Chapter 191 – The Red Rope Ninja Outfit for Entertainment, an Unexpected Teammate!
"Kyou, you were completely wrong! The ninja outfit and the red rope ended up becoming tools for the opponent's amusement!"
Inside the hotel.
Mai Shiranui confronted Kyou with sharp questions, while Toudou Kasumi sat beside them, listening seriously.
When Mai first arrived, the two had already fought a match.
Kasumi acknowledged Mai's strength. Although it was their first meeting, the bond between women could be quite strange—just a few words were enough for them to become close friends.
However, upon hearing Mai's complaint, even Kasumi, who seemed innocent and naive, understood what was going on.
Outwardly calm, her heart was already in turmoil. Was this really something she could hear without paying for?
As a high school girl, she had seen one or two movies.
But she never expected that this older sister before her, not much older than herself, would be so... open.
"That's impossible. Didn't you do what I told you to do?"
Facing Mai's accusations, Kyou's eyes were filled with confusion. The plan had been perfect.
She had instructed Mai to start by flattering the opponent, making them overestimate her abilities. Then she was to use certain props to make refusal difficult. Once the opponent's strength was exhausted, she would immediately change her attitude and look at them with that 'are you even capable' expression.
That would surely make the opponent, even if they couldn't, force themselves to prove that they could.
After being defeated, they would completely submit to Mai.
The plan was flawless—so how could it possibly have failed?
After going over everything, Kyou finally concluded that the failure must have been because Mai didn't follow her instructions.
"How could that be? I did exactly what you said!"
Mai admitted she had lost, but it wasn't because she ignored Kyou's advice.
She had followed every step precisely.
"Then why?"
Kyou was puzzled. If Mai had done everything correctly, how could she still have failed?
There had to be a reason.
When Mai finally revealed it, both Kyou and Kasumi fell silent.
So, the failure wasn't due to flaws in the plan or Mai deviating from it.
It turned out the plan had failed simply because Mai was too weak.
"And you still dare to blame me?"
Kyou finally reacted, furious at Mai's lack of ability.
How could she push the blame onto her?
Clearly, Mai bore undeniable responsibility.
"Come on, Kyou, think of another plan!"
Mai felt a bit guilty. Her earlier outburst had come from frustration.
These past days had been unbearable. At first, she thought victory was certain, but each time she recalled her bold words and how she ended up bound and begging for mercy, she felt too ashamed to face Bai Ye again.
She might have lost this time, but that didn't mean she would lose forever. If possible, she wanted to defeat Bai Ye once.
"What else can I do? I've already given you the method, but you couldn't make it work!"
Hearing Mai's plea, Kyou felt a headache coming on. She had laid everything out perfectly!
"I didn't expect it to turn out like this... Now I've completely lost face in front of him!"
Had she known it would go this way, she never would have provoked him.
"Um... would a husband and wife really care about that?"
Kasumi raised her hand and asked innocently.
From Mai's earlier words, it was clear that Bai Ye would marry her after this fighting tournament. So if they were to be husband and wife soon, would this even matter?
She had heard women complain that their husbands were not good enough, but never one who complained that her husband was too capable.
"Kids don't understand, that's normal."
Kyou shook her head. Kasumi was still young—of course she wouldn't know.
"I'm not a kid!"
Kasumi widened her eyes. Don't underestimate her! At her age, she had already seen at least two movies!
And she'd heard that some of her classmates were even more "experienced."
"You don't understand. It's not about who's stronger or weaker—it's about balance."
"Mai gets it better."
Kyou nodded.
"Mai, I'll explain this to you later. There's still a kid here right now."
Kyou didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer. The only reason she had pressed the issue was because Mai's first words had made her feel unfairly blamed.
Now that she understood the real cause, she saw no need to continue, especially with a high school girl present.
"Fine, let's talk about the KOF Tournament instead. We have to secure a good ranking this time!"
Last time, their women's team had lost miserably. That couldn't happen again.
"Kyo, have you mastered your Kusanagi Divine Technique?"
At the training grounds' gate, Benimaru watched the monstrous display of power with awe.
The divine technique that once seemed impossible to unleash was now perfectly executed by Kusanagi Kyo.
"Let's join the KOF Tournament!"
"Feeling motivated again?"
Once, after being gravely injured by a mysterious opponent who effortlessly countered his ultimate move, Kyo had fallen into deep frustration and nearly gave up on this tournament.
Now that he had mastered his divine technique, he believed that if he met that mysterious man again, he would surely win.
He was ready to fight again—and rejoin the KOF Tournament!
"Of course."
After Kyo spoke, the three exchanged a knowing smile. How could the KOF Tournament ever proceed without them?
Inside a decaying ancient temple.
Iori Yagami sat in meditation when the door behind him opened. Two figures emerged from the light.
"The KOF Tournament has invited you. Your old rival, Kusanagi Kyo, has already joined. Are you hiding here because you fear facing him?"
"Heh."
Iori lifted his head, expression calm and unreadable. In the next instant, he lunged at the two intruders.
The three clashed fiercely. Though it seemed the two were overpowering Iori, in truth, he was holding back.
After dozens of exchanges, Iori halted and coldly asked, "Your purpose."
"We want to team up with you and enter the KOF Tournament together."
Vice spoke slowly.
"Fine."
Hearing Iori Yagami's straightforward agreement, both Vice and Mature were momentarily surprised. They hadn't expected him to agree so quickly.
