019. The Shiranui Dojo

[Ding! ‘Girlfriend Card (Blue·Star)’ activated. You have obtained one Superior Girlfriend Card: ‘Beautiful Coach.’ Use to receive a coach girlfriend.]

“It dropped! It dropped! A miracle from a single draw!”

Seeing the flash of blue light, Su Ye leaped off the bed in delight, his hands and feet clinging to the ceiling as he twisted his body upside down in excitement.

“Keep the music going, keep dancing!”

In the previous ten-draw with green cards, he’d only managed to get an Excellent (Green) Girlfriend, but now a single blue card had yielded a Superior (Blue) one—the highest possible! This was a total reversal of his unlucky streak!

Su Ye shook with excitement on the ceiling for a good while before returning to his bed and choosing to use the blue card he’d just obtained.

[Ding! Superior Girlfriend Card ‘Beautiful Coach’ used. Coach girlfriend delivery in progress…]

After using the card, Su Ye lay back down, drifting into sleep with dreams and fantasies of what the future held.

Who could the beautiful coach be?

Were there any female coaches in the Marvel movies?

Su Ye thought hard and remembered one person: Colleen Wing, the female lead from the Iron Fist series, who ran a struggling dojo.

But Colleen Wing wasn’t exactly a beauty—not in Su Ye’s eyes, at least. Surely his system would match his own sense of aesthetics. Then again, maybe the card wasn’t tied to someone from the Marvel universe at all.

That night, Su Ye dreamed—a vivid, tantalizing dream. In it, he was the winner of life, arms around two women: Gwen on the left, and on the right, a woman whose face he couldn’t see, but whose figure was simply explosive. That night, he…

The next morning, the first thing Su Ye did after getting up was his laundry.

Doing laundry on a Sunday was perfectly normal, right?

Sundays meant no classes, and with Gwen off to her internship, Su Ye first visited Harry in the hospital, then set off to check out the dojos he’d found online the night before.

He had some guesses about the Superior Girlfriend Card ‘Beautiful Coach’ he’d just drawn.

He’d just planned to learn martial arts at a dojo, and now he’d received a beautiful coach—clearly, his new girlfriend was waiting for him at one of these dojos.

But after an entire morning visiting a dozen different dojos, he still hadn’t found a suitable one.

His method for determining the right place was simple: enter, look around, meet the coach, and see if he received the “Coach Girlfriend Delivered” notification. If not, he’d move on.

He went through every dojo on his list, even visiting a few extras, but came up empty-handed.

Su Ye couldn’t help but wonder if he was looking in the wrong direction. Maybe the beautiful coach didn’t teach martial arts—maybe she taught aerobics, basketball, volleyball, or something else at his school?

Just as Su Ye was about to change tack and head back to campus, a newly hung sign at a street corner caught his eye.

Judging by the decor, it was a dojo that hadn’t opened yet—the sign was still covered.

Since he was already there, he figured it couldn’t hurt to check it out.

At the door stood an elderly man who, by no stretch of the imagination, could be associated with the phrase “beautiful coach.”

“Hello!” Su Ye greeted him.

The old man returned the greeting with a smile. “Hello.”

From his manner of speaking and movements, he seemed Japanese.

Wait—am I going to get shot? After all, the third brother never lets anyone go… ahem!

Su Ye shook his head, brushing off his wild thoughts. He was just an ordinary person; there was no need to compare himself to the third brother.

“Sir, what kind of business are you opening here?”

“Oh,” the old man answered solemnly, “I am a martial artist from Japan. I came to New York to open a dojo and pass on our school’s martial arts tradition.”

A Japanese martial artist? Which school—high or low style?

Su Ye joked inwardly but wore a respectful expression. “May I ask, sir, which school’s tradition do you carry?”

The old man gently lifted the cloth covering the signboard.

“Shiranui-ryu. I am the current head of the Shiranui school—Hanzo Shiranui.”

At that name, Su Ye knew he’d found the right place.

Hanzo Shiranui was the grandfather of Mai Shiranui, one of the most popular characters in King of Fighters.

Holy crap! My second girlfriend is Mai Shiranui?

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

From the Fatal Fury series to King of Fighters and even Arena of Valor, Mai Shiranui has been active in the gaming world for nearly thirty years.

Since her debut, her popularity and status among female game characters have always been at the very top.

The whole “jiggling” phenomenon for female game characters started with Mai Shiranui.

And even after all these years, no one can surpass her in that regard.

King of Fighters, Street Fighter—they’ve spawned countless generations, but who could ever outdo Mai Shiranui?

Not even the Dead or Alive series, which was all about flaunting charm from the start…

One who knows not Mai Shiranui cannot be called a true fighter!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has no Mai Shiranui, nor the Shiranui style, so it was clear—this was the “Beautiful Coach” DLC granted by Su Ye’s blue card.

He didn’t have to wait long. From within the dojo stepped a black-haired girl in a long T-shirt and cropped pants, her hair in a high ponytail and a sunny smile on her face.

[Coach girlfriend delivered. Please receive!]

“Grandpa, is this person here to sign up? Our dojo hasn’t even officially opened and we already have a student—that’s a great omen!”

“Hello, I’m Mai Shiranui. From now on, I’ll be your senior. What’s your name?”

Mai Shiranui greeted Su Ye with a beaming smile, eyes squinting in delight.

“Hello, I’m Su Ye!” he replied without hesitation. After all, he’d played Mai Shiranui so many times in Arena of Valor in his past life that he was almost sick of her—he knew every one of her moves by heart.

[Ding! ‘Beautiful Coach’ has been received.]

[Character: Mai Shiranui.]

[Current Affection: 20 (Acquaintance).]

[Tip: Martial arts not only strengthen the body but also cultivate the mind. Train hard with your coach and aim to become a martial arts expert soon. And stop thinking about ball games!]

Who the hell is always thinking about ball games? Tip, please act more human!

Mai Shiranui is a ninja of the Shiranui school. As a kunoichi, her profession from its very origins was associated with seduction and enchantment, so her revealing game outfit is true to her professional identity.

Yet in private, Mai Shiranui is actually rather conservative—not only in dress but also in matters of the heart, having loved only Andy Bogard her whole life.

Yes, the very Andy whose name Mai cries out upon her death in Arena of Valor.

And now, Su Ye was about to take Andy’s place and become the sole beloved in Mai Shiranui’s heart.

Just thinking about it made him a little excited—Mai Shiranui was even bolder than Gwen.

Ahem! Stay calm.