[Shiroko]*stomach growling*
[Hoshino]*yawns* Guess we ought to eat, huh?
By the time Hoshino and Shiroko finished exploring the school, it was nearly time for lunch.
The hall was filled with the tantalizing scents of home-cooked food wafting from a nearby classroom that had been converted to a restaurant for the festival. The sounds of students enjoying tasty treats procured from the various vending booths outside floated in through the windows. Naturally, their stomachs growled in hunger.
Hoshino and Shiroko were desperate to continue exploring, snack in hand, but they had a big problem.
[Hoshino]We need to get our hands on some of those food tickets if we want to eat. Let's split up and look for them.
[Shiroko]All the game booths here are full... I'll try somewhere else.
[Hoshino]Oh, yeah, I heard we could play mini games to earn food tickets. How fun is that?!
[Hoshino]The only problem is, all the lines are huge. What if we don't get anything before lunch is over? Maybe we should take a break until more people have finished...
[Shiroko]Hey! I found a booth with no line!
[Hoshino]Nice! Let's go there.
Hoshino followed Shiroko to the third floor where a new booth had just opened up. Unfortunately, it was packed with students by the time they got there.
[Hoshino]Sounds like... Yep! Should've know it'd be mahjong.
[Shiroko]Mahjong?
[Hoshino]Yeah, have you ever played, Shiroko?
[Shiroko]No. Only watched.
[Hoshino]Hm, well, the rules are a little tricky, but I can teach you.
[Ichihime]Next customer, nyaa!
Hoshino pondered where best to start explaining the rules until the pair in front of them finished their game. As she and Shiroko took their seats, the two sized up the booth runner.
Sensing Hoshino's appraising stare, the booth runner grinned to reveal a sparkling set of feline teeth. A red ribbon pinned to her chest read, "Beat Ichihime at mahjong to win food tickets, nyaa!"
[Hoshino](Ichihime... That must be her name.)
[Ichihime]Welcome to my mahjong booth, nyaa! Now that we have enough people, let's get started!
[Shiroko]Wait a minute! I thought you needed four people for mahjong.
[Ichihime]We're playing three-player mahjong today, nyaa! East Wind rounds with no extension to South.
[Hoshino]Hm, I've never seen three-player mahjong before. And my friend here has never played mahjong at all. Would you mind explaining the rules?
[Ichihime]Sure thing, nyaa!
Ichihime gave the pair a brief rundown, knocked down mahjong tiles, grabbed a few, and placed them in front of Shiroko.
[Ichihime]Three matching tiles are called a Triplet. Three consecutive tiles in the same suit are called a Sequence. If you complete a set with any combination of these two, it is called a Mentsu, nyaa...
[Shiroko]Triplet... Sequence...
Shiroko pulled out a pen and took notes as Ichihime explained. Finally, Ichihime grabbed 13 tiles with various patterns and laid them in front of her.
[Ichihime]If your hand doesn't have any of these 13 tiles, then it's called an All Simples hand, and you can win with a Riichi, Chii, or Pon. An All Simples hand is your best shot at winning, nyaa!
[Shiroko]All Simples. I'll remember that.
[Hoshino]In addition to an All Simples hand, you can collect White, Green, or Red Triplets that correspond to your Wind to meet the basic win conditions.
[Hoshino]You're teaching a conservative play style... But I suppose simpler is better for beginners.
[Hoshino]She can learn the rest as we play. *yawn* I might fall asleep if we don't start soon.
[Shiroko]So I draw 13 tiles to start...
The tiles clattered and clacked as they were shuffled. Then Shiroko carefully chose 13 tiles and placed them in front of her for her first-ever game of mahjong.
[Ichihime]Kita, nyaa!
[Shiroko]Kita...?
[Hoshino]Oh, right. We didn't cover that earlier. Three-player mahjong allows you to set aside a North tile and draw another for your hand from the dead wall, similar to calling Kan. This is called Kita. Treat North tiles like a Dora.
[Hoshino]I happen to have one too. Kita... Now I'll play this tile. And while we're on the subject, you should get in the habit of drawing a tile before you play one.
[Shiroko]Oh, I have two North tiles. I suppose I can call Kita for both of them.
[Hoshino]That's right. How lucky! Now you don't need to worry about anyone having Thirteen Orphans.
[Shiroko]Thirteen Orphans?
[Hoshino]Don't worry about that while you're still learning. Just focus on winning for now.
[Ichihime]Nyaa, nyaa, each North tile counts as one Han, but does not count as a Yaku, nyaa.
[Hoshino]Thank you for the explanation. Adding to that, Kita won't affect your final hand, which means you still have a chance to assemble an All Simples hand, Shiroko.
[Shiroko]I see.
Shiroko looked down at her hand to discover it was a rare hand with no Terminal tiles other than her Seat Wind West tiles.
[Shiroko](I can't get an All Simples. But since I'm a West player, I can get a Yaku if I can make a Pon with West tiles. So...I'll play this tile first.)
[Ichihime]Pon, nyaa!
[Hoshino]You're making a call already? Geez, that was fast...
[Ichihime]Pon, nyaa!
[Hoshino]Eh... Then this is...
[Ichihime]Pon, nyaa!
Ichihime made three calls in rapid succession. But all the discarded tiles are Honor tiles, so there are no clues for her to work with.
[Hoshino](This is tough... I should play it safe and assume she already has Tenpai.)
[Hoshino](Which tile is the safest one to play? She's called Pon with Shiroko's 3 Sou, then she called Triplets with a 4 Pin and a 6 Pin. Hm...)
Hoshino tapped the table with her index finger, then she shifted her attention from the 1 Man to the two 2 Sou tiles beside it.
