All the matches for the day had ended, and everyone had returned to their lodgings to rest and wait for tomorrow. Meanwhile, Akashi was already thinking about the lineup for tomorrow's match.
Higa might have lost Kite, but their strength was still decent. Still, they weren't going to be a match for Fudomine. Normally, sending out the second string would be enough, but because of Kite's involvement, Akashi decided to include Kite in tomorrow's lineup.
Then there was the issue of Kintarō. Even though today's match disappointed him, he still couldn't help but want to play again tomorrow. After some thought, Akashi wrote Kintarō's name down as well.
The next day, the national quarterfinals were held. Many spectators arrived early to cheer for their favorite players.
When Fudomine showed up and checked in, the crowd looked at them with admiration. This year, Fudomine had a real shot at completing an unprecedented national three-peat.
Once they reached the court, Akashi saw that the Higa players were already there—but their coach, Saotome Harumi, was nowhere to be found. Seemed Kite had gone pretty hard on him yesterday.
So Higa's coaching seat sat empty. Akashi didn't care in the slightest. He just took a seat at Fudomine's bench and waited for the match to start.
As he sat down, Akashi glanced over at Higa's lineup and didn't see Kai Yūjirō. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly—looks like his prediction yesterday was right.
Time passed quickly. Just as the match was about to begin, Kai Yūjirō finally returned to the court. His sharp eyes locked onto Fudomine's bench. When he saw Kite, his expression immediately turned furious again.
Soon, the umpire stepped onto the court. Seeing that both teams were ready, he climbed up to the chair and officially announced the start of the quarterfinals.
"Next is singles three! Fudomine's Kite Eishirō versus Higa's Kai Yūjirō. Players, please take the court!"
Kite and Kai stepped onto the court. At the net, Kai spoke straight to Kite.
"Just you watch. I'm going to beat you myself today, Eishirō!"
"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because we've known each other since we were kids," Kite replied coldly, glaring at him.
Kai felt a chill instinctively, but clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, standing firm. Thankfully, the umpire interrupted them and told them to do the coin toss.
Maybe Kai was too nervous—his hands were even shaking a bit when he spun the racket. In the end, Kite won the toss.
"First game, Fudomine to serve!"
Kite walked to the baseline, looked across at Kai, and tossed the ball high into the air. The next instant, a thunderous crack echoed as the ball exploded off his racket, rocketing across the court with terrifying force.
"Big Bang Serve!"
Kai recognized the move—he'd seen Kite use it even before entering middle school, though it was way weaker back then.
He rushed to the spot where the ball would land and swung at the bouncing ball with both hands—but the next moment, his racket was blasted out of his grip, spinning through the air before crashing to the ground.
"15-0!"
"This is the strength you said would beat me, Yūjirō?" Kite said with disdain.
"Don't get cocky! I'll return the next one!" Kai shot back without backing down.
Kite gave him a cold glance and said nothing. He simply tossed the ball high again and unleashed another Big Bang Serve.
This time, Kai used all his strength. His arms bulged as he gripped the racket and met the ball—but the result didn't change. The ball knocked the racket right out of his hands again.
"30-0!"
But Kai didn't give up. He picked up his racket and glared at Kite. Kite, unfazed, launched another powerful serve.
This time, Kai barely managed to return it. But from the sidelines, Akashi noticed something—Kite had clearly held back a little on that serve.
Once the ball came back, Kite instantly appeared at the net and smacked it crosscourt with a quick backhand. The ball shot toward Kai's left baseline.
Because Kai had just exerted so much force, he couldn't recover in time. All he could do was watch the ball slam into the left corner and bounce out.
"40-0!"
By the fourth serve, Kai felt like he'd gotten the hang of Kite's Big Bang Serve. He rushed to the spot, held his racket with both hands, and forced the ball back.
Kite responded with a Shukuchihō burst to the net and went for a forehand. But this time, Kai chased the ball down and flipped his grip mid-run, swinging with his backhand.
The two began a fast-paced rally. To the spectators, it looked like they were teleporting across the court. But while Kai could only flash between front and back positions, Kite moved freely across every corner.
The massive gap in their Shukuchihō mastery showed clearly. Kite caught an opening in Kai's return, blasted a sharp cross-court shot. Kai used Shukuchihō to instantly reappear at the baseline and sprinted toward the right—but he was still a step too late.
