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Added 2025-07-24 17:10:20 +0000 UTCChapter 66: Binding QP—Super·Perfect Quality
[Ding! Detected a Destiny Child available for binding: QP (Bluebird)!]
Hearing the prompt, Yoru silently commanded: "Bind him."
Securing QP was the primary goal of his trip to Germany.
In the original World Cup arc, after QP’s match against Oni Juujirou, he absorbed the combat experience of the Three Radiant Lights, evolving into Ultimate Quality.
According to Borg, at that moment, QP had *"nearly touched the realm of the Tennis God"*—the same domain where Nanjiroh and the current world champion resided. Given time, QP would almost certainly break into that echelon.
[Ding! Binding successful!]
[Amplification feedback initiated!]
[Tennis Fundamentals Lv. 7] → (Higher-tier binding detected) → Upgraded to [Lv. 9]!
[Base Five Stats Lv. 7] → (Higher-tier binding detected) → Upgraded to [Lv. 9]!
Talent [Perfect Quality] → Doubled feedback → Acquired [Super·Perfect Quality]!
A surge of warmth enveloped Yoru’s body, optimizing his condition instantly. His muscles felt denser, his reflexes sharper.
[Super·Perfect Quality]: Maximizes one’s potential and dramatically enhances Five Stats & Fundamentals by absorbing the combat experience of the Three Radiant Lights. Each light absorbed grants a percentage-based boost in battle.
(Currently absorbed: [Glow of Lament])
(Note: Absorbing all three lights will evolve this talent into [Super·Ultimate Quality].)
"Hmph. I expected the system to stack Ryoma’s and QP’s base stats. Pity."
His power rating hadn’t hit 10 stars yet, but it was close. A few more refined techniques would push him over.
That said, his actual combat prowess was already 10-star tier.
"But this talent... Why didn’t it jump straight to [Ultimate Quality]?"
Yoru frowned. The system had only enhanced the talent’s effects—boosting battle performance rather than outright evolving it.
Still, the sheer raw power flooding his veins was undeniable.
"If I’m already this strong now... Once QP reaches Ultimate Quality, will I be able to challenge the old man?"
In the original storyline, Borg had defeated the world’s #1 pro player—prompting him to send Schneider and his brother to the World Cup instead.
But Yoru knew the truth: the "world #1" Borg beat wasn’t the current "King of Tennis" (who’d likely retired earlier). Rumors even suggested the King might retire this year.
Yet, if QP—after reaching Ultimate Quality—could rival Borg, did that mean he, too, could topple a world #1?
(Honestly, pro players in this universe have zero prestige. A 17-year-old crushing the ranking leader? Laughable.)
"System, display my stats."
[Host]: Yoru
[Age]: 12
[Techniques]:
Personal Five Stats (Lv. 9)
Tennis Fundamentals (Lv. 9)
Twist Serve (Lv. 8)
Two-Sword Style (Lv. 8)
Split-Step (Lv. 8)
Zone (Lv. 8)
Reverse Zone (Lv. 8)
Muga no Kyouchi (Lv. 7)
Pinnacle of Hard Work (Lv. 5)
Sharp Angle Drive (Lv. 8)
[Power Rating]: 9 Stars
[Talents]: Ten Sense Manipulation, Perfect Copy, Super·Perfect Quality
"System, your power scaling confuses me."
"Even in the World Cup arc, QP shouldn’t surpass Ralph yet. How does absorbing just one Radiant Light put him at 8 stars?"
Ralph had only reached 8 stars after Yoru’s training. Meanwhile, Nanjiroh was benchmarked at 20 stars.
Yet here, QP—with just *[Glow of Lament]*—matched Ralph’s rating. Even Schneider hovered near 8 stars, and Kirihara sat at 7. The gaps felt arbitrary.
[Ding. Ordinary individuals are constrained by physical development. No matter their skill, Five Stats remain the core determinant of power.]
[As bodies mature post-15, star differentials widen drastically. Current ratings cannot be compared to World Cup-era tiers.]
*"Ah, 15 years old—the turning point."*
Yoru nodded. He’d overlooked biological limits. Most players couldn’t defy growth curves like he could.
"It’s QP! QP’s back!"
"The principal’s prized student! Is he facing that guy?"
"I hate Hopkins, but he’s still one of us. Hope QP teaches this outsider a lesson!"
"Who’ll win?"
