Nodoka walks into her match holding her penguin stuffed animal which causes a stir among the observers and her own opponents. Nodoka plays extremely well, and of the competitors from Ryūmonbuchi, Tōka, notices her similarities to a famous skilled online mahjong player known as Nodocchi. She tries telling this to her teammates, but they still do not think it can be true. Saki makes short work of her round by taking the remaining points from one of the players, and the team progresses on to the semi-finals round. In the semi-finals, Saki's team makes it through to the finals, along with Ryūmonbuchi, Kazekoshi, and Tsuruga Academy. One of the members from Kazekoshi, Kana Ikeda, gets harsh treatment from their coach for not playing up to her expectations, despite the fact they made it to the finals. The captain of the the team, Mihoko Fukuji protects Kana, and after the coach leaves, the captain encourages her teammates in showing everyone that their school is the best.
Nodoka a amené son pingouin avec elle dans la salle de compétition. Les spectateurs sont ébahis par cette excentricité, pendant que certains semblent surtout exaspérés. La seule personne qui semble s'amuser de cette situation est Hisa.
ペンギンのぬいぐるみを抱いて対局室に現れた和。その姿を見たギャラリーは騒然となり、偵察に来た透華も周囲の視線を集めている和に苛立ちをみせる。そんな状況を唯一、久だけが楽しそうに眺めていた。
La suma que apareció en la sala de juegos mientras sostenía un pingüino de peluche. La galería que lo vio se volvió ruidosa, y Touka que llegó al reconocimiento se sintió frustrado por la suma que estaba reuniendo las miradas de los alrededores. Solo Hisashi miraba felizmente esa situación.
Nodoka entra nella sala da gioco col suo pinguino di peluche. Pubblico ed avversarie rimangono esterrefatte, mentre Hisa che è la mente della cosa se la ride soddisfatta. C'è un perché dietro a questa scelta...
