From the brothel, Aiden turned and walked into a dark alley. He tossed the baseball cap and mask he'd used to disguise himself, along with the latex gloves that prevented fingerprints, into a trash bin. Only then did he walk out of the alley, get into his GTR, and drive away.
However, just as Aiden left, a priest and a nun appeared at the entrance of that same brothel, looking toward the three athletes stumbling out behind him.
They were none other than Goenitz and his adopted daughter, Goeniko, who had just landed not long ago.
When Goenitz heard one of the athletes yelling at the surrounding employees, furiously accusing them of not protecting their guests and letting the invitation letter get stolen.
He said coldly to himself, "Rugal, you're still as useless as ever, giving my Lord's power to this kind of trash. But, it's actually good that the invitation was stolen, letting them participate in the fighting tournament would only embarrass my Lord."
Then, Goenitz murmured to himself again, "However, that figure I just saw in the car… looked familiar. Could it be… an old acquaintance?"
While he muttered to himself, the nun Goeniko beside him curiously glanced around. Being young and inexperienced, she had no idea what kind of place this was. When she saw several beautifully dressed, scantily clad women coming out of the brothel, she quickly covered her eyes.
Then she loosened one hand and tugged on Goenitz's sleeve, "Papa, what kind of place is this? Why are they… wearing so little? What do they do?"
"Uh… cough, Papa doesn't know either."
Goenitz, who had just gotten off the plane, had immediately sensed a surge of Orochi's power and brought Goeniko here as a gust of wind.
Only now did he realize this was a brothel. Hearing Goeniko's innocent question, a flicker of embarrassment passed over his face. He then took her by the hand and led her away.
Not long after, he hailed a taxi, instructed the driver to take them to the best nearby hotel, and began thinking about his next move.
The reason he came this time was to lift Orochi's seal. The best way to do that was to find Chizuru, the wielder of the Yata Mirror, and kill her.
Of course, that wasn't the only way. Using Kagura blood would also work. But killing her was far simpler.
Still, he was hesitant. He hadn't gathered all eight Hakkesshu yet, and reviving Orochi too early would be unwise, especially without a proper vessel.
Moreover, one question still lingered in his mind, 'Did humanity truly need to be destroyed?'
After thinking for a while, Goenitz shook his head slightly. "We'll see how fate plays out… Perhaps failure might actually be a good thing."
As he murmured this, the taxi stopped in front of a luxurious hotel.
Getting out, Goenitz looked up at the sign above and raised an eyebrow.
"So, this too is Kagura property…"
———
When Aiden returned to the shrine, night had already fallen completely.
And when he reached the shrine office, Maki was pacing anxiously at the door.
Not only Goenitz had sensed the surge of Orochi's power, Maki had too. Her face was filled with worry and fear.
But when she saw Aiden appear before her, Maki immediately ran toward him and threw herself into his arms.
"Aiden, I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Just a few small fries, how could I possibly be in danger?" Aiden patted the priestess's back as she hugged him tightly. He knew she'd sensed Orochi's power and was worried about his safety.
After letting her hold him for a while, Aiden finally said, "Let's head back to the room first."
"Mm!" Maki nodded, then released him and instead took his hand, leading him toward the shrine's living room.
"Chizuru is still preparing dinner. She'll be here soon."
Once inside, Maki mentioned her sister first, then asked, "Did you get the invitation?"
"Of course, piece of cake." Aiden reached behind him and pulled the invitation letter out of his system's storage, proudly handing it to Maki.
"No need for a signature, once the tournament starts, just hand it to the event staff."
"What about… those people?" Maki glanced at the invitation letter, lost interest, and set it aside, then asked, "There weren't any major problems, right?"
"No. I was careful. The worst one will just have to stay in the hospital for about a week."
Indeed, Aiden hadn't used much strength. And since those athletes carried traces of Orochi's power, it boosted their toughness and recovery. If they wanted to save money, they wouldn't even need a hospital.
"That's good." Maki sighed in relief. If things had gotten too serious, the Kagura family would've had to intervene, bringing all sorts of minor trouble.
Then she had the maids bring tea. As they chatted over their cups, Chizuru finished preparing dinner.
Once in the dining room, Aiden showed the invitation to Chizuru too. Unlike her indifferent sister, Chizuru was visibly thrilled.
The proud, tsundere older sister clearly hadn't inherited her sibling's calm demeanor. She was always eager for new and exciting things. Unless something happened to Maki, Chizuru would never truly mature.
"Big Sister, why don't we just take the championship this time? It's the first ever tournament, the prestige of winning must be incredible!"
As they ate, Chizuru poured drinks for Aiden and her sister, then said this with a confident grin.
She knew her sister's strength well. They'd practiced their family's ancient martial arts since childhood. Even without using the Yata Mirror, Chizuru was sure her sister had almost no equals.
