"???"
Hachiman stood there, mouth agape at Yumiko Miura's sudden shift.
For a second, he thought the "Fire Queen" had undergone some kind of miraculous personality transplant and become a saint. But a few seconds of actual interaction proved that she hadn't changed at all. She was just as abrasive and domineering as ever.
Is the problem not Yumiko... but the person she's talking to?
Hachiman shot a suspicious look at Haruki Aizawa. He wondered if something had happened between those two in the past. In reality, Haruki didn't even remember ever having a conversation with her.
Regardless, even though Yumiko was eager to help, the group couldn't just let an outsider barge into a Service Club mission without a reason.
Sensing the impasse, Hayato Hayama stepped in with a diplomat's smile.
"How about this? Those of us who aren't in the tennis club can have a match. The winners get the right to be Saika's practice partners for the rest of the week. That way, Saika gets to play against high-level opponents, and Yumiko gets to participate. Sound fair?"
"I love it!" Yumiko smirked, her eyes flashing with competitive fire. "Tennis? Sounds fun. Count me in!"
Hachiman and Yui looked at each other, feeling a bit helpless. Haruki, on the other hand, had no intention of interfering. To him, the goal was to improve Saika's skills. Whether that happened through drills or a competitive match was irrelevant.
The news of the match spread through the school like wildfire. Between Hayama's popularity, Yumiko's status, and the mystery surrounding Haruki, a crowd began to swarm the courts. Within ten minutes, over two hundred students were lining the fences, whispering and pointing.
Even Haruki was slightly impressed. The sheer social gravity Hayato Hayama possessed was a force to be reckoned with.
"Go! Hayama! Go! Hayama!"
Amidst the deafening cheers of the crowd, Hayama walked onto the court with his head held high. Yumiko followed, looking like a queen entering her arena. They had agreed on a doubles match.
"So... what do we do?" Yui asked, looking at Haruki.
With Yukino still gone, Haruki was their only hope.
"Don't worry. I'm not playing," Haruki said flatly.
He had no interest in a tennis match. To a man who had fought Stage IV Gastrea and master assassins, swinging a racket at a group of teenagers felt like bullying. He had no desire to humiliate them.
"How is that 'don't worry'?! That's total despair!" Yui wailed.
Just then, Yukino appeared. She was walking back from the infirmary, carrying a first-aid kit. She stopped at the edge of the court, blinking in confusion at the chaotic scene.
"What is going on?" she asked.
Hachiman and Yui rushed to her side, explaining the situation in a frantic blur of words.
"A tennis match?" Yukino's brow furrowed. She realized her authority over Saika's training was being challenged. Without a second's hesitation, she stepped forward. "I will not allow outsiders to interfere with my curriculum."
"Yes! There's hope!" Yui cheered.
Hachiman, however, did the math. "Wait, we still need a second player. Yui, I guess it's you."
"Wait, Hiki-kun, why not you?"
"Because I can't play tennis, let alone coordinate in doubles," Hachiman replied with the shameless dignity of a man who knew his limits.
With no other choice, Yui agreed to partner with Yukino.
Haruki watched as Yukino set the medical kit down near Saika. "You went to get that for him?" Haruki asked quietly.
"He sprained his ankle because of my intensity," Yukino replied, her voice cold but her actions revealing a different story. "It was my responsibility to treat it."
"I see." Haruki nodded. He understood her essence a little better now. But he didn't back down from his stance. He stood silently as the "Ice Queen" walked onto the court to face the "Fire Queen."
"Yukinoshita-san? I got the name right, didn't I?" Yumiko sneered as Yukino took her position. "Just a warning: I don't hold back. I heard you're a 'Lady,' but if you're afraid of getting a little hurt, you should probably quit now."
"Don't worry about me," Yukino replied, a fearless, sharp smile touching her lips. "I'm looking forward to crushing that worthless pride of yours."
The air between them turned freezing. The match was about to begin.
"Hmph. Don't underestimate me. I've been playing for years. If I hit your face, don't come crying to me!"
Yumiko moved to the baseline and tossed the ball.
WHACK!
The ball tore through the air, a high-velocity serve that skimmed the left sideline. To most players, it would have been out of reach.
