The Competition Begins

Gen Chisaki looked over and realized that Akihabara was hosting a Street Fighter tournament dubbed the World Martial Arts Tournament.

Seeing Erii unable to tear her gaze away, it was clear she was completely captivated.

Whether it was the Street Fighter competition itself or the grandiose title of World Martial Arts Tournament, it held an incomparable allure for Erii.

Gen Chisaki initially wanted to refuse; what would it look like for the young lady of the Snake Eight Families to participate in a gaming tournament!

But when he caught Erii's expression, a sharp pang of pain pierced his heart.

It was the first time he had seen such a look on her face—a mix of longing and yearning.

"Alright, we'll go participate in the tournament now," Gen Chisaki agreed.

He glanced at Yaksha, who understood immediately and turned to lead the team toward the competition venue.

Upon arriving, the place was a sea of people. The lure of one million yen was too strong, attracting not only a massive crowd of gamers but also plenty of tourists.

Gen Chisaki frowned slightly at the density of the crowd, then looked at Erii, who was standing on her tiptoes, peering toward the stage.

Forget it, he thought, with me here, nothing will go wrong.

Yaksha and Crow arranged for family members to weave through the crowd, maintaining a perimeter.

Yabuki Sakura followed behind Gen Chisaki and Erii, acting as their assistant.

Gen Chisaki helped Erii sign up, filling in her real name, Erii, as her nickname.

Time grew short, and finally, the appointed hour of two o'clock arrived.

"Pop!"

Fireworks bloomed; though it was daytime, the display still ignited the crowd's passion.

On the high stage, a host in a black suit picked up the microphone and shouted, "Welcome everyone to our first annual World Martial Arts Tournament!"

"Today, we will crown one King of Fighters from among all our contestants. Are you ready!"

"Ready!" all the contestants shouted back.

Erii raised her arm and waved it gently.

In truth, the crowd's synchronized shouting was only due to the organizers' instructions—they were told to answer "Ready" whenever the host asked if they were prepared.

Lu Mingfei had no complaints about this; in fact, he was quite excited.

Because there were so many contestants, everyone went up in batches. The winners received a numbered tag, and the losers were cleared out.

Lu Mingfei was in the first batch. His opponent was a red-haired teenager who looked to be in high school.

The boy started by shouting that he would show everyone the skills he had honed at various arcades.

He, Yukihira Soufake, was the undisputed champion of the arcades near Totsuki Academy.

The match was best-of-three. Yukihira Soufake chose his signature character, Chun-Li, and glared at Lu Mingfei with high-spirited intensity.

Lu Mingfei chose Ryu.

The match began. Yukihira Soufake was extremely aggressive, unleashing the techniques he had polished in the arcades against Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei's Ryu simply kept blocking, and the moment Yukihira Soufake left an opening, he launched a counterattack.

It was over, and Yukihira Soufake's face turned ash-white.

Lu Mingfei smiled at him and said, "Thanks for the match."

But when Yukihira Soufake saw Lu Mingfei's expression, it was as if he were looking at a demon, smiling wickedly with an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"You monster!"

Yukihira Soufake shouted and ran off. The waters of the outside world were too deep—was this what the real world was like?

Lu Mingfei was left scratching his head, unsure of what had happened to the boy. Did I play too well?

Pondering this, Lu Mingfei took his numbered tag and walked to an empty spot. He had been the first to finish his fight, while the other contestants were still locked in grueling battles.

Soon after, the first batch was cleared, and the second began.

Erii was scheduled for the third batch, and she sat to the side, waiting expectantly.

A clear space was kept around her, and whenever anyone tried to approach, they were scared off by Yaksha's fierce, menacing glare.

When it was time for Erii's match, she stood up and walked toward the stage. Everyone was stunned by her beauty.

But when they met her eyes, they felt an instinctive fear for some reason, making them unable to look directly at her.

Erii's gaze was sharp and her face expressionless. Sitting in the venue, her opponent was a high school boy wearing glasses.

He didn't dare look at her face at all, as if something terrible would happen if he did.

The match began. Erii's expression was incredibly serious; in her eyes, anyone who could participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament must be the strongest of the strong.

She could not afford to let her guard down!

Erii chose Chun-Li, a character she played often. A moment later, she was bewildered.

Why did it end so fast? Did I just win?

The bespectacled boy opposite her was completely dazed; he had considered himself the strongest fighter in his entire apartment building.

To think he had lost so thoroughly! Overcome with grief, he decided to return home and continue honing his skills; this time, he wouldn't emerge for a year—no, three years!

Erii stepped off the stage, looking dazed, and walked over to Gen Chisaki.

She held up her notebook: "Brother, the person just now was so weak. Why did he dare to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament?"

Gen Chisaki smiled: "It's not that he was too weak, but that you are too strong. Perhaps Erii might even win the championship this time?"

Erii nodded, her eyes filled with determination. The title of King of Fighters was hers to take.

Several more rounds followed. The first stage was concluded, and the second was about to begin.

Lu Mingfei fought three more consecutive matches, entering the top 64 with a perfect record, while Erii, on the other side, remained equally undefeated.

These opponents were truly pathetic, not even as strong as Old Tang. Lu Mingfei felt the championship was in the bag.

Once he got the one million yen, he would first go and buy that Asahina Mikuru figure.

"Hehe!"

Thinking of this, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but chuckle out loud.

"How is the situation outside?" Su Enxi asked, sitting in the office of the company hosting the tournament.

"Everything is normal. No issues," Jiu De Mai replied to Su Enxi's question from a high-rise building near the venue.

"As expected of Little White Rabbit and Little Monster; they advanced with such ease. It looks like the final showdown will be between them," Su Enxi said, bored, crossing her legs and eating potato chips.

"Tell me, why did the Boss arrange for these two monsters to meet?" Jiu De Mai asked.

Su Enxi thought for a moment: "The Boss didn't say much, only that since Lu Mingfei awakened so early, he should meet the bride from the script ahead of schedule. It's to prevent Little White Rabbit from cutting down Little Monster at the very start of the plot."

"Sigh, anyway, I'm just a ninja. I'll just follow orders."