The friendly punch jars him out of getting absorbed in his thoughts too much. That's probably a good thing. He thinks he understands the spirit behind it, something he'll appreciate later after he's done sulking.

He's got some reflecting to do, too, because it's more than a hatred of losing. This match was a splash of cold water to his ideas about the strength of other players his own age. That was what it meant to be a regular at Rikkai, huh.

He watches Marui turn to the other player and answer with a smile, "What an interesting first-year." Echizen isn't sure what to really make of that, and he doesn't really care enough to try. What he does care about... What he does want...

"Senpai," he calls in a bid for attention. When Marui looks over his shoulder at him, he approaches, hesitates, and pushes down his ego just enough to bow his head, eyes hidden under the brim of his cap.

"Thank you for the match. Please... play me again sometime."

He wants to become stronger. Much, much stronger.