PLEASE HEAD OVER TO THE "Falter" REMAKE INSTEAD.
This chapter has some mahjong in it, but it's not particularly mahjong-heavy.
As promised, the newbie-friendly 'mahjong crash course' post is now up and accessible from my homepage. I suggest you read it first if you don't know much about the game. There's the full version of the post, and a shortened, bare minimum version for lazy people as well.
Even lazier people, just keep reading.
((P.S. More knowledgeable people, please feel free to let me know about any mistakes in the mahjong, even though there isn't much game content this chapter.))
"Oh, darling! Miss me?"
"Ever... so much," Hisa said.
"So aren't I getting my hello kiss?"
"Not on your life," she said promptly. Hisa sat down in the empty Kiyosumi resting room and made herself comfortable. "So it went well, I take? You're being too giddy and silly to have make-ups."
"Bingo. I'm a free woman!"
"Don't you still have cram school?" teased Hisa.
"Let's not worry about the little details, please."
Hisa smiled into the receiver. "Should I call you careless or carefree, you think?"
"Hey, don't act like you're any better," Miyuki prodded. "You'd do the same."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Unfortunately for you, I'm going to be extremely productive the next few days. While you," Hisa smirked knowingly, "are going to bum around playing Monster Hunter on your PSP."
Miyuki ignored the jibe. "You, productive? As if."
"Want me to call till you answer when I get up at six?"
They both knew she could make good on that threat. While she wasn't a morning person by nature, her sister had always found her annoyingly energetic in the mornings when they had to wake up early.
"Well, let's see you do that when I come over."
"In that case, I'd just wake you the good old fashioned way... or I could sic the little tyke on you."
"That's playing dirty! No third parties allowed, no matter how cute they are."
"Hey, all's fair in love and war — you'll accept it in lieu of that hello kiss, won't you?" Oh yeah, paybacks. "And you know she has undying loyalty to her Hii-nee-chan, so you can't bribe her into a counterattack on me."
"Let's see how that undying loyalty holds up against candy."
"While you do make a good point, you seem to have forgotten a minor detail — I wake up earlier than you. You just can't win, Miyu."
Miyuki growled, "I'd hit you if I could..."
"But you can't," Hisa grinned from the safety of the distance that separated them. She thumbed through the nationals data that Kajiki-san gave her earlier that day and shifted her cell phone. "So, have you started packing yet? Dad'll get on your case if you don't."
"Don't remind me. He's already on my case."
"You better pack properly this time and bring enough clothes, 'cause you're not wearing mine again," Hisa said unsympathetically.
"Hey, it was an accident! How was I supposed to know that red stains?"
"And that is why," Hisa said solemnly, "little princesses who've never done the laundry should never mix their clothes with mine."
"It's not my fault I don't..."
"Yeah, I'm sure you're being forced not to do chores."
"You're nagging more than dad," muttered Miyuki. "It wasn't on purpose anyway..."
"What was that, you little punk? Do you even know how hard it is to remove red?"
"It's over already, isn't it? And anyway! Nee-chan, have you made progress?"
"With what?" Hisa narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the non sequitur and Miyu's sudden change in tone. She knew better than to think Miyu meant anything related to the training camp.
"Your love life, of course," she said brightly.
That. But of course. Miyu was bringing it up just to divert her attention and to gain the upper hand, she knew. It was an area she had few comebacks for, after all.
Still.
"You know it's only been a week since then," Hisa said drolly.
"My goodness, are you suggesting my flaming, skirt-chasing sister needs more than a week to snag a girl or two or three?"
"If you weren't my loveable, oh-so-innocent kid sister —" Hisa began.
"What? It's an all-girls training camp, isn't it?" she said innocently. "You can go all out."
"— I'd smack you right about now."
—
Her throat was parched.
After the three-hour break ended, they gathered everyone together to update them on the new schedule and matches. Then they played game after game with variable time for breaks in between. Some matches finished up faster than others — like ones with players who specialised in winning off small, quick hands — while others took longer, whether because of four cautious, evenly matched players or because of stronger members maintaining their dealer position endlessly.
When she had extra time waiting for the other matches to finish up, she had, out of interest and out of a sense of duty as the Kiyosumi club president, covertly checked the ongoing games to see various player dynamics. If not that, she spent the time on after-game discussions at her own table by comparing tactics and trading advice with the other three players.
It was also probably the reason why she felt more tired than the others. By the time the scheduled matches came to an end, Mako, Nodoka, and Saki all still seemed fine, while Yuuki was as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as ever, talking feistily with Ryuumonbuchi's Inoue. Yuuki seemed to get along very well with Inoue Jun in her typical rambunctious way, while the taller girl was either surprisingly patient or surprisingly childish with Yuuki, responding in kind, much like Suga-kun's antics with Yuuki. Hisa couldn't tell which of the two categories Inoue fell under, but Ryuumonbuchi's members seemed, she decided, fairly interesting people in their own right.
