Identity Swap

On the field, the second goal was the same as the first.

The back-and-forth fighting continued for several more minutes. Even against stamina monsters like Kane and Kaitou, Higa Junior High's doubles team handled the situation with ease.

"The people at Higa Junior High are really tenacious."

"Yes, it's amazing that they were able to hold on for so long."

"But why did Kaitou have to catch the dry ball herself..."

"I noticed that too, and there were several times when Gan deliberately didn't catch the ball, letting Kaitou run to a farther place to save it."

"There's another very important thing, Kaitou... hasn't managed to defeat Snake Shot yet."

At first, he would still be able to receive some of the balls that belonged to him on the court, but gradually he could only adopt the posture of returning the ball.

Then Kaitou would immediately rush to the dry position and return the ball in advance, even for some very difficult shots.

The Seigaku members didn't quite understand why Kaitou was taking on so much.

But at this moment, Kaitou on the field gritted her teeth and persevered, no matter where the ball returned by her opponent flew.

Even when it required him to dive and save the ball, he never hesitated.

"I think Senpai Kaitou is probably testing something, deliberately sealing away his signature move, and then adding weight to the wristbands on his hands."

Horio was also somewhat puzzled by Kaitou's actions.

As for the real reason why Kaitou did this, it all stemmed from the time Kaitou went to watch a professional tennis match.

That was some time after the Kanto Tournament ended, when Tokyo hosted a match between professional tennis players.

Because it was her favorite professional player, Kaitou sat in the audience and watched with great joy.

However, the sudden appearance of several people interrupted Kaitou's interest. Two people in school uniforms and several people in ordinary student clothes appeared behind Kaitou's seat.

"This is the first time so many of the world's top professional players have gathered in Japan."

"Yes, that's really exciting."

"Have you heard? Rikkai Dai, who won the national championship for two consecutive years, actually lost in the Kanto region."

"Really? Are there any schools in the Kanto region that are better than Rikkai Dai?"

"I think it's called something like Seigaku Academy."

"Never heard of that. I bet he won by luck."

The long-haired man looked down on his short-haired companion when he mentioned Seigaku's name.

"Speaking of which, it seems the captain from Rikkai Dai is also suffering from some serious illness and unable to participate in the competition."

"How lucky, it would have been better if it had continued to get worse."

"Besides, who would get sick at this time?"

"Yeah, they're really useless, hahaha."

Upon hearing what the two said, Kaitou's already bad expression completely collapsed.

She stood up, grabbed the man with the buzz cut by the collar, glared at him fiercely, and then casually tossed him far away.

What's wrong with you?

"Could it be a player from Rikkai Dai?"

When the two said they were from Rikkai Dai, Kaitou was speechless.

"Perfect timing, wanna fight, bandana guy?"

"How could they let someone as lousy as you join the club? Even the Rikkai Dai has fallen so low."

Having played against Rikkai Dai before, Kaitou knew how strong Rikkai Dai was.

Hearing that someone dared to underestimate her opponent, Kaitou's anger flared up immediately.

He cursed loudly and then punched the long-haired man in the face.

"You bastard, say it again if you dare."

I got punched and then I got yelled at.

The long-haired man and his companion immediately prepared to retaliate, and seeing this, Kaitou also prepared to fight.

"Stop it right now!"

Just then, a voice came from the side. The group turned around and saw that it was Yagyu Hiroshi from Rikkai Dai.

Seeing the Rikkai Dai regulars emerge, even those who had previously spoken ill of Rikkai Dai became somewhat flustered.

"You're the Rokurigaoka Junior High School tennis club representing the Donghai region, right? Do you both want to be banned from the National Tournament?"

"What? It was clearly one of your own club members who started it."

Upon hearing Yanagi threaten them with a ban, the previously panicked group immediately retorted.

"He's not a member of Rikkai Dai; he's a player from Seigaku, the champion Seigaku in the Kanto region."

"What!?"

Upon hearing the true origin of the Kaitou, the students of Rokurigaoka Middle School were once again alarmed.

"Anyway, staying here will only cause trouble for the other viewers. Let's go outside and talk."

To maintain order in the stadium stands, Yanagi wanted everyone to go outside to talk.

Upon hearing what Yanagi said, the man with the buzz cut from Rokurigaoka Middle School moved his eyes and then revealed a strange smile.

"Okay, but let's settle things with a tennis ball after we get out."

The buzz-cut man's words surprised Yanagi and Kaitou; competing in private at this time was risky.

They were just afraid of being banned, but they actually took the initiative to ask to compete, and Yanagi and Kaitou did not refuse.

At the open-air sports field outside the stadium, both Yanagi and Kaitou changed into their respective uniforms.

"You're here! Your uniforms are really cool, as expected of someone from Tokyo."

"Stop being so long-winded, let's get started."

Kaitou didn't want to listen to their rambling for a second longer, so she grabbed her racket and headed to the court.

Yanagi and Kaitou initially thought that since the other school had made it into the National Tournament, their strength should be decent.

However, the result was that the two players from Rokurigaoka Middle School were completely powerless against the attacks of Yanagi and Kaitou. After Yanagi and Kaitou used their respective skills, the game ended with an absolute advantage of 6-0.

The two students from Rokurigaoka Middle School were so ashamed after being beaten that they wanted to disappear, while the man with the buzz cut quickly recovered.

"You're really capable. Even at your worst, you're still worthy of being the representatives of Kanto. Since we've lost, we'll be leaving now."

After saying that, the two left the field looking dejected.

Little did they know, behind the bushes not far from the match, several people who had been with the man with the buzz cut were recording the match with a video camera.

"Match recordings of the first and second teams in the Kanto region. Underestimating Rokurigaoka will only lead to trouble."

Looking at the two memory cards in his hand, the buzz-cut man said smugly.

After that, the man with the buzz cut glanced at Yanagi and Kaitou, who were still on the court, and then left with the others.

After these people left, Yanagi and Kaitou, who were packing their things, suddenly took off their wigs and headscarves.

"They have a special training class from Rokurigaoka Middle School, which is quite troublesome, so we can't play seriously when we compete against them."

When all the decorations were removed, their true appearances were revealed.

It turns out that the two had switched identities during the match and were fighting against the people from Rokurigaoka. Yanagi knew their trick, which is why he came up with this plan.

Even so, that's not how I hit my Spinning Snake Shot.

"My Laser Beam isn't fired like that."

Both players were dissatisfied with their recent use of each other's signature techniques.