"This time I agree with Byoudouin. Those kids aren't the kind you can beat while holding back your strength," Oni said.
"I agree with Byoudouin-kun too. Remove all your limits," Mitsuya said with a smile to everyone.
"Hmph! I don't need you two backing me up," Byoudouin glanced at Oni with annoyance.
"Full power, huh? That's not going to be as fun," Ryōga murmured under his hood, a small grin on his lips.
Taira and Hara exchanged a glance after hearing Byoudouin, nodding to each other. They had already decided to go all out. The first set had told them plenty about Shiraishi and Kirihara's strength.
Over on the coaching bench, Akashi's expression was stern as he looked at the sweat-soaked Kirihara. He was now certain—Kirihara had gone down the same wrong path as in the original.
"Kirihara Akaya, if you don't want to end your tennis career early, you're going to seal away this current state completely," Akashi said coolly.
"Eh?!" Kirihara looked up in shock, staring at Akashi in confusion.
"This so-called Angel Mode of yours is meaningless. You're just forcefully suppressing your negative emotions, but at the core, it's still Devil Mode. The damage to your body hasn't stopped," Akashi continued without expression.
"But hasn't Kirihara already learned to control his emotions?" Sanada asked with concern before Kirihara could respond.
"I took him to see my father so he could completely master the power inside him—not be like he is now, where the power still controls his body and he only suppresses the bloodlust," Akashi explained, giving Sanada a faint glance.
"I see. Whether angel or devil, neither is Kirihara himself in control. He hasn't fused with that power. End Angel Mode immediately, Kirihara," Yukimura said, eyes sharp.
"F… fine," Kirihara mumbled, avoiding Yukimura's gaze. The red faded from his body, and his hair returned to black.
"Don't worry, Kirihara-kun. Leave the rest of the match to me," Shiraishi said at the perfect moment, offering reassurance.
Then, Shiraishi began unwrapping the bandage around his left hand. Slowly, a bright golden color came into view. Atobe raised an eyebrow—he couldn't believe someone had such tacky taste.
"I'll trouble you to keep this golden wristband safe for me, Akashi-kun," Shiraishi said, handing it over.
"Mm. As for you, Kirihara, your task now is to figure out how to fuse with that power inside you, then unleash it in an instant without letting it seep through your body. That's the best way to avoid harming yourself," Akashi nodded, explaining his understanding of the blue-eyed state.
Kirihara nodded, half understanding, then followed Shiraishi back to the court. With the umpire's signal, the second set began. This time, Kirihara served first, but Shiraishi quickly noticed their senpai across the net were nothing like before—their aura had changed completely.
Kirihara gripped the ball hard between his knuckles until it deformed, then tossed it high and swung his racket with force. The ball flew across the net with a wild, unpredictable spin.
Taira slid into position, ready to hit it, but the ball bounced toward the net instead. Caught off guard, he could only watch as it struck the tape and dropped to the court.
"Ace! 15–0!"
"My irregular serve can bounce in any direction, and I can control it however I want!" Kirihara licked his lips, voice excited.
"Oh~ impressive skill. But… I'm a sniper. I won't let the target get away next time," Taira nodded in acknowledgment, then replied coolly.
Kirihara clearly didn't believe him. In the first set, he'd only had one chance to serve, so he'd saved this move until now. Without hesitation, he hit another irregular serve.
The ball landed in the forecourt with that same eerie spin. This time, Taira stayed a bit back from the bounce point, storing power in his ankles—ready to chase if it kicked back.
But instead, the ball shot off to his left. Already prepared, Taira shifted sideways, intercepted it, and swung his racket hard. The huge crack of impact echoed, and the ball blasted toward the opposite court like a high-caliber sniper round.
"Pierce your heart! Bakyuun!" Taira shouted.
Shiraishi rushed to the net, swinging his left hand quickly to intercept. Without the golden wristband, all five of his stats had improved, and his grip strength was stronger. Just as he tried to use his Super Sweet Spot technique to counter the Bakyuun, his racket was instantly pierced through by the ball.
"15–15!"
"Don't underestimate a sniper, Shiraishi-kun," Taira said with a crooked grin, his face looking smug.
"So senpai already mastered the Super Sweet Spot technique? Looks like in that last set, you two weren't taking it seriously at all," Shiraishi said with a smile, though a faint glint passed through his eyes.
"Of course~ We're not here just for a free meal," Hara raised an eyebrow and shot back.
"Seems like the First String members are stronger than we thought," Fuji said from the bench, eyes smiling as he looked at the four on court.
"But in the end, it's only to this extent, right, Kabaji?" Atobe said carelessly.
"Usu!" Kabaji agreed from the side.
"Shiraishi… it's time to show everyone the results of your training," Ishida Gin said with his hands together, his expression calm as he looked at Shiraishi.
After switching rackets, Shiraishi's face grew serious. From here on, he couldn't casually take Taira's Bakyuuns. While he was thinking that, Kirihara had already served his third irregular serve.
Unfortunately, the move no longer worked on Taira, who easily returned it with a Bakyuun. Kirihara, unwilling to take the shot head-on, dodged quickly, but without Angel Mode his five stats had dropped significantly.
"15–30!"
'I need to find a way to deal with Taira-senpai's Bakyuun. And Kirihara's condition right now isn't great… I'll have to cover him more,' Shiraishi thought silently.
Taira fired another Bakyuun without mercy, and Shiraishi countered with a round-table backhand using his racket frame. Unfortunately, Hara had already predicted it—he flashed forward to the net before the ball landed and sliced a short shot before Shiraishi or Kirihara could react.
"15–40!"
"Well now~ looks like in the year I've been gone, you haven't improved much at all, Shiraishi-kun," Hara teased after scoring.
"Mm~~~ that might not be true, Hara-senpai," Shiraishi smiled but didn't explain further.
"Game! Japan Representative Team! 1–0!"
On the last point, Shiraishi and Kirihara still couldn't handle the Bakyuun. After several rallies, they lost their own service game. Kirihara was especially frustrated—he hated that he was holding Shiraishi back in this match.
From there, the threat of Taira's Bakyuun kept Shiraishi and Kirihara tied up, and Hara seemed to realize Kirihara wouldn't go into Angel Mode. He and Taira teamed up to relentlessly target him. Even with Shiraishi's support, they couldn't stop the points from slipping away.
"Game! Japan Representative Team! 2–0!"
"Game! Japan Representative Team! 3–0!"
"Game! Japan Representative Team! 4–0!"
In no time, Taira and Hara had taken four straight games. With their limits removed, they were at peak national level, and their years of doubles experience gave them far better coordination than Shiraishi and Kirihara.
"Damn it! I'm not losing like this!" Kirihara roared, and white vapor began to spill off his body.
Suddenly, a hand pressed down on his shoulder, stopping him from entering Angel Mode. Turning, he saw Shiraishi smiling at him, who then said softly,
"Don't hurt yourself over one match, Kirihara-kun. I'm still your senpai, after all… so leave everything to me."
"Shiraishi-san…" Kirihara looked at him, stunned, not knowing what to say, but a happy smile appeared on his face.
"Alright, don't overthink it. It's time to show our senpai my real strength," Shiraishi said, ruffling Kirihara's seaweed hair, finding the texture surprisingly nice. Then he let the smile fade as his aura began to rise sharply.