Chapter Text
The first ever kimono that Chihaya gets to own, aside from the one gifted to her by her mother, is a token elegantly (and shyly) presented to her by Taichi on the eve of her first match to defend her title as the latest karuta Queen.
As always, his eyes are stern and unwavering, his mouth a line of strict determination, despite the softness that the blush that paints his cheeks and the gleam of his eyes reveal to her, that underlying love that she has now learned to read as clearly as the cards in her hands.
She recognizes the gift in a heartbeat, the familiar calligraphy of Gofuku No Ōe on the box's lid.
"T-Taichi! You- what- How did you pay for this?"
His face does not change, but she can read the hesitance in his eyes, the slight nervousness that she always manages to awaken in him, even if she doesn't mean to. Taichi is famously the harshest with himself, especially when it comes to her, after all.
"That doesn't matter, Chihaya. Take it," the usual teasing annoyance is underlined by a trembling in his voice.
"Taichi- Fine, but tell me!"
"I put aside some of my allowance and New Year's money. No big deal." He shrugs, because of course it's only natural for him to put Chihaya first, even despite himself.
She gasps and grasps her head in worry; Taichi's arms lower a bit, the box still offered to her in his hands.
"Taichi! What will Mrs. Pressure thinks if she finds out that you used her money, the money meant for you to survive in Kyoto, on ME?! And we've only be dating a year! She'll kill me, she'll kill you! I don't want to break up! I don't want her to come for me!"
She starts sweating nervously, looking around her and tensing up as if her mom would suddenly spring out from the shadows of the hotel room. And Taichi merely offers one of his rare, untroubled laughs, those that make him glow and capture her line of sight so flawlessly. She swears that, every so often, she becomes entranced, dreamily staring in awe at this boy who is too selfless, too stubborn, too precious and fragile.
"I knew you would say all these things, so I actually made sure to work and use my own earned money to get it."
"That doesn't make it better! Actually, that's even worse!"
Chihaya starts sobbing loudly, guilt only augmented.
Taichi barely has time to exist outside his studies. He is lucky when he gets to make time for soccer with his friends or attend to Karuta practice, either with the Kyōdai club or at one of the local associations (he made sure to steer clear from Myōjō, though). He had also been texting and calling her as frequently as usual. Had Taichi been sleeping, eating properly?! Did this mean he hadn't made any time for fun, for Karuta, because of her?!
"Chihaya," he says with that classic fond sigh that signals the start of his 'emotional emergency control mode' or, essentially, most interactions with her, "I got paid by Suō to practice Braille Karuta with him and Sudō. Sudō also took the opportunity to talk with Ise Sensei to learn about the Association more deeply. And, well, Suō loves the pastries and nagging on Shinobu well enough when he visits."
"So, they kept visiting you all the way from Tokyo?!"
The fast friendship that crystallized between Sudō and Taichi has never stopped surprising her, even with the mountain of revelations that was the truth of Suō-san's once secretive life. Aside from tackling gender gaps with Chihaya and Shinobu rallying for equality more openly and forcefully, with the backing of the frustrated previous Queens, Arata had also decided to do what he could for other aspects of accessibility, and began urging the former Meijin and his allies to develop proposals that he could push through while Sudō worked to actually become a member of the Association himself. Given the initial funding that Arata got approved for this project, which was very loudly backed-up by Harada Sensei, Suō could pitch-in with a part of his earnings as a teacher and part-time farming back at home to help Taichi, "Make his Queen more breathtaking", as Suō teasingly put it.
"Well, my schedule is tighter than theirs, and if I had travelled to Tokyo, I would have inevitably wanted to spend as much of my time with you, so that would have been counterproductive for me to afford the kimono on time. Now," he lifts the box properly again and smiles warmly at her, "open it up".
Chihaya's eyes shine with unshed tears.
"I was happy to know Ōe-san agrees with me. Pink and blue bring out your cheerfulness."
She gasps as she opens the box. A kimono with similar colors to the one she owns is neatly folded. The blue hakama is vibrant, and the pink kimono matches her current blush, but what makes her tears fall is the pattern of red maple leaves on the kimono.
After 364 days, Chihaya is happy to know that while her cards are those who represent her friends and the long journey of Taichi's yearning, Taichi's card will now always be just his, never tainted by black shadows cast from doubt. Taichi can now embrace Chihayafuru as his own, her as his own, and she can fight for and cling to...
立ち別れ Tachiwakare
いなばの山の inaba no yama no
峰に生ふる mine ni ouru
まつとし聞かば matsu to shi kikaba
今帰り来む ima kaeri-kon
"Note that though we may be apart,
if I am to hear that you pine for me
as the Inaba mountain pines,
I shall return to you."