#wataya hajime | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

circumference-pie · 2 years

Text

bells are ringing

Fandom: Chihayafuru Ship: Taichi/Chihaya/Arata Summary: Taichi, Chihaya, and Arata go on a Christmas date.

A belated Chihayafuru Christmas story.

= = = = = = = =

Taichi has class until five on Christmas, and he watches the light outside turn from deep gold to black through the classroom windows, unable to keep his mind on lecture, for once. He hurries out without even saying goodbye to his classmates.

Chihaya and Arata are waiting for him at Todai’s west gate, jittering with cold and excitement, and he suspects they would have been camping at his classroom door if the security guard had let them in.

“There you are, Taichi! We can still beat the rush if we hurry!” Chihaya cries, seizing his hand and pulling both him and Arata along in the direction of the train station. Taichi looks down as he sprints after her, sputtering her name. Her gloves are new, he notices.

But even Chihaya has to slow down as they all begin to gasp, the bitter air knifing in Taichi's lungs.

“First Midtown,” Chihaya pants, as they walk the rest of the way to the station. “Then the Hills, because it’s close by, then Garden Place if we have time — and oh! Fried chicken! We have to eat fried chicken! It’s Arata’s first Christmas in Tokyo!”

“You don’t have to go through the trouble,” Arata protests, his Fukui vowels broad and comfortable. “I just want to spend the evening with you and Taichi.”

“Are you sure rushing him around in the cold is the best way to celebrate it?” Taichi chimes in.

But they’ve already agreed, and Chihaya won’t be deterred. She herds them into busy station, where they merge with chaotic currents of people and just barely miss the departing train, and ushers them onto the next train five minutes later, where they snag three seats in a row, and the under-seat heating makes barbecue of their calves.

“Did you get new gloves?” Taichi says to Chihaya, looking at the elegant gray suede she’s wearing on her hands as the train rumbles through a station, a strange jealousy washing through him.

“Arata gave them to me for Christmas,” Chihaya says, confirming Taichi’s suspicions.

“I have something for you, too,” says Arata, fumbling with his backpack on Chihaya’s other side, and Taichi’s jealousy melts away in a vague heat of shame as Arata passes him a shapeless wrapping-paper package, which opens to reveal a scarf, knitted in cashmere wool and the same color as Chihaya’s gloves. “I wanted them to match,” he explains, blushing.

Taichi can’t help blushing too, as he pulls off the scarf he’s wearing and puts on Arata’s, telling himself it’s the heat in the carriage.

The crystal cold that hits them outside the station is almost welcome after the sweltering train ride, and they join the stream of people heading in the same direction, couples holding hands in loose wool coats, young women with bare legs heaped with furs on top, youths in sneakers and oversize jackets.

They arrive at a plaza hemmed in on three sides by sleek tall buildings, Christmas lights arcing overhead. The atmosphere is relaxed and European, except for the sussurrating crowd waiting in line for the escalator leading down to the level below. Taichi, Chihaya, and Arata join the mass, and are down in the heated sub-plaza faster than Taichi expected, where they join another, larger line. Soft Christmas jingles in English emanate from the speakers above.

Taichi gives Chihaya and Arata their presents while the second line is inching forward, a gilt-edged karuta deck for Chihaya and the new Class A recordings for Arata, and Chihaya presents him with leopard-patterned earmuffs that put Taichi in mind of a wilder Suo. He’s not sure how he feels about that, but he thanks her anyway. At least it isn’t one of Chitose’s magazines.

They reach the front, pay their five hundred yen apiece, push open the doors, and all three of them gasp at the display outside. Warm lights outlining bare oak trees in twinkling gold, blue and green forming a glimmering sea on the ground, bedecked Christmas trees pulsing in time to seasonal Western tunes.

“It’s magical, isn’t it?” Chihaya says, clutching Arata’s arm.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Arata says, sounding awestruck.

Even though he’s seen this before — and so has Chihaya, for that matter, he remembers her bragging about it in middle school — the fizz of delight under his skin is new. Chihaya finds something to exclaim about every few seconds, and Arata is looking every which way like a wonderstruck child. Taichi walks between them sedately, observing the two of them as much as he’s watching the illumination.

Halfway through, Chihaya catches his hand in an act as natural as the wind flowing, which prompts Taichi to fumble for Arata’s beside him, careful to not look at the taller man. Arata makes a funny noise in his throat before returning the grip firmly.

When they’re finished, it’s too late to go see any of the other illumination displays, so they take the train to an even glitzier part of town, where the streets are crammed with people out on Christmas night. The three of them get fried chicken in wax paper pockets from a stall outside a convenience store and eat standing, trying not to let the greasy juice drip down their fingers.

Chihaya knows a lounge, or rather she knows her sister knows one, and she drags Arata and Taichi down a set of narrow stairs and into a small dim space lit by neon strips, the speakers playing jazz in spite of the season. They eschew the sole table with its reflective black surface and sit down at the bar, where the corduroy-vested bartender is happy to serve them nonalcoholic drinks after Chihaya blurts out that they’re all under twenty.

The bartender is chatty, the conversation flows, and Taichi has a good time. Then Arata realizes aloud that he’s missed his last connection home, staring at the time display on his phone. Taichi puts his face in his hands and admits that he has, too.

He can still go to his parents’ house instead of his Todai apartment, but the one thing he doesn’t feel like doing is facing his mother tomorrow morning. He’ll have to get a hotel here, or something.

“You can both come home with me,” Chihaya says uncertainly. “I’m sure Mom won’t mind, if I explain.”

Arata and Taichi look at each other.

“The karaoke place up top has cheap rooms after midnight,” the bartender interjects. “Not the first time a customer has taken advantage of it.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that!” Chihaya says at once. “Ryoko-chan and her group used to do karaoke until morning in high school, remember, Taichi? Mom would never let me stay out all night then, but I’ve always wanted to do it!”

“Your mom still won’t,” Taichi tells her.

“You can still catch your train home,” Arata says at the same time.

Chihaya’s eyes glimmer. “Don’t worry about my mother, or the train. Come on, let’s go.”

There’s no arguing with Chihaya in this mood, so Taichi and Arata follow her from the sultry bar to a sultry six-seater karaoke box. They spread out on the benches, and then Chihaya’s browsing the electronic catalog and pushing it in front of Arata’s face at the same time, asking him what songs are his favorite, and Arata’s being charmingly embarrassed about it.

Taichi spreads his arms along the bench, leans back, and looks up. His mother wouldn’t approve of what he’s doing now. Even going to a bar on a school night would be cause for a lecture, never mind spending the whole night in a karaoke box. He has an early class tomorrow too, and it’s going to be hell.

But he wants to be here, in this dimly lit room with its cheap cushioned benches, with Chihaya and Arata debating songs beside him. This is where he belongs, with them.

Then Chihaya and Arata start singing, and Taichi changes his mind. Awful intonation doesn’t stop them from belting out pop songs and enkas, and Taichi takes over the microphone on the third enka because his ears hurt. Both of them applaud after, though, and Taichi mock-bows — perhaps his childhood voice lessons have come in handy after all.

“Chihaya, is this your song?” Arata asks as the umpteenth number comes on screen, a pop song from the nineties. “…Chihaya?”

She’s fallen asleep against him, her mouth open and her hair falling into it. Arata and Taichi keep singing until Arata’s eyes close and the microphone slips from his hands, and then it’s just Taichi with his microphone, leaning into Arata’s bony warmth. Taichi’s careful not to move after Arata’s head settles onto his.

