Amae Koromo and the Penguin / Milk and Bananas

Kiyosumi High School's representative was naturally Hisa Takei.

Ryumonbuchi High School's representative was Kunihiro Koromo, a second-year student and one of the people Kageyama Sora knew fairly well, aside from Ryumonbuchi Toka and Amae Koromo.

Her high black ponytail, green ribbon, and star-shaped sticker on her cheek made her look adorable no matter how you looked at her.

After all, when they first met, Kunihiro Hajime had joined their mahjong game as Ryumonbuchi Toka's maid.

The interesting thing this time was that Kunihiro Hajime had chains on her hands... Watching this scene on the livestream left Kageyama Sora with mixed feelings.

He had once asked Ryumonbuchi Toka why she put chains on Kunihiro Hajime, and learned that Hajime had been caught cheating and banned from competing. Ryumonbuchi Toka hadn't looked down on her for it; she had simply put her in chains.

Hmm... There was a bit of a mutual attraction to it.

Kazekoshi Girls' High School's player was Mondo Seika... Her character model was so-so, not worth mentioning.

The player from Tsuruga Academy was Kambara Satomi, a third-year with a red bob and round eyes. She had a catlike look, too.

Watching the match alongside Mako Someya and Yuki Kataoka, who sat beside him looking perfectly calm, left Kageyama Sora feeling a little strange.

Hisa Takei wasn't playing with overwhelming aggression, but her teammates trusted her completely and didn't seem worried at all.

You had to admit, Hisa Takei was someone who made people feel safe...

For example... even when she deliberately broke up her hand and put herself at a disadvantage, Mako Someya and Yuki Kataoka didn't act like their captain was messing around.

Mako Someya even found time to explain to Kageyama Sora, "The Club President is the type to deliberately play from behind at crucial moments... Come to think of it, when Nodoka first joined the Mahjong Club, she saw the Club President's game records in the clubroom and got really angry..."

Speaking of Haramura Nodoka...

Haramura Nodoka, who was asleep, had no idea that her penguin had been stolen.

That's right. While she was fast asleep, the two girls who had lost to Kiyosumi High School last time—and whom Kageyama Sora had described as a school full of delinquents—had taken Haramura Nodoka's penguin.

Then... as luck would have it, Amae Koromo and the professional player Fujita arrived late and caught them in the act.

The pair were so startled that the penguin fell to the floor.

Amae Koromo thought that Haramura Nodoka was close to Kageyama Sora, who was her own cousin. More importantly, Haramura Nodoka was someone Tohka cared about, and she seemed amazing. Maybe she could even become Koromo's friend.

So Koromo decided... to take the penguin to Haramura Nodoka.

As luck would have it, the two girls who had taken Haramura Nodoka's penguin came to their senses and realized they had gone too far. They decided to take it back, return it to Haramura Nodoka, and apologize.

And then... they ran into each other.

The penguin... was torn apart in the struggle, as Amae Koromo thought the other girls were bad people.

Amae Koromo returned to the Ryumonbuchi High School lounge, crying and clutching the penguin.

Chapter 89: Amae Koromo and the Penguin

Inside the venue.

Amae Koromo's golden hair shone like the brilliant morning sun. She wore a pink uniform, and the enormous red rabbit ears on her head bounced gently with her light steps, making her look especially playful and cute.

She carefully hugged Haramura Nodoka's penguin plushie, her eyes full of anticipation and joy.

In Koromo's mind, Haramura Nodoka's soft, sweet smile came to mind. She couldn't help imagining how delighted Nodoka would be when Koromo returned the penguin to her. Nodoka would surely praise her happily, and perhaps Koromo could even make this adorable girl her friend.

If she could play with Haramura Nodoka in the future, along with Kageyama Sora, the three of them would have so much fun. Just thinking about it filled her with happiness. She was practically glowing, her steps growing lighter as a radiant smile spread across her face. She didn't look at all like the Great Demon King who struck fear into the hearts of her opponents at mahjong tournaments.

However, fate seemed to love playing tricks on people.

Just as Amae Koromo was lost in her happy daydreams, the two people who had taken Haramura Nodoka's penguin appeared around the corner ahead. When they saw the penguin in Koromo's hands, they charged over without a word and tried to snatch it.

Amae Koromo held on to the penguin for dear life and shouted in protest, but how could she possibly overpower two people by herself?

As they struggled fiercely, there was a loud rip. The penguin plushie's belly split open, and stuffing spilled out like a sad snowfall.

The two people turned pale with fright and hurriedly ran off, leaving Amae Koromo standing there, frozen, holding the damaged penguin as tears instantly welled in her eyes.

Those two really had been scared off by what happened, but... the penguin was broken.

Amae Koromo ran toward the Ryumonbuchi High School lounge, sobbing. Tears streamed down her face, soaking the front of her shirt.

