Episode 316: The Star Performer Appears

「Thank you very much!!!」

The men’s matches were all over, and the club members bowing to the stands were met with thunderous applause.

The results were two wins in singles (Hayato and the Captain) and one win in doubles. The final score was three to two, ending in a victory for Rinka High School.

It was a close one, but a win’s a win. I hope this gives some momentum to the girls’ tennis matches following this. Let’s see how they do.

「Yuzuki-senpai’s match is next!! I’m excited to see the ace’s skill in action!」

「Natsumi’s a national ranking holder, so they’ve naturally invited schools with players on her level. We should get to see a high-level match.」

「Have you ever played a match against Yuzuki-senpai, Nishikawa-san?」

「I’ve played with her for fun. But a real match is out of the question. Our levels are just too different.」

I haven’t actually seen Nishikawa-san play tennis, so I wouldn’t know. But the way she said it made it sound like a simple fact.

I definitely think Natsumi-senpai’s level is high. Most of the matches I’ve seen her in were smooth, safe victories.

Of course, matches can be unpredictable, so it’s not like she’s completely invincible.

「It’s your first time seeing her, right Yuji?」

「Yeah. We’ve talked about it before, but Natsumi-san always keeps things pretty vague.」

「She’s surprisingly shy, you know.」

「True. But that’s the cute part about her.」

「Whoa, hearing you act all lovey-dovey is rare, Yuji.」

「I’ve got nothing on you and Satsukawa-san.」

It was a bit of a surprise that a day would come where I’d have a conversation like this with Yuji, who I’ve been hanging out with since we were kids.

It didn’t feel bad, though.

「Even so… this is really something else…」

Yuji muttered his thoughts while staring intensely at our surroundings.

Right now, the crowd around us was in the middle of a shuffle. The members of the Natsumi-senpai fan club were gathering, armed with all sorts of items and gear.

But it was a bit too early to be surprised before seeing「that.」

「Hey, hey, Satsukawa-san, how are things with Takanashi-kun?」

「How… do you mean?」

「Oh, stop it. I mean how far you’ve gone.」

「Even if you ask how far, we haven’t even gone on a trip yet…」

「Ahaha, even Satsukawa-san makes the standard jokes, I see!」

「…?」

It was natural for them to react like that, but that wasn’t a joke or anything. Sara-san was just answering perfectly seriously. And it was a cold hard fact that even though we live together, nothing has happened.

But… but listen, I have one thing to say.

This is absolutely not because I’m a coward.

It’s just that my will is strong, protected by「something」harder than anything else on Earth. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say my unwavering desire to treasure Sara-san is what supports me.

So I think I should be allowed to praise myself a little more.

Right, everyone!?

「…If you’re ever in trouble, you can always talk to me or Hayato.」

「Shut up!」

My best friend’s lukewarm concern as he patted my shoulder was… no, I’m not suffering.

I get a reward from Sara-san almost every day, even if it is a bit of a hell for a guy. That’s why I can keep working hard every day.

「Looks like it’s starting!!」

At someone’s shout, all the chatter stopped at once. Every eye in the stands turned toward the court.

The meeting that had been going on was over before I knew it, and now the players were out on the court exchanging greetings.

Apparently the match order was the same as the boys, and since Natsumi-senpai was Singles 1… that meant she was the very last match. Her turn was still a long way off.

So, I guess we’ll just cheer normally for a while.

The matches proceeded smoothly. By the time we had one doubles win and one singles win, our school was in a very favorable position.

However, since this was an invitational match, the matches would be played to the end regardless of the score. All that remained were Natsumi-senpai’s match and one doubles match.

The crowd that had been at the doubles court and regular guests who hadn’t been there before started flocking over to see the match that could be called the main event. In terms of numbers, it was even more hyped than Hayato’s match.

In the midst of all that, the star finally made her appearance.

「Here we go, everyone!!」

「「「 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! 」」」

The second Natsumi-senpai appeared on the court, the voltage in the stands skyrocketed.

The disciplined fan club generally didn’t engage in useless chatter or disorganized cheering (depending on the situation), so it was an impressive sight to see the hype perfectly synchronized.

It was enough to make one feel a certain kind of emotion.

「Whoa, this is… intense…」

「Yeah, it’s totally different from when Hayato-kun played…」

「It’s been a while since I’ve seen this.」

「It’s the clim… from the very start…」

「Hanako-san, stop!!」

Phew… Hanako-san has had a lot of questionable comments lately. It’s a problem.

The instructions from God have been increasing too… of course, I have no idea what Hanako-san was planning to say, okay?

「「「 FIGHT!! FIGHT!! NA-TSU-MI, NATSUMI!! FIGHT-OH-FIGHT!!! 」」」

The Natsumi-senpai-exclusive cheering song finally began.

This is a famous tradition of the Rinka High School girls’ tennis club, a familiar sight that always shocks first-timers.