The ends of the pieces blur into the beginnings, and it becomes one long song whose lyrics he doesn’t remember seeing before, though they make perfect sense. And it becomes a karuta reading, a new kind of karuta, that has different poems and notes changing on every mora…

- - -

A steady brrrrng brrrrng invades Taichi’s dreams, something hard shifts below his cheek, and then Arata’s voice vibrates through Taichi. Scratchy with sleep, it says, “Understood. We’ll be downstairs in a minute.”

Taichi opens gummy eyes to the same karaoke room as before — the screen has gone black — and peels his cheek from Arata’s shoulder, just as Arata yawns mightily. Chihaya slides down to the seat when Arata moves.

She doesn’t wake no matter how they shout at or shake her, and they have to carry her out between them. She rouses a little before they get to the front desk, and stumbles on her own two feet to the desk to pay her thousand yen. Outside, it’s colder than it was last night, the lighted signs dead against the gray morning sky.

“So… tired…” Chihaya murmurs, flopping against Taichi.

“You were the one who wanted to go to karaoke,” Taichi says ruthlessly. “You could be in your bed right now.”

Chihaya mutters something discontented in reply.

“Chihaya,” says Arata, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder, which is curled into Taichi’s coat, “Thank you. And you too, Taichi. The lights… the bar… the singing… it was wonderful.”

“Did you hear that?” Taichi asks an insensate Chihaya. “Your plan was a success.”

She revives so fast it scares Taichi. “I’m glad!” she says happily, this time falling against Arata to hug him tightly. “We ought to do it again!”

“It’s fun to do something that isn’t karuta once in a while, isn’t it?” says Arata, and Taichi can’t believe his ears.

He draws in a breath to say something, but his tongue stills at the sight in front of him. Chihaya’s twined adoringly around Arata, and he’s smiling down at her, both of them softly disheveled, the picture of a happy couple. A pair lost in their own world, needing nothing and no one else.

Then Arata says, “Taichi!” and Chihaya says, “Hurry up!” and they both turn expectantly to him.

No, thinks Taichi as he falls into their waiting arms, it’s the three of them, it’s always been the three of them — whole and complete.

#circ makes words #chihayafuru #taichiharata #taichihayarata #taichi/chihaya/arata #christmas fic #this was just an excuse to write about Tokyo at Christmastime #happy holidays #my fic #no beta #or prolonged editing period #we die like wataya hajime

41 notes · View notes

brownpuffball · 5 years

Text

HEY, HELLO, HI, I WILL PROTECT WATAYA AKIRA WITH MY LIFE

#Chihayafuru #Wataya Akira #Spoiler #Spoilers #Breaking news #I am not over the novels #Even though I can't find the translations I read anymore #Hajime was a shit dad and husband #It's a good thing he turned that shit around before another cat got put in the cradle #PLEASE LOVE YOUR CHILDREN EVEN IF THEY DO NOT SHARE YOUR INTERESTS AND ARE LOUD AND STUPID #AKIRA YOU ARE TOO FORGIVING

2 notes · View notes

ice-kyuubi · 3 years

Text

Chihayafuru

Appreciation post for Suo-Meijin who had a make over in the middle of the game.

And to the Wataya Arata and his super good looking grandpa, Wataya Hajime

I find myself teary eyed whenever I read a chapter of this manga. It would be nice to have them as friends in the world of competitive Karuta. There is not a single character here that made my blood boil and if this is a plain romantic manga, I dunno who I'm gonna ship. Like I sincerely believe Shinobu and Arata look good together but my selfish heart wants Arata for Chihaya. Then there's Taichi who deserves Chihaya too.

#manga cap #manga #manga recommendation #chihayafuru #wataya arata

8 notes · View notes

stellacolletore · 3 years

Text

so my love has grown to be (like the river’s quiet deeps), part two

Introductions “If these knees weren’t as old as I am, I’d be playing against one of them right now.”

“You say that, Harada-san, but we both know just how much you’ve waited for this. First official match and all.”

“Iie. I don’t think anyone’s as excited as you are, President Sudou-san.”

“Playing for Class A finals are Mashima Chizumi-san and Wataya Hajime-san. Playing for Class B finals are…”

Jigsaw She’s always figured romantic love would be a bit like jigsaw. And how, for the longest time, the puzzle pieces have always been in her line of sight. But she’s never been able to see the complete picture, being so focused on karuta and not much on everything else.

She’s beginning to put the pieces together, though. It’s one of the new things she does after he leaves the club. It’s yet one of the things she wishes she could get help from him.

This is much harder than studying, or not playing karuta. But just you wait, Taichi. I’ll figure this one out, too.

Karate It took only a day for the gossip to reach Taichi’s ears. Rumor has it that the hottest guy in the med department’s already taken. He could almost say he didn’t care, if only he hadn’t heard the tail end of that rumor. And she’s a black belter in karate, so you guys better back away from both of them.

Beside him, Chihaya swings her arm swiftly through the air. Taichi catches her hand before she moves it again and fuels the misunderstanding. “Chihayaー” Freezing up, Taichi considers an idea that suddenly entered his mind. Chihaya looks at him inquisitively as he releases her hand. “Taichi?”

“Your swings need a little more power,” he says.

Lessons Whoever said that you don’t completely know a person until you’ve lived with them had it right, Chihaya thinks. Even though she’s known Taichi since forever, she finds herself discovering new things about him now that they’ve been living under one roof.

He’s tidy in every place except the kitchen. He can’t sleep with the lights on. He absent-mindedly hums their high school anthem in moments of deep concentration. He can’t fix a broken pipe, but he can stitch every torn fabric in the house.

For Chihaya, learning about Taichi is a lesson she won’t ever get tired of.

Mistletoe They’re at a joint Christmas party celebration between the Suihoku and Shiranami karuta societies, and Chihaya is at the doorway, excitedly waiting for their friends to arrive.

Meanwhile, Taichi has himself planted firmly on his spot at the registration table, refusing to budge under the pointed gazes of his society members. “How long are you going to stay here, Mashima-kun?” Hiroshi-san asks playfully, gesturing to the registration papers. “Almost all of Shiranami’s members are here, so whoever will walk through that door might seriously take a chance on Chihaya-chan.”

His jaw clenches in annoyance, earning an amused chuckle from Hiroshi-san. Baka Chihaya. As he finally heads over to his very excited, very oblivious girlfriend standing under the mistletoe, Taichi could feel every bit of the teasing energy from the people around the room.

He places a chaste kiss on her cheek. In a second, Chihaya’s eyes are blown wide, her face rapidly flushing as she gawks at the lively people in the room. “Taichi!” She whispers at him, “E - e - everyone’s looking.” Taichi’s fighting a blush himself as he directs her eyes upwards. Chihaya’s face reddens even more at the realization while he mutters, “Glad you noticed.”

Noodles “T - t - thank you for accepting my request, Mrs. Pre - I mean, Mashima-san.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble, Chihaya-chan. Let me ask you, though, why are you trying to give my son ramen instead of chocolates for Valentine’s Day?”

“Ah, that’s because Taichi gets tired of sweets pretty fast. He used to receive so many in high school, and I remember him saying that he’d rather eat salty food. Last weekend, he also mentioned missing your ramen, Mashima-san. So I thought that it would be a great Valentine’s gift.”

“W - well, if that’s so, then let’s get started right away, Chihaya-chan.”

“Hai!”

Pressure “Taichi, you should really get some rest,” Chihaya implores, staring at the pale complexion his workaholic boyfriend is currently sporting. “What if you faint while taking the exams? Isn’t that just as bad as failing it?”

Taichi runs a hand through his hair. “Chihaya, you and I both know this is going to be hard. There will be patients who will need this information from me, and so I have to learn as much as I can so I won’t be letting those people down.”