*"Obviously QP! Even the Elite Club calls him the 'Masterpiece'!"*
Whispers spread like wildfire. Spectators abandoned drills to gather around the court.
QP ignored the chatter, his brow slightly furrowed.
Yoru’s aura felt... oppressive. The longer he stood idle, the heavier the atmosphere grew.
"Ready?"
Reiter climbed into the umpire’s chair. "Yoru, standard Japanese one-set match, or best-of-three?"
"Oh?"
Yoru blinked. Germany already used pro-length matches in training?
Best-of-three demanded strategy, stamina management, and adaptability—far more complex than all-out sprint matches.
"One set’s enough."
QP nodded, spinning his racket. "Spin?"
"Up."
The racket clattered—landing upside down. QP to serve.
No further words. Both took their positions.
Yoru crouched, racket poised defensively.
QP bounced the ball, calibrating his touch. His mind raced through pre-match simulations—a habit of seasoned players preparing for variables.
Whoosh—
The ball left his fingertips.
BANG!
A golden streak tore across the court!
Chapter 67: QP – "Someone Closer to Ultimate Quality Than Me?"
BOOM—!
The tennis ball slammed into the court, kicking up a cloud of dust before rocketing toward the sidelines.
A textbook-perfect basic serve—yet it carried terrifying force.
The speed was unreal.
Most spectators couldn’t even track the ball’s trajectory. Only Raitlair followed it clearly.
"He’s still not holding back..."
Raitlair sighed. His disciple never went easy, whether facing a first-grader or a pro.
But before the ball could fly far, Yoru intercepted it effortlessly.
"A basic serve with this much power? QP’s research into serving mechanics must be insane."
Though both had flawless Five Dimensions and fundamentals, Yoru didn’t receive detailed insights like QP’s—just as match experience and personal playstyle weren’t auto-fed to him.
"Now then—time to return it~"
Planting his right foot, Yoru torqued his hips, channeling explosive force into his racket. The strings pancaked the ball with a thunderous CRACK!
The sound shook the stadium.
By the time the audience blinked, the ball had already exploded onto QP’s side.
"Wha—?!"
Stunned silence.
Most had watched Yoru dismantle Hopkins and the others earlier.
But this?
This proved he’d been holding back the entire time.
"His Five Dimensions and fundamentals... are on par with mine."
QP analyzed instantly.
Yoru’s muscles hadn’t even been fully tensed during that return—yet the power was monstrous.
Effortless dominance.
QP’s eyes sharpened.
He had a real opponent.
The Clash of Perfection
The ball kicked up violently, its topspin forcing a skyscraper bounce.
QP intercepted it just before the second bounce, whipping his racket upward in a laser-guided arc to the far baseline.
Dead-center on the line.
A millimeter off, and it’d be called out.
Precision honed by years of "numbered target" drills.
The shot was blindingly fast—Yoru stood a full body’s length away, seemingly out of reach.
But QP didn’t relax.
Not after seeing his speed earlier.
Sure enough—
Yoru’s racket flipped to his left hand mid-stride.
Before anyone processed it, his left-handed return fired back with identical precision!
Dual-Wielding!
"Ambidextrous...?"
True ambidexterity was rare—some trained it, but natural-born dual-handers had the edge.
Swapping hands also reversed the spin.
QP adjusted instantly, intercepting the return with a crisp thwack!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The rally escalated into a blur of kinetic violence.
Each impact kicked up dust, each bounce vibrated the court. Even spectators felt the shockwaves.
"This kid...!"
Raitlair’s grip tightened on the umpire’s chair.
Yoru was matching QP blow-for-blow.
No flashy techniques—just raw, unfiltered supremacy.
"Gulp..."
The kids swallowed hard.
They knew this was "basic" tennis—but the speed and power made it terrifying.
"Fun, but I prefer crushing my opponents outright!"
Yoru’s gaze sharpened like a blade.
Then—he vanished.
Five Dimensions, fully unleashed!
"What?!"
QP’s pupils contracted.
Yoru reappeared at the ball’s landing point, his racket a blurring guillotine.
BAM!
The ball nuked the corner, kicking out before QP could react.
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
Raitlair shot to his feet.
Yoru’s stats had skyrocketed mid-play.
That running inside-out forehand? A masterclass in footwork and timing.
"15–0! Yoru leads!"
The Gap Widens
QP remained ice-cold, switching sides and serving again.
This time, the ball vanished mid-air—most only heard the "THUD" as it slammed the court and rebounded toward the fence.