But since he had, knowing Iori's personality, he would never go back on his word.
After leaving the ancient temple, Vice reported the situation to a certain individual.
Watching them leave, Iori had already guessed who those two really were.
"Is Yuri still angry with her father?"
Inside the Kyokugenryu Dojo.
Ryo Sakazaki looked helplessly at his sister, Yuri Sakazaki.
When the invitations for this year's KOF Tournament began, Yuri's first thought had been to rejoin the Women Fighters Team she'd fought with last time.
However, her father, Takuma Sakazaki, stopped her. Since he would not be participating in the tournament this time, the dojo's representative could only be his daughter, Yuri.
After learning this, the two had argued endlessly, until Yuri finally gave in and withdrew from the Women Fighters Team.
Though she had agreed, she still felt uneasy about it.
"I'm not really angry. Anyway, they've already found new teammates, so now I just need to train hard—and when the time comes, I'll definitely defeat Kyou and the others!"
Excitement flickered across Yuri's face, completely replacing her earlier frustration.
At first, she had indeed been upset—mainly because she'd stood her teammates up. If her withdrawal had caused the Women Fighters Team to lose their chance to compete, she would have been devastated.
Now that she knew Kyou and Mai Shiranui had found a new teammate, she could finally relax.
Watching his sister rise with renewed enthusiasm, Ryo suddenly understood why women were said to be the most unpredictable creatures in the world.
A moment ago she'd looked depressed, and now she was brimming with energy. Truly incomprehensible.
"The information's here. There's nothing majorly wrong with the KOF organizers this time, but Howard and Geese's people have appeared again."
Mercenary Headquarters.
Heidern placed the tournament documents before Clark and Ralf, then continued, "I won't be participating this time."
With several key figures from the underworld joining, Heidern decided to stay in the shadows and observe their motives.
"Leona will replace me and form a team with you."
As he finished speaking, a young girl with blue hair stepped out from the darkness.
Seeing her, Clark and Ralf were both stunned. So he was sending her in?
Clearly, Heidern was taking this year's KOF very seriously.
"Sensei, let's go too! This is the KOF Tournament!"
"Yeah, teacher!"
Athena Asamiya and Sie Kensou had long dreamed of participating in KOF.
For years, they had trained deep in the mountains, yearning to show their skills to the world.
Yet their master, Chin Gentsai, had always refused. But now, seeing the hopeful looks in their eyes, even he began to waver.
Should they take part this time?
Unable to resist his disciples' persistence, Chin Gentsai finally agreed—they would enter this year's KOF Tournament.
At the same time, Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge were undergoing brutal, doubled-intensity training under Kim Kaphwan's supervision, determined to win the championship.
"This year's KOF Tournament… once all the energy is gathered, it will be nearly complete."
Goenitz held a file containing information on all the competing teams, his gaze settling on Kusanagi Kyo and Iori Yagami.
The Three Sacred Treasures Families—how disappointing.
When he had met Kyo before, he'd expected great things. After all, the boy came from one of the Three Sacred Clans and had already participated in two tournaments. Yet the result had been disappointing—he had defeated Kyo effortlessly.
So his expectations for the other two descendants had fallen as well.
To him, the revival of Orochi was only a matter of time.
"Renji, have you found your teammates yet?"
Mai Shiranui called Renji, her voice full of concern.
Although she had felt too embarrassed to face him recently, a day without seeing him had already made her miss him terribly. If she couldn't meet him, she could at least call to check on him.
Renji had encouraged her to join the Women Fighters Team, but he himself hadn't yet found teammates—and that worried her.
If he truly couldn't find anyone, perhaps she could ask Kyou. Surely Kyou still had some friends available.
"Don't worry. I'll find them soon!"
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Then I'm relieved. You're the best, darling—mua!"
Mai's guilt faded. She had feared Renji might end up alone. After chatting sweetly for a while, they reluctantly hung up.
Once the call ended, Renji looked up at the sky and roared, "Who the hell am I supposed to team up with?!"
He had only said that earlier so Mai wouldn't think he was too incompetent to find anyone.
But the truth was—he really couldn't.
Renji was completely at a loss.
He had left Mai's dojo brimming with confidence, thinking he could easily find two teammates.
But in reality, he hadn't met a single suitable person. He couldn't just pull two random strangers off the street.
Who would risk their life teaming up with him?
After all, this tournament was a real fight—people could die.
No one would willingly take that gamble. Most teams were either close friends or bound by some shared tie. Only a few ever joined with total strangers.
At this point, Renji figured the only possible teammate might be Kagura Chizuru. In KOF '96, she had appeared at the tournament but didn't participate, nor did she team up with anyone.
If he could find her and invite her, maybe she'd agree—but he didn't even know where she was.
Eliminating that option, the only remaining possibility was someone from Street Fighter.
But they, too, had to be found first.
"I told you already—I'm being haunted! Hurry up and lock me in prison!"
Just as Renji was thinking about who to invite, a sudden voice nearby snapped him out of his thoughts.
When he saw who it was, he froze as if he'd seen a ghost.
No way…!
It was already absurd enough for this person to appear—but in this timeline? Wasn't that far too early?!
Yet as Renji looked closer, realization struck him. Maybe… he had just found his first teammate.
Right there before him stood a ready-made partner—and a very good one at that.
PS: Guess who the first teammate is—no prizes! The timeline has been slightly adjusted!
(End of Chapter)
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