Chihayafuru Vol. 15, Chapter 79

I am totally procrastinating!!  Hahah, I have this awful meeting next Thursday and I have to pull a miracle out of nowhere to get two sides who don't want to agree, to agree!  So one of my bosses is breathing down my neck making sure everything is going well, second guessing all my decisions.  On top of that, the client trusts him more than he trusts me, probably because I'm a woman.  For real?! But if both sides continue acting like children there's nothing I can do about that.  So besides getting my blood pressure checked at the doctor's tomorrow to see if I have stress induced hypertension, there's still time to procrastinate! >_<  Being an OL is hard... TT__TT  Really wish I was independently wealthy....

Let's start with Chihaya, and how I think she broke her finger in the last chapter... (really...?)  After this I'm going to finish Harada's route in Hakuouki: Stories of the Shinsengumi ^_^ and get the trophy for unlocking all CGs....  Whoohoo!

Chihayafuru Vol. 15, Chapter 79

Even Rion looks a little concerned as Chihaya clutches her finger close.  Her teammates are certainly worried.

Can it be... she's injured??!!

Has Chihaya also injured herself?? Taichi thinks, almost getting up.

"Excuse me," says one of the overseers/referees thinking she might need to forfeit.
"Ah!" Chihaya says, flexing her hand.  "No, I'm alright."  Her teammates all look at her in exasperation.
"Scared me--" says Meatbun.

Rion looks a bit relieved and her team captain, Makoto eyes her.
"Please excuse me," Chihaya states as she gets up and stretches to buy herself some time.

The Oe card takes experience and skill, thinks Makoto. Rion that girl...  Because she relies on 'feeling' the way she takes cards is unrefined in comparison.  How irritating...

Chihaya is still trying to recover as she stands.  Originally I wanted to take the other card (TN: the Chinese version recounts the "ocean island" card, which doesn't really exist in that form.  But the first five syllables of the Oe Mountain card are exactly the same as this card)

It's really not easy taking the Oeyama card!

Next time I've got to turn the tide.  One card at a time... One card!

[Throb...sting...stab...pain...]  Chihaya's concentration is broken by her finger injury.

...one card....

Meanwhile, as the match starts up, Taichi is cornered by his opponent.
Ah! Shoot!  Penalty!  Taichi laments as he took the wrong card.  I still haven't forgotten the prior games' memorization order.

He recalls Desktomu's lecture from before the game.  "You have to be careful.  Emuro Ryoga won't make any mistakes during the game."

Damn!  He looks over at his silent opponent.  He's already into his fifth match and yet he maintains that completely professional facade...  Isn't he tired?  Surprisingly he still makes no mistakes...

Emuro looks up at him and grins as if taunting him, "I'm not like you because I'm A-ranked!"  (Just by looking at him Taichi can hear Emuro's inner voice)

He checks his teammates.  Not good!  Every one of Fujisaki's players...is controlling the direction of the game.  Even Chihaya, she's....

Chihaya loses another card to Rion.  That last card...I could have taken it...  What's wrong with me?  That was right in my opponent's lower right quadrant!

[Throb...throb....throb....]

What is this? she clutches her hand.  This kind of shocking pain... it's not at all like the usual finger bruising....?

What's going on?
[Sharp...throbbing...pain]
What is this....

Meatbun notices her expression.  Ayase?

"Fine!" she says quietly as she stretches.  "Just start now!  Start now!"

She recalls the words Kana said to her when she had to bow out of the last game.  "I'm so glad it was me.  I'm so glad the one who got hurt wasn't the team's wild card, Chihaya..."

"The situation is to our advantage!"

I can't!  Chihaya stretches her arm and hand.  [Throb...throb...throb] I can't let Kana-chan's advantage disappear!

Meanwhile, Shinobu is dozing off in a corner as those around her marvel at Fujisaki High's strength.
Fujisaki really is that strong....
All five players are taking the lead...
All of their players are pulling ahead.
There's just no comparison in rank.
Will they just keep pulling further and further ahead...

"Ah...Ah...ACHOO!" Shinobu sneezes into the sleeve of the poor guy next to her.
(TN: -_____-;)
"I'm so sorry!" she apologizes as she tries to wipe his sleeve clean.  I guess I should really just go home...

The older overseer recognizes her instantly as the reigning Queen.
"Wakamiya-san, you've come!" he whispers.  "Please don't just stand around in a place like this.  Come closer to the front.
"No, no," she protests.  "How could I impose?"
"If everyone sees that even the Queen has come to observe, they will all work even harder." he beams.

So....he sits her right in the middle of the Fukisaki - Mizusawa front line....
(TN: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  Everyone has their wut? faces on)

.......

Shinobu isn't really thrilled to be put on the spot.

They're just saying the same thing...

"There must be someone who can be encouraged by this, "Arata had said.
"If they see that the Queen has come to observe, they will all work even harder," the overseer had told her.

The crowd titters.
Omigosh, isn't that the Queen?
That's Shinobu Wakamiya.
She got skinnier...
How odd.  This is my first time seeing her.

What the heck.  How could that possibly be?  Shinobu thinks.  She notices Chihaya in the far corner.

I've seen her before...  Another card is called and Shinobu grimaces as Chihaya is unable to take another card.  Tch, perhaps my feeling was wrong.

