TAICHI
Chihaya and I knelt on the tatami as we waited for our partners to collect the card sets from the storage shelf. It was a spacious room, originally intended as a music room apparently, and had an abundance of tall windows. As I stretched my arms and shoulders, I could hear the murmurs of its occupants buzzing around me.
"She's going to play the guy who beat her at Nationals."
"The hot guy from the other high school."
"Why is Coach letting her play him again? He beat her pretty badly."
"Hope I get a chance to play him. I wouldn't mind losing to that gorgeous face."
"Rion needs to get taken down a few notches. I hope he beats her even worse than last time."
"I don't know why she's the new captain anyway—no one likes her."
Whoa, this school doesn't have much team spirit. Is this what happens when your club gets big and successful?
I glanced at Chihaya. Her face was slack, but her eyes glowed. Clearly she was smitten with the idea of a club having so many members. Our club seemed kind of pitiful in comparison, with our seven oddball members and part-time advisor and dusty storage building we have to share with the concert band. But at least we support one another as a team. More than that, we'd become friends.
Yama-chan returned and knelt before me without making eye contact. I watched as she spread the cards out before us, either oblivious to or ignoring the nasty glances directed her way by many of her teammates. She moved gracefully, mixing and dividing the cards with practiced ease. Her bobbed hair with its unusual copper hues framed a heart-shaped face and accentuated her big amber eyes. She was attractive without trying to be, kind of like Chihaya.
She looked up suddenly and caught me watching her. A blush stained her cheeks and she hastily returned to placing her cards.
As I set about positioning my own cards, my mind replayed her flush. I hadn't meant to embarrass her, but the pink tinge in her cheeks made her even more attractive. There was something heady about knowing I could evoke such a reaction despite the hard shell she normally maintained. What's going in on her mind anyway? In one day she's given me the cold shoulder, glared at me, and blushed for me.
I gave myself a mental shake. Focus! Everyone's watching to see if I can beat her again or if it was just a fluke.
Casting aside my errant thoughts, I reviewed what I knew of her. Her hands were strong and showed calluses, so I could assume she had years of experience to guide her. I'd heard that her grandmother was a high level reader, and I'd seen for myself the reality of her heightened game sense. She wasn't Master Suo as I'd feared, but her play was similar to Chihaya's in her first year of high school…unbeatably fast on certain cards, but lacking accuracy and strategy.
Coach Sakurazawa called an end to the memorization time and I leaned back on my heels, loosening my back muscles once again. Yama-chan looked up at me from beneath her lashes, sullenly, but with a hint of fear. Apparently the sting of losing to me in the finals was not forgotten.
Down to it then, I thought and prepared myself for battle. The first card was on my side and I was ready. The second card she took before I fully understood the first syllable. Her speed was alarming and I had to remind myself to be patient. One card at a time.
Chihaya was playing next to me, and I noticed that she and Yama-chan tended to win the same one-syllable cards; clearly, their game sense was unbeatable on those.
Just let those go. Protect what I can. Be patient.
Because she reacted so hastily, I decided to try something. Could I draw her into making faults by feinting early toward multi-syllable cards on her side? It was a gamble. Sometimes the card I targeted really was the one being read; but when it wasn't, my strategy paid off. She was moving too quickly and couldn't stop before touching the wrong card. I then took the correct one a few beats later and sent her yet another multi-syllable card. Each time I did this her face grew a little more frantic.
Still, her speed forced me to move quickly as well, whether I was covering or feinting or crossing back after a feint. It was excellent practice for me, and without the pressure of the Class A title hanging over my head, I could finally relate to what Chihaya was always saying about a close match being especially fun.
When the match passed the halfway point, I began the process of mentally reviewing the remaining cards on the field against the dead cards yet to be read. Coach Sakurazawa showed up about this time and watched over my and Chihaya's shoulders. She began to quiz me after certain plays.
"Mashima-kun, why did you move on the first syllable that time?"
"Because 'While autumn' had already been read, so I knew I could take 'While the autumn' before hearing the next syllable."
"Ayase-san, Rion, did you hear that? Do you understand how Mashima-kun uses his memorization to narrow the playing field?" She repeated the lesson several times, occasionally questioning Chihaya's partner instead, since she employed techniques similar to mine.
