Division Preliminaries Champion

On the slightly muddy court, Kaitou left a footprint with every step. He looked somewhat exhausted.

Across from him, Kamio Akira wasn't even breathing hard. He looked completely relaxed, and everyone from Seigaku was starting to worry about Kaitou.

"Kaitou really ran into the player who counters him best. At this rate, he'll be worn down."

"Exactly. His opponent's been changing the pace nonstop from the start. He's completely messing with Kaitou, and now Kaitou's fallen right into his rhythm."

Kaitou excelled at grinding out matches, but against Kamio Akira's fast-paced game, it looked to everyone like a one-sided suppression.

It would be very difficult for Kaitou to win.

Seeing Kaitou panting, even Ryoma, who was up next in Second Singles, was getting ready to warm up. Horio stopped him.

"Ryoma, you don't need to rush to warm up. Senpai Kaitou isn't that quick to give up. You've played him before, haven't you? You know how tenacious he is."

Ryoma had already stood up, but after hearing Horio, he seemed to consider it for a moment, then sat back down.

Seeing the puzzled looks from the others, Horio explained further.

"That pace-obsessed guy from Fudomine has lost control of his rhythm. He's going much faster than he was at the start.

"Once he can't keep that speed up, that's when the snake catches its prey. Senpai Kaitou probably just looks tired right now."

"Impressive, Horio. You even noticed that. Kaitou really has been building up his stamina.

"Ten kilometers every morning, then another ten after club practice.

"Then another ten at night, three sets of fifty shuttle runs, and a hundred and fifty swings. That's what Kaitou does every day."

Hearing Horio's comments, Inui Sadaharu, standing behind him, shared the hard work Kaitou put in when no one was watching.

"You're giving me too much credit, Senpai Inui. I just happen to have good eyesight."

"Is that so? Your eyesight seems to be more than just good."

Horio only smiled at Inui's meaningful remark, then turned his attention back to the court.

On the court, Kaitou was still being controlled by Kamio's rhythm.

During one rally, Kamio hit the ball into Kaitou's dead corner. Kaitou raced after it, but didn't notice the mud underfoot. He slipped and was about to fall.

Unwilling to give up, he summoned all his willpower as he went down and swung his racket. Then one of Kaitou Kaoru's signature moves, the Spinning Snake Shot, appeared.

The tennis ball skimmed past the net along a strange arc and landed in Kamio Akira's backcourt for a point.

The unbelievable shot came out of nowhere, leaving everyone wide-eyed.

Even Horio, who had seen it many times in the anime in his previous life, couldn't help but marvel at how cool it was.

"Not bad, Senpai Kaitou. You actually pulled off a Spinning Snake Shot by accident. Looks like you startled your opponent."

"A Spinning Snake Shot? Seigaku's players really are something else."

Even Tachibana Kippei couldn't help being impressed. It was easy to imagine how much the shot had stunned everyone else.

Kaitou thought that pulling off the Spinning Snake Shot by accident meant he could win with it. But since he hadn't mastered it, he once again fell deeply into Kamio's rhythm.

Watching Kaitou sit on the bench to rest, Horio decided to give him a reminder.

"What's the point of using techniques you haven't even mastered? You just keep swinging your racket. Do you really think you can't win without hitting a Spinning Snake Shot? Does a snake need some special technique to catch its prey?"

"Horio's right. Anyone who just swings wildly on the court is an idiot. You can't beat your opponent with one special move alone. Your opponent isn't that weak. Kaitou, what kind of tennis do you play?"

Coach Ryuzaki gave Kaitou a timely wake-up call. Still sitting on the bench with his head lowered and his back to everyone, Kaitou gave no hint of what he was thinking.

The match resumed, and Kaitou continued to struggle against Kamio Akira, visibly exhausted.

But on closer inspection, it was clear he had stopped swinging recklessly.

Instead, he calmly watched every ball Kamio Akira hit. With Kaitou doggedly hanging on, the score reached 5–4.

Kamio Akira was now so tired that he was starting to make mistakes, and Kaitou seized every opportunity.

After they traded leads and tied the score again and again, Kaitou finally won the match.

Seigaku swept all three matches and claimed the division preliminaries title. Afterward, Tachibana Kippei suddenly approached Horio.

"I think you know why I came to see you. I want to know how you know so much about me."

"Heh, you don't have to worry. You're not the only one I know things about. I know about Chitose Senri, too, and I know about people from other regions. These eyes of mine..."

Horio pointed to his eyes.

"Are pretty amazing, you know."

"Amazing... So that's how you can see through so much... You really are a frightening person."

Tachibana looked away from Horio's eyes. Horio smiled and said to him,

"I hope we can play each other sometime. I really want to experience your Beast's Aura and your Explosive Ball Dance. I assume you're not holding back your strength anymore."

"Right now, Fudomine needs to focus on preparing for the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament. I'm sure Seigaku does, too. Let's find a time to play after the tournament. I'd like to see what you can do, too."

Tachibana thought of how he had to look after his teammates' training in addition to his own regular practice, so he turned Horio down for now.

Horio didn't press him. After chatting a little longer, the two went their separate ways.

As soon as Horio returned to the group, Katsuro and Katsuo pulled him away. They had won the division preliminaries championship.

Kawamura's father had decided to throw a celebration for everyone from Seigaku, so they all gathered at Kawamura Sushi Restaurant.

Seigaku's regulars celebrated noisily alongside the first-years Katsuro and Katsuo, as well as a few second-years who hadn't made the team.

Surrounded by the lively atmosphere of these talented middle schoolers, Horio felt himself relax.

The division preliminaries were over. The Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament would probably be coming up soon.

After the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, only a handful of teams would qualify for the Kanto Tournament. To make it to the National Tournament, they would also need to place near the top in the Kanto Tournament.

Thinking about how many matches were still ahead of them made Horio feel tired.

But there were about two weeks before the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament. Horio wondered how he could improve his skills in that time.

"Obviously, training with the regulars wouldn't help me improve much. What should I do? Forget it, there'll be a way. For now, I'll just eat my fill."

Unable to think of an answer, Horio stopped worrying about it and focused on enjoying the delicious food in front of him.