Yata Tsukihime never initiated conversation with Cloud.
Most of the time she just sat alone in a corner of the dojo, polishing those black-and-red fighting gloves she'd produced from who-knows-where.
Her gaze toward Cloud always carried examination, pickiness, and curiosity.
Initially, Cloud thought she was a "spy" Iori had sent to monitor him.
But after several days together, he discovered this red-haired girl wasn't fundamentally bad.
She was just a bit "tsundere" and starved for affection.
"Hey."
One day after training ended, Tsukihime called out to Cloud for the first time.
"What?"
"You... fought my brother once?" she asked, complex emotions flickering in her beautiful phoenix eyes.
"Yeah." Cloud nodded. "Draw."
"Liar." Tsukihime snorted coldly. "After my brother came back, he locked himself in his room for three whole days. He's... never been like that before."
"Does he... often... mention me to you?" Cloud probed.
"Hmph, you're overthinking it." Tsukihime's face flushed slightly, somewhat unnaturally turning away.
"He just... occasionally says nonsense about 'that guy's flames are interesting,' that's all."
"I came to find you only because I wanted to see with my own eyes," her voice lowered, "what kind of man could make my arrogant brother care so much."
"That's all."
With that, she ignored Cloud and turned to leave proudly.
Cloud watched her somewhat "fleeing" retreat, an helpless smile crossing his face.
He knew he'd apparently gained another remarkable... "little fangirl"?
Just then, Kusanagi Aoi bounced over like a happy bird, holding a plate of pitch-black, ominous-aura-radiating "unidentified substance."
"Cloud-oniisan! Quick, try my new invention—cola chicken wings!"
Cloud looked at that plate—whether in color or smell, more closely resembling "petroleum coke" than "chicken wings"—feeling his stomach protest violently.
He looked left at the "Ice Queen's" cold stare.
Then right at the "dark cuisine's" summons.
"Sigh..."
Cloud let out that signature, "life has lost all meaning" sigh again.
"Can my team... really... survive until KOF 95 starts?"
...
KOF 95 tournament, opening ceremony day.
Tokyo Dome—this massive stadium capable of holding tens of thousands—was already packed to bursting with fighting enthusiasts and media reporters from around the world.
The atmosphere was ten times more fervent than last year's Colosseum!
Giant electronic screens scrolled highlight reels from the previous tournament. Each appearance of Cloud, Kyo, Terry and others' shining moments triggered tsunami-like cheers and screams!
Meanwhile, our protagonist Cloud currently sat with his extremely distinctive "beautiful girl" squad in the contestants' rest area, receiving "jealous and envious" gazes from all directions.
"Oniisan... I'm... a bit nervous..."
Kusanagi Aoi—attending such a grand event for the first time—gripped Cloud's sleeve tightly, her face pale with nerves like a frightened rabbit.
"Relax, relax." Cloud smiled and ruffled her head comfortingly. "Just pretend you're attending a big anime convention. If you can't win later, just yell to the referee, 'My husband is Cloud,' and I guarantee no one will dare touch you."
Kusanagi Aoi: "..."
Her face instantly flushed crimson.
On the other side, Yata Tsukihime maintained that "the whole world owes me eight million" aloof expression.
Arms crossed, eyes closed, as if the surrounding chaos had nothing to do with her.
But those slightly trembling eyelashes still betrayed her inner turmoil.
Just as Cloud enjoyed this "surrounded by beauties" pre-match time, that familiar "trouble-making" system notification rang in his mind.
[Ding! Detected host about to embark on "Hell-level" sister-carrying journey. System "loving encouragement" quest activated!]
[Special Side Quest: Birth of the Strongest "Dad"]
[Background: Congratulations host. You've successfully lured two "Daughters of Destiny" with zero tournament experience who could explode from "tantrums" at any moment into your team. You're now not just captain and tactical core, but their personal nanny.]
[Objective: Lead your two "deadweights"... ahem, "adorable" teammates to victory in this KOF 95. Moreover, you must ensure they remain completely unharmed, enjoying full "carried to victory" VIP treatment.]
[Rewards:]
Source Points x80,000 Skill Book:
[Yagami-Style Ancient Martial Arts Final Ultimate: Ura 108 Shiki: Ya Sakazuki (Incomplete Version)]
Skill Book: [Kusanagi-Style Ancient Martial Arts Final Ultimate: Mu Shiki (Incomplete Version)]
"Holy crap?!"
Looking at those absolutely "explosively luxurious" quest rewards, Cloud's eyes went straight!
80,000 Source Points!
The Yagami-style forbidden technique Ya Sakazuki!
And... the Kusanagi family's legendary ultimate Mu Shiki?!
These... these rewards were even better than directly gifting him a "Sacred Treasure"!
"System, you're sure... I just need to carry them to victory?" Cloud asked somewhat incredulously.
[Yes, host.] The system's voice was full of temptation.
[This system fully considers the hardship of your team leadership this time. You must not only handle battles but also manage potential internal conflicts between two young ladies, and even... provide post-match psychological counseling. So these rewards are... well-deserved.]
"Deal!"
Cloud slapped his thigh, eyes blazing with the "daddy soul"!
...
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