Rion looked even more panicked now that she realized how I'd been using my mental strength against her. It was too late in the match for her to begin counting cards, so she was left second guessing every multi-syllable card. She still had eight cards on her side when I passed her my last.
"Thank you for the match," she said quietly as we bowed. If possible, she looked even more dejected than after the Class B finals. I felt pleased. I'd performed well and felt solid, even in the face of her daunting speed. It also felt good to prove that my win at the tournament was deserved.
Coach Sakurazawa continued to quiz Chihaya on whether certain cards had been read, and her match ended with only a three card differential. When the other matches concluded, the coach returned.
"So, Ayase-san, Rion, you understand you must work harder on memorization." They nodded tiredly. "And Mashima-kun?"
"Yes?"
"You rely on it too much. How many practice strokes do you begin with each day?"
"How many?" I'd only recently begun incorporating practice swings into my play at all.
"You should be doing at least 300 practice strokes a day. At full intensity. You need to build your muscles and your stamina if you want to be fast enough to beat opponents with good game sense."
I remembered Arata saying something similar after we watched Master Suo in January. "Right," I agreed, determining to follow her prescription.
Coach Sakurazawa moved off and I returned my gaze to Rion, who had been stacking the cards. She was searching my face intently.
"You can remember which cards have been read? For all 100 cards?" she asked. Her face revealed nothing.
"Yeah." I waited for her reaction.
"You must be very smart," she observed evenly.
It was strange, being in a place where you had no reputation preceding you. Everyone at Misuzawa knew my name from the top of the class list every semester. But no one knew me here; well, except Chihaya, but a quick glance confirmed that she was in the middle of a power nap.
I met Rion's cool gaze. How to answer without sounding totally arrogant? "Coach Sakurazawa seems to think you're capable of it as well."
Rion looked down at her hands. That compelling vulnerability was peeking out again. "Coach has high standards," she mused. Looking up again sharply she said, "I will do my best."
I blinked in surprise, struck by the determination in her face. Such a soft face, with rounded cheeks and chin, but the hard set of her mouth and eyes reminded me of Chihaya's own stubborn expression.
I couldn't help but smile at the resemblance. "Good." Her eyes grew wide and she leaned away. I realized I'd been staring and decided to stand. She stood as well and I tried to put things back on an even keel. "So what kind of memorization techniques have you been taught?"
She described several as she accompanied me to where I'd left my water bottle and bag in a chair by the wall. We continued to compare notes as I followed her to her belongings and she sipped on a juice box.
"Rion," a girl with long, black hair interrupted us to tease her. "You're fraternizing with the enemy!" She sent me a flirtatious smile.
Another girl joined our growing circle, her eyes flashing with mischief as she said, "Have you learned all his secrets?"
Rion, to her credit, remained collected—although I guessed the sudden dabbing at her face with a towel might have been invented to hide her flushed cheeks. A protective impulse rose up in me and I was opening my mouth to change the subject when her voice rang out, firm and unapologetic. "There are no secrets here. He's a well-balanced player who's only going to get better." Her frank gaze turned to mine. "I'd be surprised if anyone can beat him at finals next summer."
Wow. That was unexpected.
Her honest appraisal made me feel warm inside. I'd spent the past year chasing Chihaya's goal for me. And it felt like she'd believed in me, believed that if I just worked hard enough for long enough then I would be able to achieve Class A.
But this was different.
This girl seemed to see a future me that was inevitable. She didn't just see what I might become; she saw something in me that was already growing, already expanding to become stronger and better. Could she really see that after playing me only twice? Or was it just flattery?
My eyes slid over the impressed looks of the other girls and returned to Rion. Her amber eyes sparked and her chin was lifted in a slight show of defiance, yet her cheeks held a pink tinge. Not flattery, then. But why was she blushing?
An authoritative alto voice came from behind me. "Rion's right," Coach Sakurazawa said. "Mashima-kun played ten matches in two days at nationals this year, and he never lost."
I hadn't thought of it, since I was so focused on the team winning and then on making Class A, but she was right. It was a worthy accomplishment.
I wonder what Mom did with that trophy… I thought dryly.
"Ah," our instructor continued, her eyebrow raised in an expression of wry amusement. "I can see that went right to your head. Well, Mashima-kun, let's have you play Yamai next. Rion, you'll play Ayase-san."
