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

Chapter 195 Reasons for Substitutes: We Must Not Underestimate Our Opponents

Cilang blinked twice.

He didn't react at first, then glanced at Marui, who had chosen her desserts and was walking back, and asked in a slightly lower voice, "Really?"

"When have I ever gone back on my word?"

These words were like a ray of sunshine hitting Jiro's heart, sweeping away his previous frustration and instantly making him smile. He dashed to his seat, paused as he passed Marui, and reached out to grab the strawberry tart from his plate.

Marui glanced at him: "How come you're alive again?"

"It's nothing." Cilang's eyes crinkled as he stuffed his mouth full, reaching for another piece. "It's just that this strawberry tart is really delicious."

Marui didn't quite hear him, but judging from his expression, he seemed happy, so he didn't ask any further. Seeing the desserts on the plate dwindling, he quickly protected the plate, "Hey, hey, don't grab them! These are the exclusive desserts that this genius carefully selected."

Despite saying that, he still cut half of it with a fork and handed it over.

Mochizuki Ryou shifted her gaze from Jiro and glanced at Hiyoshi.

Hiyoshi sat upright in his seat, with a bowl of barely touched ochazuke in front of him. His chopsticks rested on the rim of the bowl, and his expression remained largely unchanged.

Mochizuki Ryo stood up, walked around half the table, and sat down next to Hiyoshi. Hiyoshi glanced at him, said nothing, but put down his chopsticks.

Wang Yueling did not speak immediately.

He first added some hot tea to Hiyoshi's bowl, then used serving chopsticks to place a piece of tamagoyaki on his plate before gently saying, "Don't be disappointed, there are still many matches to come, no need to rush into one game."

Hiyoshi looked down at the tamagoyaki in his bowl, and after a few seconds, nodded. He sat upright with a straight back and proper posture, and his tone was not at all defiant, but rather exuded a calm and unhurried demeanor.

"It's because my own training is still lacking, and my strength training is not up to standard. I will train harder and wait for the next opportunity."

"Great mindset, keep it up." A hint of approval flashed in Mochizuki Ryou's eyes as she listened to his self-reflection. Without saying anything more, she patted Hiyoshi's shoulder, stood up, and returned to her seat.

Luna lay drowsily in the food basket, the little fish pressed under its belly, only the tip of its tail sticking out. The bread ring around its neck was askew, and it lay on its back, belly up, its little belly rising and falling, occasionally kicking its hind legs, seemingly lost in thought, seeing something.

Mochizuki Ryo sat back down next to Yukimura, reaching out to pull Luna's Hyotei outfit down to cover her little belly. Then she picked up the half-warmed iced tea and took a sip, the aroma spreading on her tongue with a hint of astringency.

He tapped the rim of the cup lightly with his fingertips, his mind churning with thoughts.

Liu's explanation for choosing Huadi to play singles three is pretty much the truth.

Given Ryuzaki Jin's tactical habits, even with him as a variable, he would still place a power player in the midfield. On Seigaku's side, the most outstanding power player is Kawamura Takashi, who has a tough playing style, good defensive tenacity, and in singles, he relies on the wave ball he learned from Fudomine Ishida to wear down his opponents, making him very suitable for the small forward position.

If Jiro or Hiyoshi were to face Kawamura, the difference in arm strength would be obvious, and directly confronting that wave ball would easily lead to injury. The same applies to Shinobu.

The most suitable candidate for the singles third match is Kabaji.

He has enough arm strength and physical attributes to withstand Kawamura's Hadouko. As long as it's not a direct clash with Hadouko like in the original story, his arm won't get injured.

As for having Jiro as a substitute, instead of sending Hiyoshi as in the original storyline...

There was another layer of consideration on his part.

Wang Yueling picked up her cup and took another sip, her gaze sweeping across the rim of the cup over the little lamb across from her who was vying with Kuwabara for someone.

In the original storyline, the Kanto Tournament between Hyotei and Seigaku went down to the reserve match, where Hyotei turned the tide and won.

Seigaku is the main group, and that brat Ryoma Echizen is the core of the plot, so no one can say for sure what unexpected changes might occur.

What he's doing now is blocking all possibilities of a comeback.

Jiro was a backup plan that Hyotei kept in case the original world's plot continued.

Besides him and Atobe, Jiro is the strongest player on Hyotei's side overall. Moreover, Jiro has been pushed hard by him for almost two months, and his strength is no longer that of the dormant "genius interceptor" from the original story.

