Ke Xue: I picked up a bottle of sherry at the beginning.

"That shouldn't be the case," Shirazumi's eyes flickered to Hongye's clothes. "Although your clothes are indeed a little thin, it's strange that your body hasn't warmed up after all that activity."

"077, the consequence of not warming up immediately after strenuous exercise," Hongye sighed. "If I had known earlier, I would have put on my formal attire again, and I wouldn't be feeling so uncomfortable now."

"Then go back to your room and stretch your body a bit, maybe you'll feel better."

"Eh? Is that possible?"

"of course."

So, Bai Quanyi and Hongye came to Hongye's room and continued to move around for a while, and Hongye's cold was really cured.

"It seems...it really works. What's the principle behind this?"

"Anything that cannot be explained can be attributed to science. If you are okay, I will go back first?" Bai Quanyi yawned.

"Yeah." Hongye looked at Baiquanyi about to leave, feeling a little reluctant. It was an unforgettable feeling that she could never forget. "Wait, Baiquanyi."

"What?" Bai Quanyi turned around and looked at Hongye.

Hongye forced a smile: "I think I am a little sleepy. It's been too long since I stayed up late. It's really a bit of a stretch to stay up this late. But wait a minute, don't go back yet. I have something to give you."

"Hmm?" Bai Quanyi was a little curious when he saw Hongye open the drawer in the room and finally come out with a small silk bag that looked like a fancy sachet. "What is this?"

"I was planning to give half of this stuff to Heiji, but now it seems I won't be able to use it," Ooka Momiji shook the small bag, smiled wryly, and shook her head. "Well, I might as well just give it to you."

"Hey," Bai Quanyi took the sachet and looked at it. "Okay, thank you. I'll go back first. You should go to bed early too?"

"Well, forget about the morning or the evening. Anyway, good morning or good night is fine. Everyone should get some rest quickly. We have to go back to see the president tomorrow morning."

……

In the morning, Hattori Heiji was relieved to see that Momiji didn't look for him again, but he felt uncomfortable with her cold attitude.

Those who cannot get what they want are always in turmoil, while those who are favored are fearless.

"Hey, Miss Momiji, aren't you going?" Hattori Heiji asked in surprise.

"Well, I had something to discuss with the president today, but there's no need to do it in person. A phone call will be enough," Ooka Momiji said. "Anyway, Heiji, you guys can just take Iori's car. I'll just rest at home by myself."

"Okay, that's it." Heiji nodded, then followed Iori beside him and walked towards the door.

Behind him, Shiraizumi Masu also walked past Ooka Momiji.

"Thank you for your hospitality." When they met, Bai Quanyi nodded slightly to express his gratitude to Hongye.

"I apologize for any offense." Hongye's answer was flawless.

Behind Baiquanyi, Conan looked at Baiquanyi and Hongye with some suspicion.

Shiraizumi Masu asked Iori to drive the four girls to the hotel, while Shiraizumi Masu drove Heiji and Conan to find President Achiha.

On the way, Conan, who was sitting in the back seat, asked:

"Bai Quanyi, where did you go this morning?"

"What do you mean?" Baiquan Yi raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at Conan.

"I got up early this morning and happened to see you coming out of Miss Ooka's living room. She was not dressed very formally at the time, and she also handed you something?" Conan said.

"Uh..." Bai Quanyi's mouth twitched. What else could he do? It was just a matter between men and women. "Well, Miss Hongye gave me a sachet."

As he spoke, Bai Quanyi casually retrieved the sachet from the system space. Of course, he still had some regard for Hattori Heiji, who sat in the front row. Perhaps due to the recent overexertion from his active investigations, he had fallen asleep again.

It was an extremely exquisite handicraft, and when Conan opened the bag of the sachet, what caught his eye was a cute panda doll.

What made him even more dumbfounded was that half of a heart was printed on the panda doll's chest. Obviously, there should be another half of a panda doll in the world, with another heart printed on it.

So where is that part of the figurine?