With a sigh, Chihaya concedes, knowing full well that Taichi is more stubborn this time around. She tells him, “If there’s anything you need, promise you’ll wake me up, okay?” Despite his exhaustion, he gives her a warm smile. “Okay. Thanks for understanding, Chihaya.”

#chihayafuru #ayase chihaya #mashima taichi #taichihaya #come talk taichihaya with me!

7 notes · View notes

aan56 · 5 years

Note

شخصيتك المفضلة؟-بكل الانميات-

ياساتر ههههه

كاتبتهم بصفحة تاق الشخصيات هذي بس بانسخهم لك مع بعض التعديلات لاني حاطه فيها كم شخصية مو شخصية وحدة

Inuyasha :

- Sesshomaru

\ … ////…\…////

Tiger & Bunny :

- Kotetsu

\ … ////…\…////

Slam Dunk :

- Hanamichi Sakuragi

\ … ////…\…////

Major :

- Gibson Jr. Joe

\ … ////…\…////

Hajime no Ippo :

- Takeshi Sendo

\ … ////…\…////

Uchuu Kyoudai :

- Nanba Mutta

- Nanba Hibito

أنا قايلة هالاثنين ما أقدر أفصلهم

\ … ////…\…////

Hunter X Hunter :

- Hisoka

\ … ////…\…////

Detective Conan :

- Akai Shuichi

\ … ////…\…////

Sket Dance :

- Hime Onezka

\ … ////…\…////

Ao No Exorcist :

- Mephisto Pheles

\ … ////…\…////

Aoharu x Kikanjuu :

- Midori Nagamasa

\ … ////…\…////

Arslan Senki :

- Hermes

\ … ////…\…////

Baby Steps :

- Takuma Egawa

\ … ////…\…////

Bakuman :

- Hiramaru

\ … ////…\…////

Bleach :

- Grimmjow

\ … ////…\…////

Boku No Hero Academia :

- All Might

\ … ////…\…////

Chihayafuru :

- Arata Wataya

\ … ////…\…////

Cuticle Tantei Inaba :

- Inaba

\ … ////…\…////

D. Gray-Man :

- Nea D Campbell

\ … ////…\…////

Diamond no Ace :

- Chris Yuu Takigawa

\ … ////…\…////

Digimon Adventure tri :

- Sora Takenouchi

\ … ////…\…////

Durarara!! :

- Shizuo

\ … ////…\…////

Gintama :

- Sakata Gintoki

\ … ////…\…////

Haikyuu!! :

- Oikawa Tooru

\ … ////…\…////

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken :

- joseph joestar

\ … ////…\…////

Kamisama Hajimemashita :

- Kurama Shinjirou

\ … ////…\…////

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! :

- Xanxus

- Squalo

عينين في الراس ..كل واحد له مذاق خاص > توصف أكله 😂

\ … ////…\…////

Karneval :

- Akari

\ … ////…\…////

Kimi to Boku :

- Kaname Tsukahara

\ … ////…\…////

Kuroko No Basket :

- Aomine Daiki

\ … ////…\…////

Kyoukai no Rinne :

- sabato rokudou

\ … ////…\…////

Log Horizon

- Isaac

\ … ////…\…////

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic :

- Judal

\ … ////…\…////

Mob Psycho 100 :

- Reigen Arataka

\ … ////…\…////

One Piece :

- White Beard

\ … ////…\…////

One Outs :

- Tokushi Toua

\ … ////…\…////

One Punch Man :

- Saitama

- Genos

ما أقدر أفصلهم 😁

\ … ////…\…////

Ookiku Furikabutte :

- Haruna Motoki

\ … ////…\…////

Sakamichi no Apollon :

- Kawabuchi Sentaro

\ … ////…\…////

School Rumble :

- Kenji Harima

\ … ////…\…////

Sengoku Basara :

- Katakura Kojuro

- Date Masamune

ما احلو الاول الا بوجود الثاني ..يعني مكملين لبعض 🥰

\ … ////…\…////

Shingeki no Bahamut :

- Azazel

\ … ////…\…////

Tsuritama :

- Akira Agarkar Yamada

\ … ////…\…////

Uta no Prince-sama :

- Hijirikawa Masato

\ … ////…\…////

Working!! :

- Aoi Yamada

\ … ////…\…////

World Trigger :

- Kei Tachikawa

\ … ////…\…////

Yowamushi Pedal :

- Makishima Yuusuke

معليش ..صفحتي بمال ما تحدثت فـ ناسية الانيميات اللي تابعتها من بعد ماخربت ..وانا أكتب لك بالايباد اللي صعب النسخ و اللصق فيه مقارنة بالكمبيوتر ..

لو حددتي الانيميات بيكون احسن 😘😘

13 notes · View notes

filmkomik · 7 years

Photo

Chihayafuru Part I / Chihayafuru Kami no Ku (2016)

Suzu Hirose as Chihaya Ayase Shūhei Nomura as Taichi Mashima Mackenyu as Arata Wataya Mone Kamishiraishi as Kanade Ōe Yūma Yamoto as Yūsei Nishida Yūki Morinaga as Tsutomu Komano Hiroya Shimizu as Akihito Sudō Mayu Matsuoka as Shinobu Wakamiya Miyuki Matsuda as Taeko Miyauchi Jun Kunimura as Harada Hideo Ryōtarō Sakaguchi as Hiro Kinashi Alice Hirose as Chitose Ayase, Chihaya's sister (cameo) Masane Tsukayama as Hajime Wataya

When Chihaya Ayase was in the 6th grade of elementary school, she met Arata Wataya. Arata Wataya transferred from Fukui Prefecture. Taichi Mashima was Chihaya Ayase’s friend since they were little. Arata got close to Chihaya and Taichi from the card game karuta.

Four years later, Chihaya is a hight school student. Chihaya learns that Arata, who went back to Fukui Prefecture, doesn't play karuta anymore. Believing they will meet Arata again, Chihaya and Taichi starts a karuta club at their high school

#2016 #Chihayafuru #manga

0 notes

watayaaratamblr · 3 years

Text

Chihayafuru chapter 226 [long] impressions:

This is more of "everything that went through my mind while reading every page of the chapter"

naturally, gonna be super ..like SUPER long.

1) Shinobu in her fine Kimono was happy or proud? What are the flowers around her? Who knows, we only know that anything they might symbolize is already clear on her face and pose. She played a very strong opponent, she had “special” fun and she won. Only one remaining win and she will preserve her title for the 4th year in a row. Chihaya on the other hand was lost… She did everything she could “come up with” but she still couldn’t win any of the two matches… maybe “come up with something new” was her mistake? Could it be that it’s impossible to defeat the queen in her world, should Chihaya bring her out instead, Chihaya probably didn’t even thought of this because she is completely lost, she worked very hard and her hard work paid off somehow but it is not enough Chihaya seems unable to have any fun; it’s all about needing to win for some reason, why the passionate Chihaya feels so far away?

2) Arata is shook! He is no longer seeing the Meijin in front of him, he is rather calling Chihaya’s name! On the Meijin board we can see 4 poems, (one was shown clearer behind Hiro who was confused with Arata’s sudden distraction; Sudo also noticed and wondered + the 4 poems seem all on Suo’s side?)

30/Ariake no: the poet expresses his hate for dawns after he had to part from his lover at a dawn with a moon that looked so cold and indifferent. 76/Watanohara-ko: This is the second “Arata” poem (as it starts with the word WATA). The poet describes white waves rolling onward which can be mistaken for the white clouds up in the heavens. 20/ Wabi nureba: a consuming passion poem in which the poet tells the woman he loves that he is willing to sacrifice everything to continue their relationship and that he will go meet her despite the heavy price he knows he will have to pay. 74/ Ukari keru: The poet is in distress because the lady he loves is cold to him and his prayers to be happy with her were futile.

