Taking advantage of the passersby not paying attention, Zerozaki Hajime shifted back into her teenage girl form.
Although Momoshiro Takeshi and Echizen Ryoma already knew that Zerozaki Hajime possessed supernatural abilities, seeing her transform into a child right before their eyes still left them utterly astonished.
Atobe Keigo, along with Tezuka Kunimitsu and Fuji Shusuke, had also witnessed the scene.
After checking on Echizen Ryoma's condition and confirming he was unhurt, the three of them turned their gaze to Yukimura Seiichi and Zerozaki Hajime.
Zerozaki Hajime took the pink tennis bag from Yukimura Seiichi's hands and was just about to sling it over her shoulder when Atobe Keigo stepped up to them.
Glancing at Zerozaki Hajime and recalling Fuji Shusuke's remark that she was Yukimura Seiichi's girlfriend, Atobe Keigo looked over at Yukimura Seiichi and frowned. "Yukimura, what's going on here?"
Yukimura Seiichi smiled helplessly and was just wondering where to begin when Zerozaki Hajime spoke up first, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Who knows? Maybe some crazy woman was chasing a kid, and the kid was driven to jump off a building, only for the crazy woman to follow him right down and almost die in a double suicide."
"Pfft! Hahahahaha, Zerozaki, you're hilarious!"
Momoshiro Takeshi, who had known the truth from the start, burst out laughing and clutched his sides upon hearing Zerozaki Hajime's nonsense.
Yukimura Seiichi couldn't help laughing either, his gaze softening as he looked at Zerozaki Hajime with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence.
Echizen Ryoma stared at Zerozaki Hajime speechlessly, puffing out his cheeks. "That's not how it happened at all..."
Fuji Shusuke caught on as well and looked at Zerozaki Hajime with a trace of apology. "It seems there was a misunderstanding, Tezuka."
"Ah..." Tezuka Kunimitsu opened his mouth, his eyes drifting toward Momoshiro Takeshi, who was still roaring with laughter.
Feeling a chill run down his spine, Momoshiro Takeshi instantly clamped his mouth shut, though he was left choking back his laughter.
"Huh? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Atobe Keigo looked at Zerozaki Hajime with growing impatience.
"What else? Was I the one holding a billiard cue?" Zerozaki Hajime closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and resumed her sarcastic tone.
Standing behind the trio, Echizen Ryoma suddenly remembered that right before he was forced to jump, Tezuka Kunimitsu and Fuji Shusuke had apparently been holding billiard cues with the intention of beating Zerozaki Hajime up.
Stepping in front of Zerozaki Hajime to shield her, Echizen Ryoma raised his head and explained to Tezuka Kunimitsu and the other two, "Captain, Fuji-senpai, and Monkey Mountain King, this Zerozaki-sen... cough, it was Zerozaki who knocked the monster off my back."
After hearing Echizen Ryoma's explanation, the three of them finally realized that Zerozaki Hajime had saved him. The misunderstanding cleared up, and without any hesitation, they all offered their apologies to her.
Atobe Keigo invited everyone to head over to the sports complex near Ginza.
Finding it rather strange that nobody had brought any rackets, Momoshiro Takeshi was about to ask why they were going to a sports complex in the first place.
Fuji Shusuke just smiled and flashed a shushing gesture at him.
Upon arriving at the complex, Zerozaki Hajime, Echizen Ryoma, and Momoshiro Takeshi hit the courts to talk about tennis, while Atobe Keigo, Yukimura Seiichi, Tezuka Kunimitsu, and Fuji Shusuke sat down at an outdoor cafe nearby.
"Tell us, Yukimura, what's really going on?" Atobe Keigo glanced at the three figures on the court before turning back to look at Yukimura Seiichi.
Yukimura Seiichi closed his eyes and took a sip of coffee. On the way to the sports complex, he had already figured out how to phrase his response to their questions.
"Zerozaki-san is a Space-Time Order Officer. According to her, monsters have appeared in our world, and she's here to eliminate them."
Fuji Shusuke touched his chin, watching Zerozaki Hajime on the court with a thoughtful expression. "A Space-Time Order Officer... sounds pretty impressive. But why is she with Yukimura?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the other three turned their eyes to Yukimura Seiichi.
