Maki continued to nod, "The KOF tournament is about to start. Although this tournament is privately organized, this kind of world-class competition has attracted the attention of many countries."
"After all, it's a very profitable venture. So, our Kagura family has also gotten involved in some work like advertising placement. Therefore, our family's intelligence division is paying very close attention to the tournament."
After a pause, Maki continued, "Just this morning, the family intelligence division sent news. Last night, two people successively challenged the Kyokugenryu Dojo and the Todohryu Dojo."
'Challenge? Could it be to fight for the invitation letter?' Aiden was somewhat curious.
He vaguely remembered that the Kyokugenryu Dojo had been challenged before, but what about the Todohryu? For the '94 KOF tournament, the Todoh family wasn't even on the invitation list.
Or rather, no one invited them at all. After all, the only notable fighters the Todoh family could offer were Todoh Ryuhaku and Todoh Kasumi, whereas Kyokugenryu was different.
Whether in terms of quantity, quality, or reputation, they were much stronger than the Todoh family.
"Perhaps. After all, the prize money for this tournament is substantial, and winning the championship could even lead to landing some advertising endorsements."
Maki was a martial artist and a shrine maiden, but as the family head, she was also something of a businesswoman. She directly assumed that those who challenged the dojos came for profit.
"So, what was the outcome of the challenges?" Aiden said, taking another bite of his bun.
Maki said softly, "I heard that the skilled masters of Kyokugenryu have all gone out for training. With no top fighters present, many students were injured."
"As for the Todohryu Dojo, the acting dojo master, Todoh Kasumi, happened to be at the dojo, so the situation was slightly better. However, according to the information, Todoh Kasumi also sustained minor injuries."
"I see!"
Aiden stuffed the last bite of the bun into his mouth, then frowned in thought. He remembered that Todoh Kasumi seemed to be even younger than Yuri Sakazaki, yet she had already become the acting master of the Todoh family.
But, that also seemed quite normal. After all, the master of the Todohryu Dojo, Todoh Ryuhaku, had lost to the Sakazaki father and son and had gone off to who-knows-where to train.
Todoh Kasumi's older sister was physically weak and often ill, so the burden fell on her, the second daughter, to hold things together.
He sighed lightly and continued asking, "Maki, what do you want me to do by telling me all this?"
"I have a good impression of Yuri. I hope that when you go to Miss Mai's place later, you can inform her as well." Maki was a gentle older sister and would show a kind side to younger girls, especially since Yuri's first impression on her was non-threatening.
Hearing Maki's words, Aiden smiled, "Then I'll thank you on Yuri's behalf."
Maki also smiled, pursing her lips. Since he was thanking her on someone else's behalf, she didn't say things like 'don't mention it' or 'you're welcome'.
Although she wanted Yuri Sakazaki to return to the dojo to hold the fort, Maki still asked with some concern, "It's just, I don't know how strong Yuri is? Is she as strong as the Sakazaki father and son?"
Kyokugenryu's reputation was entirely built on fighting, and Maki had heard a little about them.
"Probably not as strong as the Sakazaki father and son, but her strength shouldn't be too far off. After all, Yuri always says she's a genius; whatever her father and brother can do, she can do too."
Remembering these past few days while learning martial arts from Mai, Yuri had also shown a few moves. She was actually able to fight Mai to a draw, although it was just a casual spar without using ki, it was still quite impressive.
Aiden clearly remembered that Yuri Sakazaki, relying purely on physical strength, had stomped a large crater into the dojo's bluestone floor with one kick.
This had made Mai heartbroken for a long time, and she even noted it down as a debt against Yuri, since Yuri still owed her money.
———
The Kagura sisters left after telling Aiden the news about the Sakazaki and Todoh families. They had a lot of company business during this period, and no matter how unwilling they were, they still had to go check on things.
However, before leaving, Chizuru thoughtfully straightened Aiden's clothes for him, probably something else taught in her bride training lessons. This also made Aiden space out for quite a while.
The gentle Chizuru made him uncomfortable; this kind of thing seemed more suitable for her older sister to do.
Hmm, it definitely wasn't because he was hoping Maki would do it too.
Afterwards, Aiden drove to the Shiranui Dojo.
It was almost nine o'clock when he arrived at the dojo. In the dojo's training hall, Mai, who had been waiting for him, had already prepared breakfast. Next to her, Yuri Sakazaki was staring eagerly at the food on the table; she couldn't eat until Aiden arrived.
"Aiden, welcome back."
Mai, sitting at the dining table, saw Aiden and gave a slight bow. Now, she had become somewhat more polite compared to the Kagura sisters who had become much more casual, for some reason.
However, there was no sense of distance between them. Because, according to what Yuri had privately told Aiden, Mai seemed to be preparing to adapt to a new identity.
Traditional women like her were hard to find in modern times.
Thinking this, Aiden sat down at the table. Having two breakfasts and two dinners a day was putting pressure on him, but he could still handle it. After all, this was... their love.
"Aiden, have some milk."
Once Aiden sat down, Mai brought him milk.
To align with international standards, traditional Japanese breakfasts were on the decline, replaced by more convenient Western breakfasts... However, this had nothing to do with Aiden. He was just reminded of something, for example, when drinking milk, Aiden always found himself unconsciously glancing at a certain part of Mai.
Smack!
"Big bro, I'm starting!"
Seeing Aiden take a sip of milk, the impatient Yuri pressed her palms together, then reached for a bun on the plate and took a big bite.
