After thoroughly enjoying their lunch, Aru and Mutsuki decided they had plenty of time to explore the school.
[Aru](I didn't expect the snacks to be so good. Kayoko and Haruka would love it if I won some tickets and brought something back for them.)
[???]We need energetic, carefree volunteers, woof.
[Aru]Hm... Let's take a look over there, Mutsuki. Maybe they need help.
Upon reaching the speaker, Aru was stunned by what she saw.
[Aru](A-are they related to the Master?!)
[Mutsuki]Are you the one who was looking for help?
[Wanjirou]Yes, I am. We need a player for a mahjong competition. Would either of you be interested, woof?
[Aru]Mahjong...? I'm not sure we have time. Our lunch break is nearly—
[Mutsuki]That sounds fun! Aru, you should play. I mean, the committee president did say we should enjoy the festival.
[Aru]I suppose if we don't help, they'd just ask the student council anyway... Okay.
Aru messaged Nana Shiraishi to tell her they accepted an emergency request and got the all clear.
[Aru]Ha! Looks like Problem Solver 68 is joining the mahjong competition.
Aru appeared excited about the turn of events.
[Aru](Time to show them what I've got.)
[Mutsuki]I didn't know you knew how to play mahjong, Aru.
[Aru]Yeah, I've got a little experience.
Aru failed to mention that her "experience" was limited to what she learned from manga, TV, and films. She considered herself a veteran.
[MC]Now that all the players are here, let's begin the mahjong finals!
[Aru](Hm... This is a decent hand. Given the tile efficiency, the guest wind tile is obviously useless. However...)
[Mutsuki](Oh, she's playing an 8 Pin instead of the guest wind? I wonder if Aru has some kind of special training.)
[Aru](Playing the lone guest wind is the obvious first move, but it's lazy.)
[Aru](It's nothing to me, but I can't say the same for the others. I don't want to make it too easy for them.)
Aru embraced the mahjong philosophy she learned from media and took her time building her hands.
[Opponent A]Riichi.
[Aru](Hmph, that was fast. But I'm two-wait from Tenpai. The only tile in my hand that's safe to discard is a Red 5 Man, but it's crucial for a Mixed Triple Sequence. I can't play this one!)
[Aru](As long as my hand is big enough, I'm still in this. Come on, lucky tiles!)
Aru drew a tile, and her eyes lit up. She drew the 3 Man vital for a Mixed Triple Sequence with a 3, 4, and 5.
[Aru](Ah! Luck is on my side! I can't back down now, or I'd bring shame to Problem Solver 68. Let's go!)
[Opponent A]Ron! Two Ura Dora. Mangan!
[Aru]Huh...?
[Mutsuki]That was a shockingly abrupt loss... Are you okay?
[Wanjirou]Woof, she dealt into the hand with a fresh tile, but she also needed a pretty good hand. Don't worry. It's only the first East round. There's plenty of time to recover, woof.
[Aru]Y-Yes. That's right! That was a rational offensive decision!
[Aru](It really hurt to lose so much so early. But like he said, I still have plenty of time to catch up. It's only 8,000 points. I just need to win with a few big hands!)
[Opponent B]Tsumo.
[Aru](It's still not my turn to deal...)
[Wanjirou]Ron!
[Aru](I need to put together a big hand...)
[Opponent A]Ron!
[Aru](I'm sure... It has to work this time!)
[Aru](Things...aren't going at all the way I expected...)
In the blink of an eye, Aru found herself in the fourth South round as the dealer. She lost nearly all of her points due to the other players calling Tsumo and trying to peek at their tiles before dealing into their hands.
[Aru](It all comes down to this final hand. Hm...)
Aru's face darkened as she stared at the tiles in her hand. Defeat was clearly visible in her expression. The 13 tiles were hardly worth any points, and there was no hope for a quick combo. She frowned and played 1 Man.
[Aru](After all that... I was so sure... My reputation as president will be—No. I can't let things end like this!)
She spent a long time contemplating the tiles in her hand before finally deciding to assemble a Half Flush. She ignored her instinct to go for a big win with a fully concealed hand and waited for the opportunity to make a tile call.
[Aru](Hm... This 2 Sou came too late. That 3 Sou I just played was wasted. Will the player before me play it?)
[Aru](...Another 9 Sou. I've already got enough 9 Sou to form a Triplet, but my other tiles are all over the place.)
Aru carefully chose the order in which she played her tiles to prevent the others from making Tile Calls too quickly. She also paid very close attention to the discarded tiles to see how many of the suit she wanted were left.
[Mutsuki](Is Aru trying to form a Full Flush? If so, it won't be easy. Two of her combinations are Closed Wait. And her discarded tiles are completely giving away her plans.)
Suddenly, with everyone laser-focused on the last few moments of the fourth South round, a shout from outside breaks the silence.
[Female Student]Eek! Someone help! The rabbits escaped!
As if on cue, a few rabbits hop into the classroom closely followed by two girls drenched in sweat.
[Female Student]I'm sorry! Their cage wasn't locked properly... Could you help us catch them?
[Aru]Mutsuki, come help!
[Mutsuki]Got it!
