Kanata seemed to have been woken up by a phone call in the middle of the night.
My Handycom rang in the middle of the night, long after the date had changed.
Who on earth would call at this hour?
Lilith seemed to be awake too, rubbing her eyes and burying her head under the covers. “Ugh, who is it at this hour? Interfering with my precious sleep is a capital offense!”
Isn’t the law of the Lilith Empire a bit too harsh? As a citizen, I’d prefer a more lenient ruler.
Seeing Lilith curled up in bed like a cat, I felt like doing the same. But I picked up my Handycom and answered.
“Arrow, this is Undertaker…”
“Come if you can, come even if you can’t. The location is Ryokuichi-so.”
An invitation to play Mahjong at this hour… I guess they’re short one player.
Saying “Come if you can, come even if you can’t” sounds just like Holmes.
“Marika-san, I’m technically under detention. Plus, tomorrow, or rather today, I’m supposed to be heading to Ligrit?”
“I’m going to Ligrit too. You’ve been in the brig for a week, and the date has changed, so you’re free now, right? If you don’t make it by the end of this last round without Shigure, your trip to Ligrit will be a trip to hell.”
Well, if it were Mahjong with strip rules, I’d be there in a flash.
If I don’t go, Shigure might not be able to leave either, so I guess I have no choice.
“I’ll go, I’ll go. Please let Shigure leave.”
Now, I have to convince Lilith, who’s still wrapped in her blanket. Even though it’s Mahjong, if I’m going to play, I’m going to win.
Under the moonlight, Lilith and I walked from the special brig to the Mahjong parlor in the entertainment district.
Lilith, whose precious sleep was disturbed, was riding on my back, stifling yawns and grumbling with a displeased look.
“…Honestly, dragging a child around this late is child abuse. And to a Mahjong parlor, no less. Doesn’t the Warrant Officer have any common sense as an adult?”
“Stop being a child whenever it’s convenient for you. Marika and the others aren’t playing Mahjong for fun; it’s 100% gambling. The stakes are probably pretty high, and I don’t want to lose.”
“Then why are you dragging me along? I know the rules of Mahjong, but I’ve never actually played at a table.”
It would be scary if you had played at that age.
“I’ll handle the strategy. But I need to borrow your computational abilities. Do you know about tile efficiency?”
“…Ah, I see. Yes, I can calculate which option has a wider acceptance in an instant.”
Unlike Shogi or Chess, Mahjong can sometimes result in the best move backfiring due to bad luck. And if you focus too much on efficiency, people will exploit that.
However, efficiency is still important, and there aren’t many strong players who are bad at calculating tile efficiency.
“I’ll do the strategy, and Lilith will do the calculations. With this, we might have a chance. I want to win if we’re going to play.”
“I agree with that plan, but what’s in it for me?”
“How about this: you get all the winnings, and I’ll pay for any losses?”
“Oh my, a risk-free opportunity with a return? That’s a truly tempting offer. I’m in.”
Lilith jumped off my back and slapped her cheek. It was like she activated an alarm app.
“Alright, Lilith, use Telepathic Communication to tell me the option with the most remaining tiles.”
“Okay. I’ll also guide you on which choice leads to a better hand.”
I’m counting on you, Lilith.
The Mahjong parlor “Ryokuichi-so” is on the second floor of a building that looks like a mixed-use complex in the entertainment district.
As I opened the cheaply made door, I felt the smoky atmosphere of a gambling den. Is this the heat of a den of iniquity?
Even though it’s late at night, there are quite a few customers, and the place is lively with cheers and shouts.
Seriously, the Garden is a den of thugs.
At the reception, an old man with barcode-like hair was reading a digital newspaper. When he saw us, he pointed to a door in the back with his digital paper.
I knocked on the single oak door and opened it to enter.
The room was luxuriously decorated in a red theme. It felt like a high-class Mahjong salon tucked away in a rundown parlor. This must be Marika’s private room.
