---
"Senpai, lend us your rackets!"
The moment those words left Kaedou's mouth, Mitsudaira Akuto felt his skin prickle with dread.
He whipped his head around—
And froze.
Standing up from Seigaku's bench were Yamato and Kirihara.
Doubles 1… is Yamato and Kirihara?!
His mind blanked.
This was beyond anything he'd anticipated.
No matter how strong Rikkai's doubles synergy was, it meant nothing against a pair where one player's raw skill eclipsed the other's entirely.
Had the Ochi Brothers been assigned here, they might've stood a chance.
But he'd sent them to Doubles 2.
We're finished.
Mitsudaira's stomach dropped.
He couldn't fathom being the captain who ended Rikkai's 12-year reign.
The one who destroyed the legacy.
This was his first year as captain.
The previous leader had bypassed veterans like Gentarou, Kurenai, and even the Ochi Brothers to hand him the position.
And this was how he repaid that trust?
His breath turned ragged.
---
Seigaku's Bench
"Looks like you called it," Yoru remarked, watching Mitsudaira's face pale.
QP shrugged. "It was just probability. A basic tactical assessment."
"Basic."
Yoru's eye twitched.
In all his time in this world, this was his first taste of being flexed on.
The entire match strategy was a masterclass in high-level mind games between QP and Mitsudaira.
Every variable accounted for. No room for error.
Why don't I have this skill?!
Yoru grumbled internally: "Hey, System. How come I don't get this big-brain tactical stuff?"
[Master, strategic thinking is a baseline function. Statistically, your planning ability surpasses QP's. You just… don't use it.]
"Meaning?"
"Spit it out. I won't get mad."
[To put it simply: Master prefers not to think.]
"Uninstall. Thanks."
[You said you wouldn't get angry.]
"I'm not. I just want to uninstall. Appreciate it."
[Uninstallation requires reciting pi (3.14...) to 320,000 decimal places within one minute.]
"Wow."
Yoru deadpanned and refocused on the match.
---
"Peeep!"
"Doubles 1—Seigaku's Kirihara to serve!"
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Kirihara bounced the ball, his expression stormy.
Kaedou and Konishi were his friends. Seeing them crushed earlier had lit a fuse.
"Who the hell do you think you are, hurting my teammates?!"
SWOOSH—
The serve blurred.
No holding back. His racket arm became a streak as the ball vanished mid-air.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three impacts—nearly simultaneous—echoed.
The referee squinted at the fresh ball mark.
"Kirihara/Yamato lead, 15-0!"
Thankfully, Kirihara's "Sonic Serve" had appeared enough in Kanto matches for officials to track it.
---
Rikkai's Side
"This is bad."
Mitsudaira's face whitened further.
Only he knew how to predict the serve's trajectory.
His current doubles pair? They stood zero chance.
"Kirihara/Yamato lead, 30-0!"
"40-0!"
"Game, Seigaku! 1-0!"
Kirihara snarled after every point.
"Take that!"
"How's it feel?!"
The referee finally warned, "Kirihara, control your demeanor!"
"Tch. Whatever."
---
Match Flow
Rikkai's turn to serve.
No mercy.
Kirihara returned with another Sonic Strike, the ball flickering past before they could twitch.
"2-0!"
His sheer speed alone decided the match.
Rikkai's pair exchanged helpless looks.
Their teamwork was elite—hence their Doubles 2 ranking.
But if they couldn't touch the ball, tactics were pointless.
---
Yamato's Serve
At last, they could react.
But Kirihara wasn't done.
As they returned Yamato's serve—
ZZZT!
Electricity crackled around Kirihara. He vanished, reappearing beside Yamato to obliterate the return.
"3-0!"
---
Observers' Shock
"So… fast," Sanada muttered, eyes wide.
Yoru smirked.
(Wait… did Sanada's "Rai" evolve from watching Kirihara's speed?)
(If so… poor Ryoma when he hits junior high.)
---
Yamato's Side-Eye
"Senpai, I had that one," Yamato sighed.
Kirihara ignored him.
His "Overdrive" state sealed the match—especially with Yamato's "Misdirection Shot" as backup.
The score skyrocketed:
4-0!
5-0!
6-0!
Total match time: Under 10 minutes.
A brutal mirror of Rikkai's earlier doubles win—but faster.
---
Aftermath
Rikkai's team sat in stunned silence.
Their 13th straight title was slipping away.
Mitsudaira closed his eyes.
Even if Kawasaki Junzai played Singles 3 (an easy win), Seigaku's Yoru and QP in Singles 1/2 were unstoppable.
"Sorry…" Rikkai's doubles pair bowed.
Mitsudaira shook his head. "Not your fault."
No platitudes. He grabbed his racket, walking to the court like a man headed to the gallows.
The crowd buzzed—few grasped that one doubles loss had doomed Rikkai's dynasty.
Then—
A figure stood in the stands.
And Mitsudaira's last shred of hope died.
---