After some thought, I decide to ask her what has happened. In fact, I'm very skilled at moving against the flow of the crowd. I just need to... [player]Excuse me, please let me through... Thank you. [player]Coming through... Thank you. [player]Sir, can you let me through? You can keep going after that... Thanks. [player]Sorry... Excuse me... Ugh, don't worry about it... Even someone so determined and polite as I struggled quite a bit to get through the crowd, and my feet were stepped on several times before I finally arrive in front of Sara. When she sees my shadow in front of her, she raises her head and looks at me. [Sara]Oh, it's you. Are you happy with today's performance? [player]It was great, but it was a shame that Ciri didn't perform. [Sara]Ciri, huh... Sara sounds a little hesitant. It looks like Ciri is the reason why Sara's expression is like this today. Paying attention to my tone, I ask her tentatively about the situation. [player]Ciri didn't perform today. Did something happen to her? [Sara]No, she said she just needs to take some time off because of something that happened at the last minute, but... [player]But you're worried about her because that isn't what she would usually do, am I right? [Sara]Oh, since when did you start preemptively answering questions? [player]It was easy for me to guess because your expression makes it too obvious. [Sara]Am I that obvious? It looks like I'm letting my guard down too easily now after becoming more familiar with you, hehe. [Sara]What I'm worried about isn't that she suddenly needed to take leave. I'm worried because it made me think of a rumor I heard about recently in the troupe. [player]A rumor? [Sara]Yes. I guess it's alright if I tell you. You can even help me analyze the situation. [Sara]Recently, several members have told me that Ciri has been going to Countless Springs often. Although she said she couldn't perform today due to a last-minute reason, I'm worried that she has gone there. [player]Countless Springs... The name sounds familiar. I think I heard someone mention it... [Sara]Countless Springs is the largest geisha house in One Han City, as well as the residence of Kurone Toujou, one of the Four Greats. Hehe, I don't believe that you don't know about it. Sara's words remind me that I had heard Kaguyahime mention this place before, but she only said it was where Kurone Toujou lived without mentioning anything else. What is making Sara so worried? [player]I think she should be fine if she has just gone to Countless Springs. [Sara]It would be okay if it was anyone else, but since it's Ciri... You should know that although Countless Springs is also a place where people perform, it is a completely different world. [Sara]Countless Springs is a paradise for the rich. A ticket costs enough to pay for all the daily expenses of everyone in Soul. Even if we ignore how Ciri managed to get so much money to spend there for now, based on what I know about Ciri, she isn't interested in such pleasures and won't spend money in such a luxurious place. [Sara]That's why I'm worried... that someone might be threatening or blackmailing her. [player]Have you asked Ciri about it? [Sara]Of course I have, but... Ciri is someone who won't change her mind once it's made. I can see that she isn't willing to tell me what's really going on, but there's nothing I can do about it. Sigh... [player]Sara, is there anything I can do for you? [Sara]Well, you've already helped Soul a lot... Sara sighs deeply. She has sighed many times since I saw her today. After hesitating for a while, she pulls my sleeve gently. [Sara]Although I want to stick to my decision to not bother you, you are like timely rain right now for me and Soul. If it's possible, can you help us again this time? Sara's expression relaxes slightly after I nod in agreement, but this isn't a good place to talk as it is too hot. Sara brings me back to the venue. All members of the audience have already left, and the only person in the audience stand is Ryan, who is stuffing all the rabbits into his hat one by one. When he notices that we've come in, he cleverly runs over and sits on a chair next to us. [Ryan]It looks like you'll be staying here today to help us out today. Sara and I look at each other. Ryan guessed correctly, but there's nothing to hide from him since he knows what has happened. After that, Sara tells me what she thinks. [Sara]Although Soul is a touring troupe and most of its members are from other places, we have met customers from various industries who have come to watch our performances because we've become slightly famous in One Han City. One of these customers told me that I can go to Strix I want