AN: Thanks to reviewers RESTIA and EXpertUS for their kind support in the last chapter. Sorry for the delay. I've been sick since last week. I was planning on ending the story at this chapter, but seeing as I couldn't find enough time to write, I could only get the first half written. The ending for this Dark!Saki/Teru story will have to wait till March 4th. As for this chapter, I made Teru's "gigigi ability" not a chuuren poutou because 1) I'm guessing Kobayashi-sensei won't use the same ability for Teru and Jindai Komaki and 2) to coincide with Saki's narrative that Teru used to chankan her closed quads with kokushi musou. Who knows when we'll actually get to see the "gigigi", seeing as Kobayashi-sensei has decided to first write a match between the 5th to 8th placed schools... Seriously, at this rate, we'll never see the end of the Saki manga.
3) The Black Lily's Reflection (Dark!Saki/Teru)
Part Five
In the year of 20XX, the number of mahjong players have risen to millions worldwide. The playoff finals for the All-Japan Pro Mahjong Cup was one of the most spectacular events in the sport, drawing numerous viewers from within the country and abroad. Seats were sold-out half a year in advance, and those lucky enough to have purchased a ticket sure weren't shy about expressing their joy, loudly cheering below the brightly-lit stage. From the regular season leaders Yokohama Lodestars, to the defending champions Saku Ferreters, and fan-favourites Nagano Evergreens, all the teams had avid fanbases waving banners, shouting slogans, some even wearing full body paint. Of course, the home team Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins was no exception, especially considering they were entering the captain's match placing second only to Yokohama, their divisional rivals.
"But the race sure is tight. Coming into the captain's match, Yokohama holds the lead they've gained since the vanguard's match at 123500 points. But after a tremendous comeback in the lieutenant's match by Atago Hiroe and strategic play by their vice captain, Takakamo Shizuno, our home team, Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins, has risen to second place at 98600 points! It's not time to relax though. Nagano Evergreens, the team that knocked the Dolphins' former captain, Oohoshi Awai, into the hospital, is only 6700 points away, trailing in third place with 91900 points. The former champions may be looking shabby now, but at 86000 points, this deficit sure isn't something their powerhouse captain, Amae Koromo, can't handle. So are you excited for this, Fans? Are you excited for this, Sukoyan? Are you feeling just a little jealous that your rival, Akado-pro's team has made it to the finals while your team got eliminated in the first round?"
Kokaji Sukoya tried to grab the mic from her partner, Fukuyo Kouko's hands, "I'm not jealous! I'm happy for Akado-san...why do you always have to make things sound like this?"
"And so the great Grandmaster Kokaji, personally undefeated in all Japan, cries bitter tears for the crushing defeat of the team she coaches."
"I'm not crying! Stop trying to shove onions into my eyes, Kouko-chan!"
"Try to stay on topic, Sukoyan~ The contestants are filing into the arena and you can just feel the heat of the upcoming epic battle by their line-up!" Kouko ignored Sukoya's complaints. "First entering is the replacement captain of the Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins, formerly known as the Pinnacle of Highschool Mahjong, Miyanaga Teru! Oh, look, she still has that novel with her..."
"I'm sure it's a different novel..." Sukoya replied, then came to a sudden realization that she had just been toyed with by Kouko again, "That's not even the point! Contestant Miyanaga Teru has not competed in an official mahjong match for the past five years, but her stunning performance in the 69th through 71st Interhighs have garnered the attention of many upon her return. In the three matches they've played in the playoffs so far, however, Contestant Miyanaga has kept to a strongly defensive style that is drastically different from her offensive focus in the Interhighs. It will be interesting to see how she will play now that her team is trailing, a scenario that hasn't occurred until this current match."
In the waiting room, the members of the Dolphins team were watching the television screen intently. Just judging by the scores, they were actually in a pretty good position. While they were still behind Yokohama, the difference was less than 30000 points. The Yokohama captain was Tsujigaito Satoha, who despite being a very good player, wasn't the kind of monster who could rack up a good 100000 points like the old Miyanaga Teru. Yes, if Teru played like she did in the Interhighs, a 30000 points deficit could be easily overcome in a single win streak of hers. However, the new Teru no longer went on win streaks. While she had always been steady in her play in this tournament, her wins and loses were kept within the 20000 points range. Even if she managed to overcome Tsujigaito, what about against the monsters Miyanaga Saki and Amae Koromo?
