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The noise behind him came in waves, and Akutsu, with a sullen face, loosened his grip on the racing car steering wheel.

He turned around and looked towards the fighting area.

A group of people were gathered around the machine. Every time they cheered, someone would stand up on one side of the machine, and then a new person would sit down.

In the blink of an eye.

Kitahara Akira has already defeated twenty-four people.

His expression remained unchanged, his gaze calm and serene, yet he felt at ease.

"It's so satisfying to stomp on newbies with cheats, especially with this kind of biological cheat. Who can catch me cheating?"

Kitahara Akira stretched his slightly sore neck, feeling that the time was almost up, and said to the crowd surrounding him, "One more person and it'll be over. Who's going to take over?"

"So fast?"

"I've never played against a pro before, let me try!"

"Why should you play? I've never even played before! My skills are way better than yours. With your skills, even Iori would cry from being so bad."

"What did you say? You think you're so great about playing with your gate?"

"Alright! If you dare, let's have a match. Whoever wins gets the right to play against the pro!"

"Come on! Who's afraid of who!"

Just as the two were arguing about who could fight Kitahara Akira, someone suddenly pulled out a seat and sat down.

"Hello! Who is this...?"

Seeing that a scoundrel had taken advantage of the situation, the two immediately stopped arguing and united against the outsider. However, before they could finish speaking, they saw a guy who surprised them.

His silver-gray hair flew back and flipped upwards, his pale yellow eyes were cold and repressed, giving him a strong sense of aggression, and even the slightly upturned corners of his mouth looked inexplicably ferocious.

"Akuzu...!"

"How could it be this guy?"

The two men's expressions changed instantly, and cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

A few days ago, a group of people, relying on their numbers, lost a game and tried to get their revenge outside the game venue.

As a result, Akutsu single-handedly knocked them all to the ground. The leader was even knocked unconscious, but Akutsu still refused to stop and continued kicking him for a long time until his face was covered in vomit before finally letting him go.

These are ruthless characters that they shouldn't mess with.

The two quickly chuckled awkwardly, "We...we're not playing anymore, we have something urgent to do and need to get home, haha..."

"Let's begin then."

Because he was separated from the other side by the arcade screen, Kitahara Akira was unaware of the situation on the other side, but he must have decided on the characters. So he switched the interface and went straight to the character selection stage.

He held a tennis ball in his palm with one hand, the fuzzy texture feeling very comfortable, and used the other hand to crank the joystick to select a character, looking very relaxed.

He didn't care who his opponent was, since the outcome wouldn't make any difference anyway.

On the other side of the screen.

Akutsu shook the joystick in his hand, and the cursor flashed over one game character portrait after another.

His expression was also very relaxed.

But in his eyes was a hint of suppressed excitement and anticipation, as well as a barely perceptible sense of expectation.

This look is like that of a hungry wild beast that, while hunting, suddenly spots a deer drinking water by the river and can't wait to tear open its neck with its fangs and taste its hot, delicious blood.

He watched the matches that had just taken place.

The kid on the other side is really skilled; he easily took down all the idiots and fools in the arcade.

But if that's all there is to it...

Akutsu doesn't actually experience many emotional changes. At most, he'll completely crush his opponent in King of Fighters, letting them know how vulnerable the thing he's always worked so hard for and loved really is.

He used to do things like this often when he was bored.

A teenage prodigy at a tennis club, a formidable senior at a karate dojo, the MVP captain of a basketball club...

Each one of them sounds remarkable.

But when he fell to the ground, he looked more disheveled than anyone else.

At first, this kind of thing was somewhat fun, but as he did it more often, he gradually got bored.

Akutsu hasn't done this kind of thing for a long time since starting junior high school.

But seeing this kid today, his heart, which had been dormant for so long and almost cooled down, inexplicably became excited again.

From Kitahara Akira.

He sensed a similar "other" aura.

He doesn't care about anyone, doesn't rejoice in victory, and possesses an overwhelming talent that's immediately apparent.

