Ryumonbuchi Toka turned to look at Amae Koromo, who seemed like a child, and her voice softened for once. "You'll meet lots of amazing people, lots of people... who can play mahjong with Koromo."
Chapter Twenty-Four: Saki Miyanaga's Plea
"You'll meet lots of amazing people, lots of people... who can play mahjong with Koromo."
At the mention of skilled players who could play mahjong with Koromo, Ryumonbuchi Toka's expression, so overbearing just moments ago, suddenly softened.
The abrupt change left Kageyama Sora slightly taken aback. A subtle feeling stirred quietly in his heart.
Toka had always presented herself as someone who pursued elegance, seemingly carefree and unconcerned. But at this moment, it was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing a completely different side of her.
Kageyama Sora reflected to himself that perhaps this girl was far more complicated than she seemed.
However, when the topic turned to powerful opponents, Kageyama Sora fell into thought, his gaze distant and profound. "Powerful opponents? Maybe we won't have to wait until the National Tournament. We might run into formidable rivals during the qualifiers."
At that, Ryumonbuchi Toka immediately turned her head, curiosity filling her eyes. "Are you talking about Haramura Nodoka?"
As expected, she really cared about Haramura Nodoka.
When it came to his cousin, Kageyama Sora had nothing to hide, so he spoke frankly. "A very skilled girl has appeared by Haramura Nodoka's side... She gives me a feeling much like Amae Koromo."
"Much like Koromo?"
"That can't be true. Could someone really be... so much like Koromo?"
"But we can't quite say that. We haven't played against them before, but aren't there two others who are about as strong as Koromo?"
Everyone in the Mahjong Club exclaimed and began discussing it, while Amae Koromo herself showed little reaction.
Ryumonbuchi Toka, however, fell silent, her expression turning rather complicated.
As the person who understood Amae Koromo's abilities best, she knew exactly what it meant to be compared to Koromo.
And since she knew her cousin Kageyama Sora wasn't one to make things up, she already believed what he had said. After all, Kageyama Sora had experienced Amae Koromo's terrifying skill firsthand.
Yet this realization did not frighten her. Instead, it instantly ignited her fighting spirit, and excitement gleamed in her eyes. "Oh my... This is getting interesting."
Kageyama Sora hadn't expected that, only a few days after he casually mentioned Saki Miyanaga's existence without even giving her name, Saki Miyanaga would call him herself and ask to meet.
There was nothing secret about how Saki Miyanaga had gotten Kageyama Sora's number.
When Kageyama Sora left Kiyosumi High School, he had made sure to leave his contact information and told them they could reach out whenever they needed anything.
But he never would have guessed that Saki Miyanaga would be the first to contact him. He had assumed Club President Hisa Takei would come to him with some plan to work together. After all, Hisa Takei was very clever and full of unusual ideas.
So after school that day, Kageyama Sora arranged to meet Saki Miyanaga in a private room at an elegant teahouse.
Coming from a well-off family, Kageyama Sora naturally didn't want to meet someone at a free public park like an ordinary student. He preferred somewhere quiet and comfortable.
The teahouse was steeped in old-world charm. The fragrance of tea drifted through the air, the wooden tables and chairs gleamed warmly, and ink paintings hung on the walls, creating a peaceful, refined atmosphere.
Before long, the private room's door was gently pushed open, and a girl walked in.
She had short brown hair that fell to her ears, the strands curling naturally like lively musical notes. Her clear brown eyes, usually so bright, now carried a hint of unease. The corners drooped slightly, giving her an air of innocence and confusion, like a lost fawn.
"Sorry for the trouble of coming to see you so suddenly." Saki Miyanaga spoke softly and politely, then slowly sat down across from Kageyama Sora.
Perhaps because school had just let out, she was wearing Kiyosumi High School's sailor uniform. The blue top was neat and simple, paired with a pleated skirt. The red bow at her collar stood out, adding a touch of cuteness and playfulness to her look.
But the skirt was a little too short. When she sat down, a glimpse of pure white showed beneath its hem.
Kageyama Sora once again marveled at Kiyosumi High School's uniform design. Feeling a little awkward, he quickly looked away and said, "It's fine. I don't feel like you're bothering me. I'm just curious about why you came to see me."