And now, as she stifled a yawn, if she weren't so tired, she'd hit the hot springs again for a nice, long soak. Hisa fingered her hair for a bit, and decided getting her hair wet just before bed was probably a bad idea as well. She suppressed a small sigh at the thought of denying herself a trip to the hot springs, and decided to postpone it to a later time.
But what she really needed now was a refreshingly cold drink to quench her thirst. The fruit milk Yuuki got earlier didn't seem half bad, but with the way her throat was, she'd settle for anything cold. She jingled the coins in her hand as she continued walking down the corridor toward the vending machine.
As she rounded the corner, she saw Kajiki-san in front of the vending machine making a selection. The sight of her reminded Hisa of the nationals data she was given earlier. With the preparations and Miyu's phone call and everything else, she barely had any time to breathe, much less look through it in detail.
Seems like she'd have to change her selection from fruit milk to coffee, if the vending machine had any. Now that she was reminded of it, there was no way she could rest without looking at some of the game records first.
As she got closer, she called out in greeting. "Kajiki-san!"
Yumi turned at the voice. "Ah, Takei. It's you."
"Hey. Getting a drink?"
"Yeah." Yumi held up a can of juice. "You?"
"I'm dying of thirst — getting some nice, cold coffee." Hisa skipped over the water, tea, and juice sections to look over the selection of coffee drinks, and zeroed in on the Georgia Emerald Mountain Black. She glanced at the coins in Kajiki-san's hand and asked, "Are you still choosing, though?"
"Go ahead. I'm having trouble deciding."
"Alright. Thanks." She might've insisted on letting Kajiki-san go first another time, but she was too thirsty to care now. Hisa stuck three coins into the slot in succession and waited for the amount to register on the little red screen. She selected the coffee, and picked up her can from the dispensing slot at the bottom.
The can was deliciously cool against her palm, and she couldn't resist pressing the can against her face for a moment before cracking it open. And guzzling down its contents.
It earned her a chuckle from the girl in front of her.
"You weren't kidding about dying of thirst, I see."
Hisa stopped chugging down the coffee to take a breath and shook the can slightly from side to side. It was over two-thirds empty. "Sure wasn't. I'm wondering whether I should get another one." She sipped her coffee more slowly. "You buying for someone else? Or are you really thirsty too?"
"For someone else — Kanbara, actually. I think she was waiting for me to get a drink the whole time." Yumi quirked the corner of her mouth into a half-smile.
"Wish I'd done that too. What's being club president without a few perks?" Hisa asked astutely with a grin. "But what seems to be the problem? Didn't she tell you what she wanted?"
"She did, but..." Yumi arched her eyebrow. "I brought 240 yen, and this," she said holding up her juice, "cost me one thirty."
"You could get the water?"
"She said she was fine with anything but water." Yumi looked from her can to the vending machine again. "I don't mind drinking water and giving Kanbara the juice, but I was going to share with someone."
"That is a bit troublesome."
"I was wondering whether I should go back and get another ten when you came."
"Or," Hisa suggested, "you could take the ten from me." She held out a bronze coin.
"Now it sounds like I told you all that so you'd offer it to me," Yumi said a bit regretfully.
"From someone generous enough to give me the data she collected for the nationals? I don't think so." Hisa smiled. "Here, take it."
Yumi took the coin. "Thanks."
"No problem." Hisa finished the rest of her coffee and waited till Kajiki-san bought a second can of juice before she stuck a few more coins into the vending machine. A caffè latte this time, maybe? She didn't particularly feel like downing two cans of pure black coffee at night.
Yumi saw Hisa make her selection. "Aren't we starting at seven tomorrow? I heard from Kanbara."
"Yeah." Hisa picked up her coffee and cracked it open. "And I have to be up by six at the latest."
"Then why..."
"The nationals data you gave me," Hisa said with a grin. "I'll pull an all-nighter if I have to, but I do want to look through it."
"Have I unleashed a monster?"
"Maybe. Are you going to take responsibility for it?" Hisa took a large swallow of the caffè latte.
"I'd sponsor your coffee addiction, but as you know, I'm strapped for cash right now."
Hisa tapped her can thoughtfully. "You know, I have an even better idea."
"Yeah?"
"How about playing a game or two together tomorrow? I was planning on finding powerhouse players, and I got to say," Hisa said, "Tsuruga's team tournament captain intrigues me."
"Really?" Yumi said with a small laugh. "I heard she mostly has very orthodox play."
"You're right about the mostly." She faced Kajiki-san. "I checked your game records in the earlier rounds, and your moves were very orthodox then. But the chankan and chiitoi in the final game were something else entirely."
"While I'd like to say I'm just being modest, those really were lucky coincidences."
"Coincidences can be aided by little pushes in the right direction, don't you think?" Hisa said lightly. "And I had trouble figuring you out during the individuals, too."
Yumi maintained eye contact with Hisa for a moment before she closed her eyes. "Okay, you got me, I'm in. I'm interested in your playing style as well. I just hope I won't disappoint."
