JSWGAS Chapter 39

“This time, I won’t hold back.” Echizen Nanjirō scratched the back of his head, ” Brat, are you ready?”

“…Just what I wanted.”

Echizen Nanjirō laughed.

The aura on his body – or rather, his presence, shifted from its previously restrained state to an unprecedented intensity. This aura manifested in the way he gripped his racket, in his gaze, and in every inch of his taut, ready-to-explode muscles.

If, in the previous matches, Echizen Nanjirō was like a ferocious beast that didn’t care about its cubs but instead amusedly taught them hunting techniques, then at this moment, that beast was roused to battle, revealing its true fangs to the cub it had been training.

A display of power, a pressure tactic, coercion… any description would fit.

Standing on the sidelines, Takeuchi suppressed the goosebumps rising on his arms and muttered under his breath, “He wouldn’t be holding a grudge because Kokonoe threw away his magazines and booze, would he…?”

As before, Kokonoe Taka served first.

Previously, Kokonoe Taka had mostly used slice serves, also known as sidespin serves: serves with a strong spin, causing the trajectory to curve sideways and bounce sideways after landing.

Although this type of serve had a certain threat, for Echizen Nanjirō, it was only a slight inconvenience – he needed to judge the landing point of the ball. And after so many matches, he was already familiar with Kokonoe Taka’s serving routine.

Tossing the ball.

Echizen Nanjirō noticed that Kokonoe Taka’s body was deliberately rotating backward just as he raised his racket; this was indeed another slice serve.

Moreover, the force was heavier than before, and the spin was probably even more intense! But the landing point was also easier to predict!

But for Echizen Nanjirō, such a serve was only passable. He stepped back quickly and easily returned the ball with a backhand.

“Hey, hey, I’m going all out here, don’t make this match boring,” he taunted.

Kokonoe Taka said coolly, “Oh, is that so? Can’t help it if a boring old man finds the match boring.”

With a thud, the tennis ball was hit back again. But Echizen Nanjirō was prepared, shaking his wrist and tensing his arm like steel, he aimed for the moment Kokonoe Taka stepped forward to receive the ball, swung his racket with great force, and hit a good ball that hugged the baseline!

15-0

Echizen Nanjirō won the first point in Kokonoe Taka’s service game.

“You’ve been playing with me for so long, you can’t still be at the same level as when you started, right?” The buzz-cut man scratched his nose in annoyance, “Try harder, try harder, brat!”

Kokonoe Taka was silent.

For the second serve, he chose a flat serve. Its characteristics were a flat trajectory, low bounce, high speed, great power, and little spin. The defects of this type of serve were also fatal: it was impossible to accurately control the landing point, and the hit rate was low.

For others, this type of ball might be difficult to overcome due to its sheer force and speed. But for Echizen Nanjirō, who had defeated countless outstanding players from another country across the ocean, this kind of ball was still lacking something!

This kid should know that most of the people I’ve defeated in the past specialized in flat, powerful serves, right? This is simply feeding me the ball… or does he not want to win?

Echizen Nanjirō grumbled to himself.

And Takeuchi, standing on the sidelines, helplessly covered his forehead: “This kid’s bad habit is acting up again…”

– Takeuchi had previously discovered that Kokonoe Taka would deliberately control himself during matches. This control was less about preserving strength and more about him testing his opponent’s strength, speed, and observational skills by lowering his own level.

But he had always faced opponents weaker than him in the past. Now, facing Echizen Nanjirō, who could be said to be the number one in the Japanese tennis world, he still dared to mess around like this!

Facing Echizen Nanjirō, Kokonoe Taka naturally couldn’t lower his strength to test his opponent’s level. His response was very simple: slice serves were aimed solely at the degree of spin, without controlling the landing point; and flat serves were used with all his strength!

Then, through Echizen Nanjirō’s response methods, he would judge his strength, speed, and reaction speed, and find his weaknesses.

Few people would use this method of harming eight hundred enemies while losing a thousand of their own, especially in an advantageous service game.

The match continued.

40-15

One more point, and the first game would be taken by Echizen Nanjirō.

“Hey, kid,” Echizen Nanjirō came to his senses, “…are you doing this on purpose? You don’t want the service game?”

Kokonoe Taka didn’t reply.

He squeezed the tennis ball in his hand; it was hard, slightly heavy, and felt comfortable to hit.

