"Seigaku scores, 4-0!"
...
"Seigaku scores, 5-0!"
...
"Seigaku scores, 6-0!"
...
In less than twenty minutes, Kaidō and Momoshiro had completely shut out their opponents.
This was their first flawless victory since the regional preliminaries!
Kawasaki sucked in a sharp breath. "They're insane… Is Synchro really that strong?"
Yamato shook his head. "Synchro is just the fruit of their labor. Don't forget the effort they put in—they've already become a top-tier doubles pair."
After this match, Kaidō and Momoshiro would be known nationwide, finally stepping into the spotlight among the elite players.
"We lost… just like that?"
Shitenhouji's doubles pair clenched their fists in frustration.
Before the match, they'd been told the gap between them wasn't that big—that their teamwork was superior.
Yet, they hadn't taken a single point. The sheer difference in skill was suffocating.
"Match over! Final score: 3-1!"
With Shitenhouji already eliminated, the last match wouldn't change the outcome.
After the handshake, both teams left the court.
"We won."
"Kirihara, go finish this!"
Kaidō and Momoshiro walked off the court, drenched in sweat—maintaining Synchro had clearly taken a toll on them.
"Leave it to me!"
Kirihara stood up, pulling his racket from his bag.
After watching four matches, his fighting spirit was at its peak. Even if his opponent wasn't Mōri Juuzaburō, it didn't matter—he just needed to play.
So much so that he didn't even bother with the stairs.
Instead, he vaulted over the railing—"HERE I COME!"
…
…
Unfortunately, he didn't quite stick the landing.
His foot caught on the rail, sending him face-first into a wall with a loud THUD.
His last words?
"Yamete—"
And then he was out cold.
The entire sequence—which would take half a minute to describe—happened in half a second.
The stadium fell silent.
Because of Kirihara's… enthusiasm, nearly everyone, including the referee, had been watching him.
"Damn… If he wanted to forfeit, he didn't have to go that hard."
The referee winced at the massive bump forming on Kirihara's forehead.
Kids these days are brutal to themselves.
The Shitenhouji team stared in stunned silence.
After a long pause, Hirakoba Ryou finally muttered, "That… didn't look fake."
"It has to be an act, right?" Furukawa Hiroshi gulped. "Seigaku's being nice, not humiliating us… but was that really necessary?"
Just watching it had hurt.
Meanwhile, Yoru turned to Tezuka, who was holding a camera.
"Send me the footage later."
To analyze their matches, QP had assigned Tezuka to record everything for review.
Which meant Kirihara's spectacular exit had been captured in full HD.
"I want a copy too~"
"Us too!"
The Seigaku team grinned like devils.
"Kirihara… We're gonna hold this over you forever."
Thanks to Kirihara's performance, the quarterfinals ended early.
As the teams shook hands, Shitenhouji's players looked at Seigaku with gratitude.
Once the formalities were over, Yoru led his team off the court.
Watching them leave, Hirakoba sighed in admiration.
"This year's Seigaku is terrifyingly strong… and surprisingly sportsmanlike."
---
Outside the Stadium
Seigaku headed back to their hotel.
With the semifinals in the afternoon, they needed some rest to stay sharp.
"What… happened to me?"
Kirihara groaned as he woke up on Yamato's back.
Yoru glanced at him. "You're awake? Put him down."
"No need—I got it!"
Kirihara hopped off, landing smoothly—only to clutch his throbbing forehead in confusion.
"Why does my head hurt so much? Wasn't I about to play?"
"Must be temporary amnesia from the impact," QP mused.
Yoru shrugged. "Maybe it's better if he doesn't remember."
Then, with a smirk:
"Oh, Kirihara."
"Yeah?"
"Make sure to invite us to your wedding. We've got a great gift prepared."
"Aw, thanks, Captain! You're the best!"
"Don't mention it. Just repaying your contributions to the team."
"Brothers for life~"
…
"Huh? Is that Shitenhouji?"
As they reached the stadium entrance, another team came into view—laughing and chatting.
QP narrowed his eyes. "Looks like our semifinal opponents are Shitenhouji."
Yoru's gaze locked onto Inui and Shiraishi, eyebrows rising slightly.
[Name]: Shiraishi Kuranosuke
[Age]: 15
[Techniques]: Personal Stats (Lv. 9), Fundamentals (Lv. 9), Muga no Kyouchi (Lv. 9)
[Talent]: Superhuman Senses
[Power Level]: 9 Stars
[Superhuman Senses]: Processes information at several times the speed of a normal person. The longer the match, the sharper his reflexes become.
…
[Name]: Inui Sadaharu
[Age]: 15
[Techniques]: Personal Stats (Lv. 9), Fundamentals (Lv. 9), Weakness Insight (Lv. 9), Mental Prediction (Lv. 9), Pace Control (Lv. 9), Speed Reduction (Lv. 8)
[Talent]: Battle Master
[Power Level]: 9 Stars
[Battle Master]: Adapts to in-game changes with frightening efficiency. The longer the match, the faster his analysis becomes.
Kaji was a solid 7-star, but not worth focusing on.
"Interesting."
Yoru smirked.
Neither Inui nor Shiraishi had direct power-boosting abilities, but their talents were extremely potent in actual matches.
Especially Inui.
Not that Inui was stronger than Shiraishi, but Yoru was surprised by his level.
In the original timeline, Inui was one of the most enigmatic players in Japan's U-17—always seeming to struggle, yet somehow winning.
Against Akutsu, he was pushed to the brink before turning things around.
Against Atobe, the same thing happened.
Given those matches, Inui was clearly powerful but loved theatrics. The question was how powerful.
Now, it was clear—Inui was at least on Shiraishi's level.
His Speed Reduction technique also reminded Yoru of Tokugawa's Black Hole.
In the original story, Tokugawa had learned Black Hole from either Oni or Inui.
Now, it seemed Speed Reduction was the precursor to that move.
…
"Seigaku, huh?"
Noticing them, Shitenhouji's team paused.
Inui adjusted his glasses, eyeing Kirihara's forehead.
"Looks like Seigaku had a rough match too~"
"Was it Mōri?" Shiraishi wondered.
Since they'd be facing each other soon, exchanging greetings was inevitable—if only to gauge each other's strength.
And so, the two teams moved toward one another.