They had tried to put a lead on Nagano and Saku to cushion Teru's decrease in firepower, but Yokohama's vanguard was Mihirogi Uta, known for her big hands. It took Kainou all she had to reduce the losses, let alone controlling the scores. It wasn't until the lieutenant match that Hiroe managed to pull ahead, but with things like this, she couldn't be too picky about who to win off of, taking most points from Yokohama. As a result, their gain on Nagano and Saku was minimal.
"You think she'll be okay?" Kainou asked Akado, watching Teru take a seat from the television display. Akado was standing with arms crossed, nodding confidently.
"I think so. Remember how you played against her using Miyanaga Saki's style?"
The others turned around to face Akado, who continued calmly, "Considering how Miyanaga Teru-san has developed over the past weeks, I think it'll be useful having Amae Koromo here actually."
"But without the win streak and its accompanying high points gain, wouldn't we just get overtaken by Saku then?" Shizuno asked.
"I think there is something strange about the way Miyanaga-san has been playing. Saying that she can no longer pull a strong, offensive attack may be premature," Kyouko answered.
"Oh, you're onto something crazy there, Kyouko! I like crazy!" Hiroe chimed in.
Nodoka and Hisa dropped Saki off at the door to the arena. While Saki looked confident as ever, Nodoka was less assured, hugging Etopen tightly in her arms.
"Just do your best, Saki-san. We'll be cheering for you," she said.
Saki nodded, "I will do what it takes to win."
"Quite the big talker huh, Saki?" Hisa said jokingly, patting Saki's back, "But like Nodoka said, just try your best. Victory is nice, but not the true purpose of the game. Play for the process, for the fun. That's all that matters."
"Yeah..." Saki answered. For a second, there was a weariness in her gaze, but it quickly dissipated to its usual cold. Hisa could just give Saki's shoulder one last squeeze before letting her slip away.
Nodoka looked towards Hisa. After much thought, she finally broke the silence, "Maybe Buchou is right. Saki-san needs this."
"What?"
"I've been trying to stop her from...from connecting with Miyanaga Teru again, but...that was wrong of me."
Hisa stepped up to Nodoka and held her in her arms, "It's okay, Nodoka. The one who wanted to hide was Saki. You weren't at fault. We should just be thankful that this time, it doesn't seem like Teru-san would leave without bringing this all to a conclusion."
After Hisa let go, they looked up towards the ceiling where a display was hung, showing the inside of the arena. Miyanaga Teru, Tsujigaito Satoha, and Amae Koromo were already seated; Saki walked up to them, cast a brief glance at Teru who shut her novel in response, and then flipped a tile on the table. It was white.
"Seems like we have our starting dealer," Satoha said. Koromo beamed at Saki.
"The flowers that bear your will may have since been stained by the dark of night, but Koromo shall not give up trying to return your former glory with the brightness of her moonlight."
"I am not as poetic as Amae-san, but let me tell you that I'm excited to play again with my rivals from the 70th and 71st Interhighs. I shall take this chance to avenge my losses, first against you, Miyanaga Teru-san, then you, Miyanaga Saki-san," Satoha said again.
"It is my honour to be your opponent," Saki answered. Similarly, Teru nodded.
"As is mine," she said, then turned to Saki, "You asked that I look you straight in the eyes, Saki. I shall do that. I hope you'll do the same for me."
But at this, Saki only narrowed her gaze to the table. Sitting down, she reached forward and pressed the button to cast the dice.
First hanchan, East 1 - Dealer Miyanaga Saki
Yokohama Lodestars 123500
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 98600
Nagano Evergreens 91900
Saku Ferreters 86000
Miyanaga Saki in east, Tsujigaito Satoha in south, Amae Koromo in west, Miyanaga Teru in north. The game began with Saki's discard. Satoha took in a tile and surveyed her own hand. She had no yakuhai to speed up her hand, but there was no need, she was already at iishanten with this new draw. Setting it down, she took a useless tile and placed it onto the table.
Koromo felt the tug of the moon as it started rising after sunset. Still, its powers were weak, and the current draw order would not enable her to pick the last tile either. No matter. She would just drag the game till the moon reached its highest perch.
The wall responded to her power. When it came Teru's turn to pick a tile, she felt it seemingly disappear into water between her fingers. She set it into her hand anyway, and breaking up a sequential meld she already held, she discarded a 2-sou.
Satoha wondered whether to call a pon. She did need the tile, but making a call would destroy her closed hand status. As such she stopped herself, letting Saki draw instead.
