Everyone from Ryumonbuchi High School saw that Ryumonbuchi Toka had stopped making a fuss, so they brought her tea and saw to her needs.
Kageyama Sora was used to it by now. He knew everyone doted on their young lady, and she had her own way of looking after them in return.
As for this competition...
It was worth mentioning that, since this was the final of the Prefectural Preliminaries, each of the four teams had its own waiting room. The rooms had sofas, water, and snacks, even televisions so the competitors could follow the matches. They also gave the players who weren't competing a chance to rest. The conditions were much better than last time.
The rules had changed, too. Each player had to play two hanchan games.
That meant more rounds for everyone, and the points would add up as well. It would be a major test of the players' stamina and mental fortitude.
For players who couldn't last very long, it could be a disaster. Case in point: Yuki Kataoka.
After all, Yuki was the sort of player who excelled in East rounds and even admitted herself that she lacked stamina.
[The first-round match will begin in ten minutes. All players, please gather in the match room.]
Kageyama Sora was with Ryumonbuchi High School. Their player for the opening round was Inoue Jun, the only one there who looked like a boy.
Inoue Jun stood up and raised an eyebrow. "Well, at least this time we've got some interesting opponents."
She wasn't exaggerating. In the previous match, she had won all of the opposing team's points by herself. They hadn't even needed to send out their second player.
And so, the first-round match began.
As the announcer spoke, the players headed for the match room.
[The opening players are taking their seats. This rising star is known for her quick attacks: first-year Yuki Kataoka of Kiyosumi High School.]
On the screen, Yuki looked just as lively as she had when they parted that morning. She wore Kiyosumi High School's uniform, with a short skirt and white stockings. Her dark-brown hair was tied into two short ponytails, and she looked incredibly cute. She was even holding a chicken wrap.
[Can they reclaim the top spot this time? Representing Kazekoshi Girls' High School is...]
Fukuji Mihoko, the third-year captain of Kazekoshi Girls' High School's Mahjong Club, whom Kageyama Sora had a history with...
And the only person there whom he didn't know...
As the announcer put it—
[Though she had been little-known, she made a stunning debut in this tournament: second-year Mutsuki Tsuyama, representing Tsuruga Academy.]
The four of them entered the match room together.
The final's first-round match was about to begin.
Kageyama Sora sat beside Ryumonbuchi Toka, watching the live broadcast on the television.
Then he saw Yuki set her Mexican chicken wrap on the little table to her right. Inoue Jun looked surprised. "Are you a fan of mine? Is this for me? Thanks..."
Then the stylish woman ate Yuki's Mexican chicken wrap right in front of her.
The next second, Yuki froze, then... burst into tears.
Kageyama Sora couldn't believe what he was seeing. Without her chicken wrap, Yuki was basically playing without her buff... He immediately pulled out his phone and called his assistant, telling him to go buy some.
Ryumonbuchi Toka looked baffled. "A Mexican chicken wrap? Are you hungry?"
Before Kageyama Sora could answer, she sighed. "Jun, honestly. Now she's been made out to be the bad guy..."
Just then, Fukuji Mihoko reached out and gently patted the top of Yuki's head. Her voice was warm. "What's wrong? Did that scary big sister bully you?"
As soon as someone comforted her, Yuki pointed at Inoue Jun and wailed, "That bad person stole my Mexican chicken wrap..."
Inoue Jun hadn't meant to do it. The moment she heard Yuki's small, soft voice, she clasped her hands together and apologized.
But it didn't seem to help. After all... she'd already eaten it.
Kageyama Sora could only take out his phone and hurry his assistant along...
Just then, Fukuji Mihoko took out a lunch box and handed it to Yuki. "Are you hungry? You can have some of this first..."
Before long, Yuki had been consoled and was happily devouring the lavish bento Fukuji Mihoko had given her.
...Watching this, Kageyama Sora inexplicably felt as if he were witnessing a strangely harmonious harem.
Hero Saves the Beauty
The match officially began.
After Fukuji Mihoko gave her lunch to Yuki, Yuki still looked a little aggrieved, but she seemed to have found her spirits again.
East rounds were usually Yuki's specialty.
