Seigaku Victory, Continuing Preparations

"Your exceptional insight is indeed impressive, but if your insight is blocked, you're nothing more than an ordinary player with slightly better fundamentals."

Horio approached the net and spoke directly to a crestfallen Atobe.

Atobe, however, acted as if he hadn't heard Horio, still lost in his own world of dejection.

Seeing this, Horio left without even shaking hands after the match.

As he reached the edge of the court, Horio suddenly stopped and looked up at a certain corner outside the court.

"You saw it clearly, didn't you? I hope you feel some pressure. Go back and train hard. Otherwise, if we win too easily, it'll be boring."

Following Horio's gaze, three figures in red jackets could be seen standing outside the court.

One wore a baseball cap, another had mushroom-cut hair and squinted eyes, and the last was the seaweed-haired boy Horio had seen before.

It turned out to be the three from Rikkai Dai. Horio had noticed them from the start of the match.

After all, this was a match between Seigaku and Hyotei, both strong schools, so it was inevitable they'd come to watch.

In fact, it wasn't just Rikkai Dai who had people present. Not far from Rikkai Dai stood the Yamabuki Middle School group led by Sengoku, and on the other side stood Rokkaku Middle School from the Chiba region.

Horio had spotted them as soon as they appeared, but Yamabuki had already been defeated, so there was no need to worry.

As for Rokkaku Middle School, Horio didn't even give them a second thought.

Suddenly being stared at by Horio, the Rikkai Dai trio's already furrowed brows tightened even further.

"I didn't expect Seigaku to be this much stronger this year, especially with Tezuka absent."

Sanada, wearing a baseball cap, frowned. Yanagi Renji, Rikkai Dai's strategist, looked no better.

"We originally wanted to see how Hyotei would do this year, but I didn't expect Atobe to lose so badly. Sanada, if it were you, could you win?"

Yanagi Renji voiced his concerns. The impact Horio had just made on everyone was too significant.

"Not enough. We need to strengthen our training when we get back."

Sanada chose to evade Yanagi Renji's question, but this in itself spoke volumes.

"Vice-captain Sanada isn't confident either? I don't think that first-year is that strong. If I faced him, I wouldn't be beaten as badly as Atobe."

Kirihara, standing beside them, clearly didn't grasp the problem and felt none of the tension from Sanada and Yanagi's tight brows and solemn expressions.

"Kirihara, you will train hard when we get back. If I find you slacking off, you know the consequences."

Seeing Kirihara still acting so ignorant of the world, Sanada's temper flared.

Hearing the coldness in Sanada's tone, the usually nonchalant Kirihara became scared and immediately behaved himself.

"Let's go. For Rikkai Dai's three consecutive championships, we cannot have any weak points."

Feeling the pressure, Sanada didn't linger any longer and left with Yanagi Renji and Kirihara.

"Seigaku is as strong as ever. They've gotten even stronger since the prefectural tournament."

Sengoku, who had been smiling throughout, watched Atobe being crushed by Horio and couldn't help but marvel at Seigaku's progress.

"Hey, Taichi, make sure you gather all the information on Seigaku, okay?"

"Yes! I'll definitely collect all the information."

Dan Taichi, suddenly called upon by Sengoku, immediately began diligently recording in his notebook.

"Kid, you're really something else. You give them the egg every time."

From the players' bench, the energetic Kikumaru excitedly greeted Horio as he walked towards them.

"Well done, Horio! Let's see if Atobe will be so arrogant from now on."

"Yeah, the leader of Hyotei, beaten 6-0 by a first-year who just became a regular. I think this will not only have a huge impact on Atobe himself but also cause considerable turmoil throughout the entire Hyotei tennis club."

"Regardless, we won our first match in the Kanto Tournament, and it was against Hyotei. I believe the subsequent matches should be much easier."

"That's what you say, but Momoshiro, you can't get complacent because of this."

Seeing the regulars happy after winning the match, Horio could understand their feelings. After all, it was Hyotei, who had defeated them last year.

"It's only the first match. We still have to train tomorrow, Senpai Momoshiro, don't forget."

"Oh, Horio, why bring that up now? Don't say such a dampening thing right after winning."

The atmosphere, which had become somewhat awkward with Momoshiro's embarrassment, grew even more cheerful as everyone looked at him. After the referee called for all players to shake hands, today's match concluded.

Seigaku's first match in the Kanto Tournament ended in victory amidst external doubts.

"Really? That's great! Oishi, let's choose volleyball."

"Okay, Eiji."

"Yay! Then I'll choose basketball."

"Is that so... Then I'll choose baseball."

"Then I'll pick the same as you, Kawamura."

"Do we have to pick? I don't want to participate in any sports other than tennis."

Inside the Seigaku tennis club court, everyone was called together by Coach Ryuzaki.

"Alright, alright, honestly, consider today a relaxation for you all. Although there's no strict requirement, all regulars must sign up."

It turned out today was Seigaku's Sports Festival, and all students had to sign up for a sport other than their own club's.

Horio, upon hearing there was no strict requirement, was about to slip away, but Coach Ryuzaki's next words stopped him.

"Looks like I'll just sign up for something random. Just get eliminated in the first round."

After that, Coach Ryuzaki dismissed everyone, and all the members of the tennis club went to sign up for sports they liked.

"Horio, what are you planning to sign up for?"

After the dismissal, Horio, Katsuro, and Katsuo prepared to go sign up. Katsuro didn't know what to sign up for either.

"I don't know either. I'll just sign up for something random. Anyway, I'm not interested in anything other than tennis."

"That's just like you, Horio. No wonder you're so strong; you've dedicated all your energy to practicing tennis."

"It's not as serious as you say..."

"Look, do you guys recognize the person next to Ryoma?"

Halfway down the road, Horio and his two friends suddenly saw Ryoma queuing at the table tennis registration.

Ryoma, who had been queuing calmly with his usual cool and aloof expression, was suddenly approached by a boy with a middle part and glasses.

The boy's face was full of arrogance, and Ryoma didn't seem to notice anything amiss about him.

"I don't recognize him. He's not in our class; he's probably from another class."

"I feel like he really dislikes Ryoma, look at his expression."

"That guy probably thinks Ryoma is really arrogant. After all, Ryoma's personality can easily be misunderstood."

Horio hit the nail on the head, clearing up the confusion between the two, and didn't pay further attention to the situation there.