"Don't get cocky, Chizuru. You should know there's always someone stronger out there," Maki said with a small shake of her head.
"The current heir of the Kusanagi family is a martial arts prodigy. Don't forget, he won first place in Japan's last fighting tournament."
"Kusanagi Kyo, huh? Hmph, that's only because you didn't enter, Sister. If you had, that Kusanagi brat wouldn't have stood a chance." Chizuru scoffed.
In her eyes, Kusanagi Kyo, a still-in-high-school delinquent, was nothing special. According to her family's intelligence reports, his grades were abysmal, and at this rate, he might not even make it into college.
Compared to the Kagura clan, even though both families were ancient with thousand-year lineages, the Kaguras were far stronger overall.
Hearing her sister's words, Maki only shook her head lightly, choosing not to argue. Instead, she looked at Aiden.
"Aiden, are you interested in the championship?"
"Championship?"
Aiden paused, then replied casually, "Not really. I'm not that interested."
Maybe before, he might've been excited to take part in the story's events, like playing a game and chasing achievements.
But now things were different. His priorities had shifted. After all, he was a man destined to become the King of Harems.
"Then why bother getting the invitation letter?" Maki asked curiously.
"Just for fun," Aiden said, sipping his drink.
The system had long told him there was no obligation. Whether or not he joined the tournament was entirely up to him, there'd be no penalties. But since he was already here, it'd be a waste not to experience it firsthand.
Besides, the KOF tournament was a main storyline event. By taking part, he could meet more characters… though, honestly, he already knew quite a few.
Still, if he came to this world and didn't win the title of King of Fighters, that would be more than just a waste, it'd be a regret.
So Aiden added, "Of course, bringing back a championship trophy for fun wouldn't be bad either."
"Wouldn't be bad, huh? So you are a little interested after all, Aiden." Maki smiled softly, then said seriously, "Then let Chizuru and me help you win this tournament together!"
———
And so…
After dinner, Aiden was dragged by the sisters to the shrine's training hall.
Since they'd decided to compete, and even aimed for the championship, the sisters thought it best to begin some enhanced training before the tournament.
———
Over the next few days, Aiden's life was quite fulfilling.
In the morning, he'd pick up Shermie and Lei Fang, who'd secretly moved nearby, for work. He'd listen to their teasing and subtle banter in the car, then watch them walk into the office arm-in-arm like best friends.
During the day, he stayed at the Shiranui dojo, enjoying Mai's gentle hospitality, sipping cocktails made by King, and sparring with Yuri to learn both Kyokugen and her self-taught "Yuri Style" martial arts.
At night, he trained with the Kagura sisters, watching them practice Kagura-style martial arts, movements that looked more like an elegant dance.
And come late night, he'd often run into the visiting female tengu. Usually at that point, Maki would conveniently take her sister to bathe, clearly leaving the two of them some private time.
All in all, Aiden barely had time for anything else. Twenty-four hours a day simply weren't enough.
———
Time flew by, and soon, the opening of the KOF tournament was just around the corner.
Although this year's event would be broadcast worldwide, plenty of foreign tourists still came to Japan, after all, nothing could match the thrill of seeing it live.
It was daytime now. Mai, Yuri, and King had finally taken a rare break and insisted on dragging Aiden out shopping. He didn't refuse, after all the training, he deserved a little relaxation.
The tournament was only days away anyway, and more training wouldn't boost his strength further. A little leisure would help clear his mind.
They walked from one end of the street to the other, then moved to the next. All four bought plenty of things. Even the broke King picked up some local souvenirs to send to her younger brother overseas. Of course, living and eating at Mai's place had drained her savings, so she ended up borrowing some money from Aiden again.
Which only made King more conflicted. The more she owed, the guiltier she felt. She wanted to repay him somehow, but Mai kept too close an eye on her, she couldn't find a chance.
After wandering around for a while longer, it was already noon. They decided to grab lunch before continuing.
Originally, Aiden had planned on another Japanese restaurant, but after eating that for so long, he was starting to crave something else. At Yuri's suggestion, they entered a newly opened restaurant.
Finding a corner table, Aiden picked up the menu and began choosing dishes. He was still thinking about what to order for everyone's tastes when a sudden commotion erupted at the entrance.
All four turned toward the noise, and saw a crowd surrounding three people walking in.
Leading them was a high school girl, about seventeen or eighteen, with long purple hair and a fashionable outfit. Aiden recognized her instantly.
Athena Asamiya, the so-called "old woman" among arcade fans.
Now a popular idol singer, Athena smiled brightly and waved to her fans. Yet Aiden caught the faint irritation flashing in her eyes, it was clear she was getting tired of being swarmed by them.