KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Another day passed, and Yan Yue's originally weak body showed some improvement. She was able to slowly get out of bed and walk step by step toward the bedside.

Yan Yue quietly leaned against the window, his head slightly tilted to the side, one hand gently supporting his chin, his posture appearing exceptionally relaxed and at ease; while his other hand carefully held some shelled melon seeds, gently feeding the few small and exquisite birds perched by the window.

As if under a spell, the little birds obediently perched on Yan Yue's fingers, gently pecking at the melon seeds in her palm with their pointed beaks. Each peck was accompanied by a crisp, melodious sound, like the most beautiful music played by nature.

Yan Yue squinted slightly, gazing quietly at the vast sky outside the window and the bustling city below. For him, who had only recently regained his sight, everything was so new and unfamiliar. Yan Yue wanted to memorize every detail before him.

However, it was precisely because of this newly restored vision that he was somewhat at a loss for a moment, as if the whole world had become too fast and too complicated. His originally lively eyes now revealed a faint dullness, as if he was still trying to adapt to this brand new visual world.

Just then, Chin Gentsai and Shii Kensou pushed open the door one after the other.

After learning yesterday that Engetsu had woken up, Chin Gentsai brought Kensou to visit him.

Zhen Yuanzhai said with concern, "Yan Yue, you're awake."

"Hello, Brother Yan Yue, I heard you can see now." Shii Kensou greeted him with some joy.

"Master Zhen, Baozi, good morning..." As she spoke, Yan Yue placed the melon seeds by the window, turned around and sat on the hospital bed, looking at them with bright eyes.

As Kensou approached, he noticed Kyo Kusanagi still unconscious on the bed next to Engetsu. He asked, "Is Kyo still unconscious?"

"Don't worry, he's fine."

Upon hearing this, Kensou immediately grinned mischievously and stepped forward to vigorously shake the unconscious Kyo Kusanagi, while Engetsu didn't bother to stop him...

After chatting for a while...

Zhen Yuanzhai said solemnly, "I'm preparing to return to China today. There are still some things to take care of in Lushan. Your injuries haven't healed yet, so stay in the hospital for a few days."

“Yes,” Yan Yue nodded and said, “I also happen to be planning to stay in Japan for a while, hoping to investigate the Three Sacred Treasures and the Orochi clan.”

Yan Yue doesn't remember the details of the Three Sacred Treasures and the Orochi clan. Currently, Kusanagi Shizuru has been taken away by Heidern for treatment, and there's been no news from the Kusanagi clan. Therefore, she plans to search for the Yagami family or the Kagura family in Japan.

Zhen Yuanzhai patted Yan Yue on the shoulder and comforted her, "Yan Yue, don't worry. I'll go back and explain it to Old Hulu so they won't worry too much."

Yan Yue quickly thanked her, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Zhen Yuanzhai laughed heartily and waved his hand, "Hahaha, what's the trouble? We don't need to be so polite with each other, we're all family."

Kensou chimed in, "Yes, actually, Teacher Tang and Shun'ei Tokihime have been helping us look after the giant pandas in Mount Lu."

After hearing this, Yan Yue sighed again and said slowly, "I'm still worried about Xiao Long and Duo Long. There's been no news from the Flying Thief Sect, and I don't know how they are doing."

"The Flying Thief Sect, an assassination school, has intricate relationships with other gangs. Currently, all the major sects in the martial arts world are certainly very wary of and covetous of the Flying Thief Sect's unique assassination capabilities."

As Yan Yue spoke, her worry grew stronger.

Zhen Yuanzhai stroked his beard gently and said solemnly to Yan Yue, "You don't need to worry too much about this. Our Grandmaster Association has always acted cautiously and has been secretly inquiring about relevant information. Just focus on recuperating now, and leave the rest to us."

Yan Yue looked at Zhen Yuanzhai gratefully and nodded heavily. "Yes, that's all I can do. I will take good care of my injuries."

"Don't worry, Yan Yue, we're here." Shii Kensou said confidently, patting his chest. "I don't need to go back to China. I'll stay here these next few days to take care of you."

Upon hearing Kensou's words, Yan Yue said with a hint of disdain, "What's this? Didn't Athena take good care of you before? Why are you suddenly the one taking care of me?"

Upon hearing Engetsu's words, Kensou rolled his eyes and disdainfully remarked, "You're really dreaming..."

It turned out that Kensou had already heard about Athena taking care of Yan Yue all day, and he was filled with envy and jealousy. He was so envious that he was practically dying of envy.

