"Next is the U-17 Japan Team versus the Second Court selection Shuffle Match! Round one begins now!"
"From the U-17 Japan Team, No. 19 Hara Tetsuya and No. 18 Taira Yoshiyuki will face the Second Court selection's Shiraishi Kuranosuke and Kirihara Akaya! Players, please enter the court!"
The four walked slowly to the net for a pre-match handshake. Hara Tetsuya grinned and teased, "Ara, ara~ if it isn't little Shiraishi. Haven't seen you in a while—you've gotten taller!"
"Yeah, I remember last time we met, you were still whining for a pacifier," Taira added right after him.
"You two haven't changed a bit, Taira-senpai, Hara-senpai," Shiraishi replied with a twitch at the corner of his mouth, sounding slightly helpless.
"Eh? So the former captains of Shitenhōji were like this?" Kirihara asked in mild confusion.
"Yep. These are the legendary captains of Shitenhōji. This guy here is Hara Tetsuya-senpai, also known as the 'automatic tsukkomi vending machine.' And the other is Taira Yoshiyuki-senpai, the so-called 'comedic sniper,'" Shiraishi explained.
"What? Who are you calling a tsukkomi vending machine?" Hara retorted irritably.
"Who's the comedic sniper? That's right… me!" Taira declared proudly, pointing at himself.
"Uh… what's with this headache-inducing Kansai accent…" Kirihara muttered under his breath, apparently getting pulled into the mood.
Right after, Taira, Hara, and Shiraishi began a nonsensical back-and-forth, with Kirihara occasionally chiming in. The whole scene looked nothing like a match and more like a four-man tea party.
"Um… shouldn't you guys decide who serves first?" the umpire finally couldn't take it anymore and reminded them.
Only then did they react and start the coin toss. Shiraishi won the serve, and in the stands, Byoudouin's eyebrow twitched. He regretted letting those two idiots start the match.
"Best of three sets! Second Court selection to serve first!"
Shiraishi stepped to the baseline, took a deep breath to steady himself, then stared seriously at the two across the net. He knew full well that behind their joking demeanor, their tennis skills were nothing to underestimate.
"Come on, Shiraishi! Show everyone the comedy secret art I taught you!" Hara shouted.
"I don't recall you ever teaching me any secret arts, Hara-senpai!" Shiraishi replied while tossing the ball high and, with textbook-perfect form, slammed a high-speed serve.
"This is where you're supposed to act like you remembered something and go along with me, damn it!" Hara grumbled as he dashed to the ball and smacked it with a forehand, sending it in a slight arc toward Kirihara's right side.
"I'm not into comedy or witty comebacks. This match is starting to feel out of place for me," Kirihara muttered as he chased the ball and whipped a fast, spinning backhand straight into the back left corner.
"Oh~ not bad speed. But… bakyuun!!!" Taira lunged into the corner, and a huge crack of ball meeting strings rang out.
"Using a bakyuun shot right from the start? Guess you guys are taking us seriously. In that case, I won't hold back!" Shiraishi grinned and instantly appeared in front of the incoming ball, swinging with the frame instead of the strings.
"Entaku Shot!"
The ball crossed the net and plunged sharply. By the time Hara reached it, it was already spinning madly on the ground before splitting into 12 afterimages that shot past him and out of bounds.
"15–0!"
"Ah, that was satisfying! I'm not dumb enough to take your bakyuun shot with the strings, Taira-senpai," Shiraishi said lightly, striking a familiar pose.
"Next time, I'll shoot right through your heart!" Taira growled with a crooked grin.
"Yeah, yeah! And you—poodle head over there—better step it up too!" Hara nodded quickly and aimed his comment at Kirihara.
"You bastard! Who're you calling poodle head?!" Kirihara roared, swinging his racket wildly in front of him.
"Ma, ma, calm down, Kirihara," Shiraishi said, suppressing his laughter.
Just as Shiraishi was about to serve again, white steam began to rise from Kirihara's body. In the next instant, his entire body turned red, his hair shifting to an eerie white—he had entered Devil Mode.
