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

Seeing Jiro, Marui, and the others celebrating happily, Shishido finally couldn't help but speak up:

"What are you all getting so excited about? Kawamura has won, and Seigaku is leading 2-1. Our second singles player is Oshitari, and theirs is Tezuka. You, in that 'important position,' won't even get a chance to play."

Jiro's excitement deflated like a punctured balloon. He let out a soft "Ah," his shoulders slumped, and his voice carried a clear sense of disappointment: "...Oh, right."

Marui handed him all the snacks in his hand, then patted him on the back: "Oh, it's okay, it's okay. Anyway, now you know you're important."

"That's true..." Jiro straightened up again, his voice a little lower than before, but the spirit was still there. "Anyway, I was going to watch it here anyway. It's good to be able to watch the game."

Liu's voice, neither too loud nor too soft, drifted into everyone's ears: "Although the substitute can't play now, this safety net move was truly amazing. They anticipated all the possible outcomes of the singles match before today's game and took precautions..."

He opened his eyes and looked at Mochizuki Ryo, who was not far away, radiating an aura of "Yes, if you praise me like that, I'm just that awesome." He almost couldn't hold back: "It seems that not only do the Seigaku coach and captain value Echizen Ryoma, but our Hyotei acting coach also values ​​him highly. He even specifically placed Hyotei's top singles player on the bench."

Yukimura followed Liu's gaze to Mochizuki Ryo's back, which had been "praised," and couldn't help but chuckle. He lowered his head and scratched Luna's chin with his fingertips, and the kitten purred contentedly.

He leaned close to the kitten's ear, his voice low, as if whispering to it: "Look at him, his tail's practically pointing to the sky."

Luna meowed, earnestly echoing its father, Yukimura. Its paws rested on the edge of the bagel, and it tilted its little head to glance in the direction of Mochizuki Ryo, then pulled back and rested its chin on Yukimura's wrist.

Wang Yueling had his back to them and had maintained the same posture since the beginning. He didn't turn around or say anything, but the red mark behind his ears gave him away.

Liu paused for several seconds, his brows slightly furrowed, before presenting the data: "Currently, Seigaku leads 2-1 in the overall score. If Hyotei doesn't hold back in the second singles match, Seigaku will advance directly with a 3-1 victory. Even if Atobe wins the first singles match, it will be too late."

"Seigaku's move was risky, but the potential rewards are extremely high."

After he finished speaking, there was a few seconds of silence.

Sanada hadn't said a word since asking that question earlier.

He stood at the very front, his hat pulled low, obscuring his expression. But his taut jawline revealed that he was far from calm.

"...unorthodox methods."

Niou, standing slightly behind him, heard this and a slight smirk appeared on his lips. He glanced at Yagyu, who was slowly sipping water from his cup. Receiving Niou's gaze, Yagyu shook his head gently.

Niou ignored his shaking head, turned back, and his voice, neither loud nor soft, drifted into Sanada's ears: "Piyo~ Vice-Captain, who were you calling unorthodox?"

Sanada didn't look at him. He raised his head, his face as dark as ink, his eyes under the brim of his hat fixed on Tezuka's back on the field, his expression clearly disapproving. "A fair and square duel is the true nature of competition. Using such underhanded tactics to win, avoiding the strong and bullying the weak, is not advisable."

"Even if it's not worth it, they still used it." Niou raised an eyebrow, stroked his chin, his silver braid swaying, a playful smile in his fox-like eyes. "Genichiro, how can something that's allowed by the rules be considered unorthodox? Puri~ I know you still want to say the captain should face the captain, then Tezuka versus Atobe, it's 50/50. If he loses, Seigaku is finished, the whole team goes home, if he wins, it's only one point. Now he's playing second position against Oshitari, his win rate is over 80%, he can secure a point to end the game. What would you choose?"

"Winning or losing is a small matter; integrity is a big one." Sanada turned and glared at him. "Win with dignity, and lose with honor."

"Oh, so playing the second position with Tezuka is considered lacking in integrity?" Niou raised an eyebrow. "That's called considering the bigger picture."

"you……"

Sanada's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to refute, but he couldn't find the right words for a moment.

Niou chuckled and didn't press him further. He turned back to look at Seigaku, his gaze lingering on Tezuka for a moment before returning to his own.

Yagyu adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "Team formation is part of the game. From a coach's perspective, placing the player with the highest winning percentage in the most crucial, pivotal position is a perfectly reasonable tactical arrangement. Seigaku's tactics are impeccable, but they are slightly flawed in terms of logic."

Kuwabara stroked his bald head and nodded sheepishly, "The lineup for the match was already submitted before the game and can't be changed. Hyotei can't do anything about it now. It's difficult for Oshitari to adjust his form when he suddenly encounters this situation."

Niou listened to his words, turned his head, stared at the Hyotei coaching bench for a long time, then turned back to the person next to Yukimura who was playing with the tip of a Luna's tail. "Not necessarily. Atobe's reaction is a bit off! And that person playing with the cat, isn't he being a little too relaxed? They don't seem to be without a backup plan."