I was really surprised the first time I saw it myself.

「「「…………」」」

As expected, Tachikawa-san, Todo-san, and Yuji as well… the first-timers were all staring in a daze.

And Natsumi-senpai, standing on the court, kept glancing our way (specifically at Yuji), looking awkward.

Knowing Yuji’s personality, it was obvious he’d tease her about this later. Maybe the reason she hadn’t invited him to cheer before was because she didn’t want him to see this?

「The best of three sets match…」

At the umpire’s call to start the match, the fan club’s cheering song stopped instantly. They were so thorough it was almost refreshing.

「It’s finally time.」

「Yeah. As long as she does what she usually does, I think Natsumi-senpai will be fine…」

「Fufu. Her precious person is watching today, so I’m sure she’ll win.」

「…You’re right.」

I agreed with Sara-san, but there was the precedent of Hayato struggling because he was too tense.

Plus, for Natsumi-senpai, this was the first match she was showing to Yuji, her lover.

「…Hah!!」

Baaaaaaaang!!

Like a buzzer signaling the start of the final singles match, the sound of Natsumi-senpai’s powerful serve echoed through the court.

As always, the strike delivered from a beautiful, flowing form slammed into the opponent’s court.

The opponent calmly returned it, and Natsumi-senpai hit it back just as hard. The rally began.

A series of calm exchanges followed, and then the movement happened immediately after. The opponent suddenly closed the distance to the front and delivered a volley after a light jump.

「Gah!?」

Yuji let out a surprised voice, and my eyes went wide at the sight too.

But it wasn’t the opponent’s movement that was surprising. It was because Natsumi-senpai had also closed the distance and returned the volley with a powerful two-handed volley.

Naturally, the opponent wasn’t in position to return it.

The ball easily cleared a spot they couldn’t reach.

「Fifteen-Love!!」

「「「 KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! 」」」

「「「 NATSUMI, NA-TSU-MI, NICE!!! 」」」

Faced with Natsumi-senpai’s nice play right from the start, the fan club’s cheers grew louder, and the excitement in the stands rose.

Of course, we felt the same. The first-timers looked especially moved.

「Whoaaa!! Yuzuki-senpai’s so cool!!」

「Wow!! Yuzuki-senpai’s amazing!!」

「Haa. It’s because she’s always looking so dignified that her female fanbase just keeps growing.」

Natsumi-senpai, who was receiving all that attention from the stands, was conversely very stoic. She quietly stepped and didn’t show any particular emotion.

She was extremely calm… a stoic vibe that was rare for her.

「………」

「Yuji?」

「Ah, yeah, I’m fine. I was just a bit surprised…」

He’d probably never seen Natsumi-senpai like this before… so it was only natural to be surprised.

「…Ngh!!」

Baaaaaaaang!!

Natsumi-senpai’s next serve slammed into the edge of the line on the opponent’s court. A great spot. But the opponent reached it and delivered a powerful return.

Pang!!

Pang!!

The rally continued through several exchanges, and the crowd followed the ball with intense focus.

Being able to trade hits with Natsumi-senpai when she’s serious… her opponent must be quite a player.

Pang!!

Natsumi-senpai’s return bounced a bit high, and the opponent immediately hit back with a powerful smash.

As the ball returned with incredible speed, Natsumi-senpai dashed toward it with everything she had. Will she make it… she did!!

Baaaaaaaang!!

She firmly returned the smash, and the ball headed toward the opposite side of the opponent’s position. Since she aimed well toward the line, the opponent had to move a great distance this time.

「Hah!!」

The opponent barely reached it and sent a return back… but their form was bad, and they looked like they barely managed to get it over.

The return clearly lacked any power. Natsumi-senpai immediately moved forward and「lightly」hit it back directly.

The ball dropped right over the net… and of course, nobody was there.

「Thirty-Love!!」

「「「 NICE!! NICE!! NA-TSU-MI, OH-♪ 」」」

The brilliant play was followed by another high-spirited song, and the stands and the court got even more hyped up.

In the middle of all that, Yuji was the only one staring blankly at Natsumi-senpai with wide eyes.

Was he surprised by his lover’s bravery, or by this level of hype… or both?

「Natsumi seems to be in good form today.」

「Yeah. Looks like she’s even more fired up than usual.」

The usual Natsumi-senpai would’ve given us a secret signal at a time like this.

But she wasn’t doing that today. That just showed how serious… how fired up she was.

Apparently she didn’t have the strain I was worried about, so she looked like she’d be fine.

Though she started with a lead, her opponent was no pushover, and a back-and-forth battle continued.

Natsumi-senpai took the first set 40-30. The second set went to a deuce, but her opponent took it.

The stands were filled with heat from the intense match, and the fan club’s cheering had gone past heat and into scorching levels.

And now the third set has begun. It’s 15-0. Natsumi-senpai has a slight lead.