Maybe this is the last ball of the service game. What kind of serve should I hit? he thought.

Compared to power, Echizen Nanjirō put more effort into dealing with spin.

Then strengthen the spin, and let it continue to twist.

But maybe sidespin alone is too easy for him.

Increase the difficulty.

Use sidespin as an auxiliary… with topspin as the main focus.

Echizen Nanjirō stared intently at Kokonoe Taka’s serving motion.

Waist twisting, back arching more… is it a slice? No, that’s not right…

In the instant just before touching the tennis ball, his wrist made an extremely obvious and tricky snap!

It’s a topspin serve!

The tennis ball flew over the net in a slightly higher trajectory, and then quickly dropped! Echizen Nanjirō still managed to hit the ball before it bounced again! But the undiminished spin of the tennis ball made his estimated hitting route slightly short. And Kokonoe Taka was already prepared to receive this slightly flawed return – he extended his arm forward, tilted the racket slightly, and hit a short ball with a tricky angle!

“Not bad…”

Echizen Nanjirō grinned, “This is more like it!”

…

…………

A back-and-forth battle.

Takeuchi stood on the sidelines, sometimes annoyed at Kokonoe Taka’s loss of points, and sometimes cheering for Echizen Nanjirō’s scores – why couldn’t he bring the camera? It’s such a pity that this match has no video footage…

In his annoyance, he also spotted Echizen Nanjirō hitting a lob that was intercepted in mid-air by Kokonoe Taka, who hit a high-pressure ball near the net!

“Nice shot!” he cheered subconsciously.

But the next ball was returned by Echizen Nanjirō with a smash.

“Good shot!”

His weathervane-like cheers earned him a contemptuous glance from Echizen Nanjirō, while Kokonoe Taka paid no attention.

– He could hear almost nothing except the crisp sound of the tennis ball hitting the racket and the dull thud of it landing.

Echizen Nanjirō’s figure was distorted and stretched in the center of his pupils, becoming a huge mountain in front of him.

Dazzlingly powerful.

This was the feeling he got when Echizen Nanjirō showed his full strength, I can’t beat him now.

Then, how long will it take me to beat him?

Kokonoe Taka vaguely grasped that time: five years. Give me five more years, and I will beat him. I will even surpass him, surpassing the number one in the tennis world.

Five years… not short, not long, he and it have walked together for so much time, he just needs to continue walking together.

But then, suddenly a faint voice in his heart asked softly:

…What about after defeating him?

Colors rushed onto the retina, submerging the mountain-like figure, the world started moving again, and a bright-colored slice came speeding towards him! Kokonoe Taka subconsciously reached out to return the shot, but failed to get it over the net because his posture was not fully prepared.

Takeuchi announced from outside the court: “5:3, Echizen leads.”

…So tired.

Kokonoe Taka put his hands on his hips, slightly pressing his side, greedily taking in the fresh outdoor air. He blinked, noticing that the sun had risen very high, and was even a bit dazzling.

Wiping away a handful of sweat, he absentmindedly thought: Did I just zone out? For a few minutes? Or just for a moment?

His gaze stretched out, landing on the short-haired, dark-skinned man.

Did he notice?

Echizen Nanjirō, completely unaware, winked at him and shouted, “Don’t cry if you lose to me! Also, if you lose, you’re going to run errands for me!”

Kokonoe Taka speechlessly moved his gaze away.

After a short rest, he stood on the court again, and that question still appeared in his mind from time to time. This caused his movements to become increasingly erratic. Although he noticed this in the last few balls and tried to adjust, Echizen Nanjirō wouldn’t let go of such an advantage!

Slice score.

“6:3, Echizen wins.”

Takeuchi walked over and handed them towels and water bottles: “What a wonderful match.”

Echizen Nanjirō glanced at the zoned-out teenager and took a big gulp of water, “Ah, I want to drink. – Takeuchi, please go get me some beer! It would be best if you bought me a few magazines too-”

“Me?”

Echizen Nanjirō pointed at Kokonoe Taka and said with a righteous air, “Even if this kid goes, the boss won’t sell it to him, right! Hurry up and go! I haven’t even asked you for an appearance fee after watching the match for so long…”

“…Alright, I’ll go.”

