(A reader pointed out that in Japan, age is counted by full years—only after passing a birthday does the "panel age" increase. So no need to overthink age discrepancies; it's just a matter of whether someone's birthday has passed.)
[Name]: Oni Juujirou
[Age]: 15
[Techniques]: Personal Five Stats (Lv. 9), Tennis Fundamentals (Lv. 7), Center of Gravity Vertical Jump Style (Lv. 7), Pinnacle of Perfection: Aoi Hikari (Lv. 7)
[Talent]: Peerless Strength
[Combat Power]: 9 Stars
[Peerless Strength]: Born with monstrous physical power, far exceeding ordinary people. Strength increases by a percentage during matches based on condition.
What the hell?!
Yoru's eyebrow twitched. He nearly choked on his own breath at the stats displayed before him.
"System, what kind of joke is this? How are his stats so high?!"
A Lv. 9 Five Stats—two whole levels above QP's!
In the original series, Oni Juujirou had lost to QP. How could his stats be this exaggerated?
[Reminder: Two reasons. First, Oni Juujirou possesses innate superhuman strength. Check his detailed Five Stats—only his Power is Lv. 9; the rest are Lv. 7 or below.]
[Second, Oni Juujirou has entered a rapid growth phase. His physical talents are now fully emerging.]
Hearing this, Yoru quickly expanded the Five Stats breakdown. His racing heart settled slightly.
Aside from Power at Lv. 9, the rest of Oni's stats weren't that much higher than QP's—just his raw strength.
The system displayed the highest single stat level as the overall rating. Since only Power reached Lv. 9, his Fundamentals hadn't crossed into Lv. 8 territory.
"Still… compared to Schneider, Tokugawa, and Ralph, his stats are insane," Yoru muttered.
[Master, as previously mentioned, this is a critical growth period. Physical disparities will widen dramatically now. Early and late bloomers will show stark differences. Stats only stabilize around age 18.]
[You can't compare current developmental stages to the series' timeline.]
"Uh… I know. Just a small complaint."
Yoru awkwardly rubbed his nose.
Oni's 9-Star Combat Power was largely due to his monstrous strength. If he fully unleashed his power and entered peak condition, he might even touch the upper limits of 9-Star.
Glancing at QP, Yoru sighed inwardly.
QP's gonna have a rough time.
In the original series, QP had already fully matured physically by high school, and his stats had no glaring weaknesses. Coupled with absorbing the three Pinnacle paths to evolve his talent, his victory over Oni made sense.
But right now?
This won't be pretty…
---
Okayama Oku had a tennis court—surprisingly well-maintained, likely thanks to Oni. It was a hard court, though lacking the usual chain-link fencing.
The orphanage kids eagerly dragged over small stools, lining up to watch.
"Took a breather, so I'm good to go. Which of you wants first?"
Oni rested his racket on his shoulder, grinning.
Pre-U17 Oni smiled often—though his grin was more intimidating than friendly.
Yoru turned to QP. "You go first. He hasn't awakened Gouki yet, but he's already mastered Aoi Hikari . He's strong."
"He's awakened Aoi?!"
QP's eyes lit up. "Alright. I'll start." He pulled his racket from the bag.
With no umpire chair, Yoru stood courtside to referee.
"Oni, QP's German. He doesn't understand Japanese, so I'll translate if needed."
"Germany, huh."
Oni's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew enough about global tennis to recognize Germany's elite training environment—far beyond Japan's.
"Rough or smooth?" QP asked in broken Japanese.
Oni chuckled. "Yoru, tell him to take the first serve. Guests get privileges."
After translating, QP nodded and moved to the baseline.
Thud… thud… thud…
The rhythmic dribble of the ball sharpened his focus.
QP didn't dare underestimate Oni.
Just the fact that Yoru called him "strong" meant he was at least in the same tier.
Yoru, meanwhile, was curious—could QP, after absorbing Aoi Hikari, actually compete with current Oni?
Ignoring rune buffs, QP's Perfect-grade talent boosted his stats by a percentage mid-match. After recent training, his effective Five Stats should've reached Lv. 8 baseline.
If he could absorb Aoi Hikari mid-match, further amplifying his talent's effects…
This might not be one-sided after all.
PANG—!
A crisp strike echoed.
QP's serve was textbook—mechanical precision, blistering speed.
The ball blitzed to the outer corner, kicking off the court and ricocheting past the fence before Oni could react.
When QP treated a match seriously, he started at full throttle.
Oni stood frozen for a second, then laughed as the ball embedded itself into a tree trunk behind him.
"15–0, QP leads!" Yoru announced, then added, "He's strong. Probably the toughest opponent you've faced yet."
Oni nodded, finally discarding any lingering underestimation.
That serve's sheer kinetic force proved QP's lean frame packed terrifying power.
"Whoaaa! That big brother's amazing!"
"He made Oni-nii miss completely! First time ever!"
"Go, Oni-nii! Don't lose!"
"Look at the tree—it's dented! Is that normal?!"
"If that hit someone, they'd die…"
"Shh! Oni-nii says never joke about death!"
The kids buzzed with excitement, realizing this wasn't just a casual game.
For QP, though, it wasn't raw strength—just flawless technique maximizing force efficiency.
Plus, his serve was boosted by First Strike and Swift Shot runes, leaving Oni no room for carelessness.
"Can't let the kids see me lose face~"
Oni's grin widened as his aura shifted violently.
The real match had just begun.
---