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

Chapter 109 Sanada, what exactly is the reason?

Atobe stood there, racket hanging at his side, his chest rising and falling slightly. His bangs were damp with sweat, a few strands hanging down his forehead, but he didn't brush them away.

He just stood there, looking at Sanada across from him.

There was no ecstasy, no celebration, no signature "revelry in my master's skill."

He simply stood there, calmly and resolutely, accepting the victory.

He raised his hand to brush away the sweat-dampened hair from his forehead, slightly raised his chin, and curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"My victories have always been a given."

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone heard it.

The Hyotei players rushed onto the court.

Mukahi was the first to rush out, his short red hair shimmering like fire in the sunlight. He ran up to Atobe, mouth agape, unable to utter a word for a long time, before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence.

"Minister, you're amazing!" she exclaimed, then turned to Oshitari and shouted excitedly, "Yushi, did you see that?! The minister won! He really won!"

Shinobu pushed up his glasses, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

He saw it, he saw every single ball.

He wasn't the type to yell, but at that moment his heart was beating much faster than usual.

It wasn't because of excitement, but because of something more complex.

What he saw in this match was not only Atobe's victory, but also the heights he himself might reach in the future.

If Atobe can do it.

Then he can too.

Hiyoshi stood on the sidelines, staring at Atobe's back, the veins on his hand gripping the racket bulging.

He muttered something under his breath, his lips moving several times until the person next to him finally heard him clearly: "Inferiority complex... I must inferiority complex..."

His eyes were frighteningly bright when he said that.

Cilang flipped directly off the fence, staggered when he landed, and almost fell.

After regaining his footing, he rushed towards Atobe, then gave him a bear hug, his reddish-brown curly fur bristling, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Atobe, you're the best!"

"Atobe! That shot you just made! That glowing ball! It was amazing! Super amazing!"

Atobe's ears were ringing from his noise, so he raised his hand and gently patted him on the head.

"Be quiet."

Heiji Mukahimi got into the swing of things and completely let loose, lunging at Atobe from behind and nearly knocking him off balance.

"Minister, you're amazing! That grenade! You caught it! And you even sent it flying back! Did you see Sanada's expression? He was completely dumbfounded!"

Shinobu followed behind them, looking at Atobe with a smirk on his face.

"Xiao Jing, today's show was truly spectacular."

Atobe glanced at him.

"Which performance of mine wasn't glamorous?"

Renji smiled and did not refute.

Feng stood on the sidelines, her eyes red-rimmed.

Unlike the others, he didn't rush forward; he just stood there, clapping vigorously, one clap at a time, very earnestly.

Kabaji stood silently beside Atobe, holding a towel and water. His expression remained wooden, but his eyes were shining.

Wang Yueling watched all of this without moving.

But when he looked at Atobe in the center of the court, the curve of his lips was the most pronounced since the start of the game.

Mochizuki Ryou thought for a moment and mentally gave Atobe a score for his performance today.

Not a perfect score.

But it's gorgeous enough.

……

On the field.

Sanada stood still, his racket slipping from his hand.

It wasn't that I didn't hold it properly; my fingers just loosened on their own.

He was soaked in sweat, which darkened a large patch of his team uniform. He was panting heavily, and sweat dripped from his chin onto the grass, making the blades tremble.

He didn't look at Atobe, nor at the scoreboard.

He simply looked at the grass beneath his feet, at the mud and bits of grass clinging to the soles of his shoes.

There was no rage, no resentful roar.

Only utter silence and desolation remained.

Lost.

He lost.

They lost to Atobe's persistence and to his transformative growth.

He lost this protracted battle, which is his least favorite type of game.

They lost to their own stubborn beliefs and their inability to let go of their pride.

He didn't use any "yin" techniques until the very end.

It's not that he doesn't know how to use it; it's that the pride of a king in his heart makes him unwilling to resort to his hidden trump cards only when he's forced into a corner.

Li Hai camp.

From the regular members to the ordinary staff, there was complete silence.

Everyone stood silently, their usual confidence and sense of superiority in crushing their opponents completely overturned in this grueling 7-6 tiebreaker.

No one dared to step forward to comfort him, nor did they know what to say. They could only quietly watch the dejected Sanada, their hearts filled with complex emotions.

Marui stood in Rikkai's team, the mint in his mouth was cold, and so was his heart. He looked at Atobe celebrating his victory on Hyotei's side, then at Sanada on the field, his mouth opened slightly, then closed again.

Kuwabara stood next to him and patted him on the shoulder.

Niou lowered his hand from his braid, looked at Atobe on the field, narrowed his fox-like eyes, and said softly.

"Puri~ This is troublesome."