The choice of these poems might be clarified when the cards are read but (because Suo seems shadowed somehow and the focus is on Arata), we can still think that they are about Arata’s feelings and what he wants to do about Chihaya’s state now and how she will treat him after her loss .. She already turned her head away from him after her 1st loss, she avoided him, and now she lost again and Arata who is in love with her is really worried.

3) Arata assesses the situation, Chihaya has 2 losses which will put a great pressure on her for the next games and give Shinobu the chance to be more relaxed. The image of Chihaya’s back when she rushed out with her hand on her face as if she was crying was so strong for Arata, the background intensifies what he felt, he was really worried and repeating her name while sweating (dunno if this was intentional, but he wasn’t sweating before he noticed Chihaya (on ch225)) On the other hand, Suo was still completely focused.

4) 78/Awaji shima: was read and Arata was late. Suo took it

This poem tells about the sleepless nights of a guard at some gate caused by the cries of the plover birds crossing the place known as an exile (the plover is also used to symbolize winter) so this poem might invoke the feelings of loneliness and nostalgia.

65/Urami wabi: was the next one and Arata was also late, the difference is now only 1 card. Sudo was cheering for Suo and wandering if a luck of the draw will be the fate of this game. Arata was taken aback!

The poet of Urami wabi is a lady who is separated from her husband so she felt resentment to him, she cried and her sleeves were always wet but what concerned her more was her reputation tainted because of her failed relationship.

These two poems didn’t appear on the board (because only the upper part was showing) but 78 was on Arata’s side & 65 was on Suo’s. The fact that 78 was the poem read to pull Arata out of his thoughts and keep him focused on his match makes me see it as the plover birds keeping the guard from going to sleep. It can also hint at the distraction itself, if sleep is what we do at night but the plovers prevent it, then Arata should focus on his game but his worry for Chihaya also prevents it, so his feelings or Chihaya’s state is the plovers. As for 65, I can’t think of many possible reasons but it might be the “reputation” part, maybe it’s a hint at Arata’s “name” as the “grandchild of eternal meijin Wataya Hajime” that everyone was eager to see through him which might soon be challenged.

5) Murao & Kuriyama wondered what happened to Arata after he achieved such good result till now. Suo had his eyes glued to the Tatami, his aunt was there, he knew but he didn’t try to look. Arata’s club-mates explained that this was a sign of Suo’s strength: he would use the least of your mistakes like losing your focus for even a sec. Riza specifically was very nervous. Arata started to revise what was read and what wasn’t. he kept good track of all read and unread cards, including the dead cards (Taichi was always praised when he did this but now that Arata is doing it, it feels normal and so like him, I believe we all know that Arata is stronger, Taichi showed us the process to arrive there but Arata was the first to arrive there, he definitely passed by most what Taichi experienced.). With this review, Arata knows what he can use his cross sweep on: Wabi & Wata-ko. Ariake is the 3rd remaining card on Tatami (besides the two above & the thress are drawn earlier on the board) but there are also 3 A cards not read yet (dead cards) which are 58/Arima+ 39/Asaji+ 64/Asaborake-u, Arata expects that Suo will wait to make sure of the 3rd syllable. Arata was worried & his grandpa’s ghost came to support him like Taichi and Harada’s ghost too, Hajime analyzed Suo before and he noticed that he wasn’t good with the cards on the outer edge of his own formation, this is something Hajime noticed back when he was alive and sane, was it like 5 years ago? So is Suo’s condition worse than back then?

6) Hajime’s teachings calmed Arata a bit, he is ready to fight again (he moves so handsomely), those where only words told to him by his mentor, but he is also a real deal, his body is ready, his hands are used to attack, he practiced enough to be able to go under his opponent’s hand to take a card, luckily an ‘A’ card on Suo’s side was read, Arata attacked and he practiced enough to be able to protect that card until the kimariji is decided (also Suo didn’t practice enough to know how to break that defense, it was a card on the edge of his playing field too, but there are only 3 cards left, so he could commit it to his memory as Arata said before on ch 223, the most important thing is memorization, having a card in your sight Then committing it to your memory, you’ll be able to see it even with closed eyes and Arata played like that before when he couldn’t find his glasses)

7) 30/Ariake is the one read, Arata put his hand on it when he made sure and Suo couldn’t find a way to it. Among the 4 poems initially shown on the board, this one was read. Who does it refer to? (if it does). Who is the unpitying moon? who parted with what? who feels longing for what? I can’t really think of an answer and I can’t even tell if there is an answer to begin with. But, it might have something to do with the idea of “committing the card to memory after sight” because when this principle was explained on 223, this card was among the ones shown around Arata & Suo. Arata’s family members where happy contrary to Suo’s family members.. These two panels made me think that in these matches between these two, the families of the players are as involved as the players themselves. (And Akira looks more surprised than happy, maybe he still doesn’t realize how his own words back at the hotel are true: “Arata, you are strong”.) The commentator confirmed the greatness of Arata’s move and there was a suspicious man behind him LOL (why was this man drawn there?)

8) Arata’s cover seems to be a high level one too, this is all Arata’s Karuta because he is the one using his body for it. Suo now seems in danger like Chihaya. Kuriyama & Murao are overjoyed and Arata went out with rather an indifferent face? there are no signs of relief or happiness, he looks rather lost in thoughts.. I was thinking that Suo acknowledged Arata’s strength (that beat him), but for some reason and contrary to Harada sensei, it’s not only “I don’t want to play anyone who is not strong”, he seems like he doesn’t even want to play this strong Arata, even when Kyoko tan who gives him enough motivation to play, he still couldn’t bring himself to use enough strength to defeat Arata…it’s like he is disappointed, he wants something else from him that Arata isn’t showing him… Anyway, Arata now doesn’t even look tired or invested in his win in any way.

9) Now he looks surprised, is it because he can’t see Chihaya anywhere? the half black & half white background was used before and in my case, it represents “Confusion”. In addition to the blush, Arata makes a completely unrelated face with the one he made after he won, it’s like the moment he came outside, he became someone else, or better, he was someone else but the moment he came out, he became himself again (can we then take the blush as an “Arata is himself” sign & its disappearance as a “Hajime mode” sign? XD) The SFX isn’t BAM right? because who is still taking cards? According to Google, it’s rather (バツ/ turn suddenly); And seeing Kana searching for her confirmed that she was nowhere around so he went to look for her right away, even before he reports his win and gives back the cards. (he looked like an old man in the 3rd panel lol) and in the 4th, he looked very concerned for Chihaya suddenly sweating and turning around in a hurry. Kana’s way of searching was by shouting loudly everywhere, while Arata’s reflects more of his personality and I like it, he won’t do random things, he goes to the places where she might be, calmly & silently.. I really love this. So he asks around, the bathroom was a good place to look in but she wasn’t there (and he was so amusing being all shy but asking anyway) These few panels tell me more about Arata’s character; he really is used to take matters into his hands. He didn’t go to ask Kana when was the last time Chihaya was seen and where etc. he didn’t approach those who were already searching for her, he went to do it himself. I already said that, but I guess, his parents & his family conditions made him this way. he couldn’t get support, he was rather the one asked to help so he learnt not to ask for help and to take care of things himself instead. The outside was the last place to look in, is it because Arata was more intuitive that he could find her before Kana who was already searching before he even finished his match? Who knows, but I certainly see Arata as a reliable guy, he always was and he is also now. And there she was, Chihaya was crouching on the cold snow…

10) Arata stuttered like usual before he gets Chihaya’s name out; A whole page just to tell us Arata found Chihaya crying desperately in the snow and her bare feet were red from cold. No special backgrounds, no hinting no indirect messages, it’s all snow and white and they were the only ones there. Arata put his hand on her back casually then lowered his head to see her face (imagining this in slow motion is so warm) and then noticed her freezing toes..

