Chapter 27: Momobami Kirari
Hisako Arato blinked behind her glasses, looking at Akanegakubo Momo's shocked expression—a rare sight on the usually indifferent girl's face.
"Kaolan Wongsawat?" Hisako asked, tilting her head. "Who is that? Why are you so surprised, Akanegakubo-senpai? Is he a Michelin inspector?"
Akanegakubo Momo checked her phone again, confirming the face on the screen with the man sitting a few tables away. She let out a long sigh, hugging Bucchi tighter.
"No. Not a chef. Kaolan Wongsawat. I happened to see a match during my confectionery study tour in Thailand last year. That's when I learned about this person. He is known as the Thai God of War."
Kobayashi Rindou didn't say anything; she calmly sipped her water, clearly already in the know. She enjoyed watching the juniors panic.
Erina took a sip of her own water to cool her tongue from the spicy food. She calmed down before turning to Akanegakubo Momo. "The Thai God of War? A boxer?"
Akanegakubo Momo nodded and then shook her head, looking at Kaolan with a look of pure awe. She whispered, as if speaking too loud would invoke his wrath, "Kaolan is a boxer, that's right, but he combined Muay Thai and traditional Boxing into a seamless style. He's the national hero of Thailand. He once dominated the four major boxing organizations simultaneously. He's a living legend."
Erina didn't understand the intricacies of combat sports or what the "four organizations" were, but she understood one thing: Invincible. Kaolan seemed to be an invincible existence nationwide. If that was the case, this person was truly terrifying.
And he was eating here. Just like the Kure assassins.
"Raian," Ren called out from the kitchen window. "You also want one, just replace the steak salad with Massaman Curry, right? You also want Mapo Tofu?"
Raian grunted an affirmative through a mouthful of meat.
Ren turned to the newcomer. "And you, Kaolan? What's your poison tonight?"
Kaolan thought for a moment, his face impassive. "Give me a portion of Drunken Shrimp. Use Mexican tiger prawns if you have them. And make it spicy."
"OK~"
Just as Ren was about to leave the counter, he saw Akanegakubo Momo approach shyly. She held a napkin and a pen, her hands trembling slightly.
"Ga... Kaolan-san!" she squeaked. "I'm your fan! Could you sign this for me?"
(It should be noted that Momo was just a simple fan, admiring his dedication to a craft. It wasn't romantic; it was closer to idol worship.)
Kaolan looked at the small girl holding a teddy bear. He looked at Ren, who just smiled and shook his head, signaling "your problem." Then Kaolan turned to Kobayashi Rindou.
Rindou wiped her mouth with a napkin and laughed. "If she wants an autograph, just give it to her~ Don't be stingy, Champ."
Kaolan sighed—a long, weary sound. He took the paper and pen. His handwriting was surprisingly elegant. He signed it and handed it back to the excited Akanegakubo Momo, who clutched it like a holy relic.
Ren turned and walked back to the kitchen, tossing a question over his shoulder. "Do you two want something to drink?"
"Sure~ Beer for me!" Raian shouted.
"Water," Kaolan said.
"Hahaha! Kaolan! I didn't expect you to actually come!" Raian laughed, pointing his fork at the boxer.
Kaolan looked at Kure Raian, whom he had met at this very Restaurant over a year ago. He sighed again. "I accepted the employment from Rama. You must have been hired too."
At that time, their first meeting, Kure Raian had wanted to kill him just for looking at him wrong. But he was swiftly subdued by Ren (via a well-placed pressure point). After that, they came more often, realizing this was neutral ground. As fellow Combatants, they gradually became... acquaintances. Friends was a strong word for Raian.
Kure Raian chewed on a piece of grilled diaphragm and grinned, bloodthirsty delight in his eyes. "Of course! It doesn't matter which company hires me! I just want to quickly take down all my opponents in front of me! Domination!"
Erina and the others were startled; he was too fierce. The killing intent was palpable.
Lucifer and Cerberus, on the other hand, were calmly eating ice cream nearby. Ren hadn't told them what kind of ice cream it was—Sea Salt and Caramel—but it was really delicious, and the spoon for scooping the ice cream was actually a biscuit.
Kobayashi Rindou wiped away the sweat from the spiciness of her noodles and took a sip of water. She shouted across the room.
"Raian! You're so loud! Kaolan might have a poker face, but at least he's quiet! Learn some manners!"
"Tch..." Raian clicked his tongue.
"Poker face...." Kaolan muttered, touching his cheek.
Kobayashi Rindou's single sentence sank two people, but they really didn't dare to get angry. They were all old acquaintances here.
Karura, meanwhile, ate her Gabonese Chicken Mamba (Chicken stewed in palm butter) and laughed. "Hahaha! Raian is such a loser! Getting scolded by Rindou!"
"Karura. Don't talk while eating," Fusui chided gently.
"Oh. But Raian, talk about dominating after you can beat Ren. Otherwise, you're just barking."
Kure Raian instantly bristled. His veins popped. But remembering Ren's threat about the milkshake (and the previous kick), he held back.
He looked at Kaolan, who had been observing with dead fish eyes the whole time.
"That expression of yours!" Raian yelled. "You can't beat that bastard either, okay?! Why are you so calm?! Show some spirit! Don't you want a rematch?!"
Hearing this, Akanegakubo Momo, who was still immersed in the joy of having Kaolan's autograph, immediately snapped back to reality.
