Training Fueled by a Special Drink

"Come on, Katsuro. The senpais are about to start training. We need to get over there and get ready."

"I just have to put this stuff down. All right, let's go."

In a hurry, Katsuro didn't even look where he was going when Katsuo urged him on. He dashed straight out of the locker room, just as Arai was coming in.

The moment the door opened, Katsuro crashed right into him, sending him tumbling outside.

"What the hell? Are you blind?"

"Ah, Senpai Arai, I'm sorry. I was in such a hurry I didn't see you coming in."

"Hey, first-year! Why do you keep hitting my injury? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Arai got up, ready to teach Katsuro a lesson. But before he could throw a punch, a voice interrupted him.

"Hey, take me to Seigaku's tennis courts. I'm looking for a guy named Horio."

Arai turned around and saw a tall, gray-haired man with a fierce expression. Already in a bad mood, Arai redirected his anger toward him.

"Hey, who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty? Let me teach you how to ask people for help."

He threw a punch at the man's face. Watching Arai's slow punch, the man crouched slightly and clenched his right hand into a fist. One blow sent Arai clutching his stomach and crying out in pain on the ground.

"I said, take me to the guy named Horio. You two, take me to him."

Seeing Katsuro and Katsuo too scared to move, the man's patience ran out.

He was about to go teach them a lesson when a voice stopped him as he took a step.

"You really don't learn, do you? I told you I'd come looking for you when you were worthy. What's this, then? Want to get beaten again?"

"So you finally dare to show your face. Don't think you can order me around, Akutsu Jin."

With that, he charged at Horio, who was walking toward him. Horio shook his head at Akutsu's refusal to learn.

"Being competitive is a good thing, but being brainless can be fatal."

This time, Horio didn't waste any time with Akutsu. He went straight into a side kick and sent him flying.

Before Akutsu could hit the ground, Horio rushed after him and kicked him in the back.

The back kick stopped Akutsu in midair. Horio followed up with a flurry of punches, and Akutsu's angular face gradually swelled.

With one final punch, Horio sent Akutsu, who couldn't fight back at all, crashing to the ground once more.

"I don't have time to waste on you. Katsuro, Katsuo, let's go. Drag Senpai Arai along too. Training's about to start."

With that, Horio led the way while Katsuro and Katsuo each grabbed one of Arai's arms and dragged him behind.

"Damn it! Tennis, huh? Just you wait."

Akutsu left too, dragging his injured body along.

At Seigaku's tennis courts, every member of the tennis club was doing the extra training Inui Sadaharu had assigned.

Horio could have skipped it, but to avoid making the others feel it was unfair, he didn't make an exception for himself.

The Seigaku team ran laps around the courts. The extra training was tough, but everyone kept at it. Only some of the first-years complained, wondering why the training had suddenly gotten harder.

Some who'd heard the rumors said it was because Inui had gone to Ginkaku yesterday to gather information and seen how hard they trained. They'd kept going even after collapsing.

At those words, Katsuro and Katsuo immediately looked at Horio and asked him with strange expressions, "Horio, didn't you say those guys yesterday were from Ginkaku? They weren't training that hard."

"How were they not training hard? Wouldn't getting crushed by Ryoma over and over be exhausting? Blame Senpai Inui for showing up at the wrong time—and Ryoma for being too ruthless."

The two of them turned to look at Ryoma, who was running as if nothing had happened. They'd completely forgotten about the group from yesterday.

Unable to explain themselves, the two didn't dare bring up what had happened. Besides, they'd already run for so long that there wasn't much point in saying anything now.

"All right, it's time for water. Everyone come over and get a drink."

When Inui said they could have water, everyone gradually grabbed a cup from the table, drank, and went back to running.

Horio watched Inui replenish the water supply. Suddenly, Inui took something out from the other side.

Sensing something was off, Horio immediately sped up and left the other first-years behind.

The others saw Horio speed up and assumed he was thirsty and in a hurry to get a drink.

When the runners at the back went to get water, Inui handed them several cups of red liquid.

They drank without thinking, still running. Before they'd even finished, they let out a scream and collapsed.

The runners up ahead heard the commotion and turned around. Inui promptly explained, "At the end of each lap, the last few people who fail have to drink my special Agan concoction. It helps improve your stamina."

Seeing the others lying on the ground, retching nonstop, everyone broke out in goosebumps and picked up the pace.

"Agan, that's too mean! This is totally cheating!"

Kikumaru, who was known for having poor stamina, immediately protested when he heard Inui's explanation, and quickened his pace.

As the laps went by, the once-large group gradually dwindled.

Fewer and fewer people were running, while more and more lay on the ground.

"Who'd want to drink that sticky stuff? No way!"

"Seriously, where does he even get it?"

"Don't think you can make me drink that stuff. I'd rather die!"

The remaining Seigaku regulars chased one another, each trying to avoid the red, sticky drink.

"You all can fight over it. I'm not drinking that stuff."

Horio watched the others fall far behind him, but still didn't dare let his guard down.

His physical condition was perfect, but he had no intention of trying something when he didn't know what it was made of.

"All right, that's enough training. The rest of you can stop running."

Only Horio and Fuji were still standing. The others looked at them and wanted nothing more than to hold them down and force a cup of the drink down their throats.

"That's enough training for today. I think everyone's done a great job."

"Please, Agan, don't keep bringing out these weird concoctions to scare us."

Even the usually levelheaded Oishi couldn't help complaining. The others were even more resentful.

After training, everyone made plans to go eat together. This time, Horio didn't refuse.

Pushing himself to the limit every day wasn't good for his body. Taking a break now and then wasn't a bad idea.

But that was easier said than done. Just after Horio agreed, he got a call from the owner of the training facility, who said he needed Horio to come over.

With no other choice, Horio said goodbye to everyone and left.

Not long after Horio left, Kawamura Takashi got a call too. He said he had something to take care of and had to leave as well.

That left Kikumaru, Ryoma, Momoshiro, and Inui. As they walked down the street, they passed a restaurant.

Kikumaru spotted Kawamura talking to a very beautiful woman. Their curiosity piqued, the four of them went into the restaurant too.

At the training facility, Horio met with the owner. As soon as the owner saw him, he brought out a large box.

"Here's what you asked for. It just came in today."

At the owner's words, Horio's eyes lit up.