Ryoma Echizen had just entered the Tennis Club room when Horio and Katsuo gathered around him. Both of them looked upset. Ryoma looked at them weirdly.
"Ryoma-kun! Bad news! Bad news!" Katsuo cried.
"Mmm?" Ryoma asked. The 2 freshmen are known for making small matters seemed big. Ryoma wondered where Kachirou was. Had something happened to him?
"Ryoma-kun doesn't even have any expression!" Horio said.
"Ah? Did something happen?" Ryoma asked. Horio covered his face in exasperation.
"Ryoma-kun!! Didn't you heard? Your dad is in the hospital!" Katsuo cried.
"Ack?" Ryoma said and turned to look at him. "My dad??"
"He still have no reaction!!!" Horio cried.
"Where did you hear this??" Ryoma asked Katsuo.
"Momochan-senpai came here earlier looking for you-" Katsuo began.
"But as usual, you came in late! So he told us what happened!" Horio added.
"Momochan-senpai and the others are on the way to the hospital right now!" Katsuo cried. Ryoma grabbed his bags and ran out.
"Ryoma-kun!!!" Katsuo yelled after him. "Be careful!"
At the hospital.
Ryoma ran all the way to the hospital. His dad, the man who never got sick, was now in the hospital. Ryoma cursed himself for not asking Katsuo how his dad got injured. He cursed his dad too for being stubborn and irritating. He must have fallen from his bicycle while chasing some schoolgirls or he must have eaten too much pork buns and got stomach pains.
"Ryoma-kun!" came a familiar voice. Ryoma saw Sakuno waving at him from inside the lift. She waited until he got into the lift and then pressed the button to the 4th floor. Sakuno looked at Ryoma. His face was expressionless as usual.
"Ah... um… Ryoma-kun… aren't you worried?" Sakuno asked. Ryoma did not answer her. His face remained expressionless. Sakuno decided not to say anything more. The lift door opened and Ryoma rushed out. He stopped when he saw Momo-senpai, Oishi-senpai, Fuji-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai standing by a drinks vending machine. Momo waved at him and threw him a can of Ponta.
"You may need this before going in to see your dad!" Momo said.
"Ah? What happened to him?" Ryoma asked. "It can't be that bad, right?"
Momo looked at him seriously. He did not answer.
"It's best you see for yourself," Fuji said, smiling. Ryoma could not understand what had been going on. Is his dad seriously injured or was all this a big joke?
Ryoma, with the Ponta still in his hand, entered the room. He was greeted with more familiar faces. He tightened his grip on his Ponta.
"Ah… Echizen. At last, we meet again," Atobe said in his most sleekest voice. Atobe was lying on the hospital bed. His left leg was in a cast. Nanjiroh Echizen, Ryoma's dad, was lying on the bed next to Atobe. He only had a bandage on his right elbow and he did not look seriously injured.
"Daaad!!!! What's going on here!!!" Ryoma yelled. Nanjiroh just yawned.
"Ah…Ryoma is here," he said as he scratched his back. Ryoma stared at him.
"Ah the father and son fights, how childish," Gakuto said. Ryoma turned to him.
"Who are you and what's your business here??" Ryoma asked. Gakuto's face turned red.
"You little, brat!" Gakuto cried and lunged towards Ryoma.
"Gakuto," Atobe began. "No fighting. I think Ryoma had enough worries already. Right, Kabaji?"
"Yes," the loyal Kabaji answered.
"Ah the monkey king and his loyal servants from Hyoutei," Ryoma said. "Now I remember."
Atobe laughed. "Ah, hello to you too." He paused when he realized that Ryoma had called him 'Monkey King.'
"I'll see who will have the last laugh here, Echizen. Nanjiroh, please let you son know of our little agreement," Atobe said, not looking offended at all.
Ryoma turned to his dad. Nanjiroh's face turned pale. He began to sweat heavily.
"Erm you see, Ryoma… I got into a little incident... Which involves Atobe's property… so erm… I..." Nanjiroh began.
"What do you mean by 'Little incident'??" Ryoma demanded.
