Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

At that moment, something suddenly occurred to Li Xin. He pondered for a moment and asked Lai Sheng Ai, "Xiao Ai, are you really willing to pay tuition?"

Speaking of tuition fees, Li Xin recalled someone he met on his arduous journey of pursuing his studies.

Lai Shengai thought Li Xin had been persuaded by her, and quickly nodded, saying, "I can pay the tuition!"

Looking at Kisei Ai, Li Xin continued, "Then, is the tuition fee of 500,000 yen per month acceptable?"

"of course can!"

Kisugi Ai answered without hesitation, then paused, "500,000 yen a month? That's so cheap?"

Is it cheap?

Li Xin frowned. When he heard the price, he immediately identified it as fraud. After all, based on what Li Xin had learned, the tuition fees for apprentices at those dojos were generally only 30,000 to 50,000 yen per month, and would never exceed 100,000 yen. Yet that woman in the kimono was asking Li Xin for 500,000 yen per month. What else could this be but fraud?

Despite the fraud, the woman in the kimono didn't seem particularly strong, yet she managed to grab Li Xin with terrifying strength. Considering that her dojo was located near the "Kyokugenryu" dojo, she must have some skills. Therefore, Li Xin decided to show his love for the next life a clear path.

Hmm, it should be the right path, right?

Chapter 40: A Turn of Fortune?

In the backyard of the Shiranui-ryu ninjutsu dojo, the dojo master, Mai Shiranui, sighed, "Sigh, I finally managed to pay last month's rent, but I still don't know where this month's rent is. What am I going to do? If this keeps up, I might have to go and make adult videos!"

Having never run a dojo before, she was unaware of its difficulties and assumed that with her beauty and skills, she would have countless students. But...

Grandpa, why did you rent such a big dojo? Do you know how high the rent is every month for such a big dojo?

Mai Shiranui complained.

Last year at the "KOF" tournament, Mai Shiranui and her "Female Fighters Team" looted a large amount of gold and silver treasures from the aircraft carrier "Black Noah". However, most of these treasures were given to King, another member of the "Female Fighters Team", so that she could use them to treat her younger brother who was suffering from a strange disease. Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki only received a small portion.

The money obtained from exchanging gold and silver treasures is almost gone. If there isn't a stable income, then what Mai Shiranui just said might not be a joke.

Lying on the tatami mat, Yuri Sakazaki casually said while flipping through a comic book and eating senbei, "Don't worry, Mai, I'll definitely help you!"

"really?"

Mai Shiranui was overjoyed.

Although the situation at the "Kyokugenryu" dojo wasn't much better than hers, it had a rich second-generation disciple. The group behind that disciple was the financial backer of the "Kyokugenryu" dojo, so the "Kyokugenryu" dojo could survive even without charging tuition. The Sakazaki family of three had never worried about the dojo's operation. Otherwise, given the way the "Kyokugenryu" dojo operated, it would be a miracle if it didn't get sued for abuse and have to pay compensation, let alone collect tuition from the students. How could it have survived until now?

If Yuri Sakazaki were willing to help connect Robert, that rich second-generation disciple, with the Shiranui-ryu dojo, that would be wonderful!

Yuri Sakazaki closed the manga, then said in a serious tone, "Mai, after you go into the adult film industry, I will definitely buy a lot of the adult films you make, as a way to support and help you!"

At this point, Yuri Sakazaki couldn't help herself and burst into laughter, repeatedly pounding the tatami mat.

Mai Shiranui was taken aback at first, then realized that she had been tricked by Yuri Sakazaki. Furious, she didn't hold back and pounced on her best friend, tickling her repeatedly.

"You little devil, Yuri, how dare you tease me like this! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

"Hahaha! I won't do it again! Xiao Wu, stop! I won't do it again next time!"

The two began to scuffle. Despite being fighters with extraordinary skills, their close-quarters combat was no different from that of an ordinary girl.

Kasumi Todo shook her head as she watched the two fooling around. Both of them were clearly older than her, so why did they act like little girls even more than she did?

Because the dojos of the three schools of "Kyokugenryu", "Shiranui-ryu" and "Toudou-ryu" are very close to each other, and Sakazaki Yuri and Shiranui Mai are best friends, and the Sakazaki family and the Toudou family are old friends, these three female fighters of similar age have a very good personal relationship. They often hold girls' gatherings together in private, and the location is often Shiranui Mai's house, because she lives alone and no one cares how much she makes a fuss.

After fooling around for an unknown amount of time, Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki finally calmed down and lay on the tatami mat, panting heavily. Clearly, they had used up a lot of energy from their antics.