"Kan," she declared a closed kan, took down the rinshanpai, and declared another kan with it. With the second rinshanpai, she set it into her hand, took another tile out, and discarded.
Satoha drew, but she too felt a change in the wall. The luck that she felt earlier slipped from her with the new draw. Could this be Amae Koromo's power? But if she gave up so easily, she would never win. It was still early on in the game, so she could afford to take some risks. Instead of setting down the tile and opting for a safer discard, she put the draw of 6-wan into the tile river.
"Ron."
It was Saki with a 1 han 70 fu, tanyao hand of 3400 points.
So Saki had bypassed Koromo's power by calling kan and advancing her hand with the rinshanpai, but unlike in the past, she did not win on a rinshanpai, instead winning on another's discard. Did Miyanaga Teru already realize this? Satoha glanced over to the person who had offered her a tile to pon, but she declined. Was that to stop Saki from declaring the kan?
"The gleam of your sword was clouded by your impatience," Koromo said as they pushed the tiles into the open slots on the table. Impatience? Satoha wondered as a new set of tiles rose for East 1's first renchan. The familiar chill of Miyanaga Teru's mirror didn't come. She glanced back just to check, but was only met by thin air.
Amae Koromo was taking her time, and was Miyanaga Teru also doing the same?
First hanchan, East 1, first honba - Dealer Miyanaga Saki
Yokohama Lodestars 120100
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 98600
Nagano Evergreens 95300
Saku Ferreters 86000
Prioritize. That was what Satoha had to do. If she let Saki run away with it, her lead would be swallowed. She first had to stop her renchan with the others. It was funny how she had done the same with Arakawa Kei and then third-year Yusa-san during the 70th IH against Miyanaga Teru, now she was joining Teru's ranks against Miyanaga Saki.
The first renchan began. Satoha's starting hand was great like last time, but again, her draws were suppressed by Koromo's power. At first, she considered the possibility that Koromo was selectively stopping Teru's hand and hers, letting Saki's renchan streak lengthen the game. But by how Saki had to call kan to take from the dead wall, it seemed that Koromo's power affected her too. Then again, compared to a quick victory, Koromo always cared more about her personal enjoyment of the game. Perhaps her control of the wall was actually to stop Saki more than the others, seeing as they were all allied against her.
"Tofu..." Koromo called with a haku discard. Satoha looked up to it.
"Pon!"
Koromo smiled as she drew again and discarded, followed by Teru, who set her draw in and looked towards the tiles lined in front of Satoha. The discards were mainly souzu and pinzu. This probably meant that she was waiting for wanzu. But she discarded a 1-wan in the last turn. She probably held triplets of either 2-wan or 3-wan then, forcing her to dump the 1-wan because she wouldn't be able to form a sequence with it.
Considering Satoha usually went for wide waits, her hand probably contained 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7-wan, waiting for 2, 4, 5, 7, 8-wan.
Teru discarded a 7-wan.
"Ron, 5500 points," Satoha called with a 3 han 40 fu, yakuhai, hon'itsu hand with 300 renchan bonus.
"Yes," Teru answered, handing over the points sticks. Koromo nodded.
"Looking at things directly may yield a clearer image than looking at them in the mirror. But even sunlight is just light - it is its influence on other things that give it its importance."
Satoha picked up on Koromo's poetry and grinned, "The sun and the moon sure are great partners today. I'm happy enough to be enjoying the shine."
With that, Satoha reached for the dice to begin East 2.
First hanchan, East 2 - Dealer Tsujigaito Satoha
Yokohama Lodestars 125600
Nagano Evergreens 95300
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 93100
Saku Ferreters 86000
"Ah...we're down to third place," Hiroe said. Kyouko agreed.
"It's not the ideal situation, but at least Teru-san put an end to Miyanaga Saki's renchan."
"That's true, but..."
Just when Kainou was about to finish her sentence, a scream from the television interrupted them.
"OH MY GOD! Miyanaga Saki's hand is starting at tenpai! Can you believe it?" Kouko's voice rattled their eardrums.
Koromo might be able to curse her opponents with eternal iishanten, but what if you started at tenpai?
"The power that blooms from the greatest heights may be getting stronger, but Koromo's waters will flood even the highest of mountains," Koromo commented calmly despite increasing pressure from Saki. When it was her turn, she drew and flipped over the tile along with the rest of her hand, "Tsumo, menzen tsumo, dora 3-sou, 500/1000."
