The routine of the "Cracked Court" became the new heartbeat of the household. Every afternoon, the black SUV would slip out of the Grand Zenith’s garage, heading away from the prestigious athletic clubs toward the industrial decay of the outskirts.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7GWYtmoF8
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But today, the van was full.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRywDL3MKVC
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Marin sat in the back, hidden under a bucket hat and oversized sunglasses, her lap covered in script pages she wasn't actually reading. Shino was perched on the edge of her seat, a high-speed thermal camera mounted on a tripod between her knees.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDV29bCizAS
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"I’ve calibrated the sensors," Shino announced as they pulled up to the rusted fence. "I need to map the kinetic chain of your serve, Karen. Mikoto’s 'street' style is causing your muscle memory to bypass its usual bottlenecks. It’s... inefficiently brilliant."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9NT34WrPt
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"Whatever helps me crush Ren," Karen muttered, leaping out of the car before it had fully stopped.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfkB42hcq1
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The training was brutal. The temperature had spiked, and the asphalt radiated heat that shimmered like a desert mirage. Mikoto was relentless. He wasn't playing "caregiver" anymore; he was a wall. Every ball Karen hit with her wooden racket, he returned with a slice that stayed low, skidding off the weeds.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddIW3acnRY
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"You’re lunging!" Mikoto shouted, his own shirt soaked through. "Stop trusting your reach and start trusting your core! If you lunge against Ren, she’ll lob you into the sun!"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVr2XwmM0HP
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Karen roared in frustration, a sound that echoed off the empty warehouses. She threw her body into a backhand, the wooden racket creaking under the strain. The ball clipped the tape of the sagging net and died on Mikoto’s side.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQUzn9L7HH
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"Ha!" she gasped, dropping to her knees, dripping with sweat. "Point... mine."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDXUFl02a4
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"Point yours," Mikoto conceded, wiping his brow. He looked at his watch: 88 bpm. He felt alive. The "Ghost" was being crowded out by the sheer, physical reality of the sun and the girl across the net.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOTKMgJJwG
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From the sidelines, Marin was cheering, filming snippets on her phone—not for social media, but for them. Shino was staring at a tablet, tracing blue and red lines over a slow-motion video of Karen’s skeleton.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKw2l3yo14
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"Wait," Shino said, her voice suddenly dropping an octave. She stood up, adjusting the zoom on her thermal lens. "Mikoto. Don't turn around."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbozZAeeSni
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Mikoto froze. "What is it?"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkh04g6YMO
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"Movement. In the second-floor window of the abandoned cannery across the street," Shino whispered, her eyes fixed on her screen. "Someone has a long-range lens. They aren't tracking Karen. They’re tracking you."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ570PN9eABp
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Marin stood up, her "Starlet" instincts kicking in. "Paparazzi?"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06wZPMxqOp
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"No," Shino said, her face pale. "The equipment is too specialized. It’s a high-frequency performance analyzer. That’s a scout's kit. Likely Northern Academy."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzK7tOwMxzQ
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A black sedan, identical to the ones the Agency used but with tinted Northern plates, suddenly peeled away from the shadows of the warehouse, tires Screeching.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2T2gNhB0a
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"They saw you," Karen said, her voice trembling with a mix of rage and fear. She gripped her wooden racket until her knuckles turned white. "They saw the 'Ghost' coaching. If they report this to the University Board... coaching by a non-certified, non-affiliated 'disgraced' athlete during the blackout period... Mikoto, they’ll disqualify me. And they’ll ban you from the campus for life."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3SD1ouP6g
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Mikoto looked at the dust cloud left by the sedan. The peace of the cracked court was shattered. He had tried to hide in the weeds, but the "Kodakawa" shadow was too long to escape.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkyrVBNsux
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"They won't report it yet," Mikoto said, his voice cold. "Ren Kurosawa doesn't want a forfeit. She wants a spectacle. She’s going to use that footage to blackmail us. She wants you to play knowing that if you win, she can take it all away with one 'leak' to the board."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOLo2bnSlI
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"Then we’re finished," Karen whispered, her "Iron" facade cracking.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrxj6MfTKj
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"No," Mikoto said, stepping across the net. He took the wooden racket from her hand and replaced it with her professional Yone-X graphite. "We’re changing the plan. If she wants a spectacle, we’ll give her one she can't predict. Shino, I need every bit of data you’ve collected. Marin, I need you to teach Karen how to 'act' like she’s breaking down."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9UVRcfTzf
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"What are you doing, Mikoto?" Marin asked, stepping closer.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83si4291Zi
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"I’m going to stop being a ghost," Mikoto said, looking at the University skyline in the distance. "I’m going to become a haunting."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNnhWkiM7p
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