"Don't worry, it's bound to be a good game. I'll find you tomorrow night, if that's alright. Do you mind starting late?"
"No, I'm fine with that."
"Great."
"Well, I should get going," Yumi said. "My hands are a bit numb from holding these drinks. See you tomorrow?"
"Right, see you. Good night, Kajiki-san."
"Good night. Don't stay up too late." Yumi turned to leave but stopped after a few steps. "And one more thing —"
"Mm?"
"Call me Yumi, will you? It makes me feel like I shouldn't use casual if you call me 'Kajiki-san'."
Hisa smiled. "Alright, but only if you call me Hisa."
"Deal. Good night, Hisa."
"Good night, Yumi."
—
Hisa had noticed the inconsistency in Amae Koromo's mahjong from her various game records, which was especially apparent between her performance in the qualifiers and from the year before. Without a doubt, she was a national-level monster capable of dealing unspeakable damage, but the unaccounted for discrepancy had left her curious.
Hisa regarded Amae Koromo with interest. For a girl barely a year younger, she was inarguably childlike in nearly all respects. She looked no older than twelve, and her general mannerisms put her even further on the lower range.
And yet...
"We acknowledge your valour in challenging us, head of Kiyosumi," Koromo said with her arms crossed. "But the moon wanes at present, and lessens much of our power." She cast her eyes downward and gave a small frown. "We are not the same Koromo that your rinshan user faced a fortnight ago."
While Koromo sounded like she was either on a high horse or from another century entirely, Hisa felt a momentary rapport with the girl in front of her. Hisa failed to understand the reason behind it, but she was certain that Koromo's expression echoed the looks Acchan would occasionally give when she was afraid to disappoint.
She tried to stop herself comparing Amae Koromo to a three-year-old, but she couldn't shake the feeling. Reaching out, she patted her on the head lightly. "Hey, don't worry about it — we're all here to have fun, right?"
Koromo's expression softened and she peered up to ask, "Really?"
"You bet."
In preparation for the nationals, she did want to play against a top-form Amae Koromo, but it was fine this way. Disappointing a kid and hurting her feelings seemed a little too much.
She pet her again.
Koromo leaned into the touch for a moment before she caught herself. "Stop petting me!" she protested huffily. "I'm not a kid — I'm Koromo, you know!"
Hisa gave her hair one last ruffle before withdrawing her hand. "Sorry," Hisa said unconvincingly. "How old are you again? Are you sixteen or seveteen right now?"
"Sixteen and ten months old," she said with a bit of a sulk.
"Your birthday's in September, huh? I was born pretty late in the year too," Hisa said idly as she slid open the door and ushered Koromo in. She sneaked another pat to her head.
Hisa walked in last and greeted both Fukuji-san and Yumi quietly, as there were four others playing late. Since everyone was in their yukata, it felt suitably summery and training camp-like. The sleepiness and fatigue that had plagued her throughout the day — as she only got one hour of sleep — seemed to disappear in an instant. The thought of playing against such opponents energised her much more than any coffee could. Still, she bought another can of coffee earlier as insurance. It earned her a smile from Yumi, who tapped under her own eye briefly.
Most likely to indicate the growing dark circles under her eyes.
Hisa rubbed her eye bags briefly with the onset of another yawn. However energised she may be, the thought of dark circles and sleep deprivation could only cause more tear-inducing yawns. She inhaled and exhaled deeply to clear her head and took the last available seat, across Fukuji-san.
"Thanks for waiting," Hisa said as she saw the five face-down tiles. Everyone drew their tile without much formality, with Yumi drawing both east and the haku. She herself drew south. The three of them stood to exchange seats while Yumi stayed seated; Hisa picked up her coffee to take with her across the table. With the new seating arrangements, she still sat next to Yumi, only with her on the left now instead. Fukuji-san was on her right, while Koromo sat across. Only Fukuji-san would have to watch out for chis from Koromo. But luckily, out of them three, Fukuji-san was probably the most perceptive in reading discards.
And although Koromo had inconsistent performance, Hisa noticed that she rarely won in the first few hands. It would be a good chance to try and secure some points before Koromo hit them with her frightening play. Hisa hoped she'd get east or south to start off; a chance as dealer early on would allow her to deal to a decisive blow with quick and relatively cheap hands.
Yumi rolled a six and Hisa broke the wall in a fairly good mood. The odds for being dealer was a little better than one in four for her so it wasn't particularly exceptional, but with her odd brand of luck — or unluckiness, depending on how one looked at it — a start such as this was a good omen indeed.
Hisa then broke one stack of two from the wall on her right and flipped the dora indicator — a 5 wan. She ordered her tiles, and was pleased to note the two east tiles and the 6 wan in her hand. She had three or four of each suit, so she doubted she'd be able to go out on a really big hand. As long as she could protect her dealer position, even a trash hand or two didn't matter. But this hand was nothing to sneeze at — it'd be worth 7700 at least; she could feel it. A surge of adrenaline rushed through her as she discarded a north from her hand.
The game was on.