Satoha mused that today sure was her unlucky day. Wasn't Amae Koromo known for her haitei raoyue? Who would've thought that she would give that up for a quick win just to end her dealership?
Then again, a monster was a monster. Once they learned flexibility, their luck could easily be converted to even more powerful plays. Miyanaga Saki was the most obvious example.
But what about Miyanaga Teru? Satoha still felt nothing from the former champion, who had thus far been without wins, and had even intentionally given up a hand to her.
First hanchan, East 3 - Dealer Amae Koromo
Yokohama Lodestars 124600
Nagano Evergreens 94800
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 92600
Saku Ferreters 88000
But Saki paid Koromo's statement no heed. Five turns into Koromo's dealership, she called, "Pon."
A triplet of red dragons were swiped to the side. They knew they had to change the draw order to strengthen Koromo's control, but they couldn't. Koromo's power couldn't adjust quickly enough to the sudden disruption in time to stop what would happen in the next turn...
"Tsumo. Yakuhai. 300/500."
First hanchan, East 4 - Dealer Miyanaga Teru
Yokohama Lodestars 124300
Nagano Evergreens 95900
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 92300
Saku Ferreters 87500
Similarly, Miyanaga Teru's famous renchan streak did not happen, as Saki made two pon and once again won before their first row of discards.
"Toitoi, 700/1300."
First hanchan, South 1 - Dealer Miyanaga Saki
Yokohama Lodestars 123600
Nagano Evergreens 98600
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 91000
Saku Ferreters 86800
"Hey, Former Champion, I was looking forward to your renchan streak too," Satoha chided as the game progressed into the south round. Teru waited for Koromo to take her final tile before reaching for the wall as well. By then, Saki had already finished arranging her tiles and discarded.
Koromo drew. This time, the draw order wouldn't let her haitei either. The moon was climbing though. Even if she could not see its light above the enclosed ceiling, she could feel its power. If only she could shift the draw order, then even Saki and Teru would be no match.
"Pon," Teru called, taking her tile. There it was. With the call, the tile walls aligned with her, and she felt her ocean pour into the room.
Saki was at tenpai already, but Koromo's power had strengthened to such extent that it was no longer just an iishanten hell - even hands at tenpai were affected and Saki could not self-draw the final tile. Satoha seemed to have bailed, playing a safe tile after Saki. The only thing Saki could do to win was...
"Kan," she called Koromo's tile. Koromo shifted her gaze towards Saki, a smile lighting her face. Would it come? Would the flower bloom again?
Saki tossed the rinshanpai into her discards against Koromo's expectations. Satoha drew, knowing if they didn't stop her, Saki would use the lapse in Koromo's power to win again. They had to go back to the original draw order to stop her!
She carefully picked a tile, a 1-pin.
"Pon."
As she expected, Miyanaga Teru called her discard. She really did have an affinity to 1-pin and kept them in her hand!
The water finally submerged the mountain. Teru and Satoha could feel it rob their warmth, but they did not shiver, instead, welcoming the giant hands that swooped slowly down towards them with each turn. By the end, the hands fished out the moon.
"Tsumo, haitei raoyue, 3000/6000."
Menzen-tsumo, haitei raoyue, tanyao, 3 dora, a 6-han haneman!
First hanchan, South 2 - Dealer Tsujigaito Satoha
Yokohama Lodestars 120600
Saku Ferreters 98800
Nagano Evergreens 92600
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 88000
"We're dead last now," Hiroe commented again.
"As with how she played against Kainou-san, Miyanaga Teru-san is using her tiles to help her opponents against Miyanaga Saki. It's just..." Kyouko muttered. Kainou finished for her.
"Like with how she played with us, she no longer uses a win streak."
"Is her mirror really gone?" Shizuno asked. She certainly couldn't feel Miyanaga Teru's presence, very much unlike the 71st Interhighs. Akado Harue put her hand to her chin in deep thought.
"I asked her, but she said that the win streak has no direct connection to her mirror. She should be able to channel her luck even without the mirror ability."
"If we consider the mirror ability one of cognition, then it may be true that Teru-san can no longer read the wall or her opponent's hand so clearly. But when she says that she can still channel her luck, it probably means that she can still use it to influence her own draws and those of her opponents. Problem is, why isn't she winning at all then?" Kyouko wondered, then after some thought, she gasped, "Could it be...like..."