Inside the lounge, warm yellow light fell softly over everyone as they sat together, focused on analyzing the match. The air was thick with tension and concentration.

Amae Koromo flung the door open and ran inside, crying. Her voice was thick with tears and a stuffy nose. "Tohka... The penguin... Boo-hoo-hoo!"

Ryumonbuchi Toka turned at the sound of her voice. Her blue eyes immediately recognized the plushie in Koromo's hands. "Isn't that Haramura Nodoka's penguin?"

There was a hint of surprise in her voice. Of course she knew all about the belongings of her rival.

Amae Koromo cried even harder, her shoulders shaking. "The penguin's dead! Boo-hoo-hoo!"

She looked so heartbroken, as if she had lost her most precious treasure.

Still, this little problem was no match for the young lady, Ryumonbuchi Toka.

With a determined look, she snapped her fingers and immediately called for her Universal Butler.

The butler wore a neat uniform. His face was kind, and his eyes conveyed calmness and competence.

After hearing what had happened, he calmly took a needle and thread from his toolbox.

His hands seemed to possess some kind of magic as they moved through the torn fabric, skilled and graceful.

Thanks to his almost superhuman mending skills, the penguin, which had been badly torn, gradually returned to its former shape.

Amae Koromo stopped crying. Her eyes sparkled with surprise. "Wow, the penguin's good as new! You brought it back from the Underworld!"

As Koromo cheered excitedly, the butler smiled gently and said modestly, "The repaired area will still feel a little different..."

But by now, Amae Koromo was so happy that she didn't care about such tiny differences. She couldn't wait to return the intact penguin to Haramura Nodoka...

Ryumonbuchi Toka looked puzzled. "Just call Kageyama Sora, that good-for-nothing cousin of yours, if you want to find Haramura Nodoka. He definitely knows where she is. Why waste time like this... and end up having an accident?"

Inoue Jun, who looked the most like a boy, understood Amae Koromo's feelings better. "Maybe she wanted to make a friend on her own instead of relying on a man... She's always thought we only became her friends because of you. What a ridiculous feeling."

Just then, Kageyama Sora sneezed for no apparent reason. He had no idea someone was thinking about him.

Still... he wasn't going to dwell on it. He was used to it by now.

They were still watching Hisa Takei's match, and her performance had sparked a... fairly heated discussion?

While they watched Hisa Takei play, Mako Someya told them an interesting story about something that had once happened between Hisa Takei and Haramura Nodoka.

At the time, Haramura Nodoka had looked at Hisa Takei's game records and gotten angry because Hisa deliberately put herself at a disadvantage before turning the game around.

Hisa Takei's answer had been, "I don't know why, either. Whenever I happen to take the lead and get a good hand at a crucial moment, I can never win. But when I'm forced into a passive position, it feels like I'm more likely to win."

It sounded like an explanation, but Haramura Nodoka had gotten even angrier. "That's an illusion! If you take a temporary random fluctuation and call it bad luck or something, you'll only end up shackling your mind."

Hearing that, Kageyama Sora couldn't help remarking, "Nodoka's always been determined and very clear about what she wants. Things like this don't shake her at all... It's just...

"Just what?" Yuki Kataoka tilted her head, curious.

Kageyama Sora couldn't help complaining. "I think that in your whole circle, being scientific is actually unscientific... There are way too many of these mysterious things..."

Mako Someya couldn't help laughing. "The Club President said that there are all kinds of people in the world. Some are like Haramura Nodoka, who don't rely on luck at all, but improve their odds through countless matches. Some consider the flow of the tiles... And then there are even monsters who rely on supernatural powers to win hand after hand in the most incredible way. Haramura Nodoka was adamant that those supernatural phenomena couldn't exist."

Kageyama Sora's expression was complicated. "Before I came here, I also thought supernatural powers and phenomena didn't exist. But... I've met several people with terrifying abilities, never mind the ones with ordinary abilities..."

Kageyama Sora thought back to his first game with Amae Koromo after arriving here. The feeling of being utterly controlled had been... shocking and exhilarating.

If he'd been a serious mahjong player with a strong attachment to the game, he might have become someone who could never play mahjong again.

Meanwhile, the match continued.

Hisa Takei really was the type who excelled at playing from behind. Her unexpected style left everyone baffled, and it helped her win hands.

Chapter 90: Milk and Bananas

"Haramura... Haramura Nodoka..." A clear call echoed through the corridors of the venue. Brightly colored tournament posters lined the walls, and the lights cast a bright but slightly cold glow. Competitors and staff hurried past now and then, their footsteps echoing through the spacious hallway.

Haramura Nodoka had been searching hard for her penguin. When she heard the girl's shout, she instinctively turned around.

Before her stood a girl who looked as if she had stepped straight out of a fairy tale.

