Chapter 281: I Just Don't Want You to Get Beaten Too Badly
The match continued on the court.
Because Tobe Kakeru was already injured, Hayama Hayato focused most of his attention on protecting his physical safety. As expected, Yukinoshita Yukino's target in the subsequent rounds remained Tobe Kakeru. However, due to Hayama's protection, Tobe didn't suffer any further hits from Yukino's offensive.
Meanwhile, Hikigaya Hachiman had fallen silent after hitting that single ball, acting as if that previous shot really had been nothing more than a lucky accident.
As time ticked by, the match passed the halfway point. Since their focus was never truly on winning, the scoreboard showed a score of 5 for Hayama's side and 2 for Yukinoshita's side.
"Just one more game and it's over..."
Looking at their five points, Hayama Hayato breathed a quiet sigh of relief. His nerves had been frayed from the long duration of protecting Tobe, leaving him slightly exhausted, but fortunately, the match was almost finished.
'I should bring Tobe to apologize properly afterward, right?'
Hayama thought to himself as he crouched in front of the net, observing Yukinoshita Yukino as she prepared her serve.
From the way Yukino had been targeting Tobe in the previous games, he could clearly feel the girl's cold fury. Evidently, Tobe's earlier words had deeply offended her.
"Tobe, that guy... he really is too reckless..." Hayama felt a wave of helplessness thinking about how the Yukinoshita in his memory—who had always maintained an icy, stoic personality—could actually be provoked to this extent.
Just as Hayama was lost in thought, a sharp, high-speed whistling sound tore through the air toward him. Sensing danger, Hayama instinctively dodged to the side.
"Oh no!"
Even as he dodged, Hayama realized Yukinoshita Yukino's true intention. His face twisted with anxiety as he spun around, desperately trying to intercept the ball. But how could he catch up to a ball traveling at such high velocity?
A loud bang echoed through the air.
Yukino's masterfully technical serve accurately struck the distracted Tobe Kakeru—who had let his guard down under Hayama's protection. Once again, it was a direct hit to the face.
Without any resistance, Tobe fell to the ground, letting out a muffled cry of pain.
"Tobe!"
Seeing his friend struck down, Hayama's expression shifted instantly. He rushed over to check the severity of the abrasions and bruising on Tobe's face. At the same time, Ooka and Yamato, who had been watching from the sidelines, ran onto the court to crouch beside them.
"Yukinoshita, you went a bit too far!"
After confirming that Tobe only had surface scrapes and bruises and was in no mortal danger, Hayama breathed a sigh of relief, followed quickly by a flare of anger as he looked at Yukino.
"Failing to concentrate during a match and dazing off instead—being hit by the ball is entirely his own fault, isn't it?"
Before Yukino could speak, Hikigaya Hachiman stepped in front of her, blocking Hayama's line of sight.
"But she was clearly aiming every single ball at Tobe's face on purpose!"
Although Hayama held goodwill toward Hikigaya and had previously wanted to communicate with him properly, defending his friend was clearly more important at this moment. Hayama glared at Hikigaya with a dark expression, his eyes trying to look past him at the girl hidden behind his back.
He couldn't understand why his childhood companion from his memories would do something so malicious.
"Got any proof?"
Hachiman knew perfectly well that Yukino had aimed at Tobe's face on purpose. Not only that, but even his own earlier shot had been precisely controlled in strength to "greet" Tobe's face.
But so what if it was intentional?
Everything requires evidence. With Yukino present, the public opinion advantage Hayama usually enjoyed no longer existed. This time, the onlookers wouldn't accept Hayama's words as absolute fact just because he said them.
"......"
Hayama looked at Hikigaya in astonishment, as if seeing him for the first time. He never expected such rogue-like, unreasonable words to come from the mouth of the partner Yukinoshita Yukino had chosen.
However, Hachiman didn't care one bit how Hayama viewed him. If it weren't for Isshiki Iroha's request and Tobe's deliberate provocation, they wouldn't have crossed paths at all!
"What? Is there something wrong with what I said?"
"No... I indeed have no proof..."
He was unwilling, but he was powerless. Just as Hikigaya said, his conviction that Yukino was targeting Tobe's face was merely a subjective judgment. The surrounding audience consisted of either Yukino's allies or his own; none of them could serve as a neutral witness.
"So, are we playing the last game or what?"
This time, Hachiman asked the question while looking at Tobe Kakeru, whose face had swollen up like a pig's head. The guy was in such a state that it was impossible for him to continue the match.
"Of course we're playing!"
Since he couldn't prove anything, he would at least win the match... With that thought, Hayama Hayato nodded firmly. Even if he had to play alone, he was determined to see it through!
"Wait a second..."
Just as both sides were about to restart, Miura Yumiko, who had been pretending to be invisible on the sidelines, could no longer stay hidden. Carefully avoiding eye contact with Hikigaya, Yumiko walked onto the court and stood beside Hayama, looking at Yukino.
"Since that guy can't keep going, it's no problem if I sub in, right?"
"Of course."
Yukino, whose physical stamina was mostly depleted, nodded in agreement without hesitation, acting as if she were unaware of Miura's tennis skills.
"Wait, Miura. Even if we need a sub, Yamato or Ooka would be fine."
Hayama, who didn't know the full extent of Hikigaya's background, frowned at Miura's entrance. Even if his friend had been hit in the face, he wanted to win fairly. To him, having Miura join the fray when Yukino was already exhausted felt like a shameful act.
"No, Hayato... you don't understand how dangerous that guy is at all..."
Hearing Hayama's words, the corner of Miura Yumiko's mouth twitched.
Though she hadn't seen Hikigaya play tennis before, tennis was essentially a sport that tested nervous reactions and physical coordination. Therefore, Yumiko was certain that Hikigaya's skills were likely at a level that could crush her.
Her participation wasn't about taking an unfair advantage—it was a desperate measure!
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