[Hoshino](I can't play the fresh East tile. And considering she could win with an All Triplets, 1 Man is also a little risky... It's less likely that she'll have an All Triplets if I play 2 Sou or that she'll have a two-way wait with a 2, 3, 4, and 5. So I'll play this one.)
In contrast to Hoshino's carefully-planned moves, Shiroko played an 8 Sou she didn't need without any hesitation.
[Ichihime]Ron, nyaa! All Simples, Kita, 2,900, nyaa!
[Shiroko]Wait—the blue scoring stick represents 1,000 points, and the white one represents...100 points...
[Hoshino]Shiroko, do you still remember the Furiten rules? Next time, if you suspect your opponent has started to Tenpai, you should just play a safe tile.
[Shiroko]Okay, but if my opponent manages to Tsumo and I play defensively, we'll lose points.
[Hoshino]True. But everyone shares the loss if a player manages to Tsumo. If you deal into their hand, the difference in points between you and the other player will double, so it's better to avoid that.
They pushed the tiles into the mahjong table and began the first repeat of the first East round. Ichihime didn't manage to win as quickly as before, but she still managed two calls in the ninth turn.
[Hoshino]Kita. Oh, I drew something good.
[Hoshino]I can't keep letting your calls lead me by the nose. It's my turn to make a move. Riichi!
[Shiroko]Calling Riichi means that she has Tenpai. I can't deal into her hand...
[Ichihime]Nyaa! I almost managed to Tenpai. It can't be helped, nyaa... But I can call Kita first to remove the Ippatsu, nyaa!
[Hoshino]The Ippatsu is gone. Now it's a matter of whether I can Tsumo.
Shiroko played defensively while Ichihime continued her offensive strategy. Unfortunately, her hand was stuck in the one-wait from Tenpai state. Hoshino had an unlucky streak and couldn't win, so the game ended in a draw.
After two rounds, Shiroko became comfortable with the rules and expressed her understanding of how strategy plays into the game.
[Shiroko](I need to choose when to attack or defend carefully. One wrong move, and I'll lose. It's just like fighting...)
[Hoshino](Shiroko looks determined... It's getting good now.)
As she noted Shiroko's expression, the corners of Hoshino's mouth curled into an almost imperceptible smile.
The game quickly progressed to the third East round. After Shiroko played all of the Honor tiles in her hand, she pulled a blue scoring stick from the box in front of her.
[Shiroko]Riichi.
[Ichihime]Nyaa! Oh, no! I still haven't completed any combination yet, nyaa.
[Hoshino]It's definitely scarier when the dealer calls Riichi than when a player has three calls at the start of a game. But no matter, I'm going to Tenpai now. Riichi.
[Shiroko]Let's decide this once and for all, Hoshino.
[Ichihime]Nyaa? Hey, don't forget about me, nyaa!
It was anybody's game, and Ichihime held firmly to her offensive strategy.
[Hoshino]...Sorry, Shiroko. Looks like I win.
[Ichihime]It was so close, nyaa... Well, as promised, here are your two food tickets, nyaa!
[Shiroko]Are you sure? I didn't win.
[Ichihime]It's all right. I had a lot of fun, and that's all I care about. Take them, nyaa!
[Hoshino]You're so laid-back. *yawn* I got too into it, and now I need a nap. Had I know it would be this easy, I wouldn't have wasted so much energy... But I guess mahjong is no fun if you don't play your best.
[Shiroko]I'd love to play another game after we get food.
[Ichihime]You're very welcome to, but I can't give you any more food tickets if you do. I've only got so many, and the student council said we should make sure everyone gets some, nyaa.
[Shiroko]That's okay. I just want to play another game.
[Ichihime]You're welcome here anytime, nyaa.
[Hoshino]Then we'll go grab something to eat. Thanks for the game.
After promising to return, Shiroko and Hoshino wandered off in search of a good meal.
Meanwhile, with Problem Solver 68...
[Mutsuki]Mutsuki: We're back!
[Nana Shiraishi]Thank you for all your hard work!
[Nana Shiraishi]I'm really sorry. I didn't expect that we would be so busy this morning, or that we would get such difficult requests, like helping a child find their mother and tracking down lost property.
[Aru]Hey, that's why you called the professionals, right?
[Nana Shiraishi]True. If it weren't for your help, I'd be exhausted right now. Why don't you take a break for an hour or so to eat and have some fun?
[Aru]That's so kind of you... But we're here to work, not play.
[Nana Shiraishi]No really. It would be a shame for you to miss out on all the fun. Take these two food tickets. You can use them at any booth you want!
[Nana Shiraishi]And if you need more, you can try playing some mini games.
[Aru]Um... Like I said, we aren't here to play.
[Mutsuki]They're good at any booth?! Oh, I want to try the ramen on the first floor! It smelled so good over there!
[Aru]W-Wait up, Mutsuki!
Mutsuki snatched up the food tickets and bolted from the student council's office. With a sigh, Aru turned to follow her.
[Aru]Thanks for your kindness. Please call me if any other requests come in.
[Nana Shiraishi]Of course. Now go relax and have fun.
[Mutsuki]...You came after all, Aru. Great! The ramen is so good here. You have to try it!
[Aru]*sigh* Mutsuki, we're professionals. We should behave as such.
[Student]What would you like to order?
[Aru]I'll have the signature ramen, please. Thank you.
[Aru](I wonder how their ramen is...)
[Student]Wanjirou's Recommended Signature Ramen, hot and ready. Enjoy!
[Aru]We should eat quickly and get back to the office. They may get a request while we're—Hmm?!
[Aru](O-Oh my! This is absolutely delectable!)
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