Even faster than before.
"Better. But still not enough."
Yoru stepped in, using his forward momentum to crush the return.
FWOOSH!
A golden streak seared across everyone’s vision.
QP barely reacted in time—but Yoru’s fully unleashed stats were two tiers above his.
This was a dimensional gap.
BAM!
"30–0!"
...
BAM!
"40–0!"
...
BAM!
"Game! Yoru leads 1–0!"
The Unthinkable Happens
"Q-QP just lost a game?!"
"Am I hallucinating?!"
"This guy’s a monster!"
"Chill! It’s one game, not the match!"
The kids were losing their minds.
QP’s undefeated Elite Club streak had made him a legend. Seeing him outplayed so cleanly was unfathomable.
"His Five Dimensions and fundamentals surpass mine."
QP’s grip on his racket tightened slightly, ignoring the noise.
Those four points had tested spin, speed, power, and pace-shifting—yet Yoru countered everything.
Like an adult toying with a child.
No weaknesses. No openings.
Even against Volk, QP had never felt this utterly outclassed.
At least Volk had flaws to exploit.
Yoru?
He was like QP, but perfected.
"Someone... closer to 'Ultimate Quality' than me?"
QP’s aura shifted.
A glacial calm settled over him—the Aura of Resignation activating.
The mindset of one who understands true strength... and its fleeting nature.
"Oh? The Aura’s buffing his focus."
Yoru smirked. "Then let’s spice things up, QP-senpai~"
QP didn’t react, his entire being locked onto Yoru.
"Haven’t used this in a real match for a while..."
Chapter 68: Sensory Override
"Here it comes~"
Snap!
With a swift flick of his racket, Yoru sent a blistering flat serve screaming across the court.
Even without spin, the sheer speed—amplified by his maxed-out Five Stats—made it lethal.
QP, ever the tactician, read the trajectory instantly. His feet pivoted, body lunging—
"This shot… will miss."
Yoru smirked, already walking to the opposite side without watching the return.
QP swung.
Yet the moment his racket neared the ball, a wrongness slithered down his spine.
Tap.
Contact.
His left hand—empty—had moved instead of his right.
The ball whizzed past him, bouncing harmlessly behind.
"15–0, Yoru leads."
Reiter’s brow furrowed. Since when does QP make rookie mistakes?
"What…?"
QP stared at his non-dominant hand, grip tightening on the racket. The sensation was alien, as if his right hand didn’t exist.
He reset, stance defensive—but unease festered.
Boom!
Yoru’s second serve was laughably slow, a ball even elementary kids could return.
Yet QP swung left-handed again.
"30–0."
Murmurs erupted.
"Is QP trying to lose?"
"Why’s he swinging air?!"
Reiter’s gaze sharpened. One fluke? Possible. Two? Impossible for a machine like QP.
"It’s happening again…" Amos whispered, throat dry.
The bruised middle-schoolers nearby shrank back, memories of drowning hallucinations fresh.
Reiter wheeled. "Explain."
Amos spilled the earlier incident—Hopkins’ terror, the oceanic delusion.
"Sensory manipulation…?" Reiter’s mind flashed to a certain icy woman.
Yoru’s voice cut through the noise:
"Relax. I just swapped your hands’ senses."
Silence.
Then—chaos.
"Bullshit! How?!"
"But… QP did swing wrong twice!"
QP flexed his hands, coldly analytical. "It’s not just touch. My vision defaults to my left as my racket hand now."
"Oh?" Yoru’s eyes gleamed. He noticed.
"Correct. Mere touch-swapping’s useless against experts—or ambidextrous players. So I overrode everything."
Sight. Sound. Smell. Taste. Even instinct.
Every sense now screamed: "YOUR LEFT HOLDS THE RACKET."
QP’s jaw clenched. "…Monstrous."
No escape. Even knowing the trick, his body rebelled.
"Game, Yoru. 2–0."
"3–0."
"5–0."
QP gasped, drenched in sweat.
He hadn’t been this helpless since Borg crushed him as a child.
Five games of mental warfare.
He’d adapted—barely—but his returns were pathetic, easily smashed back.
"A beast." QP’s hands trembled.
Yoru was equally impressed. "A freak."
QP had rewired muscle memory mid-match. In a best-of-three, he’d have broken free.
"You could’ve adjusted gently…" Yoru twirled his racket. "But thanks to our bond, my mental stats spiked."
