The final of the Satsuki Cup was held at Satsuki-do.
It is an arena located next to a waterfall on a cliff.
Built by Chairman Achiba in memory of the late Lady Satsuki, this is the highest-standard competition venue and a sacred place that many competitive karuta players dream of.
There is only one chance a year to get here.
That is, the top two contestants who win all the way to the end in Satsukido and the reader Achiba, the president, can enter Satsukido.
The actual competition was transmitted to a dedicated viewing area on the opposite bank of the river via cameras and microphones installed at the venue.
6 p.m.
As the sun sets, the twilight paints the clouds on the horizon red.
The finals are about to begin. As the reader and referee, President Achiba leads the two finalists, Ooka Momiji and Toyama Kazuha, to Satsuki-do.
A small boat is drifting on the lake beside the mountain.
On the boat, two girls sat facing each other.
One wore a dashing white Taoist robe, while the other wore an elegant and gorgeous kimono.
A gentle breeze swept by, swirling up a flurry of maple leaves.
Ooka Momiji, dressed in a crimson kimono with delicate gold-threaded maple leaves embroidered on the hem, looked stunning with her snow-white skin and exuded an air of nobility.
She closed her eyes slightly, feeling the cool autumn breeze on her cheeks, and gently smiled: "My heart is beating so fast... Aren't you nervous?"
Kazuha, dressed in a white taekwondo uniform, leaned on the deck and smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Actually... I never thought I could actually get this far, so of course I was nervous. You weren't, were you?"
"No." Ooka Momiji opened her eyes, her gaze reflecting the distant lights, and whispered, "My heart is pounding in my chest."
Kazuha blinked in surprise: "Huh?"
A sly smile curved Ooka Momiji's lips, and a fiery blush, like maple leaves, rose on her delicate face: "What kind of expression will my husband have if he hears my confession to him? I really want to know!"
Kazuha's expression froze instantly.
The next second, her eyes suddenly sharpened, and her fists clenched involuntarily: "I! Won't! Lose!"
Hongye chuckled softly, elegantly adjusting her cuffs: "Then let's give it a try, little Yezi. I'll show you what real competitive karuta is all about."
“I’ll show you what real Aikido is—on karuta!” Kazuha glared back defiantly.
The two girls' eyes met in mid-air, sparks flying.
Chairman Achiba stood at the bow of the ship, watching the approaching Satsuki-do, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
“That’s where it all began…” Chairman Achiba murmured, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of the water, “and it will soon end as well.”
...
In the spectator area on the other side of the river, Xiaolan and her friends were waiting for the competition to begin. Mrs. Yoshida was scolding the three little ones who were running around everywhere, telling them to behave for a while.
"Oh no, where's Nan? And what happened to Reiko-sensei?"
He looked around the garden, but couldn't find anyone.
Outside, Conan and Heiji Hattori were standing next to Kogoro Mouri, listening to his conversation with Ginjiro Toyama.
"It is very likely that Nagashiro Rokuo is already dead."
"How could that be? Wasn't he said to be the culprit behind these bombings?"
"Thanks to Xiaonan's suggestion, I had someone investigate Ming Qinglu Xiong's life records five years ago when he disappeared. We discovered that he already had a terminal illness at that time, which means that it is very likely that someone is impersonating him to commit the crime..."
Conan and Heiji Hattori's eyes lit up as they listened to their conversation.
With this crucial information, the two detectives connected the clues they had previously investigated, meticulously unraveling the mystery, and immediately discovered the truth of the case.
"Uncle, stop the final match immediately!"
"What?"
"The real culprit is very likely Chairman Achiba!"
Gaoyuetang.
In the brightly lit venue, President Achiba stood in front of the reading platform and suddenly bowed apologetically to the two girls who were about to duel: "I'm sorry, ladies."
"Um?"
Kazuha blinked in confusion.
A knowing look flashed across Ooka Momiji's face.
She had known all along that there were explosives buried beneath the Satsuki Hall.
But she wasn't worried.
Because she knew her husband would come to protect her.
"Both sides, please give it your all and let me enjoy a wonderful match..."
Before Chairman Achiba could finish speaking, a lazy yet slightly mocking voice suddenly came from behind the screen: "I'm sorry, this wish may not be able to be granted."
The next second, the bomb buried beneath Satsuki-do was also detonated.
A loud bang ripped through the night sky.
The tower, which was made of wood, was instantly engulfed in flames by the explosion. The fire rose rapidly, heading straight for the Satsuki-do Hall located at the top of the tower.
The raging flames illuminated the night.
In the spectator area on the opposite bank of the river, the previously clear match footage on the big screen suddenly went black with a "snap".
The sudden turn of events stunned the entire audience, followed by a burst of murmurs and discussions from the crowd.
"What happened? Why did the picture suddenly disappear?"
"What's going on! I'm waiting to watch Miss Momiji's competition!"
"Exactly! I came all the way from Dongdu to watch the game live. What are the organizers doing?"
"日あなたのお马さん, refund the money!"
Eri Kisaki, sitting in the audience, frowned: "Is there a power outage?"
Chibo Jinghua looked up and shook her head. "It shouldn't be. The lights are still on."
Yukiko, standing beside the two, remained silent, her large eyes darting around as she recalled the voice she had heard in the last moment before the screen went black.
"Strange, why do I think I hear my naughty younger brother's voice?"
The clever Yukiko quickly realized she hadn't misheard, and the next second, her cherry-like lips pursed.
He didn't take her along to anything fun; that naughty little brother is so mean.
Akemi looked away from the dark screen and leaned over to look at her younger sister sitting next to her: "Ai, are you done?"
"immediately."
Without looking up, Ai had a computer on her lap, and her little hands were rapidly typing on the keyboard as she connected to the venue's intranet.
On the riverbank, Ginjiro Toyama stared grimly at the burning Satsuki-do in the distance.
"What happened? How did the fire suddenly get so big?"
A police officer standing nearby wiped his sweat: "It's probably some kind of accelerant... The fire truck is blocked by the narrow roads in the park and can't get in for a while!"
While the people outside were still trying to find a way to rescue them.
Inside the Satsuki-do Hall, which was surrounded by raging flames, Hanyu Kusunoki emerged from behind the screen, gently tapping a fiery red folding fan.
Chairman Achiba's pupils contracted: "Who are you?"
"My husband!"
"Nan, what brings you here?"
With a gentle unfolding of his fiery red folding fan, several small flames seemed to leap from the snow-white fan surface. He smiled slightly at the two excited girls, and then walked towards President Achiba.
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