As an heir to the Shinomiya family, even if illegitimate, Shinomiya Kaguya had received education in strategy and management, such as 'Imperial Studies,' from a young age.
However, simply studying theory was ultimately hollow. To put the theories and techniques she had long mastered into practice, she chose this comprehensive academy as her testing ground.
The first step of her experiment was to train a 'loyal dog' who would obey her every command and never harbor any thoughts of resistance.
According to her requirements, this loyal dog's appearance must first be presentable, otherwise, she would feel nauseous.
It would be best if he also had some brute strength, so he could protect her safety within a certain range, allowing her to do some 'outrageous' things.
Lastly, 'it' must not possess excessive intelligence, otherwise, it would be difficult to control and prone to foolish ideas of 'self.'
Yet, a week had passed since the start of the semester, and she still hadn't successfully initiated her plan.
It wasn't out of guilt for enslaving others, but because she had searched for a long time and failed to find a target that met all three of the above criteria simultaneously.
As if fate itself were mocking her, just as she was struggling without a suitable target and even considering changing her experimental project, Kazama Haru happened to enter her line of sight, and he even 'fatally' poked at her most sensitive 'pain point' as if he had a death wish.
Very good. Daring to challenge her authority was the best proof of his 'low intelligence.'
Secondly, objectively speaking, his face was not unpleasant to look at. She heard that many girls in his class had put love letters in his shoe locker?
Although she couldn't understand why they would be interested in a man with such a foolish expression, to some extent, it also proved his 'value' in the eyes of ordinary commoner women.
If she could tame him, it would also prove her own ability.
Finally, brute strength. Speaking of which, the day she first got into the family car, she inadvertently glimpsed this idiot surrounded by a group of even more lowly insects.
She initially thought he would be beaten to a pulp, or even half-crippled, but the outcome was unexpected; he actually fought his way out with just a bamboo sword.
That shocking scene made Shinomiya Kaguya, who was sitting in the car at the time, feel a slight stir—a flutter low in her stomach she refused to name.
Even though she always viewed others with disdain, she had to admit that this man indeed possessed a certain level of skill in kendo.
He might even be able to contend with the Shinomiya family's eldest legitimate son, Shinomiya Kouki, who had been personally taught swordsmanship by a national treasure-level kendo master since childhood.
Summarizing the key points above, Kazama Haru, who perfectly matched all three criteria, was undoubtedly the most suitable 'loyal dog' to be her first target for enslavement.
Shinomiya Kaguya drew her bow again, a cold sneer forming in her heart. The familiar scent of waxed bowstrings and cedar wood filled her nostrils, grounding her.
With the allure of her absolutely confident beauty, and this fellow's ugly, lust-filled character, upon hearing the taunt just now, he would surely come over to talk, just like that day, using some clumsy excuse, wouldn't he?
Would he use the excuse that the senpai had found, asking for guidance on archery posture? Or would he first steal glances, wanting to speak but hesitating, and then use the excuse of responding to a provocation... Shinomiya Kaguya subtly adjusted her posture, turning her more aloof profile towards Kazama Haru's direction.
At the same time, the corner of her eye involuntarily glanced at his movements.
As she expected, after letting out that clearly contemptuous sneer, Kazama Haru indeed stood up impatiently.
Shinomiya Kaguya's lips curled into a subtle arc of complete control. Her fingers relaxed fractionally on the bowstring.
He's truly an idiot with low intelligence; he doesn't even realize he's about to step into a cage from which he'll never escape.
How cute!~
To appear unintentional, she slightly averted her face, completely avoiding looking at him, pretending all her energy was focused on the bow and arrow.
When she sensed this man's footsteps within five paces, she would feign surprise and point the fully drawn arrow at him.
Then, he would surely be so scared that he'd fall on his backside, wailing and begging her for mercy, wouldn't he?
Although a bit malicious, such a life-and-death scare was an indispensable step in taming his subconscious and ensuring his absolute loyalty to her.
Shinomiya Kaguya planned with full confidence; her bow was drawn, but the arrow remained unshot.
Ten seconds passed, and no footsteps reached her ears... Was he still gathering courage? More inefficient than she imagined. Once he's tamed, she must thoroughly discipline him in this regard.
Thirty seconds passed, and there was still no presence near her... What's going on? Was he scared by her gaze last time? Hah, he's just a coward after all.
A subtle sense of annoyance, a feeling of losing control, quietly surfaced in Shinomiya Kaguya's heart. Her jaw tightened imperceptibly.
She tried to suppress that discomfort with more disparaging thoughts, but found that the vexation, like a vine, tightened its grip around her chest.
Finally, the urge to confirm the 'source of the out-of-control' overwhelmed her will to maintain her icy facade.
With an extremely natural posture, as if merely stretching her neck, she slightly turned her head, her cold gaze, like a scanner, precisely directed towards the back-left—
Her gaze froze.