But Yukino didn't panic. She pivoted on her left foot, spinning her body with the grace of a waltz. Her right arm snapped out, meeting the ball with a backhand that looked more like a sword draw than a tennis stroke.
POW!
The ball screamed back across the net, skipping off the ground at Yumiko's feet. The speed was so intense that Yumiko let out a small, startled yelp as she failed to react in time.
"Actually," Yukino said, pointing her racket at Yumiko like a blade, "I happen to be quite good at tennis, too."
The crowd went silent for a heartbeat before erupting. Yumiko's face turned a brilliant shade of red, while Hayato looked on with a complicated expression.
Only Haruki remained unimpressed. He knew Yukino was talented—she was excellent at almost everything she touched. But excellence didn't equal strength. To Haruki, Yukino Yukinoshita was still far from being a true warrior.
The match became a theatrical display of skill that left the entire school breathless.
Yukino was a lightning bolt. Her technique was flawless, her timing impeccable. Every time she scored, she looked at Yumiko with eyes as cold as a winter morning, treating her like a nuisance to be cleared away.
Yumiko bit her lip, her expression a mix of fear and mounting hostility. It was rare for her to be so thoroughly suppressed.
Beside Yukino, Yui Yuigahama had effectively become a human ornament. She didn't need to do anything; Yukino was a one-woman army, covering the entire court and returning every shot with punishing accuracy.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
Yukino's defense was her greatest offense. She didn't just return the ball; she used the momentum of her opponents' shots against them. Her footwork was rhythmic, almost like a dance.
"Is she even human?" Hachiman muttered from the sidelines. "She's like a tennis-playing cyborg."
He felt that her talent was almost scarier than Haruki's power. Haruki's strength was the result of a visible, manic obsession with the sword—it made sense. But Yukino seemed to just be perfect at everything she tried.
The crowd was fully behind her now. The boys looked at her with starry eyes, captivated by the image of the "Highland Lily" dominating the court. She was like a fae creature, beautiful and untouchable.
To everyone watching, Yukino's victory seemed like a foregone conclusion.
Everyone except Haruki Aizawa.
He watched her with a flat, discerning gaze. Through his Sense of Fluctuation, he had seen the fatal flaw. And it was a flaw that threatened to derail her entire life if she didn't fix it.
As he pondered this, Yukino prepared for another serve. She gripped the ball and tossed it high. It caught the sunlight, a yellow blur against the blue sky. But the toss was off—the ball drifted toward the center of the court, far from her intended strike zone.
The crowd gasped, thinking she had finally made a mistake.
But Yukino forced her body into motion. She lunged, her feet pounding the pavement. She leaped into the air, her body arching like a hawk, and struck the ball with everything she had.
KABOOM!
A "Jump Serve." It was a move of pure physical desperation and incredible technique. The ball slammed into the opposite court before Yumiko could even blink.
The onlookers roared in approval. It was a stunning display of beauty and power.
But as she landed, Yukino's face didn't hold any joy. It went pale, her breathing becoming shallow and ragged.
The crowd thought she was just showing off. But Haruki knew. She hadn't made a "mistake" with the toss—her body had simply failed her. After carrying the weight of the match for so long, her stamina was hitting a wall. To cover for Yui and face two top-tier athletes, she was redlining her heart and lungs.
The jump serve had been a brilliant recovery, but it had drained her last reserves. She was on the verge of collapse.
***********************************************
Author here
So I translated up to 20 extra chapters and I posted them on Patreon if your interested
So I found out which world mission is the correct one
Its the asterisk world mission
I really was looking forward to a cyber punk edgerunners world mission but it's ok while not as popular but the asterisk war is good too
Buuuuut maybe the next arc is going to be the cyberpunk edgerunners world mission
Or at least I hope so
And that's that
I'll change the part of the chapter that had the cyberpunk world mission and change it to the asterisk war one
Although if your reading this and I already changed and you have no idea what's happening then don't worry about it
Thank you all for you continious support
Peace out ✌️
For advanced chapters up to 20 chapters
ahead is on my Patreon
My Patreon name : M7MD sol