Chapter 297: Tennis

“Since you’re not familiar with the rules, we’ll play a best-of-three set match. Each point counts as one, and the first to win four points wins the game. If both players reach three points, one must win by a margin of two points to claim the game. To win a set, one must win six games. If both players win five games, the first to lead by two wins the set. If the set score reaches 6-6, one must win by two games to claim the set. Is that clear?”

“It’s basically the same as what my sister explained. But I wanted to ask—if, on the last point of a game, the server faults twice in a row, should they lose the serve instead of the point? Also, does a ball landing on the line count as out?”

“I’ve never heard of such a rule. No matter the point, two consecutive service faults result in the opponent gaining a point. And a ball landing on the line is considered in, not out. Your sister must have been tricking you.” Gekka Miki laughed softly behind her hand.

As expected. Lei Yin felt both annoyed and amused.

“We can start now.” After loosening his shoulders, Lei Yin stood in the receiving area and called out.

“Alright, here I go.” Standing in the serving area, Gekka Miki tossed the ball into the air and executed a clean forehand serve. The ball traveled swiftly in a graceful arc toward the receiving area.

Lei Yin hadn’t expected the serve to be so powerful. Having adjusted to Kazumi’s slower serves earlier, he misjudged the strength needed and ended up hitting the ball into the net.

Picking the ball up from the ground, Lei Yin swung his racket experimentally a few times, then nodded thoughtfully. Tossing the ball back to her, he remarked, “Your shots seem quite good.”

Catching the ball, Gekka Miki walked to the left serving area. After positioning herself, she smiled and said, “You flatter me; I’m a member of my school’s tennis team. Ready?”

“Whenever you are.”

This time, Gekka Miki served again, and Lei Yin successfully returned the ball over the net. However, Gekka Miki, prepared this time, rushed forward and smashed the ball back with a volley before it hit the ground. As an aggressive net player, this kind of move was second nature to her.

After the shot, she remembered that her opponent was a beginner. But the move had been automatic; she couldn’t resist striking such an easy ball. Then, to her surprise, she saw Lei Yin retreat to the baseline just as the ball landed. With a swift backhand stroke, he returned the ball perfectly.

Smack! The green tennis ball zipped past her ear and landed squarely on the court’s surface.

Gekka Miki froze for a moment before realizing what had happened. She hadn’t expected him to return such a powerful shot.

Has this guy really never played tennis before? She eyed him skeptically as she picked up the ball. His grip on the racket did look odd, though.

After serving again, Gekka Miki carefully observed his movements. Watching his receiving posture, she finally concluded that he was indeed an amateur. The earlier shot must have been pure luck. Relaxing at the thought, she eased into the game.

But after a few exchanges, she noticed something peculiar. Each time she hit the ball, he would already be at the right spot, waiting for it.

After testing him two or three more times, she realized it wasn’t a coincidence—he genuinely seemed to know where the ball would land.

Surprised to encounter such a challenging opponent, Gekka Miki couldn’t help but feel excited. Her shots grew faster and stronger, yet he consistently returned them with precision. Their second rally stretched to nearly ten exchanges.

“Hey, that guy playing against Miki looks pretty decent,” one of the six Waseda University students watching from the sidelines remarked.

Another male student chuckled, “Miki’s just going easy on him.”

“Really?”

On the court, the rally between the two players had stretched to nearly twenty exchanges. Gekka Miki was astonished. The boy was incredibly difficult to pin down; even balls that seemed impossible to return somehow found their way back over the net. It seemed she would have to get serious.

As this thought crossed her mind, she seized the opportunity to hit a backspin shot just as the ball approached.

When Lei Yin sprinted to the drop point, he noticed something peculiar. Unlike the previous shots, this ball didn’t bounce high but skimmed low across the court at a sharp angle. Caught off guard by the sudden change in trajectory, Lei Yin quickly adjusted his racket angle and lowered it slightly to make the shot. Though he managed to lift the ball, it ended up clipping the net.

Staring at the tennis ball rolling along the ground, Lei Yin displayed a thoughtful expression once more.

Picking up the ball and tossing it back to her, he asked, “What was that shot just now?”

Gekka Miki smiled. “A backspin shot, also known as a slice. You’re really good! If I hadn’t noticed how you’re holding the racket, I’d have a hard time believing this is your first time playing tennis.”

“I didn’t know rackets could create such spin. Interesting,” Lei Yin mused as he returned to the receiving area.

“I’m serving,” Gekka Miki announced before initiating another serve.

The two resumed their fierce rally.

By the fifth exchange, Gekka Miki saw her chance and executed another wide-arc backspin shot.

Perfect. This was the shot Lei Yin had been waiting for.

Before the ball even landed, Lei Yin sprinted into position. Just as it descended to about half a meter above the ground, he prepared to strike.

“Go, senpai!”

Suddenly, a loud, cheerful voice interrupted from the sidelines.

