Gazing at Mai Shiranui—who had just performed an impromptu Sichuan Opera face-changing act—right before his eyes, Qin Ming stood behind her, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
After a year apart, Mai Shiranui hadn't changed a bit; she was still as carefree and unrestrained as ever.
"Senior Sister, I'm back," Qin Ming said.
As his words fell, Mai Shiranui, with her back turned to him, visibly shuddered.
"You still remember to come back! I thought you'd never return—I was even about to expel you from the sect! See? Even without your help, I could run the dojo just fine!"
"I know, Master Sister, you're a pro at running things. There's no way I could ever compare. I'm only back to play the role of a lackey—a sort of enforcer, if you will."
"Hmph! Fine then. I have some personal matters to attend to. Excuse me!"
As she spoke, Mai dashed toward a back room, even pausing mid-run to wipe her eyes with a raised hand.
Seeing her vanish into the room, Qin Ming quickly turned toward Blue Mary, who was sitting at a table, absorbed in her newspaper and tea. He clapped his hands and grinned.
"Yo! Big Detective! Long time no see!"
At the sound of his warm greeting, Blue Mary rolled her eyes, crossed her legs, folded her arms, and let out a cold snort before turning her head away.
Noticing her unwillingness to engage, Qin Ming hastily switched targets and patted King on the shoulder.
"King! Long time no see, how are you?"
King, witnessing this scene, shook her head with exasperation and barely spared Qin Ming—the persistent chatterbox—a glance.
After having been rebuffed twice, Qin Ming awkwardly shifted his gaze downward, fixating on the third "presence" in the room: Blue Mary's beloved canine companion.
He clapped his hands forcefully and grinned widely.
"Long time, no see! How've you been? Dog meat hotpot—miss me?"
At his call, the spotted dog immediately perked up, its tail wagging excitedly, and it lunged onto Qin Ming—biting his hand in one sudden chomp.
The unexpected ambush startled Qin Ming, who struggled for a long moment before finally shaking the dog off.
Blue Mary whistled to call her dog back. Squinting her eyes, she smiled radiantly and gave the pup a hearty rub on its head.
"Good job, Antonio!"
"You mangy mutt! The first time we met you bit me, and now you bite me again! If I don't stew you today, I won't even carry the Qin name! Get over here!"
"What are you doing—trying to pick on me again? Don't think that because you've grown bigger I'll be scared! I'm a master of ground fighting! I'm never afraid of big guys! You wanna fight? Come on then!"
Before Qin Ming could react as his own beloved dog charged at him, Blue Mary jumped off the table in alarm, bouncing off with a boxing stance.
She assumed her fighting posture, and Qin Ming mimicked her. The two began to spar—swinging their arms and leaping about, their playful tussle turning the hall into an impromptu boxing ring.
It wasn't long before King, unable to watch the brawl any longer, shook her head and intervened to break up their skirmish.
King had expected that, after a few drinks, both Blue Mary and Mai Shiranui might wax poetic about Qin Ming—creating a scene so moving it would bring tears to one's eyes.
But instead, their first reaction was to try and beat him up! How much did he have to ask for a beating?
Under King's firm intervention, Blue Mary—the so-called "Queen of Turnarounds" on the floor—and Qin Ming, nicknamed "Desperate Qin Ming," ended up sitting on opposite sides.
Both were in a foul mood: Blue Mary because, after a year, meeting Qin Ming again, she was shocked to find that he didn't seem to be doing badly at all—he even had his hand back, and his body had grown so strong! It was nothing like the bedraggled, pitiful figure she had imagined from the letters he hadn't sent. In other words, the kid deliberately didn't write—he's a heartless bastard!
And Qin Ming was in a foul mood too, because he had barely managed to return once and immediately had to rush off to the dojo, only to be met with one confrontation after another! Who did he have to piss off this time?
He knew all too well how many times he'd nearly been beaten to death over these past years.
Their exchange was cold and sharp, much like the first time they met. After a long silence, Blue Mary snorted dismissively.
"So? After a whole year, you still haven't been beaten to death?"
"And you haven't been taken down for snooping on people's private affairs, Detective. Right, sir?"
"That's enough, lady. I'm no longer in the detective business! I'm now the Second Senior of the Shiranui Dojo—earning millions a year! And, most importantly, I rank above you! You're third!"
"No! Why should that be? I actually joined before you did—after all, you were the one I recommended!"
"Our sect only demoted you; they showed mercy by not expelling you outright! What more do you want?"
Glaring at Blue Mary's smug expression, Qin Ming's eye twitched violently.
"How is it that you and Mai Shiranui have managed to run such a massive dojo, even opening so many branch schools? Aren't you afraid of people coming over to challenge you?"
"Challenge us? They'd only dare if winning against our all-female dojo brought honor and boosted their reputation. Forget about challenging us—when we went over there, hardly anyone even dared to accept! Naturally, if they won, it'd be glorious, but if they lost, they'd be ruined. Mai and I have challenged over a hundred dojos consecutively, and only the extreme style faction's Sakazaki Yuri has ever managed to fight us!"