While the silly antics were fun and allowed Mai Shiranui to temporarily forget the hardships of life, once the antics ended, she would start having headaches again.

"Ugh, I really should have caught that black guy last month and made him sign up. Even if he tried to run away later, I should have made him leave behind the first month's tuition!"

Mai Shiranui suddenly said in annoyance.

"Blackie? What Blackie?"

Yuri Sakazaki asked curiously.

Mai Shiranui explained, "Just last month, or rather a few days ago, a very dark-skinned man came to our dojo wanting to become our disciple (actually, he didn't), but he ran away later."

"That's true. Only you could stand the uniforms from your family's dojo, Xiaowu."

Yuri Sakazaki wholeheartedly agreed.

"I can't stand it either!"

Even Mai Shiranui blushed with embarrassment when she thought of her own school's uniform.

The ninjutsu style of Mai Shiranui is called "Shiranui-ryu". One of the most important core tenets of this style is "to charm the opponent in order to deliver a fatal blow". Therefore, the uniform of this style is very... well, bold and unrestrained. Both men and women have a lot of exposed parts of their bodies, striving to show the beauty of the human body and attract the opponent at the first moment.

Although it is now the 1990s, and modern people wear less and less clothing, and sexy and cool outfits have become a trend, the Shiranui-ryu uniform is still beyond what can be described as merely "daring" even by today's standards. If it were to appear on television, it would probably only be scheduled for late-night slots.

Such a bold and excessive outfit is not acceptable to everyone. This is why, even with a great beauty like Mai Shiranui presiding over the "Shiranui School," no one comes to sign up. They all find various excuses to leave the dojo the moment they see the uniform.

Even Mai Shiranui herself, if she hadn't been born into the Shiranui family and was the inheritor of the "Shiranui-ryu" ninjutsu, would not have been able to accept such a uniform.

It's worth noting that although she changes into that extremely revealing red gi during battles, Mai Shiranui is actually quite conservative in her casual clothes. She received traditional Japanese women's education from a young age, is skilled in flower arranging, tea ceremony, and cooking, and is also a talented koto player. She is a quintessential Yamato Nadeshiko type of girl.

She only started working as a fighter in recent years, so Mai Shiranui has become more outgoing in terms of personality, but some of her essential qualities have not changed.

After laughing a few times, Yuri Sakazaki suddenly asked curiously, "By the way, Mai, is that Blackie you mentioned handsome?"

Others may not know, but Yuri Sakazaki, as Mai Shiranui's best friend, knows all too well that Mai Shiranui is a hardcore looks-obsessed person, not the kind of person who is very charming. No matter how much money you offer her, she would never accept her into the "Shiranui-ryu" ninjutsu. This is the second major reason why the "Shiranui-ryu" disciples are dwindling.

As for why appearance matters when accepting disciples, think about it: the core principle of the "Shiranui-ryu" ninjutsu is to "charm the opponent in order to deliver a fatal blow," and how can you charm the opponent if you're not good-looking?

So another meaning of this sentence is actually "to reject outright".

"Well……"

Mai Shiranui stroked her chin and thought for a while before saying, "It's hard to say whether he's handsome or not. He's too dark-skinned, so his facial features aren't very clear, and he's wearing sunglasses. But he's definitely not ugly. His physique is also amazing. He's tall and strong, with bulging muscles. He could easily be chosen as a bodybuilding champion."

He's dark-skinned, wears sunglasses, and is tall and muscular.

Three key adjectives triggered the memories of Yuri Sakazaki and Kasumi Todo.

Yuri Sakazaki spoke first, saying, "Uh, a few days ago, a very dark-skinned man came to my family's dojo, saying he wanted to become an apprentice. But my dad said that this man must be a spy, so he had Robert beat him out."

Kasumi Todo also said, "It was the same at my house before. A very dark-skinned person came to ask to be my apprentice. I don't know what got into my father, but he actually..."

Remembering how she was forced to bow to heaven and earth with a stranger, Kasumi Todo shut her mouth and didn't tell anyone what happened afterward.

"What happened? What's the rest? Kasumi, why do you only say half of what you mean?!"

Yuri Sakazaki said with dissatisfaction, "I hate this kind of behavior of only saying half of what you mean and then stopping after pissing people off!"

No matter how much Yuri Sakazaki pressed her for details, Kasumi Todo didn't want to bring it up again.

These past few days, Toudou Ryuhaku has been sighing every day, saying that he has missed out on a martial arts prodigy who is one in a hundred years, and that he has let down the ancestors of the Toudou family. This has made Toudou Kasumi feel uneasy, and her visit to Mai Shiranui's house today is partly for refuge.