The corners of Yukimura Seiichi's lips curved upward. Remembering how Zerozaki Hajime always seemed to bounce right back to him, he set down his coffee cup and looked over at her. "Who knows? Must be the work of fate."
Atobe Keigo, sitting across from Yukimura Seiichi, had just lifted his cup when Yukimura Seiichi's words left him utterly speechless. "Huh? Yukimura, what kind of weird explanation is that?"
"I feel like it's the work of fate too. The monster probably showed up in Kanagawa first, right, Tezuka?" Fuji Shusuke pulled his gaze away from the court and looked at Tezuka Kunimitsu and Yukimura Seiichi sitting across from him.
"Ah... indeed..." Tezuka Kunimitsu had a clear view of the court from where he was sitting. He crossed his arms and watched as Echizen Ryoma and Momoshiro Takeshi taught Zerozaki Hajime how to play tennis.
"Momoshiro-senpai, where did you get that racket?" Echizen Ryoma asked, spotting Momoshiro Takeshi waving a racket at them from across the net.
"I just borrowed it from the court manager!" Momoshiro Takeshi replied with a grin.
Following the grip style Echizen Ryoma had shown her, Zerozaki Hajime gripped the racket, bent her knees slightly, and looked at Momoshiro Takeshi. "We can start now, Momoshiro-senpai."
Echizen Ryoma stepped off the court and sat down at the side to watch.
Standing on the other side of the net, Momoshiro Takeshi scratched the back of his neck in awkward embarrassment upon hearing Zerozaki Hajime call him 'senpai'. "How about you just call me Momoshiro, Zerozaki? Calling me senpai feels kind of weird."
Zerozaki Hajime shook her head. "It's fine, don't worry about it. Besides, I'm a first-year student now, so calling you that out in public is just polite, and it saves me the trouble of explaining."
At her explanation, Momoshiro Takeshi let out a whistle and decided to just let her be.
Momoshiro Takeshi hit a slow-paced ball across the net. Just as it was about to drop in front of her, Zerozaki Hajime swung her racket.
*Thwack!*
The ball flew back with incredible speed. Momoshiro Takeshi stood frozen, staring at the mark left on the ground and realizing the shot must have carried a tremendous amount of force.
"Whoa! Not bad at all, Big Sis Zerozaki!" Seeing Zerozaki Hajime's return, Echizen Ryoma's amber eyes widened slightly, a clear look of excitement lighting up his face.
"I told you to just call me Zerozaki, you brat Echizen." Zerozaki Hajime shot Echizen Ryoma a look of exasperation before turning back to Momoshiro Takeshi. "Though tennis doesn't seem that hard after all."
"Whoa! Is this really your first time playing tennis, Zerozaki? You're amazing!" Momoshiro Takeshi called out, waving his racket as he continued, "Well then, Zerozaki, I'm not holding back for the next one!"
Zerozaki Hajime nodded, the corners of her mouth curling up as she looked earnestly at Momoshiro Takeshi. "Bring it on."
After all, she had watched plenty of matches and training sessions featuring the Rikkai regulars. All she had to do was let the ball come, hit it back to the opponent's side, and make sure the other person couldn't reach it.
As long as it followed the rules, any method would do.
Seeing that the game on the court was about to get serious, the four men at the outdoor cafe began to watch with renewed interest.
Fuji Shusuke's smile deepened as he looked at Yukimura Seiichi. "I didn't expect Zerozaki-san to be so good at tennis. Seeing her brand-new tennis bag, I honestly thought it was her first time playing."
"It really is her first time playing. That last shot was the very first time she's ever swung a racket in a match." Yukimura Seiichi smiled, replying to Fuji Shusuke while keeping his eyes fixed on Zerozaki Hajime.
"A very solid playing style." Watching Momoshiro Takeshi and Zerozaki Hajime rally back and forth, Tezuka Kunimitsu's glasses flashed as he offered his evaluation.
Before long, Momoshiro Takeshi lost the first point to Zerozaki Hajime.