Shizuno widened her eyes, "Nelly Virsaladze?"
At that time, Miyanaga Saki's voice sounded again from the television. "Ron, chanta, 2-han 40-fu, 2600 points."
"Yes," Satoha answered. Saki's hand was way too fast. It was faster than Teru and she could interrupt. At least they kept losses to a minimum by limiting the time she could use to develop her hand to a bigger value...
First hanchan, South 3 - Dealer Amae Koromo
Yokohama Lodestars 118000
Saku Ferreters 98800
Nagano Evergreens 95200
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 88000
The moon was climbing high. The dice stopped and Koromo divided the wall. Upon receiving their tiles, they all felt the cool of ocean waters submerging them once more. The starting draw order would give Koromo the last tile - while this could absolutely stop even Miyanaga Saki's monstrous luck, this would also mean that Satoha and Teru would have zero chance unless they either switch the draw order, or complete their hand using the dead wall.
For now, let's just keep it this way - Satoha thought. Her hand was only at 3-shanten currently, and Koromo's power did not affect her reaching iishanten. Might as well do nothing about it so that Saki, who could sometimes start at tenpai, was kept from self-drawing the winning tile.
It seemed like Miyanaga Teru was doing the same, but whether that was to advance her hand to iishanten for the time-being, or was it simply to suppress Miyanaga Saki, Satoha had no idea. The suffocating atmosphere she induced during the 70th and 71st Interhighs was non-existent today, and true to Satoha's intuition, Miyanaga Teru had yet to win a hand. She had just been collaborating with Satoha and Koromo so far, playing critical tiles to influence the flow of the table occasionally, but didn't seem to be advancing her own hand.
What was she planning?
And whatever Miyanaga Saki was thinking, Satoha couldn't see it either. Satoha had made a call that would've switched the draw order, but Miyanaga Saki actually made an open kan of 9-wan to switch it back. The game meandered through the first two lines of discard, and Satoha had reached iishanten for a couple turns, still with no luck of moving into tenpai. She did feel a chance of interrupting Koromo's flood though. The call she had previously made was a pon of dora 5-wan off Miyanaga Teru early in the game, which was suspicious seeing as most would want to keep the tile. Now that she received the last 5-wan, a red five, she pondered whether that was Miyanaga Teru's intention - for her to add to the kan and draw a critical tile from the dead wall.
Should she do it or should she not? Maybe Miyanaga Teru was using her to take the rinshanpai, only to win off it when Satoha discarded. Or maybe Miyanaga Teru simply gave Satoha a second chance to change the draw order - waiting to call on the rinshanpai once Satoha made the discard?
Either way, it was probably better than Amae Koromo winning this hand, seemingly a large one, and dragging the game into her renchan.
"Kan," Satoha called, the sword in her mental world unsheathing with a gleam to disrupt Koromo. She put down the red 5-wan, about to push it to the side.
"Chankan."
But she couldn't stop Miyanaga Saki. Saki's hand fell onto the table, tile by tile.
"Chankan, shousangen, hon'itsu, yakuhai chun and hatsu, akapai dora 5-wan, triplet of kandora chun. Sanbaiman, 24000."
The reason why Miyanaga Saki did not opt for a fast hand immediately after Satoha's first call was to use Koromo's iishanten hell to limit Satoha and Teru, giving her time to develop her hand to a higher value? The kan she made maintained the draw order in which Koromo's power would be most active, and also revealed the kandora?
"What a move..." Satoha commented, handing over her points. She then cast a glance at Miyanaga Teru. Was it that Saki overcame even her expectations, or was this intentional on Teru's part?
First hanchan, South 4 - Dealer Miyanaga Teru
Nagano Evergreens 119200
Saku Ferreters 98800
Yokohama Lodestars 94000
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 88000
"The giant has toppled! The giant has toppled! For the first time since vanguard, Yokohama drops from its lead by a sanbaiman from Miyanaga Saki. The no-name team from Nagano has reached top place, and its prefectural neighbour, the Saku Ferreters, follows in second. The two largest cities in Japan falls to third and last place! How stunning! Is this revenge? Is this a message to us city-dwellers?"
"Nagano is a city! Saku is a city too!" Sukoya tried to calm Kyouko down, who was so pumped up that her leg was literally on the table as she yelled into the mic. The fans were loudly cheering from under the enclosed stage, and the Nagano Evergreen members were likewise excited.
"Saki-san really is amazing," Nodoka said. Hisa nodded.
