Chapter 8
The tennis team's ace and an exchange student have a match.
Word of this spread, and many onlookers gathered to watch.
About forty percent were there purely to see Lily's skills.
The other sixty percent were lured by the sight of Lily and Misato in their uniforms.
"I'll let you go first,"
"Oh, really? I'll gladly take the first point,"
Misato said with a smirk.
Misato laughed as she said this, while Lily responded with a cool expression.
"Yes, because I am a noble."
The origin of the word "serve" in tennis comes from "servant."
It refers to a game where servants would serve the ball to their masters, who would then hit it back.
Lily isn't the type to flaunt her nobility, but...
Her "because I am a noble" here had the nuance of "I'm strong, so I'll let the weakling have it."
Lily's taunt seemed to have reached Misato.
"That's right! But don't expect any mercy from me!"
With that, Misato tossed the ball and served it with force.
She truly was the ace of the tennis club.
Everyone must have thought the point was hers.
"Ha!"
But Lily returned it.
The ball came back even faster than the serve.
Misato failed to return it, and a point was scored.
"Damn..."
Misato looked frustrated, while Lily appeared smug.
"Is this the best Japan's ace can do? Quite... weak, isn't it?"
"...I'll crush you,"
Misato said, her face hardening.
Misato's composure vanished, and Lily served the ball with a smile.
Misato returned it. Lily returned it as well.
Gradually, Lily's face lost its look of ease.
"Tch."
Lily clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Having scored a point, Misato said with a laugh,
"Unlike the British, the Japanese don't serve nobles."
You think you're strong, but that was just a service, right? That won't work in Japan.
The nuance of her words clearly reached Lily.
"...I'll kill you."
Lily's face turned serious.
"Gaaa!"
"Haah!"
The match heated up even more, and both girls let out shouts that didn't seem fitting for them.
The battle, carrying the weight of their countries (?), became tangled and prolonged.
And finally, in the fifth set...
"I won!!"
"Well, I lost..."
Lily won.
She ran straight to me with a victory pose.
"Sota!! I won!! I dedicate this victory to you!!"
Sweaty and out of breath, Lily said this to me.
Though I was puzzled by being dedicated a victory.
"Ah, yeah, um, congratulations... As expected of you, Lily. I believed you would win."
For now, I praised Lily.
Then, Lily smiled happily.
She looked like a dog that had brought back a ball.
"Give me a reward,"
"...A reward?"
I was taken aback by her sudden request for a reward.
What exactly was I supposed to do?
As I pondered this, Lily thrust her head forward.
"Pat me."
"Uh, okay... sure."
I patted Lily's head as she asked.
Her beautiful silver hair was still lustrous and soft to the touch, even wet with sweat.
"Hmph."
Lily looked proudly at Misato while being patted by me.
Misato, on the other hand, approached with a wry smile.
"I didn't expect to lose. Amelia-chan, you're really amazing."
"It's the power of feelings. I won't lose to you."
"Huh, is that so..."
Misato burst into laughter at Lily's cryptic response.
Was it an inside joke between the two of them?
"Let's do this again. I won't lose next time."
Misato said this and offered her hand to Lily.
Lily looked surprised for a moment, then took Misato's hand.
"Yes, of course."
They truly deepened their friendship through their fight...
Well, that's a good thing, I guess.
After club activities ended, and just before leaving school, I received an email from Misato.
It read, "Bewitch that woman."
I didn't understand what it meant.