"That move... it's happening again."
"The Five Senses Deprivation."
Sanada's eyes flickered with fear, and his body trembled involuntarily.
As a close friend—and Yukimura's only long-time rival—he had experienced this terrifying technique more than anyone else.
For years, he'd tried every method to counter it, but nothing ever worked.
Yukimura's Gokan Hakudatsu was like a domain—once you started returning shots, it slowly drew you in. There was no way to escape.
Bam!
Point for Yukimura Seiichi. The score is 30–0.
Bam!
Point for Yukimura Seiichi. The score is 40–0.
In the next two rallies, Tezuka began to show signs of faltering—committing simple, uncharacteristic errors.
"What's going on...?"
Kirigaya frowned slightly.
Yoru explained, "Yips syndrome is starting to kick in."
"Combine mimicry-based counters, relentless psychological pressure, and prolonged high-speed rallies—it's enough to temporarily shut down Tezuka's sense of touch during the match. That's what's causing the errors."
"If Tezuka keeps returning Yukimura's shots, his tactile sense will be completely wiped out. And if it goes further, his other senses might start to break down too."
The senses…?
Kirigaya swallowed hard.
The yips were bad enough—but this? Losing your senses mid-match? How are you supposed to keep playing like that?
This guy...!
Sanada shot Yoru a hard stare.
Since earlier, everything Yoru said had cut straight to the heart of Yukimura's technique—exposing its structure, its essence, and even its effects.
Just who was this guy?
Feeling Sanada's gaze, Yoru kept calm and composed, maintaining his aloof image as he watched the match with quiet confidence.
On court...
Tezuka clenched his palm.
At first, there wasn't much of a difference. But by the third squeeze, he felt... emptiness. His hand had completely lost its sense of touch.
"The Five Senses Deprivation—my personal technique. The first sense I strip away is your sense of touch."
Yukimura's cold voice echoed from across the court.
Seeing Tezuka's reaction, he calmly explained, "Tezuka-kun, with each stroke, your tactile sense will fade more and more."
"There's no point testing it—you'll lose it entirely if you keep playing. It's only a matter of time."
Hiss—
Tezuka remained unreadable, but Yamato, the umpire, gasped softly.
These kids today are terrifying.
He had already thought the team captains were ridiculous. But now these younger players were showing even more outrageous talent—and at a younger age too.
What is happening to the world of tennis?
Whoosh—!
Unfazed by Yukimura's words, Tezuka tossed the ball high into the air.
He bent his knees and leapt, slicing downward with his racket.
The ball drew a graceful arc through the air, landing softly near the inner corner. Its speed was slow, but the spin was intense.
"A spin serve?"
"No matter how strong the spin is, if you return it the moment it bounces, you can negate the effect."
Yukimura muttered as he glided to the landing point.
"Trying to use spin to slow down the Five Senses Deprivation won't work."
Watching closely, Sanada shook his head.
He had tried everything over the years. Nothing ever worked.
Hearing the commentary, Kirigaya teased with a grin, "Kid, your friend won't be able to return that serve~"
Unable to return it?
Sanada scoffed.
Yukimura could see through the core of any technique.
Whoosh whoosh—!
Back on court.
Yukimura raised his racket high—but frowned.
The ball lingered on the ground far longer than it should've.
"Even if it lingers, it'll still bounce—wha—?!"
Before he could finish, his voice froze.
After spinning in place for a few moments, the ball rolled backwards... and then came to a complete stop just beneath the net.
"Th-This... what?"
Sanada was stunned.
The serve... didn't bounce?
How was that even possible?! A serve that doesn't bounce?
But the truth was right there in front of him—undeniable.
"Point for Tezuka Kunimitsu. The score is 15–40."
Yukimura furrowed his brow.
It took him a moment to make a decision—there was no way he could return that serve.
Even as someone who prioritized victory above all else, he couldn't bring himself to break the very fundamentals of tennis just to scoop up a ball that never bounced.
A ball that didn't bounce... was impossible to return.
In a sense, this was an invincible serve.
"But still…"
Yukimura narrowed his eyes.
He had already conceded one game. Giving up another didn't bother him.
Once it was his service game, Tezuka would be forced to keep returning—and eventually, his tactile sense would be stripped away completely.
Bam!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
The beautiful sound of spinning echoed across the court.
Tezuka hit another Zero-Shiki Serve, scoring easily.
"30–40!"
"Damn it… he was holding back when he played me, wasn't he...?"
Sanada clenched his fists tightly.
The stronger Tezuka appeared, the more it reminded Sanada of his own inadequacy.
Yoru glanced sideways at him.
Not only did you get shut out, but now you realize he had more up his sleeve... that's a brutal hit to your pride.
Bam!
"Point for Tezuka Kunimitsu. The score is 40–40."
Bam!
"Point for Tezuka Kunimitsu. The score is A–40."
After 40–40, whoever scores the next point gets an "A" for advantage. Score again, and they win the game. If the opponent scores, it resets to deuce.
Bam!
Another Zero-Shiki Serve hit the court.
Yukimura raced to the ball, ready to return it the moment it bounced—even the slightest lift would be enough.
But the ball spun… and stopped dead right in front of him.
"Point for Tezuka Kunimitsu. The score is 2–0."
"Completely unreturnable…"
Yukimura sighed.
But he didn't look worried.
Once Tezuka's sense of touch was fully erased, he wouldn't be able to use the Zero-Shiki Serve at all.
Anyone could tell—such a serve required immense control.
Without tactile feedback, controlling the ball would become almost impossible.
Game 3: Yukimura Seiichi to serve.
The players switched sides.
Tezuka clenched his hand again.
Even with the delay created by his Zero-Shiki Serve, the sensation in his palm had barely recovered.
Bam!
Yukimura served again from across the court.
The ball was even faster than before—blazing past the net and appearing in front of Tezuka in the blink of an eye.
While not beyond Tezuka's capability, it forced him to focus all his attention on it.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
After several rallies, the vortex of Yukimura's domain began to manifest again.
The previously high-speed shots were dragged back into Tezuka's court.
Whoosh!
Tezuka swung his arm.
But just as the racket was about to connect, a sudden, overwhelming sense of weightlessness flooded his arm.
His racket slipped from his grip and flew out of bounds.
"...It worked."
Sanada's expression grew serious.
Once the sense of touch is fully stripped away, the most immediate effect is this—you can't hold onto your racket during a return.
Of course, this only happens the first time it's fully deprived.
Afterward, the player would consciously tighten their grip. But without any feedback, they'd have no idea how much force they were actually using—control would plummet drastically.
Diverting so much focus to the racket arm also sets the stage for the next sense to be stolen.
The Five Senses Deprivation is a chain—once it starts, you fall deeper and deeper, with no way out.
"Point for Yukimura Seiichi. The score is 15–0."