(There was an error in the last chapter. To win a tennis game, you need to win four points, not three, so Hoshimi should have won four points to claim the game.)
The second game began.
"15:0"
"30:0"
"40:0"
"Match point!"
With another "disappearing serve," Hoshimi easily won the second game with four serves.
"Yukino, you've lost eight points," Hoshimi teased, stretching his shoulders.
"..." Yukinoshita didn't respond. She picked up the tennis ball from the ground, her brow furrowing.
She couldn't break it. Even though she had roughly figured out the technique from Hoshimi's serving motion, her eyesight, skills, and physical condition fell short, making it impossible to counter his serves.
Hoshimi, is this your secret weapon? It's surprisingly strong.
But you've mastered serving. What about returning shots? How much have you learned?
Holding the tennis ball, Yukinoshita locked eyes with Hoshimi across the court.
I don't believe you've mastered returns as well.
If you truly have the ability to defeat me, then... I, Yukinoshita Yukino, will admit defeat and yield to you!
"Whoo~"
Yukinoshita took a deep breath, tossed the ball, and sent a standard slice serve into Hoshimi's half of the court.
Hoshimi, already prepared, stepped forward and returned the serve.
"Thud!"
The ball flew back and hit the net under Yukinoshita's watchful gaze.
"Ah~~ just a little more and it would've cleared the net, what a pity," Hoshimi lamented, clenching his fist.
Just a few centimeters more, the shot lacked power. A little more strength would have done it.
"..."
On the other side of the court, Yukinoshita sighed with relief as she saw the ball fall near the net.
Thank goodness, Hoshimi hasn't mastered returns yet. Otherwise, today...
Yukinoshita blushed, her expression briefly unnatural.
She quickly regained her composure and looked at Hoshimi. "Hoshimi, give me the ball."
"Okay."
Hoshimi walked to the net, picked up the ball, and tossed it to Yukinoshita.
"Let's continue."
Yukinoshita caught the ball, staying cautious. She planned to keep observing.
One or two mistakes didn't prove anything. Hoshimi could be hiding his true ability.
After a while, the third game ended with a score of 40:0.
Hoshimi's returns hit the net or went out of bounds. Yukinoshita won two points from serves, one point from a direct serve win, and one point after a three-shot rally that ended with Hoshimi missing the ball.
Now, Yukinoshita was certain that Hoshimi hadn't mastered returns, and his performance wasn't much different from a beginner a few days ago.
No, there was a slight difference. At least he could rally with her three times now.
"Hoshimi, can you only serve?"
Before the fourth game, Yukinoshita asked coldly.
"Guess?" Hoshimi swung his racket leisurely.
"..." Yukinoshita didn't want to guess. She was sure Hoshimi could only serve. The question was just a test.
From his reaction, Hoshimi was still the same, pretending to be skilled when he wasn't. This matched his character perfectly.
"Let's continue."
The fourth game began. With Yukinoshita serving, the game quickly ended with her winning 40:0.
From then on, the match entered what could be considered garbage time.
Yukinoshita couldn't break Hoshimi's serves, losing 40:0 each time.
Hoshimi's basic skills were too poor to compete with Yukinoshita, losing 40:0 each time as well.
During this time, Yukinoshita tried switching sides to see if Hoshimi's serves would still work. They did.
In the game after switching sides, Hoshimi got lucky and hit a net cord shot, winning a point.
Otherwise, the games were consistently lopsided.
Time passed, and the score quickly reached 6:6, leading to a tiebreak.
A tiebreak is different from a regular game.
First, you need to win seven points to win, and you must lead by two points.
Second, players take turns serving.
Third, players switch sides, though neither Hoshimi nor Yukinoshita cared much about this rule.
"Yukino, shall we take a break before the tiebreak?" Hoshimi asked, stretching his right arm.
"No, let's play now!"
Yukinoshita noticed something. She smirked and taunted, "Hoshimi, can't even finish one set without resting? Your body is weaker than mine!"
In truth, Yukinoshita was also feeling strained.
Her muscles were still sore from overtraining over the weekend, despite massages and a day of rest.
Combined with her morning jog and the current tennis match, her legs were weakening. She nearly stumbled during a jump earlier.
But to win, she could endure a bit more.
She noticed Hoshimi was having trouble, constantly stretching his right arm.
By the last game, he was stretching his arm whenever he had a chance. His arm seemed close to failing him.
She just had to hold on until Hoshimi couldn't serve those tricky balls, and she would win.
"...Alright, let's continue."
Having won 25 points, Hoshimi was satisfied. He had already achieved his goal.
Winning or losing didn't matter much now.
In his dreams, he trained with a perfect body.
So, when his right arm weakened, his serves might fail, making it likely he would lose the next points.
Yukinoshita's observation was sharp. She found his weakness.
But it didn't matter. Winning 25 points was already a success.
"Then, let's go," Yukinoshita said, ready for the next serve.
Relaxed, Hoshimi casually used the "disappearing serve" to win the first point.
Next, Yukinoshita served. It was a standard slice serve but slower than before.
===
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