With Fukuji Mihoko's heartfelt bento to fuel her, she quickly got into the game.
Riichi—tenpai—self-draw.
That was a common pattern for Yuki, but this time Inoue Jun called a pon in the middle of it, preventing Yuki from winning.
From an observer's perspective, Inoue Jun had called a pon, and the winning tile that should have fallen into Yuki's hand instead went to someone else.
Kageyama Sora sat beside Ryumonbuchi Toka, deep in thought. "So Inoue Jun figured out exactly what tile Yuki was waiting for. Even though calling pon didn't help her own hand, she did it anyway."
"More or less." Ryumonbuchi Toka smiled. "Inoue Jun's style is to destroy her opponent's momentum at its root..."
Listening to Ryumonbuchi Toka explain, Kageyama Sora understood what she meant.
Still... he couldn't help marveling at the idea that things like this could happen in mahjong. "That's a pretty mysterious way of putting it."
Ryumonbuchi Toka was perfectly matter-of-fact. "Mysterious or not, it works, doesn't it?"
Just then, Kageyama Sora's assistant told him the Mexican chicken wraps had arrived. He'd bought dozens, and was waiting outside.
Kageyama Sora checked the time. The midgame break was coming up, so he got up to leave Ryumonbuchi's waiting room.
Ryumonbuchi Toka didn't stop him, but teased, "What, off to save the damsel in distress?"
Kageyama Sora was frank. "Yeah. She's my girl, so of course I'm going to spoil her."
Ryumonbuchi Toka's expression changed for a moment, but she quickly resumed her elegant smile. "How rude, saying something like that right in front of me."
Kageyama Sora paused. "Would that make you unhappy?"
Ryumonbuchi Toka's ahoge swayed. Her face showed absolute confidence. "No. Because... no matter who the opponent is, Inoue Jun won't lose."
Kageyama Sora smiled and said nothing.
When the bell rang for the midgame break, Kageyama Sora strode toward the area where Yuki was waiting.
He stood tall, with an air that was impossible to ignore. The bag full of Mexican chicken wraps in his hand made him stand out from the crowd.
"Yuki." Kageyama Sora's low, magnetic voice drew everyone's attention.
He looked down at her with unmistakable affection and held out the chicken wraps. "Here. Eat up and get your strength back."
Yuki looked up at Kageyama Sora's handsome, commanding figure, then at the fragrant chicken wraps. Her eyes reddened at once.
The pressure of the competition and the frustration of being suppressed even in her strongest position all turned to tears of gratitude, which slid down her cheeks.
With trembling hands, she took a wrap and choked out a "Thank you" before wolfing it down as if it were the most delicious food in the world.
Kageyama Sora couldn't help patting the top of her head.
As Yuki devoured her food, Kageyama Sora's eyes happened to meet Fukuji Mihoko's across the room.
Their gazes seemed drawn together like magnets. They looked at each other for a moment before quickly looking away, but sparks of attraction had already flickered between them.
Fukuji Mihoko's cheeks turned pink as she lowered her head, pretending to straighten her clothes. Kageyama Sora cleared his throat, the faintest smile curling his lips. Only the two of them could understand the affection in his eyes.
Even with people passing all around them, they still managed to convey a thousand words with their eyes, carefully keeping their feelings in check.
It wasn't Kageyama Sora's fault that they didn't show their closeness in public. Fukuji Mihoko had said she didn't want too many people finding out about their relationship; it would cause a lot of trouble.
Even so, Fukuji Mihoko couldn't help teasing him when she saw how indulgent he was toward Yuki. "Mr. Kageyama, you really do treat Yuki as someone special."
Kageyama Sora gazed at her, his expression tender and deep. "You're special too. Exceptionally impressive."
Fukuji Mihoko's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Just then, the whistle blew for the second half, breaking the delicate mood.
"Go play your match first." Kageyama Sora gave Fukuji Mihoko one last lingering look, then turned and left.
Yuki and Fukuji Mihoko watched Kageyama Sora walk away, both feeling a little unsettled. But they wanted to win more than ever.
Back at the table, Yuki finished her chicken wraps and seemed to have gotten her strength back.