"Well, your dad apparently was spying on one of Atobe's female servant in the kitchen-" Inui began.
"I wasn't spying! I was trying to see what's she's cooking!" Nanjiroh yelled. Everyone ignored him. "Hey! I'm telling the truth!"
"The servant got such a shock that she accidentally spilled the bottle of oil into the flame," Inui continued.
"Atobe's mansion was engulfed in flames, thanks to Nanjiroh here!" Gakuto spat, disgusted.
"Gakuto…" Atobe began.
"Chih," Gakuto spat again. He folded his arms and turned his back towards Ryoma.
Atobe looked at Ryoma with amusement in his eyes. He was thinking how Ryoma would take the news. He smiled.
"Bring me my tea, Kabaji," Atobe said. Kabaji did as told. Atobe took a painfully long time to sip his tea. He wiped his lips and looked at Ryoma again.
"Since this was all your dad's fault that my precious mansion got burnt down, your dad agreed to let me and my associates stay in your house for the time being," Atobe said. He returned his teacup to Kabaji. "Right, Kabaji?"
"Yes," Kabaji said loyally. Atobe looked at Ryoma to catch his reaction to hearing such tragic news.
"Sheesh, whatever. Mada, mada dane." Ryoma said.
"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno cried. She looked at him worriedly. "Ah… no… you sure it's okay? I mean… Atobe is… um…"
"Mada, mada dane," Ryoma said as he turned towards the door. "My dear dad made this decision. It's not my problem."
He walked out of the room. Sakuno looked at him. "Ryoma-kun…"
Atobe laughed. "Nanjiroh-sama…. I'm so lucky to be a guest at the humble house of a former tennis pro. Don't you think so, Kabaji??"
"Yes," Kabaji said.
Nanjiroh stared at him. "Three months and no longer."
Atobe laughed. Three months? He was one to break all rules. He made his own rules. Three months is not enough to learn from a tennis pro. Tezuka will be back soon and he must be ready to defeat him. And having bratty little Echizen around to annoy seems like a great idea. It's payback time. Atobe didn't like to lose and losing to a loser school like Seigaku really pissed him off.
Tezuka, he said to himself. When you come back, let's have a match.
"Ryoma-kun! Bad news! Bad news!" Katsuo cried.
"Mmm?" Ryoma asked. The 2 freshmen are known for making small matters seemed big. Ryoma wondered where Kachirou was. Had something happened to him?
"Ryoma-kun doesn't even have any expression!" Horio said.
"Ah? Did something happen?" Ryoma asked. Horio covered his face in exasperation.
"Ryoma-kun!! Didn't you heard? Your dad is in the hospital!" Katsuo cried.
"Ack?" Ryoma said and turned to look at him. "My dad??"
"He still have no reaction!!!" Horio cried.
"Where did you hear this??" Ryoma asked Katsuo.
"Momochan-senpai came here earlier looking for you-" Katsuo began.
"But as usual, you came in late! So he told us what happened!" Horio added.
"Momochan-senpai and the others are on the way to the hospital right now!" Katsuo cried. Ryoma grabbed his bags and ran out.
"Ryoma-kun!!!" Katsuo yelled after him. "Be careful!"
At the hospital.
Ryoma ran all the way to the hospital. His dad, the man who never got sick, was now in the hospital. Ryoma cursed himself for not asking Katsuo how his dad got injured. He cursed his dad too for being stubborn and irritating. He must have fallen from his bicycle while chasing some schoolgirls or he must have eaten too much pork buns and got stomach pains.
"Ryoma-kun!" came a familiar voice. Ryoma saw Sakuno waving at him from inside the lift. She waited until he got into the lift and then pressed the button to the 4th floor. Sakuno looked at Ryoma. His face was expressionless as usual.
"Ah... um… Ryoma-kun… aren't you worried?" Sakuno asked. Ryoma did not answer her. His face remained expressionless. Sakuno decided not to say anything more. The lift door opened and Ryoma rushed out. He stopped when he saw Momo-senpai, Oishi-senpai, Fuji-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai standing by a drinks vending machine. Momo waved at him and threw him a can of Ponta.
"You may need this before going in to see your dad!" Momo said.
