Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. Only the steady rhythm echoed across the after-school tennis courts. A single small figure faced the wall, hitting ball after ball. Seishun Academy Middle School—one of the top tennis powerhouses in Tokyo. Four hard courts, two clay courts. Facilities unheard of for a middle school in the city. But right now, only Echizen Ryouma stood on these courts. He gripped the racket in his left hand, absorbed in his wall practice. His determined brown eyes tracked the rebounding ball. "...Mada mada dane." The catchphrase slipped out, aimed at no one in particular. He was hitting his spots just fine. But something felt off. Two weeks since winning the nationals. His body felt sluggish, so Ryouma kept up these solo practice sessions every day. A long shadow stretched across the court as the sun began to sink. "Echizen." A low, resonant voice. Ryouma turned. The captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu, stood there. They hadn't been there moments ago, yet now they simply were. That was the kind of person they were. 179 centimeters tall. Sharp, narrow eyes looked down at Ryouma. "[serious] Look at this." In their hand was a racket. Brand new. The grip tape was still pristine. No manufacturer's logo. At the base of the grip, unfamiliar, intricate patterns were etched. Ryouma tilted his head. "[surprised] What's that?" "It arrived at my house this morning. No sender." Tezuka held out the racket. The moment he took it— A chill shot through Ryouma's fingertips. Cold. No, more than cold. Something... unsettling. A shiver crawled down his spine. "...Weird racket." He frowned, staring at it. But Tezuka seemed entirely unconcerned. "[serious] Hit with it." "A match this time?" A fearless grin on his face, Ryouma stepped onto the court. Tezuka took their place on the other side of the net. The way they held their racket was the same as always. Flawless. Ryouma tossed the ball. Pang! He served. But—huh? The ball veered just slightly to the right. Normally, he could pinpoint the corner. "[cold] Don't get careless." Tezuka's voice cut through as they returned Ryouma's shot. "[sarcastic] Mada mada dane." Talking back, Ryouma re-gripped the racket. (Am I just off my game today...?) A nagging discomfort lodged deep in his chest. But he couldn't put it into words. Was it the racket, or was it him? By the time practice ended and he headed home, the sky was completely dark. *** The next morning. After passing through Seishun Academy's main gate, Ryouma headed for the tennis club room as usual. The club building was right next to the courts. A two-story prefab; tennis on the first floor, table tennis on the second. And then— His feet stopped in front of the club room. Someone was standing there. Arms crossed, standing tall and imposing in front of the club room door. Wearing Captain Tezuka's uniform. But the figure was— Huh? Ryouma did a double take. They were wearing Captain Tezuka's uniform. No doubt about it. That crisp, precise way of wearing it was unmistakably the captain's. But the body's lines were clearly female. Narrow shoulders, a defined waist. Even the arms peeking from under the uniform were slender and graceful. The face was different, too. The sharp gaze was unchanged. But the eyelashes were long, the jawline softer. An androgynous, dignified beauty. A girl. Definitely a girl. "[cold] Cutting it close, Echizen." The voice was low. But maybe a touch higher than usual. "...Captain?" A dumbfounded voice escaped Ryouma's lips. "[serious] Yes." No mistake. That look in their eyes was undeniably Tezuka Kunimitsu. "My hair hasn't changed, right!? I can't really tell even with a mirror!" A panicked voice from behind. Ryouma turned to see the vice-captain, Oishi Syuichiro, peering into a hand mirror. Wait, that's Oishi, right? The voice was Oishi's. But they were shorter, and their hair was kind of... fluffy. Wearing the girls' uniform made them look like a completely different person. "Nyaa! Skirts are all fluttery, it feels weird!" A girl with red hair was bouncing up and down. Kikumaru Eiji. Their cat-like movements were the same, but their body was entirely that of a girl. "...There's no data like this in my notebook." A girl with glasses stood frozen at the club room entrance. Their data notebook had fallen to the ground, a look of despair on their face. Ryouma's mind went blank. (What is this. What's going on.) "Echizen." Tezuka spoke. "[serious] Last night, every club member who touched that racket ended up like this." "Eh..." "Except you." Hearing that, Ryouma looked at his own hands. His usual hands. Still a boy. "[serious] Echizen-kun being the only one unaffected... perhaps because he touched the racket the longest, he developed some kind of resistance..." Oishi offered a guess. But their voice lacked confidence. "[serious] Insufficient data. I can't confirm anything." Inui shook their head. They picked up their notebook, trying to write something. But the hand holding the pen was trembling. "Nyaa! Ryouma's the only one being sneaky! Being the only one who stays a boy!" Kikumaru pounced, skirt fluttering. "Whoa! H-hey, senpai!?" Ryouma hastily stepped back. Kikumaru's face was the same as before. And yet, having them so close made his heart pound. Because they had a girl's body. (Calm down, calm down...) His heart was loud. Why now, of all times. "Echizen." Tezuka's voice silenced the area. "[serious] I'm entrusting the investigation of this racket to you." Ryouma's eyes widened. "[surprised] But Captain, Echizen-kun is still a first-year..." Oishi interjected, sounding worried. "[serious] Echizen is the man who will become Seigaku's pillar." Tezuka's gaze fixed directly on Ryouma. Even in a girl's form, the force of their eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest. "[serious] Furthermore, since he hasn't transformed, he can act the most calmly." Ryouma took a small breath. (I don't know why I'm the only one who didn't change.) (But the captain entrusted this to me.) "...Understood." He answered shortly. He took that racket back from Tezuka. Again, that cold sensation traveled through his fingers. But this time, he felt a strange sense of responsibility along with it. Then, Ryouma looked at Tezuka once more. A girl's figure in a uniform. But their back was perfectly straight, dignified. (The captain's beautiful...) He thought it, then immediately shook his head. What am I thinking. "[sarcastic] But Captain, walking the school hallways looking like that is gonna be pretty rough." He muttered quietly. "..." Tezuka's eyebrow moved, just for an instant. Wind blew in from outside the window. The after-school tennis courts were still empty. Ryouma re-gripped the racket. He had absolutely no idea what to do from here. But—he had to do it. After all, the captain had entrusted it to him. And so, the unprecedented investigation of the curse began.