The Wimbledon finals were disappointingly dull.
The match lasted just an hour, with Joanna Longman effortlessly securing victory with three straight 6-0 sets.
A completely expected outcome.
With this Wimbledon title, only the U.S. Open in August stood between her and her tenth Grand Slam.
For today's match, the organizers had requested she at least play one proper set—just to make the spectators feel like they got their money's worth.
Otherwise, the match would've ended half an hour earlier.
"This tennis world… is so boring."
Joanna Longman was already considering retirement.
The sport had become lifeless—there were no rivals, no one who could push her.
Even at her peak, the absence of a worthy opponent left her disgusted. None of her victories brought her any sense of achievement.
And with her longing for her child growing stronger, she wanted to leave the tennis world behind and return to the warmth she once knew.
After enduring the tedious award ceremony and press interviews, Joanna finally retreated to the players' locker room.
The moment she opened the door, a foul stench assaulted her senses, followed by a shrill scream:
"Close the door! Who told you to open it?!"
Joanna recognized the voice—it was her agent, Marianne. She sounded terrified.
Worried, Joanna covered her nose with a towel and stepped inside—only to freeze at the sight before her.
Marianne was collapsed on the floor, surrounded by a pool of excrement, which was still actively spreading.
Snapping back to reality, Joanna shut the door and walked over, clicking her fingers beside Marianne.
Almost instantly, Marianne's body stopped expelling waste—but the dehydration had already taken its toll, leaving her unconscious.
"So it really is Sense Manipulation..."
Joanna showed no surprise, only deep confusion.
Because she had done this before.
Once, when Marianne had been caught scalping tickets behind her back, Joanna had used Sense Manipulation to send false signals through her nervous system, leaving her incontinent for two days.
"Who the hell…?"
Her frown deepened.
BANG—!
The door burst open as another assistant rushed in.
"I've sent Mr. Nanjiroh's son to the airport as requested. You— WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?! "
The assistant's scream cut off as the stench hit her.
Seeing Marianne's state, realization dawned—and she immediately flinched back, staring at Joanna in terror.
Joanna ignored her reaction, coldly demanding:
"You said you sent Nanjiroh's child to the airport. Did they not even watch the match?"
"I-I don't know! They… they left shortly after arriving. I just followed orders!"
The assistant trembled, terrified she might be next.
"Clean this up."
Joanna strode out of the locker room, her mind racing.
Sense Manipulation used on Marianne.
Nanjiroh's son visiting—then abruptly leaving.
She had called Nanjiroh countless times, begging for news of her husband and child—only to be rejected every time.
Then, out of nowhere, he called a few days ago, saying his son wanted to watch her match.
She agreed immediately, hoping to mend bridges and finally get answers. She even had Marianne personally arrange everything.
"Could it be…?"
A chilling thought struck her.
She slammed the door open, shouting at the assistant:
"GIVE ME THE CAR KEYS!"
"Y-Yes!"
The assistant didn't dare refuse, hurling the keys toward her.
Minutes later, a car rammed through the VIP parking gate, speeding toward the airport like a bullet.
Joanna floored the accelerator, weaving between lanes, scraping past other vehicles without a care.
She ran every red light, her mind screaming one name:
"Was it you… Yoru?"
But just one intersection away from the airport—
CRASH—!
A car T-boned her from the side, airbags exploding as her vehicle spun to a halt.
The impact jolted her back to reality.
The Echizen family's private jet had priority clearance worldwide. By now, Yoru was long gone.
Joanna staggered out of the wreck, blood trickling down her forehead.
Gazing up at the sky—where a plane might or might not be his—she whispered hoarsely:
"Yoru…"
Then her nose gushed blood, and the world went black.
The other driver, initially furious, turned pale when he recognized her.
"OH SHIT—OH SHIT!!"
"FUCK! WHAT THE HELL?!"
He knew exactly who she was—and if she died here, his life was over.
Fumbling, he dialed for an ambulance.
---
### Above the Clouds
As the plane leveled off in the stratosphere, QP finally broke the silence:
"Why did we leave so suddenly? Weren't we supposed to ask about breaking through talent bottlenecks?"
Yoru shook his head. "No need. It's already resolved."
QP shivered.
Yoru had never hidden his Tenth Sense Manipulation from him—including its current limits.
"Did seeing his mother trigger something…?"
QP could guess, but he wouldn't ask. As a fellow orphan, he understood that pain all too well.
A mother who abandoned you, living her glorious life elsewhere—the thought alone was suffocating.
"I'm going to rest."
"Alright."
Yoru closed his eyes, silently commanding:
"System, use the Talent Upgrade Card."
[Please select a talent to upgrade: Tenth Sense Manipulation, Perfect Copy, Super-Perfect Quality.]
"Tenth Sense Manipulation."
[Tenth Sense Manipulation has been upgraded!]
[Tenth Sense Manipulation]: Can control the ten senses of a selected target.
(Unlocked: Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell, Taste, Premonition, Time Sense, Spatial Sense, Consciousness // Locked: Thought)
With this upgrade, Ryoga's problem could finally be solved.
Yet Yoru felt no joy.
Truthfully, he hadn't left because of the reward—but because the moment he saw Joanna Longman, his instincts screamed at him to run.
Before the trip, he'd rehearsed a hundred things to say.
But when he actually saw her, every word died in his throat.
Maybe this was for the best.
He could keep living as the eldest son of the Echizen family, watching Ryoma and Ryoga grow, occasionally facing a challenging opponent.
Life was short. Why dwell on pain?
"Blue Bird."
QP paused, surprised.
Yoru had always called him QP—this was the first time he'd used his real name.
"I suddenly… really want to play tennis."
Yoru smiled—a smile of true release.