While eating, she said, "I called my dumb brother a few days ago. He told me where King is now. I plan to go find her tomorrow."
King is the third member of their team, so Mai was also concerned. She took a sip of milk, and extended her tongue to lick the milk stain at the corner of her lips, which drew a glance from Aiden, before she asked, "So where is she now?"
"France." Yuri also took a sip of milk, but didn't lick her lips, leaving what looked like a white mustache around her mouth.
She then continued, "King has a younger brother who isn't in good health. He's receiving treatment in France."
"Actually, King should be the easiest to convince. She's really short on money because her brother's illness is hard to treat."
"Even though King runs a small bar each in France and America, it's only enough to barely cover her brother's daily medical expenses... Mmm, this is what my dumb brother told me. But he doesn't have King's contact information either. She told him this when they parted ways in America."
When she said this, Yuri looked at Mai. Then, Mai covered her wallet in fright.
"Don't get any ideas about my money. I need it for dojo maintenance and daily expenses, and also... I need to save up for my dowry."
However, Mai didn't say where her current money came from. She didn't want Yuri to ask Aiden for a loan for someone she didn't even know yet.
But even if she didn't say it, Yuri was planning to ask.
"Stingy, it's not like we won't pay you back."
Pouting, Yuri muttered, but she also knew her sister Mai was currently living in straitened circumstances.
She turned to look at Aiden, but just as she was about to speak, Aiden preempted her, "Yuri, your father and brother aren't home, right?"
Yuri was stunned, not sure why Aiden was asking this, but she nodded anyway, "They received invitation letters, so they went off to train elsewhere a few days ago. They said they wanted to spar with a few skilled fighters they know... Why, big bro?"
"Today, Maki told me some news. Your Kyokugenryu Dojo was challenged last night, and many people were injured."
"Also, the Todohryu Dojo, which is near your Kyokugenryu Dojo, was also challenged. But because the acting master of Todohryu, Todoh Kasumi, was there, the situation was better than at your Kyokugenryu Dojo."
"What? Who has the nerve to challenge our Kyokugenryu Dojo?"
After hearing Aiden's words, Yuri shot to her feet, muttering in disbelief.
Although the young girl was naive, her exceptional strength was her confidence.
Then, she frowned again, saying indignantly, "No, I have to go back immediately. Dad, my dumb brother, and that idiot Robert have all gone abroad to faraway places."
"They can't return anytime soon. With no top fighters holding the fort at the dojo, if someone challenges us again, won't our Kyokugenryu Dojo's reputation be completely ruined?"
"But, if I go back to the dojo, then who will go find King?" Yuri sat down again, looking helpless.
"Let me go," Mai said. She was also very serious about this KOF tournament.
Besides wanting to achieve a good ranking in the tournament to revitalize the Shiranui Dojo, she also wanted to earn some appearance fees. After all, spending Aiden's money, even if it was tuition fees, made her feel embarrassed.
Besides, she really needed a dowry. The Kagura family's background made her feel threatened.
At this point, Aiden shook his head at Mai, "No."
"Why?" Mai and Yuri asked simultaneously.
"Does big bro want us to give up on this tournament?" Yuri continued asking.
"No." Aiden shook his head.
"I just think that the person who came to challenge your Kyokugenryu dojo must be quite strong."
"Otherwise, that acting dojo master of the Todoh family, Todoh Kasumi, wouldn't have been injured either."
"After all, someone who can become an acting dojo master probably isn't weak. So, I plan for Mai to go with you to the Kyokugenryu Dojo to help hold the fort."
After a pause, Aiden added, "Yuri, I don't want you to get hurt. Two people are always better than one. Mai's strength should be much greater than yours, right?"
"Of course." Mai straightened her chest, happy to receive Aiden's praise.
"Big bro..."
By now, a layer of mist had risen in Yuri's large, lively eyes.
Then she wiped away tears that hadn't actually fallen, nodded and said, "Then I'll listen to you, big bro. It's just, it might trouble you to travel so far, big bro."
"Just thanking Aiden? Aren't you going to thank me?" Mai next to her picked up her fan and gently tapped Yuri's head, "I'm going there to help you."
"Of course I'll thank you too, sister Mai."
Worried that Kyokugenryu might be challenged again, after finishing breakfast, Yuri and Mai went back to their room to pack their luggage. They needed to go to the Kyokugenryu Dojo immediately.
Truth be told, the two couldn't be called close as sisters yet, but they got along quite well, even though... Mai remained wary of Yuri to this day.
But wariness aside, Mai was still willing to help a friend in need, especially since it was an arrangement made by Aiden.
However, if she left, there would be no one to hold the fort at the Shiranui Dojo. Yuri worriedly asked about this, only to be teased by Mai.
Currently, including herself and Aiden, the Shiranui Dojo only had three people. It had been many days since they reopened and started recruiting students, and only Aiden had signed up. So, having someone hold the fort or not didn't really matter.
Besides, Mai wanted to take this opportunity to properly renovate the Shiranui Dojo completely, rather than just doing simple repairs like a few days ago.
Soon after, Mai and Yuri finished packing. Just as they were about to leave, Mai and Aiden kissed goodbye. She reminded him to be careful on the road, to take good care of himself, and if he encountered a powerful fighter, not to fight recklessly but to run away, and so on.
Aiden had never shown his true strength, so in Mai's eyes, he was just a trainee martial artist with good basics.
After all, the true martial artists in this world were terrifyingly powerful, as could be seen from the large, unfilled crater in the middle of the dojo.
The real martial artists here could dismantle tanks with their bare hands.