"..."
Yukimura said nothing, gripping the tennis ball as he prepared to serve.
But the unease inside him only grew stronger.
And soon enough—
That unease became reality.
Tezuka raised his head, his gaze sharp and intense. "Yukimura… I'm going all out now."
The moment the words left his mouth, his aura underwent a dramatic shift. A faint, silvery light began radiating from his entire body.
"This is…!"
Sanada's pupils contracted sharply.
"The Zone of Selfless State?!"
Yukimura furrowed his brows. He and Sanada had both accessed the Selfless State before, so they recognized Tezuka's condition at a glance. But Yukimura's playing style had always gone against the principles of the Selfless State, so he'd never fully mastered it.
With a cold scoff, Yukimura said, "Even the Selfless State won't help you escape from Five Senses Deprivation!"
BAM!
Not wanting to give Tezuka any more time, Yukimura launched his serve.
"You're right..." Tezuka muttered, adjusting his grip on the racket.
His sense of touch had barely recovered—just a little. His vision and hearing were improving too, but nowhere near enough to completely break free from Yukimura's Five Senses Deprivation.
Vision and hearing didn't matter much. What Tezuka needed was touch.
As that thought crossed his mind, the silvery-white particles around him started concentrating in his left arm. A moment later, a soft white mist enveloped it.
And in an instant—his sense of touch returned.
"T-The Pinnacle of Hard Work?! That's impossible!" Sanada cried out in disbelief.
The Triple Doors of the Selfless State.
Opening those gates was far harder than just entering the basic Selfless State. The difference was like learning how to serve versus mastering Zero-Shiki Serve—completely different leagues.
BAM!
A sharp, explosive sound rang through the court.
The ball vanished in a flash, slicing past Yukimura before he could react.
"Point, Tezuka Kunimitsu! 15–0!"
Cold sweat trickled down Yukimura's temple. His pupils trembled, filled with shock.
"H-He was still hiding power this whole time..."
Sanada clenched his fists in frustration.
Based on what Tezuka had just displayed, it was obvious he hadn't even used half his true strength when they played earlier. There had been nothing "evenly matched" about that fight.
Each reveal from Tezuka was like a slap to Sanada's pride—shattering his self-esteem piece by piece.
Back on the court—
Yukimura realized he was in serious trouble now.
From the quality of that return, it was clear Tezuka had fully regained his sense of touch.
Up until now, Yukimura had never seen his Five Senses Deprivation fail before.
For the first time in the match, a trace of panic appeared in his thoughts.
"Same six-star level, but Tezuka really is in a class of his own. At this rate… he's already hitting seven-star territory," Yoru muttered as he pulled up Tezuka's stats again.
Behind Tezuka's power rating, a small note now appeared: (+0.7)
This meant his actual performance had broken through to the seven-star threshold.
The higher the star ranking, the greater the difference between each level.
To hit seven-star power from a six-star base? That was insane.
Then came the onslaught.
BAM!
"Point, Tezuka Kunimitsu! 4–4!"
BAM!
"Point, Tezuka Kunimitsu! 5–4!"
Just one more game to end the match.
It was Yukimura Seiichi's service game—and his condition looked terrible. Sweat soaked through his clothes, and his breathing was ragged.
"Yukimura..." Sanada fell completely silent.
He had never seen Yukimura in this state before… never seen anyone push him to the edge like this.
If even Yukimura couldn't beat Tezuka…
"…?"
Yoru narrowed his eyes.
Something felt off.
Even if Yukimura was losing, he shouldn't look this exhausted. The veins on his forehead were pulsing—something was wrong.
"Don't tell me..."
Yoru suddenly remembered something.
"Sanada—"
"Yukimura!"
Before he could finish, Yukimura collapsed silently onto the court. His eyes shut tightly, his body unmoving.
But this wasn't a conscious motion—it was a clear sign of unconsciousness.
"Young people these days… they can nap anywhere," Yoru quipped, then ran onto the court with Sanada and Kirigaya.
By the time they got there, Tezuka and Yamato were already kneeling beside Yukimura.
Sanada pushed past them, lifting Yukimura into his arms.
Seeing no response from his friend, Sanada's face turned pale. "Damn it… it's happening again!"
"Again?" Yamato blinked in surprise. "You mean this isn't the first time?"
Sanada nodded grimly. "It started about a year ago. Yukimura would sometimes faint without warning. He always woke up quickly, and hospital tests never found anything wrong."
"Let's get him to the bench."
The group helped Yukimura to a resting spot.
As Yoru looked at Yukimura's unconscious form, his thoughts spun.
In the original timeline, Tezuka and Yukimura's match had no clear result in Sanada's recollections. Now he understood why.
He also remembered the name of Yukimura's condition: Guillain–Barré Syndrome.
It causes muscle weakness, nerve issues, and in serious cases, respiratory problems that can lead to unconsciousness due to lack of oxygen.
Early detection was difficult. It was often misdiagnosed until neurological symptoms became more severe.
"…Did I pass out again?"
A few minutes later, Yukimura stirred and opened his eyes.
Looking at Sanada, he whispered, "Did I lose?"
Sanada shook his head silently.
Tezuka stepped forward. "You should rest for now. Let's finish this match another time. For today… let's call it a draw."
"…A draw, huh." Yukimura let out a bitter smile.
He wasn't the type to cling to semantics—he knew what the result would've been if the match continued.
Against Tezuka in that enhanced state… he had no answer.
"Yukimura." Yoru cut in, his voice serious. "You should go back to the hospital. This time, tell the doctors to check for Guillain–Barré Syndrome."
"…Guillain–Barré?" Everyone turned to look at Yoru.
"It's just a hunch. I had a friend with similar symptoms. That's what he was diagnosed with. The earlier it's found, the better the chances for treatment."
Yoru didn't push it further—medicine wasn't his field.
His real focus was on the notification from the system:
Ding! You've witnessed the match between Yukimura Seiichi and Tezuka Kunimitsu. Side Quest Completed. Reward Unlocked: Second Destiny Chosen One Binding Slot Available!
Ding! Potential Destiny Candidates Detected: Tezuka Kunimitsu! Ding! Potential Destiny Candidates Detected: Sanada Genichirou! Ding! Potential Destiny Candidates Detected: Yukimura Seiichi! Ding! Potential Destiny Candidates Detected: Kirigaya! Ding! Potential Destiny Candidates Detected: Yamato Yudai!
…What the hell?
Tezuka, Sanada, and Yukimura made sense. They were the elite of their generation.
But Kirigaya and Yamato? Destiny Chosen Ones? What kind of joke was that?
Still, Yoru was starting to understand the system's logic.
Apparently, any character who got screen time—no matter how brief—qualified for "Destiny" status.
Which meant… he had someone better in mind.
"…Looks like it's time to take a little trip to Germany." 😎
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