Vol. 1 Chapter 33 – Tournament Day

—The following Saturday.

I was visiting the large park that served as the venue for the tournament Asahi-san was participating in.

It was my first time visiting the place, an away-turf space filled entirely with sporty types.

Moreover, according to information obtained from Hayato, it seemed a group of her classmates, led by her friend Ogata Akane, had also come to cheer her on.

Showing up alone in a place like that—

‘Who’s that gloomy type?’
‘Was there someone like that in our grade?’
‘Who invited him?’
‘Nah, nobody invited him, right?’
‘Isn’t it kinda messed up to come without being invited?’

If I heard things like that, it would undoubtedly become a lifelong trauma.

Even so, I absolutely wanted to witness her battle with my own eyes.

Relying on the guide map, I searched for the court where Asahi-san’s match would be held.

“Found it… Over there…” (Reiya)

Was it simply assigned by chance, or because she draws attention?

Her match was apparently being held on a court with spectator seating.

I passed through the gate and went inside.

Since it was a junior tournament, it wasn’t exactly packed, but there was a decent number of spectators.

I could see the group of classmates I’d heard about, as well as people who looked like they were related to clubs or manufacturers.

Amidst them, I spotted one person waving at me.

Feeling like I’d found a save point in the final dungeon, I headed towards that person.

“Morning.” (Ayaka)
“Morning, Hino-san, you came too.” (Reiya)
“Of course, like I wouldn’t come.” (Ayaka)

Leaving one seat between us, she let me sit next to her.

Though usually a bit intimidating, in this place, her presence was reassuring.

“Aren’t you going to join them over there, Hino-san?” (Reiya)

I asked, gesturing towards the group of twenty or thirty familiar and unfamiliar faces gathered together.

“…Do you think I could blend in?” (Ayaka)

She glanced at them, then retorted with a sullen expression.

“But, at school, didn’t you usually hang out with them?” (Reiya)
“At school, Hikaru is with me. Otherwise, there’s no one who’d want to be friends with me, right?” (Ayaka)
“Hahaha…” (Reiya)

All I could do was offer a wry laugh at her self-deprecating words.

Maybe, I thought, we were somewhat kindred spirits.

“So… does coming here today mean you did something for Hikaru?” (Ayaka)
“Mm, well… Within what I could do, anyway…” (Reiya)

I kept quiet about the fact that it could potentially lead her further down the path of ruin.

“I see… Thanks…” (Ayaka)

She replied curtly, still facing the court.

After that, since we weren’t really the type to make small talk, a period of silence continued until the match began.

“Ah, looks like Hikaru’s here.” (Ayaka)

Just after Hino-san said that and the outside area became slightly noisy, Asahi-san entered the court.

“Hikaru! Do your best!”
“Asahi-san, we’re behind you!”
“Hika~! Fight~!!”

The cheers of her classmates echoed through the venue.

Meanwhile, Hino-san, who surely wanted to cheer the loudest, didn’t raise her voice, simply clasping her hands together as if in prayer.

Asahi-san placed her bag on her bench and looked up at the spectator seats.

First, she waved to her classmates, then her gaze shifted towards us.

Confirming that Hino-san and I were here, she seemed to give a small nod.

Then, she began a brief warm-up with her opponent before the match.

I’m not knowledgeable, but I’ve heard that tennis is one of the particularly grueling and lonely sports.

You stand alone on the court, unable to communicate with anyone during the match.

All mistakes and lack of skill fall solely on you, with no teammates to offer warm words.

Thinking about the world she was about to enter made me feel like I couldn’t breathe.

And so, all preparations were complete—

“The best of 3 set match. Asahi service. To play.”

The umpire’s call signaled the start of the match.

Asahi-san won the right to serve first.

She took her position and performed her routine of bouncing the ball three times on the ground.

Following that, her racquet struck the high toss she threw up.

It was a shot that almost became a service ace; the opponent barely managed to touch it with the edge of her racquet, just getting it back over.

A weak, wobbly shot fell in front of Asahi-san on her right side.

A decisive chance ball. She pulled her right arm far back and swung her racquet, but—

“Out. 0-15.”

A loud sigh of disappointment echoed through the venue.

Asahi-san’s shot had sailed far beyond the opponent’s baseline and was called out.

“Don’t worry! Hikaru!”
“Shake it off, next point!”

The cheering squad called out words of encouragement to Asahi-san, who had lost the crucial first point.

“As expected… Still…” (Ayaka)

Meanwhile, next to me, Hino-san let out a pained voice.

To those who didn’t know the circumstances, it might have just looked like a simple mistake.

But we, who knew, realized it.

She still couldn’t step firmly onto her left foot.

Perhaps feeling intense stress from being unable to do it even in a match, Asahi-san pressed her lips together in a thin line while adjusting the gut strings with her fingertips.

According to Hino-san, Asahi-san is a player whose style is to attack aggressively from the baseline, utilizing her footwork to move left and right.

Her biggest weapon among those is her forehand.

Although her physique is about average for an athlete, the shots she unleashes using the full spring of her body are apparently top-class domestically, even beyond the junior level.

However, unable to step firmly on her left foot now, she couldn’t use it.

To put it in game terms, it was close to having most of her attack buttons disabled.

And so, the first game ended up being quickly lost as the opponent pushed through.

“Ah… Geez, she got broken right away…” (Ayaka)
“Um… Hino-san, break…?” (Reiya)

An unfamiliar term came up, so I asked her as she held her head in her hands.

“In tennis, basically, the higher the match level, the overwhelmingly advantageous it is for the server. So, taking the opponent’s service game is called a break, and how you manage to break is crucial to winning the match.” (Ayaka)
“I see…” (Reiya)

So, Asahi-san had apparently fallen into a significant disadvantage right from the start.

“By the way… do you know how skilled this opponent is…?” (Reiya)
“No one playing in this tournament is weak, but against the usual Hikaru, she’s someone Hikaru could beat ten times out of ten without much trouble.” (Ayaka)

In game terms, it seemed like there was a rating difference comparable to Master versus Gold.

Perhaps because she’d gained an advantage against such an opponent, the opponent seemed to have gained considerable confidence.

At this rate, she might just ride that momentum and take the whole match.

That unpleasant premonition came true.

The opponent held her next service game without issue, and Asahi-san’s following service game was broken once again.

In the end, the first set went to the opponent, 3-6.

The interval between sets arrived, and unchanging cheers were sent from the spectator seats.

However, perhaps not reaching her ears, she didn’t even take a sip of water, instead sitting on the bench, staring intently at her own left foot.

I could tell she was desperately trying to fight.

But she’d only managed to face forward like that just two days ago.

Perhaps the preparation was just too insufficient; even from the sidelines, her mind and body seemed out of sync.

The interval ended, and the second set began, this time with the opponent serving.

From the start, she still couldn’t use her forehand well, which is her forte, and was constantly on the defensive.

“40-0!”

In the blink of an eye, she was pushed to game point.

“Hikaru… Hang in there…” (Ayaka)

From beside me, Hino-san squeezed out a pained voice.

The opponent tossed the ball.

This point would surely decide the match.

Even if Asahi-san lost, I could just welcome her back to my room as usual.

Even if, by some chance, she gave up tennis, I’d make sure she could keep smiling.

If she fell all the way down to my level, maybe this inferiority complex would—

“Don’t lose! Asahi Hikaru!” (Reiya)

For some reason, I shouted words completely opposite to the thoughts welling up inside me.

At the same time, she planted her left foot down with all her might.

A powerful forehand using the full spring of her body, obvious even to a novice’s eye.

That single shot, cutting diagonally across the court, was untouchable by the opponent.