The next day.

Osaka Nichiri TV.

"Now that spring has arrived, the imperial palace shines even brighter."

The scene at the annual Satsuki Cup demonstration competition studio.

Two girls sat facing each other, with a set of song cards neatly arranged in front of them. A staff member skillfully operated the camera, aiming it at the two girls, and the program was being recorded in a tense but orderly manner.

"With no spare money or silk, I set out to enjoy the scenery of the mountains."

As the first line of the waka poem was recited from the speakers, the graceful girl in the red kimono reacted quickly, finding the karuta card with the second line written on it in front of her. Then, before her opponent could react, she swung her arm sharply, sweeping the karuta card out of the playing line.

Bang!

The girl was much stronger than expected; the karuta card flew out of the deck like a wild horse.

It traced a long arc in the air and flew straight toward the crowd watching from the side.

"Can it fly that far? Kazuha, you need to practice more~"

Yuzuru bent down and picked up the card.

"What?! I'm not bad either..." Kazuha pouted her cute little lips, though she sounded a bit unconvinced, her tone clearly lacking confidence.

The pleasing young woman then came over to arrange the karuta cards.

Upon seeing the face of the boy holding the karuta card she had knocked away, she froze for a moment, and a blush instantly rose on her originally fair cheeks.

She lowered her head and said softly, "I'm so sorry, I was rude!"

"This person seems to be..." Ran seemed to realize something as she watched the girl take the karuta card and return to her seat.

Sonoko pinched her chin and suddenly realized, "It's the girl Nan saved yesterday!"

"It really is!" Kazuha nodded repeatedly, recognizing it as well.

After he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Yuzuru Hanyu.

Yuzuru shrugged and smiled, "What a coincidence that we met here."

Are we destined to be together?

Ai stood to the side, arms crossed, her eyes cold and aloof.

She thought about how the girl had blushed shyly when facing Yuzuru Nanami, and remained noncommittal.

Cause and effect, opportunity, good fortune, and affinity are all forms of fate.

A marriage can be made by a single thread, even if it's a thousand miles apart; it's fate.

It's just unknown which type this girl will be.

The various connections in this world are inherently elusive, but if someone is willing, they can turn any connection into the one they desire.

"What a beauty!"

"I know he looks like a celebrity."

"And it's also very suitable for wearing with a kimono."

Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko huddled together, excitedly discussing something loudly as they chatted away.

Invited by someone, and taking care of the three little ones in place of Professor Agasa who couldn't come to Osaka, Mrs. Yoshida gently tapped Ayumi's head and softly reminded her, "Don't make a lot of noise here!"

"Got it!" ×3.

"But why are we watching people fight for karuta here?" Kogoro Mouri rested his chin on his hand, looking bewildered, his mind briefly blank.

Kazuha couldn't help but roll her eyes, put her hand to her mouth and muttered, "Uncle, you're so easily captivated by pretty young girls that you dragged us and Nan here to watch. Miraiko already told us to wait in the lounge before our interview."

Ran and Sonoko nodded silently to each other.

They originally came early in the morning to keep Kazuha company, and Ran was supposed to keep an eye on Kogoro Mouri's conversation later. But they were inexplicably dragged to the studio to watch them record a program.

"Ha ha......"

Realizing it was his own fault, Kogoro Mouri chuckled dryly twice, then asked in confusion, "Miraiko...who is that?"

Kazuha: "......"

I'm speechless about how clueless Xiaolan's father is.

She took a deep breath, trying to remain patient, and said, "Didn't I already introduce her? She's the bespectacled girl who was playing karuta with the girl Nan saved yesterday! She's also the president of our Kaifang Academy's karuta club."

As she spoke, Kazuha pointed to the competition stage, where a girl wearing half-rimmed glasses, short pigtails, and a neat school uniform was intently staring at the karuta card in front of her.

"By the way, Kazuha, you're also participating in this Satsuki Cup, right?" Mrs. Yoshida asked curiously from the side.

"Yeah, because there are too few new members in the karuta club, and we were afraid the club would be disbanded, so I signed up with the president." Kazuha scratched his head sheepishly. "But I'm just here to make up the numbers. We'll have to rely on Miraiko to get a good ranking. She's really good at karuta, and she trains very hard."

"You're being modest~"

Yu Sheng Nan said, "You have Master Jinghua's guidance, so you should have confidence in your own abilities."

Don't underestimate the teachings of a former chorus queen!

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Yuu Nan looked up at the girl in front of him. The final championship battle should still be between the three girls: Mirai, Ooka Momiji, and Toyama Kazuha.

Of course, he meant unsurprisingly.

My gaze fell on Ooka Momiji, who was sitting on the competition stage, her posture elegant and her face bearing a confident smile.

Yuzuru stared at her, seemingly lost in thought.

His trip to Osaka this time, besides participating in the kendo tournament and watching the Satsuki Cup, also included a possible reason for him to visit the beautiful Sonoko Suzuki, who is known as the "Suzuki Sonoko of the West."

No, she should be called a great beauty.

Because it is truly enormous, it lives up to its name as the "Autumn Leaves of Ooka".

However, it seems the plot has deviated a bit because of yesterday's heroic rescue...

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!