Luck of the Draw
Well, it's been a while. Work this term fell on my head, and in any case, Yumi wasn't turning out how I wanted it to go. This is a mahjong-centric one-shot based on alternative ending to the final round of the Regional Finals. Since I'm playing mahjong now, I'd hope the mahjong in this one follows the actual rules.
Point of divergance: Yumi gets tenpai on her Thirteen Orphens, 1-pin wait, before Koromo draws the 1-pin.
I'd heard the rumours about Ryumonbuchi's Captain, Amae Koromo, and read the articles in magazines as well. It's not as if I didn't enter this final round with the mentality of an underdog going up against something terrifying. Yumi's eyes slid across the table while Kana drew and discarded. But frankly, this has exceeded all my expectations. To think there'd be not one, but two demons, defying all logic and dominating the table with sheer power. It's completely different from normal mahjong. She bit her lip as Koromo kept her draw and discarded a tile. Even so, I want to win. If I can get a direct hit with this hand, I can win. I'm not going to stop moving forwards.
Yumi's eyes moved fractionally as she placed her next draw on top of her hand, a slight indication of the rush of exhilaration she felt in that moment. An East Wind. Yumi slid it into her hand and discarded her third 9-sou. Tenpai, Thirteen Orphans, waiting for 1-pin. I can do this!
Kana grimaced at her draw momentarily before discarding it forcefully, her expression settling back into a grin.
"What a turn of events! First Tsuruga's captain gets tenpai with Thirteen Orphans, then Kazekoshi passes up a win on Four Closed Pons! What do you think, Fujita-pro?" The commentator glanced expectantly at her.
"It's a given," Fujita-pro said, looking bored. But her eyes remained fixed on the screen. What are you going to do, Koromo? All three of them are gunning straight for you.
Koromo pouted. I never expected her to pass up that hand! But it's all the same if I win here... Her eyes widened at her draw. Not 5-men, but 1-pin? Her eyes shot to her right. This is Kiyosumi's final attack. No pins in her pond... beyond that, my intuition is screaming. But that's not the only problem here. She looked straight forwards, her expression tightening still further. Tsuruga, as well. With those discards, her hand is to the ends. That last 9-sou suggests tenpai. And I can sense it clearly, the fact that hand will kill me. It's unprecedented, the idea that a common human could come within that range! Koromo closed her eyes. Frustrating as it may be, I must still my boiling blood. My intuition and thoughts are one. Don't think I'll deal into a dealer yakuman that easily! Koromo dealt a 2-men from her pair, keeping the 1-pin.
Yumi frowned, noticing Saki's expression twitch slightly. Did you sense something? That discard felt strange to me, as well. Tenpai? Or bailing?
"Amae Koromo's defence is impenetrable. Miyanaga Saki's kan, Kajiki Yumi's Thirteen Orphans, she breaks her hand to dodge them both."
Fujita-pro said nothing, her eyes narrowing. The fact that Koromo drew someone else's winning tile at all is strange enough. She's lost all the momentum she gained back last hand. But in another sense, her position's strong. Holding that tile kills both threats to her.
Ryumonbuchi watched carefully from their waiting room. "Honestly, it's all so pointless," Touka said, lounging back in the sofa and smiling. "Koromo's not so naïve she'll deal into an obvious hand like that."
"Do you think so?" Jun said calmly. "That was touch and go with Kiyosumi, I think. But it's all the same in the end, however much they struggle."
The game continued in the playing room, locked in a dead-lock as all four players discarded their draws without changing their hands, until at last they came within range of the end. Yumi frowned at her last draw, discarding it instantly. That's it, then. I won't be going out with this hand. Koromo won't be getting Haitei, either. It's too late to change the order.
Saki discarded the final tile, settling back with a serene expression and closing her hand. "No-ten."
Yumi frowned. No-ten? From this girl? She hasn't changed her hand since I got tenpai. Were her draws really that bad? She pushed her own hand open. "Tenpai."
Kana grinned. One down, twenty-nine to go! "Tenpai!"
"No-ten." Koromo closed her hand, glowering at the rest of the table. I'll congratulate you all, forcing the Koromo to this on a full moon is admirable. But all you've done is postpone the inevitable!
"It's frustrating," Momo said, pouting at the screen from their waiting room. "If bunny-ears had dealt that 1-pin, we'd already have won!"
"I can't argue with that," Kanbara said. "But Yumi-chin is still looking straight forwards. Other chances might come."
