"That new move of yours, Blazing Wind Current Baptism, isn't fully complete yet, is it?" Akashi looked at Tachibana as he came off the court.
"So you saw through it after all~" Tachibana admitted openly. He knew nothing could escape Akashi's eyes.
"Perfect it as soon as you can. It could become your trump card at the World Cup," Akashi said calmly, nodding slightly.
Meanwhile, back in the high school bench, Toono and Kimijima weren't scolded at all. Byoudouin and Oni both knew full well those two middle schoolers' doubles strength was already close to pro level. It wasn't something Toono and Kimijima could withstand.
"So soon it's my turn to play? Hey, Omagari, how about you go have some fun with them first?" Tanegashima drawled lazily to Omagari Ryuuji.
"Oi oi~ spare me! Sure, I've got stamina, but dealing with two little monsters at once is too much of a pain!" Omagari scratched his head, looking reluctant.
"I think Shūji-kun had better use his full strength~ Otherwise, if No. 2 loses to middle schoolers, it won't look good," Irie said with his usual smiling face.
"You're the last person who gets to say that, Kanata," Tanegashima shot back casually. He pulled his left arm free from his jacket sleeve, letting the jacket hang loosely off one shoulder, then strolled toward the court.
Omagari pulled out two rackets from his bag, twirling them both in his hands with a helpless expression as he followed Tanegashima. His flared pants made him stand out even more.
"Let's play well again, Niō-kun!" Fuji said with a smile, extending his hand.
"Looking forward to it, Fuji-kun! Puri~" Niō answered with a grin, slapping Fuji's palm.
"Next is the third doubles match! Representing the Japan Team: No. 2 Tanegashima Shūji and No. 6 Omagari Ryuuji versus the Second String Selection: Fuji Shūsuke and Niō Masaharu! Players, please enter the court!"
At the umpire's announcement, the four walked slowly onto the court. After exchanging the pre-match handshake at the net, the mood was strikingly relaxed compared to the previous doubles match.
"Senpai, aren't you two going to take off your jackets?" Fuji asked curiously, eyeing their eccentric outfits.
"Ah~ already used to it. We'll just play like this," Omagari replied casually.
"Rock, paper, scissors! Look over there—hey!" Tanegashima suddenly challenged Fuji. Caught off guard, Fuji instinctively glanced in the direction Tanegashima pointed.
"Oh~ looks like I won. Guess I won't be taking off my jacket after all!" Tanegashima stuck out his tongue, playful as ever.
"Rock-paper-scissors, huh? That's my specialty. After the match, we should compare notes, Tanegashima-senpai!" Niō said with a sly grin.
"Oh? Sounds good!" Tanegashima agreed without hesitation.
As the four grew more and more chatty, the umpire finally had enough and urged them to start. They drew lots for service order, and Niō won. Keeping his foxlike smile, he said:
"See? I told you I'm good at guessing! Puri~"
"Spare me~ I've got a bad feeling this match is going to be even more troublesome…" Omagari sighed, then turned toward the backcourt.
"Best of three sets! The Second String Selection to serve first!"
Niō walked to the baseline and steadied himself. Facing Omagari, who was holding two rackets, he recalled the data he'd seen from Yanagi Renji. In Yanagi's analysis, Omagari was a true expert of two-racket play with monstrous stamina—never once showing signs of exhaustion.
But aside from that, he had no standout techniques and lacked offensive power. Yet when paired with Tanegashima, the two became the strongest defensive duo in the First String.
"Defense, huh? Then I'll test it with this!" Niō muttered softly. His figure blurred, and in the next instant, "Tezuka" stood before everyone's eyes.
"Tezuka, huh? I've never teamed up with you in doubles before," Fuji said with an interested smile when he saw Niō transform into Tezuka.
The "Tezuka" calmly picked up a ball, tossed it high, and swung with his left hand, slamming the ball down with heavy spin. The ball crossed the net at a steady pace.
"It's coming! Tezuka's Zero Shiki Serve!" Kintarō shouted excitedly from the stands.
The ball dropped fast onto the court. Omagari moved quickly to the spot, but when the ball hit, it spun violently and didn't bounce—it just rolled back slowly before stopping dead.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"I knew it! This is trouble~" Omagari sighed. That pro-level serve was way too much for him.
"A serve built on exploiting the rules… truly unreturnable," Tanegashima muttered as he watched "Tezuka's" Zero Shiki Serve, though he had expected it the moment Niō transformed.
Then, from the baseline, "Tezuka" launched another Zero Shiki Serve. Omagari stubbornly tried again, swinging just as the ball landed. But that only made it spin faster, rolling back even harder until it hit the net and stopped.
"Ace! 30-0!"
"Come on~ give me a break! This serve is impossible to return!" Omagari shrugged helplessly at Tanegashima.
"My 'Nothingness' only works if I can actually reach the ball," Tanegashima said with a resigned smile, walking toward the backcourt. Still, neither he nor Omagari looked nervous at all.
Facing the Zero Shiki Serve, Tanegashima didn't even move. He simply watched as the ball hit the ground, rolled back, and stopped. He had no intention of chasing it.
"Ace! 40-0!"
"Game! Second String Selection leads 1-0!"
"Oi oi~ that's going too far, Tanegashima! At least pretend to move, or you make me look stupid!" Omagari complained, clearly annoyed.
"Sorry, sorry! But trying against something meaningless won't change the result. I don't have your insane stamina," Tanegashima replied with a playful tongue-out expression.
Omagari couldn't even argue. He knew exactly what kind of person Tanegashima was—unless something piqued his interest, he would always act lazy. And honestly, Omagari himself gave off the same unmotivated vibe most of the time.
The second game was Tanegashima's serve. He tested the bounce of the ball, then tossed it high and swung hard, unleashing a blazing fast serve.
Fuji dashed to the spot and sliced the ball on the return. It shot back with heavy underspin. Omagari sprinted to the net, ready to block it.
"Didn't expect the wind to rise right at the start," Fuji said with a smile after sending his shot.
Just before Omagari could reach it, the ball suddenly veered upward into the air. Surprised, Omagari glanced back, but knowing Tanegashima was behind him, he didn't bother chasing.
The ball soared toward the baseline as if it would fly out. But Tanegashima, waiting near the backline, knew it would land perfectly in.
Sure enough, the ball dropped sharply onto the baseline, bouncing to the right. But the instant it touched Tanegashima's racket, all spin and speed vanished.
A faint ripple spread out from the center of his racket, and as he swung, the ball simply disappeared—not with the spinning vanish of Chitose's Kamikakushi, but without any warning at all.
The next second, the sound of the ball bouncing came from behind Fuji and "Tezuka." Turning around, they saw it sitting quietly outside the court, as if it had always been there.
"15-0!"
"Oh? Didn't I say it already? This is the true 'Halt Destruction Nothingness,'" Tanegashima said with a calm smile to Fuji and "Tezuka."