Around the table were Marika-san, Shigure-san, my Older Sister Abby, and… Dr. Hibiki?
The three captains are one thing, but Dr. Hibiki, are you really playing Mahjong while neglecting the infirmary?
Shigure-san’s face lit up with relief when she saw me.
“Kanata, you came. The morning rounds are early, so I wanted to finish before midnight, but Marika wouldn’t let me go.”
Shigure-san is having a tough time. It’s good to have good friends, but sometimes the best friends can be bad influences.
“That’s because Shigure is trying to run away with the winnings.”
Marika-san, the bad influence, accused Shigure-san.
“I haven’t won anything yet. I’m probably just breaking even. I’m leaving after the South round ends, okay?”
“Tsk, are we going to end with me just losing to Shigure?”
Abby-san, with a bandana on her head, grumbled.
“It’s not just Shigure, you know? Abby is the one losing all by herself.”
Dr. Hibiki, holding a shot glass, interjected.
Dr. Hibiki wasn’t in her usual white coat but a black night dress.
She looked quite elegant drinking whiskey. She looked like a high-class hostess.
“Dr. Hibiki, you drink too? I’m a little surprised.”
“Kanata-kun, I’m human too, and I drink alcohol. Besides, if you can’t handle alcohol, you can’t be a doctor, right?”
“You use it for sterilization… Wait, no! Well, not entirely wrong.”
“Yes, there was a time when shochu was used for sterilization before medical alcohol was available. It’s making me want some shochu… Kanata-kun, please get me some ‘Maiko-han’ shochu from that cabinet.”
“Get me my tequila too. Any brand is fine.”
“I’ll have the wine from the wine cellar. The one that says ‘Moulin Rouge 2085’.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll serve as your attendant until the game ends.”
Drinking and playing Mahjong, huh? You’re really enjoying the thug life.
“You all drink quite a bit. But Hibiki, you’re a doctor, so take it easy. It’s absurd for a doctor to have a hangover.”
Shigure-san’s sensible words seem to have no effect here. The three of them are drinking heavily while playing Mahjong.
Lilith whispered to me telepathically.
(Since we’re here, let’s just observe. I want to see their playing styles.)
(Right, Mahjong apparently reveals a lot about a person’s character.)
Lilith and I decided to watch Marika-san and the others play Mahjong.
By the time we observed until the South Fourth game, with Abby-san as the last dealer, I began to understand each of their playing tendencies.
(I may not play with Shigure-san, but it’s a truly Shigure-like game. Her playstyle is based on “men-tan-pin” and is faithful to the fundamentals. She emphasizes defense, and even with hands that normally warrant a reach, she doesn’t go for it.)
(That’s right. She doesn’t reach because she’s confident in reading dangerous tiles. Even when she draws a tile that would lead to a discard, she holds onto it carefully and doesn’t discard it.)
(She doesn’t win big, but she doesn’t collapse either. She’s a steady player who accumulates small wins. Overall, she’s a skilled player who ends up in the positive.)
(Abby is straightforward, a typical aggressive player. She goes for an agari in every game.)
(It’s no wonder she’s losing all by herself. Not discarding is more important than agari for a strong player.)
(But this kind of all-out offensive play can be terrifying when it hits a good streak.)
(She usually loses, but when she wins, she wins big. It’s all about momentum.)
(Hibiki is a theoretical player. She prioritizes tile efficiency and will play even with an obvious wait if the acceptance is wide enough.)
(Yeah, she doesn’t seem to expect discards. It’s like she’s aiming for a self-drawn win.)
(Marika is the tricky one. She’ll play conventionally one moment and then launch a surprise attack the next.)
(Her playstyle is ever-changing. She also has good luck, always getting a dragon tile in her initial hand.)
(It’s interesting. Mahjong truly does reveal one’s personality.)
This is my first time playing at a table, but it seems quite fun.
Let’s see how far Lilith and I can go as a team. I’m actually looking forward to it.
We have reached episode 100. Congratulations!
