On the court, Henri's eyes were fixed sharply on Kirihara across the net, who was preparing to serve. A faint smile tugged at Henri's lips as he muttered with curiosity, "Japan, huh? I wonder what kind of tennis you'll show me. I've heard dual-style play is popular there~"
While Henri's thoughts wandered, Kirihara bent his fingers, pressing his knuckles firmly into the tennis ball. He squeezed hard until the ball warped out of shape, then suddenly tossed it up and slammed his racket down with speed.
"Knuckle Serve!"
The ball spun through the air with wild, unpredictable motion, flying toward the Swiss court. Henri reacted instantly, dashing toward the landing point. As the ball bounced, he swung to return it—only to find the rebound angle completely off. The ball shot sharply to the left, shooting out of bounds before he could even respond.
"Ace! 15–0!"
"No one knows which way this serve will bounce… except me!" Kirihara grinned, his tone low and sinister.
"Interesting~ Unpredictable rebounds, is it?" Henri didn't seem upset about losing the point. Instead, a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes.
"Arrogant show-off… people like you piss me off just by breathing," Kirihara muttered, annoyed, as he crushed another ball between his knuckles and launched another serve.
The tennis ball spun again with that same erratic twist, flying straight toward the Swiss side. This time, Henri focused intensely, eyes sharp and locked on the ball. As it hit the ground, he lunged forward, preparing to return with a half volley.
But again, the ball rebounded in a completely unexpected direction. Though it looked like Henri had made contact, the ball had actually jumped back toward the net on its own.
Sure enough, the ball smacked into the net and rolled downward—revealing Kirihara's smirking face from behind it. Henri raised a brow slightly.
"Ace! 30–0!"
"What's wrong? Where'd that arrogant attitude from before go?" Kirihara taunted with a sneer, taking full advantage of the moment.
Henri didn't respond. He bent forward slightly, eyes narrowing, his focus sharper than ever. Kirihara, unimpressed, clicked his tongue and tossed the next ball high into the air—another knuckle serve.
"This spin's direction… to the right!" Henri read the rotation the instant the ball crossed the net and sidestepped smoothly to intercept it.
The ball bounced sharply to the right, exactly as he'd predicted. Henri was already in position. A crisp sound echoed as his racket met the ball perfectly, sending it flying cleanly back over the net.
"Now what will you do? That serve won't work on me anymore," Henri said lightly with a smile.
"Heh~ I wasn't planning to win with serves anyway. But that smug look of yours really gets on my nerves!" Kirihara's voice echoed from across the court, followed by a flash of yellow light streaking past Henri's vision. The next second, the ball slammed precisely onto the baseline behind him.
"40–0!"
'When did he get to the net? I didn't even notice!' Henri stared at Kirihara, who was still frozen in a follow-through at the net, shock flickering in his eyes.
Kirihara gave him a cold smirk, then turned away, heading calmly to the baseline to close out the game. Henri's expression hardened as he returned to position, his earlier confidence replaced with focus.
Kirihara tossed up the ball again—his fourth knuckle serve. It spun with a strange, chaotic rotation, shooting toward the left corner of Henri's baseline. Henri read the spin almost instantly and darted into position, body leaning back.
The ball rocketed toward his chest, but Henri blocked it with a quick swing. With a clean strike, the ball became a streak of light, flying toward Kirihara's open right side.
But to Henri's surprise, multiple afterimages trailed behind Kirihara's body. In an instant, he seemed to teleport, appearing right in front of the ball. Before Henri could even register the motion, the ball had already zipped over the net, landed on the sideline, and bounced out of play.
"Game! Japan! 1–0!"
"That explosive burst of speed… is he really a middle schooler?" said Ranbiell from the Swiss bench, astonished by Kirihara's display.
"Total Concentration Burst! That's a state only players with special talent can achieve. I didn't expect to see it in the Japan team—and from a middle schooler, no less!" Tatsuta's eyes gleamed with admiration as he spoke.
Though Total Concentration Burst and Concentration Burst differed by only one word, the gap in performance was immense. Ordinary Concentration Burst could be achieved by players with sufficient willpower—like Ishida Gin's Arrival of the Myōō.
