KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Seeing the three people's enthusiastic invitation, Yan Yue could only casually agree.

However, when Engetsu arrived at the apartment where Yashiro was staying, he was surprised to find that the three of them lived a very casual, even overly relaxed, lifestyle.

The sofa and table were cluttered with all sorts of items, making it look quite messy. But Yashiro and Shermie seemed used to it.

"Mr. Yan Yue, this is the living room. Please take a rest. Chris will have dinner ready soon," Yashiro said warmly.

"Chris cooks?" Yan Yue couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

“That’s right…” Shermie chimed in with a smile, while pouring Yan Yue a glass of juice.

"Aren't you going to help?"

"We don't know how..." Yashiro and Shermie answered in unison.

"Then you can help with other things too..."

Yashiro waved his hand casually, "That kind of thing is very simple, Chris can handle it by himself..."

"...and they're quite self-righteous about it..."

This reminded Yan Yue of how Locke often complained to her that Terry and Angelina did nothing at home, especially Terry, who wouldn't even clean up after himself. This left Locke to shoulder all the burdens and even look after the two adults.

Yan Yue couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. She figured Chris would grow up to be a promising young man.

……

Soon after, when Chris placed a pile of unidentified American dinners on the table, Yan Yue broke out in a cold sweat.

On the table was a piece of steak, charred black and with flames still visible around the edges.

Next to it was a plate of an unidentified vegetable paste, its color a dark green, and it was steaming eerily.

There was also a bowl of soup with a layer of oil floating on the surface. The ingredients inside were strangely shaped, and it was impossible to tell what they were originally.

"Please use it, Mr. Yan Yue," Chris said expectantly.

Yan Yue looked at the food, her lips twitching slightly. She hesitated for a moment, then reached for her fork, but finally cut off a piece and put it in her mouth.

Yashiro and Shermie, however, ate with great relish and kept praising Chris's cooking skills.

Yan Yue could only force a smile, suppressing her discomfort. "Chris's cooking skills are excellent, but there's still a lot of room for improvement..."

After the meal, Yashiro and Shermie went straight back to the living room to rest without any hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Chris, on the other hand, calmly and leisurely cleared the table by himself, as usual.

This scene was too much for Yan Yue to bear, and he couldn't help but say, "Chris, let me do it..."

Upon hearing Yan Yue's words, Chris stopped what he was doing and gave a polite smile. "Thank you, then I'll trouble you, Mr. Yan Yue..."

However, to Yan Yue's surprise, after Chris finished speaking, he threw down his work without hesitation, handing over the task of clearing the table to him, and then turned around and walked towards the living room, seemingly unaware that there was anything wrong with doing so.

Yan Yue stared at Chris's departing figure, speechless and exasperated.

"Huh? Are you being so impolite? I'm a guest!"

"How can you leave all the housework to your guests?! Have you no conscience?!"

Yan Yue originally just wanted to help share some of the work, but she didn't expect Chris to so naturally push all the work onto her.

As Yan Yue reluctantly placed the plate into the sink to begin washing it, a roar suddenly came from the living room.

"Three with one!" That was the voice of Yashiro.

Immediately afterwards, Shermie's clear and melodious voice rang out: "Bomb!"

Then, Chris's childlike laughter rang out: "Hahaha... I can't afford it..."

Hearing that they had already started playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), Yan Yue felt increasingly speechless. "They really don't treat me like a guest..."

……

In the end, Yan Yue could no longer tolerate the three people's harassment and intrusion. Although he felt somewhat guilty, he decided to politely decline their request to stay the night. After a hasty farewell, he returned to his hotel room with a sense of relief.

In the following days, Yan Yue was not idle.

He actively contacted the manager of Nanzhen Music Company. Not only that, Yan Yue even paid out of his own pocket to introduce several well-known music producers under the company to the three members of Qi Yashe.

After some effort, Yan Yue finally learned from the manager that there happened to be a music producer near New York!

Thus, under Yan Yue's organization, the CYS band successfully met with the music producer and his team. The producer's team, having received extra payment from their company, naturally paid special attention to the three members of the CYS band.

……

One evening, Yan Yue stood in a long-distance phone booth and dialed Qian He's number.

"Chizuru, two weeks have passed, and there's nothing unusual about them. I've observed them for a long time, and they still only have the aura of humans; there's no sign of them awakening."

Chizuru Kagura was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, then sighed helplessly: "Is that so? It seems we can only pray that they don't awaken. Once they do, we'll have no choice but to confront them head-on."

Yan Yue also felt helpless, knowing that what Qian He said was true.

"In that case, I'll prepare to return to South Town," Yan Yue said. "Continuing to observe here won't yield any new discoveries, so I might as well go back and cultivate properly to improve my strength."

“Yan Yue-kun, you’re right,” Kagura Chizuru replied earnestly. “We can’t waste any more time; we must improve our training as soon as possible…”

I have a feeling... an even greater crisis is about to unfold..."

Yan Yue's brows furrowed deeply, a strong sense of unease rising within him. "An even greater crisis?... A new King of Fighters tournament?..."

Chizuru Kagura on the other end of the phone seemed to sense Engetsu's doubts. She nodded slightly and said, "I'm sure Engetsu-kun has already guessed... In Tokyo, the new King of Fighters tournament project has already begun..."

"So fast?"

Chizuru Kagura explained, "Because the last King of Fighters tournament was very successful, it attracted the attention of many viewers and sponsors."

The Japanese government saw the potential of this project, so it decided to pool the resources of all foundations to hold another competition on an even larger scale, and this resolution was quickly passed…

Yan Yue took a deep breath, "I suppose the official announcement will be made in a few months..."

“That’s right…” Kagura Chizuru’s tone revealed a sense of helplessness, “And I, as the organizer of the previous King of Fighters tournament, was asked by the conglomerate to officially participate in this tournament as a player…”