Prince of Tennis: Shocking! Hyotei's Demon King is a Yukimura fangirl!

Saint Rudolph closed the fan in his hand.

He sat in the middle of the stands, his notebook open on his lap, the pen tip circling the four characters "Tezuka Kunimitsu".

"Ah, it's exactly the same as the script I deduced."

He twirled his bangs with his index finger, his gaze lingering on Tezuka for a moment, a slight smile playing on his lips. "After Kawamura won the singles match three times, I figured I'd go to Seigaku and use our strongest team to take the crucial point. And sure enough."

Akazawa asked in surprise, "You guessed it?"

"The script that was released after the third singles match ended."

Mizuki opened her notebook and tapped her fingertip on the marked specimen direction. "I've studied Atobe Keigo's match data. He's an evenly matched opponent to Tezuka. But Hyotei has a mysterious substitute coach this year, and they also had a training camp with Rikkai a few weeks ago. These are all variables."

"The Seigaku coach couldn't possibly ignore this, so assuming she's already secured a 3-0 victory in the singles match, she's highly unlikely to gamble her only ace on such a risky situation. Instead, she'll place Tezuka in a 'must-win' position."

"But that's how Seigaku arranged their lineup before the match. They put Kawamura in position three and Tezuka in position two... That's something I didn't expect."

As he spoke, his voice lowered by half an octave: "This means that from the moment it was confirmed that the opponent was Hyotei, Kawamura's point was already factored in. Regardless of whether he was injured or not, he had to win that game."

Akazawa's brows furrowed even more: "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that Seigaku's plan is more decisive than I thought." Mizuki's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried a confident calmness. "They're not betting on Tezuka's chances of winning in position one, but they're betting on Kawamura fighting to the bitter end. That's the underlying logic of their entire lineup."

"Decisive?" Liu Ze leaned closer, looking puzzled. "Watching your teammate lose their hand, is that what you call decisive?"

Mizuki glanced at him sideways: "I was referring to tactical decisiveness. As for the players..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the pause itself said it all.

"So Kawamura's bravery just now wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision." Yanagisawa stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, his tone carrying a complex mix of emotions: "He knew they had won a doubles match, and with his captain backing him up, he finally yelled, 'I don't care what happens to my arm, as long as Seigaku wins!' I was wondering how he could be so sure that sacrificing his arm would give the team a decisive advantage. Now I know!"

Guan Yue glanced at him again but didn't reply.

Akazawa recalled their formation again, frowning. "Wait a minute... isn't this just the same strategy Fudomine used against Hyotei at the Metropolitan Tournament? But winning like this is a bit... unfair, isn't it? Relying on injured players to score points, and then having the captain deliver a crushing blow."

"Competitive sports are all about winning and losing. Winning unfairly is still winning, and it's better than losing." Mizuki glanced at him sideways and chuckled. "Tian Ji's horse racing strategy involves using inferior horses to wear down superior ones, and then using superior and average horses to win two rounds. Seigaku's strategy is to use Kawamura to replace Kabaji, and then use Tezuka to defeat Oshitari."

After processing his initial shock, Yanagisawa leaned over, glanced at the words in his notebook, and chuckled, "So, we're going to see two good shows today? First, Tezuka vs. Oshitari, then Fuji vs. Atobe."

"Indeed." Akazawa sighed and replied, "Both Seigaku and Hyotei are playing their first match of the Kanto Tournament today, so they have to play the first five games. No matter how this match ends, they still have to play the singles match."

Yuta stood at the front of the fence, watching Tezuka's back, his lips pursed. He remembered what his brother Fuji had said during his match against Echizen, and he remembered Kawamura's hand dangling outside the stretcher when he was carried away.

She murmured, "...Brother, you clearly can't stand seeing the people you care about get hurt."

Upon hearing this, Guan Yue paused for a moment, then continued writing.

Yuta was still staring at the field, recalling his days at Seigaku. He felt a little down and asked softly, "Is my brother... playing singles?"

Without even looking up, Guan Yue replied, "What else can we do? We can't exactly let a first-year student play the number one position."

"Does... does Captain Tezuka know about this?"

"Know what?"

"Knowing that I'm in this position means that Kawamura-senpai's sacrifice is 'permitted'." Yuta's voice was low, as if he were talking to himself.

No one answered him.

On Yamabuki's side, Sengoku Kiyosumi rested her chin on her hand, her eyes darting between Seigaku and Hyotei. She clicked her tongue and said, "Wow, that's some skill. But Kawamura's injury looks painful. Hyotei's not so lucky this time. This game... is in trouble."

Just as Tan Taichi had managed to drag Akutsu back with all his might, he saw this scene and exclaimed in surprise, "W-what about Hyotei?"