11) As Arata noticed Chihaya’s feet, he held her up on his shoulder, no blushing, no shyness, no hesitation, no clumsiness, his familiar self was buried and Chihaya is what matters now! Arata is strong! He is 177cm and weighs 65kgs while Chihaya is 167 and weighs 54kgs, not much difference right? And this wasn’t the 1st time he carries her, He did before when she fainted in her 1st nationals, he carried her bridal style, now it’s an OTS carry (yep, read about this on TV tropes and they gave it an abbreviation lol “Over The Shoulder carry”) Chihaya was surprised but her focus soon was turned to the box of cards that Arata dropped while carrying her, She started to apologize, she certainly sees the cards as living humans now, Arata wasn’t as concerned, she was 1st for him and everything will come after. When the box fell, 4 poems were revealed:

6/kasassagi no: The misty bridge between distant lovers that will bring them together for sure. 51/Kaku to dani: This is about a fierce love that the poet feels burning inside him but doesn’t know how to express it to the woman he loves. 26/Ogurayama: The poet tries to invite an emperor to visit a certain pretty place that his father visited before and he wished his son would come to see it too. He uses the maple leaves to express the felt desire & longing to see the emperor-son. And half shown, 72/Oto ni kiku: it’s about the known waves of "Takashi beach" that the poet doesn’t want to approach not to wet her sleeve, but it’s actually about her not trusting the invitation she got from a man and fearing a love affair that will end in tears, this poem can be used to express avoiding something not to get hurt by it…

Again, none can say for sure why exactly these poems but I strongly believe that they are a hint. And for me, they are saying something about the relationship between Chihaya & Arata (they are a love story!!).

Looking back on the history of poem 6, we can expect that Suetsugu is going back to the idea of "there is a distance between Chihaya & Arata which is like the distance of the two legendary lovers Orihime & Hikoboshi" but this time, Arata is the one who is preoccupied with this distance more... Kaku to dani: needless to say, this is about Arata’s feelings for Chihaya, they are burning again because Chihaya needs something to cheer her up so he needs to convey them somehow. Ogurayama: I believe this is about the maple leaves carrying Arata’s feelings. Even if he doesn’t try to show it or be vocal about it, even though he used his phone only 3 times to send something to Chihaya (was only a msg through Taichi, then a message to her & Taichi and finally a call-what a progress lol), but he longs for her and wants her to be happy like how the emperor would have felt if he came to see those pretty crimson maple leaves. He wants his feelings to make Chihaya happy somehow. And the half-shown Oto ni kiku is about fear of love and tears. This is about Chihaya who isn’t allowing herself to be involved with love yet! there is something she feels lacking which is necessary before she lets herself love and I believe it’s the thing making her turn her head away from Arata ..

Then Chihaya realized, then looked at Arata’s head, he won his much! he now has 2 wins and one more win and he will achieve the dream he shared with her, the kinda promise: “this weekend, let’s make our 1st dream the reality”

12) Then Chihaya cried, helplessly. She congratulated Arata through her tears but she was rather miserable… It’s so hard to be happy for him right? this is not a win which will be enough to get by either him OR her, whichever happens should be good if they are friends right? but no, this is about her!! I have a feeling that if Chihaya won & Arata not, she wouldn’t be very sad for him.. There is something telling me that Chihaya is only scared of being left behind by Arata, as long as he doesn’t, she will be fine, but if he does, she will feel devastated. this is such a strong word, but I mean it.

13) And she voiced a bit of her concern, she was afraid she can never win, even though she lost only by 3 cards, personally, I’ll think that from 7 cards to 3, I can make it in the next game, but Chihaya seems to think that the strongest she can be is the way she was in this second game, then she can only get close to Shinobu that much, not to lose with more than 3 cards. Arata was surprised; maybe he never thought she could lose hope? or maybe he is confused how she can say so when he believes that she can win against Shinobu.. And ofc, before he says anything Kana & Tamaru finally found Chihaya. Kana is as wary of Arata as ever, the n°1 Taichiha shipper. But apparently, she didn’t see Arata bringing Chihaya from outside, she saw only when he put her down and that looked “too close” for her and “hurry up, let’s go to your waiting room, it’s like she is saving her from Arata.. While our gentleman was putting Chihaya down so carefully while looking at her feet whether they are fine or not.

14) Kana is indeed a typical Taichiha shipper, I have seen it a lot, no matter what Arata does, he is always a target for hate or at least disdain. Approaching Chihaya is a big no for them let alone take caring of her. I tried to laugh at this panel, I thought that sensei really is referring to those fans, she might have wanted it to be a comical moment but it’s not. What I saw is that, again, Kana is putting Taichi & herself before Chihaya & it sucks. Arata didn’t even notice her though, thankfully, all he could see was Chihaya, the painful face she was making & her tears (The background of confusion as I call it).. Arata suddenly took us for another rare moment inside his stubbornly concealed heart, the clumsy guy who seems shallow & insensitive to lot of readers.. Chihaya’s weight alone made him look so deep into her and see so much…She is unfamiliar to him, he didn’t get to learn earlier about her everything, but in every second he is given, we saw him pay a lot of attention and see her with more than his eyes. Chihaya’s tears meant that she worked so hard and that didn’t pay off, she wouldn’t have cried this much otherwise. And he can already learn that much about her by just imagining what he wasn’t there to witness, she worked so so hard. Looking at his hands (Chihaya was there lol), he looked so deep in thought, but he remembered the cards he left on the snow..

15) He rushed to bring them but his thoughts were full of Chihaya and how to cheer for her, Arata acknowledged her strength, she is an amazing strong player who can really defeat Shinobu (he seems to believe he can also defeat Suo).but he is not good at communicating his feelings & thoughts, he is clumsy & he knows it..so will he hide his clumsiness to look cool like Taichi does most of the time? No, that wasn’t what Arata thinking, he was rather wondering about a way to make her know what might save her.. He took the cards getting now wet from the snow, he took 77/SE while he was wondering.. “Se” is about the separated ones who will certainly meet again.. it’s like Arata feels a boulder blocking his thoughts and feelings from reaching her and he wants to find a way to bypass it & reach her. “Se” has always been a special card for Arata and it is because of Chihaya..

16) It was the 1st card Chihaya took from him and he already got it back from her in their match but for Arata, SE is more than that. It’s the card that started Chihaya’s journey in Karuta. and Arata is confident that he is the only one who knows, and he is confident that the level she showed in her match with him is the highest she reached, or the highest anyone can reach, or at least, if she is defeated by Shinobu in 2 matches today and was already defeated by her in ch169 then it’s a level she didn’t go to again after her match with him and she still can do it. Arata’s head was really full of Chihaya, he is so focused on her that he totally forgot he too is where he worked to be for so many years, longer and maybe even harder than Chihaya herself (for almost 12 years, more than half of his life, no it’s 2 thirds of his life!!!), so the Murao twins came to remind him of what he forgot since the match ended, of the Meijin title & his grandpa. Only one other win to be were Hajime Wataya seems to have wanted Arata to be (or at least that’s what Arata thought)

17) Yep, Hajime is telling him to focus, to forget about Chihaya & concentrate on him & his goal. “Se” was shown again with the words “the mejin title”, is that the boulder separating the stream of the river?

