Tohka's voice came from behind her. Unlike her usual dignified young-lady demeanor, it carried a perfectly measured gentleness.
Amae Koromo turned around and saw Tohka standing by the balcony door. The hem of her white nightgown fluttered in the evening breeze, and she held a rose-embroidered cushion in her arms. She had clearly come looking for her.
"Tohka..." Amae Koromo instinctively clenched her skirt, a flash of panic passing through her blue eyes like a child whose secret had been exposed.
The words Tohka had said after the match—"If you keep playing, you'll meet people who make you happy"—suddenly exploded in her mind. Now, facing her, Koromo did not know what to do.
Tohka slowly walked over to her. The chin she usually held slightly raised was level now, and the pride in her eyes was covered by a soft glow. "I told you, didn't I? As long as you keep playing mahjong, you'll definitely meet people who make you happy from the bottom of your heart. Do you believe me now?"
Amae Koromo suddenly remembered the way Saki Miyanaga had smiled during the match, and Ikeda Kana's haughty little "meow."
She froze for a moment, then slowly turned back to look at the moon. "Yeah... Tohka, you were right. Maybe... Koromo can make friends now."
"Hm?" Inoue Jun's voice popped up as she came out with her hands on her hips, her short silver hair a mess. "Don't we count as friends? That really hurts, little Koromo!"
Tomoki pushed up her glasses and followed her out, moonlight reflecting off the lenses. "Things like opportunities aren't important."
"Exactly!" Kunihiro Hajime nodded hard, her face full of seriousness. "What matters is that we're already family! Tomoki and I are Koromo's older sisters, Tohka is the mother, and Jun is the father...