Kyoto, Nichibei TV Building.
Inside a studio, Momiji wore a light purple kimono as she knelt on the tatami. Her legs were folded beneath her, her feet wrapped tightly in tabi socks, and her sharp gaze carried an intimidating pressure.
Across from her sat a girl in plain clothes and glasses, cold sweat forming on her forehead. Momiji wasn't even looking at her, yet just sitting opposite her made the girl feel immense pressure.
Between them lay cards illustrated with ukiyoe art and waka poems. This game had fully matured in Japan during the Edo period. It was originally a court pastime and later became a popular card game enjoyed by many families.
The referee had just finished reciting the first half of a waka poem. In the next instant, Momiji's hand moved like lightning, slapping a card away from across the field.
The card flew out past the boundary line, marking her victory.
The girl in plain clothes lowered her head and said regretfully, "I lost, Ms. Ōoka."
Momiji shook her head calmly. "You lost focus just now."
"Yes. Your presence was overwhelming. I was distracted for a moment."
The girl with glasses scratched her head awkwardly.
"Karuta requires full concentration during practice. You cannot let outside factors affect you. Your fundamentals still have problems. Go back and practice properly."
"Thank you for your guidance."
"..."
"CUT!"
Only then did the director shout, signaling the end of the recording for this segment.
"Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Ōoka."
"You've worked hard, Ms. Ōoka."
The staff immediately moved in to pack up equipment, bowing as they did so.
"You've worked hard as well."
After returning their bows, Momiji walked off to the side.
As last year's Kyoto Karuta Tournament champion and the eldest daughter of the Ōoka family, her background and ability earned her full respect from the station.
This program had invited her as a guest to compete with and guide other Karuta players.
Because of her deep love for Karuta, she gladly accepted the invitation, seeing it as a way to promote the game.
"Wow, Momiji, you were amazing. That move was so fast I didn't even see it clearly."
Chika, wearing a black dress and watching from the side, shouted excitedly. She then tried to imitate her sharp gaze and swung her arm forcefully.
At that moment, a staff member happened to pass by and was slapped in the face by Chika, nearly being knocked over.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Chika instantly broke into a cold sweat and bowed repeatedly.
Seeing that the one who hit him was a beautiful girl and also the eldest daughter of the Fujiwara family, the staff member suppressed his anger and accepted her apology.
Momiji, who usually maintained the elegant bearing of a refined young lady, covered her mouth and laughed.
"Chika, don't you find it boring just watching the recording from the side?"
She walked over and asked.
Recording a program was not the same as a real match. Many parts were scripted, with frequent mistakes, so the process was far from smooth.
"Not boring at all," Chika said cheerfully. "You know I love Karuta, and this is my first time watching a program recording. Let's play together sometime."
Hearing that, Momiji smiled. "As long as you don't cheat."
During past New Year holidays, the Fujiwara and Ōoka families often spent time together. Playing Karuta was common entertainment.
But Momiji knew very well that Chika loved cheating the most.
"Hehe."
Chika's eyes darted around as she laughed awkwardly.
"Ms. Ōoka, this is your lunch. Thank you for your hard work. We will continue recording this afternoon. Ms. Fujiwara, would you like lunch as well?"
"Thank you, I'll have one too."
The two took their bento boxes and sat in a corner to eat.
Momiji ate gracefully with her chopsticks, as if she were dining on fine cuisine.
Chika, on the other hand, announced she was eating and began shoveling rice into her mouth like a starving ghost.
Even so, her manner was not unpleasant.
Nearby staff quietly chatted while watching the two girls eat.
"Ms. Fujiwara has such a great personality. She has no airs at all for someone from the Fujiwara family. In that regard, Ms. Ōoka is far behind."
"Yeah. She's polite, but her condescending attitude is honestly annoying."
"I think Ms. Fujiwara is easy to approach. Want to try talking to her? If you marry into the Fujiwara family, you'd skip a hundred years of struggle."
"If I actually did that, you'd call the police. She's only in her first year of high school. She's a minor."
"You like Ms. Fujiwara? I think Ms. Ōoka is better. That queenlike aura and gaze, just one look and I'd lose it. Even better if she stepped on me a few times with disdain."
"Get lost. Where did this perverted masochist come from?"
Although Momiji couldn't hear them, she assumed they were saying something unpleasant. She didn't care. Their words had no effect on her.
After lunch, everyone rested briefly. Once the break ended, the staff became busy again preparing for the afternoon recording.
No one in the building realized that someone had already infiltrated the station and planted large quantities of explosives on the lower floors.
Around two in the afternoon, a segment finished recording. The director and staff were cleaning up, while Momiji stepped offstage to drink water and wait for the next session.
Chika checked her phone and said, "It's already this late. Kaguya and my brother should be coming to find us soon."
When she mentioned Toru, Momiji couldn't help frowning slightly.
It wasn't that she disliked him. On the contrary, she admired the man who had saved so many innocent people in Tokyo.
However, her father's coercive attitude and treating her like a tool had made her resentful, and that resentment had also affected how she viewed Toru.
Still, a promise was a promise. Since she had agreed to tour Kyoto together, she would not break it.
"Everyone in position."
The director raised his hand and shouted.
He was about to call for recording to start when suddenly.
Boom.
A deafening explosion erupted from the lower floors.
The violent shock caused the entire building to shake. Chandeliers and equipment fell to the ground, plunging the studio into chaos.
"What's going on? Was that an earthquake?"
Japan was prone to earthquakes, so this was everyone's first instinct.
Boom.
A second explosion followed. Flames burst upward, and the terrifying shockwave shattered all the glass in the building.
Screams rang out everywhere.
Someone outside the studio shouted, "Run. It's a bomb. Someone planted bombs in the building. This is a terrorist attack."
Panic spread instantly. People screamed and rushed for the exits, thinking only of their own survival.
"Use the fire escape. It's not burning there yet."
The crowd surged forward. No one had time to care about anyone else.
Chika ran with the crowd at first, but after a few steps, she realized something was wrong.
"Where's Momiji?"
She didn't see her. She didn't know if she had already run ahead or hadn't made it out at all.
Clenching her teeth, Chika turned back and ran toward the studio.
Others saw her, but no one stopped her. Everyone was focused on escaping.
"Momiji."
When she reached the studio, she saw her slumped on the floor. One of her legs was pinned under a heavy object, and she couldn't stand.
Chika rushed over and tried to lift it, but it was far too heavy.
Seeing that she had come back, Momiji said anxiously, "Chika, run. Don't worry about me."
Chika shook her head and ignored her, continuing to strain with all her strength. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Leave now. It's dangerous. The fire downstairs will spread up here."
She shouted.
They could already feel the temperature rising, and the crackling sounds below made it clear that the fire had started.
Chika thought for a moment. Realizing she couldn't save her alone, she gritted her teeth. "Wait here. I'll go get someone to help."
Boom.
Just as she turned to run out, another explosion shook the building. The metal frames holding the ceiling lights came crashing down.
Both girls screamed as the frames fell just a few meters in front of them.
The fallen metal blocked the exit.
Seeing this, Momiji said bitterly, "I'm sorry. I dragged you into this, Chika."
Chika shook her head, pulled out her phone, and started typing rapidly.
Momiji asked, confused, "What are you doing? Calling for help?"
Tears streamed down her face as her shoulders trembled. She sobbed, "I'm writing my will. And I need to delete everything on my phone."
Momiji was speechless.
Then she also pulled out her phone and began deleting things.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)