Ryuumonbuchi and Kazekoshi were expected,
but the other two schools that made it into the finals are pretty much unknowns.
Kiyosumi sure have climbed into contention, haven't they?
Guess this means that Haramura Nodoka isn't a one-woman team.
What do you mean?
So that's what she was telling me back then.
Hand 8
The Night Before
Here ya go, one roast pork ramen!
That's what I'm talkin' about!
Now everyone, no need to hold back, dig in!
Let's eat!
It's my treat today, so feel free to get seconds!
Eat up real good to get ready for the finals tomorrow.
It looks so delicious!
Is this your first time eating ramen, Nodo-chan?
I know about ramen, at least.
Righty then.
It's good!
You like it?
Yes!
Mister, hit me again!
Comin' right up!
Here's your hard boiled egg and roast pork with onions.
Ooh, I can't wait!
It's great!
I'm glad you like it.
After all, this is the only place that's open this late in this town.
Cause it's out in the boonies.
Mister, make me a taco ramen!
[Note: tako = octopus]
I don't have any octopus!
I'm stuffed!
You actually wolfed down three bowls...
Mine stomach hath no end!
That's convenient.
That's the final train.
So it's already that late?
Sorry about this.
It's because the tournament hall is so far away.
And we'll have to meet up early tomorrow as well...
Don't worry about it, it's no problem at all.
It's ain't so easy on me, man...
When I think how I gotta get up so early tomorrow, my shoulders just slump more and more...
That's true.
If we win the prefecture qualifiers this year and get to go to the nationals,
we'd probably be able to receive enough funds to stay overnight.
Okay, then next year we're stayin' at a fancy hotel!
That's reassuring.
I'm counting on you next year.
You think you can pass me the buck?!
Ah, I'm beat.
Today's meeting sure went long.
And Coach Kubo sure was in a foul mood.
I wonder if that rumor is true?
Rumor?
That the coach really thinks that last year's team should have won, and doesn't care about this year.
I wonder if that's tough on the captain, who stayed on from last year.
If we win tomorrow, then the coach ain't gonna have anything to complain about anymore.
Here.
Oh, thank you.
Captain!
Everyone, good job with the meeting.
The bath is all ready, so shall we go on in?
C-Captain... I can wash myself!
Now now, don't move.
But I can wash myself!
That sure is nice...
Okay, finished.
Thank you very much...
I'm going to rinse you off, okay?
Okay, all finished.
So refreshing.
Let's do our best tomorrow, okay?
Right!
So, this is where we part ways.
Meet tomorrow in front of the station at the same time as before, okay?
Right!
And go to sleep early tonight.
Right!
And brush your teeth!
Senpai, that joke is old.
Okay, be careful on your way home.
Good work today!
The first day is finally over.
We still have a long way to go, you know.
Well, I'm glad. Nobody was as nervous as I thought they'd be.
You know that I'm going to be curled up in the corner of my room, in the fetal position,
not being able to go to sleep all night.
That sure isn't what I heard from you this morning.
The president can't show weakness before the start of battle, you know?
I'm really happy to hear that from you.
Since that means you can be honest with yourself when you talk with me.
What are you saying? Jeez...
Just kidding.
As a third year, this is my first and only chance to go to the nationals.
Why shouldn't I be a little nervous before the finals?
Hey...
What?
Why haven't you entered any tournaments until your third year?
Even if you didn't have enough people to participate in the team tournament,
you could have entered the individuals.
I'm sure you could have aimed for the nationals on your own.
I guess it's a dream...
A dream?
When I was a first year, the mahjong club was actually just me.
When I'd grasp the tiles, all by myself, it felt just like I was dreaming.
That one day the club would have tons of members,
and the sounds of their laughter would fill the room,
and that we'd enter the inter-high school team tournament.
Then, one year later, a single club member joined.
She wasn't angry that the club didn't have any activities, and she didn't quit or give up.
So, I thought, just maybe...
If the next year, some more girls like her joined, then maybe we could all go together, you know?
Mako?
What is it?
It was...
It was because of me?
That's right. Thanks to you, my dream came true.
Wasn't that a pretty bad bet?
I mean, the odds of getting three new club members this year were almost zero.
That's right.
But you know that I'm at my best when I choose a wait with terrible odds.
No kiddin'.
I just don't know what to do with you.
Guess I'll just keep you company for a little while.
Oh? It's quite a long road till we win the nationals, you know.
Are you serious?
Of course.
We're going to keep on pressing forward...
Together...
With everyone!
Ow, ow...
Are you okay, Kyou-chan?
Oh? What's wrong?
Can you hear something?
Quiet!
Frogs. You can eat them too!
You're gonna eat 'em?
How pretty!
Really...
That's Vega, part of the Lyre.
And then the brightly shining one on the other side of the Milky Way from Vega, that's Altair from the Eagle.
And the one shining in between those two, a bit above them,
in the middle of the Milky Way, is Deneb from the Swan.
If you connect those three, that's called the Summer Triangle.
Oh, I see it, I see it!
The Swan is also called the Northern Cross.
I read about that!
Was it in "Night on the Galactic Railroad"?
Yeah.
I read that, too!
So you also read it, Haramura-san...
Vega and Altair are also called Orihime and Hikoboshi.
Orihime and Hikoboshi!
Oh, so that's them!
So, Nodoka as Orihime...
Ah, lovely...
And I'm Hikoboshi.
I got it!
I'm Orihime, and Kyoutaro's Hikoboshi, right?
Wrong!
So then, peoples, see ya!
