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

Chapter 114 It's not impossible for Niou to be an ace.

Kabaji followed silently behind, carrying both players' rackets. His face showed no disappointment or resentment at losing; his expression remained calm.

He just stared down at the wear marks on the edge of the racket, replaying the match in his mind.

He is now very clear about his disadvantages.

There are no original moves.

He can replicate other people's signature moves and learn their techniques, but he can't break through the limits of his own understanding of such skills.

He had seen Kirihara's riot serve and riot smash many times, and tried to return them many times, but he just couldn't.

It wasn't because of a lack of skill, but because those two moves were honed little by little by Kirihara based on his own power exertion habits, physical condition, and intuition.

Outsiders don't have that foundation, so what they imitate won't be the same.

He looked up and gazed at the sidelines.

Atobe-senpai was watching him with his arms crossed, his icy blue eyes filled with undisguised satisfaction. He lightly touched the beauty mark at the corner of his eye with his fingertip, and slightly raised his chin—his unique way of showing approval.

Not far away, Senior Mochizuki leaned against the netting, gave him a thumbs up, smiled, and moved his lips as if to say, "Well played."

The sunlight fell on the ends of his golden hair, making one's eyes feel warm.

Kabaji tightened his grip on the racket, his dark pupils filled with unwavering determination. The confusion he'd felt before about "only being able to imitate, without any real skill" vanished like clouds blown away by the wind.

He recalled what Mochizuki-senpai had said to him on the first day of the training camp, standing in the center of the training field.

"Imitation is not the end, but the beginning."

"Nioh's phantom also started with imitation, but in the end, he forged his own path. You can too."

At the time, he just nodded blankly, but now he truly understands the importance of those words.

He will definitely create a unique skill as soon as possible and will not disappoint Atobe-senpai and Mochizuki-senpai.

Kirihara, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at the slow-moving Kabaji, then reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Hurry up, Kabaji! The seniors are waiting for us!"

Kirihara's voice was still hoarse from the intense exercise, and there was still a faint trace of blood seeping from the wound on his forehead, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, as if they contained two small stars.

Kabaji let him pull her forward, her pace quickening unconsciously.

"Hmm," he responded softly, the corners of his mouth curving upwards almost imperceptibly.

Wang Yueling watched the two teenagers walk over arm in arm, his smile deepening. He waved to the medical team not far away, and several doctors in white coats immediately came over with first-aid kits.

"Come here, let the doctor give you a thorough check-up." Wang Yueling beckoned to the two of them, her tone gentle and brooking no refusal.

Kirihara was pinned to a chair, surrounded by three medical staff. One checked his wrists, another his knees, and the third strapped a blood pressure monitor to his arm. Kirihara was tossed around like a rag doll, his mouth still chattering incessantly.

"Doctor, I'm fine, I just have a small scrape on my hand."

"Don't move." The doctor examining his wrist pressed down on his hand.

"Your blood pressure is a little high." The nurse taking your blood pressure looked at the numbers on the monitor.

"That's normal after exercise!" Kirihara hurriedly explained.

"Shut up." Another nurse carefully cleaned his wound with saline solution.

Kirihara winced in pain, but dared not speak again.

Kaba sat on a chair nearby, surrounded by two medical staff. He didn't speak or move, just sat quietly as the doctors examined his hands and arms.

Ten minutes later, the doctor straightened up and nodded to Wang Yueling.

"Young Master, both of them have only superficial abrasions and no serious injuries. Kirihara's blood pressure has returned to normal, but to be on the safe side, it would be best to have a comprehensive check-up with Professor Zhang to see if the acupuncture and diet plans need to be adjusted."

"Okay, thank you for your help." Wang Yueling nodded slightly to the doctor and took the pain-relieving spray and gauze from his hand.

"I'll take care of the rest."

The doctors nodded, packed up their first-aid kits, and left.

Wang Yueling pulled up a chair and sat down next to them. He first picked up a cotton swab, dipped it in iodine, and gently applied it to the abrasions on Qieyuan's arm.