"That's right," Momo said, putting her hands on her knees. "Senpai will definitely win!"
Even if I say that, getting tenpai on Thirteen Orphans is a miracle in itself. Losing that hand hurts a lot. Kanbaru grinned tightly. Now that we're this close, I'm getting as greedy as you, Yumi-chin. Somehow, show us that kind of miracle one more time!
Back in the playing room,Yumi sorted her starting hand swiftly, frowning. It's good. No, it's great. Nine pin tiles, six of them pairs, including a pair of the Dora, 3-pin. I have to go big here, pure one suit and maybe all-pon as well. If I get lucky with more Dora, a counted yakuman isn't totally out of reach! But at the least, I have to win. She discarded 9-men, staring across the table at Koromo. I can't get caught up in my hand, and lose sight of her. If I do that there's no doubt I'll lose.
A chance came on the sixth turn, as Kana discarded a 6-pin. "Pon!" Yumi said clearly, forming the tiles and discarding 7-sou.
"Pon!" Koromo grinned as the two tiles she pushed over hit the table.
Yumi gritted her teeth. I was worried about those discards. It's still too early, but it's been all pin and men until now. I haven't been getting anything with my honours, either. She relaxed slightly as Saki drew and discarded. At least this one's gone quiet for a while. I wish I could believe she's given up, but that quietness is alarming in its own way. She drew 8-pin, sliding it into her hand next to the one she already had. So far so good. Time to discard honours. This North wind has already come out twice from Kazekoshi and Kiyosumi. She placed it on the top of her hand for a moment, freezing. No, it might be valuable for that reason. This tile should be safe, and this South isn't. She slid the North wind back into her hand, discarding the South wind.
"Pon." Koromo caught and held Yumi's gaze.
Yumi instinctively shrank back into her seat, fighting to keep her composure. This is different from her aura before, when she felt like an overwhelming pressure, the ocean itself. Right now, she's aiming for me alone. Why am I being frightened by a childish-looking girl like her?
"Kan."
Koromo's eyes flicked sideways to regard Saki as she pushed three 8-men tiles down, pushing the fourth 8-men within Saki's reach. "Rinshan tsumo?"
Saki drew a tile from the dead-wall and slammed it down in her pond. "No. If I do that, I lose." She flipped the tile over, revealing 3-pin.
"Pon!" Yumi fell forwards slightly as she reached to take the tile. Dora 3! I don't know if Kiyosumi was aiming for this, but I'll take it. She lifted a red dragon out of her hand. One's already gone. This should pass!
"Pon." Koromo giggled, reaching out to take Yumi's tile. However much you hope, you won't pass me. My hand's moving faster than yours. She discarded 6-men. 1-sou, 1-sou, North, West. I'll get the second pair on my next draw, even if you don't deal the 1-sou. I'm a superior being, after all.
"Give me a break," Kana said. "I'd like to have a turn at some point."
Yumi swallowed as Saki discarded. Is Koromo in tenpai? I have to assume she is. But even if that's the case, I still can't bail. Her eyes widened at her draw, 3-pin. "Kan!" She added the final Dora to her pon, taking the second tile from the dead wall and discarding it after a glance.
6-men, not 1-sou? Koromo's eyes widened slightly. Is this Kiyosumi's doing?
"Finally," Kana said, sighing with relief. She slid her draw into her hand, and discarded 8-pin.
"Pon." Yumi took it, forming the meld next to her other pons. Now for my discard. 4-pin, 4-pin, 1-pin, 9-pin, North. By theory, there's no doubt that I should go for pure one suit here. That's true. But, what is this unease? Yumi placed the North wind on top of her other tiles, frowning. Dealing that means I'm going to tsumo, or nothing. Can I really defeat this demon in a show-down of pure luck? She stared across the table at Koromo. No, I can't beat you like that, can I? You have that confidence, and it's not unfounded. But that's not the same as saying I can't beat you. Your blood-lust right now is scary, but it's also a sign that you're cornered! You're weaker than you were before! Yumi slid the North back into her hand, grabbing the 9-pin. So I'll beat you by playing my own mahjong.
The 9-pin slammed against the table.
"What 's this? A 9-pin deal, keeping the North Wind." The commentator frowned. "A dealing that tramples over common sense."
"It's possible she's aiming for a bluff," Fujita-pro said. "Discarding a tile in your suit with four closed tiles remaining, undoubtedly it looks like a dual-pon wait to ordinary people."
"I see. But will that really work on Amae Koromo?"