Fortunately, there were plenty of people in the classroom to help catch the rabbits. And after a short farewell, the four players return to their seats at the mahjong table.
[Aru]It's my turn to draw, ri—
[Aru](Huh?! This isn't right! I haven't completed these two combinations yet. Where did this 3 Sou and 7 Sou come from?!)
[Aru](...Did Mutsuki do this?)
Aru looks at her discarded tiles, then at the people surrounding the table. Mutsuki grinned at her impishly. It's obvious she took advantage of the commotion to swap the crucial Sou tiles from the discard into her hand.
Aru managed to Tsumo in her next draw and had a Full Flush with a fully concealed hand...as the dealer! It completely changed the game!
However...
[Mutsuki](Eh? Why is she playing the 5 Sou and refusing to Tenpai?)
Aru followed the 5 Sou with the 3 and 7 Sou placed in her hand. Upon seeing her play the middle tiles she needed for a Half Flush or a Full Flush consecutively, the other players sat up a little straighter in their seats.
[Aru](A win like this will only tarnish Problem Solver 68's reputation. It's just a Closed Wait. I can draw the tiles I need myself!)
As if Aru willed the tile into existence through sheer determination, she miraculously drew the tiles she just played in three consecutive turns. But she still wasn't ready to win the game.
[Mutsuki](What is Aru thinking? Maybe she can't decide what to play because she has a Full Flush? Unless... Such integrity! She wants to win under her own power. Aru's the best!)
[Wanjirou](She's played so many Sou tiles and even has a combination with that suit. Why hasn't she started to Tenpai yet, woof? What is she doing...? Woof?! Woof, woof, woof?! Wait a minute, I haven't seen even one 1 Sou or 9 Sou tile yet, woof!)
While Mutsuki and Wanjirou contemplated Aru's tactics, she decided to try her luck again and came up with a more daring plan.
[Aru]Ha! I knew it! Luck is on my side after all.
[Aru]Tsumo! Nine Gates!
[Everyone]Eh?!
No one could have predicted the dealer would make such a shocking turnaround by winning with Nine Gates. In a friendly competition no less!
[MC]We're all really lucky to have witnessed such a landmark game. Congratulations... Excuse me, what's your name?
[Aru]I'm Rikuhachima Aru, the president of Problem Solver 68.
[MC]Well, let's all congratulate Miss Aru for becoming the champion of our mahjong competition!
[Mutsuki]I never expected that you'd win with Nine Gates, Aru. It's really cool, but... umm...
[Aru]What is it?
[Mutsuki]Take care, Aru.
[Aru]Huh? Wh-What do you mean by that?!
[Mutsuki]You haven't heard the legend? Misfortune befalls all those who win with Nine Gates.
[Aru]Ah, n-now that you mention it, I do remember reading something about that in a manga. That wasn't just for the story?
[Wanjirou]Congratulations, miss! That was a brilliant match... Woof? What's wrong? Why are you sweating, woof?
[Aru]Am I really cursed for winning with Nine Gates...?
[Wanjirou]Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Your luck is whatever it's going to be, Nine Gates or not.
[Aru]I-I guess you're right.
[Mutsuki](...Is that supposed to be comforting?)
[Wanjirou]Now, about your prize... Here. This is a special ramen ticket sponsored by the Mahjong Soul Shrine where I live. You can use it at the schoolyard to get a delicious bowl of ramen, woof.
[Mutsuki]You were the sponsor? I would think it's against the rules for the sponsor to join the competition.
[Wanjirou]We didn't have enough players. Either I played, or the tournament was off, woof.
[Aru]So that means... Are you Wanjirou?
[Wanjirou]Indeed, I am.
[Mutsuki]We just had the signature ramen that you recommended. It was delicious!
[Wanjirou]Heehee! Why do you think I recommended it, woof?
[Aru]Um... You don't happen to have a brother who runs a ramen shop, do you?
[Wanjirou]No, why do you ask? Woof!
[Aru]Uh... No reason. Thanks for the ramen ticket. See you next time!
[Aru](Guess I was wrong... Anyway, that's Kayoko and the others' souvenirs sorted.)
After collecting the souvenirs, Aru and Mutsuki returned to the student council's office and spent the rest of the afternoon fielding requests.
After lunch, Hoshino and Shiroko made their way to the schoolyard, where an open-air mountain bike exhibition was being held. There they ran into Ichime, who had just closed her booth.
Having become fast friends, they decided to visit the other booths together.
[Shiroko]This part looks quite expensive.
[Hoshino]*yawn* The weather is so nice. If only there were a cozy cot for me to nap on...or even just a blanket...
[Ichihime]Why is everyone going over there, nyaa?
All of the students seemed to be heading in the same direction. It wasn't long before one of them handed the girls a pamphlet.
[Student]The Asaha High School Cosplay Beauty Pageant is about to begin! Don't miss it!
[Shiroko]Cosplay...
[Hoshino]Beauty Pageant?
[Ichihime]Nyaa! I almost forgot about that! It's the festival finale! They give out a grand prize and everything, nyaa.
[Hoshino]Oh, that sounds interesting. Let's check it out!
[Shiroko]Okay.
[Ichihime]Nyaa!
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