Exchange

Fudomine Classroom.

"Muneyoshi, you seem a bit down in class these past few days."

Seeing Saeki Muneyoshi slumped listlessly on the table, his classmate Tachibana Kippei asked him curiously.

Although he knew Muneyoshi had excellent grades, he still felt that Zongyan's behavior of resting on his desk during class was disrespectful to the teacher.

"Ju, I'm fine, I just want some peace and quiet..."

Because of the agreement made with Watanabe Osamu in February, the exchange competition was finalized, but the content and training for the exchange between the two schools were also determined.

These past few days, he had intended to pass the task to Hanamura Aoi, but Hanamura Aoi became very interested after seeing his first proposal and wanted to extract more information from him.

So every day, in addition to routine training, he has extra work to do, which is completely contrary to his principle of "if you can lie down, you absolutely cannot get caught up in the work".

"Muneyoshi, I heard from the coach that in a few days we'll be having a fairly long training match against another school."

Do you know which team it is?

Tachibana Kippei's gaze held a hint of casualness; such routine training matches were quite common.

The Fudomine before was because it was weak, and nobody wanted to be there.

But now that they've become more powerful, they invite quite a few schools each time.

"Ju, guess!"

When this matter was brought up, Muneyoshi also became interested. He straightened up and leaned back, looking confident and composed.

"A school in Kansai or Kanto?"

Seeing that Muneyoshi was unwilling to explain directly, Tachibana Kippei realized that there might be other reasons and began to think about it seriously.

After a moment, a hint of wisdom flashed in Tachibana Kippei's eyes, and he said:

Is it Shitenhoji in Osaka or Shishigaku in Kyushu?

"As expected of you, Tachibana, you actually narrowed down the scope so much."

"You mentioned it before, Muneyoshi, have you forgotten, at the end of last semester?"

Tachibana Kippei chuckled and explained, "Besides, communication definitely requires similar strength, so it's easy to guess."

"Indeed, among these schools of similar strength, Rikkai Dai is out of the running right now, and Seigaku has only just played against them; moreover, like Hyotei Academy, they are all potential rivals for us."

Muneyoshi confirmed Tachibana Kippei's guess and said:

"And as I mentioned Shitenhoji to you before, you should be able to see Chitose this time..."

"Chitose..."

When Muneyoshi mentioned Chitose, Tachibana Kippei fell silent. His friend's injuries were indeed caused by him, and this was his only unresolved issue.

Afternoon.

Saeki Muneyoshi came to the stadium to organize the training sessions for the club members.

As training was nearing its end, Hanamura Aoi arrived at the court and told everyone about the friendly match.

When Ishida Tetsu heard it was Shitenhoji, he got excited for a moment, then quietly went to a corner and continued training his strength.

Osaka can be considered his hometown, but if he goes to Shitenhoji, he will meet his older brother again, and he will show him how much he has grown.

Tachibana Kippei shared a similar mindset. Although he knew about it earlier than Ishida, he was also prepared to meet Chitose here.

Shitenhoji.

"Fudomine Junior High in Tokyo has agreed to an exchange program with us for one to two weeks, starting in three days. Everyone, get ready and train hard!"

Having received a definite reply from Hanamura Aoi, Watanabe Osamu left the club office, gathered all the members together, and announced...

His dark green eyes held a hint of seriousness, and his usual lazy demeanor was gone.

"Yes!"

After all, they were a powerful school that had defeated Rikkai Dai, and everyone else was also full of curiosity about the upcoming Fudomine. Seeing the coach's serious expression, the team members also straightened up and responded in unison.

After spending a long time together, they knew very well that Watanabe Osamu could joke around with you, but whenever he got serious, what he said was very important and needed to be taken seriously.

"Alright, no need to be so serious. Shiraishi, Hara Tetsu, you two come with me for a moment. The rest of you will be trained by Chitose."

Watanabe summoned the two former ministers, leaving a group of excited members standing there.

"Yuji, do you think any of the guys coming from Tokyo this time will be handsome?"

With her buzz cut and glasses, Konjiki Koharu covered her face with her hands, blushing and acting coy, and began to daydream.

Seeing Koharu lost in her wild fantasies again, Hitotsui Yuji, with his long dark green hair and green headscarf, was speechless.

"Xiaochun, are you planning to cheat on me again?!"

At these times, Hitotsui Yuji would unleash a furious roar, directly shattering Koharu's fantasy.

"No, my favorite is still Yuji, mua~"

Their performance was a surefire way to create awkward silences.

Even those who were already familiar with them couldn't stand it anymore.

"Uh..."

Oshitari, Zaizen, and the others instinctively moved away from the two seemingly perverted individuals.

"Although I've visited Shitenhoji many times, I still feel a little out of place..."

Even the usually tolerant Chitose looked defeated, covering her forehead and twitching her lips, somewhat helpless.

"I don't know what Coach Watanabe said to Koharu and Yuji last year, but it feels like this kind of humor is going in a weird and strange direction."

Oshitari Kenya and rubbed his forehead, feeling that it would be more normal for the team to consist only of Shiraishi, himself, and Chitose.

"Hmph, I don't think it matters at all. I already regretted coming to Shitenhoji, so I wouldn't be surprised if something even more outrageous happened now."

Zaizen, a first-year Zaizen standing nearby, glanced at Oshitari Kenya, then looked at the huge, bald guy next to him. He had already chosen to lie down.

In any case, everyone at Shitenhoji is abnormal.

Just like his senior, Ishida Gin, who has terrifying muscles and strength, his biggest hobby after training every day is reading Buddhist scriptures.

"Chitose, Tachibana Kippei will also be coming this time, and you two heroes will be reunited once again."

The group was conducting their routine training. The tallest member Koishikawa, looked at Chitose, who was about the same height as him, and said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Chitose paused for a moment, then smiled faintly:

"Yes, it's been a long time since I've seen him either."

Chitose gently touched her right eye, a flicker of passionate fire flowing within her calm gaze.

Three days later, Muneyoshi and his group arrived in Osaka.

"Wow, is this Shitenhoji? It really is a temple!"

Those who visit Shitenhoji for the first time are filled with curiosity about the place.

On his second visit, Muneyoshi readily introduced Shitenhoji to the group.

"Muneyoshi..."

As the group approached the gates of Shitenhoji, Tachibana Kippei's expression suddenly became hesitant.

Perhaps out of guilt at the thought of seeing his friend again, Tachibana Kippei was initially quite excited, but once they actually set off together for Shitenhoji, Tachibana Kippei fell silent.

Now that he is about to meet Chitose Senri, Tachibana Kippei has become even more conflicted and hesitant.

"Let's go. The people from Shitenhoji have all come out. Tachibana, we're already here, we still have to face them."

P. S.: "Just two chapters left. I originally wanted to ask for leave, but I typed them all out on my phone in bed. I haven't taken a single day off since I started writing this book..."

I initially thought it was just a minor cold, though serious, that I should be mostly better after a good night's sleep. I haven't had a cold in years, and I don't usually take medicine when I do get one; a little exercise like playing basketball or going for a run usually makes it go away on its own. But this time it was a bit severe. I slept until my whole body ached, and when I woke up, the wind was biting cold. I couldn't stand it and took some medicine, which gave me a slight relief, but I still felt cold when I got up. Fellow readers, please be careful during the changing seasons.

Also, today is the last day of double rewards, so please support us if you have any tickets left. Thanks!