Kazama Haru, instead of approaching her as she had wished, was actually chatting and laughing with the 'improper' female Vice Club President who had secretly snuck over, gesturing with the bow and arrow in his hand.
With the dual aid of books, diagrams, and personal instruction, his posture was becoming increasingly refined.
Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't hear the specifics of their conversation, she only saw the female Club President give Kazama Haru a thumbs-up, and then Kazama Haru said something that made her cover her mouth and chuckle again.
And Kazama Haru didn't care, or rather, he didn't even notice the icy stare directed his way, almost solidifying into frost.
No, it's not that I miscalculated, it's that this idiot is truly brainless, I can't predict his thoughts at all!
Shinomiya Kaguya consoled herself with such annoyance.
If she hadn't been in such a repressive family environment and had a habit of browsing the internet, she would have used a more appropriate phrase to express her inner thoughts.
—A donkan protagonist. The dense type. A man so oblivious he could walk past a confession written in neon lights and wonder who left the lights on.
But even with such self-consolation, the vexation in Shinomiya Kaguya's heart did not diminish in the slightest. Heat crept up her neck, flushing the skin beneath her collar.
Forcibly suppressing the urge to point the bow and arrow in her hand at Kazama Haru, and knowing that she had maintained her pre-shot posture for quite some time, to prevent others from misunderstanding her as being as shallow as other women, focusing on this cunning man's appearance, Shinomiya Kaguya was forced to shoot an arrow despite her agitated state of mind.
With an unstoppable momentum, the arrow sliced through the air and pierced the target with a resounding thud.
"Oh, Kazama-kun, your posture is great! As expected of the kendo genius people talk about. Is this what they call 'mastering one thing masters all'? How enviable!"
This guy... he really does pick things up fast. Almost annoyingly so.
"Also, Shion, you should be practicing on your own lane right now. Who allowed you to sneak over and bother a junior?"
Unlike other club members who needed training, Club President Aoyama merely strolled around, checking everyone's training status. The smell of fresh lacquer and old tatami mats clung to the dojo air.
"Hmph~ Yuusaku is acting like a Club President again." The Gyaru Vice Club President playfully stuck out her tongue and scurried back to her own lane as if fleeing, her loose ponytail bouncing with each step.
Tch. He's no fun when he's being responsible.
"Heh heh, she's a Vice Club President, yet she has no proper form. Please don't mind her, Kazama-kun."
Club President Aoyama looked at her retreating figure with a wry smile, then turned to Kazama Haru's bow-and-arrow posture, which was almost identical to that in a textbook, and couldn't help but express his sincere admiration again.
However, Kazama Haru paid no attention to the senior's praise. At this moment, all his energy was concentrated on the bow and arrow in his hands.
Just like the shock and reflection he felt in his previous life the first time he saw Mumen Rider's heroic charge against the Deep Sea King, although he had the System as a cheat, he absolutely didn't want to become a useless person who relied on it for everything.
This time, he wanted to try his own strength!
With a 7-point stamina bonus, the massive Japanese bow in his hand seemed to come alive, gradually expanding and stretching from a serene arc... The bowstring constantly emitted faint but clear groans, as if it would snap under the strain at any second. The waxed cord bit into his fingers, leaving white indentations in the calloused skin.
The taut bowstring and his body formed a framework filled with an ultimate sense of power. Every muscle in his back pulled taut, shoulders squared, the line from his extended arm to his anchor point perfectly level.
Finally, it transformed into a perfect, full, and breathtaking full moon!
Club President Aoyama couldn't help but rub his eyes.
What am I looking at...?
The young man before him perfectly overlapped with the famous bronze sculpture, 'Heracles the Archer,' that he had seen in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris with his parents during his childhood.
At this moment, Kazama Haru was the most vivid embodiment of beauty and valor.
Not only Club President Aoyama, but even Shinomiya Kaguya, who was not far away, was attracted by this invisible, highly concentrated aura, involuntarily glancing sideways and holding her breath. Something warm coiled in her lower belly—irritation, she told herself. Nothing more.
"Zhengg—!"
With a crisp and sharp sound of the bowstring releasing, the arrow in Kazama Haru's hand instantly transformed into an elusive bolt of lightning, piercing straight through the dojo with the will to tear everything apart.
Exhaling a long, turbid breath, forcibly suppressing the adrenaline rush brought by the sudden relaxation after intense focus, Kazama Haru, his chest heaving violently, and the already dumbfounded Club President simultaneously looked towards the target. Sweat rolled down his temple and dripped onto the polished wood floor.
On the perfectly round bullseye, the fletching of an arrow was subtly trembling, as if showing off.
The aluminum alloy arrowhead had penetrated two-thirds of the way through the bullseye, embedding itself with devastating precision.