Chapter 28: Defeating Hiyoshi, Special Drop Item

  Bang!

  Hiyoshi, who had won three consecutive points and secured a game point, once again sent the tennis ball flying.

  At the same time—

  He once again adopted his Martial Arts-style offensive stance.

  "Heh."

  Seeing Hiyoshi’s somewhat peculiar movements as he moved toward the ball, Ishikawa looked up and smiled, "Senpai, your Martial Arts-style tennis is indeed strong, but if you keep up this pace, your stamina won’t st, will it?"

  Hiyoshi’s expression stiffened upon hearing those words.

  Noticing this, Ishikawa chuckled. "Looks like I was right."

  "This brat!"

  Hiyoshi’s face grew even darker.

  He hadn't expected that at this stage of the match, his opponent would still have the mental capacity to probe him. Determined, he quickened his pace, chasing the ball before forcefully sending it toward Ishikawa’s backhand corner.

  Tap tap!

  To his surprise, Ishikawa managed to reach the ball, shattering Hiyoshi’s hopes of scoring.

  Bang!

  Returning the shot, Ishikawa smirked. "What’s wrong, senpai? You seem desperate to win this game—could it be that you’re running out of stamina?"

  "You talk too much!"

  Hiyoshi snapped, lunging toward the ball once more. This time, he put even more power behind his shot, significantly increasing its speed.

  Perhaps due to the sheer speed, Ishikawa, who had initially lifted his foot to chase the ball, unexpectedly abandoned the point.

  "Hmph."

  Seeing this, a smug look crossed Hiyoshi’s face. "I told you—don’t provoke me, or…"

  "Out!"

  "40-30!"

  However—

  Before Hiyoshi could even finish his thought, the referee’s call suddenly rang out.

  "What?!"

  Hiyoshi’s expression changed drastically, and he immediately turned his gaze toward the ball’s nding spot. Sure enough, there was a clear white mark between the singles and doubles sideline.

  His shot had really gone out!

  "Damn it!"

  Frustrated, Hiyoshi felt even more unsettled. A game that had seemed firmly within his grasp had now taken a sudden turn.

  Even so—

  He still held the advantage in this game.

  Bang!

  Without dwelling on it, Hiyoshi unched another serve and swiftly advanced toward the net.

  "Nice one, Hiyoshi!"

  "Yeah! Just finish him off in one go!"

  The Hyotei’s tennis members cheered enthusiastically. However, unlike their excitement, the regurs watching the match shook their heads.

  "Hiyoshi’s rhythm is off."

  Shishido sighed. "Martial Arts-style tennis and net py are two completely different strategies. He’s too desperate to win this point, and now he’s making reckless decisions."

  "Can’t be helped."

  Oshitari also shook his head and sighed. "Anyone would feel the same way. When victory is within reach, but you just can’t clinch it, you’ll inevitably try to force it."

  In his eyes, Hiyoshi’s approach wasn’t necessarily wrong.

  It was just that Ishikawa was too terrifying—not only could he see through his opponent’s movements, but he also had complete control over the game’s momentum and even his opponent’s mindset.

  It was hard to believe this was just a first-year rookie!

  "This point is crucial."

  Watching Hiyoshi unleash a fierce assault in an attempt to break through Ishikawa’s defense, Oshitari muttered, "If he loses this point, it’ll be a devastating psychological blow."

  Momentum is a fragile thing—if lost, regaining it would be an uphill battle. And Hiyoshi knew this. The more he pyed, the more aggressive he became.

  As the rally continued—

  He stopped caring about shot pcement or spin, opting instead to rely purely on speed and force in a desperate attempt to score.

  But unfortunately—

  It was all in vain.

  By now, Ishikawa had already adapted to his pystyle. And with his Level 9 Chess, he could see through Hiyoshi’s every move as if reading an open book.

  Simply put—

  Hiyoshi was completely exposed.

  The only reason Ishikawa hadn’t counterattacked yet was that he wanted to prolong the match to gain more EXP and fully analyze the skills of a near-Hyotei regur.

  Now—

  The time had come.

  Bang!

  Across the net—

  Hiyoshi struck again, sending the ball flying toward the sideline. At this stage, he had become reckless, even disregarding whether his shots would nd in or out.

  But—

  Perhaps fate was on his side; this wild shot miraculously clipped the line.

  "Nice shot!"

  Shishido, Mukahi, and the others instinctively shouted in surprise.

  "The match has turned around!"

  Oshitari, too, wore a look of relief. If Hiyoshi won this point, the overall score would be tied at 1-1. This would allow him to regroup and adjust his strategy.

  With the score reset, the match’s outcome would still be unpredictable.

  Whoosh!

  But the very next second—

  Ishikawa suddenly appeared near the ball and swiftly swung his racket.

  Bang!

  With a crisp sound, the ball spun sharply and zipped past Hiyoshi’s backhand side.

  "Hah!"

  Hiyoshi, knowing how important this point was, roared and dashed forward, preparing to counter the shot.

  "…Ah?"

  But—

  His body suddenly froze, and his expression twisted into shock, panic, and disbelief.

  "I… can’t reach it?"

  "H-How is this possible?!"

  From the sidelines, the audience also gasped in disbelief.

  At that moment—

  Hiyoshi’s racket was a mere 5 centimeters away from the ball. But no matter how hard he stretched, he simply couldn’t touch it.

  This scene eerily resembled his failed service return from the previous set.

  "Was… was this intentional?"

  Hiyoshi looked up at Ishikawa, stunned.

  And this time—

  Ishikawa didn’t avoid his gaze. Instead, he calmly met his eyes with a composed smile.

  Whoosh!

  Realizing the truth—

  Hiyoshi defted like a popped balloon. His fighting spirit completely vanished.

  "Deuce (40-40)!"

  The umpire’s voice rang out.

  But Hiyoshi’s expression remained bnk. He knew he had already lost.

  If even that furious rally couldn’t get him a single point, how could he possibly score two more to take the game?

  His chances of winning had dropped to zero.

  Sure enough—

  In the next two rallies, Ishikawa swiftly took control, breaking Hiyoshi’s serve.

  At this moment, even the slowest spectators realized—the match had already tilted completely in Ishikawa’s favor.

  Bang!

  Finally—

  At the 21-minute mark, as Ishikawa’s st shot nded, the umpire announced:

  "Game set and match!"

  "Winner: Ishikawa Shin! Final score: 6-0!"

  Ding!

  At that moment—

  A system notification echoed in Ishikawa’s mind.

  [Pyer has defeated elite opponent Wakashi Hiyoshi. Based on the opponent's level, gained 750 EXP.]

  [Pyer has obtained a special dropped item from Wakashi Hiyoshi: Sub-Profession Item – Ancient Martial Arts x1.]

  "Huh?"

  Seeing the second notification, Ishikawa’s heart skipped a beat in excitement.

  A new sub-profession has dropped?!

  (End of Chapter 28)