(Regarding whether Ryoga is a high schooler or middle schooler)
(My speculation: To comply with World Tournament rules without altering their finals lineup, the Spanish team likely listed Ryoga—a high schooler—as a middle schooler on paper.)
(One piece of evidence supporting this: During the exhibition match, Ryoga partnered with Ryoma. According to exhibition doubles rules, pairs must consist of one high schooler and one middle schooler. Ryoga teaming with Ryoma confirms his high school status. Of course, this could also just be an oversight by the author. This fic will follow the storyline's logic but adjust for the World Tournament, reverting Ryoga to his actual high school status for consistency.)
---
Seishun Gakuen.
The Echizen Temple.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
On the uneven dirt court, one figure stood firm while the other darted back and forth.
The two players locked in this intense rally were Yoru and QP.
Under the temple eaves, Nanjiroh watched with rare seriousness.
His eyes lingered on Yoru's sharp, focused expression.
"He's already reached this level…"
On the court, Yoru was demonstrating his "Supreme Dominion"—a perfected version of the Tezuka Zone.
Despite QP activating two stages of Glorious Insight, he couldn't break free. Worse, the control only tightened as the match progressed.
BAM—!
A final shot twisted out of bounds.
6-0. QP had been shut out.
"Hah…"
QP exhaled heavily, sweat dripping from his chin. His gaze at Yoru was equal parts exhaustion and disbelief.
After a moment, he finally spoke:
"A fusion… of the Zone and its reverse… Composite Spin?"
Composite Spin—a technique even pro players rarely mastered. Yet here was Yoru, not just wielding it, but integrating it into an advanced dominion technique.
This wasn't something you could learn through mere practice. Precise ball control was just the baseline requirement—it demanded instinctual feel beyond raw skill.
---
Earlier that morning, Nanjiroh had woken to find QP already training relentlessly in the yard, while Yoru lazed around like usual.
Bored, Nanjiroh ordered them to play, curious about their progress.
He hadn't expected Yoru to make another leap forward.
That Composite Spin was proof his eldest son was inching closer to the pro threshold—just waiting for his body to catch up.
Initially, Nanjiroh assumed Yoru's Sensory Manipulation talent would make him a nightmare for peers but a late bloomer in the pros.
Yet now…
Perhaps he'd worried too much.
At this rate, Yoru might shatter that door sooner than anyone anticipated.
---
Nanjiroh stepped onto the court, grabbing Yoru's racket arm to inspect it.
No swelling. No strain.
"What kind of freakish body do you have?" Nanjiroh muttered. "You're not even in your full growth spurt yet, but you can handle the strain of Composite Spin?"
Yoru smirked. "Blame my genes~"
According to the system's metrics, an average adult's physical stats capped around Level 13-14.
Yoru was already within three levels of that—without peaking.
Levels beyond 15 required intensive training and innate talent (think LeBron James-tier physique).
Most ATP top-30 players hovered around 17-18. Only a rare few breached 19.
As for Level 20?
Yoru had only seen two people there:
Nanjiroh.
And the soon-to-retire "King of Tennis."
Normally, stats declined with age or reduced training—yet those two defied logic.
Nanjiroh lazed around reading magazines all day. The King was semi-retired.
So how?
Were they just built different?
---
"Old man! Big bro!"
"Yoru-nii!"
Familiar voices snapped Yoru from his thoughts.
At the temple gate stood Ryoga and Ryoma, lugging suitcases.
"You're back already?" Yoru's face lit up.
Aside from Nanjiroh, Rinko, and Nanako, these two mattered most to him.
Ryoma—raised like a little brother since childhood.
Ryoga—though they'd spent less time together, their bond never faded.
As someone who'd been alone in two lifetimes, Yoru cherished this family deeply.
The free-spirited Ryoga immediately leapt onto Yoru's back. "Ugh! Why'd you grow so much taller?!"
Ryoma, ever the tsundere, tried (and failed) to hide his excitement behind a cool facade.
("Hug me already!") his eyes screamed.
Yoru obliged—by ruffling his hair. "So soft~"
"Nii-san, I'm not a kid anymore," Ryoma grumbled—but didn't pull away.
Nanjiroh approached, pride glowing in his eyes. His greatest joy was watching his three sons grow.
Ryoga hopped down, scowling. "You didn't even pick us up from the airport? Rude!"
"Your flight was at 10, wasn't it?"
"We arrived at 10!"
The brothers sighed. Typical unreliable dad behavior.
Nearby, QP glanced away—a flicker of envy in his eyes.
Yoru noticed.
"QP, these are the brothers I always talk about. Not bad, right?"
He nudged them forward. "Say hello. He's my closest friend—staying with us now."
"QP-senpai, hello," they chorused.
"Closest friend…"
The words struck something in QP, though his expression stayed neutral. "Hello."
Yoru grinned. "Don't mind his poker face. He's actually really kind."
Their time together had shown him QP's true nature—loyal to a fault, just reserved.
(After all, in the original story, QP was the one who protected Tezuka from Siegfried's bullying.)
"Go see Mom and Nanako first. They're inside."
"Right!" The two dashed off.
The moment they turned the corner, Yoru's smile vanished.
Nanjiroh's warmth faded too.
"You noticed, huh? I was going to tell you later."