Sie Kensou's Secret Crush on His Junior Disciple Sister

The Yagami family's efficiency was remarkably high. Shortly after Mai Shiranui gave the instructions, a stretched limousine was brought around to transport Mutou and his companions to the KOF arena. Guided by Mai Shiranui and Andy Bogard, two fighters who were exempt from the preliminary rounds, they easily gained access to the competitors' private viewing gallery.

Perhaps because the preliminary rounds featured very few renowned fighters, the audience lacked enthusiasm. However, quite a few contestants participating in the qualifiers had gathered to watch the matches on stage with rapt attention, likely adhering to the strategy of knowing oneself and one's enemy to ensure victory in every battle.

Yet, after a careful sweep of the area, Mutou noticed the absence of any prominent martial artists. At the very least, fan-favorite fighters such as Robert Garcia, Goro Daimon, and Ryo Sakazaki were nowhere to be seen. It was possible that such high-tier masters disdained taking advantage of the preliminary stages.

While Mutou was intently searching the venue for familiar faces among the fighters, Mai Shiranui had already spotted Athena Asamiya and her two companions. Pulling Mutou by the arm, she said, "Look, Chin Gentsai is over there. Let me introduce you to them!"

Mutou offered a helpless, bitter smile, yet unable to resist Mai's enthusiasm, he allowed himself to be dragged over to Chin and his disciples.

"Eh? Sister Mai, aren't you exempt from the preliminary rounds? Oh, I understand! You must have come specially to watch my match, right?" Athena had also noticed Mai Shiranui and greeted her happily.

At this time, Athena was still wearing her school uniform, her pure and lovely baby face exceptionally endearing. Mutou knew that this adorable young woman was the most popular female fighter in the King of Fighters universe. Not only was she a martial artist, but she was also an idol singer. Occasionally embarking on overseas concert tours, blessed with stunning beauty, an exquisite voice, natural grace, and that distinctive name, she truly possessed the aura of a goddess, making her a household name as an idol singer across the globe. By the year 1996, Athena had transitioned from Asia to the world stage, establishing herself as one of the most prominent mainstream artists of the era.

Mai Shiranui affectionately embraced Athena. Mai's sultry physique and dazzling beauty contrasted sharply with Athena's pure and innocent image—two completely opposite extremes, yet both equally captivating to men... One could say they were divine gifts bestowed upon men.

"I'm not just here to watch your matches! I have some friends from China with me who are also entering this year's King of Fighters tournament. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce you all!" Mai Shiranui said with a smile, turning to introduce Mutou to Athena.

Athena looked at Mutou and the others, smiled politely, and bowed as she said, "Hello!"

Mutou quickly returned the bow, thinking to himself that she truly lived up to her reputation as the number one beloved beauty of this world. Just looking at her was a feast for the eyes.

"Miss Athena, given your strength, you could easily bypass the preliminaries and enter the top thirty-two directly. Why are you still participating in these qualifiers?" Mutou asked, puzzled.

Athena smiled faintly and replied politely, "Master rejected Kagura-姐姐's arrangement. He said that every single match is beneficial for our training."

Mutou nodded. Just then, a short, white-haired old man with a staggering gait, still clutching a gourd of wine, suddenly elbowed his way forward and said, "Are these youngsters also from China? They look terribly unfamiliar!"

Upon seeing this man's appearance—virtually unique in the entire King of Fighters universe—Mutou naturally recognized him as Athena's master, Chin Gentsai. Although the old man was advanced in years, he was far from frail. At his formidable age, he was still able to compete on the same stage with prime martial arts masters and lead two disciples into the top eight; one could easily imagine how powerful he had been at his peak. Therefore, Mutou held a certain degree of respect for this master. Hearing the question, Mutou quickly replied, "We have always trained under our master and rarely travel in the outside world. It is only natural that Senior does not recognize us."

"Oh? I wonder who your esteemed master is, and where you train?" Chin pressed on.

Mutou thought to himself that given the old man's vast experience, he probably knew most Chinese martial artists in this world. If he were to fabricate a master out of thin air, he would likely be exposed on the spot. He had no choice but to say, "Before we descended the mountain, our master repeatedly instructed us never to reveal his name. Please forgive us, Senior!"

Chin looked at Mutou, let out a cold, knowing chuckle, and said, "If you won't say, you won't say!" Then he muttered under his breath, "Playing the mystic!"

Just then, a sudden cheer erupted from the audience. Athena tugged at Mai Shiranui's sleeve and said, "Sister Mai, my senior brother is on stage!"

Mai Shiranui glanced over and remarked, "His opponent looks very inexperienced; definitely not a renowned fighter. I imagine your senior brother can handle him all by himself. You won't need to step up!"

Mai's assessment proved accurate. Once Sie Kensou took the stage, the match began, and with just a single flying tiger strike followed by a back-spinning kick, he booted his opponent right off the stage. Realizing their skill level was vastly inferior to Kensou's, the remaining two opponents chose to forfeit without fighting.

Mai Shiranui laughed and said, "If it were our little sister Athena up there, the opponents would insist on fighting even if they knew they couldn't win."

Athena lightly batted at Mai Shiranui and said, "Sister Mai is always teasing me!" She then turned back to Mutou and asked, "Are you guys also entering this fighting tournament? When do you fight?"