Ten Sense Manipulation’s full power: Instant domination over those two tiers weaker in mental strength.
"Congrats. You’ll be my workhorse now."
He smirked.
"Let’s deepen the lesson."
Chapter 69: A Genius Who Can Awaken Aichi’s Fortitude and Love
"Game, set, and match—6-0. Winner: Yoru."
A deathly silence fell over the court.
Not a single voice could be heard in the entire stadium. Even Retter, who had announced the score, took a deep, shuddering breath.
On the court, QP knelt on the ground, gasping for air, his pupils trembling violently.
No one except Yoru knew what he had just experienced.
In the sixth game, the moment Yoru served, QP’s entire world flipped upside down—no, it was more than that. His very perception had been inverted.
He couldn’t tell whether he was the one hanging in midair or if Yoru, the court, and even the audience had been the ones to float upward.
The sheer sensory distortion made it impossible for him to stand. He spent the entire sixth game on his knees until the match ended.
Snap.
With a sharp click of fingers, QP’s senses returned to normal.
As the adrenaline faded, cold sweat drenched his body, as if he had just crawled out of water.
"...I lost."
QP panted heavily, staring at the now-stable world before him. Strangely, he felt a sense of relief.
"Next time, let’s have a proper match," Yoru said, walking over with a smile and offering his hand.
QP took it and let Yoru pull him up. "No need. A match only counts when both players give it their all. A player’s duty is to fight for victory with everything they have."
Recalling the absurdity of the match, bitterness welled up in QP’s heart.
He had faced opponents who specialized in mental techniques before—but never someone as monstrous as Yoru.
"...What was that just now?" QP asked.
"I call it Ten Senses Manipulation," Yoru replied, spreading his hands. "Though I can’t actually control all ten yet. Still working on it."
"...So it’s incomplete?"
QP shot Yoru a wary glance.
Even if he perfected his Ultimate Quality, would he be able to resist something like Ten Senses Deprivation?
With the match over, Yoru helped QP to the sidelines to rest. Retter motioned for the others to return to training.
Turning around, he caught sight of the cowering middle schoolers and felt a surge of irritation.
"Ten laps! Now!" he barked.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The middle schoolers scrambled away in panic.
Honestly, they didn’t want to stay around Yoru either—but this was their training ground. Where else could they go?
Once they were gone, Retter turned to QP with concern.
"How are you feeling?"
QP shook his head. "I’m fine, Coach. Just need a little rest."
His face was pale, his body drenched in sweat—clear signs of mental exhaustion. But he’d recover.
Retter sighed in relief, then looked at Yoru.
"Yoru... your mother. Who is she?"
"My... mother?"
Yoru blinked.
That was not the question he’d expected.
He thought Retter would ask about Ten Senses Manipulation.
"I don’t know," Yoru admitted. "I have no memory of her. Even Oyaji—Echizen Nanjiro—never talks about her."
Since arriving in this world, he had asked about his mother.
But Nanjiro refused to speak a word about her, even reacting with clear distaste whenever the topic came up.
His past self’s memories of her were hazy at best.
And after transmigrating, Yoru had heard nothing about her. To this day, he had no idea who the woman behind his birth was.
The only thing he knew?
She was still alive.
Even someone as kind as Echizen Rinko had told him, "Just pretend she’s dead."
So Yoru had long stopped caring.
"...I see."
Retter didn’t press further.
He had his suspicions, but if Nanjiro refused to speak of it, he wouldn’t either.
After lunch, QP took Yoru to visit the elite training club.
Unfortunately, Yoru didn’t run into any other canon characters.
Borg and Schneider were currently undergoing professional evaluations, training with the national team.
Bismarck, the German U-17 vice-captain in the original series, was out scouting with an assistant coach—doing the same thing Schneider had been.
As for players like Siegfried, Frankensteiner, and Borg’s younger brother, Bertie—they were still too young, honing their skills at other tennis centers.
After touring the facility, Yoru found most players were around 6-star level, with only one or two 7-star middle schoolers.
With Borg away at the pro team, QP was the undisputed top dog here.
Yoru played a few casual matches with some of the members, but quickly lost interest.
In the lounge, Yoru stood by the window, watching the players train below.
The elite club’s training methods were cutting-edge, backed by world-class facilities. It was a true holy ground for tennis development.
"So? Have you thought about it?"
QP walked over, handing him a sports drink.
Yoru took a sip. "Thought about what?"
"Joining the elite club."