She had long golden hair as bright as sunshine, falling softly over her shoulders. A long red rabbit-ear headband sat in her hair, its ears bouncing adorably as she ran.

The girl wore a pink sailor uniform, with delicate white lace at the collar. White knee-high socks hugged her slender legs, making her look playful and lively.

She clutched a penguin plushie tightly to her chest. It bobbed gently as she moved.

Perhaps because she was so excited, the girl slipped as she ran and fell flat on the floor.

She cried out in surprise, and the penguin flew from her arms, tracing an arc through the air before rolling to a stop in front of Haramura Nodoka.

Haramura Nodoka was exceptionally beautiful. Her pink hair shimmered softly beneath the corridor lights, as though it had been tinged by the sunset.

Her clear blue eyes were like a deep lake, full of gentleness and spirit.

She instinctively bent down and picked up the penguin. "Ade Penguin..."

Her voice was soft, with a hint of delight.

Amae Koromo quickly scrambled to her feet. She was rather short, and her small frame looked even cuter in the oversized sailor uniform.

Her round face was lit up with an excited smile. Her eyes sparkled with joy. "You must be Haramura Nodoka! I heard you have a big chest, so I knew it had to be you!"

Her words were blunt and innocent, making it hard not to laugh.

"Um, about that penguin..." Amae Koromo was just about to explain, but Haramura Nodoka interrupted her, sounding delighted. "You've had it mended!"

Haramura Nodoka's pink hair fluttered in the occasional breeze through the corridor. Hugging the penguin, she smiled happily, the curve of her lips as lovely as a crescent moon. "The two people who stole the penguin came over to apologize. They said they'd torn it apart while fighting over it with another girl, but now... it's been beautifully mended!"

"Right!" Amae Koromo said proudly, her head held high. "Tohka's butler mended it!"

Haramura Nodoka didn't understand at first.

Just as Kageyama Sora had said, Tohka really cared about Haramura Nodoka, but Nodoka didn't even know who Tohka was.

So her beautiful blue eyes were full of confusion, and her face showed her bewilderment.

Still, being a kind and polite girl, she smiled gently, revealing two cute little fangs, and said to Amae Koromo, "In any case, thank you for bringing it back..."

Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Great!" Amae Koromo was thrilled by the praise, her cheeks turning slightly red. Gathering her courage, she prepared to introduce herself and ask to be friends. "Um... Haramura Nodoka..."

"What is it?" Haramura Nodoka looked a little puzzled by Amae Koromo's hesitation. She tilted her head, and her pink hair swayed with it, making her look very cute.

Just as Amae Koromo was about to speak, the announcement came at just the right moment:

[The second half of the middle round is about to begin—]

That meant Haramura Nodoka's match would start soon, too.

The faint cheers of the spectators seemed to drift in from outside the venue, adding to the tense atmosphere.

With no time for further pleasantries, Haramura Nodoka said hastily, "Sorry, I have to go! Thank you so much!"

Her eyes showed both apology and anxiety. She hurried toward Kiyosumi High School's lounge, her pink hair fluttering behind her, and soon disappeared around the corner.

Left behind, Amae Koromo felt a little dejected. She looked in the direction Haramura Nodoka had gone and murmured, "I didn't get to... tell her my name..."

Her voice was full of regret. The golden light in her hair seemed to dim, as though it shared her mood.

But the next second, she perked up again in a strange way. "Still, they really are big... Kageyama Sora's one lucky guy."

Just as she mentioned him, Kageyama Sora sneezed. The others looked at him with concern. "Are you catching a cold?!"

Kageyama Sora shook his head. "I'm not that fragile."

As soon as he finished speaking, Haramura Nodoka pushed open the door and came in. "I'm back!"

Seeing Haramura Nodoka, Yuki Kataoka stood up excitedly as cheerfully as ever. "Welcome back!"

Kageyama Sora made room for Haramura Nodoka. "Did you get some rest?"

Haramura Nodoka smiled warmly. "Yes, I slept well."

Just then, Mako Someya took a banana from nearby and handed it to Haramura Nodoka. "Nodoka, have a banana."

"Huh?" Haramura Nodoka took it, looking puzzled. "What's this for...?"

Yuki Kataoka took a bottle of milk from nearby and handed it to Haramura Nodoka. "The Club President ordered it. There's milk, too!"

Mako Someya added at just the right moment, "The Club President said eating bananas with dairy products can activate your brain. She told me to make sure you ate them."

Looking at Haramura Nodoka holding milk in one hand and a banana in the other...

"Sure, that's true, but is my mind filthy for putting these two things together?!" Kageyama Sora was consumed by a certain sense of guilt at his own impurity.

But the more he tried to forget the image, the more he remembered a certain stormy night.

How Haramura Nodoka had said she wanted to take the initiative for once, and then knelt in front of him...