18) Arata placed Se back on top of the cards in the box next to another card:

18/Su mi no e no: This poem is about hiding from people’s gaze when going to meet the lover, trying to avoid exposure even in dreams.. Doesn’t it suit the moment perfectly? when the twins came to remind Arata of the Meijin title and his status, he hid “SE” (representing also his feelings for Chihaya) in the box, it’s like how the poet who is an aristocrat from the great Fujiwara family (Fujiwara men are known to choose their wives in the family) is afraid of being exposed.

Arata closed the box, it’s also like “Se” keeps him the real Arata (he said that he lacked love to be himself, so maybe Se is his love poem to Chihaya, his love saves him regardless of whether she reciprocates it or not contrary to Taichi, his love always hurt him, like a curse) The Karuta officials are the happiest for Arata’s win it seems, he pleased them, he revived Wataya Hajime for them again, they are blessed, for them, it’s all about them & Hajime it seems, Arata isn’t really seen for who he is… Arata remembered when that man told him that because Arata’s Karuta is exactly like Hajime’s, he was able to see Wataya sensei again. Back then Arata cried, he said that he really loves Karuta.. Could it now turn into a curse? because it’s too much? Because he is losing himself? because he is not seen? Why was Arata happy back then? and is the reason weaker than any probable desire now to be seen for who he is?

19) Suo was upset! His dear aunt that he didn’t meet for 8 years suddenly came all the way from Kyushu to see him, but he wasn’t happy..He lost two games but he doesn’t seem worried about that... Yukiko was kind and looks like the sweets are a family thing? Sudo is confused (he is amusing when he is like that) & Suo’s cousin is more impressed because Suo had lot of female friends lol Suo was nervous, he wanted to ask how and why they were suddenly there but he stuttered and According to Yukiko chan’s answer, we learn that Suo developed the habit of soft talking after he quit Kyushu.

20) After 8 years of separation, she wanted to touch the boy she loved so much and cared immensely for, maybe it’s because she can’t see him well too, but she failed to reach his face, she couldn’t see well, and Suo felt so hurt, but like anyone else with pride, his reaction was based on his suffering not on hers. And instead of being hurt herself, she rather was worried about him, why would he be cruel to her unless he too is suffering from her same illness.

21) The whole conversation in this page feels weird. Suo raised his voice from frustration and these relatives didn’t try to listen to him before. The cousin rather teased him about his loss as if it’s nothing, (he highlighted the fact that Arata is a youngster too) And Yukiko’s answer was soething I didn’t expect! She doesn’t seem to care much about the Meijin thing, she rather looked hopeful (notice the sudden blush), she thought that if Suo is no longer Meijin then he can go back home. What was even more surprising is that Suo looked agitated but his answer wasn’t what I expected, he asn’t worried that his title doesn’t see precious that his relatives would want him to keep, he was rather worried that what they are offering is impossible because he grew up to become a stranger and going back to his home is impossible.

22) Seems that Suo would consider his home any place Yukiko owns, but he knew that she didn’t own the house she told him to go back to. (isn’t this a reason to work harder in univ then get a job and buy a house to bring Yukiko to live with him instead?) The cousin got angry because things like these aren’t considered in a warm loving family where elderly are respected and considered owners before what papers say.. Suo didn’t seem to want to listen, and he left hurriedly causing his condition to beclearer to his aunt as he bumped with many things in his way out. (BACKGROUND of confusion in the last panel)

23) Still, Suo couldn’t leave before knowing why they suddenly came. and the description was so easy to tell him who, Suo realized it right away, the boy with big eyes who would wish for Suo’s family to come watch him (because he is incredible & wants his family to know that? or bc he pities him?) The boy with big eyes was “Mashima kun” they called him this many times, now they didn’t mention the name, I wonder how Sudou would have felt if he knew? would he realize that Taichi really got the closest to Suo, somewhere he couldn’t go?

24) Chitose left, Chihaya’s mom knew but didn’t understand why, Kana, tsukuba & Nishida stayed out of the room while Chihaya, Tamaru, Namida, Sumire & the last boy from Mizusawa that went to Shiranami were all inside, Kana told the mom it’s better to stay out and those inside were all experiencing the reason lol Ah no, Namida was doing great, he is such positive and hard working boy, he is not wasting his time by being afraid or nervous, he is taking notes instead! Chihaya is the most nervous because she is the reason Harada sensei is furious. Harada never taught Chihaya to send back a card because the opponent will place it again in its original place that they remember well (and we know that Chihaya sent it to provoke Shinobu -see ch222), provocative Karuta based on the knowledge of what Shinobu hates and the cards she won’t place next to each other was Watarai’s teaching.

25) Yep, Shiranami’s way is to target the opponent’s memorization as much as possible, Shiranai members are scared of Harada but can’t deny that he is right, he is a great teacher, has a good experience in Karuta and in teaching, maybe them being present here to hear & learn is the biggest proof. Chihaya also didn’t lift her head, she knew he was totally right, she can’t think that losing was because she was unlucky in front of the strongest queen, it’s because of those small mistakes she allowed herself to make.

26) Harada’s words kept hitting hard for Chihaya. Maybe he didn’t say that she was wrong, she learnt a new way in 2 months but she already had a strong way that she could fortify in these 2 months too.. Chihaya focused on Shinobu’s cards and neglected her own? isn’t this beneficial for an offensive Karuta player? I don’t get it well But Harada didn’t understand much of Chihaya’s new method either and he was honest & fair, he acknowledged what Chihaya still achieved: she got a strong reaction from Shinobu. Did Shinobu’s smile mean that she wasn’t indifferent with Chihaya? that she enjoyed the “strong” opponent? Harada told Chihaya that Shinobu seems to have enjoyed her match with her like she enjoyed her match with Arata which means that Chihaya played at Arata’s level back then and that is an achievement!

27) He smiled to her to make her feel better, because she really did great by learning new strong weapons in 2 months.. And now it’s time for the 3rd game. at this point, we don’t really know if Chihaya was better? if she calmed down? While Arata seems to be still in his grandpa mode, (he looks really like an old man here, calm and silent, he wasn’t like in the 1st break And he was completely the opposite of his father who was so energetic and very satisfied with Yuu’s gift, a design with the word “TOP” inspiring more will to do one’s best to reach the top! Akira seems quite fond of Yuu (I am too), she was admitted to her school of choice & he is happy for her, the Watayas talk so familiarly about her like she is really a close relative except Arata…

28) Akira is really hard to deal with, he does whatever he wants and he is very fond of Yuu. Asking for Arata’s phone to call her & thank her, Arata rejected any try to involve him in this mess (he didn’t even react when Akira said that he will make up a lie and say that Arata was touched because of her gift, Yuu would have probably known it’s a lie because Arata wouldn’t react like that… But it’s IC if he does for Chihaya right?), he was trying his best to focus, he didn’t show any enthusiasm about Yuu; Her, his father, the food or anything of the sort couldn’t break his grandpa mode. And finally, Taichi’s message was discovered, Arata didn’t want to read anything before his game but knowing it’s about Taichi, would that be still the case?

29) Arata stopped! getting a message from Taichi who didn’t come to watch made him really stop, Taichi is really special to Arata. And turning back he found Chihaya there too, she heard what Akira said & her face showed surprise!.

