Chapter 139: It Will Be Interesting If It Spread, Isn’t It
The sound of a cork ball bouncing on the ryokan’s garden resounded rhythmically.
Taking a turn after Roomba and I finished the rally, this time Irvine and Mort are were rallying.
「Ihihihi! Go die Mort!」
「Kuh! Irvine! Persistently aiming only at backhand, that’s dirty!」
It’s table tennis between fellow beginners, but Irvine - who has a dirty personality - seems to be dominating, he was persistently shooting at Mort’s backhand.
Even though they are beginners, it’s simply amazing that they sometimes can do a drive-like shot when they hit the ball.
Irvine persistently attacked Mort’s backhand side with a drive and hitting the weak ball from Mort calmly.
「Hehehe, Mort is so simple」
「You sonuva………!」
As Irvine was laughing triumphantly, Mort is getting annoyed while he goes to pick up the cork ball.
Even I who hadn’t played against him feels that his face looked annoying.
「Hey hey, go pick up the ball quickly. We can’t resume the match, yeah?」
「Shut it! Just you wait!」
Despite being provoked by Irvine, Mort found the cork ball by searching for it in the garden’s thicket.
Then he returned slowly, probably going to do something out of spite to Irvine who provoked him.
「Yosh, it’s my turn to serve next」
「Ou, that’s right. Do it quickly」
Serving in table tennis alternate between the two sides every two points. The server sends the ball bouncing from their own court toward the opponent’s court, the rule is also taught to everyone after they got familiar with the game.
Irvine served twice just now, so this time it’s Mort’s turn to serve.
Mort took a position while holding his racket as he tried to serve, then the cork ball dropped from his hand.
「Uoooh, the cork ball fell………eh? Where’s the cork ball? Irvine, did the cork ball rolled that way?」
「Aahh? Just what are you doing? Where is it?」
Then, as Irvine look down under the table, and Mort made a quick serve.
「Chance! Irvine!」
「Aaaah!? Youu, that’s low!? You actually held the ball in your hand, huh!? You want to win that much!?」
「As long as I can see you make such an idiotic face, I don’t care about what kind of means to do it!」
……truly a dirty fight. If you thought that Irvine was going to be playing dirty, it turns out that Mort was also on the same level.
「Hey hey, don’t complain and go pick up the ball! Isn’t it the job of the loser who loses a point to pick up the ball?」
「Gununu! Darn it!」
The development is the opposite of a while ago. Mort proudly said that to Irvine, and although he was exasperated Irvine still went and pick the cork ball.
「Gahahah! They’re having an interesting fight!」
Roomba is drinking the red wine in a good mood beside me.
The area between his eyebrows became slightly red, maybe because of the direct hit he received from the reflected ball a while ago, but he looks fine.
It’s not a ping-pong ball like in my previous life so I thought that it must be painful being hit by a cork ball, but it looks like something like this is nothing for Roomba.
While relaxing with Roomba, we watch Irvine and Mort for some time.
「Hahahaha! Thereー! It’s my victory!」
「Darnn itー! I’m really angry when I lose to Irvine!」
It seems that Irvine managed to take eleven points first.
It was a game where there is no spirit of fair play, those two really like to use dirty tricks toward each other.
「Hahahaha! Who’s going to be my next opponentー!」
「Oh? Then I will――」
「No, the next one is Alfried-sama! Yosh, bring it on!」
When Roomba put down his glass and try to stand up, Irvine called out to me while panicking. He probably recalled the smash that struck earlier. It’s scary since you wouldn’t know where the ball will fly when Roomba smashes it.
But well, Irvine is not that dangerous, so it’s going to be fine. Not only it’s time for me to teach him, but now I wanted to hit him.
「Then, I’m going next」
I received the racket from the exasperated Mort, and stand in front of Irvine.
「Hehehe, I’m already used to table tennis, y’see. If it’s the me right now, then I can even win against Alfried-sama!」
The words of someone who is still reeks of small fry. I’d say that such a bratty remark suits him, right next to Torr.
「……it’s still too early for you to beat me――aaaahhh!? I was still talking!?」
「Hehehehe! The one being careless is at fault here, y’know! One point for me!」
When I was still dumbfounded, Irvine said that while laughing foolishly.
This jerk. If you’re going to do something like that, then I won’t go easy on you, you know?
Even while feeling sulky, I still picked up the cork ball and hand it to Irvine.
After that, I wait for Irvine to serve as I hold the racket in preparation attentively.
Irvine assumed a serving posture, despite seeing me being wary of him and clicking his tongue.
It’s Irvine after all. He’s probably going to send something like a backhanded ball to me.
When I thinking like that, Irvine served came, aiming at my backhanded side, as expected. As I was expecting that, I did a quick touch to return the straight ball.
「Che! So you’re prepared for that, huh!」
Despite being surprised, Irvine agilely returns it in a cross.
