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

Chapter 56 Finding a Small Seaweed

After leaving Cilang's house, Wangyue Ling asked the driver to take him to the FLOWER dessert shop.

He had already ordered a batch of afternoon tea last night, which he plans to deliver to the surgical team and nursing station at the hospital after the surgery, as a small token of his appreciation to the medical staff.

After confirming the delivery time and details and paying the deposit, Wang Yueling turned and walked out of the store. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a dark, hairy head squatting by the roadside.

He glanced at it again.

Ok? !

Rikkai University's team uniform, black curly hair...

Isn't that the sea creature, Kirihara Akaya?

He stood at the entrance of the dessert shop, watching Kirihara stand up from the roadside, walk a few steps to the left of the street, look up at the street sign, walk a few steps to the right, look up again, and scratch his kelp head with a blank expression.

Then he squatted back down in the same spot, clutched the crossbody bag in front of him, and buried his head in his knees.

Wang Yueling leaned against the door frame of the dessert shop, arms crossed, watching the lost little seaweed with great interest, without rushing forward.

What a coincidence!

Last night, Yukimura complained to him that this junior in the team was the most troublesome, always getting lost or causing trouble, never quiet for a moment.

I ran into it today.

It seems that if I don't take care of this little seaweed, it might squat in this street corner until dark.

Never mind, this kid looks fun, let's tease him first.

Kirihara was sweating profusely with his head down when he suddenly felt a shadow fall over him. He looked up and saw an elegant blond boy in a shirt and trench coat standing in front of him.

"Oh~ Rikkai's ace... Kirihara Akaya, lost?" the other person spoke, his voice lazy and slightly teasing.

Upon recognizing the other person, Kirihara hurriedly stood up, as if seeing a savior. He awkwardly scratched his head, "You know me. Um... could I borrow your phone for a moment? I got separated from my teammates, and I don't have any money or my phone with me..."

His ears turned red with embarrassment as he said this, and his seaweed-like hair lay limply on his forehead, making him look like a puppy that had been soaked by the rain.

Wang Yueling looked at the cuddly head and lowered her hand. But instead of immediately taking out her phone, she tilted her head to examine him, the corners of her mouth curving into a deeper smile.

"Let me guess, how did you get lost?"

He held up a finger and waved it in front of Chihara, his tone slow and teasing, "Did you glance at the arcade a couple of times when you passed by, and then turn around and find the rest of the group gone?"

Kirihara froze, his mouth agape, staring at him in shock. "You...how did you know?"

"Then you realize you have neither money nor your phone on you, and you're too embarrassed to ask a stranger for a phone, so you wander around the area several times."

"I……"

"Then you squatted by the roadside corner, wondering whether you should call the police, but you felt that it would be too embarrassing for a grown man to ask the police for help because he was lost."

Mochizuki Ryo chuckled, leaned forward to meet Kirihara's gaze, and said, "How come Rikkai's ace can't even walk properly? He gets lost as soon as he steps out the door?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!"

Kirihara was furious that the other person had guessed his entire journey of getting lost. His face flushed red, he clenched his fists, and his eyes widened. "I just... I just couldn't keep up!"

"You lost track of him for a moment, and now you can't even find him anymore?" Wang Yueling raised an eyebrow, straightened up, put her hands back in her pockets, and continued to tease the seaweed in a relaxed manner.

"A junior high school student who can't read street signs, doesn't know how to ask for directions, gets lost and just sits by the roadside staring blankly. Are all the students at Rikkai University this cute?"

"you!!!"

Kirihara's eyes were already reddening, bloodshot veins spreading from the corners of his eyes to the edges of his pupils, and his clenched fists trembled slightly. "I'm Rikkai's ace—Kirihara Akaya! I've beaten more people than you've ever seen! Watch your mouth!"

Wang Yueling remained unmoved by his animalistic, flustered appearance, and even chuckled softly.

"You can beat so many people, but you can't beat a map. You're pretty good, you know, everyone has their own expertise."

That statement was a precise and devastating blow.

Kirihara's entire body flushed red from his neck to the roots of his hair, his eyes were as red as a rabbit's, and his lips moved for a long time without uttering a single word. He was so angry that his chest heaved violently, and his white hair was showing signs of sprouting, as if he was about to explode on the spot.

Looking at him like this, Wang Yueling suddenly realized that bullying a child was indeed a bit too much.

The little seaweed's expression changed from anger to embarrassment, then to grievance, and finally to an indescribable sense of dejection. It lowered its head and stopped looking at him.

That's so pitiful.

Mochizuki Ryo stopped teasing him, reached out and placed her hand on Kirihara's head, ruffling his messy black curly hair.

Hmm... the hair was softer than he had imagined, and it felt great to touch, like stroking the fur of a frizzy puppy.

"Okay, I'm not teasing you anymore."