30) Chihaya seemed lost in her desperation, she didn’t say a word she just turned quickly wishing to find something for her too from Taichi, she needed him, when Taichi was around he could somehow find a way to make things better and she needs it now because she is not fine, Harada’s words didn’t seem to heal her fully, she sighed when she didn’t find anything.. Arata was confused (the BACKGROUND), and when Chihaya saw him she blushed & turned her head away in embarrassment, Arata lifted her suddenly earlier and she didn’t have time to do this back then. Why? if it was because Taichi now then what about the 1st time? It wasn’t because of Taichi, it was because she looked weak in front of Arata. Chihaya has always worked hard to reach him, to become someone who can meet his passion, to be worth sitting across him in Karuta.. but she kept losing where he kept winning, he was always ahead and she could never arrive there. Chihaya was embarrassed of her weak self who showed more weakness and dependence of Taichi’s help, it’s like she can’t go anywhere without his support… Arata knew that wasn’t true. Akira asked again if Arata wanted to look at Taichi’s message and Chihaya passed him just now without a word (and Kana still looked at him sideway lol) …so many distractions, Hajime Wataya’s voice was calling him again to focus, just a bit more & he’ll be the Meijin, that’s all he was about after all right?

31) NOT RIGHT!!! That wasn’t all Arata was about, not for those who care to look at him properly! Arata wasn’t worried about being ditched, or about what Taichi’s message might contain, he rather remembered when Chihaya showed him her special bond with Taichi that day when she crushed him.. This was good reason to feel jealous or upset but that’s not who Arata was… He took Chihaya’s hand and disobeyed his grandpa’s words!

32) Arata’s face looks desperate trying to reach Chihaya to make her see the truth he believes about her, she can defeat Shinobu & he means it, he knows her strength too and he could compare, he knows when Chihaya was the strongest and how Taichi is the last piece in what Chihaya fought for and became the strongest… The blush on Arata’s face says how much he wanted to make it through to her, how many times does Arata show emotions? the calm and collected guy, what does it mean when he shows such face? “You shouldn’t go play with Shinobu chan in her arena” Harada sensei pointed out Chihaya’s mistakes but he didn’t show her a way to follow, it’s like he no longer has an advice for her, he gave her everything he got and when she strayed from his path he reminded her, but that’s all, And Arata’s advice was something else, like a Karuta expert, he knew what to tell Chihaya, even though he didn’t watch her matches or maybe he did? because he didn’t seem in a pinch in his own vs Suo, maybe he got time to look sometimes…

33) Arata really had what to say, and Chihaya listened because what she heard was useful. She wanted o go where the lonely Shinobu is but she couldn’t face everything in that world and she came out leaving a still lonely Shinobu inside, Arata tells her to bring Shinobu outside instead, to show her the wonderful things outside that can give Chihaya the same strength as Shinobu, something she might want to come out to get? Chihaya saw an illusion for the calm Queen, the plant in the frame was always used for Shinobu too and it seems (and I’m not sure) that Suetsugu uses it for Shinobu who is Shinobu and not the Queen.

34) Chihaya found Arata’s words interesting, that was some good technical support but she had to think more to find her arena Though, Arata wouldn’t let her, he gives her now the emotional support, he knew Chihaya needed Taichi (not the person, but at least sensing his presence in what he left) so he decided to give her that, anything she needs, he wouldn’t be jealous or needy or immature, he put her 1st and I admire the way he loves even more!

35) Everyone saw what Arata wanted to show, it wasn’t a secret or personal message to Chihaya, and Taichi is the captain of Mizusawa, he pushed that team, and Arata brought it to push it again. Arata persisted bc he knew very well how much Chihaya values Taichi & her team, he didn’t need to be there for 3 years to know, he is very attentive and intuitive too and looks at Chihaya really properly!.

36/37) Arata’s words were moving to all Mizusawa members, they all blushed emotionally, and Chihaya cried, maybe because she missed this or maybe because she somehow betrayed it by forgetting it and not working for her team like she said she would before…(this chapter looks so direct, no BACKGROUNDs, no shoujo effects)

38) Arata held Chihaya’s hand so gently (I wonder why sensei drew this panel, it’s totally unnecessary for anything other than highlighting Arata’s love (romantic love because I can’t imagine him do this to Yuu if she ever goes through something like this)) He mentions his loss to her as something big which is a compliment to Chihaya & an acknowledgement of her strength & level. He says it with no embarrassment because her win was well deserved (I want to see Taichi make a confession like this to Arata). And Mizusawa captain was strong because she played for her team, she used all she had for them… so Chihaya again, only has to play her own Karuta, this is the opposite of what Chihaya told Arata in his match against Harada, she told him to play like someone else.. Amusing!

39) In Shinobu’s waiting room, Shinobu was acting like a child, so carefree; she only has 1 remaining win to keep her title after all. She also seems so close with Kokoro chan now (Kokoro called her Shinobu without “chan” or anything, it implies so much familiarity right?) also Shinobu is a bad example it seems lol. Though Kokoro mentions something that might be a hint to Shinobu’s next loss (a 3rd game is tiresome). And then when Shinobu was about to get up, something was off, she felt something but she didn’t see what it was? Kokoro asked but she didn’t answer? Chihaya was shown right after that still having her tears while Arata kept explaining what he wanted to say, like he himself does, he gave her an image he knows will push her to win, she had to think that she is playing in a team tournament, her team is losing, they have two losses and 0 wins, now the remaining 3 members should all win at all costs and Chihaya will play the role of the three players, it’s like when they played in the finals of last year’s high school team tournament vs Fujisaki where both Tsukuba & Tsukue kun lost and Chihaya, Taichi & Nishida felt the responsibility to win each their game, Taichi was the one who voiced this desire 1st (ch81). (That was the game Chihaya felt upset because Arata told her that he didn’t care for teams and now, he is showing her the opposite of what she feared back then, he treasures "teams" & knows exactly how important one is for any member.)

40) And Arata impersonated Taichi for Chihaya! He should have felt jealous, he already experienced that feeling and wanted to be the one Chihaya sees, but now & for her sake, he accepted Taichi and even revived him in her memory to get as much strength from that as she needs. He wasn't there but he must have known Taichi would say that for Chihaya so he reminded her of it for her sake instead of being selfish & feeling miserable or jealous (reminds me of when Chihaya hid in the closet after she lost, the way Taichi brought up Arata’s name all miserable & helpless, he couldn’t forget about himself for a bit for Chihaya contrary to Arata even though he didn’t have anything to be confident about, Chihaya was closer to Taichi, she cared for him so much, she showed him this care in front of his eyes, he had every reason to feel threatened but he didn’t, Chihaya mattered more than that to him …)

#Chihayafuru #arata wataya #wataya arata #ayase chihaya #wataya hajime #Harada Hideo #chapter_impressions

1 note · View note

circumference-pie · 3 years

Text

Yuletide 2021 Letter

Chihayafuru, Qihun, Elana Series, Nirvana in Fire

Hi Mystery Writer! Thank you for writing for me, you are amazing! I am sure I’ll like whatever you create. But in case you wanted more inspiration, here are some words:

AO3 name: circumference

General likes: angst, fluff, character introspection, worldbuilding, identity shenanigans, canon or canon divergence universe, in-world artifacts (e.g. a historical document, a news article, the script of a TV advertisement, an in-universe movie review, etc).

General DNWs: coffeeshop/high school/roommate AU, crossovers, pregnancy, porn without plot, non-canon dubcon.

Chihayafuru

Characters requested: Any (Ayase Chihaya, Harada Hideo, Komano Tsutomu, Mashima Taichi, Ooe Kanade, Suou Hisashi, Wakamiya Shinobu, Wataya Arata, Wataya Hajime)

Fandom-specific likes: character exploration and introspection, gen fics and fics focused on deep platonic relationships. My favorite characters are Shinobu and Arata. Romantic ships I like include Sudou (I know he's not in the tagset, *cry*)/Anybody, Chihaya/Arata/Taichi, Arata/Taichi, Shinobu/Happiness, and Taichi/Self-Actualization.