QP glanced at the training players below. "With your skill and talent, you’d have access to the best resources here."
He genuinely hoped Yoru would stay.
Right now, he had no rivals in the club who could push him.
Compared to dull, one-sided matches, a crushing defeat like today’s had exposed his weaknesses—giving him room to grow.
Though his Ultimate Quality was designed to evolve by absorbing experience from matches involving the Three Radiant Lights, the more he refined his foundation now, the stronger it would become once he did assimilate them.
"I’ll think about it later," Yoru said, leaving the door open.
Truthfully, he was more inclined to return to China and compete in the World Cup as a representative of his homeland.
But the logistics were complicated.
Knowing the Prince of Tennis universe, if a country wasn’t featured in the series, its players were likely extremely weak.
That meant if he wanted to compete for China, he’d probably have to assemble a full 20-man squad from scratch—way too much work.
Teams like the U.S., Japan, or Britain were out of the question—personal reasons.
That left Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and France as viable options.
Of course, if possible, he wanted to see China’s state in this world before deciding.
Even if he didn’t end up representing them, he was curious about their strength.
His final choice would depend on what runes he unlocked in future matches.
After all, most competitions in this world were team-based, and runes would dictate his World Cup ambitions.
"Oh, right."
Yoru suddenly turned to QP. "Coach Retter mentioned you’re searching for the Light of Love and Light of Fortitude, right?"
QP nodded. "Yes."
"I know a guy who has the potential for both," Yoru said. "But he’s in Japan."
QP’s head snapped toward him, eyes burning with intensity.
"Can you take me to him?"
Seeing that fiery gaze, Yoru’s inner devil smirked.
"I could... but you’d have to stay in Japan with me for three months."
Meanwhile, at the German Tennis Training Center...
Retter dialed Nanjiro’s number.
The call connected, and a lazy voice answered:
"Wow, what’s the occasion? Kid finally arrived?"
Retter cut straight to the point.
"Nanjiro... is Yoru’s birth mother Jesusa Nalan?"
Chapter 70: Returning to Sakura, Kidnapping QP
Seven days later.
Yoru was preparing to return to Sakura.
All the objectives of his trip to Germany had been accomplished—and beyond that, he’d even gained an unexpected prize.
Airport. Departure Lounge.
"Wait, you can just report your absence and leave Germany for three months?"
Yoru stared at QP with envy.
A few days ago, after casually mentioning the existence of someone with the potential for Aichi Gōki (Loyalty’s Radiance), QP had agreed to accompany him to Sakura.
In exchange, QP would help them through the entire national tournament.
With QP joining, Seigaku finally had a real shot at winning the championship.
"I told the head coach that I found someone who possesses Gōki no Hikari (Radiance of Loyalty), and he approved," QP explained.
"Besides, being around you helps me refine my own shortcomings. The head coach noticed that too."
During his time in Germany, Yoru had been acting as QP’s sparring partner—essentially injecting some "steroids" into his own "two-horsepower engine."
"Didn’t you find anyone in Germany who has Aichi no Hikari (Radiance of Love and Wisdom)?" Yoru asked, puzzled.
In the original story, it was never explained how QP obtained both Rakuboku no Hikari (Radiance of Solitude) and Aichi no Hikari.
By the World Cup arc, when he faced Oni Jūjirō, he forced the latter to unleash Gōki no Hikari, completing his own ultimate evolution.
But in Yoru’s memory, there should’ve been plenty of users of Aichi and Rakuboku.
Sakura alone had a bunch—even Tezuka was a wielder of Aichi no Hikari.
QP shook his head. "Due to Germany’s tennis environment, where absolute victory is prioritized, the philosophy of Aichi no Hikari is fundamentally opposed. Very few here develop it. Most who awaken Kyōji no Hikari (Pinnacle of Perfection) end up walking the path of Rakuboku no Hikari instead."
Yoru understood.
That made perfect sense for Germany’s ruthlessly efficient, results-driven approach—where the process was irrelevant as long as the outcome was secured.
Worth noting:
Over the past few days of sparring with QP, most of Yoru’s techniques had improved, pushing his combat rating to 10 stars.
When he asked the system why, the explanation was simple:
His Five Stats and Fundamentals were so far ahead that lower-level techniques naturally evolved through usage—a passive form of growth.