"There's no way it would. But it's possible she has something completely different in mind," Fujita-pro said. She can't see what we can see. There's no way she's going for that...
"Oh, man. That makes this next deal hard," Kana said, drawing her tile and adding it to her hand. She touched on a tile. "But better you than her, Tsuruga!" She dealt the 4-pin.
"Pon!" Yumi narrowed her eyes as she reached for the tile. That was a straight deal into what looks like pure one-suit tenpai! I was wondering about that 8-pin, but there's no doubt Kazekoshi is supporting me, even if it means putting the last of her points on the line. Yumi slammed her fourth pon into place. Kiyosumi, as well! They're telling me to bring you into reach, Amae Koromo. I'll do just that. She dealt the 1-pin, holding onto her solitary North. Now, come.
"Going into a pair hell wait that takes three doubles from your hand," Fujita-pro said. "Kajiki's unexpectedly reckless." Or is it really something else? Does she really sense something like that? Koromo's tile, and the certainty of her win?
Kana breathed a sigh of relief. This is bad for my heart. But if Koromo wins, it's all over. I don't even have time to think. She dealt a 1-men.
Koromo frowned. Thanks to Kazekoshi's insanity, you managed to get ahead of me. But that ends with this draw. She slid the West Wind into her hand, before grabbing the North wind. I'll win within the next go-around! She slammed the North tile into place in her pond, eyes blazing.
"Ron." Yumi pushed her North wind down. "All-pon, dirty one suit, Dora 4. 24,000."
Koromo's eyes widened in shock. "Are you insane? You threw away your triple limit on a hell wait?" She glowered at Yumi. "You knew? You knew I would throw that tile?"
"How could I know that?" Yumi said calmly. "I was just hoping for a direct hit. That's all. Nothing special."
"An explosive shock ron!" the commentator reflected excitedly. "Was this foresight, or just pure luck? Tsuruga's Kajiki Yumi steals second with a double limit. This game still has everything to play for!"
"Senpai! You're the best!" Momo shouted, punching the air back in Tsuruga's room.
"Give me a break, Yumi-chin," Kanbara said, grinning. "You're starting to scare me."
Ryumonbuchi were in shock. "Explain that!" Touka shouted, standing and pointing at the screen. "What kind of play-style is that? Mahjong should wreak divine punishment to anyone who could do something so stupid! Kazekoshi and Tsuruga both!"
"There's something in that," Hajime said. "It's not normal."
"But I wonder," Jun said calmly. "This isn't the first time that Tsuruga's Captain has done something outrageous. Breaking up her yaku-pai to steal Kiyosumi's kan was the same. Maybe she has that kind of sensitivity."
"Are you telling me she can see what tiles her opponents have?" Touka said angrily.
"No, the opposite," Jun said. "The ability to anticipate an opponent's victory with such a certainty it lets you do something absurd..."
"Flow manipulation," Tomoki remarked quietly.
"No, not that. I know my own kind." Jun gritted her teeth. "If it's just luck, then that's fine, but..." She trailed off. "No, never mind. Whatever it is, it won't be enough."
"Just what was that, Captain?" Kazekoshi's coach said loudly, pointing at the screen for emphasis.
"Hell waits do increase your chances of winning by ron," Mihoko began. "If things had turned out differently, I wouldn't be surprised if Amae Koromo had also gone into a pair wait on North for that reason."
"Not that! I could care less about that! How could Ikeda deal that 4-pin! It's because she's that reckless that we're in this mess to begin with-"
"That's wrong!" Mihoko frowned in the sudden silence, shifting uncomfortably. "That's not it at all. It may be hard for us to understand, but Kana's the one playing right now. And she's not playing this way from selfish motives. If she had any hesitation, she'd have taken last hand's yakuman to at least save face. But right now, she's taking risks because she's playing to win! That 4-pin was part of that."
The coach said nothing, turning to stare at the screen again.
Kiyosumi also watched patiently. "That wait was utterly illogical. It goes against all probability," Nodoka complained. "What on earth was Tsuruga thinking?"
"Just like you, right, President?" Yuki said cheerfully.
"No, her motives were probably different," Hisa said. "And even for me, sacrificing those three doubles would hurt. She's really something, Tsuruga's captain."
"It's been insanity out there," Mako said. "But she won't lose, our girl."
"Mm. The last hand was a set-back, but Saki was working quietly in that hand. For the sake of wining, of course." Hisa smiled. "Saki's counter-attack starts here."