Liu Sheng didn't speak, but his fingers gripped the racket handle tightly.

Liu stood still, looking in Atobe's direction, her brown eyes swirling with complex emotions.

Kirihara clung to the fence, his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

The vice minister lost.

The deputy minister really lost.

He had never seen Sanada lose in an official match. In his mind, Vice-Captain Sanada was invincible. He was the kind of person who could defeat any opponent, no matter how strong they were.

But now, the vice minister has lost.

He watched the deputy minister's retreating figure, his eyes reddening. He wanted to run over and say, "Deputy Minister, you played very well," but his feet seemed rooted to the ground, and he couldn't take a single step.

Because he knew that Sanada didn't want to hear these things.

……

Looking at the dejected Sanada on the field, and then at Atobe surrounded by the crowd, Wang Yueling felt a mix of emotions.

This match was never a one-sided crushing victory.

It is a fierce battle between two top "kings" in all aspects of physical strength, technique, will, mentality, and realm.

Atobe secured this highly valuable victory through his transformative training, relentless practice day after day, and an almost insane, protracted battle.

Sanada was no less formidable, but he had already fallen into his opponent's trap in the midfield. If he had used "Unpredictable Shadows," the outcome of the match would have been uncertain.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing.

He looked away and saw the Rikkai students standing on the sidelines, all frozen in place. They didn't know whether to go over or what to say.

That sense of unease was written on everyone's face.

He sighed.

He took the towel and water from Yanagi and Kirihara and walked onto the court.

Sanada remained standing there, head down, his expression unreadable.

Wang Yueling walked slowly to his side, bent down and picked up his baseball cap and racket that had fallen to the ground.

I handed over the towel first.

"Give."

Sanada looked up at him, took the towel, and without saying a word, simply covered his head with the towel, obscuring his entire face.

Wang Yueling stood beside him without saying a word.

The two of them stood there quietly for a few seconds.

Sanada's voice came from under the towel, hoarse from a long and intense battle, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Wang Yueling raised an eyebrow.

"What did you say?"

"Shouldn't you be scolding me now?" Sanada's voice was muffled, but there was something indescribable in his tone. It wasn't sulking, it wasn't competitive, it was more like...

Waiting for an expected response.

"I admit I have many shortcomings after losing the game. Now, feel free to criticize me; I'm listening."

This was the first time Wang Yueling had ever heard someone voluntarily offer to curse, and she chuckled softly.

"I won't scold you anymore."

Sanada pulled the towel off his face and looked at him.

"I said before the competition that the training camp was over from that moment on."

Mochizuki Ryo raised an eyebrow, handed him the water, a playful smile in her eyes, and said in a lazy, teasing tone, "I'm just the coach of Hyotei now, and I'm no longer qualified to scold your Rikkai team members."

"Didn't I say that? No matter how well you fight, it depends on your own self-discipline?"

Sanada took the water, but didn't drink it; he just held it in his hand.

"If you want to hear some inspirational words," Wang Yueling tilted her head, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, "I can still give you, a kid who lost the game, several big bowls of them."

"So that you don't get discouraged and then Seiichi will say I didn't take good care of his team."

Sanada stared at him, momentarily stunned.

Then he chuckled.

It wasn't a polite laugh; he was genuinely laughing out of anger.

He glanced at Yue Ling sideways, then vigorously rubbed his head with a towel, making his soaking wet hair even more tangled.

"Shut up."

His voice was still hoarse, but his tone was much more relaxed than before. "I don't really want to hear you scold me, nor do I want to hear your motivational speeches."

Sanada draped the towel around his neck, took the hat from Mochizuki Ryo's hand, put it on his head, and pressed down the brim.

"I'm not someone who can't accept defeat."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards Rikkai University's group.

After taking two steps, I stopped.

He didn't turn around.

Some of what you said before was true.

"besides……"

He paused for a moment, as if something was stuck in his throat, something he couldn't swallow or spit out.

In the end, he didn't finish speaking. He shook his head and walked away without looking back.

Wang Yueling stood there, watching his back, and understood in her heart.

He guessed what Sanada hadn't finished saying.

Perhaps it's an admission that I've been too stubborn and that I'll try to improve; or perhaps it's a sense of guilt for not giving it my all and leaving myself some leeway.

For Sanada, it's harder to back down than to lose a game. The fact that he said "some of what you said before was correct" is already a huge concession.

As Wang Yueling pondered this, she patted the bits of grass off her pants.

Will Sanada change?

Maybe.

Probably not.

A person's character can't be changed with just a few words, and he knew that all along. Sanada's inherent stubbornness and pride couldn't be shattered by just one loss.