His voice softened instantly, and a gentle smile appeared in his azure eyes, with a hint of the patience one would use to coax a child. "Rikkai's ace, Kirihara Akaya, I know you. Come on, as compensation for teasing you earlier, I'll treat you to dinner."

"Then I'll take you to the hospital to see Seishi."

Kirihara was taken aback, not expecting the other party's attitude to change so quickly. She turned her head away angrily, refusing to let him touch her head, her eyes still a little watery. "Hmph! You...you really know our club president."

"Yes, I know him." Wang Yueling smiled and withdrew her hand, taking out her phone from her pocket and handing it to him. "Call your deputy minister to let him know you're safe."

Kirihara awkwardly took the phone, his fingers still trembling slightly, and quickly dialed Sanada Genichiro's number. As soon as the call connected, he was so shocked by Sanada's scolding voice that his ears hurt.

Watching from the side, Mochizuki Ryo couldn't help but chuckle softly, murmuring in French, "C'est mignon." (So cute.)

After hanging up the phone, Kirihara returned the phone, his ears still red, and awkwardly said "thank you."

"Are you hungry?" Wang Yueling glanced at the time; it was almost noon. "What I said before still stands. As compensation for teasing you, come on, I'll take you to get something to eat."

Before he could refuse, Mochizuki Ryo continued walking forward. Kirihara followed behind him, his lips pressed into a thin line, but the redness in his eyes had slowly faded.

It's not difficult to feed (coax) a small seaweed.

Wang Yueling took him to a ramen shop and ordered two super-sized bowls of tonkotsu ramen, and also added a large portion of fried dumplings for Xiao Haidai, who is growing.

Kirihara was a little awkward at first, holding his chopsticks in his hand for a long time without moving them, but when the aroma of noodles wafted over, his stomach betrayed him and growled loudly enough to be heard throughout the entire restaurant.

Wang Yueling didn't laugh at him. She pushed the noodles towards him and said, "Eat up. You must have been hungry all morning."

Kirihara lowered his head, picked up his chopsticks, and scooped up a large mouthful of noodles, stuffing it into his mouth, his cheeks bulging. He chewed a couple of times, then his eyes lit up. "Delicious!"

"Even better than the ones in Kanagawa?" Mochizuki Ryou scooped up a spoonful of soup and savored it.

"The one near our school is still the best," Kirihara mumbled, stuffing another large mouthful of noodles into his mouth with ferocious eating. "But this one's not bad either. You do have some taste."

Looking at his childish appearance, Wang Yueling chuckled helplessly.

No wonder the city manager is always having a headache. This little guy is either getting lost or causing trouble. He's full of energy but also incredibly naive and easy to coax.

It was so much fun!

He dialed Yukimura's number right in front of Kirihara. The phone rang twice before being answered. Yukimura's gentle voice came through the other end, tinged with a barely perceptible worry.

"Ling?"

"Seiichi," Mochizuki Ryou said softly, her voice reassuring, "I found your lost child. He's safe, don't worry. I'll take him over after we eat, so don't rush."

Yukimura visibly relaxed, his laughter gentle: "Thank you for your help. Akaya is always so reckless. Genichiro and the others have gone out to look for them; I told them to come back and wait."

"Okay, we'll head over after we finish eating."

After hanging up the phone, Mochizuki Ryo looked at Kirihara, who looked completely bewildered, and raised an eyebrow: "Did you hear that? Your department head was almost worried to death. If you run off and get lost again, no one will care."

Kirihara's cheeks flushed slightly, and he nodded obediently, "I understand..."

After finishing his noodles, Mochizuki Ryou bought him a large box of strawberry daifuku. Kirihara's eyes lit up when he saw the box of daifuku, but he quickly put on a haughty face and said, "I'm not a child anymore."

Wang Yueling was amused by him and stuffed the box into his hand. She then turned around and asked the waiter to pack six more boxes of the same kind.

There were so many things that the two of them couldn't carry them all. In the end, Wang Yueling had the driver bring the car over so they could load them up and move the items.

Kirihara sat in the car, fiddling with the strawberry daifuku in his hand. After a while, he suddenly looked up at Mochizuki Ryo with a serious expression. "You... are you the person Yanagi-senpai was talking about?"

"Which person?"

"Legend has it that he can use a violin to split an iron ball, and one ball can send three people flying. The day before yesterday, he wiped out about a hundred people in the Hyotei tennis club. Hyotei's new coach."

Kirihara's eyes grew brighter and his voice louder as he spoke, "I just heard it from Yanagi-senpai. He said that guy's stats are insane. I absolutely have to find him and fight him, to show him what Rikkai's ace is all about!"

Wang Yueling leaned back in her seat, listening to this little seaweed raving about herself, and her lips twitched.

Splitting an iron ball with a violin?

One ball sent three people flying?!

"..."

How many versions of this rumor have it gone through to get to this point? If it keeps spreading like this, he'll probably become a "Super Saiyan" who can smash asteroids with a tennis ball.

