Behind her were two others, whose identities Aiden didn't even need to guess.
One of them was Master Chin Gentsai, who drank no matter where he went, a highly respected senior in the fighting world.
The other was Sie Kensou, who carried a bun everywhere he went and munched on it, a boy with a somewhat easygoing personality.
And together, they were the Psycho Soldier Team.
At this moment, as the three of them came in, they headed toward Aiden and the others' side, after all, this was the corner of the restaurant, with more empty seats and a quieter atmosphere.
But the moment they arrived, the place immediately became noisy, making Aiden's group frown slightly… they weren't even allowed to eat quietly.
Fortunately, since Athena Asamiya and Sie Kensou had always been training under Master Chin Gentsai, although they might not have learned much in terms of fighting techniques, since they mainly relied on their own psychic abilities to fight, their character had been taught very well by Chin.
When idol girl Athena noticed that the four at the next table were frowning, she immediately stood up, pressed her hands together, and earnestly pleaded to the fans pouring in, "Everyone, please step outside for now, and try not to disturb the customers who are eating here. If you need autographs, after this fighting tournament ends, I will hold a concert and a signing event."
A sweet and cute girl making a heartfelt plea in a sweet voice, after a while, some fans really did leave. But some still chose to stay and eat; even if they couldn't interact with their idol, just watching her up close was already a feast for the eyes.
A good number of Athena's fans left, and the restaurant became much quieter. Aiden's group finally let out a breath and continued ordering dishes.
But at this moment, Mai kept turning her head to glance several times, mainly looking at Chin Gentsai.
Then King whispered, "Mai, you know that old gentleman?"
Mai nodded. "When I was little, when I spent time with my grandfather, he took me to meet him."
"I see!" King nodded in understanding.
Speaking of which, Chin Gentsai and Mai's grandfather were the same, both old seniors in the fighting world. Although their relationship might not have been very deep, in decades of martial arts careers, they had definitely crossed paths.
And since Mai said she'd met Chin Gentsai as a child, even though a lot of time had passed, memory only needed a little spark to recall many things.
"Aiden, I want to go greet Senior Chin Gentsai."
Since he was a senior from the same era as her grandfather, Mai hesitated for a moment, then said this to Aiden.
"Sure!" Aiden nodded.
But after thinking for a moment, he added, "Let's go together."
King and Yuri had no objections, after all, the other party was a senior in the fighting world.
Then the four of them stood up and walked toward the Psycho Soldier Team. In reality, they weren't far apart at all, just a few steps. So when they walked over, Chin Gentsai was already looking at them with his wine gourd in his arms, he had already heard their conversation.
Mai walked in front. She bowed slightly and spoke gently, "Senior Chin Gentsai, do you still remember me?"
"Of course. You're Hanzo's granddaughter. We met back when you were little." Chin Gentsai nodded, then looked toward Aiden and the others.
"And these are?"
Mai first introduced Aiden, acting very naturally and generously. "His name is Aiden. He's from Z Country."
"Greetings, Senior. This junior pays his respects." Aiden had always treated elders with great respect, and Chin Gentsai truly was a highly esteemed senior. So he immediately cupped his fists toward him and spoke in his native language.
"No need for such courtesy, no need." Chin Gentsai nodded with satisfaction, a smile appearing on his face. After all, Aiden was his fellow countryman, older generations valued that greatly.
At this moment, Mai continued introducing, "This is King, she's French, and this is Sakazaki Yuri, she's Japanese like me."
As she spoke, she pointed at King and Yuri.
"Hello, Senior!"
The two girls also copied Aiden's gesture and cupped their fists toward Chin Gentsai, though the movement looked somewhat awkward.
"Hello!" Chin Gentsai nodded again. He loved promising juniors the most, and he could see both King and Yuri had good skills. His gaze then fell on Yuri. "Sakazaki Takuma is your…?"
"He's my father." Yuri answered with unusual steadiness, completely different from her usual lively self.
"Oh!" Chin Gentsai nodded again, and a hint of nostalgia appeared on his face.