He kicked a hornet's nest today, it hurt, and he'll remember it.

But once he recovered, he was still the emperor of Rikkai University, still the Sanada Genichiro who believed that "facing a direct and forceful attack is the only way to win."

How much he can change depends on his own fate.

However, there was one thing that Mochizuki Ryou really couldn't understand.

Sanada never used "yin" in the end.

He had been pushed to that point by Atobe, a tiebreaker, match point, his physical and mental strength were at their limit. He clearly had one trump card up his sleeve, a card that could have been the key to turning the game around, but he just wouldn't use it.

As Mochizuki Ryou watched Sanada's retreating figure, her mind raced, and several big question marks popped into her head.

Why not use "yin"?

In the original storyline, Sanada was useless against Echizen Ryoma in the final of the Kanto Tournament.

Back then, Mochizuki Ryo could still grit her teeth and explain for him that it meant "not bullying the weak," "not bullying juniors," "being upright and honorable," and "saving the ultimate move for Tezuka"...

Although these logics are strange in themselves, isn't the point of playing a game to win? Why do you care if your opponent is a senior or a junior? Is it Tezuka Kunimitsu?

"..."

But today he's up against Atobe.

Atobe is not a junior, not a weakling, and not an opponent for whom he needs to "give way." Atobe is on the same level as him, and in fact, in today's match, Atobe even outperformed him.

When you're driven to the brink, what's the point of hiding anything?

Having ruled out all other excuses, only one remains: it wasn't Tezuka.

Wang Yueling didn't understand and couldn't figure it out.

Perhaps Sanada felt that "yin" (a technique used to manipulate the opponent's strategy) should only be used in the most crucial moments, even more crucial than a tiebreaker or match point. Perhaps he felt that using "yin" meant certain victory, and he wasn't sure if using it would guarantee a win, so he dared not use it. Perhaps Sanada simply felt that his opponent wasn't Tezuka Kunimitsu.

Perhaps he simply felt that winning against Atobe through underhanded means wasn't "honorable" enough.

Either way, it's stupid.

A secret technique is not a secret technique if you don't use it.

What's the difference between practicing something you don't use and not practicing it at all?

Wang Yueling withdrew her gaze and stopped thinking about it.

Since they're not his teammates, it's none of his business to worry about them.

Wait... something's not right...

Sanada is Seiichi's teammate!!!

This is really difficult!

-

Wang Yueling turned around and walked back to Hyotei.

Atobe was sitting on a bench by the court, drying his hair with a towel. His movements were still elegant, but if you looked closely, you could see that his hands were trembling slightly.

It's not tension, it's exhaustion.

That nearly two-hour tug-of-war was enough to make anyone tremble.

The Hyotei team members surrounded him, chattering amongst themselves. Atobe, while drying his hair, responded with "uh-huh" and "ah," a smile playing on his lips; he was clearly in a good mood.

Wang Yueling walked over and stood in front of him.

"I've finished comforting Sanada."

Atobe opened one eye and glanced at him, then closed it again.

"Yeah, he's fine. He's the second-in-command at Rikkai University, he's not that fragile."

"You played well."

Atobe opened his eyes and turned his head to look at him. His icy blue eyes held a sense of entitlement that said, "Of course I did a good job," but the curve of his lips revealed that he was actually quite pleased.

"Not bad?" His voice trailed off slightly.

Mochizuki Ryou was amused by his "praise me" attitude. She put her hands in her pockets, tilted her head to look at Atobe, and her bright blue eyes sparkled.

"Oh my, sir, your performance was far from just 'not bad,' it was absolutely radiant, earth-shattering, and awe-inspiring!"

His tone was exaggerated beyond belief, but his expression was very serious, as if he were talking about something perfectly natural.

"Your devastating waltz made Sanada unable to even hold his racket. In the final tiebreaker, your absolute anticipation made the entire court your home ground; you could predict Sanada's shots before they even came to you."

Finally, he made an exaggerated gesture of clutching his chest.

"I was watching from the sidelines and I was so excited, I almost wrote you a poem in praise of you right there."

Atobe blushed with embarrassment after being showered with praise.

He took the towel off his shoulder, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and deliberately slowed down his movements, as if to say, "This great man will not get carried away by your few words of flattery."

But the corners of his mouth were already turned up so wide they couldn't be suppressed.

If it had a tail, it would probably be wagging rapidly right now.

Looking at his arrogant expression, Wang Yueling couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He moved a little closer to Atobe and lowered his voice.

"But sir, your legs are shaking."

Atobe's expression froze for a moment.

He glanced down at his legs, then looked up at Wang Yueling with a blank expression.

"no."

"have."

"no."

