"What would you like to drink, sir?" the bartender asked with a polite smile.
"Nothing," the man in black replied coldly.
"…" The bartender frowned, annoyed.
Just then, Kaito, scanning the room, asked, "Where's Mr. Renro?"
Plenty of people played pool, but none were elderly.
Clearly, the man who faced young Terai wasn't here.
"Mr. Renro's likely in the VIP room," the bartender replied.
Not a strange question.
Most visitors to this bar wanted to see the legendary cue.
"You have a VIP room?" Kaito asked. "Where?"
"Sorry, even for viewing, it's 50,000 yen," the bartender said, smiling politely.
"Three, two, one!"
Kaito counted down, yanking a handkerchief off Terai's head, revealing a white dove flapping before him.
"We're from Magic Sunday Weekly, working on a feature about pool masters. We're here to interview Mr. Renro," Kaito lied to save cash.
"An interview?"
"Follow me," the bartender nodded, leading the way.
Turning, he noticed the man in black was gone.
"Weird, did he leave?"
The bartender led Terai and Kaito to the VIP room, pushing open double doors to let them in.
Aoko stayed at the bar, sipping another "non-alcoholic" cocktail, waiting.
In the VIP room, a single lit pool table stood at the center, surrounded by twenty or thirty suited guests staring intently.
"Nine ball, bottom pocket," a white-haired man in a suit said, leaning over the table, cue in hand, striking with focus.
As he said, the white ball knocked the nine ball into the bottom pocket.
A tough shot.
"As expected of Renro Tojiro," Terai nodded, impressed.
"Lame!" Kaito's jarring voice cut through the applause.
Hands in pockets, ignoring Terai's restraint, he grinned. "That skill? The legendary cue's crying."
Who cares!
Some underground gang?
With someone backing us tonight, I'll be as cocky as I want!
Kaito glanced at a figure in the dark corner, his smile widening.
My pool skills suck, but my cheating skills?
Heh, you're nowhere close!
A man with sunglasses, slicked-back hair, and a brown suit approached, cigar in hand.
His aura screamed "boss."
"You're from the magazine, right? Want to face Tojiro?" He'd recognized Terai but asked to gauge their intent.
"Sure, no problem!" Kaito agreed eagerly.
Even when the boss proposed a 10,000-yen-per-game bet, Kaito didn't blink, excitedly picking a cue.
"Let's go!"
The kid was fired up.
But Renro Tojiro's skill was unreal, impressing even Terai, his former rival.
He won ten straight games, cleaning out their cash.
Watching, even Tsuneo, in the distance, yawned.
This one-sided slaughter's boring.
Kaito, just transform and steal it already…
"Sir, how did you…" The bartender from outside spotted Tsuneo in the corner, hurrying over, confused.
If the boss catches this guy sneaking in, I'm done!
"…"
Two seconds later, Tsuneo gently set the unconscious bartender aside, resuming his watch.
Kaito was betting the shop now.
Terai's Blue Parrot Billiards Bar.
In exchange for the legendary cue.
"Young master, if we lose the shop, how will I live?" Terai was genuinely shocked.
That's Kaito Kid's secret base!
"Just a shop or two, who cares!" Kaito exuded rich-kid vibes.
Renro Tojiro wanted to refuse the lopsided bet, but the boss pressed a gun to his back, forcing agreement.
"A handgun?" Tsuneo's sharp eyes caught the hidden weapon through the crowd.
This place isn't as simple as I thought…
The match began.
Renro Tojiro gripped his cue, silently apologizing to Terai.
At the table, he never held back.
As he aimed to clear the table, a drunk burst through the VIP room doors.
"Kaito, I'm here to cheer you on!" Aoko, face flushed, stumbled in.
She'd clearly downed too many "non-alcoholic" cocktails…
Her shouting made Renro's hand tremble, missing the shot.
"Hey!"
"What're you playing so slowly for?"
"You'll make Kaito lose! Move, let me play!" Aoko shoved the pianist aside, banging out a lively tune.
"No chance now!" Kaito grinned at Renro.
My turn!
After holding back, it's time to show real magic!
With the piano tune, Kaito balanced his cue, aimed at the white ball.
"That stance—it's Toichi-sama!" Terai's eyes widened.
"Go!"
The cue struck, and the white ball shot out, bizarrely jumping over an obstacle ball, hitting the target.
It wasn't done—curving, it knocked two more balls in, then, defying physics, jumped again, ending the game.
Clap, clap, clap!
Tsuneo stepped forward, gloved hands clapping dully.
In those ten games, Kaito must've rigged the table.
Impressive sleight.
"How?!" The boss, ignoring others, couldn't accept it.
He slammed a red button under the table.
The table split open, revealing a dozen hidden handguns.
"Damn it, you're not taking that cue!"
As his goons reached for the guns, a black figure leapt onto the table, standing over the weapons, glaring down.
Kaito, arm around drunken Aoko, winked and grinned.
"You're in for it now!"
(Chapter End)
------------------------------
🌟 Hi everyone! 🌟
If you love my work and want to support me on this creative journey, you can support me here: [patreon.com/DaoistRoeoNQ] 💖
By joining, you will get access to exclusive content, behind-the-scenes updates, and some special perks that I have prepared just for you. Every support really means a lot and helps me strive every day! 🙏✨