Perhaps she had already planned out what to say on the way over, because Saki Miyanaga spoke fairly smoothly. "It's about Haramura Nodoka, so... I thought you might be close to her, and decided to come to you."
"Close..." Kageyama Sora paused, his expression turning slightly complicated. "We do get along, but given your personality, shouldn't you have chosen to talk to her directly instead of coming to me?"
Of course, Kageyama Sora thought to himself, they were more than just close. They had been intimate.
A trace of sadness appeared on Saki Miyanaga's somewhat airheaded face. "She doesn't really want to talk to me."
That surprised Kageyama Sora.
Earlier, when Haramura Nodoka had messaged him about Saki Miyanaga joining the Mahjong Club, she had sounded delighted.
Why was she now unwilling to talk, as Saki Miyanaga claimed? That only made Kageyama Sora more curious. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? Why don't you tell me what happened?"
As soon as Saki Miyanaga explained what had happened that day, Kageyama Sora immediately understood why Haramura Nodoka was angry.
Looking at Saki Miyanaga's sad, genuinely airheaded expression, he could only sigh helplessly. "So, when you were playing mahjong at the Mahjong Club today, Kataoka Yuki was trying to win on a hand. You knew that, but you deliberately dealt into her hand to make her happy, right?"
"Yes..." Saki Miyanaga bit her lower lip, looking downcast. "It was a really valuable and difficult hand to make. Yuki would have been so happy if she won with it, and if she couldn't, she'd have been really disappointed."
Kageyama Sora couldn't help feeling exasperated by what Saki Miyanaga had done. "So you deliberately dealt into her hand to let Kataoka Yuki win."
"Yes..." Saki Miyanaga nodded. "Then Haramura Nodoka got really angry and said she was done playing. She also told me that if I kept playing mahjong like that, she'd make me leave the Mahjong Club."
Kageyama Sora was a little surprised. He knew Saki Miyanaga's behavior had been like dancing right on Haramura Nodoka's last nerve, but he hadn't expected Haramura Nodoka to be so furious as to make it sound so serious.
But...
Looking at Saki Miyanaga, who sat there nervously, Kageyama Sora poured her a cup of tea. "Haramura Nodoka is angry for the same reason as last time. She thinks you insulted the mahjong she loves."
Chapter Twenty-Five: I Want to Make It to the National Tournament
The air in the teahouse seemed bound by invisible threads, so stifling it was almost heavy.
Dusk filtered through the carved window lattice, casting mottled shadows across the wooden tea table. Even the tea fragrance, which had been wafting gently upward, seemed weighed down, lingering around them and adding to the oppressive mood.
Kageyama Sora rested his elbows on the tea table and clasped his hands beneath his chin. Through the fragrant haze, he watched Saki Miyanaga sit with her head lowered, looking uneasy.
"Haramura Nodoka seems gentle, but she's actually a very serious person." He tapped the table with his fingertips, gradually speeding up the rhythm. "Every tile you deliberately let her win on, she sees as an act of trampling on the competitive nature of mahjong. It's like pouring dirty water over the trophy she cherishes most."
Saki Miyanaga's fingers, which were twisting the hem of her sailor uniform, suddenly tightened. The bow crumpled in her grasp. "I didn't think that much about it. I just thought Yuki... really wanted to win."
Kageyama Sora realized Saki Miyanaga still hadn't understood what he meant, so he softened his tone. "I don't know Kataoka Yuki very well, but from the two times I've met her, I can tell she isn't fragile. You could even say she's an optimist. She's not the type to get upset just because she can't win with a hand she worked hard to make."
Saki Miyanaga looked up in shock, tears clinging to her eyelashes, not yet ready to fall. "I-I just didn't want Yuki to be sad..."
"To Haramura Nodoka, mahjong isn't make-believe!" Kageyama Sora grabbed the teapot and poured the tea with a heavy hand, spilling some over the rim of the cup. "Haramura Nodoka loves playing mahjong. She's almost obsessively passionate about the competition. She wants to win and loves fair, honest competition. What you did by letting her win was too much. You're already the kind of person who... doesn't particularly love mahjong, but you can easily control the game and beat her. Then you deliberately dealt into Yuki's hand so she wouldn't be as upset. All of that is difficult for Haramura Nodoka to accept."
