In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
From the airport, Aiden and Ada got into the business car waiting for them.
"Aiden, how did the talks go?"
The driver was Roberta. Although she was a little unhappy that Aiden only brought Ada and not her, on the surface she still kept a perfectly normal expression.
Aiden nodded and said, "It's alright. Basically, it's settled. The deposit's been paid too. But the paperwork's a bit troublesome, and they still need to do some small renovations and cleaning. Even if we wanted to move in, it'll have to wait until next month."
"Actually, there's no need to rush. The villa still has plenty of empty rooms. We can move over when this place really can't fit us anymore." Roberta said to Aiden while driving.
Aiden let out a sigh. "That's what I think too, but better to prepare in advance. I don't ever want us to end up in that situation again, a whole big family crammed into a single apartment."
Thinking back on how the place used to be so cramped that they had to buy bunk beds and even make the artificial ones sleep on the floor, Aiden still felt a little guilty toward them.
So he sighed again.
"By the way, while Ada and I were away these past few days, nothing happened at home, right?"
The last few days, Aiden had been running himself ragged over the manor, so busy with all the paperwork that he didn't even have time to touch his phone. Now was finally a chance to ask Roberta about the situation at home.
"It was fine. Just that on the third day you were gone, Bayonetta and Jeanne went out with Ying again, and this time they even brought Tifa along." Roberta's lips curved into a faint smile as she said this.
Aiden didn't think much of it and replied, "So they went out, fine. Shopping is good too… Roberta, what's with that smile on your face?"
He had noticed Roberta's smile was a bit odd.
"Because they didn't go shopping. They went to a comic convention…" Roberta said with a grin.
"The day after you left, Jeanne saw a video online saying the city was holding a convention. She even saw people cosplaying as them in it. So she wanted to go see for herself whether those cosplays looked anything like them."
"Of course they wouldn't. Cereza and Jenny's height alone would scare off most cosplayers, not to mention their looks can't be pulled off with makeup alone." Aiden shrugged.
He'd been to conventions himself, more than once, and every time he came away disappointed. Seeing cosplays in person was nothing like seeing the edited photos online.
"True, but they still wanted to go."
Roberta continued, "The main issue was, they didn't wear hats or masks when they went out. People followed them around taking pictures, and some even tried to ask for their contact info."
"They got so spooked they didn't even enter the convention hall and just ran straight back."
"So the past few days they've been behaving, staying at home. Also, Tifa's been in a bad mood these past two days, probably from being scared by those over-enthusiastic game fans."
"I've told them so many times to wear hats and masks when going out…" Aiden shook his head helplessly.
"That's why it's better for us. With just a little dressing up we can go out, no need for masks even." Ada, who had been quietly gazing out the window this whole time, finally spoke.
Chatting like this, the three soon returned to the villa.
As soon as he entered, Aiden pulled out the local specialties he had bought in to give as gifts to the women at home.
Then, carrying the gifts personally, he went to visit Tifa, who he'd heard had been shut up in her room for days without coming out…
In the end, just an hour later, Tifa was happily going out with him.
Coaxing women, he was quite the expert at it by now.
———
In the blink of an eye, the remaining days flew by, and soon it was the night before he would enter the next world.
After finishing the usual routine conversation with the system, a white light appeared. The next second, Aiden found himself on a bustling street.
He only needed to lift his head and glance at the huge banner hanging from a high-rise building to know exactly which world he had arrived in.
[Warmly celebrating the official launch of the first KOF Tournament]
[Gathering the world's greatest fighters to show us their superhuman strength]
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[Story World: The King of Fighters]
[Story Type: Alternate modern, mythology, fantasy, martial arts]
[Story Intro:
For a fighter, becoming the world's strongest is the highest glory. But finding a worthy opponent is often the greatest problem they face.
When some investors noticed the immense commercial potential of holding a martial arts tournament, they decided to expand the street fighting contests that had started up in a city called Southtown into a global event, naming it KOF.
Thus in 1994, fighters all over the world received invitations marked with "KOF," but without any sender's name.
That's because the organizers allowed the invitations to be stolen, believing only those strong enough to seize them deserved to compete.
To make sure fighters would willingly participate, the organizers not only offered high prize money, but also promised the title of "Strongest" to the top fighter. Whether for fame or fortune, there was always something to lure them in.
What's more, veteran fighters would battle in an all-new way, teaming up into powerful groups, rather than the old one-on-one street fights and challenges.