Inside the game room, Yumi breathed out as the tiles were shuffled. Even if I blew off Amae Koromo with a few impressive words, that was too much. Well, I knew she was probably holding onto honour tiles, since she was still discarding tiles in other suits after her pons. But I had no guarantees anyone held that tile. It was a decision that could be considered beyond reckless. Even so, was I mistaken to do what I did? I'll probably never know. So right now I can only believe in myself and win.
I don't really get how Tsuruga did that, but a result's a result! Kana smiled to herself. I can't support her or Kiyosumi any more, though, since they're both too close to Koromo. From now on it's everyone for themselves!
The Nationals are one thing, but to think that this game would have so many people beyond all expectations, Koromo thought, breathing out raggedly. I'm up past my bed time, but now I won't be able to sleep at all. Not until I've show you all clearly why it's a bad idea to anger the empress who rules over this night of shadows and demons!
"Mahjong's fun, isn't it?" Saki reflected, smiling.
The others just stared at her. Koromo blinked. "You're... having fun?"
"Yes. A lot of fun," Saki said innocently, as the walls came up from the table. "It's just a shame things have to end this hand."
Yumi bit her lip, her hand freezing as she reached for the wall she was dealing from. What's with this cold chill? I can't move...
"You're just saying that because Koromo hasn't finished you off yet," Koromo said, malice pouring from her. "All three of you are the same."
Her, too. Just what the hell is this overwhelming feeling of foreboding? Yumi placed her left arm over her right, holding it tightly. I'm shaking? My body is shaking?
"What's wrong?" Kana asked curiously. "Aren't you going to deal?"
I don't know what kind of magic this is, and I don't care. Yumi's eyes widened as she slammed her right arm down, picking up the first four tiles from the wall opposite her and depositing them in front of her. I have a reason why I have to win. And I will win here and now.
Saki and Koromo's expressions both twitched in surprise. Yumi's expression relaxed slightly as she continued to deal. She smiled slightly as she saw her starting hand. It's good, again. I'd be more comfortable with something faster, but I get it, already. 1-sou, 2-sou, 3-sou, 4-sou, 5-sou, 7-sou, 8-sou, 9-sou, 9-sou, 9-sou. Four junk tiles in other suits. She dealt the North wind. The Dora of 9-men is useless to me, but still, this is at least a dealer limit.
Yumi blinked slightly, halting at her sixth discard of the game. My draws right now are something else. 1-sou, south, 4-sou, red dragon, and now 1-sou. Tenpai, 6-sou wait, for Nine Gates! Is it really okay, this kind of luck? Yumi threw the red dragon, looking around the table. Well, maybe I should say that later. Koromo's closed in an obvious dirty all-ends or better. The bigger problem is Kiyosumi, though. The open pon of 5-pin is all I have to go from. It's not as if the discards suggest one suit, or a well-advanced hand. Even so, and I don't know why, but I have a dark feeling about her. If only I could find a way to disrupt her hand...
Saki smiled to herself as she looked at her hand. I can see it clearly. I can win with this hand. Tsuruga probably has a monster brewing, tenpai or not, so Koromo will discard my 5-men. I'll kan that, dead-wall draw 5-sou to complete my closed pon, kan these closed 6-pins, draw 5-pin for a late kan, and draw 6-sou to complete my pair wait, Rinshan Kaiho. The responsible pays; endless, all pon, same pon three suit, three kan, four red fives, Rinshan Kaiho. It's a certain counted yakuman. With a direct hit, it's my win. If a tsumo was enough, things would be easier, but this is fine too. Saki smiled as she looked around the table. Playing strong people is really fun, after all.
Koromo gritted her teeth. I wanted a fast hand, not Dora 3, dirty all ends. This is what happens when I let my desire to crush my opponents get the better of me. In any case, I have my tenpai, 9-sou wait to complete a chi. Tsuruga might be holding onto that, but there will be one left, and I will draw it. This spare 1-sou will pass, too. She discarded it decisively.
Yumi's eyes narrowed. This is my chance! "Kan!" She pushed the three 1-sou in her hand open and reached for the dead-wall.
Saki's eyes shot wide open as Yumi's hand flew past her. My tile!
"A strange decision from Tsuruga," the commentator remarked. "It's only going to warn the others of her potential 9-gates and add more Dora she doesn't need."
"No, that was probably the decisive blow," Fujita-pro said quietly.
