#which reminds me

Quick sketch before I hunt dem squirrels

INDEX:[Part I][Part II][Part III]
Audio commentary from Prince of Tennis OVA: National Tournament Arc, FAN DISK White heat Remix, translated by me. Part IV is Tezuka and Fuji’s commentary on the Golden Pair vs Silver Pair match. Starts from 5:00 onwards in the audio linked in the Content Source below.

Fuji: A match between the whole country’s top pairs.
Tezuka: With the last match, Seigaku has 2 wins and 1 loss.
Fuji: And this was make-or-break for Hyotei.
Tezuka: In their eyes, this was definitely a match they must not lose.
Fuji: I think they were extremely fired up because of that.
Fuji: Speaking of which, how do you feel about Eiji?
Tezuka: “How”? What do you mean?
Fuji: I mean, you pretty much have your full trust on Oishi, haven’t you? You even talked about him earlier.
Tezuka:Yes.
Fuji: And yet, I haven’t heard you talk about Eiji much, even though he’s paired with Oishi…
Tezuka: Of course I think very highly of Kikumaru too. His reflexes are remarkable. It’s just that… we don’t really see eye to eye much when we talk…
Fuji: *laughs* I don’t think there are that many people who can keep up with Eiji’s energy. That reminds me, Eiji was secretly practicing “Tezuka Zone” the other day. Maybe you should try doing “Kikumaru Beam”?

Tezuka: I refuse.
Fuji: I think you can pull it off though.
Tezuka: We all have our own strengths and weaknesses.
Fuji: Is that so? When you reach State of Self Actualization, I’m actually anticipating that you’d actually do Kikumaru Beam though.
Tezuka:Why.
Fuji: I mean, wouldn’t it be interesting? Seeing you fluttering about in the air. I’d really love to see it! When you do, say “Too bad, So sad, See you next week!” too okay?
Tezuka: I refuse.
Fuji: Oh, my. Too bad, so sad, see you next week~
Tezuka: Anyway, what does Inui’s memo say about this match?
Fuji: You seem to be very interested in Inui’s memo, Tezuka.
Tezuka:Mm.
Fuji: Let’s see… “The day before the match, Shishido and Ootori went to church, while Oishi and Kikumaru went to a temple…”.
Tezuka: What for?
Fuji: Who knows? They probably went to make some sort of vow.
Tezuka: Well, all right then.
Fuji: Oh, there’s more. “When an omikuji was drawn, Great Curse came out…”

[T.N.:Omikujis are these random fortune strips of paper you can draw at temples, and it ranges from Great Luck (best luck) to Great Curse (worst luck).]

Tezuka: Oishi and Kikumari got that?
Fuji: Nah, isn’t it Inui? The memo looks like it was written with force… Some of the letters were even blotted out by tears.
Tezuka:Really?
Fuji: Nope! But Great Curse does exist, huh… Isn’t it even rarer than Great Blessing? Inui’s kind of lucky, in a way. I’m jealous! I want to get that too…
Tezuka: Fuji… You’re exceptionally…optimistic, aren’t you.
Fuji: You think? It’s an honor to get a compliment from you!
Tezuka:Exceptionally optimistic.
Fuji: The way Oishi and Eiji move in sync here… They really do move exactly the same way even in video. How surprising…
Tezuka: Apparently neither Oishi and Kikumaru remember this moment.
Fuji: Then, they really were playing subconsciously during this moment? That’s amazing!
Tezuka: When you look at it from that perspective, it’s as if they were going through something like State of Self Actualization.
Fuji: State of Self Actualization, but for doubles, I suppose.
Tezuka: Unlike the Hyotei pair who were trying to sync up on purpose, Oishi and Kikumaru on the other hand were doing it unconsciously. They don’t even have to communicate.
Fuji: In other words, they can reduce the time they need for their next move. Making it easier for them to surprise their opponent.
Tezuka: That’s most likely why Oishi and Kikumaru suddenly started dominating after they synced up.
Fuji: If the match continued, Oishi and Kikumaru could probably have won…
Tezuka: It was a possibility.
Fuji: The bond between pairs sure is nice… When I’m paired with Taka-san, I feel like I’m calmer and more in control of the match, and it was very exciting when I was paired with Eiji. By forming a pair with someone, you could learn something new about yourself and bring out much more power.
Tezuka:Mm.
Fuji: But I think what these two have is a lot more special. It was as if they were connected on a psychological level, like they were in each other’s care… Have you ever wished you had a partner like that, Tezuka?
Tezuka: I’m sure it’d feel reassuring.
Fuji: Should we try doing doubles sometime?
Tezuka: We should.

♔ The moment Fuji talked about the pairs going to a church/temple, many commented saying both pairs got married. It didn’t help that Fuji said they made a vow lmao, even though it didn’t necessarily mean a marriage vow. But it still raised some eyebrows. :P
♔ No one even doubted Fuji’s words and people started getting amused about Inui’s tears, only for Fuji to very cutely admit he was lying. What a minx.
♔ Tezuka kept calling Fuji a “positive” guy and people started saying “Fuji-tive”.

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