"Yeah. While everybody else was using Koromo-chan's power against her, she harnessed it to her own favour." Hisa paused, looking at the screen that moved from Saki over to Miyanaga Teru, "But unlike last time we played with Miyanaga Teru-san, she didn't seem to be holding back to test something. Rather, her plays today may be...purposeful."
"You mean...that last hand too?"
They soon found their answer when Miyanaga Teru reached for the dice, and the moment her finger touched the button, a streak of lightning tore through the skies. Not just them, but Shizuno also snapped her head to the window upon feeling the tremendous power shoot through her. Awai, who was watching the game with Sumire from the stands, also gasped.
"That was...Teru, right?" Sumire asked. Awai nodded.
"It's that...gigigi thing. But I thought she could only use it from the top of the staircase...or is she already at the top now?"
"Without winning a single hand?"
It took a moment for Awai to figure it out, then she raised her head in comprehension.
"Remember the girl from Georgia?"
"You mean, Nelly Virsaladze?"
"Yeah. Like that girl. Teru is doing the same thing, using strategic play to control the scores so that the others are not too far from her reach, then when enough of her luck is stored..."
"Use it all at once."
And the players on the table also realized it. Normally Miyanaga Teru allocated her luck in a stepwise fashion, moving up a notch with each game till she reached the top of the staircase, from where she could exercise her ultimate power. But this time, she stored all this luck to expend at once - that was why she could use this power even without winning thus far.
"To shine not like the sun for billions of years, but to explode as a supernova? You have changed, Miyanaga Teru," Koromo noted as nine lanterns broke through the ground, one by one with each of Teru's initial draws in a tempest of raging winds. Satoha also recognized it.
"The power that calls nine of the kyuuhai to the starting hand. Aiming for a yakuman hand, huh? Are you underestimating us, Miyanaga?"
Saki only arranged her tiles, then closed her eyes in wait of the first discard. Teru did with a 9-pin.
Saki looked up to her, their eyes meeting for a brief second. But she quickly tore the gaze away, drawing, putting the tile into her hand, and discarding another.
"Pon," Satoha called. The draw order was switched and once again, the last tile would be Koromo's to draw. With the moon already over the buildings, shining from above, Koromo's ocean was instantaneous. The cold suffocation set in immediately, and it took Satoha three breaths before she could remind herself this was all an illusion.
"Is Koromo's moonlight brighter, or that of your sacred lanterns, Daughter of the Sun?" Koromo drew, then discarded. Teru just took in a tile, set it down, and discarded another.
It was Saki's turn again. In reality, she was already at tenpai, but Koromo's power prevented her from drawing the last tile. She knew a way of overcoming it, but just thinking of it gave her a searing pain. She was at a dilemma. Interrupt Koromo's power, and Teru could possible tsumo for a win. But if she did nothing, then Koromo was sure to win on the last tile.
So be it. Bomb the dealer with a large hand was probably a good idea either way. She broke up the 3-pin quad in her hand and dumped one of the tiles.
Satoha grinned, seeing that even Miyanaga Saki was following her plan. They all played uneventfully for the next few turns, trying their best to stay on the defensive while maintaining the draw order. There was no chance for Miyanaga Teru to call a tile, nor were the others calling her tiles. The flow on the table just moved sluggishly forward. After exhausting the 3-pin quad, Saki pondered her next discard. The tile she received was a 1-pin.
1-pin, the circular tile, the tile that looked like her sister's mirror, and the tile that symbolized unity.
Not just because it was a relatively safe tile seeing as no 3-pin remained, Saki tossed it out because she hated it.
"Kan."
It was her sister. Saki could feel the red string of fate tie them together with the call. Satoha and Koroma watched intently as Teru reached for the dead wall.
It was the west wind she wished for.
The nine tiles she summoned at the start of the game were three of east, three of south, and three of north. She knew the 1-pin and west wind that meant so much to her and her sister would come on their own accord.
She discarded a 7-sou sideways and placed a points stick on the table.
"Riichi."
Satoha's eyes went wide. Riichi? So Miyanaga Teru's hand wasn't that of a yakuman? It was true that she made a kan of 1-pin, so considering her usual play of favouring kokushi musou when she reached the top of the staircase, this would coincide with Satoha's guess that she wasn't aiming for a yakuman.
