Seasons of Chances and Love 3: Promised Love In Autumn

What Transpired Then

CHAPTER 7

"Game, Seigaku's Miyuzaki. 2 games to love!" tha arbiter announced right after Kana's smash landed on the service line.

All were amazed at the result of the game. It looked like the Valkyrian Column wasn't all that forgiving. They couldn't believe what they had just witnessed, especially Rikkaidai Girls' Tennis Team. It hadn't occurred to them that a first year could make Suzuki this pressured. Losing two games in a row had never happened to her before.

This girl from Seigaku... Just what in the world was she? It was like she could immediately predict Suzuki's shots. Lobs, smashes, volleys, drop shots—all of it was returned to her with twice as much power than she could ever anticipate. Suzuki's captain was the only one who could do that in all of the matches she'd ever been into. But because of this, it only made her lose control of herself and resorted to do something in tennis that she wasn't supposed to, especially to a first year.

An irritating first year who thinks she's so good...

Well, unbeknownst to Suzuki, Kana already anticipated the part where her opponent would about to lose control.

Looks like Suzuki-san is already starting to fall into my trap, Kana thought as she smirked inwardly. She must remain her impassive expression at this point.

The 3rd game started and it was Suzuki's service. Kana managed to return each and every shot that her opponent was throwing at her. In each shot, she could feel Suzuki's frustration over the situation—that she was, in fact, starting to lose to a first year. Another serve was returned and it broke into a rally.

Kana maintained her calm and cold expression as the game went on. She didn't know how but she could feel something different as she returned Suzuki's shots. One of those shots, however, forced her to lob the ball. And it was seemingly the chance that Suzuki was looking for. The junior Rikkaidai regular leapt and smashed the ball down and hard. The ball hit the center and bounced high. However, this was just the chance that Kana was looking for.

With her sight concentrating on the ball, her mind started conjuring memories that weren't supposed to appear at this point. But for the sake of finding resolution, she allowed it to invade her mind. At the same time, she allowed those memories to control her movement in order to counter the shot.

She waited for the ball to drop to a certain point where she could perform the counter shot that those memories made her want to do so. And when it reached that point, she swung her racket and hit it using a two-handed stroke. Doing that, the ball hit the top frame of the racket, thus creating a weird spin on the ball.

The ball was hit towards the baseline, but not before stunning Suzuki with the sound of multiple balls hitting the ground. In fact, the speed of the return shot itself was enough to stun her and surprised the audience, making her unable to move as if she was trapped in a compact place.

"It has the same stance as the one she usually did to hit Comet Flier," Kazumi commented, looking all surprised as the others.

"No, it's not Comet Flier at all. This return shot is totally different," Miyako replied in disbelief.

"One thing is sure. The effect of this shot is not considered yips at all," Hanako concluded.

"You can't identify if yips is actually used unless it has already taken effect on the player's system. Kana-chan's shot... It's like she merely took advantage of the speed she put in it in addition to the spin of the ball to petrify her opponent to their spot," Aika explained.

"So you're telling us that she has just created this shot?"

Aika shook her head. "I don't know. But it's possible that she only perfected the shot she used against Shitenhouji last year during Nationals when we were still in middle school."

Hanako faced the court and recalled the shot in her mind. "Now that I think about it, that shot is a bit familiar."

Earning the next 3 points allowed Kana to win another game. Again, she used that technique to earn those points. No one had ever thought of this at all. It was obvious that Suzuki had underestimated Kana's skills in every way.

As another game went on, another unfamiliar shot was released in order to counter Suzuki's Thunder Rage—a powerful forehand stroke that was used out of her frustration. When it was first shown, Kana wasn't able to return it. In fact, the speed and force of the shot had earned her burn marks on her arms and thighs. It almost hit her to the stomach if she hadn't countered it with one of her most used shots—the real Swallow Flier. Countering Suzuki's shots done out of her rage, however, also caused Kana to used up most of her energy and her stamina was starting to get low.

"Miyuzaki-chan will be okay. Right, Oishi?" Kikumaru wanted a confirmation despite feeling a little worried for his schoolmate and Oishi's best friend.