「Uu. I can’t look away for a second…」

「You’re right. Her opponent must be quite strong to be keeping up with Natsumi like this.」

「Yuzuki-senpai… good luck…」

Just like Nishikawa-san said, I honestly didn’t think she’d face such a close match either. Natsumi-senpai’s form definitely wasn’t bad. Which just meant her opponent was that good.

「That person is a pretty famous player. Natsumi-senpai is higher in the rankings, but from what I can see here, there isn’t that much of a gap…」

Hayato, who had joined us, gave some commentary, which made the match content a lot easier to understand. Not that it changed the situation on the court, though.

And Yuji wasn’t even looking at his surroundings anymore. He was staring exclusively at Natsumi-senpai.

It was rare to see him this captivated… but I could understand the feeling.

「Hah!!」

Baaaaaaaang!!

Natsumi-senpai’s brilliant serve was returned well by her opponent. The rally began as they both looked for an opening while trading calm hits.

The ball flew across the court six, seven times. Neither of them backed down an inch as they continued the rally… and in the middle of it.

In my field of vision…

I thought I saw「something」rolling in from the other side of the court.

「Ah!?」

By the time I recognized it, it was already too late. Natsumi-senpai had all her senses focused forward and showed no sign of noticing it. Now that it was happening, all I could do was pray that「it」would pass through the court without anything happening…

But…

My prayers were in vain. The ball rolled right under Natsumi-senpai’s foot.

She accidentally stepped on it at the worst possible spot… and Natsumi-senpai.

She suddenly lost her balance. To me, it looked like it was happening in slow motion.

She slowly collapsed onto the court…

「Let!!」

「Natsumi!!」

「Natsumi-senpai!!」

When the match stopped at the umpire’s call, the coach and club members immediately rushed over.

Natsumi-senpai still couldn’t get up, but she wasn’t holding anywhere or showing any signs of pain… I hope she’s okay.

「「Natsumi-senpai!!!」」

「「Natsumi!!」」

「「Natsumi-chan!!」」

Maybe they couldn’t stay disciplined in this situation, because screams started coming from the fan club one after another. And from us too… especially Yuji.

「Natsumi-san!! Natsumi-san!!」

Yuji gripped the barrier of the stands like he was about to jump out, shouting Natsumi-senpai’s name over and over.

I understood that feeling so well it actually hurt… Yuji’s feelings were coming through to me directly.

After a while, Natsumi-senpai slowly stood up. She started checking her movements, doing light swings and jumping around.

From where I was watching, she looked like she might be okay for now.

「It looks like it flew in from the next court.」

Where Sara-san pointed, I saw the tennis ball I’d noticed earlier rolling away.

Even if that was the cause of everything, the doubles match was also in progress… of course we couldn’t blame them.

After checking her movements on the court for a bit, Natsumi-senpai exchanged words with the umpire, and the club members quietly backed away. Apparently she was going to continue the match… but was she really okay?

「「「 FIGHT!! FIGHT!! FIGHT-FIGHT-FIGHT!! NA-TSU-MI, NA-TSU-MI- 」」」

The fan club immediately switched gears and resumed their cheering.

But instead of their previous pure enthusiasm, it was a cheer that felt a bit desperate. It sounded like a prayer for her to be okay.

So we sent our own desperate cheers.

And Natsumi-senpai, receiving all those feelings from the stands, faced forward as if she’d pulled herself together and took her serving stance.

Good luck… please do your best!!

「Natsumi-san!!」

As if Yuji’s shout was the key, Natsumi-senpai threw the ball up and brought her racket down with force along with a jump.

Baaaaaaaang!!

「Hah!?」

For a split second after she landed from the serve, Natsumi-senpai’s movement looked shaken… or delayed. She usually started moving immediately, but she looked like she hesitated.

「…Natsumi-senpai’s movement is weird.」

Hanako-san pointed it out in a calm voice, having felt the same thing I did. Sara-san had noticed too, nodding at Hanako-san’s words and furrowing her brows in concern.

「Natsumi-san!!」

Yuji’s pained shout, a sound I’d never heard from him before, seemed to represent all our feelings.

「Hup!!」

Natsumi-senpai reached the opponent’s return and managed to hit it back, but her subsequent movement was clearly dull. It wasn’t just her initial step this time, but the dash after as well… she looked like she was favoring the right foot that had stepped on the ball.

「Ah…」

This time she couldn’t reach the return, and the ball heartlessly passed right in front of Natsumi-senpai.

「Fifteen-All!!」

The point call was made, and the coach immediately rushed to the umpire. A few words were exchanged, and a timeout was called.

「Yuzuki-senpai’s gonna be okay, right?」

「………」

「Natsumi…」

「Natsumi-senpai…」

While everyone watched in concern from the stands, Natsumi-senpai was escorted by her coach as she slowly returned to the bench.

Her retreating figure, looking a bit difficult to walk, lacked her usual active energy. Our worry only grew deeper.

Natsumi-senpai…