And then there's that aloof, detached look in his eyes, a stark contrast to the fools around him.

"It can't be wrong..."

Akutsu's expression was arrogant, with a hint of excited sneer at the corner of his mouth. "This guy is one of my kind."

Akutsu's wolf-like eyes slowly hardened: "It would be quite interesting to defeat someone like that!"

He had long been looking forward to a close match.

Regardless of the field.

He quickly chose his game character.

Press the OK button.

Kitahara Akira still uses the same three characters as before: Kyo Kusanagi, Mai Shiranui, and Iori Yagami.

And then they saw the three players from the opposing team on the screen.

A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

On the other side were the same three people: Mai Shiranui, Iori Yagami, and Kyo Kusanagi.

"interesting."

Press "OK" on both sides simultaneously to start the game.

"ROUND 1 READY GO!"

The game sound effects have just stopped.

Akutsu quickly turned the joystick with her left hand, and Mai Shiranui rushed forward to get right in front of him.

↑＋C!

Dream Cherry Blossom!

Mai Shiranui leaped into the air, rolled, and kicked down with both feet, displaying a strong offensive intent.

Kitahara Akira immediately used the joystick to retreat, and Kusanagi Kyo blocked the attack with both hands in front of him. Then, he immediately performed a back AB dodge and turned around to deliver a heavy punch with golden flames, slamming it hard into Mai Shiranui's abdomen.

Akutsu grinned, showing no sign of urgency.

With a flick of the joystick, Mai Shiranui, under his control, executed two consecutive up-and-down maneuvers, perfectly defending against Kyo Kusanagi's attacks.

Kitahara Akira's eyes flickered slightly: "Quick reaction."

I love playing against these top players!

At this time.

Mai Shiranui, who had been blocking attacks one after another, finally found an opening and began to swing her fan.

Kitahara Akira remained calm and entered a defensive stance, constantly adjusting his distance.

This stage.

Neither side has really launched an offensive yet; they are merely moving around, testing each other with light punches and kicks, and deliberately creating openings to lure the other into their own rhythm.

"Got you!"

As Kusanagi Kyo jumped to dodge the fan, Akutsu's eyes immediately lit up with excitement. He flicked the joystick in his hand, leaving afterimages, and prepared to press the button with his right hand.

↓ Bottom Left ← + A!

Dragon Flame Dance!

Mai Shiranui instantly unleashed a three-hit combo.

Dragon Flame Dance is a very strong dash attack, and Kitahara Akira can only defend and block it at close range.

Followed by.

Akutsu swings the joystick rapidly, ↓ down left ← down left ↓ down right →, preparing to press the B button with her right hand to unleash a super special move, Ninja Bee, ready to end the battle.

However, at that very moment...

Kitahara Akira seized the opening when Mai Shiranui finished using Dragon Flame Dance, and directly used →+D to close the distance and throw the opponent.

Then came a heavy punch, followed by ↓ lower right → + D·D to unleash the Seventy-Five Modified Style.

Before Akutsu could recover, another wild bite struck.

↓ Bottom right → + A!

Finally, the combo of ↓ bottom right → + A followed by → bottom right ↓ bottom left ← + B, is a high-damage, incredibly flashy and visually stunning combo that knocks Mai Shiranui down from the air.

K·O!

Vascular clearance.

Holy crap!

"Awesome!"

As Mai Shiranui fell to the ground, everyone in the arcade shouted excitedly.

This is absolutely incredible!

Is this complex combo even possible for a human to execute?!

Akutsu was stunned. He had just used a small skill and was preparing to launch a fierce attack, how did he end up being hung up and beaten to the point of having no blood vessels left?!

"Again!"

He sat up straight, his gaze becoming even more serious. His pale yellow eyes turned cold, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, like a primal, wild beast.

Kitahara Akira remained the same as before.

to him.

It was clear that the current opponent was different from the others from before, possessing twice the dynamic vision, twice the reflexes, and twice the speed of normal operation.