However, he didn't want Athena and Yan Yue to get too close, fearing that he would never have another chance to win Athena's heart. So he reluctantly approached Athena and helped take care of Yan Yue.

Yan Yue, of course, could see through Shii Kensou's thoughts. She deliberately teased, "Then you can rest assured, as long as you don't feed me steamed buns every day."

Kensou was speechless for a moment: "..."

Afterwards, Kensou intended to take Chin Gentsai to the airport, but Chin Gentsai refused, telling him to keep a close eye on Engetsu, and then said goodbye to the two of them.

……

That night, Kensou had already returned to his residence.

Because Yan Yue was too bored, she secretly went to the top of the hospital building.

At this moment, Yan Yue had changed into her coat, sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and concentrated on cultivating her inner energy. She completely ignored the fact that the building was dozens of meters high, enjoying the evening breeze and moonlight.

Suddenly, Yan Yue sensed an evil yet familiar aura and slowly opened her eyes. She calmly said, "Sister Mai Zhuo?"

Mai Zhuo suddenly appeared behind Yan Yue, wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered sweetly in Yan Yue's ear, "Little Yan Yue~ It's your older sister."

Mai Zhuo suddenly looked into Yan Yue's eyes again and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Little Yan Yue, can you see now?"

Yan Yue was already used to Mai Zhuo's experienced tone and naturally asked, "You took down the guards of the Black Noah Laboratory, didn't you?"

“Yes, that’s really smart,” Mature replied.

Yan Yue asked in confusion, "Then what are we doing this time?"

"Guess what~" Mai Zhuo said, pressing her body against Yan Yue again.

Yan Yue felt a little uncomfortable for a moment. After all, being constantly seduced by a beautiful woman was quite troublesome. However, Yan Yue still pretended to be calm, thought for a moment, and said confidently, "Rugal shouldn't be dead yet, right?"

"Huh?" Mai Zhuo was quite shocked, looking at Yan Yue curiously, but quickly smiled and replied, "You even knew that, little Yan Yue, you're amazing. But no~"

"so?"

"Little Flame Moon, I've helped you so many times before, and this time I'm here to ask for your help." Mature said, her lips brushing against Flame Moon's ear as she whispered, "Otherwise, I'll kill Kusanagi Kyo~"

When Yan Yue heard Mai Zhuo say that she wanted to kill Kusanagi Kyo, her heart tightened, but she still remained calm on the surface.

"Oh no, I've been threatened!"

Yan Yue frowned slightly, a hint of worry and confusion flashing in her eyes, and asked softly, "Why do you need my help? You clearly have the ability to kill Jing directly right now."

Mai Zhuo moved closer, her breath brushing against Yan Yue's neck, causing Yan Yue to shiver involuntarily. She smiled slightly, a hint of cunning in her eyes: "Trust a woman's intuition, because besides Weiss, only you can understand my thoughts."

"Huh? I understand?"

Yan Yue was puzzled. He knew, of course, that Mature was one of the Eight Orochi Warriors, an extremely dangerous individual. But he was still seriously injured, and he couldn't defeat her in a fight. It seemed that the Orochi clan's abilities somewhat countered Yan Yue's senses.

Mature's eyes showed sadness as she slowly said, "The great serpent is destined to descend upon the world, but I don't like certain people, so I want to make some changes."

Yan Yue sensed Mature's sadness and recalled that Mature and Wei Su had indeed always helped Iori Yagami. Later, it seemed that Iori Yagami was controlled by Goenitz and killed. Afterwards, he still fought against the distant land in spirit form. It seemed that he was not a very extreme character among the Eight Orochi.

Yan Yue pondered for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and slowly nodded: "Alright, tell me what you want me to do? I'm seriously injured right now."

"Don't worry~" Mai Zhuo smiled contentedly, then turned and lay down in Yan Yue's arms, revealing her black-stockinged thighs beneath her robe, looking incredibly alluring. She said softly, "Little Yan Yue, didn't you want to follow Iori Yagami before? Let's go now~"

Yan Yue asked in shock, "Now? Tonight?"

"Hmm~" Mature blinked her sapphire eyes, then said, "If Athena finds me during the day, I'll have no choice but to kill Kyo Kusanagi~"

(Author's note: Because the age of the King of Fighters universe is frozen, the ages of many characters are not actually balanced according to time. The simplest example is that Rock just appeared in 2000, but he had already grown up in 2003.)

Therefore, once the main characters have mostly reached adulthood, their ages are left ambiguous.