บท 87: Ch 87. Two Rabbits Running Side By Side
"Alright," Hoshimi thought for a moment and added, "Since I was the one to break the rules first, if it gets intense, feel free to all come on the court. I won't complain."
"We won't," Hayama shook his head.
It wasn't clear if he meant they wouldn't all come on the court or if he meant Hoshimi wouldn't be able to make the game intense.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, since Hayama agreed, can we proceed?" Hoshimi asked.
"Fine, but remember, whoever wins or loses, no complaints. You agreed to this yourselves," Hiratsuka Shizuka confirmed, leaving the referee with no choice but to comply.
After all, he was just a referee, while Hiratsuka Shizuka was the chief organizer of this sports event.
Since it was just an internal school competition, they could handle it however they wanted.
What else could he do but watch?
"The match continues."
"Yukinoshita's last serve wasn't returned, so the score is 40:0."
"We'll continue from here. Any objections?"
Hayama shook his head, indicating he had no objections.
Miura Yumiko glared at Hoshimi without saying a word.
This hypocrite had been using those strange serves to attack Hayama. She must avenge Hayama and wipe that hypocritical smile off Hoshimi's face!
"Then let's begin," the referee announced wearily.
"Hayama, you step down. Let me handle him!" Miura Yumiko flexed her arm, smiling sadistically.
"No, I'll start this game," Hayama stopped her.
"Huh? Why?"
"Yumiko, you'll play the next game," Hayama didn't explain, simply taking his racket and ball to the court.
Since he had agreed to Hoshimi's proposal of one against two, he couldn't let Hoshimi win.
The score was already 40:0, and Hoshimi just needed one more point to win this game.
Letting Yumiko play was risky; it was better if he handled it himself.
"Ugh..." Miura Yumiko gripped her racket in frustration.
She couldn't complain to Hayama and could only glare angrily at Hoshimi.
It's all his fault!
"Hey~ Nice guy, take it easy on me. I'm not very good," Hoshimi greeted Hayama with a smile.
"Since it's a match, I won't hold back. And it was you who said the match comes first, friendship second," the usually friendly Hayama couldn't smile facing Hoshimi.
"True, let's play normally then. I wasn't expecting you to go easy on me," Hoshimi twirled his racket, ready for this unusual doubles match.
Despite it being a doubles match, there were only two people on the court.
"..." Hayama took a deep look at Hoshimi before returning to the baseline to serve.
At this moment, if it were someone else, he might hold back, but not against Hoshimi.
He sensed a familiar aura from Hoshimi...
The relentless attack on others' weaknesses reminded him of someone he knew...
So he wouldn't and couldn't hold back!
"Bang!"
Making his decision, Hayama tossed the ball and served without mercy.
…
Meanwhile, Iwanaga Kotoko was on her way...
…
"40:40"
On the court, the score quickly tied.
Specifically, the actual score was 4:4.
Hoshimi had scored one point, while Hayama had chased four points in a row!
At this rate, losing this game was only a matter of time.
"I guess I'm not good at tennis..." Hoshimi muttered, casually returning the ball.
Soon, Hayama won the game with a score of 6:4 in actual points.
The overall score was now 2:1.
The fourth game began, and it was Hoshimi's turn to serve.
He shook his right arm, a fleeting hint of pain in his eyes.
In fact, he didn't continue playing without any chance of winning.
He had calculated that if he could win all the rounds where he served, he could win with a final score of 7:5.
Then, with the previous game, he could win 2:0 overall.
He figured he needed at least 20 more successful serves. If he didn't make any mistakes, he could win!
Hoshimi glanced at his right arm without showing any emotion.
Hold on a bit longer, just 20 more serves, okay?
If we win, I'll take you to find your favorite loser female writer's embrace next time.
"Whoo~"
Hoshimi took a deep breath, shook his right arm to relieve the soreness, then spun the ball in his left hand before releasing it. He swung his racket with his right hand.
"First serve fault, proceed with the second serve."
He missed, the ball hit the net.
Hoshimi pouted, giving his right arm a disdainful look.
Alright, now there's no "Two Rabbits Running Side by Side" with the loser female writer, only "Mulan Has No Elder Brother" with Yukinoshita.
On the opposite side, seeing Hoshimi's serve fault, Miura Yumiko pumped her fist.
I knew it! That tricky serve couldn't be executed easily! It must have strained his arm!
Now that you can't serve, let's see how you can be arrogant and win!
For the second serve, Hoshimi picked up the ball.
This time it crossed the net but was still a fault. The "disappearing serve" turned into an ordinary slice, which Hayama easily returned.
As Hoshimi prepared to return the shot, a sharp pain in his right arm made him slow. The ball grazed his racket and flew out of bounds.
"15:0"
In this supposed-to-win serve round, the opponent scored first.
Hoshimi shrugged helplessly with his left shoulder; his right shoulder was stiff and immobile.
Off-court, Yukinoshita watched Hoshimi intently, knowing the outcome.
Even the last possibility was shattered. Hoshimi, you should give up.
This time, I won't blame you. It's my own fault for not listening.
Yukinoshita waited for Hoshimi to concede, but unexpectedly, he didn't. Instead, he continued to fight earnestly, using his overburdened right arm to counter.
"40:15"
"Hayama-Miura team wins."
The game score tied at 2:2.
"Hoshimi, why not give up?"
"Yeah, there's no need to keep playing... We're no longer in last place this year..."
Yes, thanks to the two championships Hoshimi won, Yukinoshita's single championship, and the mixed doubles runner-up, Class 2-J was no longer in last place.
The initial goal had been achieved; there was no reason to keep fighting.
===
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