"Hiss!!!" Kirihara gasped, his shoulders instinctively hunching over.

"Bear with it." Mochizuki Ryo softened her movements a bit. "Who told you to be so careless when you're playing? Now you know what pain is?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Kirihara dared not refute.

After treating the wound on his arm, Mochizuki Ryou's gaze fell on Kirihara's forehead. There was a large patch of skin scraped off there, and although it had stopped bleeding, the red area still looked rather alarming.

His brow furrowed slightly.

"Your wound looks a bit scary; you need to bandage it more."

Kirihara looked at the gauze in his hand and a bad feeling rose in his heart.

"Senior... you don't need to wrap it too thickly, do you? Just a little bit is fine."

"no."

Wang Yueling shook her head, picked up the gauze, and carefully covered the wound. "What if it gets infected? If you're disfigured, no one will like you anymore."

Kirihara pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Wang Yueling's fingers were long and nimble, and her movements were as elegant as if she were creating some kind of art.

One lap, two laps, three laps...

The gauze covered half of Kirihara's head, and then, with a mischievous twist, tied a large bow-shaped ear on top of his head.

On Kirihara's dark, curly head, a cute and delicate bow-shaped ear was placed, making him look particularly comical.

Kirihara touched the bow on his head, his face instantly turning bright red.

"Senior!" He jumped up, protesting loudly, and reached out to pull it off. "I don't want this! I'm Rikkai's ace! I'm a man! How can I wear a bow tie!"

"Don't pull. Sit down."

Mochizuki Ryou slapped his hand away, raised her eyelids, and said in a calm but authoritative tone, "This is your punishment for disobeying Seiichi and using Demonization without permission. You have no right to refuse."

"But..." Kirihara wanted to argue.

"No buts."

Wang Yueling interrupted him, a sly glint in her azure eyes. "Either wear this bow for two days, or you get all your snacks for the next month. You choose."

Kirihara's face fell.

He looked pitifully at Mochizuki Ryo, then at Yukimura who was talking to Sanada not far away, and finally sat back down dejectedly.

"Okay... I choose the bow."

He muttered under his breath, his voice full of grievance.

Mochizuki Ryou nodded in satisfaction and turned to look at Kabaji, who was sitting obediently beside her. Kabaji sat upright in the chair like a large jointed doll, with his hands on his knees and his eyes clear and obedient.

Wang Yueling's heart softened immediately.

Kabaji is always obedient, hardworking, quiet, and quietly does what he is supposed to do.

He's truly a hidden gem in their Hyotei tennis club.

He picked up another roll of white gauze and carefully bandaged the abrasions on Huadi's hand.

Soon, a delicate white bow appeared on Kabaji's arm as well.

Wang Yueling took two steps back, looked her work up and down, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Perfect."

He clapped his hands, his tone filled with undisguised pride, "My skills are truly excellent; I could easily pack the two of you into a bouquet."

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around. Cilang, clinging to Xiang Ri's shoulder, laughed so hard he couldn't straighten up.

"Hahaha! Akaya, your bow ears are so cute!" Jiro pointed at Kirihara's head, laughing until tears streamed down his face. "You look like a little girl!"

Xiang Ri also covered her mouth and chuckled, her shoulders shrugging. "Yeah, yeah, Ling's skills are really good, the bow she tied is so beautiful."

Marui walked over chewing gum, tilted his head to look at the bow on Kirihara's head, and then at the bow on Kabaji's wrist.

"They're treating the wounded like bouquets. But if people from other schools saw Akaya like this, they'd laugh their heads off."

Kuwahara smiled憨厚ly.

"Quite cute."

Shishido stood to the side with her arms crossed, a few strands of her long hair blowing in the wind, and her lips twitched slightly.

"..."

Hiyoshi stood on the outside, expressionless, but his ears were slightly red. "Your bandaging skills are indeed very good."

The ordinary members were also chattering amongst themselves.

"Poor Kirihara-kun, she's all wrapped up like that."

"Using a ribbon as punishment? How disgusting! If it were me, and I absolutely had to wear a ribbon, I could only accept Kabaji's method."