If it really comes to that, and he faces Echizen Ryoma, he believes Jiro will have no problem winning.

but……

Hyotei would absolutely not give Echizen Ryoma the chance to use his protagonist's aura.

As for Hiyoshi, his ancient martial arts style still needs some refinement; he'll become more consistent with more practice. Besides, the Kanto Tournament has only just begun, and with the National Tournament to come, there will be plenty of opportunities.

The other people at the table were also busy.

Niou, itching to pinch Luna's tail tip again, was gently tapped on the back of his hand by Yukimura with chopsticks. Niou withdrew his hand, giving Yukimura a wronged look: "Captain, I just wanted to touch it once."

"It's almost asleep." Yukimura put down his chopsticks, his tone gentle, but the "try moving it again" message in his eyes was quite clear.

Niou wisely withdrew his hand, moved back to Yagyu's side, and darted around, looking for a new prankster.

Atobe neatly arranged the cutlery on either side of the plate, wiped his lips with a napkin, and the butler, Haruno, stepped forward to hand him a hot towel to wipe his hands. Throughout the entire process, he did not participate in any discussion about the arrangement.

It wasn't until Kirihara had finished listing all the players for Hyotei that Mochizuki Ryo put down the towel, picked up the cup of black tea beside him, and stopped just before bringing the rim of the cup to his lips.

"All the players under my command are equally dazzling on the field."

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence at the dining table.

Luna, now more awake in the food basket, heard the familiar voice, released the pacifier she was holding, and enthusiastically replied, "Meow~"

Atobe's hand holding the cup remained unchanged, but the curve of his lips rose slightly before quickly flattening. He cleared his throat, put down the cup, glanced at Mochizuki Ryo, and casually tossed out a comment.

"You'd better pray that your formation didn't go wrong."

Seeing the cat was awake, Mochizuki Ryo tilted its bottle slightly to make it easier for the little guy to drink. Hearing this, he looked up, understanding that he wasn't referring to a one-on-three situation. A smile spread across his azure eyes as he slowly teased Atobe:

"With Keigo here, what problem could there be against Tezuka Kunimitsu?"

Atobe snorted, his chin slightly raised, the slight smile on his lips finally betraying him. He turned his head to look out the window, and after two seconds spoke, "You have good taste. Tezuka is fine with me."

Yukimura sat next to Mochizuki Ryo, slowly sipping his clear soup. He casually pulled the empty bottle out of Luna's mouth and gently wiped the kitten's milk-stained lips with a wet tissue.

After completing the action, his gaze swept over the group of boys from Hyotei, and he spoke in a gentle and calm tone:

"Tezuka and Fuji are indeed strong in singles at Seigaku, but that's about it. As for overall advantages, Hyotei has a better depth of talent."

His fingertips gently caressed the little golden lock on the kitten, and he added a few more words, a faint smile appearing in his eyes, "Besides, the specialized training you tailored for the team members is extremely targeted, and it will be difficult for Seigaku to find a way to break through it in a short time. As long as they maintain their own rhythm, they won't fall into a passive and tug-of-war situation."

Wang Yueling picked up a piece of steamed fish and put it in her bowl. She lowered her head and slowly picked out the fish bones, then curled the corners of her mouth slightly. "Great minds think alike."

"But I have a question," Yukimura said, resting his hands on the edge of the table as he looked at him, "What if Seigaku doesn't play by your rules?"

Ryou Mochizuki turned her head to look back at him, her azure eyes carrying a hint of laziness. "That makes it even simpler. No matter what happens to Seigaku, we're definitely going to win."

Yukimura's eyes curved slightly. The other party had obviously considered all the possibilities and was confident, which was why he spoke with such certainty.

"We must not let our guard down."

Upon hearing this, Sanada, sitting opposite him, frowned, put down his chopsticks, and said to Mochizuki Ryo with a serious expression, "Seigaku's singles players are not weak. Tezuka's strength is not to be underestimated either; his Tezuka Zone is extremely effective at restricting the opponent's shot trajectory."

Wang Yueling hadn't had a chance to reply yet.

Atobe had already turned his head to the side, his gaze passing over half the tabletop, meeting Sanada's eyes across the distance.

He leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows slightly raised, one hand resting on the armrest, a hint of arrogance in his eyes. "No need for you to remind me. Once we're on the field, I'll make him understand where the gap lies."

Sanada looked at him, his expression unchanged beneath the brim of his hat. The two stared at each other across the table for two or three seconds, like two beasts of similar size confirming the boundaries of each other's territories.

No one backed down, but no one took an extra step forward either.

A sudden, lighthearted interjection broke the brief stalemate.