"Okay, okay, no." Wang Yueling smiled and took a step back, winking at him. "Why would my legs shake? My legs are made of steel, they would never shake."

Atobe glared at him, but didn't argue.

Because his legs were indeed shaking.

The long, drawn-out battle had pushed him to his physical limit. But he kept going, until the end of the match, until everyone was watching him.

Now that I'm sitting in the chair, my muscles are starting to protest.

Wang Yueling saw through it but didn't say anything, turning to look at the Hyotei team members surrounding her.

"What are you all standing there for?"

He raised an eyebrow, a sly smile curving his lips.

"Keep praising him! Your minister won such a wonderful match, shouldn't you show some appreciation?"

He winked at Shinobu.

Shinobu instantly understood the meaning in that look: it wasn't "Quickly praise him," but "Quickly give him a way out so he doesn't have to keep up that 'I'm not tired' act."

Shinobu pushed up his glasses, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.

"Xiao Jing, you played really well today. But according to tradition, winning a game means accepting the 'victory celebration' from your teammates."

Before Atobe could even say "no need," Mukahi was the first to pounce on him.

"Yes, yes, yes! We'll lift you up!"

He rushed forward and grabbed Atobe's arm.

Cilang also rushed forward and grabbed the other arm.

"Atobe is the best! And these are the rules!"

Shishido stood to the side, watching this scene, his lips twitching slightly. But he still took a step forward to help.

Feng followed behind, her eyes sparkling. Riji leaned against the fence, a forced smile on his lips, but didn't move.

"Hey, you guys..."

Before Atobe could finish speaking, he was lifted up by several people.

"One, two, three, throw!" Shinobu shouted.

Several people released their grip at the same time, and Atobe was thrown into the air.

"Yuushi Oshitari, you just wait!!!"

Atobe's voice exploded in mid-air, shattering his magnificent aura.

No one cares about him.

The teammates next to him started clapping, and the rhythm got faster and faster.

Atobe was thrown into the air once again, and sunlight shone on him from behind, making his gray-white team uniform shimmer in the light.

He fell down, was caught, and was tossed up again.

"Atobe! Atobe! Atobe!"

The voices weren't very unified, but everyone was shouting.

When Atobe was thrown to the highest point, he looked down.

He saw Wang Yueling standing outside the crowd, one hand in her pocket, a smile on her lips, giving him a thumbs up.

He saw Sanada standing at the front of Rikkai's group, his hat brim pulled low, but his gaze fixed in this direction.

He saw the expressions on the faces of the Rikkai players; it wasn't the resentment of losing, but a longing that felt "very interesting."

He landed and was caught by his teammates.

"Alright, alright." His voice was tinged with laughter, but he feigned seriousness. "Put me down."

Atobe was tossed four times, and when he landed, his hair was completely disheveled, with stray hairs sticking to his face, making him look quite pathetic.

But he just couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

Several people worked together to carry the person to the coach's rest area, making sure they were placed securely. Only then did Shinobu clap his hands and leave, satisfied.

Xiang Ri followed behind him, grinning from ear to ear.

Jiro was still muttering "Atobe is the best" when Shishido grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him away.

Feng Chao Atobe bowed and ran away, his face flushed.

Atobe sat down in the chair and tidied his loose hair back. He watched the group of guys who had made a scene and then run away, and took a deep breath.

"A bunch of unglamorous guys."

Wang Yueling stood next to him and laughed out loud.

"But it's so cute."

Atobe glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Ryo Mochizuki glanced at Atobe's legs, which were still trembling. He then looked at the other side of the court, where Sanada sat on a bench, with Yanagi and King Jin standing beside him, seemingly talking about something.

He turned his head and looked around; the field steward who had been there was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Uncle Yuanye?!"

At this moment, two manor servants quickly walked up to Wang Yueling and bowed slightly.

"Young Master," one of them said respectfully, "Butler Yuanye has gone out of the manor to handle some business and will be back later."

Mochizuki Ryou nodded and pointed at Sanada and Atobe.

"Go to the medical room and ask the on-site doctor to come and give these two boys a post-match physical examination to see if they have any sports injuries."

The servant acknowledged and withdrew, quickly heading towards the medical room.

He walked to the sidelines, took out his phone, and sent a message to the editor.

[Number One in the World]: Edit the video of the match at the home stadium carefully; I want to watch it.

[Editor]: Received. Young Master, you didn't utter a single curse word during this match, so not much editing is needed. It should be fine.

[Number One Under Heaven]: ...You have a good memory.

[Editor]: Professional ethics.

As Mochizuki Ryo put her phone back in her pocket and was about to turn around, a black figure shot over from the Rikkai University side.