kscans

Chapter 180 - A Morning of Resolve

"Huh? Hero Uncle, you're awake?"

When I entered the living room rubbing my eyes, Saku-chan was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. The reason he was looking at me so strangely, even though this was our usual morning routine, was because,

"It's your special day off. You could've slept in."

I took a paid day off today. For what, you ask? A concert. A concert. The RabuPan concert is today. I didn't tell Saku-chan the purpose, but I let him know yesterday after Hikaru went home.

"I just couldn't help waking up."

Of course, that was a lie. The concert is at night, so frankly, I could go without taking the day off. The reason I went out of my way to get paid leave was for the sake of two shy old guys.

"No, you really don't need to take a day off for this."

"Indeed. The concert is at night. If work were to run late, I would feel bad, but I would simply ask to leave early."

That's what they said before I got the tickets, but I pushed them and put in a leave request for all three of us. And that was the right call. As of yesterday, the two old guys were already fidgeting nonstop. They probably wouldn't be able to focus on work today. Not that it would matter. They're both competent, one way or another. But it was clear they'd end up going to the concert without any mental preparation. That's why I decided to take the whole day off, so we could gradually get our excitement levels up, starting in the morning. The two of them are scheduled to come over later today, so I plan to help them relax completely.

"You're not usually like this on your regular days off. I wonder if taking paid leave feels different, even though it's still a holiday."

"You're right. My head knows it's a day off, but taking paid leave just feels different."

I waited for breakfast while we chatted like that. The smell of miso soup and other things wafting from the kitchen is pure poison to an empty stomach. After a short, restless wait, breakfast was served.

"Ooh... this looks delicious today, too."

"Hehe, thank you."

Piping hot white rice. Seasoned nori seaweed. Miso soup with tofu, and a rolled omelet. A small bowl held a dish of seasoned spinach. And the main course, teriyaki amberjack. I knew he had been marinating it since yesterday, and this was just irresistible.

"Itadakimasu!" "Itadakimasu!"

I flaked some teriyaki with my chopsticks, placed it on my white rice, and shoveled them both into my mouth together. The sweetness of the sauce, the seeping fat. It would be too rich by itself, but this was meant to be eaten with rice. Oh, the embracing power of white rice that envelops that richness. It's delicious, just so delicious. I chewed well and swallowed, then washed down the lingering taste with miso soup. The golden combination.

"By the way, are your midterm results out yet?"

"Hmm, not yet. I think they'll probably start coming back next week."

"I see. Well, you took those tests while things were chaotic with the change in your environment. Don't worry about it if you didn't do as well as you'd hoped."

"I'll be fine. I'm not so fragile that I'd get worked up over test scores."

The results of doing the best you can. If they aren't good, you just have to try even harder next time and make up for it. I honestly think Saku-chan is amazing for saying that so nonchalantly.

"More importantly, Hero Uncle, are you sure about lunch?"

"Yeah. I'll either get delivery or just whip up something with whatever's in the house."

We finished our morning mealtime while chatting. Naturally, I did the dishes. It's my day off, and I have the time.

"Alright then, I'm off."

"Okay. Go enjoy your youth to the fullest, in love, play, and studies."

I saw Saku-chan off and took a breath. Or rather, I had no time to breathe before starting on the next household chore. Cleaning, laundry. I did my chores while humming, and by the time I was done, the time was just right.

"Oh, they're here."

The doorbell rang, and when I went to the entrance, I found Saijou-san and Azuma, just as I'd expected. They weren't in suits today, obviously, but even their casual clothes looked sharp.

"Good morning. Thank you for having us today."

"This is just a little something."

"Well now. Please, come in."

I took the gifts from them and led them inside. I showed them to the living room and served tea. My tea making skills aren't that great, but the leaves are expensive, so it shouldn't be too bad.

"It does stir up a bit of guilt, relaxing like this while our subordinates are working so hard."

"Paid leave is your right, Azuma-san."

"I know that, but still, you know?"

"When my subordinates take leave, I think they should do as they please. But when it comes to taking it myself, it just feels different."

"You too, Saijou-san. It's not a bad thing to be strict with yourselves, but if you take it too far, you'll suffocate the people around you."

When I implicitly told them that I was the one currently suffering, the two of them lowered their heads apologetically.

"My apologies. It is out of line for me to complain when I have left everything in your hands."

"That was impolite of me. I am sorry."

"It's fine as long as you understand. Well then, shall we get started?"

The two nodded, so I placed a mahjong set on the table. When we were discussing what to do until the concert, they had asked me to teach them mahjong. It was probably because of the lie I told during our physicals. They really are serious to a fault.

"Have either of you played mahjong before?"

"None at all. We have only heard bits and pieces about it." they said in unison.

"I thought so. Well then, let's start with the absolute basics."

I placed the box of tiles in the center and began explaining the names while pointing at them.

"There are four types of tiles. The ones with characters like East and South are called honor tiles. By the way, this blank white one is also an honor tile, called White Dragon. The green, bamboo-like ones are the bamboo suit. The ones with circles and numbers are the circle suit, and the ones with kanji for numbers are the character suit. Each of these goes from one to nine."

The two of them nodded with sounds of understanding. They were probably thinking they had to take it seriously since they were being taught, but their intense gazes were a little intimidating.

"The basic winning hand is called four melds and one pair, and it looks like this."

I arranged the tiles to form the shape.

"Is the pair the one where two identical tiles are next to each other?"

"Yes. The pair can be any two identical tiles."

"And a meld is a combination of three tiles? Not just consecutive numbers, but three of the same number is also fine, I see."

"That's right. Incidentally, for melds, a sequence of numbers is called a chow, and three of a kind is called a pung."

"And what about the winning hands?"

"There are quite a few winning hands, you see."

I figured they wouldn't get it if I explained too much at once to beginners. So, it's fine if they only understand a few types at first.

"The first winning hand you should learn is riichi."

I created a hand that was one tile away from completion.

"This state, one step away from completion, is called tenpai. If you reach tenpai using only tiles you draw yourself, without taking any from your opponents, you declare riichi."

If you can win after that, the hand called riichi is formed, and you get points.

"Hoh." "Hoh."

"Another easy one to remember is the seven pairs hand. You see this pair? It's also called a toitsu."

Technically, the pair in a winning hand is called a jantou, but we can let that slide for now.

"So you assemble seven sets of pairs?"

"You got it."

"If that exists, is there also a hand for collecting pungs?"

"There is. When you complete pungs using only tiles you draw yourself, they're called closed pungs, and there are hands like three closed pungs and four closed pungs."

My mahjong lecture continued for a while. It got to be a good time, so we took a break for lunch. Today's lunch was delivery pizza. You might think pizza is an odd choice for bosses of our age, but it's not a problem. Both of them were serious athletes in their student days and have kept in shape at the gym as adults. Unlike me, they don't have potbellies, and they have quite the appetite.

"I have beer, but..."

"No, thank you. We want to be in peak condition for this. We think we'll refrain from alcohol," they said in unison.

"Oh, is that so..."

Where on earth do these people think they're going?