Yagyu adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses falling on Atobe. After a moment, he spoke calmly, "From the moment Tezuka appeared until now, Atobe has been tapping on the armrest. The rhythm hasn't changed; it doesn't seem like he's panicked. But Mochizuki Ryo…"

"Was he already prepared?" Marui mumbled, holding a piece of cake. "Or did he also think he was guaranteed to lose and therefore had nothing to worry about?"

Liu glanced at Wang Yueling, his pen hovering over the paper. "Statistically speaking… Wang Yueling's pre-match plan as coach was executed very well. The tiered formation in doubles 2, the dynamic rotation in doubles 1, the power matchups in singles 3… every position had a clear objective. The probability of problems in singles 2 is…"

He didn't finish speaking; he simply put down his pen, wrote a zero on the paper, and then drew a question mark next to it.

Yukimura sat next to Mochizuki Ryo, holding Luna in his arms.

The kitten, with the tip of its tail pinched by Wang Yueling, turned its head unhappily to look at the ruffled tail, then turned back and stepped on Wang Yueling's forearm with its hind paw, as if to say, "Don't touch my tail."

As soon as Mochizuki Ryo released his grip, Luna immediately retracted his tail, circled around to his front paws, and pressed his two paws together to prevent being scratched again.

Yukimura glanced down at the kitten's movements, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. Then he raised his hand and slapped Mochizuki Ryo, who was about to do something naughty again.

Kirihara squatted in front, listening to his seniors' conversation. He frowned and thought for a long time, his seaweed-like hair becoming noticeably fluffy from his rubbing. Then, somewhat abruptly, he squeezed out, "I've figured it out. So, so the Seigaku people did it on purpose? They never intended for Kawamura-senpai to forfeit in the first place?"

He paused for a moment after he finished speaking, as if he was startled by the conclusion he had just drawn.

He turned to look at Sanada, whose face beneath the brim of his hat was tense and he didn't look at him. He then turned to look at Liu, whose eyes were closed and who remained silent.

A breeze blew in from the other side of the field, carrying the faint smell of the rubber floor and a hint of disinfectant wafting from the direction of the medical building.

The surrounding air fell silent for an even longer time.

Ryo Mochizuki stood up, walked over to Kirihara, and ruffled his droopy, seaweed-like hair. "That kind of move, the Wave Ball, has an unscientific way of generating power, which is very damaging to the tendons. The Seigaku coach couldn't possibly not know that. His teammates couldn't possibly not know that either. Everyone saw that his arm was already giving way, yet they still let him continue playing, which is the answer. Of course, the player's own choice is also very important."

Marui held the cake in his palm and clicked his tongue softly.

"...That's too cruel," Kirihara muttered, his voice much softer than before, "His hand..."

Seeing that "Black Cotton" looked dejected with its two legs drooping, Luna stood up from Yukimura's arms. Its little paws pressed against the edge of the bagel, and it peered curiously towards Mochizuki Ryo.

"So when you went to Seigaku to remind them, and analyzed for so long the reasons why Kawamura 'couldn't afford to lose,' saying you were afraid we'd follow in his footsteps, you actually guessed from the beginning that Seigaku would do this." Yukimura's voice came from the side, not loud, but just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Mochizuki Ryo pulled the finger that Luna was holding onto out of her hand, patted the fine fuzz off her cuff, and slowly swept her hand over the members of Hyotei and Rikkai.

"Going to Seigaku is a final warning. Whether they listen or not is their business. I've said it before, the decision is theirs." He didn't deny it, stating his advice as a senior directly. "As for saying so much, it's naturally a warning. You're still young... I hope that after you listen, you'll think more about yourselves, so that one less person will be carried out of the competition. Otherwise, you'll really think I'm just wasting my time analyzing Kawamura's inner thoughts with you."

"..."

Yukimura didn't say anything more. His gaze fell on Tezuka, who was holding a racket in the Seigaku half of the court, and then moved to Mochizuki Ryo, who looked like she had "all this for the best." He tightened his grip on the cat a little.

Luna was jostled by the force, looked at him in confusion, and then followed his gaze to Wang Yueling, her little tail swishing back and forth, seemingly pondering something.

Yukimura's eyes showed no worry, but rather a hint of amusement, "You guessed it, didn't you?"

This guy always thinks three steps ahead before taking a single step. He had already laid out his safety net move with Jiro, so he didn't think he would have missed the "Tezuka" move.

Mochizuki Ryo reached out and folded the handkerchief he had used to wipe his hands, then stuffed it into his pocket. He didn't respond to the question, but the proud expression on his face that said "Seiichi is the smartest" was enough to answer the question.

Irie leaned against the railing, listening to the entire thing. He was still twirling his sunglasses in his hand, the temples spinning between his fingers. "Wow...that tactical formation was absolutely brilliant! I almost wanted to applaud."

Not quite satisfied with just that, he turned his head with great interest and pulled Tokugawa aside to share, "See? What did I tell you? The junior high school competition with Mochizuki Ryo will definitely be more exciting than the professional competition. Right!"

Tokugawa stumbled as he was pulled, almost losing his footing. He reluctantly took a few steps to the side, but his gaze remained fixed on Mochizuki Ryo.