"Hey," Bai Quanyi could actually laugh at this time. "The quality of the thing she gave me is pretty good!"

"What is this?" Conan stared at Shiraizumi with a look of astonishment on his face. "Brother Shiraizumi, what did you do with Miss Ooka last night? Why would she give you something like this?"

"Nothing," Shiraizumi shrugged matter-of-factly. "If you ask me, she probably felt she had no hope of giving it to Hattori, so she gave it to me?"

"Because there's no hope of giving it to Hattori, I'm giving it to you?" Conan's expression became even more astonished. "Isn't this too casual?"

"Is it so casual?" Bai Quanyi didn't think so at all. "This will also help her get out of the impossible and futile situation, and I will also benefit from it."

"No," Conan said, getting even more furious. He took the half of the panda doll out of the sachet, shook it, and questioned Bai Quanyi. "You call this a benefit? You're planning to marry into the Ooka family."

"What do you mean by marrying into the wife's family? Miss Hongye has several brothers, so it's almost the same for her to marry me."

"Then you really plan to marry her."

"I'm just kidding... I've never planned on getting married. Besides, Yukiko and Shizuka are also troublesome. Well... it's better to keep the status quo."

"Scumbag."

Conan couldn't help but curse out loud. It was unjust that his Xiaolan, his mother, would like this kind of man.

Momiji completely gives up on Hattori Heiji

At 12:20 noon, in the office building of Achiha Athletic Park.

"Why are you here again?" President Achiha was stunned when he saw them. "What's the problem?"

"It's nothing serious, but I'd like you to answer a question." Hattori Heiji sat down in his chair and explained the purpose of his visit. "You said last time that you didn't know where Nagoro Shikao was, right?"

"Yeah, I don't know," Achiha said with an innocent look on his face. "Didn't I tell you about this last time?"

"Because we previously visited Ms. Ooka Momiji," Shiraizumi Mashi said, staring into President Achiha's eyes. "She told us that Mr. Nagoro Shikao had previously approached Ms. Satsuki for a private karuta duel the day before your scheduled duel. According to Ms. Ooka, his intention seemed to be to prove his prowess that day, then deliberately lose the next day, ultimately allowing his disciples to leave the Nagoro-kai and join a more suitable organization. Is this true?"

"..." Achiha frowned. "No, I don't know. Even if he did leave, we didn't see him here. As for what happened on the way, you should ask them, not me."

"Mr. Achiha, are you so sure you didn't see Nagoro Shikao?" Conan raised his eyebrows slightly. "Can you swear that you absolutely didn't see Mr. Nagoro Shikao before the game?"

"Little boy?" President Achiha stared at Conan, his face full of dissatisfaction. "What do you mean by that?"

Hattori Heiji quickly chimed in, "Children's talk is innocent? You know, Japan has an exceptionally developed news industry. Thanks to my connections, I was able to find a news report from Kyoto five years ago—one of which showed a picture of you driving with your wife to the tournament on the day of the competition."

The dissatisfaction and self-righteous look on Achiha's face immediately disappeared, replaced by a slight uneasiness about where the problem lay.

"You should still remember that you always have the habit of washing the car the day before the race to get a good omen for your wife to be in a clear state of mind during the race?" Hattori Heiji spoke slowly, which gave President Achiha enough time to react, and he couldn't help but show his reaction.

This certainly did not escape Shiraizumi Masaru's observation: President Achiha was obviously shaken.

"Looks like you've remembered it too," Hattori Heiji said, pulling a newspaper leaf from his sleeve, marked with the year 1989. "Yes, why didn't you clean your car as usual that time? Was it because you accidentally forgot, or because you knew for sure that Mr. Nagoro wouldn't be able to come?"

This question is quite radical, even accusing President Achiha of being responsible for Nagoro Shikao's death - or at least being someone related to his death.

But President Achiha didn't put up the strong resistance that a normal person would have, instead hesitating...

Is he feeling guilty?

Just when President Achiha was feeling uneasy, the figure of Shiraizumi Masu suddenly enlarged in his peripheral vision.