Yumi placed the 5-sou she'd just drawn on top of her hand. Do you want this, Kiyosumi? If I kill your hand totally here, I might only be handing the game to Koromo. But with your capacity, I can't take chances. This tile is staying right here. She dealt 4-sou decisively, glancing sideways at Saki. "Going to call it?"
"No," Saki said quietly. "Not that one." Stay calm. If I draw it, I'll still be able to pull through somehow.
"And the new Dora," Yumi said, reaching for the Dead Wall and flipping the new indicator. She blinked in horror. "9-men."
"Amae Koromo's closed Dora 6!" The commentator observed.
"Not that she needs it," Fujita-pro noted. Though it is a sign that the flow of the game is moving back towards Koromo. If she gets her tsumo, Tsuruga and Kiyosumi have both fought in vain.
Kana discarded her draw, the south wind. Well, at least it's safe. If only I could win from this closed Daisangen. Come on, the next exhaustive draw!
Koromo grinned as she drew 9-men. Perfect. This should seal Kiyosumi once and for all. I'm going to defeat you all with such force you'll never be able to face me again! "Kan!" She formed a closed kan of the 9-men, drawing 5-pin from the dead wall and dealing it instantly. That's as far as you go, Kiyosumi. Your pon of 5-pin won't become a kan. Tsuruga probably stole another of your tiles, too. She flipped the new Dora, grinning. "9-men. You people have shown spirit until the end, but you should see now. The tiles themselves are telling me to win!"
"Dora 12... give me a break," Kana said, pouting. It's not like it matters whether she wins with 1000 or 32000, but this is still ridiculous.
Saki drew the 5-men with an even facial expression, placing it on top of her hand. If Tsuruga's kan hadn't disrupted the turn order, Koromo would have dealt this and I would have won. But now both Koromo and Tsuruga are pressing hard from each side. I'll do it here. With my two kan, I can force a draw. That's the best thing to do right now. "Kan!" She flipped the two outer tiles over, before pushing the four tiles down and drawing 6-sou from the dead wall, adding it to her hand. Now I have tenpai on a dual-pon wait, 5-sou, 6-sou. Though winning with this hand is meaningless. I've gone beyond the expectations for my kans, but what I need now is a safe tile. So that's what my draw for this next kan will be! Saki declared a closed kan from her four 6-pin, before reaching for the dead wall.
Yumi bit her lip. Four kans draw! This yakuman hand will disappear before my eyes!
Koromo smirked. It doesn't matter. Next time I'll finish you all off.
Saki pulled her new tile back into her hand, her eyes widening as she saw it. 6-sou! That's not a safe tile at all! Even if it's my winning tile, that means nothing here. She glanced at Yumi's pond. It's an obvious one-suit hand. Perhaps 9 Gates. If it's the nine-sided wait, I will infallibly deal in. But there's no guarantee of that, and no guarantee it's 9 Gates, or even tenpai. On the other hand, this is the tile I drew from a kan. Saki picked up the 6-sou. I came this far by believing in my own mahjong, and my kans don't let me down. I'll trust myself to that infallibility. This will pass.
She slammed it down on the table, holding her hand over the tile for a moment before taking it away. Her eyes glanced sideways at Yumi. "Well?"
Yumi held her gaze. "That's it. Ron." She pushed her hand open, starting from the right and working her way left. "Nine Gates, single tile wait. It's a dealer yakuman, 48,000. That makes this a come-back win."
Saki blinked rapidly, staring at the purple-haired player. No way... just like my sister...
"An explosive finale to an intense, extended final round! In South 4-3, Kajiki Yumi's Hōtei Raoyui on Nine Gates just barely secures Tsuruga's victory over second place Ryumonbuchi! A fitting cap to an explosive battle that's been full of mahjong's rarest edge cases!"
"It's certainly not an outcome I expected," Fujita-pro admitted. Koromo and Miyanaga are on a different level, but even then, their intuition isn't infallible. And if the flow of the game is against you, trusting to that intuition can be the worst possible decision. But pushing up the middle of their duel to steal a win isn't something just anyone can do.
"Yes!" Momo sprang out of her seat, punching the air. "You did it, senpai! You're the best!"
Kanbara breathed out heavily, smiling. "Somehow she did it. Momo, go pick her up, okay?"
"Okay!" Momo ran for the door.
Kanbara watched her go. I can see you clearly right now, Momo. You're shining. But is that because we won, or because Yumi-chin is coming back to you? Either way, the reason I sent you is because I'm not sure if I can trust myself to stand. A no-name, no talent school like us is going to the nationals, after all. "You really did it this time, Yumi-chin."