to know more about anything that I've encountered here in One Han City. [player]What's that? [Sara]It's the largest intelligence organization in One Han City. There's nothing they don't know or can't find out in One Han City. [player]Do you want them to investigate Ciri? [Sara]Actually, I'm not worried that she will do anything bad because she has always been very self-disciplined... Sara suddenly smiles, as if she has remembered something happy. [Sara]You can even say that I would be less worried if she really is just living luxuriously because that means she isn't in any danger and has learned to live more comfortably. [Sara]I just want Strix to find out if Countless Springs will bring any danger to Ciri and Soul. That's all. [Sara]If Ciri really is in any danger, she won't let us know and will even hide from us because she is afraid of implicating us. Sigh... [player]The way you're sighing makes you look like a parent who is worrying about their daughter during their rebellious phase. [Sara]That's actually not far off. After all, to me, Soul is a big family and I'm their parent. It's my duty and obligation to take care of each and every one of them. [player]That sounds tough. [Sara]But I also learn a lot from them. Haven't you also experienced that? [player]I guess so. Well, how can I contact Strix then? [Sara]I know how to contact them, but the troupe is going through a lot at the moment, and I need to deal with them. So... I'll have to rely on you who I trust the most to contact them for me. [player]The way you're asking me to help you makes you sound like an NPC giving out a quest in an RPG. [Sara]Haha, doesn't that mean I'll need to prepare some rewards for you? Hehe. [Ryan]Sara, I suggest that you give me to onee-sama as the reward. Onee-sama and I won't mind. [player]Hmm... I can consider it if you don't eat much. If you eat a lot, then that's not happening. [Sara]Hahahaha-- Although Sara is smiling the whole time during our conversation, this is the first time she has smiled from her heart today. Ryan and I look at each other and nod like we've come to some agreement when we see her looking more relaxed. [Ryan]But I'll go too if onee-sama is going. This organization sounds dangerous, and I don't feel at ease if onee-sama goes alone. [player]No, One Han City isn't a lawless place, and someone who is underage like you must be protected. [Sara]Haha, you're underestimating Ryan. The children here at Soul may be young, but they've been on tour with us since they were little, so they have a lot of experience with society. [Sara]Especially Ryan who is the most resourceful and creative among them. How else can he become Soul's head magician at his age? After listening to Sara's words, I turn my head to look thoughtfully at Ryan. [player]I thought I remember a certain someone saying they are just a child who doesn't know anything. [Ryan]Onee-sama, I didn't lie to you. I only know how to deal with bad people. In front of someone as kind, righteous, and brave like you, I need to do my best just to ensure that you don't dislike me... Ryan makes an innocent expression as he pours words of praise like they don't cost anything. I must admit that he has the glib tongue of a magician and can talk so smoothly that you'll forget how he just turned plain water into red wine. But I can't say no to him. Who wouldn't consider themselves an outstanding person? So, I've decided to bring Ryan along. It's not because he seems to be doing better than me in One Han City and I could use some help. Ryan asks Sara about the secret code and process that must be followed to contact Strix. Apparently, there's some form of contest involved, but Sara doesn't know what we'll encounter as it's them who decide how the contest will be carried out. This makes me feel nervous too. When I think about it seriously, this is the first time I've done something like this in One Han City. At this moment, I can't tell whether I'm anxious, excited, or looking forward to it. Relying on the information Sara gave us, Ryan and I come to the entrance of an ordinary dojo. It looks like a very ordinary dojo no matter how I look at it. The signboard at the door looks old. Its corners are damaged, and the words on it are missing a few strokes. But as the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving, and things can hide in plain sight. Maybe it looks completely different inside. After taking a deep breath, I push open the doors and enter. When I walk up to the cash register, I see a snowy owl decoration there just as Sara said. It looks adorable, but I wonder if it delivers acceptance letters. While I'm feeling bad for the snowy owl I've never met