Chihayafuru 28

*Only for use by Lazy Ass Scans

tl by JinHea

129
Logo insert: 28th song
- Taichi is in…
- the finals!

SFX: mutter mutter mutter mutter

130
- Taichi—
Plaque: National High School Division Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Karuta

Nishida: You’re late, Ayase! / What have you been doing?
Nishida: Come here! / I saved you a seat!

131
- Nani wagata—

- Ah…!

Komano: Ah! / A fault…
Kana: That’s rare. / He aimed for somewhere completely different.

Nishida: Trace memories from earlier matches are left over. / As fatigue settles in, forgetting gets to be more difficult than remembering.
Nishida: And this is Mashima’s 6th match.

Nishida: No matter how much he concentrates, he WILL make mistakes.
- Dammit…!

132
SFX: huff huff

- It’s okay.
- Reassess the cards again.
- It’s okay.
- Reassess…

- “Hanano” was read. I’ll attack “Hanasa” at “Hana”.
- There’s “Moro” but “Momo” hasn’t been read. I have to be careful.
- “Tsuku” was read. I’ll get “Tsuki” at “Tsu”.
- For “Hisa” and “Hitoha”, “Hitomo” hasn’t been read so I have to take care not to fault.
- “Mikano”’s like card “Mikaki” is in play. I’ll attack it.
- There’s my “Michi” and “Mise” from the left side of my opponent’s territory. They’re likely to be read soon.

133
- “Yononakayo” has the like card “Yononakaha” in play. I have to remain alert as I use Covering Hand.
- Whichever it is, I’m taking it!
- With “Ooko”, “Ooe” and “Ooke” were read so attack at “Oo”. And be ready to take “Omo” from the left side of the opponent’s territory.
-“Kiri” is a one-syllable card now that “Kimigatameha” and “Kimigatamewo” have been read, so I’ll attack at “Ki”.
- I’m definitely taking “Se”. He won’t get an opportunity to protect it.
- “Nagaka” and “Nanihaga” were read. I’ll attack “Natsu”, then return to take my territory’s “Nanihae”!

134
SFX: huff huff
- My brain is numb.
- I can only see straight ahead.

135
SFX: huff huff huff

136
- Straight ahead is all I need to see.

SFX: huff

SFX: huff

137
- I will it to move faster, but…
- my arm won’t respond.

- Move more!
- Snap out of it, brain!!
- Faster…

138
Banner: Certain victory Fujisaki
- You did it! / Yoda-senpai!

- Thank you very much.
- Thank you very much…

- Kyah—
- Congratulations! / You did it, senpai!

139
- The opponent was a Fujisaki 3rd year student.
- A 3 card difference isn’t bad.
- I’m runner-up.
- That’s enough.

140
SFX: urk

Black text: It’s like a painting of
White text: abject misery!!
- Ugh…

Chihaya: Ta…
Chihaya: Kuh..

Komano: …!

Nishida: …So...

141
Nishida: frustrating… / Isn’t it frustrating?
Nishida: Be… / Being runner-up is the most frustrating of all…

Nishida: Guh…

143
- Don’t cry.
- Not yet…

- I haven’t put so much on the line that it’s okay for me to cry yet.

SFX: clap clap clap
- Just feeling the frustration is enough.
Sign: National High School Division Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Karuta Championship Tournament

144
Miyauchi: Facing defeat is a difficult thing to do, even when one becomes an adult.
Miyauchi: But…

Miyauchi: Not one…
Miyauchi: of those children comforted each other.

Miyauchi: Hurry, we need to catch the bullet train on time. / Make sure you don’t forget anything.
Miyauchi: Walk faster!

146
SFX: huff huff huff

- Oh! / Running this early in the morning? / Is it the track and field club?

- Karuta Club!?

147
- Why’re we doing track when we play Karuta?
Text along arm: leaving him behind.
- After playing in the tournament, I’m sure that each of us is now aware of our own shortcomings.

Taichi: However, there is one thing that all of us need…/ physical strength.
Taichi: Concentration that isn’t broken by fatigue… / A body that can play for 10 hours straight, with victory on the line…

Taichi: We’ll train over summer break.
- Are those…
- words you usually hear in Karuta club ?

- I wanna get stronger…
- via a easier method!