I thought to try and hit the ball if it’s a half-hearted swing, but the return toss is unexpectedly strong.
As Irvine said, he already keeps in mind that I would have predicted it and I will be more alert for the ball, such a fairly quick learner.
Although I was astonished at the speed of Irvine’s understanding of the game, I hit it with a straight again while moving.
However, with my current pace, the speed of my body when taking a stance to react to the fastball is unsatisfactory, and the returned ball becomes somewhat weak.
「I was waiting for those! Eat this back drive from me, trained by attacking Mort’s backhand!」
Irvine gleefully holds his racket in a backhanded grip. At the same time as Irvine swung his racket, I use Psychic magic to slightly divert the cork ball.
And then, Irvine’s racket didn’t manage to hit the cork ball as he missed it.
「Ahh!?」
「Hahaha! You miss your swing while getting so worked up, eh!」
Mort pointed his finger and laughing scornfully at Irvine who missed his swing wide-eyed.
It’s probably his revenge for losing to Irvine a while ago.
「Shut it! A spectator like you should just be quiet! If that one just now worked out then it’s definitely gonna be a point for me, y’know!」
「That’s only if you can hit it properly with your racket, yeah!」
Despite being laughed at by Mort, Irvine still picks up the cork ball.
Well, it’s something common when a beginner makes a swing in table tennis.
And it looks like Irvine hadn’t realized it yet, so let’s do that again a little more.
Receiving the cork ball from Irvine, I grin and said,
「Ahahaha. Don’t miss the ball next time, alright?」
「Just serve it quickly!」
When I said that just to make fun of him for his miss, Irvine shouted as if he’s angry about it.
I’m gonna serve even without you telling me that.
I immediately served the ball, then while the ball is slightly rotating, it’s like it is heading to the outer side.
The ball bounces away from my court and when it enters Irvine’s court, I use Psychic again.
This time instead of moving the cork ball, I accelerate the rotation of the cork ball so that it can be disguised that it moved as a result of the rotation.
Then, the cork ball bounces to Irvine’s position and made a sudden turn to the outside of the court.
The cork ball went past Irvine as if to escape from his racket.
「Wha, what the!?」
Irvine was also surprised by this, as he was stuck in a swinging position.
「Amazing, a magic ball!? It curved like *kakun*!」
「The ball curved!?」
The onlookers - Mort and Roomba are also surprised, they were astonished as they yelled.
「Fufufu, can you deal with my curve shot, I wonder? Irvine?」
「Damn it! Come at me again!」
Since the cork ball is something inanimate, I can use Psychic without chanting so I’m the strongest in table tennis.
◆
「………this is outrageous. Even when I used all of my strength………」
When I used magic and using nothing but my ability to beat him completely, Irvine has completely given up.
「Wait Roomba-san! Please properly aimed at the court if you want to smash!」
「Sorry sorry! I unintentionally put more strength into it!」
Right in front of us, Roomba and Mort are happily playing table tennis after switching with us.
「Now now, that’s just how formidable Irvine was as an opponent」
「A guy who can aim at a corner like that, I can’t see him seeing me as a formidable opponent……」
Even when I try to console him, Irvine’s expression still looks gloomy.
Still, using Psychic to accurately control the ball to attack the edge might be too much. If the ball changes course while trying to swing toward the edge, perhaps I should say it’s doubtful whether Irvine, or even a table tennis pro to be able to hit that.
「Well, it’s impossible to aim at the edge without using magic at the same time after all」
「That’s dirty! So this guy is using magic in table tennis!」
When I explained the trick to him, Irvine grabbed me by the collar.
「It’s just at the beginning. I used my own ability midway through, you know!」
「No no, but using magic was still unacceptable, wasn’t it!?」
「I don’t remember saying it’s unacceptable using magic. Irvine can also use it if you can. But well, that’s only if you can use non-attribute magic Psychic while rallying without chanting the magic」
「Gununu! Someone who can use magic in a moment like that is rare, y’know!」
When I said that while smiling boldly, Irvine screamed exasperatedly.
「Fuuuー, what a nice hot bath, huhー. Oh? Alfried-sama, what are you doing?」
Maybe he heard about what Irvine screamed, Tori - who seems to have taken a bath - came over from the lobby.
「Mm? It’s table tennis」
「What’s this!? Is it another new game!? Please, let us be involved in it if it became a product for sale, alright! 」
When I briefly answered him, Tori come over looking excited, perhaps he got his eyes on the table tennis.
I also think that table tennis is interesting, but I wonder if it will be popular?
But, it will be interesting if turns into a situation where the people of Kagura started to play table tennis in a ryokan.
I explained table tennis to Tori while thinking about such things.
1. The service is from the right half of the server’s side of the table to the right side of the receiver’s side of the table (or the other way around). If the serve - upon crossing the net, lands in the left half of the table - the serve is a fault and the server loses a point.
2. Bend and fall
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