"Game! Fudomine leads 1–0!"
The second game was Kai's serve. He spun his racket once and shifted back to a regular grip. Then he tossed the ball high and served it with solid placement.
But that was completely useless against Kite, who had mastered Shukuchihō. With a single step, he appeared at the drop point and struck the ball mid-bounce, adding a complex spin at the moment of impact.
The spinning ball zipped across the net, then suddenly began to wobble midair. Its trajectory twisted unpredictably like a venomous snake, all while maintaining high speed.
"Habu!"
Kai's eyes widened. He immediately tried to read the ball's flight path. He knew this move well—it was the very one he'd taught Hirakoba Rin. Still, the ball slammed onto the baseline and warped its way out of bounds before he could react.
"0-15!"
The speed completely caught Kai off guard. He knew from experience that even if the trajectory of Habu was complicated, it could be countered with careful observation. He'd been able to return it during practice matches.
But Kite's version was clearly on another level—not just tricky, but blindingly fast. Kai barely had time to read the ball before it flew past.
Realizing this, Kai's expression darkened. He didn't waste any time, though. He served again, quickly shifting to a reversed backhand grip right after.
Kite launched another Habu, but Kai appeared instantly at the net and returned it with his backhand before it could start spinning.
The two locked into another high-speed rally. But the difference in strength was too much. Even with Kite clearly holding back, Kai still lost the point after only a few exchanges.
"0-30!"
Kai knew this couldn't go on. After serving the third ball, he moved up to the front court to await Kite's return. Kite didn't hesitate—he fired back with a quick backhand that blurred through the air toward Kai.
Kai reversed his grip and pulled his left hand back. As the ball approached, he sliced upward in a tight arc. The ball curved unnaturally through the air toward Kite's side.
"Viking Horn!"
Because of the reversed grip, both the strike point and flight path were totally different from a normal return. A typical player would've misjudged the ball and lost the point.
But Kite wasn't typical. He paused just a moment before reading the ball and firing it right back. Kai wasn't able to react in time—his special move was completely neutralized without effort.
The ball zipped past Kai and hit the sideline, bouncing out. That moment, all the fear he had of Kite came rushing back.
"0-40!"
On the next serve, Kai stubbornly used Viking Horn again. But Kite returned it with ease. Kai tried to push through, but after just a few rallies, the point was gone.
"Game! Fudomine leads 2–0!"
Now Kai finally understood the gap between himself and Kite. Still, he couldn't accept it. He'd worked so hard for years, just to prove that players from Ryūkyū Island could be top-tier without needing to go to Tokyo.
Back when Kite was in first year, he had invited Kai to transfer to Tokyo. But Kai, angry over Kite's sudden disappearance, refused flat-out.
Later, when he found out Kite had gone to Tokyo for tennis, Kai swore to himself he would train hard on Ryūkyū Island and eventually go to Tokyo—to prove Kite had made the wrong choice.
The third game was Kite's serve again. He launched more Big Bang Serves, still not at full power. Kai didn't give up and kept returning them, but it was pointless under Kite's overwhelming offense.
"Game! Fudomine leads 3–0! Change court!"
During the break, Kai was fuming at the coach's bench. He couldn't understand why he was so far behind Kite. What was all his effort for these past three years?
At Fudomine's bench, Akashi looked over at Kite and spoke calmly.
"Holding back in a match isn't really your style. I won't interfere with whatever you're planning—just make sure you win."
"I know. Yūjirō has no chance of winning this match," Kite replied quietly.
The break ended quickly, and the rest of the match played out just as Kite had said. No matter how hard Kai pushed, it was meaningless to Kite.
"Game! Fudomine leads 4–0!"
"Game! Fudomine leads 5–0!"
In a flash, the sixth game began. It was Kai's serve again. Sweat poured down his face—most of it cold. The pressure on his mind was enormous.
Suddenly, Kite looked at him and said:
"Yūjirō, didn't you always want to know why I went to Tokyo? Then watch closely—you're about to find out."
Kai frowned, not sure why Kite was saying this now. But the umpire urged him to serve, so he pushed aside the confusion and served the ball.
Kite flashed to the drop point and struck the ball. Before it even crossed the net, it twisted violently in midair, circling around Kai before flying out of bounds.
"Great Habu!"
"0-15!"
