Under the scorching summer sun, dozens of boys and girls gathered on the tennis court, watching the impending duel between two members of Class 3-B's tennis club.
"Yusuke, you can do it!"
"Takasaki-kun, go for it!"
Thanks to Hoshino Jun, Takasaki Yusuke finally got to enjoy being the center of attention, with most of the boys cheering for Takasaki Yusuke.
Because Hoshino Jun was too popular with the girls, he could barely be called a public enemy of men.
"Hoshino-kun, go for it! It's okay even if you don't win."
"Hoshino-kun, if you win, I'll chase you. If you lose, I'll marry you."
"Huh? So you're giving yourself away whether he wins or loses, huh?"
"Oh my, it's Hoshino-kun after all, so it's fine if he's not great at sports."
"That's right, Hoshino-kun is so handsome. Even if his stamina is poor, I can just turn on autopilot."
Although no one thought Hoshino Jun would win this match, the girls' cheers for Hoshino Jun still rose in waves.
Eventually, the chorus of high-pitched female voices completely drowned out the boys' voices.
Hoshino Jun himself didn't feel much about this, because the girls praised Hoshino Jun for his looks.
It was like a billionaire who wouldn't be happy if others praised him for being rich; he would only find it boring.
However, his indifference, in the eyes of the boys, seemed like extreme showing off.
Especially Takasaki Yusuke at this moment, who gripped his racket, veins bulging with envy.
"Tch, he's just a little handsomer than me. What's he putting on airs for?"
"I'll make you cry later."
Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Takasaki Yusuke looked at the few girls in the crowd who were cheering for him.
Nana, thank you for your cheers. I received them.
I don't need to envy others. My Nana is much better than those common, vulgar women.
With such a good girlfriend, Hoshino Jun should be envying me.
Takasaki Yusuke's lips curled slightly: "Hoshino, how about we make another bet before we start?"
"You say it!"
"How about this?"
A sinister gleam shot from Takasaki Yusuke's eyes as he said, "It's a best-of-three match. If either of us loses, we'll call the other 'Big Bro' from now on. How about that?"
Child's play.
Hoshino Jun had thought it would be something more serious.
Turns out he didn't even have to call him Otosan.
It was a bit too childish.
"Hoshino-kun, don't agree to him. He's just trying to bully you because he knows you're not good at tennis."
"Hoshino, don't fall for it."
His fangirls' expressions changed. Anyone who knew Hoshino Jun knew he mostly slacked off in the tennis club.
Takasaki Yusuke was clearly doing it on purpose.
Seeing too many people trying to dissuade Hoshino Jun, Takayanagi Castle, worried he wouldn't agree, took the lead in egging him on:
"Hoshino Jun, don't be a coward. It's just a mere bet."
"You wouldn't be scared, would you!"
The loli beauty Kato Nana's gaze darted between Hoshino Jun and her boyfriend, Takasaki Yusuke, her eyes shining slightly as she watched Takasaki Yusuke.
Yusuke is different when he's up against Hoshino-kun.
He has a bit of a mischievous vibe.
Perhaps sensing his girlfriend's somewhat fervent gaze, Takasaki Yusuke finally realized.
Because he was too eager to suppress Hoshino Jun, the "gentle boy" persona he usually maintained in front of Kato Nana had somewhat crumbled.
Takasaki Yusuke immediately tried to salvage his image, saying in a gentle tone:
"Haha, I just wanted to make the game more interesting, Hoshino-kun shouldn't mind, right?"
"Ding!"
"Detected malicious provocation from Takasaki Yusuke!"
"If you choose not to pursue it, you will receive a D-rank Friendship Debt."
System, this won't do.
"I can't just forgive someone for a mere 50,000 yen when they're openly provoking me. It should at least be 200,000."
"If you don't give me a B-rank debt, I'll smash him for you to see."
A D-rank debt was not enough to make Hoshino Jun bow.
More money is needed!
The system ultimately didn't increase the money. After Hoshino Jun refused to not pursue it, the mission ended directly.
50,000 yen just vanished into thin air.
This made Hoshino Jun's already not-so-good mood even more furious. He lowered his body, gripped his racket tightly, and said in a deep voice:
"Less talk, more action. Whatever the conditions, I agree."
"Serve!"
Instantly, a chorus of gasps filled the air. Everyone thought Hoshino Jun was too reckless to agree to such an unreasonable bet.
"Tsk, you're really confident, Hoshino-kun."
Takasaki Yusuke smiled freely, tossing the tennis ball high, leaning his body, and then powerfully striking the ball with his wrist.
"Whack—"
A crisp sound.
The tennis ball flew in an arc, crossed the net, and fell to Hoshino Jun's side, close to the sideline.
Can you return this ball from a top-ten player, Hoshino Jun?
The tennis ball hit the ground, bounced back into the air, and was about to go out of bounds.
"Such a big difference!" The spectators outside the court laughed. Sure enough, Hoshino Jun was bound to lose. How could a frequent slacker beat a top-ten player?
It was too ridiculous.
Just as everyone thought Hoshino Jun would quickly lose the first point, he suddenly ran towards the tennis ball. Just as the ball was about to drop, he bent down, scooped it up, and gently lobbed it back.
Scooping the moon from the sea!
He really caught it!
And he hit the ball back so lightly, it just barely cleared the net and stopped perfectly.
At this moment, Takasaki Yusuke was still quite far from the net. No matter how fast he ran, he could only watch helplessly as he lost a point.
"What's going on?!"
"Hoshino won?"
"No way!"
"He probably just got lucky."
The surroundings erupted in an uproar.
"Tch, it's just a stroke of luck." Takasaki Yusuke also believed that Hoshino Jun was just lucky.
Letting him win a point significantly reduced the effect of the crushing defeat. How annoying.
Second point.
Takasaki Yusuke, positioned in the middle where he could both attack and defend, quickly smashed the tennis ball over the line, aiming for a spot near the backline behind Hoshino Jun.
Hitting close to the sidelines was Takasaki Yusuke's specialty; he always excelled at tormenting opponents this way.
Seeing this, Hoshino Jun leisurely retreated.
Takasaki Yusuke thought he was going to try that trick of hitting the net again, so he quickly moved towards the net.
Who knew that when his racket touched the ball, Hoshino Jun suddenly put force into it.
"Whack—"
The tennis ball was struck with great force, flying with a green afterimage, swiftly passing by Takasaki Yusuke, and landing with a "thud" near the backline.
His strength was too great, and his speed was too fast.
Yet his demeanor was the exact opposite of his actions.
A lazy aura, yet he hit the most powerful ball.
He successfully tricked Takasaki Yusuke.
"Thump—thump—thump—"
The tennis ball bounced several times after landing, the sound muffled yet loud.
The entire court fell silent.
Then
"Hontoni!!!"
"Honto da!!!"
"Hoshino, he won another point!"
Hoshino Jun's fans outside the court cried out in surprise. They had originally prepared to comfort Hoshino Jun after he embarrassed himself.
But Hoshino Jun surprised them by winning two points in two shots.
An utterly overwhelming victory.