downstairs.
Another game of karuta has come to an end.
"Let's play another round! I was careless just now!"
Yuzuru sat calmly on the opposite side, toying with a karuta card between his fingers: "Miss Sonoko, this is the seventh round."
Are you sure you can continue?
"Of course!"
"Let's begin." Yuzuru arranged the 100-person karuta cards neatly. "What are we betting on this time?"
Sonoko's eyes darted around, and she suddenly revealed a sly smile: "If I win, you have to wear women's clothing and come with us to the Satsuki Cup tomorrow!"
Yuzuru raised an eyebrow: "What if I win?"
"Do whatever you want!"
Yuanzi raised her chin, feigning arrogance.
"make a deal."
The karuta battle begins again.
Hanyu Kusu recited the first line of the Japanese song: "Yuyu Kamidaishi——"
Sonoko made a lightning-fast move, but Hanyu Nanami beat her to it the moment she touched the karuta card. This happened several times in a row.
Unsurprisingly, she lost again.
"I......"
Sonoko, the young lady who lost the match, simply couldn't accept her defeat.
Another loss...
Every time it was just a little short, but every time I lost.
Unable to accept reality, Sonoko ultimately chose between admitting defeat and continuing...
"Wait! I...I request a replacement!"
Ayako gracefully set down her teacup: "So you finally remembered me?"
She rose gracefully, her kimono perfectly straight, a stark contrast to Sonoko's disheveled state.
"Ayako-nee is going to fight in Sonoko's place?" Yuu Nan looked at the usually dignified young lady with great interest.
Ayako knelt before the karuta deck, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear: "The stakes remain the same?"
"certainly."
"Let's begin then," Ayako smiled slightly. "Wouldn't this create a more competitive atmosphere?"
The karuta battle begins again.
Unlike Sonoko's impatience, Ayako adopted a steady and methodical strategy, staring intently at the cards, her slender fingers hovering above the karuta cards like a bow ready to be released.
"It's better not to meet than to meet."
As soon as Yuzuru finished reciting, Ayako swiftly struck the correct karuta card. Her movements were elegant and precise, her kimono sleeves fluttering like butterfly wings, creating a fragrant breeze.
"Ayako-nee is amazing!"
Yuzuru raised an eyebrow: "Looks like I need to get serious."
"Nan, concentrate!"
Ayako covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her eyes gleaming with victory.
Don't get too cocky!
Yuzuru Hanyu offers a friendly reminder.
You should know that you are now facing the last disciple of the former karuta queen, Shizuka Ikenami.
After saying that, he switched from passive defense to active offense.
The second line of the waka poem begins: "Snow in the fields on a spring day—"
"!" Ayako paused in her frantic grabbing of the karuta cards.
"It's mine."
Yuzuru easily took the cards and said, "Reiko-nee, you got distracted."
"It was just a mistake."
"Yeah?"
She was struggling to keep up with Yuzuru Hanyu's fast-paced attack tactics.
The main competitive game of karuta is physically demanding, and it tests a player's willpower and stamina. If a player can't hold on for even a little bit, they will quickly lose to their opponent.
The subsequent karuta game became a one-sided affair.
After each reading of the cards, Yuzuru would rush to take the karuta card first, and Ayako, one step behind, gradually fell into his rhythm.
However, Ayako is also trying to defend and counterattack.
Listen attentively to the reading of the cards, wait for it to finish, and prepare to make your move.
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