Even Hirakoba Rin on the sidelines was stunned. Was this really the power of Habu? He knew full well he could never pull that off.
"So that's it… You're trying to show me just how much stronger you've gotten since coming to Tokyo," Kai muttered, eyes fixed on the court.
"Sometimes, finding the right person in your life really matters." Kite didn't answer Kai's question directly. Instead, he said something Kai couldn't quite understand.
As Kai served again, Kite stepped into the ball's path and blasted a powerful forehand. A booming crack echoed across the court.
Kai froze, then seemed to realize something. He gripped his racket with both hands and braced himself, but the ball still knocked the racket out of his hands. It spun through the air before landing just behind him.
"0-30!"
"Big Bang isn't just for serving," Kite said calmly after scoring.
Kai looked at his slightly numb arms and finally understood—Kite hadn't used full power on his serves earlier. Otherwise, there was no way he could have returned them.
That realization made Kai waver. Maybe he had been wrong to blame Kite. Their tennis skills weren't even on the same level anymore.
Distracted by confusion, Kai made a basic mistake—two failed serves in a row.
"Fault! Second serve, please!"
"Double fault! 0-40!"
Match point.
Fortunately, Kai steadied his nerves. This time, he served cleanly, the ball flying over the net into Kite's half.
"Watch closely, Yūjirō! Tennis isn't as simple as you think!" Kite said as he moved to meet the ball.
With a single swing, the ball vanished. The entire court plunged into darkness. Kai's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Before he could grasp what was happening, a giant glowing black ball appeared in front of him. It radiated a dark aura. For a moment, Kai thought this might be the end.
The light returned just as suddenly. The ball smashed into the baseline, leaving cracks in the court before embedding itself into the fence.
"Dark Side!"
"Game! 6–0! Match over! Winner: Fudomine Middle School!"
Kai slowly turned his head, his face full of disbelief. At that moment, Kite's voice reached his ears.
"The world of tennis is far bigger than what you've seen. I went to Tokyo because I have ambition. I think you've always known that."
Kai looked at Kite with complicated eyes, as if wanting to speak but unsure what to say. Seeing that, Kite's expression softened.
"I invited you once before, but you turned me down. Still, I guess it wasn't all bad. You've become a solid tennis player—and a qualified tennis club captain."
After saying that, Kite held out his hand. Kai paused a few seconds before finally taking it, a faint, relieved smile forming on his face.
"Come back to Ryūkyū Island anytime, Eishirō!" Kai said with a grin.
The singles three match ended with childhood friends finally reconciling. But the team match between Fudomine and Higa was far from over. Next up was doubles two.
Higa sent out Chinen Hiroshi and Tanishi Kei. Fudomine fielded Ibu Shinji and Fuji Yūta. Against these two nationally ranked players, Chinen and Tanishi barely put up a fight.
Yūta also knew Shukuchihō, which made things worse for the Higa duo. That had been their ace technique—but knowing Kite came from Ryūkyū too, they could accept it.
The match ended 6–1 in Fudomine's favor. Maybe Ibu and Yūta had eased up out of respect for Kite—they didn't completely humiliate Higa. Sometimes, matches required a bit of tact.
Now that Higa had lost two straight, it all came down to the singles two match. If they couldn't win this, their run in the national tournament would be over.
Hirakoba Rin stepped onto the court with Higa's last hopes. But that hope vanished quickly—Fudomine's singles two player was Tōyama Kintarō.
To Kintarō, who just wanted to have fun playing tennis, things like tact or holding back meant nothing. Other than the power restriction Akashi imposed, he didn't pull any punches.
Even though Hirakoba could barely chase Kintarō's shots using Shukuchihō, the constant strain left his hands numb. Kintarō may have held back on power, but it was still too much for Hirakoba to handle.
Kintarō's only saving grace was that he was single-minded. Knowing Hirakoba could move fast front to back, he didn't hit to the sides. Even though he'd already seen Shukuchihō from Kite and Yūta, he still found it entertaining.
So Hirakoba just kept using Shukuchihō over and over, gritting his teeth to return Kintarō's shots—until he collapsed on the court and had to be carried off by medical staff.
The score froze at 4–0. Akashi didn't have much to say about it—as long as Kintarō was happy, that was enough.
And with that, Higa lost three straight and was completely eliminated by Fudomine.