020. Mai Shiranui's Private Lesson

“Hello, Su Ye. Welcome to the Shiranui Dojo as our senior disciple. Come on, let me show you around!” Without waiting for a response, Mai Shiranui took Su Ye by the hand and led him inside.

Watching her eagerness, Hanzo Shiranui could only offer a helpless smile. His granddaughter’s desire to make the Shiranui Dojo flourish was commendable, but she couldn’t just pull in anyone who walked by. That boy hadn’t even paid yet!

Although the dojo hadn’t officially opened, the interior was fully renovated, and the facilities were all in place. The space wasn’t large, so the tour was over quickly.

“Well, what do you think, Junior Brother Su? The renovation isn’t bad, right? It’s modeled strictly after our Japanese dojo, and all the materials are environmentally friendly—absolutely no risk of formaldehyde!” Mai sounded just like a real estate agent, exuberantly extolling the virtues of the dojo.

Her goal was simple: to keep this young man here, make him her junior, and become his senior. As mentioned before, Mai wasn’t the type of girl who played games just for fun; she wouldn’t insist on keeping Su Ye simply because he was the first potential student to arrive. There was something else at play—a system in the background.

The “girlfriend card” Su Ye had drawn, including Gwen, created a certain bond between them and Su Ye. They would be unconsciously attracted to him, and their intimacy would rise easily. So Mai’s enthusiasm was reserved for Su Ye alone.

As for the dojo’s environment, Su Ye didn’t care much. He was here to learn martial arts, not to buy a house. What mattered was the instructor’s ability.

Mai understood this well. After the tour, she led Su Ye straight to the central training arena.

“When it comes to Shiranui-ryu techniques, words alone won’t suffice. Attack me, and I’ll let you experience it for yourself!”

With that, Mai stepped to the center of the arena, briskly lifted the hem of her T-shirt, and in the next instant, both her shirt and cropped pants vanished, replaced by her signature folding fan and the original Shiranui-ryu kunoichi outfit—without the inner layers or leggings seen in the newer versions.

Anyone who’s played King of Fighters knows Mai’s fighting stance: legs apart, body bent forward, and a suggestive sway.

She kept shaking and swaying, making it impossible to focus one’s gaze, as if you could fall in and never climb out.

The kunoichi outfit wasn’t something she could wear just anywhere; in fact, since receiving it, Mai had never worn it in front of outsiders. This was a bold move.

‘Let’s see if I can’t keep you here, with both my hard and soft strengths!’ she thought.

Faced with this, what could Su Ye do? Should he cover his eyes and leave, crying “inappropriate!”? He wasn’t that irresponsible.

“If you’re so sincere, Senior Sister, it would be ungentlemanly to refuse. Please, allow me to show my humble skills.”

With that, Su Ye sprang forward, throwing a punch at Mai. He used eighty percent of his strength and speed, curious to see how his Spider-Man physique would compare with a martial artist like Mai, and just how big the gap was.

Seeing the punch, Mai’s pupils shrank. She hadn’t expected this sunny-faced young man to move so quickly. How could an ordinary woman withstand that?

Luckily, she was no ordinary woman.

As Su Ye charged in, Mai suddenly straightened, spun in place, and swung her fan—instantly, a burst of flame shot from its surface.

“Ryuenbu!”

Boom!

A massive blaze nearly engulfed Su Ye. Fortunately, the instant the flames erupted, his spider-sense screamed danger, allowing him to dodge just in time.

“Naughty boy, don’t be so rough with girls, or I’ll really get angry!” Mai teased, tapping her fan against her lips, cheeks flushed with feigned shyness.

Without waiting for Su Ye to react, she flicked her fan straight at him.

“Kachosen!”

The spinning fan hurtled toward Su Ye, but he didn’t dodge—instead, he struck it from the air with a punch, sending it clattering down. Meanwhile, Mai’s silhouette loomed large in his vision as she closed the distance instantly.

“Naughty boy, here I come! Musasabi no Mai!”

As she shouted, Mai’s body skimmed close to the ground, her long legs snapping upward to clamp around Su Ye’s neck.

This was a close-quarters throw—trap the opponent’s neck with her legs, then flip and hurl them with her body’s momentum.

Seeing this, Su Ye simply surged forward just before her legs could lock onto him, charging straight in and turning her throw into a grappling hold.

Mai’s move was broken, leaving the scene a bit awkward. But as a kunoichi, she was prepared for such moments. Spinning sharply in midair, she conjured another blaze of fire.

Su Ye had initially hoped to take advantage of the grapple, unleashing a flurry of close-range punches and maybe even a bear hug, to “communicate” with Mai. But seeing the fire, he had to retreat again to stay out of range.

Mai landed, her cheeks tinged with red—whether from exertion or embarrassment, it was hard to say.

“Junior Brother Su, your strength and speed are impressive. Even though it’s brute force, you far exceed ordinary people, and your reflexes are strong. Even as a martial artist, I find myself lacking in comparison. However, your attacks have no form or technique; you fight purely by instinct, so you can’t fully leverage your physical gifts. Therefore, as a martial artist, I sincerely invite you to join Shiranui-ryu. It will be of immense help to your growth in combat.”

Su Ye had already decided to join when he first learned this was the Shiranui-ryu dojo, so he nodded without hesitation.

“Alright. How much is the tuition?”