"Kirihara!!! They don't mean any harm—don't lose control!" Shiraishi quickly called out in alarm.
"Don't worry, Shiraishi-senpai. I already told you, I can control myself!" Kirihara turned his head with a grin, his eyes perfectly clear with no trace of blood-red.
Angel Mode Kirihara.
"Hm? Kirihara entered Angel Mode this quickly?" Yukimura said with surprise from the sidelines.
"He's still a bit too impatient," Sanada frowned.
Shiraishi relaxed and chuckled at himself. He had gotten unnecessarily tense, even though he knew Kirihara had already evolved. Shaking off the stray thoughts, he launched another high-speed serve with the same perfect form.
"Oh~ oh~ is this some magic trick? Or do you just like holding your breath?" Hara Tetsuya grinned at the transformed Kirihara, but his hands didn't slow—he flicked the ball high into the air and sent it deep to the other court.
"Remember this—I'm Rikkai's second-year ace, Kirihara Akaya! Not some poodle head!" Kirihara leapt high into the air and smashed the ball hard. For Taira and Hara, all they saw was a fleeting afterimage before the ball flew out of bounds.
"30–0!"
"Oh my, oh my~ scary kouhai indeed! No wonder you're kelp head!" Hara continued to tease.
At that, a vein practically popped on Kirihara's forehead. Great—now he wasn't poodle head, he was kelp head. Shiraishi could only shrug helplessly, though he tried to hide the smirk tugging at his lips.
While Kirihara was still quietly fuming, Shiraishi stood at the baseline and fired off his third high-speed serve. Hara tossed out another casual jab before intercepting and slicing the ball sharply down Shiraishi's right sideline. The angle was nasty—he was finally getting serious.
Shiraishi sprinted to the sideline, stretched his left hand forward, and placed his racket exactly in the ball's path. With a swift backhand, the ball shot toward the far baseline.
Taira reacted instantly, assuming a strange stance before shouting, "Bakyuun!" The ball spun with vicious force, rocketing toward Kirihara's back court.
In Angel Mode, Kirihara's speed had increased dramatically, leaving afterimages in his wake. In a blink, he was at the baseline, swinging to meet the ball. Shiraishi opened his mouth to warn him—but it was too late.
The moment the ball hit the racket, it spun violently. As Kirihara tried to counter, the ball slipped right through the strings and slammed into the back fence.
"30–15!"
"Kirihara! Watch out for Taira-senpai's Bakyuun—it can pierce straight through your racket!" Shiraishi finally warned.
Kirihara glanced at his racket and nodded seriously before heading to the sideline to grab a spare. Akashi, watching the Angel Mode Kirihara beside him, narrowed his eyes slightly. Something still felt off about his state.
Angel Mode eased physical strain and kept the mind clear, avoiding the bloodthirsty frenzy of Devil Mode, but it still drew on life force—just far less severely.
Once Kirihara returned, the match resumed. Now cautious, he avoided taking Taira's Bakyuuns head-on, leaving them for Shiraishi, who neutralized them with his superb Super Sweet Spot skill.
"Game! Second Court selection! 1–0!"
They quickly secured their service game, but Taira and Hara showed no change in expression, keeping up their comedic banter.
Eventually, Hara's constant teasing pushed Kirihara over the edge. He went all-out on offense, abandoning defense entirely. Shiraishi matched him perfectly, covering the gaps. With Angel Mode boosting Kirihara's five attributes, Taira and Hara struggled to keep up.
Gradually, the momentum shifted completely to Shiraishi and Kirihara. The former captains could only stall for time, unable to stop the point loss. In the end, they lost the first set cleanly.
"Game! Second Court selection! 6–0! First set to the Second Court!"
Taira and Hara exchanged a wry smile and headed for the bench. That's when Byoudouin spoke up:
"For the rest of the match, remove 60% of your restrictions! Not just Taira and Hara—this goes for all of you!"