that has been lost for more than ten years, Ryan steps forward and presses the switch at the base gently. The snowy owl in front of him starts glowing with a milky white halo, which makes the waiter sitting nearby look at us and walk over. [Ryan]We want to have a contest. The waiter switches off the light of the snowy owl without saying anything and leads us past a hall with two or three tables of people playing games to a private room. The room is a fully enclosed space with no doors or windows other than the entrance. There are some yellowed calligraphy scrolls and paintings hanging on the wall, as well as a mahjong table and four chairs in the middle of the room. The waiter leaves after asking us to wait. [player]Judging from the situation, do you think the contest is a mahjong game? [Ryan]For all we know, it could be a mahjong solitaire game. Have you played those before? They are really fun, and I used to play them before learning how to play mahjong from onee-sama. After a few minutes, the waiter returns with two men. I recognize them as they were playing mahjong in the hall outside just then. They look like ordinary people you would see in the neighborhood and don't have other special characteristics. The waiter indicates for the four of us to sit at the mahjong table before explaining the contest to Ryan. Although I guessed that the contest may be a mahjong game, I didn't expect it to be a 2v2 mahjong game, and the challenger must finish in first place to qualify to meet the leader of Strix. After listening to the waiter's explanation of the rules, I feel really lucky that Ryan came with me, or else they would probably randomly select a Jyanshi around the same level to be my partner. 2v2 mahjong games are quite common in mahjong-themed manga, but most games played in real life are played individually. I'm not too confident in winning if we play like this, moreover... I turn my head to see Ryan looking at me innocently with wide eyes. I taught him how to play mahjong! And it hasn't been long since I taught him... Is it really possible for someone at my level to teach a mahjong prodigy? But we have no choice but to bite the bullet now. [Waiter]Among you two, who will be the challenger, and who will be the supporter? Ryan and I look at each other and can't decide immediately. The waiter seems to be used to this situation and suggests that we leave our fate to luck if we can't decide. After that, he picks up an empty glass bottle, places it on the ground between Ryan and me, and spins it hard... When the bottle stops spinning, I see that the mouth of the bottle is pointing at me. The waiter looks at me and then nods. [Waiter]It looks like you'll be the challenger for today. Although I want to complain that this way of making a decision is too hasty, I don't have any better solution. In short, I'll need to finish in first place no matter what if I want to meet the leader of Strix today. [Ryan]Don't worry, onee-sama. You just need to be confident in your own mahjong skills. Don't forget that I'm also here to help. Ryan notices that I'm nervous and pats my shoulder. His words actually do help me relax a little because I feel happy that I'm not fighting alone. Since things have come to this, worrying won't give me the luck I need to get a Blessing of Heaven or Thirteen Orphans to defeat the other players at the beginning of the game. Thinking too much will just make me more nervous, so I might as well take it step by step. The rules of the fast-paced East Wind round will apply to our contest. After the first East game starts, I think about it and decide to observe my opponents first. After all, it's public knowledge that there are many hidden experts in One Han City. These two friendly men who look like they are ordinary neighbors might end up with really high scores when they win. [Dojo Jyanshi B]Chii. The player opposite me has already started with Tile Calls soon after the game starts. I look at his style of play and find it a little confusing. Why is he calling Chii for 45 Pin? Is it just his style or what? [Dojo Jyanshi B]Chii. [Dojo Jyanshi A]Oh... Chii again after just one turn? Just this alone isn't enough to identify the opponent's style of play. After all, this is a team battle, and the player to my right is his teammate, which means his teammate can feed the tiles he needs to him. At this time, the player opposite me has already made two Tile Calls, and I can see South and White in his discarded tiles. Although we can't stop the player to my right from feeding tiles to the player opposite me because of our position, at the very least, we need to avoid playing tiles in a way to speed up their pace, such