As if triggering an overreaction, President Achiha subconsciously dodged backwards, only to realize that Shiraizumi Masu had simply adjusted his posture so that he was not sitting as far back on the sofa as before.

"President Achiba, don't be so afraid. I won't harm you," Shiraizumi sneered. "But...with all due respect, your misconduct is already visible to the naked eye. Don't you want to explain your strong reaction to this matter? If not, the police might actually notice your unusual reaction, which escaped public notice, and launch a truly open investigation into you."

"That would be a grave disadvantage for you and the Gaoyue Society, the precious property that your beloved wife has devoted her life to."

"So, President Achiha," Hattori Heiji said, making the final statement. "Is there really nothing you want to tell us?"

“…” President Achiba twisted his hands together anxiously, and the muscles in his throat twitched from time to time.

"Well, he did come to our place," President Achiha finally gave in and said to the three of them in a helpless tone. "He came to us to have a showdown with Gaoyue in advance."

"We know this too, but the question now is, why didn't Mr. Nagoro Shikao show up at the competition the next day?" Hattori Heiji changed his sitting position.

"If you really want me to come up with a reason," President Achiha's expression relaxed a little. "You just said that Nagoro planned to prove his strength in the competition on this day, and then let it go on the second day, right?

"But the problem is, he lost that day, too—a terrible loss, completely failing to prove his skill. When I got home that day, I saw Mr. Nagoro storming out of our house with a sullen face."

"Lost? Lost miserably?" Shiraizumi frowned. "According to our research, Mr. Nagoro Shikao's competitive level during that period was exceptional. He even maintained a small but solid advantage over several contenders for the Meijin title in the past two years, and held his own against incumbent Meijins. In comparison, Ms. Satsuki's performance during those two years was rather mediocre—of course, I'm not referring to Ms. Satsuki..."

"It's okay. Nagoro was in great form during that time. That's a fact," said President Achiha, unfazed by Shiraizumi's insult. "However, you might not be aware that karuta is a highly competitive game. Even if there's a significant gap in strength between the two players, the weaker player can win by a large margin simply because of a temporary surge in form or the opponent's insecurity.

"Perhaps Nagoro was stronger than Satsuki, but he chose the wrong format. Since Satsuki was the only one at home at the time, they used the family's audio tapes for the competition. Perhaps Nagoro was overconfident, or perhaps he simply didn't consider this... In short, he overlooked the fact that Satsuki was already quite familiar with the tape used for the competition, even memorizing the order of many of the poems.

"Under these circumstances, Nagoro suffered a defeat that he probably never imagined.

"I think this might be why he didn't show up the next day? Since he'd already lost the first match to prove his strength, there was no point wasting time on a second open match. After all, judging by the outcome, losing there would be the same as losing without a fight. Perhaps... Nagoro is just someone who lives more carefree than anyone else, and so he simply ended his time in the world of karuta with the most extreme form of joking."

The three of them looked at each other and finally nodded slightly.

Maybe... that's the truth.

In the evening, Hongye came to their hotel, not looking for Hattori Heiji, but looking for Kazuha.

"What's with that expression on your face?" Kazuha was only wearing underwear at the moment, with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at Ooka Momiji with a flushed face.

"No, I just noticed the type of perfume you're wearing seems quite interesting. Are you trying to show off your youthful and lively side?" Hongye tilted her head slightly, smiling to show Heye that she meant no harm. "But if that's the case, your current perfume is a bit unconventional. The ratio of the various ingredients might not be optimal. How about I pick you a higher-quality perfume? The ingredients should be much better than this kind of high-volume, cost-effective perfume."

"Is this the one you put on yourself?" Heye immediately put his nose close to Hongye's body and sniffed gently. "To be honest, the smell is very pure, but I don't like the taste..."

"Of course you won't be used to this. This is my style." Hongye covered her mouth with her fingers and chuckled softly. "This is the perfume I choose for formal occasions, like when I visit my father and grandfather at home. But you don't need to wear such a serious scent. Girls, when they're not on missions, they need to be more youthful and energetic!"