Just as she was about to say, 'How dare you say such a thing to the God of War?', she heard Kaolan speak.
"I definitely can't beat him," Kaolan admitted freely, taking a sip of water. "What else can I do but be calm? Only a few monsters in the Kengan Association can beat Ren... if any. He fights... differently."
Kure Raian also fell silent. Then he slammed his fist on the table. "Damn it! I'll beat Ren down eventually! I'll tear him apart!"
He continued to feast angrily.
Akanegakubo Momo looked at Kobayashi Rindou blankly. "Hey... Rindou-senpai.... That super loser named Raian said Kaolan couldn't beat Shopkeeper Ren, and Kaolan even admitted it? Is Ren-san... strong?"
Kobayashi Rindou waved her hand casually, popping a peanut into her mouth. "That's right. Kaolan and Raian can fight each other to a draw, but neither of them has ever beaten Ren in a spar."
"This...." Momo was speechless.
"Let me think. Ah! That's right, that night when I went back home, I even brought a pair of boxing gloves with me. Those were Ren's; he said he was too lazy to carry them, so I took them home for him. That was the day they fought in the underground gym. Ren didn't even get hit."
Now, not only Akanegakubo Momo but even Lucifer and Cerberus on the side were stunned.
Good heavens, Momo thought. We thought you were a Restaurant owner who happened to be a good chef. But you're one of the best chefs in the world. We thought you were a chef, but it turns out you're a martial arts master who beats up champions?
Ren quickly brought Kaolan's dishes. His dishes were simpler to make than Kure Raian's feast, which was also somewhat related to Kaolan's own disciplined eating habits.
Kure Raian ate his food and shouted, "Ren! Did someone hire you this time? For the tournament?"
Hearing this, everyone perked up their ears.
Karura and Fusui, along with Kobayashi Rindou, wanted to see Ren compete. The rest didn't know what it was about, but it sounded exciting.
Ren paused while wiping a glass. He thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"Yes... But I don't really want to go. The matches sometimes happen at night, and it's not close to here~ It interferes with business hours."
"Cough, cough, cough!" Raian choked on his beer. "You're saying that just because of this?! Business hours?!"
"What else? Priorities, Raian. This is your wine. And one more thing—if you get drunk and act crazy, I'll make sure you don't see tomorrow's sun~ I have a shovel in the back."
Good heavens, he changed his threat again. Lucifer and Cerberus covered their mouths and chuckled.
Kure Fusui, however, bit her straw and stared at Ren without blinking. "Who hired you~? Do we know them?"
Ren thought for a moment, then sighed. "There are two people you all know, and you usually have a good relationship with them... The rest you don't know..."
Hearing this, Kobayashi Rindou almost choked on her water. Wiping her mouth, she shouted, eyes wide. "It's not Kirari, is it?!"
Hearing that name, Karura and Fusui also looked helpless. A collective groan went through the group.
Ren just sighed, indicating his assent.
Momobami Kirari... that woman... the President of the Hyakkaou Private Academy Student Council. It's hard to describe her. She was a gambler who bet with lives.
Kobayashi Rindou let out a sigh of relief. "Well, at least it's interesting. Who's the other one? I didn't expect Kirari to hire you on behalf of her family. She's really hard to figure out..."
Ren shook his head. "She hired me on behalf of the Academy... apparently they have a dispute. The other one you're also very familiar with is that idiot Sonoko....."
"Oh. Sonoko Suzuki." Rindou laughed. "Then it's fine. If she's competing with Kirari for someone, she's definitely going to be tricked until there's nothing left of her bones. Poor girl."
[Akarin's Note: Momobami Kirari is the main antagonist of Kakegurui, a compulsive gambler. Sonoko Suzuki is Ran's best friend in Detective Conan, extremely rich but naive.]
Karura and the others nodded in agreement.
Ren waved his hand. "I'm not planning to participate. It's a hassle. We'll talk about it then. Oh, and Rindou..."
He looked at the redhead. "Why did you run over here tonight in such a hurry? Didn't you say you'd come in two days? Is there something else besides jealousy?"
Kobayashi Rindou snorted. She stood up and shouted, slamming her hand on the table.
"Of course there is! Something big! This time, our Elite Ten also has to participate in field training—the Stagiaire! As long as we get the shop owner's approval, we can get three months of graduation time deducted. The requirement is that the shop must be suitable for the Elite Ten!"
Ren nodded slowly, then rolled his eyes. "So you want to come to my place? To turn my peaceful shop into a circus?"
"Of course! Don't be ungrateful! I'm giving you a chance to pursue me! And spend time with me!"
"Sigh...."
"You dare to dislike me?! I'm a catch!"
Ren said with a headache, "Coming is not a problem, but what will you do here? I don't need a chef."
"Ah..... I can wipe tables! And serve drinks! And I can make you breakfast! And keep you warm!"
"Alright~ You're hired as a waitress."
"Oh, right. Momo-chan is coming to your place too. She wants to learn desserts."
"Got it~ I thought it was a bigger deal than it was…."
After saying that, Ren sat to the side, quietly reading his book again.
Kure Raian propped himself on the table, grinning. "Hey! Ren! Aren't you going to have a drink? It's not easy for this stoic guy, Kaolan, to come around~ Come on, celebrate!"
Ren closed his book. "Fine. Just one."
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