"No wonder the aura on you feels familiar. So you really are his daughter. Hahaha, speaking of which, I met him a few times in the past too, back when he was about the same age as Aiden here."
"My father mentioned you to me as well. He said you were a highly respected senior," Yuri replied. Even though she had taken leave from school without permission to compete, she hadn't fallen behind in her studies.
"Hahaha… you flatter me, you flatter me."
Though the words were modest, Chin Gentsai was clearly beaming, older folks loved hearing these joyful compliments.
Then Chin Gentsai said seriously, "Let me introduce my two disciples to you as well…"
"This is my eldest disciple, Sie Kensou…" Chin pointed toward Kensou, but seeing him still eating his bun, he glared at him. "Kensou, hurry and greet them!"
"Yes, Master… ugh!"
Kensou immediately stood up. After answering, he shoved the rest of the bun into his mouth. But just as he was about to speak, he choked and began pounding his chest wildly.
"Drink some tea!"
Athena quickly poured him a cup of tea, and Kensou gulped it without thinking,
Then he let out a miserable scream.
"Ah! Athena, this is boiling water!"
"S-sorry." Athena became embarrassed at once, she had forgotten that this was a Japanese restaurant, and they naturally served hot tea.
Fortunately, Kensou not only practiced various ancient Z Country martial arts, but also possessed psychic powers, giving him astonishing physical resilience. After a while, he recovered, but he still couldn't speak for the moment.
Seeing this, Chin Gentsai sighed and could only look toward Athena Asamiya.
"This is my second disciple, Athena Asamiya."
"Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you."
Athena was a popular high school idol singer, so she wasn't stage-shy at all. She greeted Aiden's group confidently and gracefully.
Then Chin continued, "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"We just finished ordering," Mai said.
"I see. Then perfect, let's add a few more dishes and eat together!" Chin Gentsai extended the invitation, and his tone left no room for refusal.
Mai didn't agree immediately. Instead, she looked toward Aiden. Seeing him nod, she quickly said, "Then we gratefully accept."
After that, Aiden's group brought chairs over from their original spot and joined Chin and his two disciples at the table.
Kensou and Athena sat on either side of Chin. And since Aiden was the only man among the four in his group, he naturally sat beside Kensou.
Beside Athena sat Yuri. The two girls were about the same age and both still in high school. Not long after sitting down, they were already quietly chatting.
"Are you guys also here to participate in this KOF tournament?"
"Yeah."
"Which three of you are entering?"
Yuri pointed at Mai and King. "Us three."
"What about him?" Athena glanced at Aiden, who sat diagonally across from her. "He should be a fighter too, right?"
"Yeah, but he already has a team."
"I see…"
The two similarly aged girls chatted away. Before long, the dishes were served one after another. With the dishes Chin's group added, over a dozen plates filled the entire table.
Since a senior like Chin Gentsai was present, everyone looked toward him.
"Oh, don't mind me, just help yourselves." Chin waved his hand lightly, then lifted his wine gourd. "Do you all want a drink?"
Probably out of modesty, Mai, who could drink a little, and King, who actually liked alcohol, both stayed silent. Yuri looked tempted, but since Mai and King hadn't spoken, she could only shake her head as well.
"I'll drink with Senior." Aiden snapped his fingers, asking the waiter to bring a bottle of Erguotou.
Then he opened it, filled a cup to the brim, raised it, and said, "It's our first meeting, so forgive this junior for drinking first out of respect."
After speaking, he downed the entire full cup in one go.
"Good, good, good…" Chin Gentsai nodded repeatedly, smiling broadly at Aiden, his eyes full of admiration.
"Just like how this old man was in his youth. Good, today we'll drink to our hearts' content, you and I."
As the saying goes, please someone by catering to what they like. With this single move, Aiden instantly won Chin's praise and closed the distance between them. Chin even called the two of them "grandfather and grandson."
'But somehow, I feel like I'm being taken advantage of!'
Aiden thought to himself. Did he just gain a grandfather out of nowhere?
But considering Chin's age… being grandfather and grandson wasn't really a loss, he thought again.
After a few more drinks, Chin Gentsai clearly became more talkative.