"Next song..."
Yuzuru stood tall on the stage, picked up a card from the deck, and flipped it between his fingers. The moment his eyes fell on the card, he raised an eyebrow slightly, and a hint of interest flashed in his eyes.
It was a certain girl's signature move.
Below the table, Ooka Momiji's slender, delicate fingers lightly brushed along the edge of the card array, her red lips curving into a confident smile: "Little Momiji, you've been staring at that card in the bottom left corner, haven't you?"
Kazuha's fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Starting from the third round, your eyes will sweep over there every five seconds." Hongye's voice carried the elegant accent unique to the nobles, "It's '风をいたみ rock うつwave のおのれのみくだけてものを思ふareかな', right?"
Kazuha's ears flushed red after her thoughts were exposed, but she stubbornly raised her chin: "So what if it is?"
Compared to the cards she chose in the original story, this time, her girlish mindset upon meeting the person she truly loves is different.
Once reserved and demure, her love now surges like a raging tide, impossible to conceal, nor does she wish to.
She was no longer the shy girl whose longing was outwardly expressed but whose heart could not be concealed, but rather...
"The wind is fierce, the waves surge, splashing and crashing against the mountain rocks—"
Yuzuru recited the next waka poem at just the right moment, his voice clear and melodious like a spring.
Two figures sprang up from the tatami mat almost simultaneously.
"Smack!"
Both palms slapped onto the target card simultaneously, and the fingertips of Kazuha and Momiji collided above the card, producing a crisp sound.
The second half of the karuta (a type of Japanese poem) was written on that card.
"I can only look back with regret, though my heart was devoted to you."
It represents a young girl's intense and passionate love for her lover.
Gasps erupted from the audience.
"So, who should win?" Xiaolan asked, her eyes wide.
Ayako Suzuki squinted: "The rules of competitive karuta allow for reasonable physical contact, but in this situation..."
"That was amazing!" Sonoko shouted, waving a light stick that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Her hair accessory swayed with her movements. "Go, Kazuha-chan! Fight for love!"
Ai sat to the side and calmly tapped the keyboard: "Heh, two guys who've been blinded by love."
...
The competition continued in full swing.
"Wild grasses grow luxuriantly, the secluded courtyard is overgrown and desolate."
"Smack!"
"Kaifu Academy, Toyama Kazuha, take the card!"
"Wanting to cross the Yura Gorge, but no boat or oars have been found."
"Smack!"
"Izumi Shin Academy, Ooka Momiji, scores!"
As Hanyu Nan read out the cards, the two girls moved faster and faster, the cards on the deck decreased one by one, the score rose alternately, and the battle was so intense that all the spectators held their breath.
Before we knew it, the competition had entered its final stage.
Both sides now have only one final card left to decide the outcome.
The entire Satsuki-do was so quiet it was as if time had stood still; you could hear a pin drop, and even breathing was unusually clear.
Ooka Momiji's kimono hem was slightly damp with sweat, but her gaze remained firm and sharp; Kazuha's bangs clung to her sweaty forehead, but her indomitable spirit showed no signs of waning.
The two placed their hands firmly on the tatami mat, their bodies slightly bent, like arrows about to be released from a bow, poised to go.
"The battle of destiny has begun!"
Yuzuru's voice broke the silence. He picked up the final karuta card, his gaze shifting between the two girls, and said gently, "No matter the outcome, you have both proven yourselves."
Kazuha and Momiji exchanged a glance, seeing the same determination in each other's eyes. Then, they both took a deep breath, preparing for the final showdown.
Just when the situation was at its most tense, an unexpected change occurred.
Perhaps due to the aftereffects of the previous explosion and fire, the tower supporting Satsuki-do suddenly shook violently.
"boom!"
With a loud crash, a thick roof beam, unable to withstand the weight, suddenly smashed through the ceiling and fell straight to the center of the mahjong table.
At the critical moment, Yuzuru flicked his finger, and the karuta in his hand turned into a white light and shot out, nailing the falling wood to a pillar three meters away, making a "buzzing" vibration.
"The game continues."
He drew another card without changing his expression, as if he had just dusted off his sleeves.
The audience members swallowed hard as they watched the song list, which was stuck on a pillar and vibrating on the big screen.
Special effects, right? This must be special effects, right?
Who uses a good guy's card game as a shuriken?!
Ai rolled her eyes silently: "...All you do is show off."
"The decisive move."
Yuzuru Hanyu raised the last card.
"If we had never met, how could I have fallen for you?"
As the clear reading voice faded, Ooka Momiji almost immediately reached out and pressed the last card. As a refined girl, every strand of her hair had been groomed, and even her fingernails were specially tattooed with maple leaf patterns.
Her chestnut-brown curly hair swayed with her movements; as a noble lady from a prestigious family, every gesture she made exuded elegance.
But Kazuha was faster than her—
The girl's high ponytail, tied with a yellow ribbon, drew an arc in the air as her hand precisely landed on the karuta card.
The two hands were folded together again.
Ooka Momiji's long, meticulously maintained fingers were tightly intertwined with Kazuha's youthful and energetic hand, and both of them were breathing slightly rapidly due to tension and excitement.
Looking at the karuta cards held down by the two men, Hongye said breathlessly, her chest heaving from the intense competition, "I think I should be faster."
Kazuha retorted, "No, I should be the one who was ahead of time!"
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