Saki chose to ignore the 7-sou, and drew and discarded as per usual. She could've made a call, but she decided not to. She wouldn't be fooled. Interrupting her sister's ippatsu? She did not believe it. With Koromo's power at its height, there was no way Teru could've sensed an incoming win. It was just a temptation for the others to change the draw order so Koromo's interference would be disrupted. If Saki really did make a call, Teru was sure to win.
Not so easy.
Satoha seemed to have thought of the same thing, also making a safe discard that had unlikely chances of being called for. Koromo drew and discarded, also uninterrupted. It was Teru's turn.
She reached forward. The winds swept all the water away. The lanterns shone with such brightness that each overshadowed the moon. It was blinding white, and like a feather, the tile she drew settled gently onto the table, drawing in all the light so that they could see again.
"Tsumo, Shousuushii, 16000 all."
Saki looked at the west wind, the tile that had also meant so much to her far back in time. The wind on the mountain, saturated with the scent of blooming flowers - the wind that belonged to them.
Why had the wind Miyanaga Teru cast away returned to her now?
"Koromo admits defeat. Your yearning for the caress of the west wind even exceeds Koromo's wish for the moon's gaze," Koromo said, handing over her points. Satoha also smiled and pushed the points sticks forward. Only Saki's expression remained stone cold, and it only hardened further when Teru put a hundred-points stick on the side.
First hanchan, South 4, first honba - Dealer Miyanaga Teru
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 136000
Nagano Evergreens 103200
Saku Ferreters 82800
Yokohama Lodestars 78000
"In one hand, Miyanaga Teru of Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins reversed the situation, moving her team from last place to first place! And she opts not to take a break to leave things till the second hanchan, instead trying to finish her prey off with a daring renchan! Will this be the beginning of her win streak? Is she unstoppable? The Monster Champion Miyanaga Teru is back!"
"Kouko-chan...you shouldn't be calling Miyanaga-senshu a monster..."
Then again, probably nobody was listening to what Fukuyo Kouko was saying anymore, as the loud hometown fans drowned out everything in the arena. Hiroe, too, had stepped up to the TV, nodding in approval.
"That's the champion we all know, eh? I'll give her 95 points."
"Lieutenant, would you please move aside? We can't see the screen," Kyouko answered.
"But that really was amazing, right Sensei?" Shizuno asked. Akado agreed.
"Indeed," she said, "But pressing for a renchan...I'm a little worried, actually."
"She stored her luck for eight hands in preparation for this. Would it not be wiser to give up on the renchan, take a break, and start over in the second hanchan?" Kainou said.
"But this feeling...I think there is something Miyanaga-san wants to say in the next hand..." Shizuno replied.
The game was beginning. Each tile she drew felt like lead to Teru. Though she tried to call her nine lanterns ability again, she only managed to call two of 1-pin and three of west. It would be fine, she thought to herself. The draw order was such that Koromo would not receive the last tile, so the pressure she exerted was weaker. Still, it took her all to defy Koromo's iishanten hell, and with one wrong move, Koromo's power could be aligned again and there would be no way she could overcome it.
1, 1, 5, 9-pin, 4, 7, 8, 9-wan, 1, 2, 3-sou, west, west, west. Discarding the 4-wan, Teru started her hand at iishanten for a chanta. It was Saki's turn. She discarded a 1-pin.
Teru's eyes widened. Should she take it or should she not? It was obvious that Saki was baiting her, seeing as if she took it, the draw order would favour Koromo, but could she really depend on her own power to retrieve another 1-pin?
She couldn't. Her vision was cloudy and sweat soaked her back. She could hardly sit straight anymore, her hands formed tight fists to prevent her fingers from shaking.
"Pon," she called weakly, taking the 1-pin. She then discarded the 5-pin to tenpai for 9-pin.
Saki drew and discarded again, followed by Satoha. Satoha sighed at how both Saki and Teru seemed capable of either starting their hands at tenpai, or reaching tenpai with any single lapse of Koromo's power. In the last hand, Teru even forcefully overcame the power at its strongest! Satoha, on the other hand, could do no such thing. Her hands were already quick, but she was always stuck at iishanten. If only she were a monster player too...
No, she couldn't think like this. Miyanaga Teru didn't look like she willingly cooperated with Miyanaga Saki to invoke Koromo's power this time. She might've been forced to do so. Was there any way they could collaborate to break this situation together?
Satoha made a discard of chun. She had a pair of chun and round wind, south. If she made an early discard, would that send out the message that she had a pair of another yakuhai?
It took a few turns, but a south wind finally came into Teru's hand. She slipped it into the river.