Total Concentration Burst required a unique talent—willpower alone wasn't enough. Perhaps only someone with Kirihara's extraordinary physique could withstand the extreme strain of that state. After all, the side effects of his Demonization were already severe.
On the Japan team bench, a faint gleam flickered in Akashi's eyes. To him, Kirihara's Total Concentration Burst was strikingly similar to ZONE. Both unleashed the body's hidden potential completely—but the major drawback of Total Concentration Burst was its short duration.
"Looks like Kirihara's mastered it completely. Still, both his Demon form and Angel form remain dangerous for him," Yukimura said calmly, though his expression carried a trace of concern.
"In the end, it's because his mind isn't disciplined enough. Too careless. If he had a firm will, he could control that power entirely," Sanada remarked bluntly, clearly seeing it as Kirihara's own fault.
The second game was Henri's serve. Despite losing the previous one, there wasn't a hint of frustration on his face. He looked calm as ever as he stepped to the baseline, tossing the ball high into the air before striking it hard.
The ball shot toward the Japan side at incredible speed. Kirihara's eyes flashed as he instantly appeared at the drop point. After taking one deep breath, he swung his racket sharply.
The ball streaked forward like a yellow flash, heading straight for the Swiss baseline. Henri quickly lunged to the right, but he was still a step too slow. The ball skimmed past the edge of his racket and smashed onto the baseline before flying out of bounds.
"0–15!"
'That breath before the swing—it wasn't normal. So this probably isn't his regular state,' Henri thought, his mind already analyzing every movement.
When Henri served again, Kirihara's speed was slightly reduced but still precise enough to return the shot cleanly. Henri didn't rush to the net. Instead, he stayed at the backcourt, determined to figure out how Kirihara managed those earlier bursts.
Chasing the next rally, Henri swung a sharp backhand. The ball carried a faint spin and curved at an angle toward Kirihara's left rear corner.
Kirihara froze for an instant, then spun and sprinted after it. It looked impossible for him to reach it in time—but then he suddenly inhaled deeply, and power exploded from his legs. His body blurred like a phantom, catching up to the ball in an instant.
He twisted his body and countered with a powerful reverse swing. The ball zipped just over the top of the net, brushing the tape. The spin shifted midair, but Henri didn't move at all. The ball hit the sideline precisely and bounced out of play.
"0–30!"
'His breathing rhythm changed again. In that instant, both his movement and swing speed jumped to another level. So… this is some kind of burst technique?' Henri's eyes stayed locked on Kirihara as he continued his analysis.
At the baseline, Henri picked up another ball, tested its bounce, and tossed it high. His racket whipped down with power, sending the ball spinning fast toward Kirihara's right sideline.
Kirihara dashed into position. Just before the ball crossed the line, he swung to return—but because of the angle, he could only hit a straight shot. Henri had already anticipated this and was waiting in position, countering with a quick backhand.
The ball flew toward Kirihara's left sideline again. Kirihara frowned slightly, then inhaled deeply once more. His aura flared as he entered Total Concentration Burst again, his body exploding into motion like a cheetah.
Without hesitation, he swung his racket, targeting Henri's back corner. The ball streaked across the court like a beam of light, striking the right baseline before Henri could reach it.
"0–40!"
The next rally played out much the same—Henri kept trying to drag Kirihara side to side, but Kirihara repeatedly triggered Total Concentration Burst, his shot speed approaching Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami levels. He claimed the second game with ease.
"Game! Japan! 2–0!"
"Nice one, seaweed head!" shouted Tōno from the bench with a grin.
"Who the hell are you calling seaweed head, you bastard!!" Kirihara snapped, spinning around to yell back.
"Hmph. Not bad at all, wakame kid," Byoudouin added with a smirk, clearly teasing on purpose.
"Argh! You guys piss me off! One day, I'll dye every one of you red!" Kirihara fumed, puffing up in anger. He didn't dare shout directly at Byoudouin, so he just sulked in frustration—though in that moment, his puffed-up expression looked almost adorable.
Unlike the lighthearted banter around him, Akashi's expression grew serious. Something wasn't right. Though Henri's role in the original match had been small, Akashi knew enough—Henri wasn't the type to go down quietly.