Stars Align (星合の空)

What do you mean by "change them up"?!

Who said you could mix things around?

I've got the list of pairs right here.

Huh? The pairs?

What?!

What's up?

What's it say?

Here, lemme see.

C-Captain!

I already knew the pairs.

You're imagining things again.

You can't be serious.

These are the worst...

The worst pairs you could make.

"Stars Align"

Why am I playing back?

"Episode 4" Hey, Maki! Don't you know I always play front?

And I've never played front in my life.

Are you sure about doing a 15-point match?

Yeah. That's the fastest way to play, right?

It is, but...

Are they even ready for a match right off the bat?

Katsuragi seemed pretty confident.

Where does that confidence come from?

This is bullshit... I'll smash the ball right in your face!

I bet he can't rally if his life depended on it.

Play ball!

Argh, this feels so wrong!

There!

Shingo! Don't give 'em an easy volley!

Tsk! Not my fault I'm playing back! I'm not used to it yet!

A front just hugs the net, right?

--Huh? --Hey!

Your left side was wide open!

Tsk! Shut up!

How about you aim for once?!

-Huh?! Quit blaming me for everything!

--Are you sure about this? --Huh?! Quit blaming me for everything!

It's fine.

Argh, quit hitting it that way, dammit!

Ugh, shit!

That happens 'cuz you hit it straight at 'em.

Shut up, I know that!

That punk!

Shit!

That's what happens if you don't move closer.

You don't think I know?!

Dammit, playing front's a pain in the ass.

Hey, Toma! Hit it this way!

Tsubasa, cover right!

I'm not stupid!

Having fun playing front?

Shove it.

Huh?

You little...!

Tsubasa!

I'm on it!

They scored...

That was a nice volley there.

Y-You put up a nice fight covering the back.

They're up to something.

Tsubasa, fall back!

Shoot...

They got us!

Yeah!

Hell yeah!

Oh? That was pretty good for a fluke.

It wasn't a fluke. Look!

Shingo!

Not on my watch!

Gotcha now!

Game, set.

15-10. Takenouchi/Soga pair wins.

Maybe you're suited to playing rear?

And you, too. You're pretty good at front.

Did we screw up?

I don't think so. They're just a good pair.

You think?

People that play like they do are better to have as a pair.

Since they're both self-centered players,

the other of the pair moves however they see fit.

If they can grasp that, they'll play better than they ever have before.

They've just gotta learn to give and take a little.

I get it. Pairs need to complement their partner by amplifying their strength.

That's the gist of it.

That pair has room to grow.

Anyways, we've got two more matches to play.

You held back?

Nice return, Itsuki!

Hmm. That was a bit of a surprise for me, too.

1-0!

They scored again.

What the? Itsuki's way better in front.

He's got good focus and he makes quick decisions.

Rinta's more suited for back since he plays so cautiously.

He's moving a lot more freely than when he paired up with you.

They're such a good...

They're a well-balanced pair, right?

I guess so.

Okay!

Game, set!

12-15. Futsu/Ameno pair wins.

Looks like we won.

Yeah... We won.

Oh my. We lost again.

What do we do?

What are you talking about?

Uh, um...

Ugh!

There's no way Taiyo and Nao actually win...

Sorry, I couldn't catch up to it.

I don't know where to go. Playing front is tough.

Taiyo! Get a hold of yourself!

Shingo, quit scaring him or he'll freeze up.

Betcha nobody's got their hopes up for this pair of leftovers.

That was rude, Mitsue.

I'm just speaking the truth.

0-4!

Taiyo, hang in there. It's not over yet.

Huh?

Just now, I thought of a good idea.

What's that? Both of them are playing way in the back.

0-5!

Oh? I see...

It works 'cuz Nao has good aim.

Now he's not forced to play close to the net.

Shit!

They scored!

Nice one, Nao!

Let's keep this up, Taiyo!

Yeah!

They've got similar personalities, so they know what the other is thinking.

Which means...

5-9!

8-11!

Game, set!

--Gah! --13-15! Shinjo/Katsuragi pair wins!

--So close! --13-15! Shinjo/Katsuragi pair wins!

--For real? --13-15! Shinjo/Katsuragi pair wins!

That was incredible! And so close!

It's because Nao was covering me so well.

Taiyo makes it easy with those serves of his.

You held back again?

Well, yeah. I wanted to give 'em some confidence.

A little confidence makes people better than they know they're capable of.

Plus, these blisters are killing me.

You're such a schemer, you know.

Just be glad I'm not a swindler.

I'm so beat.

Me, too.

The boys' soft tennis club is actually practicing?

If they happen to win at the summer tournament and avoid disbanding...

The budget was put together with the assumption their club would be gone.

It'll be fine.

Useless people are the result

of not having the talent nor putting forth the effort to achieve results.

Successful people have talent and will always put forth their best effort.

Useless people will turn away from that truth and continue to rot.

That's the truth of this world-- of this ruthless society.

It's great how everyone's happy with the pairs.

You're amazing, Katsuragi. You really nailed the pairs.

Let's hope so.

Asuka, don't praise him too much. He's the kinda type that gets cocky.

You're the type that dies if you can't complain.

Huh? You wanna say that again?

Enough. Quit flirting.

Eww, disgusting.

We should think of a practice schedule to use tomorrow

so the pairs can get better.

Oh, I've already got one.

What?

"Shijo Minami"

"Shijo Minami" The pairs should basically stick together at all times.

The pairs should basically stick together at all times.

That's the fastest way to improve our combinations.

If they're not in the same class?

They'll have to meet up anytime there's a break.

Jeez, math makes me so sleepy.

And I hate English. Memorizing words sucks.

I think we should try giving me some good shots near the net.

I need to practice rallies more, too.

Shijo Minami!

--Fight! Fight! Fight! --Oh! Oh! Oh!

--Look, that's the soft tennis club. --Fight! Fight! Fight! --Oh! Oh! Oh!

--Look, that's the soft tennis club. --Shijo Minami!

--They're still going at it? Weird... --Shijo Minami!

--They're still going at it? Weird... --Fight! Fight! --Oh! Oh!

Those guys sure have changed.