But qualifying for the tournament wouldn't be easy…
And you, a traveler who stumbled into this world, seem curious to find out what it feels like to try becoming the strongest fighter yourself…]
[Tip 1: Because of the host's entry, the story world will experience butterfly effect disturbances]
[Tip 2: Difficulty level for the host: moderate. Relax and enjoy life]
[Tip 3: Lady Luck is watching over you]
[Tip 4: Current timeline: one month before the '94 KOF begins. Host must secure entry soon]
[Tip 5: This is a fused world, characters from similar worlds may appear]
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"KOF, huh. Wonder if it's going to lean official, or have a Hong Kong-comic flavor, or maybe both? Maybe even mixed in with KOF Destiny's plot?"
Closing the system page, Aiden glanced around. He was on a lively street. The shop signs showed he was in Japan, though he didn't know which city.
'So it starts in Japan, huh. Who will I run into first? Iori, Kyo Kusanagi, Mai Shiranui… or maybe the Sakazaki family?'
'And since this is a fused world with fighters as the focus, maybe Tekken or Dead or Alive characters will pop up too?'
Thinking like this, Aiden sat down somewhere clean-looking to rest. The fifteen-minute prep time hadn't passed yet, so he couldn't act freely.
During this gap, he thought more.
'No matter what, since I'm in the KOF world, if I don't join the tournament it's basically a wasted trip. So first I need to get an invitation.'
'But since I just arrived, the officials won't give me one. So I'll have to steal one… or team up with someone to sneak in with a shared slot…'
'Though teaming up is actually harder right now than stealing. Worst case, I can go to Korea, it'd just be a bit awkward for Master Kim…'
'Or maybe… nah, athletes competing in a martial arts tournament? That's a joke. Their strength is mediocre at best. Better not let them embarrass themselves in the ring.'
So when he thought it through, stealing seemed like the optimal choice, easier than finding teammates.
Wait, but even if he stole one, he'd still need teammates.
'So the real problem is forming a team. Should I just head back home and recruit two randoms from a dojo? Or dig out some characters who don't show up until later?'
He hesitated. A month was too short to track down future characters. Easier to just pull two randoms off the street and one-versus-three it himself.
After some thought, the system's protection timer finally ended, and Aiden made up his mind: stay in Japan a few days, and if that didn't work, head to Korea.
It was only a few hours away, unlike America. And if that still failed, he'd just grab two halfway decent ones to fill out a team.
Decision made, Aiden stood, patted the dust off his pants, and started aimlessly wandering the street.
Funny enough, every time he entered a new story world it started this way, and he always somehow ran into plot characters. Maybe this time too.
After a bit of wandering, Aiden suddenly remembered something and stepped into a convenience store.
"One city map, please." He slapped a ten-thousand-yen note on the counter, addressing the girl at the register who looked like a high schooler.
"Please wait a moment." The clerk bowed politely and dug through a box nearby, soon producing a tourist map.
"So I'm in Tokyo!" While waiting for change, Aiden glanced at it. Being a tourist map, it not only had Tokyo but nearby cities too, marked in detail. But not the place he really wanted.
"Nagoya… isn't Kusanagi's dojo around there?" he muttered, eyeing the city between Tokyo and Osaka.
His memory wasn't perfect. KOF plots were simple, and many characters had countries of origin but no exact hometowns. Otherwise, he wouldn't be struggling.
Just then, the clerk finished counting change, and with both hands respectfully offered it. "Sir, your change."
But Aiden didn't take it. Instead, he pointed at the money. "You can keep it. But I need to ask you something…"
"S-sorry… I… I don't do dates…" The girl blurted nervously.
"I wasn't asking that…" Aiden looked at her speechlessly.
"Then, what would you like to know?" The girl flushed a little, realizing she'd misunderstood.
"Do you know if there's a Yata Shrine nearby?" Aiden asked, relying on his memory of the name.
"No."
"What about Kusanagi Dojo? Ever heard of it?"
"No."
"Shiranui Dojo?"
"Nope."
"…Kyokugenryu? Forget it, those are probably even less known than Shiranui. You wouldn't know them either."
Rubbing his face in exasperation, Aiden pocketed the map and left the store. He didn't take the money back, but grabbed a Coke on the way out to drink.
Sipping the Coke as he walked, Aiden kept asking around. Since the tournament was still in prep stages, many fighters weren't famous yet.
Still, he managed to get the location of Kusanagi Dojo, because Kyo Kusanagi had once won Japan's martial arts tournament, so fighting fans knew him.
But since the dojo was in Nagoya, Aiden had no interest in going. By now Kyo was probably already teamed with Goro Daimon and Benimaru.
No chance to squeeze in. Plus, Aiden thought it'd be way better if the first fighter he met was a woman. Dealing with guys? Boring.
By then, he'd finished the Coke. Tossing the empty can into a roadside bin, he stepped out to the curb to hail a cab.
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