[Status]
Name: Yoru
Age: 12
Techniques:
Personal Five Stats (Lv. 9)
Tennis Fundamentals (Lv. 9)
Twist Serve (Lv. 8)
Two-Sword Style (Lv. 8)
Split-Step (Lv. 8)
Zone (Lv. 8)
Inverse Zone (Lv. 8)
Muga no Kyōchi (Lv. 8)
Hyakuren no Kiwami (Lv. 8)
Sharp Angle Drive (Lv. 8)
Combat Rating: 10 Stars
Talents:
Ten Senses Control
Perfect Copy
Super-Perfect Quality
While powering up was always a good thing, Yoru couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.
It was like...
The satisfaction of grinding for strength paled in comparison to the sheer joy of having someone else do the work for him.
And reality proved him right.
As his techniques self-improved, the system’s feedback on Ryoma’s progress grew sparser.
"Guess before the main story starts, I’ll have to rely on you."
Yoru turned to QP with a "gentle" smile.
QP: "......?"
Metropolitan Tournament – Quarterfinals
So far, Seigaku had been lucky, facing relatively weak opponents.
But in the quarterfinals, they were up against Ginka Middle School—a long-standing powerhouse that made it to the Kanto Tournament almost every year.
Their overall strength surpassed Seigaku’s.
Seigaku vs. Ginka Middle School
"Game set! Final score: 7-5! Seigaku wins!"
As the umpire announced the result, the entire Seigaku team exhaled in relief.
On the court, Sensui and Kaidō collapsed to their knees, exhausted.
Since Seigaku had one default forfeit slot, they could afford to lose only one match—which put immense pressure on their doubles pairs.
Unfortunately, Ginka’s doubles teams were veteran specialists.
First Match:
While their raw skill might’ve been slightly below Kawasaki and Nishimura’s, the gap wasn’t huge. Their seamless coordination earned Ginka the first point.
Coach Ryūzaki nearly had a heart attack on the sidelines.
Losing the first match meant all the pressure shifted to Sensui and Kaidō in Doubles 2.
They started at a disadvantage, struggling against Ginka’s new tactics.
Fortunately, Kaidō attempted the *"Boomerang Snake Shot"*—a move Yoru had hinted at—and managed to turn the tide.
The match ended in a 1-1 tie.
"Good work!"
Yamato handed them water before stepping onto the court for Singles 3.
Yamato Yūda vs. Amagami Kōsuke
Yamato played cautiously, avoiding early reveals and testing the waters first.
A smart move.
Amagami Kōsuke had exceptional fast-paced techniques.
If not for Yamato’s brutal training sessions with Kirihara—forcing him to adapt to high-speed rallies—this match would’ve been tough.
After several exchanges, Yamato stopped holding back and unleashed his signature "Displacement Shot", securing a 6-1 victory.
Only after Singles 3 did Ryūzaki finally relax.
She turned to Kirihara.
"Go finish this."
With Yoru absent, Kirihara was Seigaku’s most reliable player. Entrusting him with the win was the only way to feel at ease.
"Yeah, yeah."
"Didn’t need you to tell me."
Kirihara had little respect for Ryūzaki.
As someone who worshipped Yoru like a god, he despised her passivity. But for his captain’s sake, he’d crush this match.
Singles 2:
Opponent—Taira Atsuhira.
Had Yoru been present, he’d have recognized both Singles 3 and Singles 2 opponents as U-17 camp extras from the original series—ones with actual lines, no less.
But against Kirihara, the skill gap was obvious.
Within ten minutes, the score was 5-0.
No suspense. Kirihara’s routine was simple: serve → score, return → score. Rarely did any rally exceed four shots.
BAM!
"Game set! Seigaku wins, 6-0!"
With that final point, Seigaku advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 overall victory.
"The captain should be back soon..."
Kirihara frowned, glancing toward the rest area.
In Yoru’s absence, the tennis club had grown lax.
Aside from Yamato, many members—even regulars—had started slacking in training. Kawasaki and the others, feeling they’d hit their limits, no longer pushed themselves. Only Kaidō showed some improvement.
Yamato’s authority wasn’t enough to rein in veterans like Kawasaki, who often ignored him.
Kirihara’s words carried weight, but even then, responses were half-hearted.
Ryūzaki’s occasional reminders did little, deepening Kirihara’s disdain.
"Don’t overthink it."
Yamato patted his shoulder. "The captain will return soon. Things will go back to normal."
He understood Kirihara’s frustration.
But in this situation, neither of them could do much—they could only wait for their core to return.