as by keeping this West in my hand... [Dojo Jyanshi B]Pon! While I'm thinking about how I can hold on to the West Wind in my hand, Ryan plays a West tile, which the player opposite me Pons. [player]Eh? [Ryan]Sorry, onee-sama... I-I shouldn't have played that tile? Ryan turns towards me slightly and asks me that after realizing something from the doubtful sound I made. [player]It's okay. You would eventually play the West Wind in your hand sooner or later. [player]Moreover, the Dora of this game isn't really related to Pin tiles. The player will get a Half Flush with the Seat Wind at most... I think. When I look at the open sequences of 345 Pin and 678 Pin in front of the opponent opposite me, I'm secretly glad that there aren't any other types of Yaku like Pure Straight or Half Outside Hand, to increase the points the opponent will get from a Half Flush or a Full Flush. But I haven't seen the red 5 Pin yet, so I can only pray that they don't have it. [Ryan]So will we be okay if we don't give them any Pin tiles? [player]The opponent played an Honor tile first and even played the tiles next to the Dora without any hesitation. He probably is going for a Half Flush or a Full Flush... so we better hold on to all our Pin tiles for now. However, the situation that followed was worse than we imagined. Before we can even start stacking the discarded piles, the opponent opposite me had already accumulated three open calls. Even if the player to my right decides to not let the other player win so easily in consideration of the total points, the player opposite me will have the chance to Tsumo soon. I look at my hand that's 2 tiles from Tenpai in front of me and sigh silently... It's so hard to master the essence of 2v2 mahjong. [Dojo Jyanshi B]Tsumo. 2,000, 3,900. After a few turns, the opponent opposite me plays a Tsumo and wins, ending the first East game. [player]He really did have the red 5 Pin... I've taken a look at everyone's point gap://nMe: 21,100; South Player: 23,000; West Player: 32,900; Ryan: 23,000. The current point gap is still within an acceptable range. As long as we don't have any accidents, it shouldn't be too hard for Ryan and me to seize our opportunities to win. But... According to the laws of the universe, when you least want an accident is usually when you have one. [Dojo Jyanshi A]Tsumo, dealer repeat, All Triplets--That's 4,000 from everyone. [player]I only have 5,000-point sticks left. Please give me 1,000 in change. I couldn't stop them from feeding tiles to each other even though I have my turn before them. They seem to have some kind of psychic connection and know what tiles they need. At this moment, I truly understand the difficulty of 2v2 mahjong. The point gap has grown further...//nMe: 17,100; South Player: 35,000; West Player: 28,900; Ryan: 19,000. Neither Ryan nor I have more points than we started with, whereas because the opponent opposite me has won the first East game, they will be able to maintain a safe lead in terms of points even with his team member getting a Tsumo. I need to think of something... [Ryan]Onee-sama, you look so serious right now. You're completely different from when you usually play mahjong. [Ryan]It's only the second game of the East round. We still have many chances to turn the situation around, so try to relax a little. [player]You're right. I seem to be a little too nervous. The point gap isn't so bad that we have no hope. I take a deep breath and try to calm down. Panicking is one of the worse things that can happen while playing mahjong. I just need to think of a way to reverse the situation now. The current point gap in East 2, 1 Repeat is://nMe: 17,100; South Player: 35,000; West Player: 31,200; Ryan: 16,700. Ryan unfortunately makes a deal-in that gives the opponent opposite him 2,300 points. But what's worse than losing the points is that the opponent on the opposite side is now in the dealer's position. We must do something in the third game of the East round, or else they keep collaborating with each other to make the difference bigger and bigger... [Ryan]Onee-sama you're frowning again. You look so cute. [player]Huh? [Ryan]Sigh... It looks like the mistake I made earlier had made you even more nervous. Please let me take care of you tonight to make up for it. [player]Is that something you should be thinking about right now? [Ryan]Hehe, I'm just joking. [Ryan]Onee-sama, don't think too much. Just play like you usually do. If you don't have any particularly good ideas, just put your trust in the opportunities I'll create for you. [player]Then won't all the pressure be on you? [Ryan]The best thing I can do for you is to share your load, onee-sama. If you feel uneasy, you can hug me for a full five minutes afterwards. [player]For some reason I don't feel uneasy now. I wonder why? I pat my cheeks after talking and joking with Ryan. He's right in the sense that I've only been thinking about what I should do since a while ago, but this is a game of 2v2 mahjong, and I've played mahjong with Ryan many times, so we should know each other's style of playing. [player]Ryan, I'll be relying on you then. Ryan smiles happily at me upon hearing my response. The new game is starting. I sort out my hand and take a look. It's neither too good nor too bad.