Startled, Lei Yin hesitated for a fraction of a second. By the time he reacted, the ball had already bounced past him and out of reach.

Turning his head, he spotted the lively kendo girl cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting words of encouragement while jogging in place. Meanwhile, the other kendo club members passing by stared at him as if he were an animal in a zoo.

Lei Yin couldn’t help but laugh wryly. Pointing his racket at the enthusiastic troublemaker, he mock-scolded, “Cheer for yourself! Get back to running laps!”

The kendo girl stuck out her tongue playfully, then skipped away with a grin.

“Your junior is adorable,” Gekka Miki said, laughing behind her hand.

“That kid never seems to grow up. Let’s keep going.” Lei Yin tossed the ball back to her.

Catching the ball, Gekka Miki smiled. “This is the last point of the game. Be careful!”

Lei Yin smirked. “I’m ready.”

After Gekka Miki served successfully, they began another intense rally.

At this stage, Gekka Miki realized that ordinary shots wouldn’t work against him anymore. As the ball approached for the third bounce, she seized the moment and struck from beneath the ball, lifting her racket in a motion that transitioned smoothly from low to high. It was a textbook topspin forehand.

As the ball sped toward Lei Yin, it picked up both speed and rotation. The topspin caused it to drop suddenly in midair and rebound sharply after hitting the ground, making it exceptionally hard to return.

The instant she executed the shot, Lei Yin moved.

With astonishing speed, he reached the ball’s drop point. Then, in the blink of an eye, before the ball even hit the ground, he struck it cleanly and sent it sailing back across the net.

The ball was already traveling at high speed, and with the added acceleration from Lei Yin’s shot, Gekka Miki had no time to react. It landed just beside her. Looking at the ball bouncing on the ground, Gekka Miki couldn’t believe it. From her positioning, the swing, to the contact with the ball, everything seemed to have been done in an instant. She now realized that the second shot earlier probably wasn’t just luck. To confirm this, she immediately picked up the ball and prepared to serve again.

When Kazumi, holding several bottles of water in her left hand and energetically pulling Amy with her right hand, returned from outside, she saw her brother playing tennis with the girl.

“Lei,” the little girl called out when she saw Lei Yin in the middle of the court, ready to run over. Kazumi quickly stopped her, saying, “It’s dangerous, don’t go over there. He’ll be done soon.”

The little girl reluctantly nodded.

At that moment, Kazumi noticed a large crowd had gathered by the sidelines, watching the match between her brother and the girl. Curious, Kazumi turned her attention to the two players. She was shocked to realize that her brother’s playing style was completely different from when he played with her. She couldn’t pinpoint what was different but noticed that when he moved, his speed was incredible, and when he hit the ball, the crisp sound from his racket was so clear that even she, sitting on the sidelines, could feel the force in his shots. The girl he was playing against was also impressive. Watching them, it almost felt like watching professional players. When had her brother become this skilled? Kazumi felt both happy and a bit frustrated.

After some time, Gekka Miki suddenly made a “pause” gesture.

“What’s wrong?” Lei Yin asked.

“I’m tired, I don’t want to play anymore,” she said, panting.

“Really? Well, I won’t push you.” Lei Yin glanced at her sweaty face, not wanting to force her to continue.

Just as he was about to turn away, Gekka Miki suddenly called out to him. “Aren’t you planning to join your school’s tennis club?”

Lei Yin shook his head. “I don’t join clubs.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll go first. BYE-BYE.” With that, she walked towards her teammates on another court. Seeing how briskly she walked away, Lei Yin couldn’t be bothered to say anything and turned to walk toward the sidelines.

When Lei Yin returned, the little girl excitedly ran to him.

“Are you awake? You really know how to enjoy yourself,” Lei Yin said, smiling as he patted her head.

The little girl wanted to hug him, but Lei Yin, sweaty from the game, quickly stopped her by holding her hand. After returning to the resting area, Lei Yin grabbed a bottle of water from Kazumi, opened it, and took a large gulp.

After drinking half the bottle in one go, Lei Yin exclaimed, “What kind of crazy weather is this? I feel like taking my pants off. I can’t take it anymore, I need to go back to the hotel and take a shower.” He stood up as he spoke.

“Hey, don’t forget the racket is rented,” Kazumi reminded him.

“You return it for me. Let’s go, kid.” He said, pulling the little girl along, striding towards the hotel.

At that moment, on another court, a boy who had just finished his match came down from the tennis court, wiped his sweat with a towel, and asked Gekka Miki, “Miki, where did you go just now?”

“I played against a monster,” she replied.

“Did you win or lose?” The boy assumed she was joking and casually asked.

“Guess,” Gekka Miki suddenly stood up and glared at him fiercely.

The boy quickly smiled awkwardly, “Of course, you won.”

“Hmph.” Annoyed, she kicked the chair and walked off.