Kirihara reluctantly accepted his defeat. "I don't mind joining Seigaku, but the school situation... My parents are overseas, and they only send me a fixed allowance every month. I don't have extra money for transfer fees."
Transfer fees?
Yoru was taken aback.
Did Japan have those too? Weren't people on Douyin always hyping up how great Japanese education was? Seems like it's not all that.
"The transfer fee can be waived!"
A voice cut through the air.
Everyone turned to see Coach Ryuzaki standing there. She had arrived earlier and overheard their conversation—including the bet between the two.
Why would she refuse another strong player joining Seigaku?
A mere transfer fee was nothing to her. Her position at Seigaku was solid—otherwise, she wouldn't still be head coach despite the team's mediocre results year after year.
"I'm Seigaku's coach. You can call me Coach Ryuzaki."
With the coach's verbal assurance, Yoru turned back to Kirihara. "Your concern's been resolved. So, what's your decision? Keep wasting away at Hōō, or come to Seigaku and aim for the national championship together?"
"This isn't even a choice for me."
Kirihara shook his head. "I'll pack my things and transfer over. I was already planning to leave Hōō—I hate not being allowed to grow out my hair."
Grow out his hair?
Yoru rubbed his nose, amused by the Crows Zero reference. Even though Kirihara was in middle school, the rules were probably just as strict.
"Then it's settled!"
Yoru raised Kirihara's hand triumphantly, scanning the Seigaku team. "From today, Kirihara is one of Seigaku's regulars. If anyone disagrees, feel free to challenge him!"
Disagree?
Who would dare?
Anyone with eyes could see Kirihara was stronger than Yamato. Plus, with an extra regular spot open, no one had grounds to complain.
"If you're not ready to challenge him now, don't worry. Before the national tournament begins, we'll hold another regular selection match. That'll be your chance to prove your training results."
"Let's welcome Kirihara to the team!" Yoru declared.
[Ding! Regular member quota fulfilled. Reward: First Strike Rune.]
[First Strike Rune]: Team members will never fault on serves. Normal members gain +5% serve quality, regulars +10%, and the owner +15%.
"Holy crap, this is insane."
Yoru's eyes gleamed with excitement.
At first glance, the boost seemed modest.
But Yoru knew just how broken this rune was.
Serve fault rate?
Even Tezuka Kunimitsu, with his Absolute Perfection, occasionally missed serves. Even in pro matches, first-serve faults were common.
An absolute zero-fault trait was beyond unfair.
And the serve quality increase?
5%, 10%, 15% might not sound like much.
But take Kirihara's full-power 200 km/h serve—with the rune equipped, Yoru could push it to 220 km/h.
Beyond 200 km/h, every extra kilometer made a noticeable difference. The higher the speed, the harder it was to improve.
A flat percentage boost?
That was game-breaking.
[Equip the rune now?]
"Not yet."
The regular selection matches hadn't happened. Yoru would equip it once the final roster was set.
For now, he'd removed all regulars from the system list—except Yamato and Kirihara.
Why?
Because the older regulars like Kawasaki Junsai were trash. If they got double training effects, they might overshadow the first-years.
Yamato stayed because his strength was undeniable.
Kirihara?
No question—he deserved the spot.
It all came down to talent and skill.
---
Meanwhile, in the U.S.
Ryoma knelt on the court, his arm flickering with the faint glow of Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami—the Peak of Hard Work—as if it might vanish any second.
Across the net stood Yoru's old rival—Ralph Reinhardt.
After witnessing Yoru and Ralph's insane match, where even someone as strong as Ralph was pushed to the brink, Ryoma realized just how far behind he was.
His brother had zeroed Ralph.
Just how strong was Yoru?
Since Yoru left, Ryoma's hunger for improvement had grown desperate.
But there was no one around who could challenge him.
Ryoga was nowhere to be found. Nanjirō was too strong.
The only person left was Ralph.
So Ryoma traveled to another state during break to find him—leading to this match.
Under Ralph's pressure, Ryoma had finally gained control over Muga no Kyōchi and unlocked one of its three doors, just as Yoru had described.
But the score?
6-1.
Even with Hyakuren Jitoku, Ryoma barely scraped a single game off Ralph.
And that one point?
It felt like a pity gift.
Ralph could've bageled him if he wanted.
"You're… insane."
Ryoma's face was pale, frustration gnawing at him.
Not because he lost—but because the gap between him and Yoru felt even wider now.
Ralph had nearly shut him out.
Yoru had shut out Ralph.
That meant Ryoma was at least two Ralphs behind his brother.
The thought was crushing.
"Ryoma, you're incredible for your age. Honestly, aside from Yoru, you're the most talented player I've ever met."
Ralph ruffled his hair awkwardly.
But his words didn't comfort Ryoma—they just twisted the knife.
"Ralph… do you think I can ever catch up to my brother?"
"…"
The question stunned Ralph into silence.
Subjectively?
No way.
At Ryoma's age, Yoru could've wiped the floor with Ralph. Their levels weren't even close.
But saying that would destroy Ryoma.
After a pause, Ralph chose his words carefully.
"Ryoma… every field has its peak. Maybe your brother just reached it faster. But that doesn't mean you won't get there someday."
"Really?!"
Ryoma's eyes lit up.
Despite his maturity, he didn't fully grasp the subtext of Ralph's words.
But the phrase "you'll get there someday" was all he needed to hear.
---
Two days later…
With Coach Ryuzaki's help, Kirihara officially transferred to Seigaku.
Yoru ordered the entire tennis club into full training mode—no unofficial matches until the selection matches, where they'd prove their progress.
At first, Kirihara was shocked by the brutal, almost suicidal training regimen.
But after experiencing the results firsthand, he—like Yamato—forced himself to complete 100% of the workload.
Through the system's backend, Yoru could clearly track every member's power level growth.