(Note: This chapter isn't shorter—it just skims over QP's match since there's nothing worth detailing about a one-sided match. The focus on Kaedahara and Konishi's match is to give their characters more depth. The finals segment is briefly summarized.)
---
"Game over! Score: 6–0, QP wins!"
"Overall match score: 2–1!"
Dead silence.
The audience swallowed hard, watching as the Shitenhouji player knelt on the court, trembling uncontrollably. A chill ran down their spines.
Just ten minutes earlier, the singles No. 2 match had begun.
QP faced off against some no-name from Shitenhouji.
Though he didn't activate Kikō (Aura of Experience), his merciless playstyle broke the opponent mentally.
The guy couldn't even see QP's serves, let alone return them.
His only purpose was to keep the match going—hardly better than a ball machine.
The sheer, suffocating dominance shifted the audience's mood from casual amusement to outright fear. The pressure was that overwhelming.
"...H-He's… insane."
In Shitenhouji's player area, even Mōri looked pale, unable to muster the courage to lift his head and meet QP's gaze.
"Is this guy even stronger than before?" Mōri muttered, eyes locked onto QP.
But Hara Tetsuya shook his head. "No. You fell asleep during the briefing earlier. Morita's cousin goes to Seigaku—according to their intel, QP couldn't even score against Yoru."
"WHAT?!"
Mōri froze.
If Yoru could shut out QP… then their earlier match wasn't even a warm-up for him. It was a joke.
---
"Handshake?" QP asked in fluent Japanese.
The response? A mental breakdown.
"A-AHHHHH—!"
The Shitenhouji player screamed, scrambling backward like he'd seen a monster.
"Shinsuke!"
His teammates rushed onto the court to carry him off.
QP turned and walked away without another word.
The umpire didn't call for a pause—this was clearly a psychological collapse, not an injury. A short break would suffice.
"Singles No. 2 match concluded! Doubles No. 1 will begin next! Players, prepare yourselves!"
The whistle blew.
Kaedahara and Konishi, already buzzing with excitement, jogged onto the court to warm up.
Shitenhouji's pair stood as well.
Yoru glanced at them—a duo with solid 5-star stats. Their doubles synergy was high, nearly on par with Kaedahara and Konishi. Probably a long-standing partnership.
He turned to his players.
"Their raw skill is average, but their teamwork is sharp. Treat every match like it's your last. Enjoy it."
Kaedahara and Konishi had once confided in him:
"This is our final year. After Nationals, we're leaving the city—no more tennis. We just… want to leave a mark before we go."
"Leave it to us."
Ten minutes later, the match began.
After the handshake, Konishi Izumi smirked at Kaedahara.
"If things go well… this might be one of our last three matches together. After this, we probably won't team up again."
"Yeah, I—"
FLOKITOTO
Kaedahara stopped mid-sentence as Konishi's fist suddenly hovered in front of him.
After a beat, he grinned and bumped it.
"Then let's make it count."
In that instant—two streams of mist intertwined around them.
"Wha—?!"
Hiranishi and Shiraishi nearly choked.
The "weak" doubles pair they'd underestimated… had just activated The Synchro (Dōkei).
Yoru's eyes flickered.
Their stats now read: (+1)
Not as refined as the Rokkaku twins' Synchro, but already surpassing most Japanese middle-school doubles.
From being background nobodies to this—
Sure, Yoru's "cheats" helped.
But more than that?
They refused to stay irrelevant.
Effort is the bridge between dreams and reality.
Only those who chase their dreams can turn hard work into something meaningful—and seize the moment when it arrives.
"...This feels pretty damn good."
Yoru smirked.
It was like playing support and watching your ADC land a pentakill.
Yamato exhaled in awe. "To think Kaedahara-senpai and Konishi-senpai could enter Synchro at will…"
He remembered their words:
"All we have left… is effort."
---
THWACK!
Shitenhouji's serve—a sharp spin that kicked sideways on the bounce.
Konishi, moving on instinct, lashed it back effortlessly.
With Synchro boosting their stats (and synergy most of all), the duo carved through the match like a hot knife through butter.
Just three exchanges in, they'd already set up a clean passing shot—no communication needed.
WHOOSH!
The ball streaked through the opponents' gap.
"Seigaku scores! 15–0!"
And that was just the start.
The real shock?
Konishi—now replicating Kaedahara's "Boomerang Snake Shot"—extended their offensive range to absurd levels.
Shitenhouji's pair could only flail helplessly.
What should've been an even match became a rout—all because of Synchro.
"Seigaku leads! 1–0!"
Under two minutes for the first break.
---
"…We're in trouble."
Hiranishi sucked in a breath.
Had he and Shiraishi been facing Kaedahara and Konishi, they might have still pulled through—Synchro drains stamina fast, and their raw skill was higher.
But no one expected Seigaku's "weaker" doubles pair to be this strong.
"We underestimated them," Shiraishi admitted. "Their win rate this Nationals season is over 90%—we just ignored it because Yamato's pair stood out more."
"Seigaku extends! 3–0!"
SMACK!
A crisp high-five.
Kaedahara and Konishi exchanged grins—different ones.
A tiny detail, but Yoru and QP noticed it immediately.
They were starting to control Synchro.
Yoru chuckled.
"Never thought they'd reach this level. Maybe not as strong as Ōishi and Kikumaru, but still… impressive."
[System: Master, you're overlooking something.]
"Hm?"
[The runes boosted them beyond ordinary players. Training runes gave them a genius's potential.]
[With cheats and effort… Of course they'd rewrite fate.]
Yoru smiled.
Back when he'd left for Germany—
While most starters slacked off, these two had kept grinding.
And when their chance came?
They seized it.
"They're writing their own story now."
"No longer just side characters."