"When Kirihara goes back to school tomorrow, he'll definitely be laughed at to death."

"No, no, no, the girls in the school's fan club would definitely love Kirihara's look."

……

Wang Yueling automatically filtered out the negative comments, only listening to everyone's praise, feeling completely elated. He stood with his hands on his hips, looking smugly at his masterpiece.

"That's right, my flower-wrapping skills are the result of professional training. Not everyone can enjoy this."

Yukimura sat beside him, his fingers lightly resting on his knees, tilting his head slightly to look at Mochizuki Ryo's narcissistic appearance, a smile spreading across his eyes.

Shinobu walked over to Kabaji, adjusted his glasses, admired Mochizuki Ryo's quirky creations, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Kabachi, you played really well today. To be able to push Kirihara to that point, you've improved a lot."

Kaba looked at him and nodded.

"Um."

"Not just Oshitari, we've all seen your growth."

Mochizuki Ryo leaned over and added a couple of compliments, reaching out to pat Kabaji's head. His hair was short and stiff, feeling a bit prickly to the touch.

"Chonghong, your progress this week has far exceeded my expectations. Especially those shots that combined your strength advantages to produce shots that surpassed the original versions. Very innovative."

Kabaji's ears turned slightly red. He sat obediently, his tall body leaning forward slightly, head down, looking at his toes, letting him touch them.

"It was taught to me by Senior Niou."

"That's because you're quick to understand."

Wang Yueling smiled and shook her head. "That guy Renwang only teaches others sporadically. The fact that he can teach you to this extent shows that you have worked hard enough."

Atobe walked over, his icy blue eyes sweeping over Mochizuki Ryo and Kabaji. He especially noticed Mochizuki Ryo petting Kabaji like a puppy, and his brow twitched.

With a graceful movement, she slapped his hand away.

"Yeah, Kabaji, you played really well today. I've seen how much you've improved."

Atobe's voice carried its usual arrogance, yet concealed a hint of barely perceptible gentleness. "After you return to school and train hard, you'll be able to play even more magnificent tennis."

Kabaji suddenly raised his head and looked at Atobe, his black eyes shining brightly.

A faint smile appeared on his lips. It was a subtle smile, yet it instantly brought his previously expressionless face to life.

"Yes, Lord Atobe."

Then he turned to Wang Yueling and said another sentence.

"Thank you, Mochizuki-senpai."

Everyone was stunned; no one expected that Kabaji, who was usually expressionless, would actually smile.

Cilang rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.

"Wow! Kabaji smiled!" Jiro exclaimed. "This is the first time I've ever seen Kabaji smile!"

Mukahi's eyes widened. "It really is! Kabaji's smile is actually kind of cute!"

Niou, swaying his little braid, leaned closer to Yagyu, saying, "I never thought that the blockhead of Hyotei would have a lively day."

Yagyu adjusted his glasses and nodded. "It was indeed a surprise."

Looking at Kabaji's smile, Mochizuki Ryou felt a warmth in her heart.

He rubbed Huadi's head again.

"You're welcome. This is all thanks to your hard work. Keep up the good work, and I'm looking forward to you developing your own unique skills."

Kaba nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

While things were warm and harmonious on one side, the atmosphere on the other side suddenly became tense.

Sanada walked up to Kirihara with a dark expression, his eyes under the brim of his hat sharp as knives.

Kirihara was sitting in a chair, a bow in his hair, drinking a sports drink. Seeing the vice-captain approach, he instinctively shrank back and hid behind Kabaji.

"Kirihara Akaya!"

Sanada's voice boomed like thunder, "You were too relaxed today!"

Kirihara peeked out from behind Kabaji, retorting defiantly, "I didn't let my guard down... I won..."

"How dare you say that!"

Sanada's anger flared even more. "How many times have I told you? You absolutely cannot use Demonic Transformation while your blood pressure is being controlled! Did you just ignore me?"

"I was forced into it..." Kirihara's voice trailed off, "Kabaji is too strong, I couldn't win without turning into a demon..."