His words were almost harsh, but they brought Saki Miyanaga somewhat to her senses.
The teahouse fell silent. Only Saki Miyanaga's stifled sobs could be heard.
Kageyama Sora was startled when Saki Miyanaga suddenly began to cry, so he could only soften his tone again. "Someone like Haramura Nodoka would rather be utterly crushed on the road to victory than accept a compromised honor in exchange for a hollow triumph."
"W-What should I do?" She abruptly lifted her head to look at Kageyama Sora. Tears still glistened in her eyes, her cheeks were flushed, and her skirt was slightly rumpled. She was so nervous she could barely contain herself.
"Go apologize. Talk to Haramura Nodoka about how you've changed. Tell her you won't deliberately deal into someone's hand just because you're afraid they'll be upset, and that you'll respect mahjong and try your best to win." Kageyama Sora pressed the warm teacup into her hands. "What Haramura Nodoka wants isn't a weaker player backing down. She wants an opponent who can ignite her fighting spirit."
Dusk crept through the carved window lattice and settled on Saki Miyanaga's shoulders. She looked at the tea leaves drifting in her cup and finally smiled with relief.
When her fingertips touched the cool mahjong tiles again, perhaps she would understand that true kindness was never about deliberately letting someone win. It was about facing them as an equal and playing fairly.
Seeing that Saki Miyanaga had finally understood, and remembering that he hadn't seen Haramura Nodoka in several days either, Kageyama Sora said, "I'll go with you."
By the time Kageyama Sora and Saki Miyanaga arrived at Kiyosumi High School, the Mahjong Club's activities had just ended.
At Kageyama Sora's encouraging look, Saki Miyanaga hurried after Haramura Nodoka. "Haramura Nodoka! I-I have something to tell you."
Haramura Nodoka clearly hadn't calmed down yet. She kept walking and didn't seem inclined to respond.
Fortunately, Saki Miyanaga was the persistent sort. Once she had made up her mind, a little setback wouldn't shake her.
So she chased after Haramura Nodoka and called out, "What I wanted to say is, I'm really glad I joined the Mahjong Club. I'm happy playing mahjong with you, Haramura Nodoka."
Dusk washed the campus in a hazy orange-pink glow. Haramura Nodoka hurried through the mottled shadows cast by the setting sun, her pink hair fluttering in the evening breeze, catching glimmers of light.
She stopped abruptly. Her long pink hair swept through the air in a graceful half-circle as she turned, like a blooming cherry blossom unfurling in the breeze.
"I already told you: if you keep playing the way you have been, I'll be really unhappy," she said, breathing slightly hard, frustration and hurt burning in her eyes. "Please let me... be happy too!"
The moment the words left her mouth, Haramura Nodoka realized how direct they had been. A flush rushed to her cheeks, and she turned her face away in a panic, like a fawn whose secret had been exposed. Even the tips of her ears had reddened.
When she accidentally met Kageyama Sora's eyes over Saki Miyanaga's shoulder, Haramura Nodoka only felt more embarrassed.
She lowered her lashes and unconsciously twisted the strap of her schoolbag in her fingers. Even she was surprised that she had revealed the softest hope in her heart so completely.
Saki Miyanaga was stunned by the sudden honesty. The evening breeze brushed the loose strands beside her ear, but it couldn't disperse the determined light slowly kindling in her eyes.
"I know what the problem is now!" She stepped forward, her voice trembling slightly with excitement. Taking a deep breath, she let the words she had been rehearsing on the way over pour out. "I went to see Kageyama. I told him what happened today, and I thought it over carefully. I shouldn't deliberately avoid winning big hands or deal into someone's hand just to make everyone happy. I didn't mean any harm at the time, but now I understand that from your point of view, what I did was disrespectful to mahjong and to Yuki."
Haramura Nodoka's eyes widened in surprise. Her eyelashes trembled, and her pink lips pressed into a thin line.
She looked at Saki Miyanaga's flushed cheeks and earnest eyes. Complicated emotions stirred in her heart: surprise, relief, and a faint trace of anticipation.
"I-I'll give it my all next time!" Saki Miyanaga clenched her fist, her nails almost digging into her palm, but she didn't notice.