Rion's eyes sparked again, eager for a re-match with the girl who'd bested her. So like Chihaya…
Speaking of Chihaya, I'd better check on her. I spotted her still slumped on the tatami, a cluster of guys standing nearby and shooting worried looks in her direction. I picked up the Daddy Bear bag from the chair next to mine and walked over to her prone form.
"Oi, Chihaya, time to wake up." I dropped the bag next to her head but she didn't move. "Chi-hayaaa." I knelt and gave her a shove.
"Is she okay?" a masculine voice came from above. Yamai-kun.
"She just does this. It must take a lot of concentration to use her left hand instead of her right, so she's probably more worn out than usual." My heart squeezed a little as I thought of it. I brushed her hair back from her forehead, then realized I'd better play off the affectionate gesture. I pushed the silky locks behind her ear, then leaned in and called, "Shinobu-chan!"
She sat up instantly, barely missing my head, and frantically looked right and left.
I heard Yamai's laughter from behind me. "Impressive!" He was interrupted by some girls who flirted with him and requested he do a trick for them. It was a strange dichotomy here—the razor-sharp focus while playing a match followed immediately by social frivolity completely unrelated to karuta. I wondered if it was due to their size or if our own club was warped by the infectious nature of Chihaya's obsession.
Her confused gaze finally gave up searching for the Queen and landed on me. "Here," I said, picking up her bag and waving it in front of her. "I think you need some chocolate." She nodded and took it from me. As she found her water bottle and candy stash I filled her in on Coach Sakurazawa's pairings.
"Are you feeling alright?" I asked solicitously. "If you need a break, I'll speak to Coach Sakurazawa for…."
"No!" she interrupted me. More calmly she reiterated, "No, I want to play Yama-chan." Her eyes grew unfocused and she absently reached her right hand over the playing field, no doubt reaching for an unseen card. I caught her wrist and brought her arm back to her lap. "Remember what the doctor said." My fear made it sound angry.
"Right." She deflated. Just as suddenly she grabbed both sides of her head. "Aaargh! This is so frustrating."
Rion walked up and knelt across from Chihaya. She bowed and held the position while she meekly intoned, "I'm very sorry to have caused you trouble, Ayase-san."
"Oh, no, it was my fault," Chihaya reacted instinctively. "I'm just sorry that I can't give you my best match today." Rion's head came up at that. She was hard to read, but it seemed like she understood and agreed with Chihaya's sentiment. Two of a kind.
"But do you know what?" Chihaya continued, now bubbling with excitement. "I learned so much from playing left-handed about how to defend against left-handed opponents. It's completely different from right-handed karuta! Did you know the Queen is left-handed by the way? Anyway, when you're playing with your left hand…." I'd heard this lesson at least twice, so I decided to go get the cards and find Yamai. Rion's eyes followed me as I stood and walked away.
I picked up a box of cards just as Coach Sakurazawa called for us to take our places. Yamai fell into step beside me as I made my way back toward the girls.
"Ayase-san looks very familiar," he mused. "Isn't she a model?"
"That's her sister," I clarified.
"Ah, I see. But she is really pretty, isn't she? I suppose she has guys lining up to confess to her at your school."
An exasperated laugh escaped. "Not exactly," I said. The words 'beauty in vain' echoed through my head. "Our school doesn't really get the whole karuta thing."
"So she's not dating anyone," he observed.
I frowned.
Laying a hand on his shoulder, I pulled us to a halt. "Don't even bother," I said, looking him squarely in the eye. "Her only love is karuta."
Arata's face flashed before my eyes.
Or maybe not.
I'd promised Kana-chan that I'd try harder. I needed to remember that this trip wasn't just to improve our skills. My mind ran ahead, looking for ways to make the most of this time we had as a pair.
Yamai sat next to Chihaya, so I took the spot beside Rion. Her head turned at the movement and, recognizing me, a tiny smile of welcome lit her face. It was so unusual to see her express emotion that I couldn't help feeling gratified.
"Let's do our best," I said with my own smile of encouragement. She nodded, her eyes never leaving mine.
"Are you gonna pass out the cards or what?" Yamai's disgruntled voice broke through.