"Uh..." He Ye's face was full of an expression of being unable to let go - even now, she still regarded Hong Ye as her biggest imaginary enemy in her love life, and then the other party's sudden approach and goodwill made her a little at a loss.

In such a situation, Ikenami Shizuka, who just knelt quietly beside and could make people feel that she was a mature hostess even from a distance, became the only backbone that Kazuha could ask for help on the spot.

"Since Hongye has already made a suggestion, I think you should consider it for reference." Ikenami Shizuka's attitude clearly reassured Kazuha. "After all, Hongye is a lady from a wealthy family and has accumulated a lot of experience in this area. I'm not young anymore, and I don't know much about the most popular styles for young ladies like you."

"Oh, okay, then... please Hongye, help me choose a perfume that suits me..." He Ye said this a little awkwardly, and secretly glanced at Hongye's eyes, but read something in them that she could not understand at all.

If she really had to use something to describe it, it would probably be this look in her mother's eyes when she gets married and personally arranges her clothes for the last time.

·· ·······Request flowers····· ·····

But how could such a look be associated with this guy?

"Snap!" Accompanied by an extremely violent slapping sound, Toyama Kazuha looked in surprise at the hand that passed like a gust of wind from under the card-circling gesture he was using.

Just now, Hongye used her remote hand to swipe a card from the most suitable defensive position where Kazuha had placed herself.

"..." He Ye looked at Ooka Kouye nervously - although it should be an illusion, she felt that the current Ooka Kouye was much stronger than when she saw Ikenami Shizuka competing with her a few days ago.

Or does it mean that only when the opponent is sitting opposite you can you feel how terrifying the other person is?

But opposite her, Ooka Momiji simply returned to her kneeling position with an expressionless face, her gaze fixed on the few remaining karuta cards of herself and Ye.

Is this guy who is fighting against me really a human being?

Sitting next to the two of them, Ikenami Shizuka picked up the next karuta and glanced at the expression on Kazuha's face.

She probably had no chance anymore—she was already wavering, and in this state, it was impossible for her to fully exert her strength. The gap between her and Ye's abilities was already there, making it even more impossible...

But why was the child able to perform so well?

While reciting the second half of the previous waka poem, Ikenami Shizuka looked in the direction of Momiji.

Although Hongye had quite amazing competitive ability before, his mentality was still not up to par.

There was no doubt that Ooka Momiji had achieved an astonishing improvement in her spiritual power today. Her karuta skills had also improved with the tenacity of her mind.

0 ....... .......

When Ikenami Shizuka refocused her attention on the game, she suddenly realized that the game was almost over.

57 karuta cards have been played so far, 30 of which are real cards on the field. For a typical match, this is just the middle of the game, a time when the game remains highly entertaining no matter what the situation.

But the current game has already entered garbage time.

Ooka Momiji tried to grab the card 28 times and succeeded 22 times.

Yuanshan Heye grabbed the cards 26 times and succeeded 8 times.

In addition, Kazuha made two mistakes when grabbing the cards because she was too anxious and acted rashly, allowing Momiji to transfer the other two karuta to Kazuha's side.

When there were still 19 cards in front of Heye, Hongye, who was still like an old monk in meditation, had only the last lonely card in front of him.

And that was another red leaf karuta.

After seeing the content of the next karuta, Ikenami Shizuka sighed inwardly and began to recite the second half of Daisuke's waka.

After that……

As soon as Ikenami Shizuka uttered the second word, she looked in the direction of Hongye as if she had already anticipated what was going to happen.

This is the 24th poem in the Hyakunin Isshu series, a waka by Sugawara no Michizane, and it is the one in front of Momiji.

The game was over, and the result was almost overwhelming and humiliating.

“…” Hongye lowered his head and didn’t have the courage to look at the girl sitting opposite him.

Just two hours ago, she thought that the other party knew that defeat was inevitable, so he came to surrender to her.