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

Chapter 70: The Training Camp Begins, Two Bad Wolves

On the day of accommodation.

In the early morning, the air was slightly damp, and the cicadas had just begun to chirp, not yet at their most noisy.

Wang Yueling stood under the apricot tree in front of Cilang's house, looking up at the tree full of golden fruit.

Compared to my last visit, those unripe little green apricots have completely changed. The large, red-skinned apricots, the size of billiard balls, hang heavily on the branches, their skin gleaming with a thin sheen. Several at the top are already ripe, with a few holes pecked by sparrows.

He reached out and touched the one closest to him; his fingertips had barely touched the smooth surface of the fruit when the door opened.

"Ling!"

Cilang burst out of the house, carrying a bulging sports bag, his reddish-brown curly hair bristling in the morning light. He ran up to Wangyue Ling, nearly crashing into an apricot tree, "Come quick! I brought so much stuff!"

"You need to steady yourself first," Wang Yueling said, helping him up.

Jiro scratched his head and chuckled, completely ignoring what he was hearing. He was already squatting down and rummaging through his bag, pulling things out one by one: "This is Bunta's fan club support flag, I bought it in Kanagawa last month. This is a limited edition support fan, double-sided. And this, look..."

He held up a light green wristband embroidered with a chibi version of Marui Bunta's face. The stitches were crooked and uneven, clearly indicating that it wasn't a mass-produced item.

It's probably a fan-made item.

Wang Yueling stared at the wristband for two seconds, a barely perceptible hint of resentment flashing in her azure eyes.

The corners of her mouth turned down slightly.

Why is it... a wristband again?

He visited Seishi in the hospital these past two weeks, but Seishi had been staying indoors doing rehabilitation training and hadn't even been to the court. He hadn't seen the headband, and the wristband was nowhere to be found. His long-awaited plan to ask for the wristband hadn't found an opportunity to be implemented.

Then look at Jiro; Marui's gifts are piled up like mountains. His luck is so good it makes people grit their teeth.

Mon dieu, it's unfair.

"Ling? What's wrong?" Cilang put the wristband on his wrist and looked up at him.

"It's nothing." Wang Yueling looked away, coughed lightly, suppressed her slight embarrassment, and bent down to help him put the things he had taken out back into his bag. "Keep your things safe, don't lose them."

Cilang's mother followed him out of the house, carrying a large bamboo basket filled with Balang apricots, each with red skin and yellow flesh, their fragrance so strong that it could be smelled in the yard.

"Xiao Ling, these are the first batch of ripe apricots from the yard. They're sweet and soft. Take them and share some with your teammates." She shoved the basket into Wang Yueling's hands, her eyes full of enthusiasm. "Ci Lang's dad and I picked them all morning."

"Auntie, this is too much."

"What do you mean 'so many'? There are so many of you. I heard from Cilang that you're going to have two schools share a dormitory? There are only so many of you, not even enough for everyone."

Wang Yueling took the bamboo basket, his fingertips touching the cool rim, the sweet aroma of yellow apricots wafting up. Cilang's mother picked out the largest apricot from the basket, wiped it clean with a towel, and handed it to him.

"Xiao Ling, try it, it's even sweeter this year than last year. By the time you come back from your training camp, all the fruit on this tree should be ripe, then we can come back and pick more to eat."

Wang Yueling nodded, took the fruit and took a bite. The flesh was soft and glutinous, and the juice spread along the tip of her tongue. It was just the right amount of sweet, without a trace of sourness.

"tasty."

"Right!" Jiro leaned closer, his cheeks already bulging. "My family's apricot trees are the best in the world. I brought a lot in my bag too, I want Bunta to try some!"

As Mochizuki Ryou chewed on the apricot flesh, she was already planning in her mind to pick some after the training camp ended, the biggest and reddest ones, chill them in well water, and bring them to Yukimura to try.

He spat the apricot pit into a tissue, wrapped it up, and threw it into the trash can. He then took out his phone and opened the notes app.

A dedicated folder named "Jingshi" appears at the top of the notes list on the screen.

Clicking in, you'll find several pages of categorized information... Favorite foods, disliked flavors, treatment progress, rehabilitation training data, medication dosage adjustments each time, and even Yukimura's casual remark, "This rice cake has just the right amount of sweetness," is recorded at the back.

He quickly typed on the latest line: Hachiro apricots are ripe, sweet and soft. Bring them back after the training camp and chill them for Seiichi.

"Ling, what are you writing down?" Cilang peeked over, trying to steal a look.