Mutou smiled faintly. "We have already asked Miss Kagura to help recommend us for direct entry into the top thirty-two!"

"Oh!" Athena paused slightly, then looked Mutou over more carefully before saying, "Miss Kagura has already agreed? That means Mr. Mutou must be exceptionally strong!"

Mutou modestly replied, "Not at all, just average!"

"Since you know you're only average, why are you still here making a fool of yourself?" Interjected a voice in a blue tunic as he walked over. It was none other than Athena's senior brother, Sie Kensou.

"Senior brother!" Athena exclaimed. Kensou acknowledged her, but his gaze toward Mutou carried a trace of hostility. Mutou was momentarily stunned, thinking to himself that he hadn't offended the guy, so why the hostile look?

While Mutou was still perplexed, Mai Shiranui whispered to him, "This senior brother has a secret crush on his junior sister. Seeing you talking so closely with her, I'm afraid he's feeling a bit jealous!"

Mutou was dumbfounded... That was an absurd level of jealousy, considering he had only just met the junior sister a moment ago.

Shortly after, Sie Kensou paid his respects to his master, only to be pulled aside by the old man into a whispered conversation. A moment later, Kensou challenged Mutou directly: "Miss Kagura recommended you for direct entry into the top thirty-two? Well then, let me see if you actually have what it takes!" Without waiting for Mutou's consent, Kensou lunged forward with a Tiger Fang strike. Mutou sidestepped to evade it, whereupon Kensou chained into a back-spinning kick, followed immediately by a Dragon Fang Arrow flying kick.

Mutou blocked the flurry of attacks head-on, his brow furrowing slightly. *This punk is going way too far,* he thought. *Attacking without even clarifying things first.* Almost immediately, he caught a flash of sharp insight in Chin Gentsai's eyes, the old man closely observing his stance and footwork. Mutou instantly realized that the old man was signaling his disciple to test his martial arts and flush out what school he belonged to.

Amidst Mutou's brief train of thought, Kensou leaped forward with a Dragon Claw attack. A thought stirred in Mutou; instead of dodging, he met the attack squarely with a Tiger Fang strike of his own, instantly retaliating with a Dragon Fang Arrow.

Both of these were standard moves. Thanks to his "Copycat Technique," learning them was a breeze for Mutou. Executing them felt as though they had been polished through thousands of repetitions; his timing and positioning were actually a fraction sharper than Kensou's.

"You... how do you know my moves?" Kensou asked, utterly pale with shock, freezing in his tracks.

Mutou smiled faintly, maintaining an air of utter nonchalance. "Apologies, I just learned them from you. How do you like returning the favor using your own methods?"

Kensou roared in anger, "Nonsense! Can something you just learned be executed this smoothly? Your execution looks thoroughly refined. Have you been secretly spying on and stealing my techniques all along?"

Mutou offered a calm smile without answering, immensely proud of his "Copycat Technique."

Mai Shiranui chimed in, "I doubt that. Mr. Mutou just arrived here locally; when would he have had the chance to steal your techniques?" She then looked at Mutou in astonishment, asking, "You... you really only just learned that?"

Mutou nodded.

"A genius! I never imagined there would be such a prodigy in this world today..." The speaker was Chin Gentsai. "Sie Kensou's martial arts were enlightened and developed through my personal guidance. There is no one else in this world who knows these exact techniques. Furthermore, I am certain that Mr. Mutou has not been in our vicinity over the past few years. That leaves only one explanation: Mr. Mutou truly learned them just now by watching you execute them."

With that, Chin turned his gaze to Mutou. "Am I right, Mr. Mutou?"

Mutou smiled faintly, remaining silent.

Chin shook his head, muttering, "Terrifying... truly terrifying!"

His words were so abrupt that everyone present was left scratching their heads.

"To master a technique just by watching it once—who among the world's martial artists could ever hope to be his opponent?" Chin stared directly at Mutou.

"Hehe, Senior exaggerates. For standard skills, I can pick them up after a single viewing, but high-tier techniques are still beyond me. Besides, techniques are dead while people are alive. When different people use the exact same move, the effect and power can vary wildly!" Mutou replied calmly.

Chin nodded and said nothing more.

...

Afterward, Mutou watched a few more matches in the arena, noticing that the preliminary rounds lacked any truly high-tier masters. Mai Shiranui explained, "Most of the capable and renowned fighters have been directly recommended into the top thirty-two. In two days, once the preliminary rounds conclude, the real battle of dragons and tigers will begin. By then, the audience will undoubtedly pack the KOF arena to bursting."

Thinking that made sense, Mutou suggested to Lu Daoxuan that they return to watch the matches in two days, when the Copycat Technique could truly shine—given Mutou's current discerning eye, he had little interest in the ordinary moves of the lesser fighters.

Lu Daoxuan nodded in agreement. Mutou then sent a message via communicator to Zigui, intending to inform him of their current accommodation. To his surprise, he received a very brief reply: *Don't bother me, I'm busy picking up chicks...*

Reading the message, Mutou and the others couldn't help but chuckle softly. However, little did they anticipate that the girl Zigui was currently courting possessed an extraordinary background... and was about to bring them a considerable amount of trouble.