(Note: After the Metropolitan Tournament concludes, the "Oni Juujirou" arc begins!)
---
Metropolitan Tournament Finals
Current score: 2–0, Seigaku in the lead.
Seigaku's Bench
Kaidou and his doubles partner walked off the court.
"Good job."
Honestly, the Kaidou duo had become Seigaku's unexpected MVPs of the Metropolitan Tournament—they hadn't lost a single match yet.
Even before Yoru's return, they'd pulled off crucial wins.
Are they secretly hidden masters?
Yoru squinted at them.
One looked like he was on death's door, the other like a thug who'd get killed off in three chapters.
"Kiriharu, you're up. Finish this quickly—I hate overtime."
Yoru crossed his arms, sitting in the coach's seat with his back to the team.
"Um… Buchou."
A hesitant voice came from behind.
"What?"
"Kiriharu-senpai… won't wake up."
Huh?
Yoru nearly fell off his chair.
Turning around, he saw Kiriharu dead asleep, with Kaidou slapping his face to no avail.
Why does this always happen when I'm trying to look cool?!
Yoru sighed and glanced at QP. "Wanna go instead? Let Sleeping Beauty rest."
"Fine."
QP didn't refuse.
At the end of the day, he was still a "hired gun"—he had to earn his keep.
Grabbing his racket, he headed to the court to warm up.
Miyako, Yamabuki's Singles 3 player, paused mid-warmup, confused.
He didn't know Kiriharu, but he did know that wasn't a foreign name.
Meanwhile, Yoru finalized the substitution with the referee.
"BEEP BEEP—Due to Seigaku's Kiriharu being unable to compete, Singles 3 is forfeited."
"Yamabuki wins by default. Current score: 1–2. Singles 2 players, please prepare for the next match!"
Yamabuki's team didn't know whether to celebrate or sigh.
Their first point came from… a forfeit.
"Nakagauchi, it's your turn now."
Miyako, who'd just warmed up, trudged back to the bench.
Nakagauchi Gedou frowned. "So my opponent is that foreigner?"
Their intel on QP was practically nonexistent—no background, no playstyle, nothing.
Even Seigaku's team was clueless.
Watching QP warm up, Yamato asked, "Buchou, QP's this strong… Is he famous in Germany?"
The others leaned in, curious.
QP's presence alone was intimidating—almost rivaling Yoru's.
"QP, huh…"
Yoru didn't explain his origins but summarized his status in Germany:
QP wasn't just famous—he was legendary.
Second only to Volk, QP had forged a new path in tennis, using the Three Radiant Principles to crush all obstacles with pure, flawless play.
Though Germany dominated the world stage, their pro circuit struggled.
The entire country was waiting for Volk and QP to rise.
And expectations for QP? Even higher.
"Hiss—"
The team collectively sucked in a breath.
Yamato hesitated. "Then… between Schneider and QP, who's stronger?"
"Schneider?"
Yoru shook his head. "Different roles. Schneider's a doubles specialist. QP's a singles player. In raw skill? QP annihilates him."
Gulp.
Yamato swallowed hard.
The others, though lost on names, now looked at QP with newfound awe.
Yoru's gaze shifted to Nakagauchi.
In the original story, Nakagauchi had plenty of screen time.
A self-proclaimed "fearsome tennis robot," he later became Japan's U-17 No. 14.
He fancied himself Oni Juujirou's rival.
His specialty? Pinpoint control—especially net-skimming shots.
But in reality? He mostly just got stomped.
---
"BEEP BEEP—Singles 2 begins! Players, take your positions!"
"First serve: Nakagauchi Gedou!"
The referee's whistle echoed.
QP stood at the baseline, racket held steady, posture immovable—like a statue.
"Strange guy…"
"Very strange."
"Extremely strange."
Nakagauchi dribbled the ball, muttering the same phrase over and over.
Yoru facepalmed.
Ah, right—Nakagauchi's verbal tic.
As the ball's rhythmic thud filled the court, the crowd quieted.
SWISH—
The toss.
No jump. Just pure, mechanical precision.
Nakagauchi's bulky frame loomed as he scanned the corner of the service box—then crushed the serve.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Three sounds—almost simultaneous.
The hit. The impact. And… another hit?
A gust of wind brushed Nakagauchi's cheek.
The entire court froze.
Even Nakagauchi stood rigid, stunned.
"15–0, QP!"
Only the referee's call snapped everyone back to reality.
"Wha—WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"
"Did he—did he return that?!"
"That was Nakagauchi's power serve! How did he—"
"I didn't even see him move!"
"Monster!"
The crowd erupted.
Their eyes were still processing the serve when QP had already returned it—at impossible speed.
Nakagauchi remained frozen, like a statue.
Even the referee, who'd been watching QP closely, barely caught the movement.
Without slow-mo replay, I'd need Hawkeye just to confirm that point.
Seigaku's team gaped.
"Relax. Don't look like country bumpkins," Yoru said lazily—though inwardly, he was impressed.
Since arriving in Japan, QP had thrived under 3x training efficiency.
The system's logs showed daily improvements.
With Counter Runes and Swift Strike Runes amplifying his natural precision, plus QP's no-mercy policy in official matches?
No wonder that return looked unreal.
(Too bad Yoru couldn't "steal" QP's rune feedback—he only got the direct stat boosts.)
---
QP examined his racket.
…I've gotten stronger.
---
In the Stands
Tōyama, mid-bicker with Nanjiroh, snapped his attention to the court—his ever-present smile vanishing.
Even Nanjiroh, who'd only been half-watching, raised an eyebrow.
"This kid improved that much?"
One casual return.
And the entire stadium was shook.