A First-Year Beyond Junior High Level

"Didn't you hear? The match is already over, and I already finished mine in Second Doubles."

Horio paid no attention to what Kintaro said. He still had a match against Tezuka tomorrow, so his attention was elsewhere.

"Hey! You're not going to run away, are you? Come on, play me! Hey!"

When Horio started walking again, Kintaro immediately grew anxious.

"You'll just have to wait until next year, Kintaro. We don't have another chance this year."

Seeing how unwilling Kintaro was to give up, Ishida, who stood beside him, felt a little sorry for him.

But they had already lost the match, and the two weren't even in the same bracket, so Ishida could only try to soothe him like a child.

"No! How could I possibly wait until next year for something like this?!"

"Let's go, Kintaro. Even if you can't wait, there's nothing you can do. That's how the world works; you can't always get your way."

Shiraishi, the captain, spoke up again. This time, his voice was gentle rather than stern.

In the end, the unwillingness in Kintaro's eyes gave way to regret, and his whole demeanor became listless.

"Play him, Horio!"

A familiar voice suddenly made Horio stop. His expression abruptly changed, and he turned to look.

"Isn't this the Horio family's eldest son, who disappeared for so long? What a coincidence, running into you here."

"Hey, hey, hey, Satoshi, is that any way to talk to your own brother?"

In the spectator stands, Horio Junpei was baffled by the somewhat resentful look in his younger brother's eyes.

"Now that you're back, hurry up and go home! Mom's been waiting for you for a long time."

Horio's tone remained unchanged. Thinking of how he had faced the pressure from his family alone, he still couldn't quell