Blue Mary's words suddenly reminded Qin Ming that today's Shiranui Dojo was no longer the same as it used to be.
If challengers came knocking, even if they managed to beat a dojo that mainly promoted fitness, weight loss, bust enhancement, and whitening treatments, word of it would surely become a laughingstock among competitors!
Good grief! No wonder Mai Shiranui dares to claim she's unbeaten throughout Japan! This isn't some ordinary undefeated record—nobody would dare mess with them!
Just as Qin Ming suddenly grasped the secret behind Shiranui Dojo's invincibility, footsteps sounded from nearby. It turned out that Mai Shiranui, having just finished composing herself in a back room, had now emerged.
Glowering fiercely at Qin Ming, the once flamboyantly dressed Mai—now in plain clothes—crossed her arms and coldly spoke:
"Old Three! Since you dare to come back, I'm giving you one chance to redeem yourself! Have you heard of the King of Fighters Tournament?"
Mai's words left Qin Ming momentarily stunned. When he recovered, he quickly nodded.
"Of course I know."
"Good! We're gearing up to compete—and win the championship—to promote our Shiranui Dojo! This time, you'll serve as our vanguard! You're the spearhead of the Shiranui Team!"
"Participate in the King of Fighters Tournament?!"
At those words, Qin Ming's eyes lit up, and he suddenly sat up straight.
Taking part in the tournament was excellent news—on the competition stage, with top fighters aplenty, secretly taking out a few unsightly opponents would certainly fatten one's wallet.
"Sure, no problem. But who exactly on our side is competing?" Qin Ming asked.
As soon as his question was over, Mai's expression froze. She immediately turned to exchange glances with the other two by her side. Originally, the three of them had already planned to team up as a unit—but now that Qin Ming had returned, this…
"I'll drop out," one of them snapped. "I'll form my own team. After all, the Shiranui Team isn't really for me—I'm not even a member of the Shiranui Dojo."
Before the embarrassed Mai could retort, Qin Ming's face suddenly turned serious.
"Let's form two teams instead. You three can stick together as one team, and I'll go find teammates elsewhere for my own squad. That way, having two teams will improve our chances."
Qin Ming's sudden proposal made all three women turn their heads toward him. Sensing their shocked stares, Qin Ming couldn't help but offer a bitter smile and shake his head.
He had his reasons for suggesting two teams. Almost as soon as Mai Shiranui mentioned participating in the King of Fighters Tournament, the notification sound from his Nightmare Space rang in his ears:
[Task Name: King of Fighters Showdown]
[Task Difficulty: A Rank]
[Task Requirements: Secure an invitation to the King of Fighters Tournament, form a team as the captain, and strive for the best placement possible]
[Task Reward: Determined by the final ranking]
[Task Description: You've come to the King of Fighters world—if you're not here to compete, are you just here for sightseeing?]
An A-rank hidden task like this would yield a bountiful reward if completed!
The only hitch was that the task required participation as the team captain.
For Qin Ming, competing wasn't difficult—especially with Mai Shiranui on board.
As for that notoriously elusive tournament invitation, Mai surely had one, given her dojo's immense scale and formidable reputation.
Even if it were just to boost popularity, the organizers would definitely invite her.
But with a show-off like Mai around, how could Qin Ming ever be the captain?
Look at her—she wouldn't easily relinquish the captain's role! After all, they were competing under the Shiranui Team banner! Why should the senior sister not be the captain?
Qin Ming had been missing for over a year, and if he tried to wrest control upon returning, Mai would undoubtedly beat him up.
This isn't about power struggles—Mai doesn't care about that.
It's about Qin Ming's attitude! It clearly shows he doesn't respect his senior sister!
So Qin Ming quickly made up his mind: he would form his own team to compete separately.
"Two teams?"
"Exactly—two teams!"
"But where will you find two more teammates? The King of Fighters Tournament isn't like any ordinary contest! Even I, your senior sister, wouldn't claim we could beat everyone. If you just gather a couple of misfits, it'll be downright embarrassing!"
At these words, Qin Ming's face suddenly burst into a radiant smile.
"No need for two—just one will do. Now, allow me to introduce to you three my dear partner—my dream dinosaur-style disciple: Kasamoto Eri!"
As he said this, Qin Ming whipped out his handgun and fired a shot, simultaneously shifting aside.
At the doorway, accompanied by approaching footsteps, the summoned Kasamoto Eri made her dazzling entrance.
Clad in military attire, she strode into the hall. Mid-sentence, she suddenly froze.
"Boss! Ready for another new adventure? Wow—big-chested girl! Where on earth did you find such a prime specimen?!"
Staring at Mai Shiranui standing opposite her and taking in her outrageously enviable figure, Kasamoto Eri's eyes widened in disbelief.
(End of Chapter)