"Does wanting to win mean you can disregard your own health?!"

Sanada watched as his voice grew louder and louder.

"Do you know how dangerous that is? Didn't Professor Zhang warn you during your previous examination that a sudden, extremely high increase in blood pressure during treatment could cause a blood vessel in the brain to rupture?"

"Do you want to be in a vegetative state?"

Kirihara muttered under his breath, "It's not that exaggerated. That old man was obviously just saying that to fool the kids."

Sanada's brows furrowed even more.

"Are you still being stubborn?"

He raised his hand, intending to strike Kirihara on the head.

Marui and Kuwabara reacted quickly, grabbing Sanada's arms from either side.

"Sanada, Sanada, calm down!"

Marui quickly began to speak kindly, "Akaya already knows he was wrong, and he still has a head injury. If you hit him again, he'll really become stupid."

"Yes, Vice Minister," Kuwabara chimed in, "Akaya has improved a lot in this competition, so please forgive him this time."

Sanada struggled twice but couldn't break free. He was so angry that his chest heaved violently, glaring at Kirihara, unable to utter a word for a long time.

"Look at yourself! What kind of behavior is this! The ace of Rikkai University is being punished by having to wear a bow tie because of an injury! Aren't you ashamed of yourself?!"

Kirihara touched the bow on his head and pouted, looking aggrieved.

"This was wrapped for me by Mochizuki-senpai, it's not what I wanted..."

Niou walked over from the side, reached out and gently tugged at the bow on Kirihara's head. His tone was still lazy, but without his usual teasing.

"Puri~ You disobedient little seaweed, how dare you defy the minister's orders. You've got some nerve."

"Niou-senpai!" Kirihara slapped his hand away in annoyance. "Don't pull it! It'll fall apart!"

"It's better if it ends."

Niou laughed and reached out to pull it off again, saying, "It looks awful with that bow on your ear."

Kirihara pursed his lips, turned his head away from his hand, and ignored him.

She raised her head, her round, innocent eyes looking at Yukimura not far away. Her eyes were full of pleading, like a puppy that had done something wrong, waiting for its owner's forgiveness.

Yukimura met his gaze, his shoulders relaxing slightly. He looked at the gauze on Kirihara's forehead and his pitiful appearance, and finally his heart softened.

"Alright, Genichiro." Yukimura's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable force. "This time, I'll let it go. Akaya knows he was wrong."

Upon hearing Yukimura speak, Sanada lowered his hand and let out a cold snort.

"I'll let you off this time. But if you do it again, I won't let you off easily."

"Thank you, Vice Minister!"

Kirihara immediately beamed with joy, jumped out from behind Kabaji, and bowed to Sanada.

He ran up to Yukimura, tilted his little face up, and looked up with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Minister, aren't you going to scold me?!"

"What's the point of me yelling at you?"

Kirihara thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Remember this lesson. Wait until the doctor says it's okay to use demonization before using it."

Kirihara nodded vigorously.

"I understand! There will absolutely not be a next time!"

He leaned closer to Yukimura, getting more and more excited as he spoke, his ribbon in his hair trembling. "Captain, did you see my new signature move? It's that riot serve and riot smash! Isn't it amazing?"

"I saw it." Yukimura smiled and nodded at his smug look. "Very good move, the spin is very tricky."

"Of course!" Kirihara was practically strutting around with pride at the praise. "I mastered it in just three weeks! No wonder you're Rikkai's ace!"

He boasted for a while, then suddenly remembered something, sat back down in his chair, tapped his index fingers in front of him, and occasionally glanced up at Yukimura.

"Um... Minister... I just promised Kabaji on the field that I would give him all my snacks..."

Yukimura looked at him quietly, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

Kirihara's voice grew softer and softer.

"Those were the ones that Vice-Captain Sanada confiscated before..."

After Kirihara finished speaking, he nervously looked at Yukimura, awaiting his verdict. He had been saving those snacks for a long time, originally planning to have a big feast after the training camp ended.