"Ah? What happened to him?" Ryoma asked. "It can't be that bad, right?"
Momo looked at him seriously. He did not answer.
"It's best you see for yourself," Fuji said, smiling. Ryoma could not understand what had been going on. Is his dad seriously injured or was all this a big joke?
Ryoma, with the Ponta still in his hand, entered the room. He was greeted with more familiar faces. He tightened his grip on his Ponta.
"Ah… Echizen. At last, we meet again," Atobe said in his most sleekest voice. Atobe was lying on the hospital bed. His left leg was in a cast. Nanjiroh Echizen, Ryoma's dad, was lying on the bed next to Atobe. He only had a bandage on his right elbow and he did not look seriously injured.
"Daaad!!!! What's going on here!!!" Ryoma yelled. Nanjiroh just yawned.
"Ah…Ryoma is here," he said as he scratched his back. Ryoma stared at him.
"Ah the father and son fights, how childish," Gakuto said. Ryoma turned to him.
"Who are you and what's your business here??" Ryoma asked. Gakuto's face turned red.
"You little, brat!" Gakuto cried and lunged towards Ryoma.
"Gakuto," Atobe began. "No fighting. I think Ryoma had enough worries already. Right, Kabaji?"
"Yes," the loyal Kabaji answered.
"Ah the monkey king and his loyal servants from Hyoutei," Ryoma said. "Now I remember."
Atobe laughed. "Ah, hello to you too." He paused when he realized that Ryoma had called him 'Monkey King.'
"I'll see who will have the last laugh here, Echizen. Nanjiroh, please let you son know of our little agreement," Atobe said, not looking offended at all.
Ryoma turned to his dad. Nanjiroh's face turned pale. He began to sweat heavily.
"Erm you see, Ryoma… I got into a little incident... Which involves Atobe's property… so erm… I..." Nanjiroh began.
"What do you mean by 'Little incident'??" Ryoma demanded.
"Well, your dad apparently was spying on one of Atobe's female servant in the kitchen-" Inui began.
"I wasn't spying! I was trying to see what's she's cooking!" Nanjiroh yelled. Everyone ignored him. "Hey! I'm telling the truth!"
"The servant got such a shock that she accidentally spilled the bottle of oil into the flame," Inui continued.
"Atobe's mansion was engulfed in flames, thanks to Nanjiroh here!" Gakuto spat, disgusted.
"Gakuto…" Atobe began.
"Chih," Gakuto spat again. He folded his arms and turned his back towards Ryoma.
Atobe looked at Ryoma with amusement in his eyes. He was thinking how Ryoma would take the news. He smiled.
"Bring me my tea, Kabaji," Atobe said. Kabaji did as told. Atobe took a painfully long time to sip his tea. He wiped his lips and looked at Ryoma again.
"Since this was all your dad's fault that my precious mansion got burnt down, your dad agreed to let me and my associates stay in your house for the time being," Atobe said. He returned his teacup to Kabaji. "Right, Kabaji?"
"Yes," Kabaji said loyally. Atobe looked at Ryoma to catch his reaction to hearing such tragic news.
"Sheesh, whatever. Mada, mada dane." Ryoma said.
"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno cried. She looked at him worriedly. "Ah… no… you sure it's okay? I mean… Atobe is… um…"
"Mada, mada dane," Ryoma said as he turned towards the door. "My dear dad made this decision. It's not my problem."
He walked out of the room. Sakuno looked at him. "Ryoma-kun…"
Atobe laughed. "Nanjiroh-sama…. I'm so lucky to be a guest at the humble house of a former tennis pro. Don't you think so, Kabaji??"
"Yes," Kabaji said.
Nanjiroh stared at him. "Three months and no longer."
Atobe laughed. Three months? He was one to break all rules. He made his own rules. Three months is not enough to learn from a tennis pro. Tezuka will be back soon and he must be ready to defeat him. And having bratty little Echizen around to annoy seems like a great idea. It's payback time. Atobe didn't like to lose and losing to a loser school like Seigaku really pissed him off.
Tezuka, he said to himself. When you come back, let's have a match.