Sobu High tennis court.
The afternoon sunlight felt just right, a gentle breeze blew warmly. The place that should have been filled with the sweat of youth was now shrouded in an oppressive aura.
Totsuka wore a white tennis uniform that made his slender body and snow-white skin stand out even more. He held an ordinary tennis racket, looking at Darius in front of him with uneasy feelings.
Darius had also changed into sports clothes, but he didn't carry a racket. He tucked the tape-wrapped "lightsaber handle" at the back of his waist, then crossed his arms—looking like a general about to inspect his troops.
Yukino and Yui sat on the bench at the edge of the court, forced to become "battlefield observers."
"Darius-kun, how exactly are you going to train Totsuka-kun?" Yukino finally couldn't help but ask. "You're not even holding a racket."
"Weapons are only drawn when needed." Darius answered without looking back. "Now is Phase One: Basic Evasion Training."
"Evasion?" Totsuka tilted his head in confusion. "But, what I want to learn is how to hit the ball..."
"Foolish!" Darius scolded. "You're a Succubus, your duty is to survive, not to fight! On the battlefield, survival is the top priority! Your cuteness is your strongest weapon; as long as you can live until your enemies lose their sanity from being charmed, you win! Attacking is the most inefficient method!"
Totsuka nodded though only understanding half.
(Although I don't understand, it sounds amazing.)
"Now, stand in the center of the court." Darius commanded.
Totsuka obediently walked to the center of the court.
Darius picked up a tennis ball from the basket at his feet. He didn't use a racket, but weighed the ball directly with his hand.
"Listen carefully, Succubus." Darius's gaze became sharp. "Next, I will throw 'Energy Sealing Orbs' at you. Your task is to dodge them. Remember, using the racket to deflect is forbidden, that will trigger an energy explosion. You may only evade."
After speaking, his arm swung forcefully.
*SWISH!*
The tennis ball shot through the air, passing by his cheek. Totsuka was startled, reflexively ducking his body and barely managing to dodge.
"Reaction too slow!" Darius criticized mercilessly. "Is your perception range only three meters? When the Orb enters a ten-meter range, you should have already made predictions! Again!"
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
Darius seemed to transform into a catapult machine, throwing balls one after another. The throwing angles were unpredictable and the speed extraordinary, not looking like ordinary hand throws at all.
Totsuka was forced to jump here and there on the court, overwhelmed. Sometimes he fell messily, sometimes bounced back dramatically. Although his movements weren't standard, somehow miraculously he managed to dodge them all.
"Too slow! Too slow! Your movements are a mess! Are you an earthworm? Use your core strength to move your body!"
"Focus your mind! Feel the Orb's trajectory! It's not a straight line, it's a curve containing the law of causality!"
Yukino sitting at the edge of the court couldn't stand watching anymore.
(This isn't tennis training, this is clearly one-sided abuse.)
"Darius-kun! What exactly are you doing!"
"I'm training his combat instincts!" Darius replied loudly, while his hands didn't stop moving. "Only when the body's reaction speed surpasses the brain's thinking speed can he survive on a real battlefield!"
Meanwhile, Yui watched with interest, even taking out her phone.
"Wow! Totsuka-kun is amazing! It feels like watching an action movie!"
Darius seemed increasingly dissatisfied with Totsuka's performance. He stopped throwing, then drew the "lightsaber handle" from the back of his waist.
"It seems low-intensity training can no longer trigger your potential." Darius's expression became dangerous. "Now, entering Phase Two."
He tossed the tennis ball high up. As the ball descended, he gripped the "lightsaber handle" with both hands, arched his body backward, and assumed an extremely exaggerated swing position.
"Excalibur!"
He exerted all his strength, roaring while swinging the short black stick.
*THWACK!*
A loud bang sounded. The tennis ball shot out like a cannonball from a barrel, leaving a clearly visible shadow in the air, and hurtled toward Totsuka with a terrifying whistle.
Totsuka's pupils contracted instantly. The speed and power of this ball were in a completely different dimension from the earlier hand throws!
His brain went blank, but his body reacted first. He practically rolled to jump sideways.
*BOOM!*
The tennis ball struck the floor where he had been standing with a heavy thud, then bounced high over the boundary fence.
Totsuka lay prone on the ground, panting with lingering terror.
"Good." For the first time Darius gave praise. "At the moment of life and death, your instincts were finally triggered a little. But that's still not enough!"
He tossed another ball.
"Avalon!"
*THWACK!*
Another extremely powerful hit.
"Gáe Bolg!"
*THWACK!*
"Rho Aias!"
*THWACK!*
Each time Darius hit the ball, he would shout words whose meaning was unclear, as if chanting spells. The entire tennis court transformed into his personal Noble Phantasm exhibition.
Totsuka struggled hard to evade in the midst of that storm attack. His energy drained quickly, his white sports uniform soon soaked with sweat and clinging tightly to his body, revealing his slender physique.
He was drenched in sweat, his cheeks flushed red, and his gaze looked hazy from exhaustion. He looked... even cuter.
"Stop!"
Darius suddenly halted the training. He walked toward the panting Totsuka, extended his finger, then wiped a drop of sweat from the young man's forehead.
"Look!" Darius showed the sweat-moistened finger to Yukino and Yui at the edge of the court. "You see this? This is the proof!"
"Sweat... what's the problem?" Yui asked, not understanding.
"This isn't sweat!" Darius's tone was full of madness like he'd just discovered a new continent. "This is liquefied magical energy! Under high-intensity physical pressure, the magical energy in his body has started leaking out unbearably! My exorcism ritual is bearing fruit!"
Yukino stared at him with a flat face.
(I've given up commenting. I just want to know when I can go home.)
Some passing students began gathering around the court. They saw a young man swinging a strange racket while shouting, and a cute young man dodging with agile movements. Everyone showed confused expressions.
"What are they doing? Filming a masked hero movie?"
"Is the pink-haired one a new Kamen Rider? His movements are so cool!"
"The one opposite is playing the monster? So committed."
Darius paid no attention to the surrounding comments. As he prepared for the next round of "energy extraction," a gentle and charismatic voice was heard from outside the court.
"Sorry, excuse me for a moment. We've reserved this court."
Darius, Yukino, and Yui turned simultaneously.
A group of people could be seen approaching. At the front was a handsome blonde young man with a perfectly bright smile. Around him were several young men and women equally attractive in appearance.
Popular normies (Riajuu). A group of shining people.
The blonde young man at the front was none other than Sobu High's popular figure, Hayama Hayato.
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