Mai Shiranui ignored the unfinished sentence left out by Kasumi Toudou and instead said with a smile, "Could it be that the dark-skinned person we met is the same one? That would be such a coincidence!"

"It might actually be the same person."

Yuri Sakazaki nodded, after all, it's quite rare to find someone who can match all three characteristics at the same time.

Just as the three were discussing the dark-skinned, sunglasses-wearing, and very muscular man, a voice came from the back room of the Shiranui-ryu dojo: "Is anyone here? Someone here wants to join your dojo!"

Mai Shiranui, who was lying on the tatami mat, suddenly rolled over and ran quickly towards the dojo gate, shouting, "I'm here! I'm here!"

It wasn't easy. After the style of the Shiranui-ryu's uniform became known, this was the first time someone had taken the initiative to come to the dojo wanting to join (Li Xin had to force him to join). Shiranui Mai was determined to keep the person there no matter what!

Well, of course, the premise is that you have to be good-looking. That's a matter of principle and can't be changed.

Upon reaching the gate, Mai Shiranui immediately recognized Li Xin. After all, they had just been discussing Li Xin, so she naturally remembered him well. Seeing that it was Li Xin, Mai Shiranui happily said, "Sir, you've finally come to your senses and want to join our 'Shiranui School'!"

Li Xin shook his head, giving up half a body space to reveal Lai Sheng Ai, who had been hidden from him: "It's not me, it's her."

Looking at the beautiful woman in the kimono in front of her, Ai felt for the first time that her older sister had met her match. At the same time, she also had some doubts: could such a beautiful woman really teach her martial arts?

Of course, she wasn't doubting that Li Xin was lying to her; it was just that Mai Shiranui, dressed in a kimono, looked radiant, dignified, gentle, and elegant—a feast for the eyes—but she had absolutely nothing to do with being powerful.

Li Xin said to Lai Sheng'ai, "Why don't you just try finding her?"

As he spoke, Li Xin looked at Mai Shiranui and said, "Miss, before entering the dojo, it shouldn't be a problem to let the newcomers see your skills, right?"

Mai Shiranui did not answer Li Xin's question immediately. Instead, she walked up to Ai Kisugi, looked her up and down carefully, and then walked around her. Her sharp eyes made Ai Kisugi feel a little uneasy.

Lai Sheng Ai tugged at Li Xin's sleeve and said, "Brother Xin..."

Li Xin said to Lai Sheng'ai, "It's alright."

The current Li Xin is not the same Li Xin as before. After learning the mental cultivation method, he can now sense the other person's internal strength by their breathing. Shiranui Mai's internal strength is not weak, but it is still far inferior to Li Xin's, and it is also inferior to the middle-aged man in the long robe he encountered before. Li Xin is confident that he can defeat Shiranui Mai. Even if Shiranui Mai wants to do something to Lai Sheng Ai, Li Xin has the ability to stop her.

"Good, qualified! No, excellent! Little sister, as the head of the 'Shiranui-ryu' ninjutsu, I warmly welcome you to join our 'Shiranui-ryu'!"

With her pretty, playful face and a mature figure that rivals that of a model, Mai Shiranui patted Ai Kisugi's shapely buttocks with great satisfaction, startling Ai Kisugi.

Li Xin glanced at Mai Shiranui. He hadn't even had time to react to that attack. Although Li Xin was partly careless, it had to be said that Mai Shiranui's attack was extremely fast, no less than that of the long-robed expert they had encountered before.

That's too arrogant. You blindly judged the opponent's strength based on their internal energy cultivation!

Li Xin thought to himself, reflecting on his blind judgment of Mai Shiranui's strength.

Internal strength is indeed an important indicator for judging a fighter's combat power, but it is by no means the only indicator. Many fighters have mediocre internal strength, but with one or two special skills or special talents, they can even make masters with internal strength several levels higher than their own suffer a great loss.

Mai Shiranui had no idea that her unintentional act had taught Li Xin a lesson. She smiled and asked Kijima Ai, "How old are you, little sister? Have you studied martial arts before?"

Lai Sheng Ai glanced at Li Xin, and after Li Xin nodded slightly, she answered truthfully, "My name is Lai Sheng Ai, I am sixteen years old, and before... I practiced some gymnastics!"

She had actually learned martial arts, but since she didn't know Mai Shiranui's background yet, she kept it from her for the time being.

"Your name is Xiao Ai? That's a cute name!"