With an eightfold difference.

Akutsu is no different from the others in essence.

Just like flat ground and speed bumps, they are all the same in front of the 100-ton king; at most, it will sway slightly.

Second round.

"Ready to go!"

Kyo Kusanagi VS Iori Yagami!

Akutsu was completely focused, while Iori Yagami moved gently across the screen, cautiously probing, not daring to launch a bold attack as he had so early in the previous game.

At most, he would use "dark brush" to harass and provoke Kitahara Akira, forcing him to launch an attack.

Seeing that the opposing team was suddenly playing so timidly this game.

Kitahara Akira didn't hold back at all. He narrowed his eyes, and the speed of the game character's movements on the screen suddenly slowed down, as if it had been turned up to 0.5x speed.

Iori Yagami had just unleashed a "Dark Strike," and was slightly stiff as he finished the move.

Originally, the two were far enough apart that this period of stun wouldn't have posed any danger to Akutsu. However, during Kitahara Akira's probing, he gradually closed the distance to a medium to long range.

Seeing that Iori Yagami had an opening when he made a move, he immediately unleashed his power with twice the hand speed.

A forward dash followed by a "Naraku" jump (↓+C) forces Iori Yagami to stop his attack.

Immediately following up with a close-range C-punt, the Seventy-Fifth Style: Modified Wild Bite, Nine Wounds, and connecting with Nanase, Kyo Kusanagi directly knocked Iori Yagami down from the air, smashing him to the ground.

The exact same combo as in the previous game.

High damage!

It is also incredibly gorgeous and extremely beautiful!

The crowd erupted in another round of enthusiastic cheers, but Akutsu was still a bit dazed. He had made ample preparations, but he still couldn't react in time and was taken down in one fell swoop.

soon.

The third game has also ended.

Akutsu couldn't even take down a single enemy, and Kitahara Akira used Kyo Kusanagi to defeat three opponents in a row, clearing the stage with a sliver of health.

"They almost knocked my Kyo Kusanagi off its head."

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Looking at Kusanagi Kyo, who was left with only a sliver of blood, Kitahara Akira sincerely praised him. He hadn't expected that someone could still put up a fight back to some extent against him in this state.

Those people before them couldn't even lose a fifth of their health before being carried away.

This guy is definitely a gaming pro!

"This is for you!"

Kitahara Akira stood up and tossed a tennis ball plush toy he had won from the claw machine to the other side of the machine. He wanted to see what the other person looked like and witness the skill of this expert.

As soon as he stood up, a group of people who had become his devoted fans surrounded him.

"Master, it's still early, can you play another game with me?"

"Wow, that combo was incredible! How did you pull that off? It was amazing!"

"Hey expert, I know a really skilled player. Would you like to have a duel with him?"

"Great God!"..."Great God!"...

Seeing the fervent faces, Kitahara Akira didn't even bother to greet the "game expert." He grabbed his supermarket shopping bag and tennis bag, along with several plush toys, and squeezed through the crowd to run away.

Until we walked out of the crowded arcade.

Kitahara Akira wiped his sweat and said, "I didn't expect that fighting games would still be so popular in the world of tennis."

But this will only happen once.

He won't be able to pretend to be a pro next week. Without the double efficiency of "patient learning," he doesn't know how long he'll have to practice to pull off those amazing plays.

"I'd better just stick to playing tennis."

Kitahara Akira shook his head and smiled, but an accident happened right at the street corner.

硄！

Kitahara Akira only saw a figure rushing towards him in a panic. He had no time to dodge, and the two collided heavily.

He regained his balance; he was alright, except that the toys he had been holding had scattered all over the floor.

I looked down.

But then a girl with pink hair also fell to the ground.

"Why is it you?"

Kitahara Akira said in surprise.

The girl groaning and rubbing her bottom on the ground was none other than Momoi Satsuki, the neighbor she had seen that morning.

