When the umpire announced the end of the exhibition, Volk walked back to the bench calmly. Q.P. and the others didn't comment on his loss, because they knew well it wouldn't affect the real matches.
Bismarck looked at Volk's face, still without a drop of sweat, and understood he hadn't gone all out. He could also guess Volk's thinking. First, showing too much strength in an exhibition would only hurt a country at Big 4 level. Second, Japan winning this exhibition wasn't necessarily good for them. Beating Germany would instantly put them in the spotlight. The whole world's attention would fix on Japan, and counter-strategies would soon follow.
With the group preliminaries about to start, Bismarck could already picture what Japan would face. The three countries in their group would surely send their strongest lineups against them. If Japan's grouping went badly, they'd be staring straight into an abyss.
"I've already taken care of PR. The media fallout won't be too big, and the risks will be kept to a minimum," Q.P. said calmly to Volk.
"Thanks, Q.P.! I hold a lot of responsibility for this loss. Facing the world number twenty-three Japan team, we all got careless. If this had been the real thing, we would've lost all honor as a nine-time champion nation. When we get back, everyone needs self-reflection—me included," Volk said in a low voice.
At the same time, the American team in the stands also felt the pressure. Japan had beaten Germany before them. Sure, an exhibition result wasn't absolute, but the strength Japan displayed was undeniable.
"Guess you were right, Ryōma! Maybe our opponent in the finals really could be Japan," Kiko said, patting Ryōma's shoulder in disbelief.
"The intel Ryōma and Ryōga brought back on Japan is critical. We need to analyze it carefully. The biggest dark horse of this World Cup has already appeared. The Big 4 will see major shifts," Reinhardt said, eyes sharp as he watched Japan celebrating.
"An ability I've never seen before? Looks like Akashi-senpai's strength is still as unfathomable as ever. Interesting," Ryōma murmured as his eyes lingered briefly on Akashi.
Over on Japan's bench, the players surrounded Akashi and Tanegashima. They had expected to win, but not with a six-to-zero sweep. Everyone was hyped, shouting in excitement.
"That's enough! Pack up. We're heading back to the hotel. It's just an exhibition. This isn't the time for celebrating!" Mifune finally snapped, silencing the group.
Soon after, they followed staff back to the hotel. Byoudouin, however, went with Mifune to the organizers for the group stage draw. Since Akashi had just finished his match, Mifune told him to rest. The group stage started tomorrow.
Because Atobe had won, he didn't storm off to the beach to vent like in the original events. That meant his run-in with Georg didn't happen, and he avoided the fate of being kicked off a bridge.
The draw results came quickly. The butterfly effect of Akashi's presence showed its weight. Japan was placed in Group B, same as before, but their opponents had changed.
First, world number ten Greece remained in their group. Second, the host country Australia, ranked eighteen, was also still there. But the third opponent wasn't Switzerland anymore. Instead, it was England, ranked seventh in the world.
Two years ago at the World Cup in France, England had been fifth. This year, they'd been pushed down by the American team, and even lost points to Argentina, dropping to seventh.
According to the usual rules, the group stage required four matches, and each player could only appear once, meaning a total of 21 players were needed. But this time, there was a new rule: in each match, at least three junior high players had to play.
That might be bad news for other countries, but for Japan, it was a blessing. Their junior high players were already stronger than most high schoolers.
"About the group stage lineups, the coaching staff has already made arrangements. First, for the captains of each squad: Matsu Squad—Akashi Seijurō, Take Squad—Oni Juujirō, Ume Squad—Byoudouin Houou," Kurobe Yukio said slowly in the conference hall to the Japan team.
Seeing no objections, Kurobe nodded, then continued with the Matsu Squad lineup for tomorrow's match. But when the names were read, everyone was surprised—there wasn't a single high schooler.
Matsu Squad lineup: Akashi Seijurō, Fuji Shūsuke, Niō Masaharu, Kite Eishirō, Tachibana Kippei, Chitose Senri, Liliadent Krauser!
Tomorrow, Japan would face Greece. Akashi's only impression of them was from the original, where they lost so casually it was like they were just sightseeing in Australia, not caring at all about winning or losing. A country ranked number ten in the world failing to clear group stage was laughable.
Their strongest players had all appeared against Japan, yet they still lost 0–3. Especially Zeus, whose loss was as baffling as his earlier 5–0 win over Tanegashima.
That night, several players were still sparring on the hotel courts, though tomorrow's starters had already gone back to rest. The two most intense matches were Oni vs. Kintarō in a clash of Radiance of Strong Heart, and Irie vs. Atobe in a duel of vision.
There was also a special training match—Tezuka against Coach Mifune. Yes, Mifune himself stepped on court to play. It seemed meant to help Tezuka quickly adapt to Radiance of Strong Heart and find the path to merging the three radiances.
The night passed quickly. The next morning, Matsu Squad geared up, and under Coach Saitō Itaru's lead they headed to the match venue against Greece.
When Japan arrived, Greece was already there under Zeus. He was the one who shook hands with Saitō, since their coach sat still like a sculpture, posing like The Thinker.
Akashi nearly failed to hold back his sarcasm. He just couldn't get it—why was Greece's style so weird? Fine, all their names matched Greek gods, but why did their hairstyles all look like stone sculptures too?
In the stands, many junior high representatives not chosen for the main squad came to cheer, especially Kawamura Takashi. Together with Momoshiro, he held up a huge banner covered in encouragement.
Fuji Yūta shouted loudly for his brother. Fuji Shūsuke responded with a charming smile, instantly turning the female fans into hearts. But soon, the first match, Doubles 2, was about to begin.
Japan sent out Tachibana Kippei and Chitose first, aiming for a strong start. Greece, just like in the original, sent out Hercules and Papadopoulos Evangelos.
"Now starting the Doubles 2 match! Greece—Hercules (third-year high school), Papadopoulos Evangelos (third-year middle school)! Japan—Tachibana Kippei (third-year middle school), Chitose Senri (third-year middle school)! Players, please enter!"
The four walked onto the court together, bowed at the net under the umpire's direction, but exchanged no extra words. They didn't know each other, and there was nothing to say.
In the toss, Greece won first serve. Tachibana and Chitose didn't mind. They quickly returned to position. Group stage was one set only, so things would heat up right from the start.
"One set match! Greece to serve first!"
Hercules stepped to the baseline and glanced at the two opponents. They already knew Japan had beaten Germany yesterday. Honestly, Greece's players were just as shocked by that news. That was why today, they had arranged nearly all of their main strength.
"They really sent two junior high kids? And looking at their bench, it's all junior high. Interesting," Hercules said, stroking his thick beard thoughtfully.