After all, Zerozaki Hajime's physical constitution was entirely different from theirs. Even without her energy powers, just comparing speed and raw strength, an adult-form Zerozaki Hajime had no rivals. Her teenage form might be slightly weaker, but she could still handle things with ease.
Atobe Keigo could tell that Zerozaki Hajime wasn't just winning through sheer strength and speed; she was actually testing Momoshiro Takeshi out. With a hint of surprise, he turned to Yukimura Seiichi. "Does she often watch your training sessions and matches?"
"Maybe."
Yukimura Seiichi's answer was ambiguous, though even he hadn't expected Zerozaki Hajime to pay such close attention to their matches and practices.
Extreme talent combined with a grounded, steady playing style—that was a surefire recipe for a genius.
It was Zerozaki Hajime's turn to serve. Just as she was about to switch courts with Momoshiro Takeshi, she heard Echizen Ryoma call out from behind her.
"Big Sis Zerozaki, you must have watched quite a lot of Rikkai's matches, huh?"
With both hands tucked into his pockets, Echizen Ryoma tilted his head toward Zerozaki Hajime, a hint of provocation in his eyes. "How about you play a match with me next?"
Zerozaki Hajime turned slightly. Instead of looking at Echizen Ryoma, she looked over at Yukimura Seiichi in the distance.
Catching her gaze, Yukimura Seiichi paused for a second before flashing her a reassuring smile.
She pulled her gaze back and smiled at Echizen Ryoma. "I certainly watched a lot. There are quite a lot of techniques required to play tennis. Still, you've got some nerve asking a girl to play two matches in a row."
Echizen Ryoma didn't mind Zerozaki Hajime's teasing in the slightest and shrugged. "Well, Big Sis Zerozaki isn't an ordinary person, after all."
"If you just call me Zerozaki, I might reluctantly agree."
"Oh. Zerozaki. That good enough now?"
...Fine. This brat really needed to be taught a lesson.
After switching courts, Zerozaki Hajime held nothing back, breaking Momoshiro Takeshi's service game straight away to lead 2-0.
Zerozaki Hajime's ball speed was simply too fast for Momoshiro Takeshi to react in time. He managed to get his racket on the final shot, but the impact sent the racket flying out of his hand.
"You're really something else, Zerozaki." Momoshiro Takeshi picked up his racket, which had landed out of bounds, and looked at Zerozaki Hajime with complete seriousness.
Suddenly, both Tezuka Kunimitsu and Yukimura Seiichi stood up. They exchanged glances, nodded to each other, and started walking toward the court together.
Knowing that the two of them were heading over to put a stop to the match, Atobe Keigo and Fuji Shusuke stayed where they were.
After all, if the match kept going, Momoshiro Takeshi was just going to get bicycled by Zerozaki Hajime, which wouldn't accomplish much.
Just as Zerozaki Hajime was about to serve, she noticed the system interface suddenly flashing with a monster tracking alert.
Seeing Yukimura Seiichi walking onto the court, Zerozaki Hajime trotted over to him and shoved the racket into his arms. "It's appeared, but it's about to leave my monitoring range. I have to go after it."
Without waiting for Yukimura Seiichi to reply, she turned around and sprinted away.
"Huh?! Why did Zerozaki run off? We haven't finished yet!" Momoshiro Takeshi hurried up to the net, staring in total confusion at Zerozaki Hajime's retreating figure.
Tezuka Kunimitsu walked over to Momoshiro Takeshi and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Momoshiro, there's no need to keep playing."
Echizen Ryoma stood up, walked over to Yukimura Seiichi, and looked up at him. "Since she's gone, how about you and I have a match, Rikkai's captain?"
Holding Zerozaki Hajime's pink racket, Yukimura Seiichi gave a faint smile. "Not until you're able to stand across the net from me."
With that, he turned, walked over to the spot where Echizen Ryoma had been sitting, and carefully packed Zerozaki Hajime's racket back into the pink tennis bag.
Suddenly, Yukimura Seiichi's phone buzzed with a notification. He opened it to find a message from Zerozaki Hajime:
[Yukimura, I won't be able to go back to Kanagawa with you today. The monster is heading toward Osaka.]
[Head back first, don't worry about me.]