She stared straight at Haramura Nodoka, her gaze full of desperate resolve. "I want you to see that I can fight with everything I have for victory, just like you!"
Kageyama Sora felt that the mood between the two of them had reached about the right point, so he walked over and cheerfully wrapped an arm around each of them. "You really do have to give it your all. If you don't, you won't make it to the National Tournament."
The sudden closeness left Haramura Nodoka stiff with surprise. Then a blush spread over her face again, and she stammered as she spoke. "Y-Yes... If we can't make it to the National Tournament, I'll be really, really sad..."
At that moment, many images flashed through Saki Miyanaga's mind.
In the end, they all came down to one firm resolve. "I-I want to make it to the National Tournament, with... Haramura Nodoka and everyone else."
Chapter Twenty-Six: Could I Stay the Night?
As the sun set, they were at a dessert shop near Kiyosumi High School.
Kageyama Sora had ordered some desserts and milk tea and set them on the table. He sat beside Haramura Nodoka, while Saki Miyanaga sat across from them.
The girl wore Kiyosumi High School's short-skirt uniform. Even sitting there, she gave off a youthful, vibrant air.
The two girls had been sulking at each other—or, more accurately, trying to understand one another. After the heart-to-heart they'd just had, they seemed a little closer.
As a mediator, Kageyama Sora raised a question of his own to Saki Miyanaga. "You're good at mahjong, aren't you, Miyanaga? You've mentioned before that playing mahjong with your family is troublesome whether you win or lose. I think some things are better brought into the open instead of kept bottled up. It's better to talk them through. If they're family, they'll surely be understanding."
Kageyama Sora's words made perfect sense, and Haramura Nodoka nodded along.
In her own family, although her father had to go to Tokyo for work and leave, and she'd disagreed because she couldn't bear to leave her friends, once she had expressed her thoughts, her father hadn't forced her. Instead, he had made their decision depend on whether she could reach the National Tournament and win, rather than ignoring her wishes altogether.
But... Saki Miyanaga's family situation was more complicated than Kageyama Sora and Haramura Nodoka had imagined.
From the seemingly casual way Saki Miyanaga told her story, they began to understand what she was going through.
The setting sun shone through the window and fell across Haramura Nodoka's pretty face, making her blush look a little uncertain. "So your mother and sister are in Tokyo?"
"Yes. They haven't divorced yet, but they're living apart." Saki Miyanaga stirred the latte art in her coffee, her bangs covering her eyes so they couldn't see her expression. "I once went to see them by myself, but my sister didn't say a single word to me... She must still be angry with me..."
Neither Kageyama Sora nor Haramura Nodoka knew what to say about this kind of family conflict.
After all, Haramura Nodoka had a father who respected her.
As for Kageyama Sora, he had always been alone, quietly making money and pursuing fame and fortune. He had never longed for family ties.
As if she had opened her heart completely, Saki Miyanaga suddenly lifted her head. "But if it's through mahjong, I feel like I might be able to talk to my sister again."
Haramura Nodoka paused. "Talk through mahjong? Will your sister be at the National Tournament too?"
Saki Miyanaga nodded. "Mm... I think the reports said she's also a favorite to win."
Kageyama Sora already knew about that.
As soon as he discovered how unusual Saki Miyanaga's skill at mahjong was, he had his assistant investigate her.
He hadn't found any record of Saki Miyanaga achieving anything in mahjong competitions, but her family included an extraordinary older sister.
He hadn't had a chance to tell Haramura Nodoka about that yet.
But Haramura Nodoka seemed to have put it together. "Could it be... Miyanaga..."
Saki Miyanaga nodded. "Mm. Her name is... Teru."
"I've heard of her. She won both last year's Cup Tournament and the Spring Tournament... Miyanaga Teru."
It wasn't just that Haramura Nodoka had heard of her. Everyone her age had heard of the girl who was like a demon king.
A girl with short purplish-red hair and red eyes, she was a third-year student at Shiraitodai High School.
She was also one of the three girls described as "loved by the tiles." She had won both the high school league and the Spring Tournament, making her the top high school mahjong player.
In a sense, she was even more famous—and more terrifying—than Amae Koromo.
That realization left Haramura Nodoka feeling conflicted. "You've been through a lot too..."
Before you continue