"Pon," Satoha called, taking the tile. The water that was up to their nose started draining much to her relief. Satoha discarded, then Koromo, Saki, and back to Teru. Just before her draw, she closed her eyes.
Please, listen to me, Kami-sama.
Give me back the memories I've once held so dear.
She reached forward with the last of her strength. And as per her prayers, the tile mountains answered her call.
What she had prayed for wasn't a 9-pin winning tile, but a west wind.
She nearly cried tears of joy upon seeing the tile in her hand, eyes watery while a smile lighted up her face. She flipped the tile over.
"Kan."
32-fu closed kan of honour tile.
The kandora indicator was flipped. The new dora was 1-sou.
When she won, it would be a 2-han 60-fu, 5800 plus renchan bonus 300, 6200 points hand.
She gazed at Saki, her crimson eyes no longer searing with deadliness, but just warm and loving.
She discarded the rinshanpai, knowing Saki's next draw would be her winning tile.
"Ron."
But that draw never came.
Saki's cold voice rattled through her system. She felt all strength drain from her.
"Tanyao, one dora, 2900."
Tokyo's Hirose Dolphins 133100
Nagano Evergreens 106100
Saku Ferreters 82800
Yokohama Lodestars 78000
"And so the first hanchan ends with a cheap 2-han 40-fu hand from Miyanaga Saki that only amounts to 2900 points even with the 300 points bonus! But to break the former Champion's famous win streak, any cheap hand is a valiant effort!" Kouko shouted.
"Although the way you say it sounds a little..." Sukoya was about to complain, but just ended with a sigh, "You are right, Kouko-chan. This first half has been very intense thus far. I think we can all look forward to how the second half will play out."
"And so the great Grandmaster Kokaji admits that she is too old to be a match for these young contestants!"
"I did not..." Sukoya's cries were cut off by the commercials.
Saki was first to get up, bowing silently to the others and then stepping down the stage.
Satoha sighed, then got up as well, "That was not the best hanchan I've played, but I'll reflect on it during the break. Expect more of me in the second hanchan, Miyanaga."
Koromo looked worriedly at the still sitting Teru, but seeing as even Satoha said nothing of her condition, Koromo decided not to make a mention of it either. She just nodded a "good game" to Teru and left as well.
The last hand was shocking, yes, but really, it wasn't that Teru didn't want to go back to the waiting room...she just couldn't.
Forcing herself to the very limits in the last hand, she no longer had the strength to even stand.
The lights above were blinding. Just staring at it made her nauseous. She closed her eyes, breathed in deep, feeling her hot breath escape with her exhale.
Too hot. Maybe she had a fever.
After a couple minutes, she finally managed to extricate herself from the seat. She tried her best to walk off the stage normally, closing the door on the one-way mirror wall that separated the stage from the audience, stepping down the long steps, through the aisles full of cheering crowds, and out into the cold halls outside the arena.
She had thought the cold would be welcoming, but it only made her shiver. She needed to sit down, but there were no seats here - she could just push on the wall to steady herself.
Still, the world whirled around her. She felt her eyes close without her permission, and her legs to fall.
Steps. Hurried steps. Running steps. In the split second before her fall, someone had closed the distance to catch her.
A familiar warmth. A familiar scent. It made Teru force her eyes open.
"Sa...Saki."
Whatever left of Saki's concern disappeared immediately as she pushed Teru against the wall with all her might. It took everything she had to not scream out the next words:
"What are you even doing here, Miyanaga-senpai?"
Despite Saki's glare, Teru reached up to brush her face, "I have something to tell you..."
"Something about connecting with the tiles again? You lost last time, Senpai."
"Even if I end up losing again, it'll be okay, so long as I get this message across."
So it wasn't even about winning. Then why was she trying so hard? Saki hated to admit it, but seeing Teru like this hurt...hurt far more than she wanted to think.
"If it's an apology, I don't need it. You did nothing wrong to begin with...Oneechan."
Saki squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling as she forcefully pressed her lips against her sister's. She felt her sister tremble beneath her, and when she let go, Teru slid to the floor.
"Now you understand, Oneechan. You did nothing wrong to run away from me, because the only reason I chased after you at that time...was for this."
She ground her teeth together, stopped her hands from reaching out by forming fists. Shutting her eyes from the person she loved most in this world, Miyanaga Saki turned and walked away.
(Dark!Saki/Teru story to be continued next time...)
