Chapter 87: Suzuki Sonoko and the Clash of Titans
After Atobe lost 6-0 without even touching the ball, he no longer had any desire to continue the match. He stood panting at the baseline, sweat dripping from his forehead, staring at the scorched mark where Ren's last serve had landed.
The blow to his pride was immense, but for a man like Atobe Keigo, this blow was only fuel. It was a source of motivation to climb even higher. He would not be defeated like this again.
He walked to the net, shaking Ren's hand with a firm grip. Then he turned to Tezuka Kunimitsu, who was watching with a calm expression.
"He's a very strong tennis player. Unbelievably strong," Atobe admitted, gesturing to Ren who was now laughing and teaching Cerberus how to hold a racket without breaking it. "Which team's coach is he? Is he a pro who retired early? Or a secret weapon for the U-17?"
Hearing this, Tezuka, Fuji, Lucifer, and Yumiko all looked at him strangely.
Atobe frowned, sensing the unspoken amusement. "What? Are you afraid I'll poach him for Hyotei? My checkbook is open."
Fuji smiled, his eyes closed in crescents. "Atobe, even if you try to poach Brother Ren with all the money in the Atobe Foundation, you won't succeed. Because he's not even a tennis player~."
"What did you say?!"
Atobe Keigo, Oshitari Yushi, and the other Hyotei regulars who had followed were all stunned. Their jaws dropped.
Such strength? Such speed? Such control? And he wasn't even a tennis player?!
Atobe Keigo gritted his teeth, a vein popping on his temple. "If he's not a tennis player... then what is he?! A mercenary? An assassin?"
Everyone looked at him strangely again. Even Fuji slightly opened his ice-blue eyes to gauge Atobe's reaction. Oshitari Yushi pushed up his glasses, which flashed white. "Wait... no way...."
Fuji Yumiko smiled, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Ren demonstrate a forehand swing to the eager dog-girl. She said gently, "He is indeed a Restaurant owner. You heard right. He really is just a chef~."
Atobe Keigo froze. "A... Chef? You expect me to believe that a cook destroyed the King of Hyotei?"
Tezuka Kunimitsu pushed up his glasses and said stoically, "Brother Ren's cooking skills are far superior to his tennis. His tennis is merely a hobby. You'll gain something if you visit his shop once. It changes your perspective."
Atobe looked at Ren again. The man was laughing as Cerberus accidentally hit the ball over the fence. He looked... normal. But the aura of power was unmistakable.
"Are there really such places and dishes?" Atobe muttered. "Where is this Restaurant? I must taste the food that fuels such strength."
Fuji thought for a moment, then looked at Yumiko and Lucifer. "I think Sister and Miss Lucifer are better suited to answer that question. They are the regulars."
Fuji Yumiko smiled and gave Atobe Keigo the address, writing it on a slip of paper. Atobe Keigo took it, reading it carefully. "An alleyway? How quaint."
He silently noted down the address, then suddenly paused. His eyes widened slightly.
Tezuka noticed the shift in demeanor. "Atobe, what's wrong?"
Atobe Keigo narrowed his eyes, looking at Ren with intense scrutiny. "Ren... his name is Ren, right? Just Ren?"
Lucifer nodded, crossing her arms. "Of course. What do you want with him?"
Lucifer's words, for once, carried the full, suffocating aura of her status as the Queen of Hell. The air around her grew heavy, startling even Fuji Yumiko. It was a warning: Tread carefully.
But then, remembering she was in disguise, she relaxed.
Atobe Keigo didn't flinch, though he felt the pressure. He said in a deep voice, "I think I've heard that name somewhere.... In a context unrelated to tennis."
Fuji Shusuke was also stunned, and asked in confusion, "Have you also been to Brother Ren's Restaurant before?"
"No. But I remember someone mentioning this person to me about a year ago... Someone annoying."
"Who?"
This time, Atobe didn't speak immediately. He fell into thought, tapping his fingers against his racket. Finally, Atobe looked up, a hint of displeasure mixed with curiosity flashing in his eyes.
Before anyone could ask what happened, they saw Atobe pull out a sleek, expensive smartphone. After searching his contacts for a while, he made a call.
Atobe saw the curious looks on Lucifer's and Fuji Yumiko's faces and silently put the phone on speaker so they could hear.
The call connected quickly.
A cheerful, loud, but very casual voice rang out: "Atobe? What do you snotty tsundere kids want calling me on a holiday? I'm busy shopping!"
Hearing this voice, everyone's mouths twitched. Fuji Yumiko paused. That voice sounded so familiar....