Watching Takeuchi gradually walk away, Echizen Nanjirō ruffled his hair and turned to walk up the steps. After a few steps, he shouted to Kokonoe Taka, who was standing behind him in a daze, without looking back, “Hey, follow me.”

Kokonoe Taka rarely felt irritable – because of that question. He pursed his lips, but in the end, he still followed.

Echizen Nanjirō went straight past the room where he usually rested and continued walking along the corridor. He didn’t say anything, and all that could be heard was the occasional chirping of startled sparrows and the rustling of leaves.

He didn’t stop until he reached the end of the corridor, where he opened the door, signaling for Kokonoe Taka to follow him in.

This was a Japanese-style room used for receiving guests, with a small table placed in the center of the tatami mats, and a calligraphy hanging on the wall behind it, writing a large ‘Heart’ (heart) character with sharp and twisting strokes.

Kokonoe Taka paused at the door, hesitating for a moment: “Echizen-sensei…” he said with concern, “Are you sure you don’t have a fever or heatstroke?”

Echizen Nanjirō was already sitting in front of the small table like a host, with his back to the calligraphy, and he was furious when he heard this: “Huh?! What do you mean?! You really need a spanking, brat!”

Kokonoe Taka carefully walked in: “No, it’s just that such a serious scene doesn’t suit you.” He couldn’t help but confirm again, “Are you really sure you don’t have a fever?”

“Stop talking nonsense! Sit down!” Echizen Nanjirō angrily slapped the table.

Only then did Kokonoe Taka sit down.

After he sat down, Echizen Nanjirō didn’t speak right away. He lowered his eyes slightly, gazing at the pattern carved into the corner of the small table, as if he had suddenly fallen into thought.

And Kokonoe Taka silently stared at Echizen Nanjirō’s hand resting on the edge of the table. From his angle, he could vaguely see a few thick calluses on the other’s palm. That was proof of his strength.

…He also had them on his hands, but they were much thinner than Echizen Nanjirō’s.

In the quiet and empty room, Kokonoe Taka’s hand on his knee twitched unconsciously, and that faint voice sounded again in his heart.

– What about after defeating him? What is he going to do?

Echizen Nanjirō’s matches with him before were actually so-called ‘guidance matches’. And today’s match was undoubtedly a serious showdown where the other party no longer held back.

It was also because of this that Kokonoe Taka noticed this thing that he had never cared about before.

He knew that his talent was extraordinary, and if he continued to challenge Echizen in this way, he would one day defeat ‘Samurai Nanjirō’; but, what then?

It was as if the road beneath his feet ended abruptly after achieving ‘defeating Echizen Nanjirō’.

Echizen Nanjirō coughed lightly at this moment, interrupting Kokonoe Taka’s suppressed thoughts.

“I won’t play any more matches with you from now on.”

Unexpectedly, the words were as damaging as a cannonball.

Kokonoe Taka rarely hesitated, going over these words in his mind two or three times before he reacted.

He twitched his brow: “What?”

“It means exactly what it says.”

Kokonoe Taka pursed his lips: “Can I know why?”

Echizen Nanjirō instead said casually: “Let’s not talk about that for now.”

He twisted his body uncomfortably and continued: “Kokonoe, how does it feel to play matches with me?” He paused, emphasizing, “Give me a serious answer, don’t change the subject.”

Kokonoe Taka was seen through and stammered for a long time before answering: “Very strong, very…pressured.”

“Boring?”

“…Not boring.”

“What else is there besides that?”

“…”

Echizen Nanjirō changed his posture again and sighed helplessly: “That’s the problem.”

“I’ve played matches with so many people, and after losing to me, they all show their true inner emotions. Disbelief, disappointment, anger… but you, you don’t have any of these.”

“You’re too rational, brat. Maybe other people think it’s amazing that you keep challenging me after failing time and time again, that you’re very persistent, but that’s completely different from what others think. – You’re just persistently crashing into this south wall of mine again and again, and you know it, but you still crash into it over and over again. From the latter point of view, you’re also very emotional.”

“Although I know that someone as strong as me definitely doesn’t lack people chasing after him…” Echizen Nanjirō didn’t forget to boast at this time, “But it’s different from those who chase after my skills and status. You’re chasing after me, but not me.”

At this moment, he acted like a truly reliable adult: “Can you answer me? What are you chasing? Why do you play tennis?”