//n233 Man, 688 Pin, 2268 Sou, West, White, Red, and the Dora is 1 Sou. In the first turn, I draw a North Wind tile that's a guest wind to me. It's not bad, but the development of my hand is a little tricky. I could aim for Seven Pairs, or I could aim for sequences... It'll just be slower. If I want to aim for triplets, it won't be that easy to get 2, 3, 6, or 8 from our opponents, so I'm nowhere near assembling All Triplets. [player]Sorry, can I think for a little longer? [Dojo Jyanshi A]That's okay. I'm starting to understand how to play 2v2 mahjong now, and my losses in the first few rounds are like the tuition fee I paid for this understanding. If you don't use special means such as secret signs, the key to working well with your teammate lies in how much information you can get from their discarded tiles. Also, when your hand is one that takes more time to win, a feasible tactic is to wait for the last tile needed to form a triplet, so the opportunity remains to disrupt the drawing order, let your teammate draw an extra tile, or feed yourself a tile. Due to our seating order, I'm the one who benefits from the tiles Ryan plays, so I need to find a way to help Ryan understand what I need from my discarded tiles. It isn't that I haven't considered putting pressure on our opponents by playing a Riichi, but based on the play style they just showed us, they will feed tiles quickly to try to end the game sooner, and if it's necessary, they will let one of them get to negative points just to end the game directly... [player]Sorry for making you wait so long. There are too many possibilities... I don't have the ability to foresee the future, so it's possible that overthinking things may distort my own play style. I'll discard the North Wind first to see what happens. In the fourth turn, I obtain a West Wind, and it somewhat relieves the restrictions of the Tile Call. My current hand is://n2337 Man, 3688 Pin, 2268 Sou, West, and West. I don't seem to be having much luck with building a sequence, but my Seven Pairs is only 2 tiles away from Tenpai. However, most of the tiles in my hand are in the middle range, and I don't have any Dora. Even if I form Seven Pairs, it won't be an ideal Tenpai hand. It's impossible for me to make any Sanshoku combinations now because I'm missing too many tiles... According to normal tile efficiency, my best option is to discard the 3 Pin, but after thinking about it for a while, I finally decide to discard the 7 Man instead. I remember someone telling me about the superstition regarding Seven Pairs. When trying to assemble Seven Pairs, the two tiles that act as the Suji will attract each other, making them easier to get... How can I believe in that something like that at this moment? Everything I've done so far is to keep the 6 Pin so I can use it as bait later on to trick my opponents into playing a 3 Pin when I can almost play a Riichi! [Dojo Jyanshi A]So are you the type that likes to think through everything carefully when you play mahjong? [player]I've got to think of something at this stage in the game... Hold on, that 8 Pin... I fall deep into thought while looking at the 8 Pin discarded by the opponent on my right. At this stage, even if I Pon this 8 Pin, it won't change the Tenpai of my hand, and there's a high chance that I'll be restricted to making All Triplets if no one plays West Wind later in the game. With my hand, I'll need more than 2 useful tiles to get Tenpai with All Triplets. Once another player makes a Riichi, the unrelated tiles in my hand will not help me stop them from winning. But... the player on my right seems to have glanced at his teammate's discards before playing this 8 Pin. If he is intentionally feeding this 8 Pin, the power of their teamwork again will be on display again if I don't interrupt them. [Ryan]Onee-sama, trust your instincts. Do what you think is right. [player]What if I'm wrong? [Ryan]Didn't I just tell you? When you don't have any particularly good ideas, just believe in me. [player]Okay... then.
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