Here...there is no one who who can face me as an opponent!  Shinobu feels alone in the crowd.

[Throb...throb...]

Rion notices Chihaya is starting to sweat.  That's strange... during the first half of the match her reaction was swift and fierce...  Rion notices that Chihaya is gripping her right hand.

She's hurt...

Rion is distracted that she misses the next card and yields it to Chihaya

That's good!  She can still take cards by pressing on them.

Chihaya notices the look of sympathy on Rion's face.  Chihaya takes the next card as well.

That's odd...  for someone whose 'instincts' are good, she should have been skilled enough to take that card... (TN: I'm not bothering trying to translate the card name/meanings this time around)

She remembers something Harada-sensei had said to her.  "The best thing is to not get hurt.  You cannot get hurt!  But...there will always be that opportunity!  When you get hurt... Compared with the one who actually got injured, the one who committed the injury will be even more shaken."

What am I doing? Rion asks herself.  I have to be more attentive at listening to the sounds.  I have to win!  She thinks about how both her teacher and Makoto are watching her.

I have to win, I'm only here to win...  So I...

Flashback: to Rion with her club members.
"Yamashiro-san, you're only enthusiastic when you put the CD on...  You're clearly dissatisfied with the way senpai reads the cards!  Even with us it's like being criticized by your arrogant, bored stare! It's annoying!" *end flashback*

There's no shelter.

There's no shelter...here...

I have to win here!

"Yeeeesh!" Chihaya declares suddenly, snapping Rion out of it.  She dramatically clutches her injured hand.  "It's no problem.  I yield this card to you."

The audience:  EH?

She surprisingly yielded a single syllable card... the overseer observes.  Even if she was using it as a counter attack, that's still a little rash!  Is she just giving it up?

Chihaya takes a deep breath.  Right now it's just my right index finger that's hurting.
[Throb....throb....]

I've always just done it... with my right middle finger against the side of the cards in practice.  (TN: like Shinobu)

[Throb...throb...]

Chihaya focuses only on that finger.  When the next card is read, Chihaya tries but again jams her injured finger.

SO PAINFUL---------aaaaaaahhhhhh!  Tears come to her eyes as she tries again.

Even more focused...more...  until there is only one finger in my right hand.  A player who follows her ears!

Even as the reader picks up the next card and opens her mouth to read, Chihaya reacts.

"Tatsuta no kawa no ~"  (TN: chose card 69 because it describes the river's current as translated in Chinese.  There are 3 cards though it might be, I picked this one)

Chihaya touches the side of the card and flicks it by the edge with lightning speed.

Everyone, including the reader, is shocked.
What? gasps the overseer in surprise.
So...so fast!
Besides the Queen, there's actually a player who's also that fast?

Shinobu finally realizes.  Ah!  I remember!  Last year the one who stole the single syllable card in my left lower quadrant!  I remember you...

CHIHAYA!

"Oooh," Chihaya has some trouble reaching for the card she just took.  Rion just stares at her in shock.

Yama...Yamashiro....
..... (Chihaya's forgotten her first name.... -__-)
...... (still trying)
......Yama-chan.  (She gave up)

It doesn't matter that I'm injured!  Don't be like that!  Grasping a professional reader's color intonation, let's grasp each syllable to determine the winner!

She looks at Rion in challenge.  If you don't focus your energy, you will be cast aside!

Heh, idiot.  Just how naive is that girl with the bob?  She put the single syllable card her opponent handed her own lower right quadrant.  Obvious mistake.  It was easily in sight of her opponent's attack.  She needs to heighten her guard and slightly back away.  If it were me, I would not have been so foolish... If it were me....

She's leaning forward to observe the match, but Sakurazawa-sensei is frowning.  You're leaning too far forward!

Ayase has taken a string of them!  thinks Desktomu
Four in a row! thinks Tsukuba.  Awesome!
Even though she's still down six cards, thinks Taichi, but... that expression!
That expression... thinks Meatbun.

Ayase... even if you're trying to hide it, sitting next to you I still know.  Both the girls on our team gave so much that they were injured!  At this most important time I've continued to lose... and even now there's a guy who's posed like a ground excavator continuously pressing down on me as we battle...  When will I start giving it my all?

When?

Meatbun gets up to break up the game's momentum.  "Excuse me."

Just then he notices Taichi has done the same thing.  Taichi notices that Tsukuba and Desktomu have also done the same.  They stare at each other knowingly, and all together they slap themselves to focus.  (TN: teamwork!)

Everyone stares at them in surprise.

The one who...

...takes her passion and transfers it to us...

...has always been Chihaya.

But what is this feeling? thinks Taichi clutching at his shirt.  Surging upwards!  Like a scorching hot sensation from my gut...  like magma...

Each group is trying to dominate... thinks Makoto.  Don't think you can reverse this!

We know....this burning sensation... are five wills saying...  "DON'T GIVE UP!"

~Chapter 79 end~

Wow, pretty exciting stuff guys!  Pull your heads out of your butts and fight!  Don't make the girls do all the work.  I'm glad I could translate this chapter quickly (with the exception of the poetry I skipped).  I found this awesome app on my phone that helps me translate twice as fast.  Yay technology! -Kero