"I don't know." Sengoku greeted Akutsu, who had a gloomy expression, with a playful shrug, and shrugged. "But Oshitari from Hyotei isn't someone who can be easily devoured. And... that Mochizuki Ryo from Hyotei isn't so easily outmaneuvered. He's mysterious, and he can even speak cat language. Maybe he already sent his little black cat to investigate Seigaku's formation and was prepared..."

My companion sat beside me, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan a little slower than before. Having lived for so many years and witnessed so much on the field, he knew that some things didn't need to be pointed out; he could see them for himself.

He squinted slightly, looking in the direction of Seigaku, and remained silent for a while.

"Coach, what are you looking at?" Tan Taichi turned around and glanced at him.

"That old hag Ryuzaki, she's getting more and more daring as she gets older. She wouldn't have dared to make such a move before. She was too busy playing it safe to gamble so much." The old woman's eyes, which had been squinting, opened slightly, revealing a hint of clarity in her cloudy pupils. "She's really going all out this year. It seems she's determined to leave a good record before she retires. She knows what Kawamura is capable of. But she didn't stop him."

"So why do you think she's become bolder and less conservative this year?"

The old man remained silent for a moment. He started fanning himself again, the breeze ruffling a few strands of his gray hair. His voice was gentle, but a little brighter than before, "Long Qijin hasn't suddenly become bolder. It's because she's seen a future worth gambling on. It's just that this future... is a little too naive."

The people around him turned to look at him in shock.

Sengoku raised an eyebrow and swallowed hard. "You mean...?"

Instead of answering directly, Banlao looked across the crowd in the stands and landed on the short boy wearing a baseball cap on the Seigaku coaching bench.

Ryoma Echizen was sitting in a chair, tossing a tennis ball in his hand, his posture relaxed and showing no signs of tension. He only occasionally lifted the brim of his hat to steal a glance at the Hyotei stands.

After observing for a long time, the old man slowly said, "Echizen Nanjiro's son... that old woman placed all her hopes on him, thinking he could take the team further. She was truly betting the entire future of Seigaku on an unknown card."

Sengoku followed his gaze and looked at Echizen, clicking his tongue. "Besides Echizen Nanjiro's son, their team also has a golden doubles duo, and in singles, they have the formidable genius Fuji Syusuke. Tezuka Kunimitsu is even a national-level player. Momoshiro and Kaidou are also quite strong. Seigaku's roster this year is the best they've had in decades. With a little effort, they might just be able to reach the national tournament. This is their last chance before retirement, so whoever is coaching them would have to take a gamble."

Tan Taichi, who was listening nearby and only half understood, clutched his support handkerchief and asked in a low voice, "Then, with Seigaku's formation like this, do they have a good chance of winning?"

My companion did not answer this question.

He turned his gaze back towards Hyotei, his eyes lingering for a moment on Mochizuki Ryo, the blond boy leaning against the railing, casually adjusting the ribbon in his hair.

"Whether the odds are good or not depends on whether the opponent can keep up. That little coach at Hyotei is cunning; she might not let us win this game so easily. The old lady might have played the wrong hand against the wrong opponent."

"Of course... whether it can even be launched is another matter."

The students of Hexagon Middle School clung to the railings.

Aoi Kentaro was leaning on the railing, swinging back and forth. Kuroba Harukaze stood next to him, glanced down at him, and reached out to pat his shoulder.

"Kentaro, if you keep shaking the railing, it'll break."

Kentaro Aoi turned around and grabbed Saeki's arm, shaking it: "Saeki-nii, Saeki-nii, isn't that guy with glasses the captain of Seigaku? Isn't he the strongest? Shouldn't he be last?"

Saeki Kojiro smiled, reached out and ruffled his hair, carefully choosing his words: "...Every team has its own tactical arrangements. Sometimes, to win, they'll send their strongest player to play the most crucial match, not necessarily the last one. Just watch and see."

Aoi Kentaro gave a vague "Oh," then asked, "So, how strong is that guy from Hyotei he's going to fight later, named Oshitari?"

"You'll see how impressive he is once you see him," Saeki said, his gaze falling on Yuushi Oshitari on the sidelines. "That guy at Hyotei didn't just get there by luck."

Amane Hikaru stood to the side, glanced at Tezuka, then at Hyotei's side, remained silent for a moment, and suddenly blurted out, "The captain not fighting the captain, isn't this just playing hide-and-seek? Pfft~ Maybe the number one position is too expensive, they can't afford to fight. Pfft~"

Saeki gave a helpless smile, not bothering to retort to his lame joke. But there was a hint of regret in his eyes as he looked at Tezuka.