Kitahara Akira reached out, intending to help the other person up.

Seeing this, Momoi Satsuki also reached out and grabbed it.

The girl's hands were very soft, and she must have fallen quite hard. Still dazed, she reached out with her other hand and grabbed Kitahara Akira's hand, her two soft hands enveloping his.

Kitahara Akira was taken aback.

The girl's small hands were icy cold and very soft, like two cotton candies wrapped around his hands, giving him a feeling that was hard to describe.

Pull your arm upwards with force.

Momoi Satsuki was pulled to her feet, her steps unsteady, and she almost fell into Kitahara Akira's arms.

Seeing this, Kitahara Akira quickly helped her to her feet.

Are you alright?

Momoi Satsuki rubbed her forehead where she had bumped it, then gently pressed her buttocks, and a sharp pain shot through her. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Kitahara Akira.

She pouted and said, "I'm fine~".

"Sorry, I was running too fast and didn't see where I was going, so I bumped into you."

Looking into those beautiful, slightly resentful eyes, even though it was the other person who had rushed off too fast, Kitahara Akira felt guilty first and turned his head away: "It's... okay."

Then he asked, "Where are you in such a hurry to go?"

Momoi Satsuki was brushing the dust off her clothes.

Upon hearing this, the little girl stopped, realizing her mistake: "Oh dear, I still need to go find someone!"

"I'm sorry, I have something to attend to. I can only formally apologize to you next time we meet!"

After saying that, she hurriedly ran towards the direction Kitahara Akira had come from, but because of the fall, her running posture was a bit uncoordinated.

Kitahara Akira shrugged helplessly.

"This guy is really impatient, and he seems quite reckless."

"that......?"

Kitahara Akira was just picking up the doll that had fallen to the ground when a sweet, soft voice came from behind him. He turned around and looked.

But then he found Momoi Satsuki standing behind him.

She's back.

"?"

Kitahara Akira looked puzzled.

"Um... could you give me one of those [Little Ke] toys you have?"

Momoi Satsuki's cheeks were flushed. Looking at the Cardcaptor Sakura Kero doll in Kitahara Akira's hand, she couldn't hide her desire. She hesitated and spoke cautiously.

"When we get home, I can trade you something else!"

Kitahara Akira looked down at the several identical adorable plush toys in his arms and gave one to her directly: "No need, it's yours."

"Thank you!"

Holding the doll, Momoi Satsuki happily raised the corners of her lips, her eyes narrowed into slits, and two cute little dimples appeared on her cheeks.

She said happily, "I'll play the violin for you next time, and my lemon slices are delicious too!"

"Well, if there's a chance."

Kitahara Akira nodded, then watched as Momoi Satsuki hurriedly ran off again.

This direction...

It looks like the arcade from before.

#

at this time.

Although the crowd in the arcade had dispersed, everyone was still discussing Kitahara Akira's amazing play.

Only Akutsu remained sitting in her previous spot, stunned.

"I...lost?"

His mind was a little fuzzy, and his eyes showed no coldness or ferocity, only a blank and helpless look.

From small to large.

For the first time in over a decade, he tasted defeat, watching the 0-3 scoreline on the screen, a crushing defeat with absolutely no chance of fighting back.

"Who exactly is that guy?"

Akutsu's gaze fell on the table, on the tennis ball that Kitahara Akira had thrown over earlier.

"Tennis...?"

Just then, a pink figure rushed in from outside the arcade, her eyes scanning left and right before finally settling on Akutsu in the corner.

She immediately walked over and chopped Akutsu hard on the head.

"Ren! How many times have I told you? You need to tell your aunt before you go out!"

"You haven't been home for two days, do you know how worried she was? You big idiot!"

Akutsu, who was still immersed in the defeat, was suddenly brought back to her senses by the sudden strike. Just as she was about to lash out, she saw her cousin, who had been in charge of her since childhood, and her anger level disappeared after rising to half.

He turned his head impatiently: "Don't order me around!"