But Oishi chose not to answer it. At that point, he couldn't figure out what to say. Kana was struggling to fight and end this match already. He could see that she was tired. But she couldn't mistake the fire kindling in those aquamarine eyes of his "best friend" for anything else. He could tell that Kana was willing to fight for this until the end. That fire of determination was already a proof of that.

The match went on; the scores progressing from 3-0, 3-1, 3-2, 4-2, 4-3, 5-3, 5-4 with Kana in the lead. As it went on, Kana had already used 4 pf her techniques, in which two of it remained unnamed. Kikumaru was trying to come up with a cool name for those two unnamed techniques, but it seemed that the names he would come up with were no good.

And there it was again—the shot that caused Suzuki to stay petrified and letting her hear something as if multiple balls had hit the ground.

"Just what kind of shot is that?"

"It was just one ball. But how come I'm hearing a lot of tennis balls hitting the ground whenever she do that shot?"

"It was like Suzuki was being trapped within a confined space of some sort. That shot is scary."

Meanwhile, the girls' tennis team still couldn't believe it. And they all had the same question lingering in their minds.

"Super speed shots and returns. That's the key to performing such an intricate technique. But it's only possible if Suzuki's hard shots were returned without a fuss," Ginga stated with a serious look on her face.

"Taking two games in a row using those kind of shots made Kana-chan able to implement it. In a way, continuous hitting of super speed shots allowed Suzuki's mind to recall the sound and the speed of the ball hitting the ground. And we were also absorbed in that illusion. Just like Suzuki, we were also trapped in that confined space. Or at least, our minds were the ones concealed in that space since it registers what we see or hear. Being unable to move is, in a way, an instinct in order to save yourself from danger," Asami explained as they continued to watch the ongoing match.

"But danger wasn't the reason for that inability to move your body," Miyako commented.

"The continuous sound created by those balls that were hit fast and hard somewhat developed an instinct that made the body fear its coming," Aika said.

"It might not be that obvious but I guess I have to agree with both of you," Kazumi soon stated in which Hanako agreed in.

Hanako sighed as the match continued on. Kana's serve broke into a rally that was shorter than the usual but fiercer than any other. "I wonder if Kana-chan already had a name for that."

"I believe she already had a name for that technique, Hanako-chan," Asami said with a smile. "After all—" she paused and glanced at one part of the bleachers where she could see a certain worrywart teenager watching Kana. "—it was the technique that she perfected along with her 'best friend' a year ago... on October 24th."

On October 24th last year... Well that was weird. How could Captain Asami be able to remember a trivial date such as that? And to think it was the date that Kana managed to perfect that technique. Another weird thing was the identity of the person who helped the red-haired girl achieve that.

Along with Kana's best friend...?

The word "best friend" alone had already allowed them to fully realize the truth behind the technique. It was Oishi Shuichiro who was referred to as "best friend".

Kana's petrifying technique was created as a means of protecting her. Oishi had her create such technique to protect herself from tennis players who only play just to hurt others, to breed hatred. Those kinds of people shouldn't have existed in the realm of tennis at all. Kana hated them more than anything and so that mysterious shot was born.

"Ii data..." Inui mumbled once more as he jotted down notes furiously on his notebook. The shot that Kana performed had really caught his interest in the most part of the match, followed by another shots that he had not seen before. Besides that, this could be a very valuable date as he had not seen Kana's tennis before, even though it was said that the girls' tennis team during middle school also reached Nationals, only to end up beaten by Shitenhouji.

He didn't know the details of that event but he heard that Seigaku's middle school female tennis team made it to 2nd place with Shitenhouji being the first. Now that he thought about it, it was also Nationals when he learned that someone among Seigaku's tennis team performed an almost similar shot. But it was said that the shot was one-off. It wasn't shown again after that.

Could it be that Kana was the one who performed the shot a year ago?

"I can't think of a cool name for that shot, nya!" Kikumaru whined as he continued to watch the match. And then he faced Oishi. "Nya, Oishi! Help me here!"

But Oishi only smiled and faced the ongoing match. Well, that act alone was enough for the others that Oishi wasn't being himself. He was thinking deeply about... something.

