Of course, this was only the first step…
"Since Miss Shermie lives so close to me, then… Mr. Aiden, when you send Miss Shermie home in the future, could you also give me a ride?" Lei Fang continued speaking, and at the same time, she put on a pitiful expression.
"I don't have a car or a driver's license, and I just started this job, so I really can't afford to take taxis."
'You think you can fool a ghost with that!?'
There's no way Aiden would be fooled by such a low-level trick. He knew full well that Lei Fang had a mischievous little-devil personality, if she was acting pitiful, it definitely meant she was scheming something.
Besides…
Aiden's gaze swept over Lei Fang's outfit, it was all custom-made. No doubt she wasn't short on money. How could she possibly not have a car?
'She's probably trying to play third wheel, get between me and Shermie.'
Aiden thought to himself.
But… would that even work?
Still, Aiden nodded. "In that case, I can give you a ride too."
'Since you want to play the third wheel, don't blame me for making a move on prey that walks right into my arms.'
Aiden had already gotten quite open-minded by now. As long as it wasn't something inhumane, he didn't feel any psychological burden at all, especially when it came to flirting with women.
He already had plenty of women at home, so adding another one didn't matter much. At most, it just meant preparing another room. And that wasn't a moral issue, it was just about money. And money was something he didn't lack.
'So, come on, the more the merrier. I can handle it.'
Thinking that, Aiden's expression stayed blank as he looked at the satisfied, scheming smile on Lei Fang's face. Then he smiled as well.
"Well then, Miss Lei Fang, starting tomorrow, I'll come pick you up for work."
"Thank you so much." Lei Fang clasped her hands together, smiling brightly, she looked absolutely adorable.
If he didn't already know her true nature, Aiden would have thought she was an innocent girl.
Unfortunately, he knew Lei Fang's personality all too well.
Watching her hop a few times like a cheerful girl, Aiden then asked, "Miss Lei Fang, shouldn't you be heading to work now?"
Lei Fang couldn't hide her excitement, he couldn't tell if it was real or fake. Then she nodded and lightly pinched the hem of her skirt like a refined lady.
"Mr. Aiden, I'm heading to work. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow!"
———
After saying goodbye to the her, Aiden naturally headed to the Shiranui-ryu dojo to watch Mai Shiranui and the others train. Then he had lunch, practiced by himself for a while, and by evening, he received a call from Maki.
The person he'd been looking for had landed.
The American athletes' team had arrived in Japan, and since the hotel they booked was also a Kagura family property, it wouldn't even be necessary to use the Kagura intelligence division to track their every move…
Aiden knew Americans all too well. And considering that the three members of this half-hearted "athlete team" were all sportsmen…
Americans. Athletes.
Put those two words together, and there was no need to guess, Aiden already knew exactly where they would go after checking into their hotel. So as soon as he got the call, he drove straight to Tokyo's best red-light district, Kabukichō Ichiban-gai.
Then, Maki called again. Just as he expected, the three of them had indeed gone there, without even stopping by their hotel first.
Originally, Aiden thought the shrine maiden would warn him to be careful, but instead, what he heard from her was a tense voice.
"Once you get the invitation letter, come back immediately. Don't stay there."
'You're underestimating me too much, Miss Priestess. You think I'd be interested in cheap women?'
"Relax, relax, I won't hang around. I've got the most beautiful pair of sisters in the world waiting for me at home!"
With that said, Aiden hung up the call, stepped out of his car, and followed the address Maki had given him into a luxurious hostess club.
There was no such thing here as "we don't serve foreigners." With money, everything was negotiable. Aiden used a wad of cash to make the female receptionist shut her mouth, then used another wad to make her open it again.
"Ah, you mean those three foreigners? They're in that private room over there…" The receptionist pocketed the cash with a flattering smile, not even bothering to ask why Aiden was paying so much just to find them.
"Thanks…"
Pressing down the brim of his hat, Aiden thanked her and walked straight toward that private room.
As he approached the door, Aiden activated his fighter profession, Free Fighter.
The powerful surge of qi made his clothes ripple slightly, and even the wooden floor beneath his feet cracked with fine lines from the force. It was the exclusive "Martial God Step" used by female free fighters, a move that was far more than just for show.
Standing outside the door, Aiden could clearly hear the flirtatious giggles of women and the loud laughter of men inside. Glancing back, he saw no one nearby and no cameras overhead, so he forcefully pushed the door open.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Who said you could come in?"
"Get out!"
Three angry shouts rang out one after another, their tempers were clearly bad.
Ignoring their curses, Aiden followed his own principle, courtesy before force. He said calmly, "Gentlemen, I mean no harm. I'm only here to buy the invitation letter in your possession."
"Don't even think about it! No amount of money will get it!"
Among them, a man built like an ox shouted. He was a white guy, probably a rugby player.
A flash of blood-red light flickered in his eyes as he growled coldly, "Get out!"
"In that case, don't blame me for being impolite."
He had already tried being polite, but since they refused to listen…
Aiden clenched his fists. Looks like he had no choice but to fight.
Seeing his tightened fists, all three athletes stood up at once. At the same time, a strange aura spread from their bodies.
"Orochi…"
That aura was all too familiar to Aiden, he had sensed it before, back in Paris, from Goenitz.
'So that means… Rugal has already obtained the power of Orochi.'
Aiden's eyes grew cold as he stared at them. The plot had already deviated from the game's events, these three must have been sent by Rugal.
'Did the anime storyline get mixed in here too…?'
But Aiden wasn't worried. Orochi's power or not, unless Goenitz himself showed up, these three were trash.
Without wasting a second, Aiden struck first, he needed to finish this as quickly as possible.
Martial God Step, one stomp forward, and in an instant, he was right in front of the rugby player.
Bang!
Before the rugby player Brian could react, Aiden's fist slammed into his abdomen. The shockwave went straight through his body, making him fall to his knees and vomit bile.
Just then, the boxer among them, Harvey, finally reacted. Amid the women's screams, he threw a textbook uppercut toward Aiden's chin.
Smack!
Aiden simply raised a hand to block it under his chin, easily stopping the blow. Harvey froze, he felt like he'd just punched a steel wall.
'Can't win…'
That thought barely formed in his head before Aiden shifted his weight, dug his toes into the ground, and swept a low kick straight into Harvey's stomach.
"Ugh!"
Harvey spewed bile too, his body curling up like a boiled shrimp.
Two down in an instant. The last one, a basketball player named Rocky, hesitated, then furiously grabbed a bottle and swung it at Aiden.
In the end, they were just background extras. Aside from the boxer Harvey, the other two were nothing but muscleheads, relying on strength and physique, not skill. Their fighting technique was garbage.
So Aiden smashed the bottle in Rocky's hand with a single punch, then followed up with a rising Shoryuken, smashing his jaw. The sound of breaking bones echoed, and Rocky went down too.
The three were defeated so quickly they didn't even have time to use the Orochi power inside them. After all, that power had been given by Rugal, they couldn't control it properly. All it did was make them tougher and angrier.
But no matter how tough they were, before a fully awakened professional fighter like Aiden, they were still pathetically weak. They weren't true martial artists.
Looking at the three athletes writhing on the floor, Aiden clicked his tongue, then turned his gaze to a few backpacks piled in the corner of the room.
Dumping out their contents, he quickly found what he was looking for, a letter stamped with the letter R.
Pocketing the invitation, Aiden pulled another wad of cash from his pocket and tossed it to the hostesses.
"This is for your lost time and emotional damages."
With that, he turned and walked out of the private room. As he left, he glanced once more at the three athletes struggling to get up.
"Goodbye!"
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