Wang Yueling slammed down her phone, said goodbye to Jiro's mother, picked up her bamboo basket, and said, "It's nothing, get in the car, we'll be late if we're late. Atobe will be giving us a piece of his mind then."

Cilang followed behind him, carrying his bag and chattering about the other treasures inside.

As the car arrived at the gate of Hyotei University, a cacophony of noise greeted us.

A luxury bus was parked by the roadside, and all the people staying for the retreat had already gathered.

With all the regular members present, Atobe stood at the very front of the group, exuding a dazzling aura.

The selected members from each grade were chosen through last week's round-robin tournament, and they were all in high spirits. There were a few familiar faces: Ryohei Koizumi from the first year, Kenichi Ito from the second year, and Taki Oginosuke and Ryo Shishido from the third year who were considered for the starting lineup.

"Ryo!" Gakuto Mukahi ran over, waving his arms, his short red hair shining brightly in the morning light. "We've been waiting for you for so long!"

Everyone's luggage was piled up on the roadside, with snack bags, cushions, and even portable speakers stuffed next to their gym bags. As soon as Mukahi and Jiro met, they huddled together, their heads pressed together as they rummaged through each other's snack stash, like two hoarding little field mice.

How many flavors did you bring?

"Six! And you?"

"I brought eight kinds! And a strawberry sandwich cake too!"

Renji leaned against the car door, holding a canvas bag in his hand. When he saw Mochizuki Ryo walking over, he pulled out a few novels with brightly colored covers from the bag and waved them at him: "These are new. The male lead was struck by lightning and then traveled to the era of Emperor Hanihito to become a prince. The female lead is a modern archaeologist who unearthed his tomb."

Wang Yueling's lips twitched, and she reached out to take the book, flipping through a couple of pages: "Another plot full of thunder and lightning?!"

"This time it's different." Shinobu pushed up his glasses, his expression very serious. "The male protagonist in this book was struck by lightning twice."

"...That's definitely very different now."

"Right? Let's have a proper tasting tonight."

Ryohei Koizumi and a few other first-year students ran over to bow and greet him, and Ryo Mochizuki patted them on the shoulder one by one. Chotaro Ootori walked by carrying a tennis racket, smiling and nodding at him: "Good morning, Mochizuki-senpai."

Hiyoshi followed behind Feng and also greeted Mochizuki Ryou earnestly.

Everyone boarded the bus in batches.

Wang Yueling divided the apricots that Jiro's mother had given her in two. She kept one half for the Rikkai students to try, and had Jiro and Mukahi pass the other half around in the car.

The apricots are large; there are two for each person with some left over.

The carriage was soon filled with a sweet fruity aroma, mixed with the rustling sound of snack wrappers being torn open and the excited chatter of the boys.

Atobe sat in the front row by the window, looking at a training data sheet in his hand. His back was straight, and his posture was noble. Even on the bus, he still exuded the aura of a king.

Wang Yueling sat down in a seat across the aisle, fastened her seatbelt, and handed over a washed apricot: "Try it, it's very sweet."

Atobe took it, elegantly biting a small piece of Anzu between his fingertips. His icy blue eyes narrowed slightly before returning to their usual calm: "Hmm~ Pretty gorgeous."

"Have the Rikkai University group set off yet?" He put down Anzu and looked at Mochizuki Ryo, his tone as casual as ever.

Wang Yueling leaned back in her chair, her posture languid, twirling her phone with her fingertips: "Just received a message, Sanada is leading the team, they're already on their way."

"Oh." Atobe raised an eyebrow, his fingertips lightly tracing the beauty mark at the corner of his eye, and gave him a probing look. "What are your plans for this training camp?"

"Keigo." Mochizuki Ryo turned to the side, one arm resting on the armrest of the chair, his azure eyes gleaming with a mischievous light. "If I were to arrange a one-on-one match between you and Sanada during this training camp, how confident would you be?"

Atobe looked up, his gaze meeting Atobe's, and Atobe's aura suddenly spread out, both magnificent and confident.

"My confidence has never been measured by scores. No matter who the opponent is, no matter when or where, victory will always belong to me."

Looking at his self-assured and self-righteous demeanor, Wang Yueling couldn't help but chuckle.

He leaned back in his chair and exaggeratedly shielded his eyes with the back of his hand. "Wow, as expected of the emperor of Hyotei, the light is so dazzling that I can hardly open my eyes."

Atobe's ears turned slightly red, and he gave a haughty snort before turning his head away to continue looking at the data panel, but a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Clearly, he was quite pleased with this exaggerated praise.

The bus slowly started moving.

In the back rows, a few first-graders were huddled together, whispering about something.

