An Akaya Kirihara at full health was incomparable to one on the verge of defeat, his strength jumping up several levels instantly.
Ghost serves and controllable knuckle serves came one after another, and he even pulled out his single-foot split-step, pushing his speed and power to the absolute limit.
The final shot, gathering all of Akaya Kirihara's strength, directly knocked the racket out of Kevin's hand, and the ball landed heavily on the ground, spinning continuously.
Kevin looked at his numb left hand, turning his head stiffly to look at the small crater left by the tennis ball hitting the ground.
"I lost..."
He lost to someone who was not Ryoma Echizen.
"Ah!"
He picked up the tennis racket and smashed it down fiercely, his face somewhat contorted, before collapsing onto his knees in despair, pounding the ground savagely, his voice filled with utter disbelief.
"How could I lose?!"
Akaya Kirihara didn't care about this weird guy. He wiped the sweat from his face and looked toward the stands.
At this very moment, the cheers and applause of the entire arena rang out for him; looking out, everyone was excitedly shouting his name.
"Ha—"
He let out a laugh of sheer relief, pure joy shining in his eyes.
The cold wind had faded away, and the warm sun had arrived.
He had finally proven himself. All the fatigue and bitterness of the journey had found a destination, and even if he were to face his freshman-year self, he could tell him without a moment's hesitation:
A…
Chapter 151