As a result, the minister took back his promise because he hadn't kept it. He had also spoken too hastily and promised to give Kabaji snacks.

Now we have no choice but to bite the bullet and ask.

He dared not ask the deputy minister directly; he could only place his hopes on the minister.

Yukimura looked at his cautious manner, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

"Those are your own snacks, you can distribute them as you see fit. When you get back, go find Sanada and get your confiscated items back, then give them to your new friend."

Kirihara's eyes lit up instantly, and he jumped up from his chair, shouting loudly.

"Long live the Minister!"

He excitedly spun around several times, then turned and rushed to Huadi's side, patting him on the shoulder.

"Kabachi, Kabachi, did you hear that? The minister agreed! When we get back, I'll give you all the snacks! There's chocolate, potato chips, and lots and lots of other delicious things!"

Kabaji nodded, seeing his happy expression. "Thank you, Akaya."

"You're welcome! We're good friends!" Kirihara said casually.

He was about to continue boasting when he suddenly remembered something else and turned to look at Wang Yueling.

Wang Yueling was standing nearby, discussing dinner with the butler, Yuanye. He held a tablet in his hand, swiping the menu items one by one on the screen.

Kirihara, with a large bow on his head, ran over and tugged at Mochizuki Ryo's sleeve.

"Senior! I've finished fighting Kabaji, may I challenge you now?"

Wang Yueling stared speechlessly at his head covered in bandages and the dangling bow. She wanted to tap Kirihara on the forehead, but then remembered his wound.

So he changed his target, reaching out to pinch Kirihara's cheeks and pulling them apart.

Kirihara's face was pulled into a strange shape, his mouth gaped open, and he shouted incoherently.

"S-Senior...it hurts...it hurts..."

"You're injured like this, and you still want to challenge me?" Mochizuki Ryo released his grip, looking at Kirihara rubbing his face, his tone helpless. "I'll reserve your challenge qualification for you. Come find me again when you can run and jump again."

"But I can run and jump right now!" Kirihara, afraid he would pinch her again, took two steps back, covered her face, and explained indistinctly, "Look, look!"

He was about to jump up and down when Yukimura reached out and stopped him.

"Akaya, do you still have the stamina for another challenge?"

Kirihara looked at Yukimura, rubbed his aching arms and legs, and reluctantly nodded.

"Alright... then once I've recovered from my injuries, I'll go to Hyotei and challenge you!" He clenched his fist and declared confidently.

"No problem." Wang Yueling released her hand and said with a smile, "I'm always ready."

"Puri~ Akaya, you're going to Hyotei? You'll probably get lost and never come back." Niou shook his braid and looked at Kirihara with a half-smile.

"Oh dear, Rikkai will be without an ace then, so I'll reluctantly become that ace."

He looked at Yukimura, winked, and said, "Captain, what do you think? I think I'm qualified to be the ace, right?"

Yukimura stroked his chin, a playful glint in his violet-blue eyes, and said seriously, "It's not impossible."

"Captain!" Kirihara's face flushed crimson with excitement. "I won't get lost! How can Rikkai's ace be replaced so easily!"

"According to data, Akaya got lost 57 times in Kanagawa City and 28 times in Tokyo in the past year, and the farthest he went was to Chiba Prefecture."

Liu opened his notebook and calmly read from the notes, "So, the probability of him getting lost when he goes to Hyotei alone..."

"Senior Liu, stop reporting the data!" Kirihara interrupted him, stamping his feet in frustration.

Yagyu pushed up his glasses and stepped forward to pour cold water on the idea, "Akaya, you got lost in the manor for more than half an hour yesterday."

Sanada coldly added, "Too lax!"

"That was an accident! The manor is just too big! And I found it in the end, didn't I!"

Kirihara's face turned even redder as his seniors teased him relentlessly, and he began chattering in defense of himself.

"I won't get lost again! I really won't! Don't underestimate me! And I'm not alone this time, I can have Hua lead the way!"

Kabaji stood to the side and nodded silently.

Everyone couldn't help but laugh when they saw Kirihara's anxious face turning red.