People in Tokyo, the world is clear

If one person can't sleep, no one else can. Arm in arm, we dragged him back to his room. The five of us were terrible, so we dragged in our old coach, Old Deng, who hadn't slept yet, to take turns playing Mahjong on our phones for an hour to de-stress.

I still remember the noisy and relaxed atmosphere at that time:

"Wow, you're standing upright again. Opening something, right?"

"There's nothing I can do about it. Young people just stand up easier than you."

"Speaking of which, Lao Deng, your wife still hasn't gotten pregnant. Are you feeling down?"

"It's called the right time to make something big... isn't it?"

"what?"

"What do you mean? Watching cartoons?"

"No? How did your name, Yi Se Xiao Si Xi, survive? What are you doing?"

"Hey, he's already set up, what should we do? It won't be thirteen sides, right?"

"Do you think he could be a Thirteenth One? Brother Sen, isn't it just a bunch of defense...huh?"

"Thirteen faces of a peerless national hero, double duty fulfilled! Kneel!"

That night, countless magical cards were played, the likes of which the six people had never seen before in their lives.

It also brings confidence, and makes me feel that perhaps there is something vaguely protecting these young, middle-aged and elderly people who are piecing together their dreams.

So I carried this luck all the way up in the loser group.

The team that should have been in the semifinals and should have gone home, but instead, they defeated the well-rested super team, then beat the defending champions who fell from the winners' bracket, and stood on that dreamlike main stage amidst the roar of the audience they had never heard before.

I almost won it.

Perhaps because of this, there were days when I felt so overwhelmed that I couldn't get over it. However, time eventually healed me.

The related memories were hidden deep in my mind until they were reactivated by the fish pattern on the Japanese mahjong tiles in front of me.

Actually, I feel relieved.

Because, staring at the six cards in front of me, I no longer think about the regret of being half a step away, but only miss the days when I was brave enough to fight for my life.

In a daze, staggering.

When I came to my senses, I realized that I had arranged the cards in my hand without knowing when.

"?"

I turned to look at the short-haired girl who was awkwardly following the order. She didn't seem particularly interested, but her expression wasn't exactly resistance either.

He glanced at a female photographer sitting opposite him who looked very interested, and sighed.

I wanted to refuse, but considering the current situation, I just let it go.

Strictly speaking, this kind of mahjong game does not involve big prizes.

Winning and losing are not equal. On my side, if I lose, there is no financial cost.

They helped me upgrade my cabin and gave me free drinks. Since I was interested in playing around, I considered it as repayment for their services.

Thinking of this, Lin Sen let go and played the safety card in his hand.

But I didn't think--

"Riichi!"

"what?"

"Touch yourself!"

"...So, do all of you good mahjong players have this kind of luck?"

All in all, when the scoring came to an end, Ms. Aida won first place with no doubt about it.

"it's a pity."

She feigned regret and tilted her head with a grin, "Looks like you two won't be able to find out what the mysterious reward is for now."

Punishment session?

Lin Sen wanted to hear her request. They had discussed it before, and if it was too extreme, they could refuse it.

I was wondering if there was a chance to use verbal arguments to get away with the punishment, but unexpectedly, I only heard an overly simple request:

"How about holding hands for thirty seconds?"

"..."

That's it?

Just as he was about to turn around to ask Miss Ito's opinion, he found that some soft fingers had touched the back of his hand.

He picked it up and glanced at the smiling woman while the girl next to him lowered her head.

"That won't do. You can't fool around like that."

She said this. Then, she raised her hands in front of her, interlaced her fingers into fists, and said, "This is it."

Fingers interlocked?

Lin Sen knew that this was a way of shaking hands to show intimacy, and he hesitated for a moment.

But the girl beside him was a simple child who accepted defeat. While he was thinking, she actually used her other hand to help him bend his fingers.

Then, slender and somewhat cold fingers inadvertently scratched the open palm, seeking to linger -

Wow.

