"Didn't think my opponent would be you... the middle schooler who wields the Radiance of Love—Tezuka Kunimitsu. But you're definitely qualified to face me," QP said calmly, his tone as flat as his expression.
"Thanks for the praise. Then let's both stay focused and give it our all," Tezuka replied in the same composed tone.
'Are those two even capable of showing emotion during a match?' Akashi thought to himself as he watched the two expressionless players face off, quietly sighing in amusement.
Even the referee seemed to sense the chill between them and quickly signaled for the coin toss. No one from Team Japan expected much—Tezuka's luck in coin tosses had always been notoriously bad.
Sure enough, QP won the serve. Though it was a bit disappointing, no one minded too much. Miracles like the one Akashi pulled off against France didn't happen often.
"The match will be best of three sets! Team Germany serves first!"
QP stepped calmly to the baseline. Without hesitation, he picked up a tennis ball and tossed it high. His left hand drove the racket down in one smooth motion—an ear-piercing whiz followed as the ball rocketed straight toward the center of Team Japan's baseline.
Tezuka had already experienced QP's strength during the exhibition match, so he immediately activated Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, channeling the power of Muga into his legs. In an instant, his figure blurred, reappearing right at the baseline.
QP's serve looked simple, but the bounce was strangely sharp. Tezuka was forced to use a backhand return. Just as the ball cleared the net, QP was already at the front court, both hands gripping his racket as he swung down hard.
The impact thundered through the arena like an explosion. The ball shot toward Tezuka like a cannonball. Tezuka instantly gathered all his Muga energy into his left hand and met it head-on.
The next moment, Tezuka's racket spun out of his grip and flew skyward. He frowned and clutched his wrist—the force behind that shot had far exceeded his expectations.
"15–0!"
"He used the odd bounce angle to force Tezuka into a backhand, avoiding Tezuka's ability to apply zone spin. Then he followed up with a heavy drive, instantly breaking through Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami's doubled output. QP calculated everything perfectly!" Mitsuya said gravely from the Japanese bench.
QP waited just long enough for Tezuka to pick up his racket again before tossing another ball. The serve once again targeted the middle of the Japanese baseline.
This time, Tezuka was ready. He positioned himself early, adjusted his stance, and struck as the ball bounced. Under the effect of Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, the ball's speed and power doubled, and Tezuka added intense zone rotation to it.
However, QP had already moved forward, both hands gripping the racket. Just when Tezuka braced for another power shot, QP abruptly changed his motion—using the same two-handed swing to drop a short ball. The rotation Tezuka had applied was completely neutralized by QP's counter spin.
"30–0!"
"Damn… QP's reading every move Tezuka makes. He's completely taken control of the match's rhythm!" Irie muttered, his brows furrowed in concern.
"Don't worry too much, Irie-senpai~ When it comes to prediction, Tezuka's not bad at it either," Chitose said with a calm smile, still confident in Tezuka's skill.
As QP tossed the ball for his third serve, a bright seven-colored light suddenly flared around Tezuka's body. Starlight shimmered faintly around his hair—he had activated Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami alongside his current state.
The instant QP swung, Tezuka was already moving to the landing spot. The ball bounced toward his right side, but he intercepted it with ease and sent it back across the net.
The spinning ball crossed into Germany's court, its trajectory warped by zone rotation—but QP seemed to have expected it. The moment it cleared the net, his racket came down hard, smashing it back.
QP's sheer hitting power shattered the ball's spin instantly, sending it hurtling back toward the middle of Japan's baseline. But Tezuka hadn't moved after his last return—he was already waiting there.
Though the rotation was gone, the result to Tezuka was nearly the same. Channeling a surge of Muga into his left hand, he swung and unleashed a clean baseline passing shot.
This time, Tezuka didn't apply any spin. He knew QP could easily break through it, so he chose to rely purely on technique.
The two entered a high-speed rally, trading blistering shots. To the crowd's amazement, no matter how they hit, every ball landed perfectly on the center of each baseline.