"Now I know why I said that the shot was made for her alone..." Oishi said out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Fuji asked.

"It was the shot that I helped her perfecting until I made sure that it would protect her. That shot was originally meant to induce fear of striking back at Kana. It could come at any time randomly that it made her unpredictable as to when she would be able to use that technique."

"That's why she has to use various techniques in order to make that unpredictability possible. Miyuzaki-san might not have Sanada's speed on that level but her accuracy and power had enabled her to use at least 83.9% of her tennis skills," Inui stated.

"83.9%? Isn't that a bit too much already? It nearly reached a hundred percent of he tennis skills," Kawamura reasoned.

"Inui was only talking about the percentage of Miyuzaki-san's regular tennis skills," Tezuka added later. "Upgrades and her true skills aren't added in that hundred percent of her tennis skills... just like the skills of the other Columns."

Meanwhile, a rally began when Kana served. It was just a regular serve, nothing special. Well, that regular serve made the match a battle of endurance... Or at least that could possibly be what it looked like. But to those who knew how Kana could manipulate the entire tennis match, they could tell that the Valkyrian Column was up to something.

And it would be something that could decide the match.

The match dragged on longer than they thought, but it was exactly what Kana was aiming to happen. With a small smirk on her face, she made a return shot with the aim of making Suzuki commit a mistake. It was the mistake she needed in order to win this match.

And it was a match that would decide everything—if Seigaku could still continue to fight and win or everything they worked hard for would end with her. Of course, it was something she didn't want—or most likely couldn't afford—to happen at all.

After all, she was the Valkyrian Column of Seigaku's Five Columns. The Valkyrie's duty was to decide whoever lives of dies in battle.

For this battle, she had already decided. One would live in victory and the other's reputation would slowly die. At least just right after this match, that is.

Suzuki was forced to lob the ball so far up that she thought Kana would be able to hit it far out, letting Rikkaidai win the point. But it was obvious that she didn't know Kana's playing style at all.

The red-haired freshman leapt high, letting her racket curved into an arc that defined the movement and what she was about to do. It was obvious she would do a smash. But it was a smash that everyone deemed unexpected.

Oishi's eyes widened when she saw the stance. The way she gracefully leapt... The way her racket curved into an arc... And the way she concentrated on her target ball... Everything was undoubtedly familiar.

It was the smash that she created along with that petrifying shot... with him. A year ago, right after the loss of the girls' team in the Nationals against Shitenhouji. It was at that time she created those techniques that she took pride of with all her heart. And it was also at that time... that he saw the truth about his red-haired best friend which further strengthened his resolve to love her and remain by her side at all cost.

He couldn't afford to let that resolve falter at all.

Can you see it, Shuichiroh? The fruit of our practice and training together for the past year... I'm going to show it to you. This could be my way— Kana brought down her racket to a powerful smash which created a dent on the wall where it hit last after hitting the baseline. —I'd say I'm sorry for avoiding you these past weeks. If only she could say those words in front of her best friend.

As for Suzuki, she couldn't believe a girl—a freshman girl—from Seigaku had beaten her like this. But that wasn't the only thing that she couldn't believe at all. It was that sure-kill smash that the Valkyrian Column just showed. She knew that smash was powerful judging from the stance alone. But she didn't expect to see something as if the ball "flapped"...

Was that the word? Yes, "flapped"... like black wings folded and let the ball looked as if it soared from above. Black wings... similar to that of a raven. How could a smash create an effect like that?

"Game and match, Seigaku's Miyuzaki. 6-4!"

It was at that point that Kana finally managed to let out a sigh of relief followed by hearing her schoolmates cheered for Seigaku's victory. She turned the table of the tournament, just as Captain Asami had said. She decided the fate of the match, just as her nickname suggested.

Now it was up to Miyako and Captain Asami to finish everything that would tell if Seigaku could still proceed to Nationals or not. But then she guessed she didn't have to worry. Those two were known as the master manipulators of a tennis match. She had already seen a proof of that last year and the year before last.