How to say it.

Suddenly, I felt a strange acceleration of my heartbeat. My senses of touch and smell seemed to connect, and I could smell the faint scent of lavender intertwined with the scent of orange.

Boom, boom...

The movement from the chest was conveyed very honestly, colliding with another faint but distinct throbbing.

Ms. Ito seems to be in the same physical condition.

You could hear her deliberately suppressing her breathing. Looking closer, you could also vaguely detect that she seemed to be silently counting the seconds.

However, he was interrupted by a sudden question halfway through counting.

"Ito, how do you feel?" asked Ms. Aida.

"F-okay."

"Are there any physiological reactions?"

"...some."

"Very honest, Ito!"

Tetsuko Aida didn't seem to be doing anything more extreme, and even helped keep track of the time with her watch. Soon, after waiting for thirty seconds, she glanced at the two children, who quietly let go of her hand, as if relieved.

"It's the same as the first game. Leave the shuffling to me so you two don't mess it up."

"Speaking of which, Ms. Aida, will this give you room to cheat?"

"If I had that ability, why would I be a photographer? If Xiaolin is worried, he can just keep an eye on my hands the whole time."

Just wash yourself.

Then, he asked the two to continue sorting the cards.

Novel No.0⑤○①⑧九０９

"Next round...I actually really hope you two win."

He said so, but in the actual game, he showed no mercy at all.

So, twenty minutes later—

"Oh My God!"

Tetsuko Aida, who won the championship again with a slight points advantage, once again expressed her good luck.

Then, he casually designated the punishment for repetition—

"Go ahead, hold hands. Interlock your fingers! This time, just one minute."

Judging from her casual expression and words, she didn't seem to care about the so-called punishment and seemed to be only interested in playing mahjong itself.

Lin Sen gradually became familiar with the situation. This time, he took the initiative to reach out to the side, caught the girl's hand while she was trembling slightly, and held it tightly.

"Well!"

She made a sound of being attacked, but quickly suppressed it.

Perhaps because someone was thick-skinned enough, Aida seemed more interested in Konishika's reaction.

This time it's a similar question:

"How about it, are you happy to be held by Xiaolin?"

"Sure, some."

This time, Ms. Ito gradually got used to it and answered more easily.

"But you can control your impulses, right?"

"Ah."

Tetsuko Aida showed interest, raised her watch, and stared at the two of them.

However, after moving five squares in seconds, a new request made Lin Sen open his eyes wide.

"Now, Xiaolin. Turn around and say a few words to Ito."

"?"

I had anticipated their surprised and confused expressions.

After accepting all the orders, the female photographer's face was full of bad taste:

"Think of this as a staged performance! Ito, you must refuse immediately."

"..."

"This is easy for you two, right? After all, all you have to do is overcome your physiological reactions and correct your companions who have crossed the line... Hurry up!"

It didn't sound like an unreasonable request. Perhaps it was just a photographer who was curious and wanted to see the so-called performance.

She is the winner of the mahjong game and can get a certain degree of command as long as the two do not refuse.

Therefore, it seems that this rule must also be implemented——

"Hurry! The one minute time is almost up!"

In short, I was urged to do it urgently.

Lin Sen had no choice but to turn his head and look at the girl who was looking at him with her eyes wide open.

His face was reflected in her crystal-clear black pupils, as if she was ready and waiting for his words.

Her big, lively and beautiful eyes were just like the night we first met.

At that time, she was soaked through, clearing away the mist in her eyes and looking up...

Subconsciously, I began to carefully consider what to say.

"Um, Ito. I like you. Can you date me?"

"..."

Her eyes, as calm as a lake, trembled instantly, rippling like the surface of a lake touched by the wind.

The girl opened her mouth slightly and looked over blankly.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

But there was no replying voice at all.

...What's wrong?

The doubt just arose, but was turned into a suffocating surprise by a belated sentence.