Middle Schoolers Arrive
"So you mean I don't have to wait until the end of my first year to have a match with Echizen Nanjirou?"
"That's right, my current physical limits are enough for me to face stronger opponents. Although I'll definitely lose eventually, I can absorb a lot of things."
Inside a small wooden cabin, Horio and Mifune were discussing something.
"Are you ready? The World Championship is about to start, so you'd better hurry if you're going to do this."
"There's no way to do it in the short term; Echizen Nanjirou has gone to tutor his son."
"The All-American Open is over, and that guy is still doing this. Looks like he wants his son to join the U. S. national team."
Mifune, as the Head Coach of the U-17 team, may usually appear slovenly, but he is definitely a person with real skills.
Hearing this news from Horio, he immediately guessed Echizen Nanjirou's purpose.
"I heard his other son is with them too, so it seems the two brothers are working together."
I've also heard about his other son, but for some reason, he started traveling the world on his own at a very young age.
That kid's skill level is almost as good as Echizen Nanjirou's back then; compared to his youngest son, this eldest son is more like his successor.
"It doesn't matter. Whether it's my eldest son or my youngest son, it doesn't really concern me. I have my own goals."
Seeing the meaningful look in Horio's eyes, Mifune did not continue the topic.
"In short, I need to push myself to the limit before that. There are still so many unknown things in this world waiting for me to explore."
It is impossible to dominate the world if one cannot see a wider world.
Horio stood up and walked outside while talking. As soon as he opened the door and stepped outside, he heard a scream coming from under the bridge not far away.
"Hey! It's been so long and you're still not done!"
If you don't finish this tonight, not only will you not get any food, but you won't get any sleep either!
Without thinking about what had caused the scream, seeing the high school student still persevering, the stern reprimand resentment resounded once again.
The high school students, who had been struggling, suddenly perked up again, but their swing speed still didn't increase much.
Horio didn't care about this, since these high school students were less talented, so it was understandable that they couldn't work quickly.
"Hey, you trash, get me the tennis ball."
After the high school students swung their rackets dozens more times, Mifune emerged from the cabin.
After stopping the high school students, he walked alone to the edge of the cliff on the hill.
Why make them stop? Don't you really want them to sleep?
Seeing the high school students being stopped, Horio, who was preparing to practice alone, also came up.
"Look down."
"That's... I see, the middle school students are already downstairs."
Hearing Mifune's words, Horio looked down at the bottom of the cliff and could see the light from several torches.
"You guys, keep swinging your rackets after you're done. I won't supervise you, and no one will know even if you don't."
By then, the high school students had returned to the court with several baskets of tennis balls. Horio gave them a few instructions and then left alone.
He could already picture the Loser Group getting ambushed by tennis balls, but Horio wasn't interested in watching the spectacle; instead, he headed deeper into the woods.
It was already dawn, and a thick layer of mist had risen over the mountain.
In a dense forest, Horio sat alone on a rock.
His eyes were closed, and the Genesis Aura enveloped his body, making him appear and disappear in the mist.
On the other side of the court, the high school students had finished their swings and collapsed to the ground from extreme exhaustion.
On a wooden stump not far away, Mifune sat cross-legged, and by then, some junior high school students had already climbed up.
"Ah... what is this?"
With the arrival of the first junior high school student, more junior high school students appeared on the hill.
The middle school student was horrified to see the high school student lying on the ground, seemingly lifeless.
As their vision gradually adjusted to the fog, they spotted the Mifune on the wooden stump.
Just then, Mifune turned his head to look at the crowd, and his sharp gaze immediately stunned the group of middle school students.
"Get up, all of you, and greet your kind, you trash."
Mifune glanced at the middle school students, then looked away and called to the fallen high school students.
Upon hearing Mifune's voice, the high school students instinctively sprang into action and collectively walked towards the junior high students.
"It was you guys?"
Seeing these familiar faces, Sasabe, was quite surprised.
"What? Aren't these the Senpai who were eliminated?"
"Why are middle school students here? What are you doing here?!"
"That's the question we should be asking: Why are you here?"
"Enough talk, believe me or not I'll finish you off right here!"
"Come on! If you've got the guts, bring it on! I've been venting my frustrations for a while now!"
A war between two sides with a history of grudges is about to break out, and the high school students who were originally listless have suddenly become motivated.
Just as Sasabe and Kaitou were about to make their move, Mifune walked over with a sake bottle.
Seeing this, Sasabe wisely moved away; he knew very well how terrifying Mifune was.
Looking at Mifune walking towards her, Kaitou felt a little scared.
"Who are you."
At this point, Sanada asked the question that the middle school students most wanted to know, but Mifune did not give a direct answer.
"You little devils are too slow. Welcome to hell, you trash."
Mifune took a swig of sake and looked at the middle school students with disdain.
"It's dawn. Time to go back and check on those guys."
While Mifune was welcoming the junior high school students, Horio also finished his evening practice.
He stood up from the rock and walked towards the basketball court.
My name is Mifune.
On the court, high school students and junior high school students each occupied half of the court, while Mifune was still sitting cross-legged on the wooden stool.
"This is such a hassle, having to take care of you trash."
Listen carefully, you must absolutely obey my orders here.
Anyone who dares to resist, I will show no mercy and send them tumbling off the cliff.
Mifune's words made the middle school students frown, because they didn't hear any hint of a joke in Mifune tone.
"Hmph, I seriously doubt whether you middle school students can withstand this kind of special training. You actually came here."
If you're scared, you'd better run away with your tail between your legs. I won't laugh at you.
Seeing the middle school students' behavior, Sasabe, though saying he wouldn't laugh, couldn't hide the fact that the other middle school students were laughing uncontrollably.
"What right do you guys have to say such things? Don't forget you came here because you lost to them."