She wiped her mouth and her eyes grew determined again. This time, she swore to herself, she wouldn't let Inoue Jun disrupt her rhythm so easily.
The match continued, and the tension around the table grew.
But... Inoue Jun kept up her aggressive style, constantly disrupting her opponents.
Once again, she robbed Yuki of a winning tile, even after Yuki had eaten her chicken wraps and seemed to be brimming with fighting spirit.
This time, Yuki started to panic. East rounds were her specialty. She'd even had the chicken wraps to power her up, and still she couldn't win...
The thought nearly broke her. But then a strange feeling came over her—this sensation of being unable to win, as if she were drowning, wasn't new.
That was right. She'd felt the same way during the training camp, when she couldn't win no matter what.
Back then, she'd said something discouraging... but...
If she gave up now, it really would be over.
Yuki suddenly stood and bowed. "I'm sorry. Excuse me!"
Then she sat back down and spun around several times, as if hypnotizing herself. The next hand would be another East round. Though Inoue Jun had just crushed her momentum, Yuki had somehow found her fighting spirit again.
Even Inoue Jun was surprised by her tenacity, like a little roach that refused to stay down.
Even so... Inoue Jun wouldn't go easy on her. To Inoue Jun, no matter how many times an enemy got back up, she could knock them down just as many times.
But this time, Fukuji Mihoko, who had done little until now, suddenly started calling pon... helping Yuki win.
"Oh?"
Kageyama Sora was slightly surprised. He didn't think Fukuji Mihoko was helping Yuki because of him, and it certainly wasn't out of pity...
There was only one possibility...
"Using her momentum against her." Kageyama Sora murmured, "Help Yuki win a hand to throw Inoue Jun off, then swoop in..."
And that was exactly what happened. After helping Yuki break free of Inoue Jun's control, Fukuji Mihoko became the one who won the hand.
The First-Round Match Ends
Morning sunlight slanted into the competition hall, scattering flecks of gold across the glass dome.
It really was worthy of being the Prefectural Preliminaries final. This wasn't like last time, when one side had dominated. Every player had a skill of her own.
"Using her momentum against her." Kageyama Sora murmured, "Help Yuki win a hand to throw Inoue Jun off, then swoop in..."
Kageyama Sora didn't think Fukuji Mihoko would be the type to help Yuki unconditionally just because Inoue Jun was targeting her.
As a captain and a strong player, the only possible reason she'd done it was... that she simply wanted to win.
And just as Kageyama Sora had predicted—
Fukuji Mihoko had indeed helped Yuki break the deadlock, letting her win a big hand.
After that...
It was Fukuji Mihoko's turn to win.
Only then did Inoue Jun realize that her opponent wasn't Yuki, who got a boost to her fighting power from eating chicken wraps. It was the quiet, unassuming Fukuji Mihoko.
Yuki also realized that the gentle big sister wasn't simply on her side...
She was a truly dangerous player.
Still, Kageyama Sora couldn't help feeling a little exasperated at Yuki's stunned expression.
"You're still too green. Even if your opponent is being nice to you, she's still your opponent. Why would you assume her kindness means she'll help you no matter what?"
After saying his piece, Kageyama Sora lost interest in watching the rest of the match and headed for Kiyosumi High School's waiting room.
He'd meant to wait for Yuki, but Fukuji Mihoko was there too. He might end up caught in a balancing-the-attention fiasco, so it was better to make himself scarce.
After all, there was no rule saying he had to be the one to step in and make his presence known every time.
As soon as he opened the door, he heard Hisa Takei say with a hint of amusement, "The white knight on a black horse? Those Mexican chicken wraps were quite the delivery."
"Since I only get to compete once, I might as well face it in the best possible condition." Kageyama Sora walked in with light, confident steps. His well-tailored casual clothes showed off his tall, straight figure, and his expression held its usual confidence and ease.
Once inside Kiyosumi High School's waiting room, the corners of his mouth lifted. He headed straight for Haramura Nodoka without hesitation and sat down gracefully beside her. His long, well-proportioned fingers settled on her shoulder, their touch still carrying a faint warmth.
Haramura Nodoka wore Kiyosumi High School's uniform. Her smooth pink hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and a soft glow warmed her fair profile.
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