"She's too amazing," Mutsuki said quietly.
"You've got that right," Kanbara said. She glanced across at Kaori, who was counting something on her fingers. "What's wrong, Kaori?"
"Um, why was that last hand a yakuman?" Kaori asked. "However I look at it, it was a pure one-suit and nothing else. Not even a straight through, right?"
Kanbara sighed. "Not exactly, no. Three ones, three nines, two through eight and any other tile, all in the same suit, makes a yakuman called Nine Gates."
"I see," Kaori said. "That's surprising. I was waiting on that twice when I was practising online yesterday."
In the Kiyosumi waiting room, Hisa sighed, leaning forwards slightly. "So this is as far as I go, huh..."
"We were so close, too," Mako said.
"A loss is a loss. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, Tsuruga's Captain is just like me. Someone on her last chance." Hisa closed her eyes. "I can't resent her for that, or for the mahjong she played back there." She paused for a moment, then spoke again without looking up. "Nodoka, I'll leave Saki to you, okay?"
"Yes." Nodoka walked towards the door.
"It's our loss," Jun reflected. "The flow was all Tsuruga's in the final hand, ever since that first kan. Not even Koromo's second wind came in time."
"It was close, though," Hajime said. She put her hand on Touka's shoulder. "Right, Touka? We did our best, so there's no need to sulk."
"I'm not sulking," Touka said stiffly. "It's just..."
"Yes, yes." Jun stood, slipping her hands into her pockets and smiling. "Let's wait for Koromo outside, okay?"
Hajime nodded.
"Kana," Mihoko said softly. She turned, opening both her eyes for a moment. "I'm going to her. It's fine, right, coach?"
The coach looked away from her gaze. "Do what you like."
The tension slowly ebbed away in the game room, as none of the players quite met each other's gaze. "Koromo... lost," Koromo said quietly. She sounded like she didn't believe it. A single tear ran down her cheek.
Hey, hey. Where did the demon go, and why do I feel like I just stole a child's toy? "It was just the luck of the draw," Yumi said. "If we play again, things might well go differently."
"You'd... be willing to play with Koromo again?" Koromo said, sounding astounded.
Yumi nodded. "At any time. I still have a long way to go, so I'm fond of playing really strong people like you."
"Me too," Kana said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve and smiling as she looked up. "This one was your win, Tsuruga, but I won't lose to either of you next time."
Yumi nodded. "I'll look forwards to it. In any case, I'll excuse myself here." She stood, glancing uncertainly at Saki.
Saki opened her eyes, looking up. "Mahjong is fun, isn't it? Win or lose."
Yumi smiled slightly. "Yes. It's fun. Well, until next time..." She turned and walked away.
Momo jumped on her arm almost as soon as Yumi excited the room. "Senpai! You did it!"
"Momo!" Yumi said, almost falling over. "Hey, not here!"
"You were so cool," Momo said, pressing her face against Yumi's shoulder. "The Nine Gates was amazing, but the hell wait on the North was even more amazing!"
"You're exaggerating," Yumi said, flushing. "I was being really reckless. The only thing that got me through was pure luck."
Momo shook her head. "That's not true at all. I'm sure that was something only you could do."
"Something only I can do, huh?" Yumi placed a hand on Momo's head, rubbing her hair and looking up at the ceiling. "I'd like to find that, the mahjong only I can play. It feels like I got a little closer to that today. It's ruining my nerves, though."
Momo closed one eye, blushing a deep crimson. "I'm sure we're going to find that, right? We're going to the nationals, after all."
"That's right," Yumi said, looking down at her and smiling. "Together, as a team."
"I'm glad." Momo looked down, gripping Yumi's blazer tightly with her right hand. "I'm really glad..."
"Me too," Yumi said. She looked around. Haramura Nodoka was talking passionately with Saki, while Kana was greeted by all of Kazekoshi. Koromo took off at a run, her hands, splayed childishly behind her. But she also looked cheerful, in her own way. That's right, of course. They all have their own precious people. My concern is unnecessary. She pulled away slightly. "Let's go back to the others. We need to celebrate, right?"
Momo caught Yumi's sleeve with her right hand, nodding slightly and walking next to her. "Yes. Let's go back."
Yumi smiled slightly in embarrassment, but didn't say anything. Just why did I have to win, I wonder? Because I wanted to go to the Nationals, no matter what? Or is it... oh, well. Just like my mahjong, I can take my time to confirm that for myself. There's no rush right now.