"Hey, say something! Is it you? Is it really you?!" Kirihara excitedly leaned closer, his eyes shining.

Wang Yueling extended a finger and pressed it against his forehead, pushing him back to his original position.

"Those are all rumors; listening to too many will ruin your head," he corrected earnestly, then glanced at the rushing street scene outside the car window and said casually, "But I am indeed the substitute coach for Hyotei."

Kirihara's mouth dropped open, and the strawberry daifuku almost slipped from his hand. He sat up abruptly, his face clearly saying, "It was you, just as I thought."

"Then..." He took a deep breath, leaned forward, clenched his fists tightly, and his eyes were full of fighting spirit. "Senior! I want to fight you!"

"Not now."

"Why!"

"Today is the day of Seiichi's surgery." Mochizuki Ryou turned to look at him, the teasing smile gone from her azure eyes, replaced by seriousness. "You're here to be with Seiichi, not to play ball with me. Right?"

Reminded by him, Kirihara's expression slowly changed from excitement to shame. He lowered his head, hugged the strawberry daifuku to his chest, and stopped talking.

Seeing that he had calmed down, Wang Yueling reached out and ruffled the tuft of curly hair sticking up on his forehead.

"It's not that I don't want to fight you. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future." He spoke very softly, in a tone that sounded like he was coaxing a child. "But don't cry when the time comes."

"Who would cry! I'm the ace!!!" Kirihara immediately retorted loudly, but did not demand to fight now.

-

Rewind to when the seaweed was just thrown away.

In Yukimura's hospital room, the Rikkai University students had already been in an uproar.

At 11 a.m., the Rikkai University students took a train from Kanagawa to Tokyo, then transferred to a bus after exiting the station. Kirihara stayed with the group the whole way.

As they passed a game store, a trailer for the latest fighting game was playing in the glass window, and Kirihara slowed his pace. Sanada walked in front, Yanagi checked the number of people in the middle, Niou and Yagyu brought up the rear, and Marui and Kuwabara were discussing a new dessert.

No one noticed that the little seaweed, who was at the back, had fallen behind.

When Kirihara finally realized what was happening, he spun around three times, randomly picked a direction, and chased after them, only to find himself getting further and further away. He had no money, no phone, and even his transit card was with Yanagi.

I wandered into an alley I didn't recognize at all and completely lost my way.

……

In the ward, Sanada noticed someone was missing. His face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He clenched his fists and was about to go out to look for him when Yanagi stopped him.

"You're not familiar with Tokyo, so blindly searching will be less efficient." Yanagi was already quickly analyzing the routes Kirihara might have taken. "Akaya was last seen at the station exit. There are three forks in the road nearby, and each fork has at least two directions. Based on his usual pattern of getting lost, the probability of him choosing the wrong direction is 87.3%."

"We still have to go find him!" Sanada's face under the brim of his hat was taut. "He's penniless and doesn't have his phone. What if something happens to him..."

"I'll go." Niou straightened up from the back of the chair, taking himself off Yagyu's shoulder. "I know Tokyo better than you do."

"You almost got lost in Osaka last month too," Yagyu said, pushing up his glasses with a blank expression.

Niou's lips twitched.

Marui, unusually, wasn't chewing gum, and his expression was genuinely worried. "That Akaya guy, will he be scammed? He's so naive, he believes whatever people say."

Kuwabara patted his shoulder reassuringly from the side without saying a word, but his brows were also tightly furrowed.

Yukimura leaned against the headboard, listening to his teammates' movements, his expression relatively calm. He knew Kirihara's carefree nature; this wasn't the first time he'd gotten lost, but each time it was still heartbreaking.

Finally, the tennis club members split into groups and went to look for Kirihara along the routes he might have taken.

Not long after they left, Yukimura received a call from Mochizuki Ryo.

The voice coming from the other end was lazy.

"Seiichi, I've found your lost child..."

……

Just as Yukimura hung up the phone, all the Rikkai members who had gone out to look for someone returned.

Everyone else received a call from Sanada, informing them that Kirihara, who had gotten lost, had found someone to help him and was on his way to the hospital.

As soon as I stepped into the ward, I heard Yukimura say, "The person has been found. Kirihara was picked up by Ryo and is on his way."

The ward fell silent for a second.

"Ling?" Marui was the first to react, his mind racing for a moment before asking, "Is that Mochizuki-kun from Hyotei? The one who delivers sweets?"

"Did he find Akaya?"

"What a coincidence!"

Niou raised an eyebrow, twirling his finger around the braid. "Our department head's friend has quite a wide range of services. Sending flowers, desserts, dolls, and now even helping people find teammates. Puri~"

Yukimura glanced at him, and Niou wisely shut his mouth, but the smile on his lips didn't disappear.

Yukimura leaned against the pillows, placed his phone on the bedside table, and the smile on his lips hadn't yet faded.