Seigaku Academy Opens

"Satoshi, you need to behave yourself on your first day of school, don't bully your classmates, understand?"

"Got it, Mom. I'm not a three-year-old anymore, why are you still so worried about your son?"

"Alright, alright~ Just be careful and stay safe, okay?"

"Got it. I'm leaving now."

On a street in a residential area of Tokyo, Japan, a figure about 1.6 meters tall walked lazily.

Wearing a black uniform and with slightly long brown hair, the young man looked very sunny.

This young man was Horio Satoshi, yes, the Withered Emperor from The Prince of Tennis.

"Twelve years. These twelve years have been truly long. I didn't expect to still not escape Seigaku in the end."

The young man walked, thinking to himself that after elementary school graduation, he wanted to attend school in Kanagawa. However, his father, who was from Seigaku, had used all sorts of methods to "keep" him in Tokyo.

"Looks like I'll have to take it slow. Join the school team smoothly and then absorb things gradually."

Twelve years ago, Horio descended upon the world. At that moment, he was an adult just an instant before becoming an infant.

He was an unknown nobody who had just entered the tennis world.

One night after training, he returned to his room after washing up and fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion.

When he woke up again, he saw himself lying next to a woman, with a man beside them.

The two looked at him with smiles, and he had become an infant.

Before he could even figure out what was going on, he heard the man and woman say they wanted to name him Horio Satoshi.

Hearing this name, he found it very familiar but couldn't recall it immediately, thinking he was dreaming.

However, another voice then broke the infant's thoughts.

[Beep, Host awakening successful, System mission complete.]

[Host talent binding... Binding complete.]

[Talents bound for Host: Deprive (Can deprive designated person's skills at Host's will, Host can choose permanent or temporary deprivation, triggered only in combat), Create (Host's tennis talent reaches top-tier, and can create new skills based on existing skills or insights), Elevate Might (Strengthens Host's existing skills), Eye of Shattering Delusions (Perceives all of opponent's flaws).]

[Host's physical data modification complete, current Host's physical evaluation: Flawless.]

[System mission complete, entering temporary dormancy...]

A system? A cheat?

It was only then that he realized he might have truly transmigrated, and directly into a child's body.

Stimulated by the system, the infant finally remembered the name Horio Satoshi.

Isn't this the idiot from the trio in The Prince of Tennis who looks like a monkey...

To avoid becoming like his original character when he grew up, the infant Horio had already decided to change from the beginning.

"Fortunately, I had foresight. After so many years of practice, my appearance and temperament have been polished by me to be quite appealing."

Thinking this, Horio, walking on the street, couldn't help but feel proud of his decision.

"Ever since the system went dormant, it hasn't reappeared... but that's okay. With the talents the system gave me, I'm more than enough to run wild."

Indeed, with the few talents bound by the system, any one of them could allow a person to make a name for themselves in this world, let alone several complementary skills concentrated in one person.

"If I remember correctly, I should be in the same class as Echizen Ryoma. I'm really looking forward to meeting the protagonist of this world."

In front of the gates of Seigaku Academy, Horio, carrying his tennis bag, began to imagine his future domination of junior tennis and even world tennis.

Thinking these thoughts, Horio stepped through the school gates. As it was the start of the school year, many first-year junior high students were unfamiliar and not very knowledgeable about the school, but this was no challenge for the flawless Emperor Horio.

Horio sat in the classroom for a long time, watching the seats fill up one by one, but the person he wanted to see did not appear. Just as the bell was about to ring for class, a hurried figure finally appeared.

A handsome young man in a black uniform with dark green hair, a face that looked incredibly cool, and a slightly awkward expression walked into the classroom. Since there was only an empty seat in front of Horio in the entire classroom, he naturally sat down in front of him.

"Hello, my name is Horio Satoshi. I'm your classmate."

Horio grinned and greeted Echizen Ryoma. Echizen Ryoma, who had just sat down, clearly didn't expect someone to greet him as soon as he sat down. His mouth hadn't caught up with his brain, and he replied, "I'm Echizen Ryoma."

This behavior, which others might see as social anxiety, was completely different from Horio's social butterfly syndrome. Knowing that Echizen Ryoma was like this, Horio didn't dwell on it too much.

At 3:30 PM, the day's classes ended, leaving the rest of the time for junior high students' club activities. It had to be said that Japan really valued extracurricular activities for young people.

Echizen Ryoma, having just finished class, packed his things and walked out of the classroom with his tennis bag.

Seeing Echizen Ryoma had already left, Horio quickly grabbed his tennis bag and chased after him, finally catching up to him by the school's flower bed.

"Hey, Echizen, wait up."

Hearing someone call his name, Echizen Ryoma stopped and looked behind him, only to see Horio also carrying a large tennis bag.

However, while both were large tennis bags, compared to Echizen Ryoma's height of about 1.5 meters, Horio's 1.6 meters seemed much more normal.

"I saw you carrying a tennis bag when you entered the classroom. You must be going to register for the tennis club too, right? Want to go together?"

After speaking, Horio walked forward, and Echizen followed behind him.

Along the way, Horio kept observing his surroundings, very curious about the new school environment.

Suddenly, Echizen Ryoma, who had been walking with his head down and eyes slightly closed, found his vision darkened. He heard a teasing voice coming from directly in front of him.

"Hey there, if you don't watch where you're going, you'll bump into things. But wow, that's a big tennis bag you've got there."

Horio, who had just caught up, saw a guy about 1.7 meters tall with spiky black hair standing in front of Ryoma. It was none other than the hot-blooded and reckless second-year team member, Momoshiro Takeshi.

Perhaps disturbed by Momoshiro's sudden appearance, Ryoma was a bit displeased, and he stared intently at Momoshiro.

Momoshiro also felt annoyed by the constant staring. Then he remembered it was the first day of school, and this must be a first-year student. The frown on his brow relaxed, and he said, "I won't argue with you," before walking away.

Watching Momoshiro swagger off, Ryoma felt a flicker of curiosity, while Horio's eyes took on the look of a hunter spotting his prey.

"Momoshiro Takeshi... Heh heh... I'm looking forward to it."