Touch and Sight Deprivation

Puff...

"Double fault, Rikkai Dai Fuzoku Junior High's Yukimura scores, score 1-0"

On the court, Horio's consecutive mistakes allowed Yukimura to eventually take the lead.

Not only were they overtaken, but their serve was also broken.

"That's great! I didn't expect him to keep making mistakes; he completely broke his own serve!"

"With so many opportunities, Horio didn't manage to hit a single ball. He could have easily hit even a simple under Underhand Serve."

"He can't control his strength at all anymore; he can't even feel the feedback from the racket."

"I can't feel it... Could it be?!"

After six consecutive service errors, the Rikkai Dai went from initial confusion to now noticing something amiss.

Upon hearing what Marui had said, perhaps unintentionally, the Wolf suddenly realized what was happening.

"That's right, Kuwahara, Horio really can't feel any power anymore."

From his first erroneous throw-in, his touch should have already been stripped away by Yukimura.

Because Yukimura had used his Five Senses Deprivation technique, Yanagi, who had been worried and had to open her eyes, returned to her normal state.

Hearing that Kuwahara already had some guesses about this, Yanagi finally explained it to everyone.

"Back in first grade, there was Yukimura, Sanada, and me."

As first-year students who were the regular members of the school team at the time, the three of us naturally had to compete against other Senpai in addition to our regular training.

But the three of us never lost, so one day Yukimura suddenly suggested that the three of us have a match. It was then that Sanada and I realized that Yukimura had this trick up his sleeve.

Just by looking into Yukimura's eyes, you can sense that no matter where you hit the ball, he will return it with pinpoint accuracy.

Once this feeling arises, it becomes increasingly clear in the mind, eventually leading to a fear of meeting his gaze.

Then the body will resist the ball he hits back, as if the sensation in the body has disappeared.

"That's the mystery of Yukimura's tennis; it makes his opponents experience symptoms of 'yips' during matches against him."

Liu's explanation reminded Sanada of his experience, and the other members of Rikkai Dai were also shocked, not expecting their Captain to possess such terrifying skills.

"Yips... is that the disease that ends an athlete's career once contracted?"

"That's right, it's a psychological condition that occurs because athletes experience excessive pressure."

"So, does that mean Horio made a mistake because he was under too much psychological pressure? But Horio didn't show any signs of being under pressure before."

"So this is what makes Yukimura, known as the Child of God, so amazing..."

"Mental strength, is that what you mean, Agan?"

In the Seigaku players' area, when Kikumaru heard Sanada say "yips," he immediately remembered what it was.

Kikumaru was puzzled again as he recalled the match before Horio's mistake.

Mikiya also thought of this. After repeatedly recalling Horio's information in his mind, he came to an uncertain guess.

Although he had a thought in his mind, he didn't dare to say it aloud.

However, Fuji, who knew Horio Fuji, guessed what Miki was thinking. Seeing that Miki was somewhat hesitant, Fuji spoke up without hesitation.

"That's right, that's the only explanation I can think of."

"Because during the Kanto Tournament, Horio had several experiences using his mental powers."

"So you suspect that Yukimura also used his mental powers to put so much psychological pressure on Horio?"

"Although this is the only explanation I can think of, Horio is also a person with strong mental strength. Even if Yukimura's mental strength is stronger than his, he shouldn't have been completely unaware of it."

Neither Gan nor Fuji dared to voice such contradictory speculations loudly.

Because of the noise inside the gymnasium, even the Seigaku members nearby couldn't hear their conversation very clearly.

"So, there are only two possibilities."

Either Horio's mental strength isn't that strong, or his old problem has relapsed.

"At the moment, there are only two possibilities: Atobe from Hyotei, Sanada from Rikkai Dai, and Kite from Higa Junior High."

He only started to take his matches seriously when his opponents were already at their wits' end, whether it was Kamishiro from Josei Shonan or Kirihara.

His mental strength is definitely not weak, so I tend to favor the second possibility.

Bang!

"Rikkai Dai Fuzoku Junior High's Yukimura scores, making the score 2-0."

Just as Kane and Fuji finished their discussion off the court, the second game on the court also ended.

Yukimura dominated the second game and won.

Just then, Fuji and Miki, who had been watching Horio, suddenly saw Horio give them a subtle smile.

Before anyone else could even notice, the smile vanished.

"Agan, did you see that just now?"

"It seems we don't need to worry anymore; now there's only one possibility left."

On the court, Horio smiled at Inui and Fuji off the court.

Just as I was about to turn around and return to the baseline, my vision suddenly became blurry.

Gradually, it went from blurry to dark, until finally there was nothing but darkness in my field of vision.

"Seriously, they only took away my vision after the second round was already over."

After reaching the bottom line based on his memory, Horio couldn't help but think to himself.

However, his inner thoughts were completely different from his outward appearance. Although he maintained a relaxed expression, his eyes had changed.

His eyes, which had been focused, suddenly became unfocused after Yukimura deprived him of his vision.

"To maintain that mindset and fight back even when your sense of touch is gone, you'd have to take away your sight as well."

On the other side, Yukimura looked at Horio, whose eyes were unfocused, his face revealing no emotion.

"If I were just an ordinary person, I could never have done this much, after all, I have experienced that feeling firsthand."

But your unwavering determination could change the course of the game, so just in case, I had to do this.

After depriving Horio of his sense of touch and sight, Yukimura felt conflicted.

No one could understand better than him the torment of Guillain-Barré syndrome and the agony of postoperative rehabilitation—the feeling of being in hell.

"Horio's vision should also have been taken away."

After the visual deprivation occurred, Sanada, who was sitting in the audience, immediately noticed Horio's change.

The others nearby, hearing Sanada's words, followed his gaze.

The crowd, who were still somewhat skeptical about Yukimura's Five Senses Deprivation, were completely dispelled after seeing Horio's unfocused pupils.