Fandom-specific DNWs: I'd rather not have any Chihaya/Taichi without underlying Chihaya/Taichi/Arata. (Sorry, it’s a ship I used to like, but fandom discourse rubbed me the wrong way.) Standalone Chihaya/Arata is fine, but please no Taichi-bashing.

I am up-to-date on the manga.

Optional prompts/ideas

The manga keeps reiterating that Shinobu is lonely -- but she does have people who care about her! Chihaya, Arata, Suou, her mother, Ise-san (in his own way -- I personally think he regrets isolating her). I want them to roll her up in a blanket and hug her (metaphorically, but literally is okay too).

I would also be interested for her to meet Kana. I think they might have things to talk about.

Again, I know Sudou's not in the tagset, but I'd love to see a day in his life. Other characters can come too.

I think Sudou interacting with Kana would be particularly fun; she’s unwilling to take bullshit, but can be flustered. Which buttons will Sadistic Sudou hit? (As a sidenote to this prompt and the previous one, I am pretty neutral towards Kana/Tsutomu and would be fine with Kana paired with other characters.)

We know playing Wataya Hajime affected Harada-sensei for the rest of his life, but what about Wataya-sensei? Harada has inspired a lot of people; did he leave a lasting impression on the Eternal Meijin? I don't necessarily mean this as a shippy prompt, although if that's how you're inspired, go for it.

Arata/Taichi, maybe with underlying OT3. I would be happy with any story featuring this pair, but I think a lot about the implicit pressure Taichi’s under to just not be gay, to marry a woman and be a respectable doctor and have perfect offspring, just -- ugh. I want Taichi to be able to go buckwild. Preferably for Arata.

Crack: The T-shirts in this canon are top-notch. Where does the cast get their shirts from? Is there a specific shop that sells clothing with pithy and absurd English on them? What is their process for deciding what gets printed on what? IS NIKUMAN’S SISTER INVOLVED???

More crack: I would love to know more about the Snowmaru and Daddy Bear franchises.

Qihun (Hikaru no Go)

Characters requested: Chu Ying

Fandom-specific likes: all the character interactions on this show are adorable. As for shipping, I’m partial to canon-typical Shi Guang/Yu Liang.

Optional prompts/ideas

There must be so much mischief you can get up to with an invisible friend, besides learning Go and cheating on tests. You can impress and confound your friends with your "mind reading" skills and apparent eyes in the back of your head. You could "pay attention" to two movies at once. You'd be invincible at hide-and-seek (at least once, before your invisble friend refuses to help you cheat again). Maybe Mom praises you for noticing things that you didn't notice before, thanks to Friend pointing them out. I'm curious about ways Shi Guang and Chu Ying could have leveraged their situation to do some interesting things. Bonus: Yu Liang watching from the sidelines, growing increasingly bamboozled.

It frustrates me SO MUCH that Chu Ying just disappeared. Was he able to go back home and live out his life? Did he become starstuff? What happennnnnnnned.

Any missing scenes between Shi Guang and Yu Liang. If you choose this prompt, Chu Ying doesn’t have to be in it. (But it’d also be funny if he showed up to tease Shi Guang about it!)

Chu Ying meets Yu Liang. I don't know how it happens, but it does.

Elana Series

Characters requested: any (Elana, Kari, Randil, Evrek)

Fandom-specific likes: worldbuilding, backstory

Optional prompts/ideas

I've always been dissatisfied with the way Kari needs to stay ignorant and on her planet. What if she pursued this case to the ends of the earth? What if she found traces of the universe beyond? What if she was also able to take to the stars?

Elana, in her waning years, takes a self-indulgent visit to Andreica to observe what became of it.

I want to know Evrek's take on the events of Enchantress.

What does the Federation file on our planet look like?

If you’re wondering what this somewhat obscure series is, it’s two short novels; The first, Enchantress from the Stars, is a YA book that asks the question, “what if we had knights and dragons and sorceresses, but the magic is just technology, and the sorceress is from a far-advanced civilization?” -- and tells it from the advanced civilization’s point of view. It’s great fun.

The second book, The Far Side of Evil, features the same main character all grown up, and is considerably more adult, and grapples with themes of morality and human nature. It is very much a product of the author wrestling with the existential questions of the Cold War. For what it’s worth, I actually like this one more.

Both are available as e-books.

Nirvana in Fire

I’ve been crying over this show since 2018

Characters requested: any (Consort Jing, Fei Liu, Gong Yu, Grand Princess Liyang, Lin Chen, Lin Shu | Mei Changsu | Su Zhe, Meng Zhi, Mu Nihuang, Mu Qing, Princess Xuanji, Qin Banruo, Xia Dong , Xiao Jinghuan, Xiao Jingrui, Xiao Jingyan, Yan Que, Yan Yujin)

Fandom-specific likes: I really like explorations of character and identity in this fandom. I adore the Jiangzuo crew and their interactions with MCS. I am ALSO weak for the tension between Jingyan and Mei Changsu (his best friend! In more ways than one!). Prefer gen, but really could roll with any ship.

Optional prompts/ideas

The invasions of Ep 54 don’t happen, but MCS is still dying. Without the springboard of the invasions to let him reassume Lin Shu’s identity, how does he cope? Does he reconcile with Jingyan instead of keeping himself apart? Does he tell Nihuang the truth? Does he just run away to the jianghu after all? Does he stay in the capital and angst? How does he deal with the question of Fei Liu? Does he con the Bingxu pill out of Lin Chen in the end? You can surprise-save him at the end if you like, but I would like to see him resolve his self-deceptions and hurt he’s caused other people without the crutch of knowing he’s going to live after all. Also posted to NiF plotbunny farm here: https://nirvana-in-fire.dreamwidth.org/12917.html?thread=79989#cmt79989

It’s been six years since Lin Chen and his father rescued that foolish ingrate Mei Changsu, who also happens to be Lin Chen’s best friend. And the way Changsu is going, he won’t see another six years. Lin Chen devises a plan to stop Changsu from working away his depleted health: “That person you keep talking about? The emperor’s seventh son? Write to him.” Can be canon-compliant or canon-divergent. Also prompted in the Nirvana in Fire Exchange 2019.

I know he's not part of the tagset, but I find Gao Zhan fascinating. What was the Chiyan massacre through his eyes? How did he feel about MCS's plotting? How much did he know at various points? What tipped him off that there was scheming going on in Prince Jing's name?

Lin Shu, oh Lin Shu. The shadow he casts is so interesting. Anything about who Lin Shu was before Meiling. What aspects of Mei Changsu’s current brattiness/trollishness were present in his past life, what aspects of it came from... later influences (*cough* Lin Chen *cough*)? How much are Jingyan and Nihuang editorializing when they characterize Lin Shu as the best and brightest and most loyal and...?

I’d also like to see the problematic sides of Lin Shu (and by extension, possibly Lin Xie and Prince Qi too). I think the present hero-worship is very much a product of don’t-speak-ill-of-the-dead, but they must have had faults. The Hua genocide was too easily swept under the rug, for instance.

I would love character introspection/missing moments/more backstory for one of the more minor characters: Yan Que, Gong Yu, Banruo, Mu Qing, Liyang.

(Am I participating in the NiF Exchange this year? Yes. Do I want even more NiF fic? Also yes.)

#yuletide #yuletide letter

2 notes · View notes