The Meaning of Tennis

"Akutsu- Senpai, did you feel the same way when you were with him back then?"

Dan Taichi stunned, his wide eyes filled with disbelief.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about? Keep going."

Horio didn't give him a chance to be surprised on his own, and ruthlessly pulled Dan Taichi back from his shock.

His gaze fell on Horio again, and Dan Taichi, who had been somewhat confident, suddenly became hesitant, but he quickly suppressed that hesitation.

After regaining his senses, he tossed the tennis ball into the air again, and the same scene as the previous ball appeared.

Dan Taichi had just hit the ball and was still in the swinging motion when he heard the sound of the tennis ball landing in his own half of the court.

"Continue."

Then Horio's voice came, and at that moment, the hesitation that Dan Taichi had felt before reappeared, becoming more and more pronounced.

"If you give up just because you missed a few balls, then you're worlds apart from your idol."

Noticing the change in Dan Taichi, Horio's initial impatience turned into disappointment.

"Akutsu Senpai I are... worlds apart..."

Horio's words echoed in her mind, but her body continued to serve the ball unconsciously.

As expected, he couldn't return the ball after serving, and unsurprisingly lost the service game.

"I'm not fighting anymore. You weren't strong enough to fight me to begin with, and now you're not even qualified to fight me."

Horio has always looked down on people who give up before the match is even over.

"Katsuro, Katsuo, if you want to fight him, go ahead. If Oishi- Senpai asks, just say he forfeited the match. I'm going to rest."

After saying that, Horio left the court and disappeared from the three people's sight.

"Your first-year students are quite special, aren't they? Looks like someone with a unique personality."

Inside the Coach's office, Coach Ryuzaki stood by the window looking at the tennis court, with his Banrou, dressed in a suit, standing beside him.

"Yes, that kid has a strong attachment to tennis and despises any behavior that disrespects or is disloyal to tennis."

Coach Ryuzaki agreed with the Banrou's assessment of Horio.

"However, I think he would be a very powerful bomb, capable of alerting those around him regardless of the environment."

"It could even serve as a wake-up call for the entire world."

The Banrou her usual smiling face, watched Horio leave, her words full of profound meaning.

"Really? I think he just has his own tennis philosophy."

Coach Ryuzaki's evaluation of Horio was not as high Banrou's, but upon closer examination, it's not that simple.

Banrou hearing Coach Ryuzaki's evaluation of Horio, Banlao suddenly remembered something.

"Did you feel the same way about Echizen Nanjirou back then? What makes you want to give this evaluation again after so many years?"

It seems the world is about to see another remarkable tennis player emerge.

"One? I'm not sure how many. In this day and age, young people are all very capable, but how far they can go is what we should look forward to."

"Are you alright, Dan Horio isn't usually like this."

Inside the stadium, after Horio left a few words, Katsuro Katsuo looked at Dan Taichi was standing still.

The two, unable to bear it any longer, went forward to comfort him, since the usual Horio was indeed not like he had just acted.

"It's okay, it's just that I'm not good enough."

Hearing their words of comfort, Dan Taichi didn't say anything else.

"I always thought that as long as I practiced hard, I would eventually get closer to Akutsu Senpai, but I just realized that I was wrong."

"Although Akutsu Senpai seen as a very strong person by others, he is not just strong."

Having just been stunned by Horio's attack, Dan Taichi finally figured out his problem.

"Horio is right, I'm not strong enough to compete with him, but the fact that I started to back down because I missed a few balls during the match disqualifies me from being a tennis player."

Katsuro and Katsuo listened to Dan Taichi's seemingly soliloquy, and the two looked at each other without saying a word.

"Even when Akutsu Senpai beaten to the point of being unable to fight back by Horio, he still gave it his all in the match. I think that's why there's such a huge difference between me and Akutsu Senpai."

As if he had figured it out, the hesitation on Dan Taichi's face disappeared.

"Coach Ryuzaki, your semi-final opponent, Rokkaku Middle School, must be giving you a real headache."

"Just talking about it makes me uncomfortable. We've always been rivals, and with that old man involved, it's infuriating just thinking about it."

In the office, Banrou suddenly mentioned Rokkaku Middle School, Coach Ryuzaki's expression immediately changed.

"Rokkaku Middle School is a special team; it's not that they're particularly strong in tennis."

It's not just the mental strength that's amazing; a love for tennis in one's mind naturally makes one's skill even more terrifying.

Clearly, they had done their homework beforehand; the Banrou was very familiar with the current Rokkaku Middle School.

"Their tennis style is really cool, but we at Yamabuki Middle School used to have people who could play a cool style of tennis too."

"You mean Akutsu? It's a pity he's already left the club."

"No, although he left the club, there's nothing to regret. After losing to Horio, your freshman, he seems to have rekindled his interest in tennis."

When I first met him, he had absolutely no interest in tennis, even though he possessed extraordinary physical talent.

But after losing that match, something changed in his eyes.

Although he hasn't appeared since leaving the team, I believe he must have found something he wants to do, and this change is good for him.

The Banrou standing by the window spoke while watching Dan Taichi on the court, then paused for a moment.

"But... if you fail after all that hard training, what changes will occur in your mindset?"

Coach Ryuzaki, you're right. Young people these days are incredibly talented. They may be unknown now, but one day they will amaze everyone, even the world.

Coach Ryuzaki pondered Banrou's words, and then thought of Horio had not yet encountered any bottlenecks.

"No matter the circumstances, victory is the only way out. Perhaps this is an athlete's way of proving their self-worth."

However, athletes who have never experienced setbacks and failures will never reach their full potential. Only after witnessing failure and realizing a better version of themselves will that version emerge on their path.

Not far from the tennis court, Horio a tree.

Holding his empty drink, his eyes were fixed on the people practicing hard on the court.

"Tennis is something that makes me feel meaningful."