Mai Shiranui smiled so much her eyes narrowed, and she continued, "It's good to have practiced gymnastics; your body is flexible, which is perfect for learning the 'Shiranui-ryu' ninjutsu!"

She was increasingly pleased with Xiao Ai, then, remembering something, she asked somewhat cautiously, "Um, did the person next to you tell you about my tuition fees?"

If such a promising student is scared away by the tuition fees, then she will have nowhere to cry. Therefore, Mai Shiranui decided that if Kisei Ai is unwilling to become her disciple because the tuition fees are too expensive, she is willing to reduce some of Kisei Ai's tuition fees. Of course, she cannot reduce them completely, because she really cannot pay her rent this month!

When Lai Sheng heard Mai Shiranui mention tuition fees, he immediately nodded and said, "Yes, I know, 500,000 yen a month, right? As long as I can learn real skills, I'm fine with it. If you can help me learn skills quickly, I'm willing to pay double the tuition!"

I'm fed up with the feeling of helplessness when something happens and I can't do anything to help but wait on the sidelines. In my next life, I don't want to be just a bystander anymore.

"hiss……"

Upon hearing Ai say that, Mai Shiranui gasped.

My own "Shiranui-ryu"... Could it be that my luck has finally turned around? I've actually taken on a rich girl as my disciple?!

Mai Shiranui was overjoyed.

Chapter 41 Smoke, No Injury

When Li Xin heard that Lai Sheng Ai was willing to pay twice the tuition fee, which was one million yen per month, his eyes couldn't help but redden. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't pass on his "Wedding Dress Divine Skill" to Lai Sheng Ai, he would definitely try to win over this rich young woman.

"Then let's hurry into the dojo and show you the power of my 'Shiranui-ryu' ninjutsu!"

She was already very satisfied with Ai's appearance, and now, spurred on by money, Mai Shiranui is naturally even more motivated.

But soon, Mai Shiranui felt a pang of guilt.

Can this cute little girl accept the dojo's uniform?

Girls this age are usually quite shy. If she saw her own school's uniform, would she run away like the other students?

If it were anyone else, it would be one thing, but a disciple like Lai Sheng Ai, who is both good-looking and rich, is truly one in a million!

Mai Shiranui began racking her brains, thinking about how to persuade Kisugi Ai to accept their "Shiranui-ryu" uniform. While Mai Shiranui was pondering, she had already led Kisugi Ai and Li Xin into the dojo.

Inside the dojo, Yuri Sakazaki and Kasumi Toudou, who were there to watch the excitement, were also present. Both of them were taken aback when they saw Li Xin. Yuri Sakazaki was fine, but Kasumi Toudou covered her face with her hand and said to Mai Shiranui, "Mai-nee, I have something to do at home, so I'll head back first."

Oh no! If Father sees this black guy, will he force me to get married again? No, I have to hurry home and keep an eye on Father. I can't let Father see this guy!

Kasumi Todo thought this way, but little did she know that her idea was exactly what Li Xin wanted to hear. Li Xin also didn't want to see that strange old man, Ryuhaku Todo. Li Xin wasn't confident he could beat him yet, and if he encountered him again, and Ryuhaku forced him to marry Kasumi Todo, what would he do?

Mai Shiranui didn't care that Kasumi Toudou left. All her attention was now focused on Ai Kisugi. If Yuri Sakazaki also left at this time, that would be even better. She was actually a little afraid that Yuri Sakazaki would compete with her for a disciple. After all, in terms of reputation, "Shiranui-ryu" and "Kyokugenryu" couldn't compare.

Of course, Mai Shiranui's worry was actually unnecessary. After all, given the training style of "Kyokugenryu," even if Ai Kisei got in, she would have to run away the next day, or even the first night.

Mai Shiranui greeted Ai Kisugi as she entered the dojo, and said with a smile, "Alright, Ai, how do you want to see my skills?"

After thinking for a moment, Ai said to Mai Shiranui, "Miss Shiranui, why don't you fight with Brother Shin and let me see your strength?"

Compared to demonstrating various moves, actual combat is the best way to see a person's strength. Kiyosa Ai has witnessed Li Xin's strength. If Mai Shiranui were to fight Li Xin, Kiyosa Ai would be able to judge Mai Shiranui's strength based on their performance in the fight.

"Is that so? Okay!"

Mai Shiranui smiled and said, her understanding of Li Xin's strength still stuck a few days ago, completely unaware that Li Xin had undergone a complete transformation. She said to Li Xin, "Then I'll trouble this gentleman to come and play with me! By the way, I still don't know how to address this gentleman."

"You can just call me Ashin."