Atobe Keigo's forehead vein popped visibly. He clenched his fist and shouted into the phone, "You old hag! I'm not here to argue with you about fashion!"
"You called me names?! Atobe! Who gave you the courage?! Do you want to die?! I'll buy your school and turn it into a cat cafe!"
"Old woman! Let me finish!"
"You're still calling me names?! Tell me where you are?! I'm going to beat you to death with my handbag!"
Atobe Keigo took a deep breath to calm his rising blood pressure. He gritted out one word.
"Ren."
Silence on the other end.
Then, a crash. The sound of something falling—likely a phone or a bag.
"What happened to Brother Ren?!" the voice shouted, panic replacing the anger. "Did something happen?! Is he hurt?! Did you little brat upset Brother Ren?! If you did, I will end you!"
Hearing this panic, Fuji Yumiko sighed and smiled. "Is that... Sonoko? Suzuki Sonoko?"
The person on the other end of the phone paused. "That voice... is Sister Yumiko! Why are you with that scoundrel Atobe? Wait... Atobe! Give the phone to Sister Yumiko! Now!"
Atobe Keigo's mouth twitched, but he handed the phone over to Yumiko like it was a bomb.
Fuji Yumiko took the phone and said with a gentle smile, "Hello, Sonoko-chan. Shusuke and Kunimitsu came to play tennis today, and Ren joined us for a picnic. Then Atobe showed up and challenged Ren... and lost badly. That's why Atobe called you."
Sonoko on the other end of the phone let out a breath of relief, then her voice pitched up in excitement. "Is Brother Ren at the outdoor tennis court?! Right now?! Is he playing? Is he sweaty? Wait... are Lucifer and Cerberus there too?!"
Lucifer leaned over the phone. "Yes. Cerberus is currently chasing a ball. She is very happy."
"Ah! Lucifer-sama! Wait for me! I'll be right there! Don't let Ren leave!"
Click.
She hung up the phone instantly.
Fuji Yumiko handed the phone back to a stunned Atobe and asked with a smile, "How do you know that child, Sonoko? You two seem... close."
"Close? We are enemies," Atobe scoffed, wiping his phone screen. "The Atobe Foundation and the Suzuki Foundation have always been business partners. I knew that old woman with the endocrine imbalance when we were little. She used to pull my hair. But I didn't expect the 'Ren' that idiot Sonoko mentioned a year ago to be him."
(Author's Note: Atobe is in his third year of junior high, Sonoko is in her second year of high school, hence the 'old woman' insults.)
Atobe thought of this, and his interest in the Restaurant suddenly peaked. Because even though Sonoko was carefree and boy-crazy, that didn't mean she was a fool about people. As the heiress to the Suzuki fortune, she had good instincts. A man she genuinely liked and respected—calling him 'Brother Ren' with such affection—would definitely not be simple.
Fuji Shusuke smiled and said, "But I really didn't expect anyone to be able to make you speechless, Atobe.... Sonoko-chan is formidable."
Tezuka also nodded in agreement.
Atobe cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "That's just gentlemanly behavior. I allow her to speak. By the way... why are Fuji and Tezuka both Shopkeeper Ren's 'younger brothers'? How did that happen?"
Tezuka didn't speak, adjusting his grip on his racket.
Fuji glanced at his sister, then smiled mysteriously. "What do you think, Atobe? It's a long story involving food and family."
Atobe glanced at Fuji Yumiko, whose face was slightly red as she watched Ren laugh on the court. He connected the dots.
"He really is a winner in life," Atobe muttered with some admiration.
Suddenly, his phone rang again.
Atobe frowned. He answered. "What?"
"Hello? What's the matter now, old woman?"
"Huh? You didn't know which tennis court to go to and just ran out of the house?!" Atobe shouted. "As expected, only you, you directionless idiot, could do something like that! Do you not have GPS?!"
"Shut up and tell me! Or I'll tell everyone about that time you fell into the pond!" Sonoko threatened.
"Hey! You old woman, don't go too far! Fine! The address is above the old Leisure Park, near the river! Do not get lost again!"
Click.
Watching Atobe trembling with anger, clutching the hung-up phone, the Hyotei members were all filled with admiration. Admiration not for their captain, but for that unseen daughter of the Suzuki Zaibatsu.
To be able to make the King of Hyotei lose his cool so completely... this girl's future was limitless.
Meanwhile, on the court, Ren sneezed.
"Someone is talking about me," he said, rubbing his nose.
Cerberus dropped the tennis ball she had caught (with her hand, thankfully). "Is it an enemy? Should I bite them?"
"No, Cerberus. Probably just another friend coming to join the party."
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