After a moment, Koizumi Ryohei was pushed forward as the representative. He crouched down and moved next to Mochizuki Ryo's seat, clutching a small notebook in his hand, his expression a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

"Senior, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

Wang Yueling took the notebook from him and flipped through it. It was filled with training notes, some of which were illustrated with diagrams and marked with question marks.

He pointed to one of the question marks: "Is there a problem with this footwork transition?"

Koizumi nodded vigorously.

Wang Yueling slowed her speech, tracing a famous "Z" shaped line along the edge of the notebook with her finger: "When you run to the backhand position, don't rush straight out for the first step. Instead, deflect it outwards by fifteen degrees, which will save you half a step. When returning to position, lower your center of gravity and bend your knees a little more, so that you can start the next step faster."

Koizumi's eyes lit up as he listened, and he quickly jotted it down in his notebook.

Several first-graders in the back row also came over to listen.

Ryo Mochizuki patiently answered all their questions, then closed their notebooks and handed them back. One first-year student cautiously asked, "Coach Ryo,... are we... are we really going to be able to play against Rikkai's regular players this training camp?"

"certainly."

Wang Yueling leaned back in her chair, her demeanor as a senior gentle and composed. "You've been training for over a month; it's time to test your results. The first and second year students from Rikkai University will be your future opponents on the field. This is a good opportunity for you to learn from them."

The young team members' eyes lit up, and they nodded repeatedly.

Wang Yueling swept her gaze across all the boys in the car, her tone suddenly shifting. Her originally gentle voice now carried a hint of danger, and her lazy eyebrows curved upwards, causing the air to freeze instantly.

"Give it your all this time, whether you're a third-year or a first-year student."

He paused, squinting at the little ones beside him.

"If I see anyone playing sloppily and making a lot of mistakes..." The last syllable was drawn out a little, and the last sentence was abruptly cut off.

The entire car fell silent instantly.

Everyone who was eavesdropping felt a sudden stiffness in their spines, their PTSD instantly triggered.

Jiro was opening his second bag of potato chips, his fingers frozen in mid-air. Mukahi nearly choked on the apricot pit in his mouth, coughing violently twice. Even Shinobu silently closed his novel…

They hadn't forgotten that this substitute coach could be so sharp-tongued that he'd make people question their existence, and his training methods could be deadly. If they didn't meet his expectations this time, they would face punishment far worse than hellish training.

Seeing everyone's tense expressions, Mochizuki Ryou looked away with satisfaction, picked up her phone again, her expression softening instantly, and quickly sent a message to Yukimura.

[Ling]: We're off. We'll arrive at the training camp in about an hour. Focus on your rehabilitation training, and I'll bring you something delicious when I get back. (Golden Retriever lying by the car window.jpg)

The other side replied very quickly.

[Seiichi]: Okay, let me know when you arrive.

[Seiichi]: By the way... don't bully Sanada too much. (pats head.jpg)

Mochizuki Ryo raised an eyebrow at the message. Seiichi was indeed Seiichi; he knew Sanada would be targeted before he'd even done anything. Just as he was about to reply, "I didn't bully him," another message popped up at the top of his phone, from another group chat.

The Light of Righteousness

[White Fox]: Ling, I brought tons of "goodies," they're all surprises! The training camp is going to be fun~ Puri~

(Two gray wolves staring at each other with wicked grins.jpg)

Looking at the meaningful "good stuff" on the screen, Wang Yueling's azure eyes instantly sparkled with the same cunning, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.

There's more surprise in store.

It was obvious who those supplies were for. He and Niou had been discussing the "strategic materials" in their encrypted group for several nights, and today they were finally going to arrive.

He typed a line of text on the screen and sent it.

[Number One Under Heaven]: We met. The color of that thing suited his skin tone very well.

[White Fox]: I think so too. Pupina~

The smile on his face hadn't faded when he put his phone away.

Atobe, sitting next to him, glanced at him, a hint of wariness flashing in his icy blue eyes. Koizumi Ryohei, sitting in the back, quietly shrank back into his seat and whispered to his companion, "Coach Dai's laugh just now was terrifying."

Jiro looked up from the pile of snacks, glanced at the back of Mochizuki Ryo's head, then at his teammates who were equally silent, and quietly put down the bag of potato chips.

He didn't know who Ling was chatting with, but he recognized that smile.

The last time this laugh appeared was when Hiyoshi was practicing his ball relentlessly and ignoring instructions, and then he had a bad day.

I wonder who will suffer this time.

It definitely wasn't him; he was being very well-behaved today.