"Ochi, Ryūji—go get that score back!"
Byōdōin Hōō's face darkened. Then, as if remembering something, he turned to the two and added, "Make sure they leave this match on a stretcher."
"Leave it to us. I'll gladly offer them up as sacrifices~"
"Yeah, yeah, got it."
One wore a bloodthirsty grin, the other looked half-asleep.
This bizarre duo quickly drew the crowd's attention as they stepped onto the court for warm-ups.
Meanwhile, in Seigaku's camp, two figures rose to their feet.
The moment Hōō and Ironman noticed, their pupils shrank in shock.
Because standing there were Yamato… and QP.
Ironman's grip on his strategy board visibly trembled. "No way… There's no way he's playing!"
Beside him, Byōdōin's expression darkened to its limit.
They'd been outmaneuvered.
They had expected Yamato to pair with Kirihara, given past precedent, and assumed Ochi and Ōmura could handle them.
But QP in Doubles 2?
There was zero record of QP ever playing doubles. Now, their only hope was that he lacked experience in it—otherwise, this match would be a disaster…
---
Seigaku's Side
Yamato muttered a few words of encouragement before the two stepped onto the court, buffed and ready.
"Yay, big brother's playing!"
"We get to see big brother's match!"
"If he could fight Oni-san like that, he'll definitely win this one!"
"Of course!"
The kids cheered excitedly at the sight of QP. Hearing them, QP gave a rare, slight smile and waved back.
Sitting nearby, Oni Jūjirō raised an eyebrow. "Yoru, why put QP in doubles? He's stronger in singles, isn't he?"
Since they were positioned at the back of Seigaku's area, the distance between them wasn't far.
Yoru shrugged. "No choice. Their doubles pair is too strong. To secure a win, we have to take this match."
---
On the Court
As they warmed up, QP spoke calmly. "Ōmura Ryūji has exceptional defensive skills. Ochi specializes in high-impact, body-shot tennis. I'll suppress them early. Your job is to observe their habits—quickly."
"Got it."
Yamato nodded.
Even though it was his first time partnering with QP, the guy radiated reliability. He didn't need to overthink things.
Once warm-ups ended, the four players met at the net.
"So, you're today's sacrifices~"
Ochi licked his lips, grinning like a predator.
"..."
Neither replied.
Yamato didn't know how to respond to that kind of talk.
QP, as usual, ignored it entirely.
The referee blew his whistle.
"National Finals—Doubles 2 match begins! Seigaku to serve!"
---
First Strike
QP stood at the baseline, bouncing the ball as his eyes scanned Ochi and Ōmura's positions, processing data in real-time.
He hadn't trained extensively in doubles—just the basics. So, he'd rely on raw skill to dominate.
Whoosh—!
The ball soared into the air.
His serve motion was flawless, almost artistic.
BANG!
A streak of light.
The ball shot past Ochi and Ōmura before they could even twitch, slamming into the backcourt.
"15–0, Seigaku!"
"Yay! Big brother scored!"
"That serve was so fast! Whoosh—!"
The kids erupted in cheers.
---
Ōmura's Counter
"Guess we can't slack off~"
Ōmura's lazy demeanor vanished as he grabbed a second racket, walking back with both in hand.
The crowd barely reacted—this was normal for him.
Yoru could only roll his eyes. (Tennis rules here really allow dual-wielding?)
QP analyzed coldly.
"Dual rackets widen his return range… and his footwork just accelerated."
BANG!
Another bullet serve.
This time, Ōmura reacted—swinging at empty air before the ball materialized in his racket's center.
"He caught it?!" Yamato tensed.
Even with Yoru's buffs, QP's baseline speed was beyond him.
But Ōmura hadn't seen the ball—his muscle memory, honed through dual-wielding, had auto-corrected.
"Heavy…!"
Ōmura's eyes narrowed, but he adjusted his stance and returned it—weakly.
A perfect chance for a volley.
Yamato rushed forward—
—only for QP to suddenly shout:
"LET IT GO!"
Yamato froze mid-swing.
The ball whizzed past him.
---
The Trap
"Huh? QP doesn't trust Yamato?" Akutsu frowned from the stands.
But doubles specialist Tetsu replied, "No. That ball was bait. Look at Ōmura's position."
Indeed—Ōmura had shifted to cover the gap left by Ochi's reckless charge.
Meanwhile, Yamato's advance had left his side wide open.
"Tch. Thought they'd have no teamwork as a scratch pair," muttered Nakaharu from Yamabuki.
The Atsushi brothers (Rokkaku's elite doubles pair) shook their heads.
"Not teamwork. Ōmura's just that good at defense."
"Ochi's the type to charge ahead blindly. Ōmura hesitated when covering for him—he didn't expect Ochi to move either."
---
The Battle Unfolds
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Strange.
Only QP and Ōmura were exchanging shots.
Ochi couldn't keep up with QP's speed.
Yamato chose not to engage, eyes locked onto both opponents' habits.
Watching, Yoru smirked.
"Perfect. Yamato's in his element now."
---