Kyou-chan, make sure Yuuki-chan gets home safe, okay?
Yeah, sure!
Gonna take advantage of me on the way?
And what advantage could I possibly take from you?!
No need to hold back there, Kyoutaro!
Holding you back is all I can do!
So you and Yuuki-chan were in middle school together, Harumura-san?
Yes.
Then, you went to the nationals together?
No.
We lost our first match in the team tournament at the prefecture qualifiers,
and I was the only one who got to go to the nationals in the individuals.
Oh.
Until I transferred to the middle school here in my second year, I'd pretty much only played mahjong online.
I've loved mahjong ever since I was little.
But you need four people to play mahjong.
And you also need people who know the rules to be in the same place at the same time.
Online you don't have to worry about those things,
so mahjong was always just something I played online by myself.
But, the spring of my second year, after I met Yuuki...
Oops!
My bad!
Don't worry about it.
Before I knew it, I had made a few friends,
and I started playing mahjong with other people more than I played online.
When we were third years, the five of us entered the tournament for the first time.
I won the individuals for the prefecture qualifiers, and got to go to the nationals.
But what I really wanted back then was for everyone to get to go.
Together with my friends...
Haramura-san.
Let's do it.
Tomorrow, let's do it, okay?
We'll win tomorrow, and then we'll all go to the nationals.
Of course!
We already promised, remember?
Yeah, we did, didn't we?
"Let's go to the nationals together!"
Yes.
To the nationals.
Those are... fireflies?
Wow, there are so many!
We're surrounded by fireflies.
That was a nice bath.
Large baths really do feel nice, you know?
Huh? Where did the captain go?
She went back to the room already.
She said something about wanting to prepare for tomorrow's match.
It would have been nice of her to give us a little pep talk or something.
All of you should realize that the captain's not the type of person to do that sort of thing by now.
She's way too soft on people!
Until last year, the lowest ranked first years would do all the odd jobs for the mahjong club.
But do you remember who it is that's always cleaning the club room?
The captain.
The one who goes out to get food and cooks at training camp?
The captain.
The one who washes everyone's jerseys and sheets?
The captain.
I heard this from the captain once...
Please, allow me to do these sorts of jobs!
Oh, it's you.
You might not know who I am, Captain, but I'm ranked number...
78.
Ranked number 78 in the school, the first year, Bundou-san, correct?
[Toi Toi: four pons. 2 han] [Sanankou: hand with 3 ankous or kans. 2 han]
Your toi toi sanankou last week was really wonderful.
If you know that, then you should know that it's odd for the top ranked captain to be doing things like this!
I'm a third year.
So this summer's inter-high tournament will be my last.
If we lose during the June prefecture qualifiers, that'll be the end.
Then, to help you win at the prefecture qualifiers, I should...
Oh, you can help.
You just have to get even better, Bundou-san.
Even rank 78?
Of course.
Don't you think that, one day, the time will come for you to help lead the way for Kazekoshi?
And I want everyone to touch the tiles.
While you're a member of Kazekoshi's mahjong club, I want you to have more and more fun playing mahjong!
That's so like her.
And she protects us from the coach when we make mistakes.
She gives us time to play, even at the expense of her own.
Despite her loving mahjong as much as she does.
And it's all because we're such cowards.
If we lose the match tomorrow, then it'll be the last match our captain will play, because she's graduating.
We have to win.
We'll win, and we'll go to the nationals!
We'll win, and make the inter-high tournament something the captain will enjoy!
Captain!
No!
The computers have gone haywire!
Everyone! How this happened, I...
Ah!
Captain, you touched a computer?
Um, I was trying to look at the records for our opponents tomorrow, and...
How could you screw up the computers this much just from trying to look at the records?
What did you do to them?
I guess we've got to cut the power.
Even the other computers on the LAN are...
Ack, here, too!
They're all wiped-out!
It's no use, I can't stop them!
I-I'm sorry!
She is late.
Calm down, Touka.
Pardon me!
You are late!
I apologize, Ojou-sama.
So, tell us.
Um... It seems...
Koromo-sama has spent the entire day in her room, sleeping.
Sheesh.
Just as we expected.
The alarm clocks we set proved useless.
I suppose I have no choice, then.
Hagiyoshi!
You called, Touka-ojousama?
You will escort Koromo tomorrow.
Make sure to bring her before it's her turn in the finals.
As you wish.
For Pete's sake, wasn't it Koromo that I promised to take to Tokyo again this year?
She's quite the forgetful one.
Koromo has difficulty with her memory.
'Cause she's just a kid.
Koromo is the same age as us, you know!
Ayumu, if Koromo doesn't show tomorrow, you really will have to play in her place.
Please, spare me!
Tomorrow's opponents are strong.
It'll probably be a tough fight for us, Tsuruga Academy.
Don't worry. It's not like I'm giving up.
If we can hold our own during the fierce fighting in the first half, and make it to the second half...
Then tomorrow's match with be decided by the fukushou and taishou.
Tomorrow's the battle.
Whether tears of joy or sorrow, tomorrow...
Tomorrow's the finals.
Win, and go to the nationals.
Lose, and...
I'm beat!
But...
It sure was fun...
Haramura-san!
Good morning, Haramura-san.
Good morning.
Let's go.
Sure!
Looks like everyone's here.
Yup!
Well then, we're off to make our run to the nationals!
Yeah!
Next Episode
Opened Eyes
Chi!
Why is Yuuki calling there?
It couldn't be...
President, do you know something?
That's the legendary lead-off I've heard rumors about...
Akuukan Sap-
Pon!