She looked around the crowd in order to find a familiar face. And when she found that person, she was startled to find out that he was looking at her intently. Not only that, he was smiling as well, as if saying he was just as glad as she was. But through all that, she could still see the sadness on his face on the way he looked at her.

Will I be able to do something to erase the pain I caused to him?

"Why don't you go ahead and talk to your best friend? We'll still be busy with the next match so you'll have plenty of time to talk to him."

Kana was startled to hear that voice, only to find out that it belonged to Miyako. The blonde girl was smiling gently while tapping her racket on her shoulder.

"It's about time you fix the breach between the two of you that your decision had created. Don't let this chance slip away. I don't think you could ever find someone like him in this lifetime for the second time. I know how much you love him and care for him. Just give it a chance before it's too late." And with that, Miyako proceeded to the tennis court for her Singles 2 match. But before she could walk away from Kana, she stopped to her tracks. She didn't turn around to face her red-haired friend, though. "By the way, you owe us something later. Make sure you tell us the full story behind those two shots you showed earlier."

Though Kana didn't know what to say to that, she managed to know at least one interpretation to those words. Miyako wanted her to tell the story along with the person who had helped her create them.

So that's why she wanted me to make it up to Shuichiroh... Kana thought with a smile. "Don't worry. We won't miss a detail when we tell you that."

-x-x-

"I guess Rikkaidai isn't the only school with monstrous tennis players, huh?" Yukimura said amusingly as he watched Miyako proceeded to the tennis courts with that aristocratic and regal look on her face.

"Our female team doesn't take tennis as a sport to improve them. They take it as a sport that could help them destroy those that are weak or below them," Rikkaidai's current captain Nanasaki Satoru stated with a serious face. "Seigaku's captain doesn't have that kind of thinking as she trained with the team. It's not the strong ones who win; the one who wins is strong. Strength isn't the only basis of becoming the winner and as Number 1. With that kind of thought, I guess it'll be over for them."

"Well, who cares? In the end, Rikkaidai will still win," Marui suddenly blurted out. "Like what buchou said, it'll be over for Seigaku."

"Nanasaki-buchou wasn't talking about Seigaku," Sanada said, his eyes still fixed on the Singles 2 match that had just started. "He was talking about our tennis team. Rikkaidai will lose... just like what happened to us last year."

"Probability of Miyako ending this match in 6-3: 89%," Yanagi muttered. "And the probability of Hirota-fukubuchou's little sister ending her match in an hour with Kayama-senpai in a score of 7-5 will be—"

"96%. Is that correct?" Hotaru intervened with a small smile.

Yanagi sighed. "I was going to say 94.8%."

"You really hated me contradicting your calculations, do you?" the team manager joked. "But at least our calculations are, in some way, closer to each other, despite the discrepancy with the points."

"'Looks like Lemon Girl will not be forgiving in the courts," Niou commented, referring to Miyako who was already returning shots that her opponent were throwing at her.

"For a first year, she sure knows how to manipulate this game," Rikkaidai's vice-captain Hirota Sui said. "Now I can see why Asami chose her to become a regular. The same goes to the other four first years she chose."

"Your sister has good eyes for talented tennis players, Sui. Just like you," Satoru said with a smile.

"And now, these talented tennis players she chose will help her achieve a lot during her time as captain of Seigaku's Female Tennis Team. Her way of honing her teammates' talents in this sport is something to reckon with," Hotaru added as a way to agree.

"Maybe it's in the blood," Yukimura stated. But before he could add anything else, his lavender eyes caught a glimpse of blood red locks swaying with the wind as the person who owned it ran towards a familiar figure.

I guess a sure win to grab the first place trophy isn't the only thing to be expected today for Seigaku. Good luck in finding your happiness, Kana.

Of course, saying such encouraging words even if it was just in his thoughts was something that made Yukimura eye the Valkyrian Column with such sadness.

I should be glad that Miyako and Kana would never end up suffering the same way as I am anymore... At least, their miracle is something that's just within their reach... unlike me...

After all, the miracle he wanted to happen was something that would never come true at all. Yeah... Unlike me... With that, he shut his eyes tight.