148
- Kana-chan and Desk-kun are keeping up pretty well.
- Say you don’t want to do this, guys.
- Say you don’t like things being so tough—

SFX: huff huff

SFX: huff

- This is most likely…
- the aspect of me that’s lacking.

SFX: huff

- Mashima…

- I don’t think…
- Mashima’s surpassed me in terms of ability.

- But…
SFX: huff huff

149
SFX: hmph

Nishida: Hnggh—!

Chihaya: foom

- Don’t get left behind.
- Keep up!

150
- We’re rivals.
- Rivals!

151
Chihaya: Hwagh!

Kana: Ah! / Chihaya-chan’s up.
Chihaya: Ah!

Chihaya: I was… sleeping?
Kana: Yes. / For about 10 minutes.
Chihaya: [aside] I see. [normal text] I guess it’s cos Meatbun-kun caught up to me today—

Chihaya: Every day for the past few days…
Chihaya: I’ve been seeing Shinobu-chan in my dreams. / snowmaru-kun, too.

Nishida: By Shinobu-chan, you mean the current Queen? / I saw her matches on video. Her strength is terrifying, huh.
Chihaya: Yeah. / She’s terrifying, so I call her Shinobu-chan.
Taichi: Pfft

Chihaya: Even though…
Chihaya: I was able to meet Arata at the National Tournament…

152
Chihaya: He doesn’t… / show up in my dreams…

Kana: If we’re talking about dreams…
Kana: it’s got to be “Sumi no e”!!

Chihaya: Eh?

Card: Fujiwara no Toshiyuki Asomi / Sumi no e no / Kishi ni yoru nami / Yorusa he ya / Yume no kayohichi / Hitomeyo kuramu
Kana: “Sumi no e” is a song with many interpretations, but…
Kana: the one I believe to be most fitting is…

153
Kana: “Like waves breaking upon the bay, I think of my desire to see you, be it night or day…
Kana: “Yet even in a dream, you would undertake to conceal yourself from my gaze…”
[NB. rhymes are unintentional]

Chihaya: So romantic!!
Kana: Right?
Chihaya: I’ve never thought about anything that romantic before!
Mashima: Bfft!

Kana: It’s not like I’ve thought about something like that before either.
SFX: mngh
Kana: Because Hyakunin Isshu has a lot of songs with “I want to see you” as the theme…

Kana: I wonder if I’ll come to understand it too one day… / and I like to ponder it.
Chihaya: It’s romantic!!
Komano aside: She’s hopeless.
- I want to see you…

154
- not just in a dream.

Package Middle: Fukui product / Habutane Mochi
Panel bottom below box: again

- Yes? / Who did you say is here?

- …Ahh.
- You came, at last.

155
Arata: Kuriyama-sensei…
Arata: Please / let me join the Fukui Nakumo Meet.

- In order to meet again…

156
- Haru no yo no—

- Kainaku tatan nakoso oshikere—

- Takasago no—

157
- Semester two.
- The autumn of Karuta arrives.

158
- Some fun basics of competitive Karuta / part [circle] three

- [Criterion for rank promotion in Karuta]
- Competitive Karuta tournaments are held nation wide. Individual matches usually split Level A to Level E players into their own separate levels. The National Karuta Association allocates rankings from Level A to Level E as follows: individuals are ranked on a Dan basis, from first Dan to tenth Dan; 4 Dan and higher – Level A, 2 and 3 Dan – Level B, 1 Dan – Level C, those without a Dan ranking – Level D, and beginners – Level E. Those who place 4th place and higher in the tournaments receive prizes. The top 3 players from Level D qualify for 1 Dan and advance to Level C, and by the same token, the top 3 players from Level C qualify for 2 Dan and advance to Level B. However in the case of Level B, although the top 3 players qualify for 3 Dan, in order to qualify for 4 Dan and advance to Level 4 players need to either place first overall, or achieve runner-up status twice.
- [Level A players]
- Level A is obtained after an arduous struggle of winning each tournament and incessantly climbing up the ranks. Although the rank of Level A would not be revoked even if one continues to lose in Level A matches, the thick barrier of skilled players in the upper levels is difficult to surmount, and winning in Level A tournaments is no easy feat. However, a Level A player who repeatedly places first will be called “Super Level A” and become a figure that fellow players aspire to.

Picture: A-Level / B-Level / Rankless