The Two Priestesses

A strange scene was taking place in front of Mai Aihara's eyes.
"Fast attacks are definitely better! All Simples is the way to go, nyaa!"
"It's because All Simples is all you can do that I always manage to turn the tides on you, woof."
There is a particularly conspicuous modern Mahjong machine in the middle of this quaint Japanese-style courtyard. A girl with cat ears slaps the table and stares at the strange-looking but slightly cute "Mr. Doggie" opposite her with her almond-shaped eyes while arguing with him.
Mai wanted to mediate, but she was timid and didn't dare to approach them. She looked at the space next to her out of habit, but her grandfather who brought her here had walked to the torii in the distance when she wasn't paying attention.
"How could this be..." Mai whispered softly. She thought it was a good thing that she didn't need to train today and that her usually stern grandfather uncharacteristically took her out with him. Never did she realize the old man would stand to one side and leave her to face this bizarre argument alone.
"...Is this also a part of my training?" She wasn't sure if she was right, but that's what she thought at this time. She clutched the corner of her clothes and looked around as she considered how she could intervene in their argument...
"What's taking Kaguyahime so long? We can't play Mahjong properly with just the two of us, woof."
"Don't change the subject, nyaa! Wanjirou, you always lose to Ichihime too!"
Mai grew envious as she thought about the situation. The girl with the cat ears in front of her should be a priestess just like her, but she was more resplendent than Mai herself, and more importantly... she was free to act however she wanted to, while Mai had always been requested to talk softly and to always behave herself.
"Nyaa? Wanjirou, who is this girl?"
"It must be Mai from the Temple of Moons. She's grown so big now, woof."
"You're here at just the right time. You're Mai, right? You can be our judge, nyaa!"
"Ehhh?!" Before Mai could react, the girl with the cat ears had grabbed her hand and pulled her to the table. Although she was relieved that one of them had invited her to join their conversation, she...
"S-Sorry... I don't quite understand what you're saying about All Simples and better hands... What do they mean?"
"You don't need to apologize. Not every priestess is like Ichihime here who plays Mahjong every day instead of doing what she's supposed to, woof."
"At Mahjong Soul Shrine, playing Mahjong and training are one and the same, nyaa! Mai, let's play a 3-Player game, nyaa!"
Mai turns to look in the direction of the torii and sees her grandfather motion for her to sit down and play with them. She was really confused. Although she managed to form her hand according to Wanjirou's instructions, she dropped some tiles when her hand trembled. She tried frantically to pick them back up but ended up banging her head into the table, making the other two players panic.
"Ouch, that must hurt, nyaa... There's no rush. Take your time, nyaa."
"T-Thank you." Although Mai didn't understand what was going on, one thing was clear. "Hehe..." She was having fun right now. Being able to play instead of doing boring practices, she was naturally happy.
Mai played with Ichihime and Wanjirou for a while and somehow learned how to play Mahjong. It was the evening before she knew it. Before leaving, she even promised she would come back to Mahjong Soul Shrine another day to play.
The scene of Ichihime waving goodbye and the torii illuminated by the setting sun at dusk was imprinted vividly in Mai's memories.
"Grandpa... Why did you bring me to Mahjong Soul Shrine?" On the way back, Mai couldn't help but ask in a voice that still sounded excited.
"Because you're from the same world and should get along with each other. Mai, do you like Ichihime?"
"I do, but... she seems different from Mai."
Mai longed for Ichihime's unfettered freedom and also wondered why they were so different even though they were both priestesses.
After hesitating, her grandfather said, "Although you're both priestesses, the Mahjong Soul Shrine and the Temple of Moons have different responsibilities. You'll understand in the future."
"In the future..." She couldn't grasp the deeper meaning of her grandfather's words. All she knew was that she would still be able to come here and play with a priestess who was completely different from herself. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but smile again...