“…”

Mountains, shadows.

Blood, pain, suffocation.

Separation, grasping, loneliness, confusion.

Hitting the nail on the head.

Why do I play tennis?

Echizen Nanjirō continued to say: “Actually, I shouldn’t be the one to say this. After all, we’re not related, and you’re not my family’s idiot brat. But living to this age-” He paused, muttering to himself about what was written here, and then continued, “Seeing a genius go astray is always a bit unbearable-” He paused again, his expression twisted.

Kokonoe Taka pulled himself out of his thoughts and silently stared at him: “…Echizen-sensei, your cheat sheet is showing.”

Echizen Nanjirō: “…”

He pretended to be nonchalant and gripped the small note in his palm even tighter. But under Kokonoe Taka’s substantial gaze, he finally gave up in despair and simply unfolded the note, placing it in front of him in a grand manner.

He still prevaricated for a bit: “This was what Rinko insisted on giving me!”

– In fact, after Echizen Nanjirō learned about what had happened to Kokonoe Taka from Takeuchi, he felt that it was tricky. Echizen Rinko saw him sitting blankly for an afternoon and came over to ask him about it, and he hugged her and poured out his grievances.

Echizen Nanjirō felt that this kind of brat had to be beaten up a bit. But Rinko felt that this child had his own ideas. Judging from what had happened before, he wasn’t the kind of person who was very negative; she didn’t agree with Echizen Nanjirō’s rough solution and suggested that he have a good talk with Kokonoe.

After all, Kokonoe Taka’s obsession with Echizen Nanjirō was obvious to all.

But she was worried about Echizen Nanjirō’s usual offensive mouth, so she helped him refine his words, so that he could simply read what was written on the small note.

Echizen Nanjirō held the cheat sheet, and also felt that Rinko’s words were so gentle that he felt uncomfortable all over, so he gave up in the end.

He crumpled the note into a ball, stuffed it into his pocket, and cleared his throat, trying to make himself look more reliable. But he gave up halfway through, and simply followed his own heart: “I think the most important thing about doing anything is to be happy.”

“For example, when I tease my family’s idiot brat with tennis, the expression he shows… not giving up, persistent, eager, happy, it really makes me look forward to seeing what level he can reach under my training from the bottom of my heart.”

He changed the subject: “But what about you? Kid, do you enjoy playing tennis?”

Do I enjoy playing tennis?

Kokonoe Taka lightly rubbed the thin callus on the inside of his right thumb, and next to the callus was a long scar left behind after the wound that ran across his palm healed.

When playing against Echizen Nanjirō, he had no time to think about this question because he had to deal with his attacks.

But perhaps when he played against people other than him, his heart had already answered him.

Echizen Nanjirō sat cross-legged in a carefree manner and continued: “Your desire to win is indeed shocking. Before this, I could hardly imagine that there would be someone who acted solely on the desire to win, who kept losing to me and could still repeatedly challenge me.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Kokonoe Taka interrupted him quickly, but it was more like he was trying to convince himself, “Defeat you… and then defeat people stronger than you, and then become the world’s number one tennis player. Even if I don’t love it, victory never needs complicated decorations.”

“I acknowledge your talent.” Echizen Nanjirō said in a deep voice, “But for you, does tennis only represent victory?”

He paused and said seriously: “Does this sport only represent winning to you?”

“…”

He was speechless.

He had no answer.

Echizen Nanjirō was not surprised by his silence: “So, I won’t continue playing with you. What you need is not a strong enemy beyond your level, not guidance matches one after another, not victory, and not failure.”

He wasn’t sitting upright, but crookedly, but his voice was as sharp and solemn as the calligraphy hanging behind him.

“Otherwise, your skills will advance, but your mindset will only retreat.”

As if feeling that his tone was a bit merciless, Echizen Nanjirō scratched his chin and relaxed: “Well, if you bring good wine to visit, I won’t turn you away.”

Kokonoe Taka spent a long time, so long that Echizen Nanjirō impatiently wanted to call Takeuchi to urge him to bring back the wine, before he heard his own hoarse question.

“…What should I do?”

He himself seemed to be unable to imagine asking this question. His eyes widened in surprise as the words fell.

Echizen Nanjirō also heard the confusion in his voice when he spoke. But he just said: “I don’t know that. – You should ask yourself that question!”