"Getting serious now, huh?"
Noticing the shift in Oni Juujirou's aura, QP's gaze sharpened, his own razor-sharp intensity rising to meet it.
"Interesting."
Oni narrowed his eyes, fully focused now that he recognized his opponent's caliber.
Swish—!
QP tossed his racket lightly, drawing everyone's attention.
His last serve had been too fast for the kids to follow, and their curiosity was piqued.
The ball left his fingertips.
Bending his knees, he leaped, his body unfolding gracefully as his racket arm arced overhead.
At the peak of the toss—BAM!
His arm blurred, and the tennis ball vanished.
THUD!
By the time the sound of impact registered, the ball had already crossed the net.
"T-That's... too fast!"
The children gaped in disbelief.
Even Oni, who'd braced himself, was caught off guard by the sheer speed—but his reflexes didn't fail him.
Just as the ball was about to sail out of bounds—
A massive figure intercepted it, his racket swinging with enough force to whip up a gust of wind.
CRACK!
The moment the strings connected, the ball flattened like a pancake against the racket face.
"What monstrous power..." QP's pupils contracted.
The ball rocketed back with terrifying momentum.
It wasn't the fastest return, but the sheer force behind it was overwhelming.
QP analyzed the trajectory—
Instead of stepping forward, he retreated, positioning himself deep behind the baseline. Only after the ball bounced and lost some of its initial momentum did he swing.
Even so—
The impact was brutal.
The shockwave traveled from his racket straight up his arm, vibrating through his entire frame.
After half a second of resistance, he managed to redirect the ball—
A decent return, but the sluggish speed gave Oni all the time he needed.
Gripping his racket with both hands behind his waist, Oni launched off one foot—
BOOM!
A thunderous strike sent the ball screaming back.
A visible shockwave rippled outward from the point of impact.
QP instantly recognized the technique:
"Vertical Jump Smash!"
A staple among power players in the pro circuit.
By coiling his entire body into the swing, Oni had unleashed a devastating counter.
The ball shot forward in a straight line—faster than before—aimed straight at the frontcourt.
QP had no time to adjust.
Forced into a one-handed block—
BANG!
The moment the ball connected, his arm shook from the force.
Without hesitation, he let go of his racket.
Holding on would've risked injury.
This wasn't an official match—no need to push that far yet.
His racket clattered to the ground as the ball torpedoed past him—
THWACK!
It embedded itself into a tree trunk behind him, sending a shower of leaves fluttering down.
The impact left a visible dent in the bark—more dramatic than QP's initial serve.
"Oni Juujirou scores! 15-15!"
"Whoaaa—!"
"That was awesome!"
"See? I told you Oni-nii's the strongest!"
"Don't you dare lose, Oni-nii~!"
The kids erupted into cheers.
As cool as QP was, Oni was their hero.
"Heh, one point back!"
Oni flashed them a thumbs-up, though internally, his guard was up.
He'd expected to end the rally with his first return.
Yet QP had not only returned it—he'd adjusted to Oni's power mid-match.
And that second smash?
QP had chosen to drop his racket.
That meant he could've held on.
"I've got a real fight on my hands."
(If Yoru knew what Oni was thinking, he'd have laughed.
The "Counter Rune" effect didn't just improve returns—it reduced damage taken by 10%.
A direct counter to power players.)
Meanwhile—
QP picked up his racket, eyeing the slight warp in the frame.
Today's match wouldn't be easy.
Oni's raw strength was staggering.
To force out his "Light of Love," QP would need to go all out.
BAM!
Another serve—
Even faster this time, with a vicious topspin that kept the bounce low.
Oni swatted it back casually, yet the sheer force behind it was undeniable.
But QP was ready.
A crisp return, minimizing contact time.
Another low shot—
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
Oni charged forward, immediately grasping QP's strategy:
"Suppressing my Vertical Jump Smash by keeping the ball low."
Smart.
The technique required a certain height to execute perfectly.
As the rallies continued, QP found himself straining—
Oni's power kept escalating.
BANG!
"Oni Juujirou scores! 30-15!"
...
BANG!
"QP takes the game! 1-0!"
...
BANG!
"Oni Juujirou leads! 2-1!"
...
The scoreboard flipped rapidly as the duel intensified.
QP had hoped to leverage his adaptability to shift the momentum—
But Oni's strength seemed limitless, an abyss that kept deepening.
Power players typically had weaknesses.
Their training prioritized raw force, often at the expense of versatility.
Oni was no exception—his shots lacked variation, making them predictable.
But his sheer might enforced a brutal simplicity:
"Overwhelm all technique with pure strength."
QP was locked into pure defense, unable to seize control.
And the pressure only mounted as time passed.
"No more waiting."
QP exhaled sharply—
His entire presence shifted, his focus condensing into something sharper.
"Here it comes." Yoru observed silently.
QP had absorbed the essence of the "Light of Solitude"—discarding its flaws, honing its strengths.
His mind was now a precision instrument, dissecting every moment for its absolute potential.
Across the net—
Oni felt the change.
His grip tightened, the racket handle creaking under the pressure.
He hadn't expected QP to push him this far.
Even with the advantage, he couldn't afford to relax.
"This kind of match... takes me back."
A nostalgic smile tugged at Oni's lips.
For the first time in years, he remembered the joy of tennis in its purest form.
---