As the rally went on, Tezuka's surprise deepened. Even with Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami doubling his returns, QP seemed completely unfazed—as if the amplified power and spin didn't exist to him at all.
Then, without warning, QP's next drive smashed Tezuka's racket right out of his hand again. The entire Japanese bench froze in shock. Against someone in Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, the longer the rally lasted, the less likely it should've been for Tezuka to lose the point.
"40–0!"
"The limit of Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami… that's what you call it in Japan, right? It's a good technique, I'll admit that—but unfortunately, its power-doubling effect has an upper limit," QP said slowly after scoring the point, his tone as calm as ever.
"And once I know exactly how your return works, I can use other techniques to neutralize that amplified force. In short, Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami means nothing to me." Seeing Tezuka remain silent, QP continued casually before tossing up the ball for his fourth serve.
This time, Tezuka didn't channel Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami into his shot power. He only used it to enhance his movement speed while his mind simulated the match in full detail. Finally, the two stopped trading from the baseline and began adjusting their positioning mid-rally.
Since both possessed predictive ability, the match looked oddly synchronized—as if the two had agreed on every exchange beforehand. But Tezuka's expression had grown increasingly tense.
QP's shots, in both power and speed, surpassed his own. More importantly, Tezuka realized that he hadn't been able to find a single chance to apply zone rotation to the ball—somehow, QP had been suppressing it without him even noticing.
"Heh~ For Tezuka Kunimitsu to pull off his Zone effect, he must add a precise spin at just the right timing. But if you analyze his usual habits and swing mechanics, it's not hard to find a way to disrupt it," Bertie said with a faint grin from the German bench. The advice he'd given QP before the match was clearly working.
Before long, the simulation in Tezuka's mind began to blur. When it finally vanished, the tennis ball zipped past him and landed squarely on the center of the baseline before bouncing out of bounds.
"Game! Germany leads, 1–0!"
"You've got to be kidding!!! He didn't even score a single point against QP!" Chitose shouted, stunned.
"That's exactly what I was afraid of," Irie sighed heavily. "Even with Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami, Tezuka's prediction can't match QP's level of control."
"QP's able to read the match using data, but not with such precision. His data usage isn't like ours… which means Bertie must've optimized his match plan beforehand," Mitsuya said grimly, his face darkening.
"Still, there's one bright side left—don't forget, it's Tezuka's serve next," Tanegashima said suddenly, breaking the heavy tension in the room with a light tone.
The others quickly caught on. Right—Tezuka's Zero Shiki Serve was a deadly weapon, especially in singles where he could fully exploit it.
Under his teammates' watchful eyes, Tezuka slowly walked to the baseline. Testing the bounce of a tennis ball, he then tossed it high and swung down sharply with his left hand.
The ball sliced through the air with intense spin and blinding speed, crossing the net in an instant. QP blinked in surprise; from what he knew, Tezuka's Zero Shiki Serve was never this fast. But this wasn't the time to think—he quickly moved to intercept it.
Yet as soon as the ball hit the court, it began spinning violently in place before slowly rolling backward until it stopped against the net.
It was unmistakable—Tezuka's signature technique, the Zero Shiki Serve.
"Ace! 15–0!"
"Wait—am I seeing things!? Since when was Tezuka-senpai's Zero Shiki Serve this fast!?" Kirihara rubbed his eyes, completely dumbfounded.
"You've already refined your Zero Shiki Serve to this level, Tezuka…" Sanada muttered, clenching his fists, his voice tinged with frustration.
"Fuffuffu~ Guess I'll have to redo Tezuka's illusion again~ Wonder how he pulled that off~" Niō sighed, half amused and half exasperated.
For the first time that match, a flicker of surprise appeared on QP's face. He looked at Tezuka, clearly unsettled. He hadn't expected Tezuka's Zero Shiki Serve to evolve—or perhaps, during the exhibition match, Tezuka hadn't been fighting at full strength at all.