hoping to trigger the pain from the injury to force Tezuka to back off.

But Tezuka resisted the pressure and the intense pain and persevered.

After a long and drawn-out battle, Tezuka finally lost the tiebreaker due to his old injury, and Atobe won with a score of 7: 6.

After that match, the audience and some of the players had a lot to say about Keigo Atobe. They said that he had no sportsmanship and that he had an unfair advantage, but Keigo Atobe did not care.

Because he had won.

"You won," Sanchū Ming said without hesitation.

She pulled Keigo Atobe's hand over. It was obvious that this was a hand that was well maintained. The back of his hand was smooth and clean, but when she turned to his palm …

As she expected, there were thick calluses on the skin between his thumb and index finger.

"Waltz of Shattering … That's the name, right? Even though it doesn't have any special effects, it is quite useful in a match."

Mitsui Mitsui loosened his grip and said, "In the return of the ball, when the opponent hits a high ball, the first jump smash will knock off the opponent's racket, and when the ball falls back to the court, the second jump smash will be used. The user must have outstanding eyesight and ball control ability, and at the same time, the user must be able to quickly capture the wrist and the web between the thumb and index finger of the opponent who is also moving.

"You need an unimaginable amount of practice." Sanchū Ming paused before repeating, "So, you won."

Keigo Atobe didn't withdraw his hand. He opened his palm and said, "Whether it's Echizen's hand or Tezuka's hand, it's no different from mine … No, the calluses on their hands can only be thicker than mine."

Sanchū Ming looked at Keigo Atobe in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that." Keigo Atobe said impatiently, "Am I a tennis idiot in your eyes?

They are different from me, and even different from Yuimura. They are destined to walk the career path. "

… Sanchū Ming never thought that Keigo Atobe was such a person.

"No." For the first time, she looked at the handsome blond boy seriously, "I just feel like I'm getting to know you again."

After a pause, Sanchū Ming sighed, "I heard Honyeh say that you called the girl who chased after you to deliver your lunchbox 'female cat'. I thought you would be the cold, ruthless, domineering and arrogant type …"

"… You really can't stand it if you don't fight, can you, Sanchū Ming?"

Keigo Atobe's face was dark. The term that he had blurted out years ago had been used by Yuji Ninazhi and Honyeh to mock him. To prevent another Sanchū Ming from joining the list, he explained, "That Shouye Hokusen — the woman who has been pestering me — is a spy from Hokkaido's Chuncheon Academy."

"I know, Honyeh told me about it."

Sanchū Ming chuckled. "But the gentlemanly way that Honyeh described Atobe is not as impactful as the actual experience."

Who would have thought that Atobe, who was not known for his patience, would be so considerate toward a woman?

The young man who was as bright and noble as a king had an impossibly soft and caring heart.

"You are still far from being able to fully appreciate my beauty." Keigo Atobe's lips curled up. "So, what are you so conflicted about?

Yukimura was defeated by a first-year student?

Is Tezuka stronger than Yukimura?

None of that matters, right?

If you were defeated in the art of swordsmanship, would you still think about the reason?

"That's too weak. I will look down on you." Keigo Atobe glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes.

"In this regard, Kuronuma is much better than you."

"Huh?"

Shueko Kuronuma, who was suddenly called out, had been recording the conversation seriously, so she had no idea what was going on. She turned to the two people who were shining under the sun with confusion. "What?"

"How cunning."

Sanchū Ming smacked his lips. "Kuronuma is already so good. Now that you're using her as a shield, I have no excuse."