KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Evening, at the Phantom Bar.

On this warm and lively night, Yan Yue and her friends from Nanzhen sat around a large table laden with delicious food.

On the table, a dazzling array of delicious dishes exuded an enticing aroma. There were steaming hot Western-style steaks, tender and juicy roast chickens, crispy and delicious French fries, and Yan Yue had even helped prepare a Chinese hot pot, making everyone's mouths water.

At this moment, everyone raised their glasses and shouted in unison, "Cheers!" The crisp sound of glasses clinking together was like a joyful melody. "Ping!" The sound echoed in the air, carrying joy and blessings.

"Happy birthday!"

Immediately afterwards, the crowd offered their blessings in fits and starts.

Yan Yue, Locke, Terry, Angelina, Kasumi Todo, Yuri Sakazaki, Ryo Sakazaki, and Robert. Their faces beamed with genuine smiles, their eyes filled with concern and well wishes for King.

"Thank you everyone!"

King slowly stood up, her body trembling slightly, her eyes gradually welling up with tears, shimmering with emotion. Memories flooded back, and she involuntarily recalled her tragic fate when she first arrived in South Town. Back then, she was alone and helpless, forced to join a gang, her life filled with danger and hardship.

However, fate always takes unexpected turns. She clearly remembers the day she first met Ryo Sakazaki; the bar lights shone on his resolute face, and time seemed to stand still at that moment.

During those days, Yan Yue led everyone to work together and fight side by side against Geese. Now, recalling those times, King is filled with emotion and satisfaction.

At this moment, King was dressed in her signature purple men's suit. Although the attire was simple, it could not conceal her innate beauty and heroic spirit. Her delicate face was as beautiful as a blooming rose, and every gesture she made exuded a unique elegance that captivated everyone.

With a smile on her face, she looked at everyone with sincerity and affection, and said in a slightly excited voice, "I am truly happy to have met you all in Nanzhen. Here, I have felt genuine warmth and care. I sincerely wish you all happiness and joy in the days to come!"

"Wow——!"

Before the words were even finished, a burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted. In this joyful atmosphere, everyone's face was filled with bright smiles, fully enjoying the warmth and joy brought by this invaluable friendship.

After that, everyone enjoyed their meal and chatted.

……

As night fell, the noise gradually subsided, and everyone left, leaving only a group of girls gathered together, watching King unpack the birthday gift boxes they had brought.

"Look, this is... from Yan Yue." Sakazaki Yuri carefully opened the gift box in her hand. When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened in shock. "Wow! It's a limited edition album by Tanima Konoe! This is so precious!"

Hearing this, Angelina quickly stepped forward to check, her expression also showing surprise and curiosity: "It really is! How did Yan Yue get it? Limited edition albums like this are usually hard to buy even if you have money!"

At this moment, Kasumi Todo couldn't contain her curiosity and interjected, "Could he be a member of Ms. Tanima's close friend group? Or a super-obsessed fan? Or perhaps he once saved this female singer's life?"

Actually, when Kasumi Todo first arrived in South Town, she had heard some rumors about Engetsu. It was said in South Town that Engetsu was one of the fighters who defeated Geese.

However, Kasumi knew very little about the handsome young man, Yan Yue; she only knew that he was from China and was currently a chef at a barbecue restaurant. This special birthday gift, however, shrouded Yan Yue's original image in mystery once again.

"Hehe... Let's not guess anymore." King's lips curled up slightly, and he couldn't help but chuckle. His smile was as warm and gentle as the spring sun. "Yan Yue has always been like this. He will always do his best to help his friends without hesitation."

Just then, as if she had discovered a new continent, Yuri Sakazaki became so excited that her face turned red, and she suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs, "King-nee! This is a gift that my brother carefully prepared!" In an instant, everyone's eyes were drawn to Yuri Sakazaki as if by a magnet.

Sakazaki Yuri carefully held a beautifully packaged rectangular gift box in both hands, walked quickly to King, and solemnly handed it to him.

A blush immediately spread across King's cheeks. She shyly reached out and gently accepted the gift box, feeling the weight of the sentiment behind it. When she looked up, she found her friends staring at the gift box in her hand with curiosity and gossip, their eyes seemingly trying to see through the box to find out what treasures were inside.

"King-nee, hurry up and open it!" Kasumi Todo had heard some glimpses of Ryo Sakazaki and King-nee's daily life from Yuri, and she couldn't contain her gossip, so she urged them on.

“Exactly, exactly! What special thing will that piece of wood that keeps burrowing into the deep mountains bring to our beautiful and charming Queen?” Angelina chimed in, her words full of teasing.

"Oh dear, you guys... that's enough..." King glared at her sisters playfully, but the blush on her face only deepened.

King lowered his head, gazing tenderly at the exquisite gift box in his hand. His slender fingers gently caressed the edge of the lid, as if hesitating whether to open it immediately.

Finally, under the eager gaze of his sisters, King took a deep breath and slowly lifted the lid of the gift box.

As the lid of the box was slowly opened, everyone's curiosity was heightened.

When the last vestige of concealment disappeared, a bottle of fine British wine was revealed. The bottle's elegant and unique shape, its crystal-clear surface, resembled a precious work of art. Beside the wine lay a pair of equally exquisite wine glasses, their beauty complementing each other perfectly.

"Wow!" A gasp rang out, followed by a chorus of exclamations. The three stared wide-eyed at the dazzling array of fine wines on display before them, their faces filled with disbelief.

"I never expected that my brother, who usually seems a bit silly, would have such good taste!"

“Indeed, it’s quite impressive that he could pick these out. He’s truly worthy of being my rival; he always manages to bring unexpected surprises,” Kasumi Todo chimed in.

"Oh my, look at Liang! He's really dedicated! He even knows exactly what Queen likes to collect, especially expensive wine glasses," Angelina teased with a smile.

At this moment, King stretched out her slender hand, gently picked up one of the exquisite wine glasses, held it up to her eyes, and examined it carefully.

Through the crystal-clear glass, one could see that her already beautiful face was now flushed with a faint blush, and a joyful smile involuntarily appeared on her slightly upturned lips.