Irie was already used to his wooden personality. She moved closer to Mochizuki Ryo and nudged his shoulder lightly with her elbow: "Oh ho, Coach Mochizuki, you got tricked by the opponent, how are you going to deal with it?"

He smiled and raised an eyebrow, seemingly just watching the spectacle, but there was something else in the light in his eyes than simply watching.

Tokugawa also turned his head, his expression unchanged, but his gaze now held a quiet scrutiny.

The others were obviously curious as well, and their gazes involuntarily fell on Wang Yueling.

The people from Hyotei were looking at him, the people from Rikkai were looking at him, Irie and Tokugawa were looking at him, and even Yukimura, holding Luna, turned to look at him from the side.

Wang Yueling was simultaneously locked onto by three pairs of eyes from three directions; even the cat was waiting for him to speak.

The scene was somewhat funny.

Wang Yueling slowly brushed the cat hair sticking to her body. Her azure eyes swept across the room, a slight smile playing on her lips, as if she had anticipated their curiosity.

"Being tricked?" He repeated the word, his voice slightly raised at the end. "Senior Irie, do you think I'm only finding out now?"

Irie's eyes lit up: "Oh?!"

Mochizuki Ryo didn't rush to explain. Instead, she turned her head and gave Yukimura a look that seemed to say, "I'll explain later. Let me pretend for a while." She was incredibly smug.

Yukimura knew his character, so he nodded at him, looked away, and lowered his head to rub his chin against the kitten's fluffy forehead.

On the Hyotei side, Oshitari was already checking his racket. He tightened the strings and adjusted the grip, being more careful than usual.

A voice came from behind me.

"Yushi".

Oshitari turned his head and saw Mochizuki Ryo walking towards him from the edge of the stands. He stopped what he was doing, adjusted his glasses, and said in a much more serious voice than usual, "I'll do my best. Even if my opponent is Tezuka, I won't disgrace Hyotei..."

Wang Yueling almost lost her composure when she saw him make such a "heroic sacrifice," and didn't let him finish speaking. She just raised her hand and patted his shoulder, as if to dust him off, or as if to say "don't rush."

The force wasn't strong; it traveled through the fabric of the sportswear, carrying a comforting warmth.

"Just do your best." His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for those around him to hear. "There's no need for 'any' pressure."

After saying that, he turned his head, took half a step back, and leaned over Irie and Tokugawa's shoulders, landing on Tezuka on Seigaku's side. A casual smile played on his lips, and his tone was light and airy, with a touch of lazy French at the end, "Didn't I say that at lunchtime..."

"No matter what tricks Seigaku plays, we're sure to win."

Then, he added in a low voice, as if to himself, "Bien joué (Well done!)"

Seeing his resolute expression, Shinobu's previously anxious heart slowly settled back down, and her fingers, which had been tightly gripping the handle of the paddle, loosened slightly. She took a breath and then exhaled, as if she had unloaded something heavy from her chest.

"……knew."

After saying that, he adjusted his grip on the racket, rotated the racket face, and walked towards the court.

Kirihara leaned against the edge of the stands, his gaze following Oshitari's retreating figure, his tone tinged with serious doubt: "Can Oshitari-senpai really beat Tezuka?"

"Difficult," Liu's voice came from the side. "Based on the data I currently have, while Shinobu is a top singles player at Hyotei, his opponent, Tezuka Kunimitsu, has a 94% win rate in singles, and maintains a 100% win rate in official matches at the junior high school level. This figure, nationally, is second only to…"

He glanced at Yukimura, but didn't finish his sentence.

Yukimura noticed his gaze, smiled slightly, but didn't reply.

"Won't he get his head shaved?"

"Not necessarily." Liu opened his notebook, his gaze sweeping across the pages. "But the odds of winning are indeed slim."

Irie watched Shinobu's retreating figure, then glanced at Mochizuki Ryo, who clearly had her own agenda. She couldn't help but laugh, her shoulders shaking slightly. She put her sunglasses back on her nose, her voice tinged with a hint of mockery: "You're such a good coach... you even play around with your own team members."

As she spoke, she playfully leaned closer, covered her ear with her hand to muffle her voice so only the two of them could hear, "Hey, seriously. What are you planning to do? Tell me secretly, and I promise I won't bother you while you're showing off."

Mochizuki Ryou turned to look at him, a hint of amusement in her azure eyes: "Irie-senpai, you've asked this question so many times."

"Because you haven't answered my curiosity yet." Irie raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I answered." Wang Yueling casually adjusted her slipping hair ribbon. "I said we'd definitely win."

"You said it, but you didn't say how to win."

Wang Yueling glanced at him, chuckled softly, and didn't reply. She turned her head and looked towards the Hyotei coaching bench.

A breeze blew in from the other side of the field, carrying the heat of summer and the smell of the rubber floor.

Immediately afterwards, a laugh came from the direction of the Hyotei coaching bench.

Hahahaha~

It started as a low chuckle, somewhat nonchalant, but the laughter grew louder and more unrestrained, eventually turning into a loud, boisterous laugh.

The sound carried by the wind throughout the entire stadium.