Three days later.
Ralph and his crew returned home, dragging their undefeated record behind them like a trophy.
Before their departure, Yoru—who was helping them check their flight details—found himself suddenly ambushed by Ralph, who gleefully tackled him from behind, pressing his chest against Yoru's head and ruffling his hair aggressively.
Even through clothing, Yoru swore he could feel the attack of Ralph's chest hair.
And the body odor? God.
Being a Virgo, Yoru nearly passed out on the spot from the assault. The moment he got home, he dumped half a bottle of shampoo on his head just to cleanse the memory away.
Life returned to normal.
Seigaku's team threw themselves into intense training.
One amusing incident during this time: Kawasaki's former doubles partner, Nishimura Komugi, dropped out of school. Rumor had it he transferred to St. Rudolph.
Honestly? Probably for the best.
After the team cuts, Nishimura's standing in the tennis club had plummeted, and he'd even faced outright ostracization.
Sure, he brought it on himself—but bad luck played a part too.
Back then, Yoru, fresh off his return from abroad, had needed to make an example out of someone.
Nishimura just happened to walk right into the line of fire.
The wake-up call from Ralph and his crew had also humbled Seigaku's pride over their Kantō championship.
Both Kirihara and Yamato threw themselves into training with renewed determination.
Kirihara's growth was especially noticeable. Thanks to hitting a rapid growth spurt, his physical stats skyrocketed, pushing his overall rating to the mid-tier of 8-star level.
---
### Okayama Town
Lakeside
Juujirou Oni was using tennis balls to "fish"—smacking them into the water to stun fish, which he and the local kids would later grill and eat.
Then—
A blinding streak of light slammed into the lake from the side, sending a massive wave crashing toward the children. Mixed in were sharp, scattered fragments.
Realizing the danger, Oni immediately lunged in front of the kids, shielding them from the debris-laced water.
"Oni-nii, are you okay?!"
The children gasped, noticing the tears in his clothes.
"I'm fine. Stay behind me."
Oni pulled them protectively to his back, his expression darkening as two uninvited guests strolled forward.
The first—a blindfolded teen—spoke first.
"Two years ago, the legendary captain who led an unknown school to a national championship… and now, he's hiding in a place like this."
The second, a blond, glanced at the dead fish floating in the lake.
"We meant to bring the kids a gift. Guess I put too much power into it."
"...What do you want?"
Normally, Oni would've already thrown fists at anyone threatening the kids. But with them present, he held back.
That serve just now… the blond was strong. At least on par with him.
The blond twirled his racket.
"Introductions. My name is Byoudouin Houou, captain of Rokkaku's tennis team. I'm here to invite you to join us—and take the national title together."
Originally, Oni hadn't been on Houou's recruitment list.
Sure, the guy was strong—leading a no-name school to nationals as a first-year was insane. But after winning, he'd abandoned his team to play "orphanage dad" in the middle of nowhere. That kind of attitude didn't align with Rokkaku's philosophy.
But after witnessing that exhibition match, Houou had revised his standards.
Philosophy be damned. Raw strength was enough.
"If you join, the school will cover your housing and tuition."
Oni didn't hesitate. "Not interested. Leave."
Houou expected the refusal.
A powerhouse like Oni, willingly giving up glory to rot in an orphanage? No way he'd be swayed by words alone.
"The national stage isn't like it was two years ago. The competition's fiercer now."
"Seigaku's got at least two players on your level this year. You must be itching for a challenge."
Strong players craved rivals. Houou understood that drive.
But he'd miscalculated.
"Yoru and QP, huh."
Houou blinked. He hadn't expected Oni to know them.
Then again, the news of Rikkai's 13-year streak being broken had gone national.
But the next words—coming from the kids—caught both Houou and his companion (Tetsujin Fuwa) completely off guard.
"They're Oni-nii's friends! If he wanted to join a team, he'd pick Yoru-nii's school, not some weird 'Rokkaku' place!"
"Yeah! You guys look like bad guys anyway!"
(Houou was objectively handsome, but his demeanor screamed "menace," and Fuwa's resting villain face didn't help.)
Houou smirked and raised his racket.
"Fine. Let's settle it with a match. If I win, you come with me. If you win, we leave."
Then, preempting refusal—
"I almost hurt these kids earlier. Don't you want payback? Unless you'd rather admit you're a coward in front of them."
The taunt worked.
Oni's pride flared. "Ten minutes. Okayama Tennis Park."
"See you there."
Houou and Fuwa walked off.
Only once they were gone did Oni exhale, turning to the kids.
Before he could speak, one little girl piped up:
"Oni-nii… you totally fell for it. They tricked you!"
Oni ruffled her hair. "Only way to make sure they don't come back is to crush them."
He led the kids back to grab his racket.
Somewhere, Yoru would've facepalmed.
"How do you fall for such an obvious bait? Did all your brain cells turn into muscle?"
But fate had a funny way of twisting things.
A match that should've happened a year later…
…had just been moved up, thanks to the butterfly effect.
---