Chapter 62: The Tsundere Girl's Challenge
The compound bow friendship match, a promotional event meant to popularize archery among enthusiasts, was in full swing.
Because the rules here were quite relaxed, all kinds of compound bows and all kinds of participants appeared.
There were students who had just started learning archery, as well as adult male hobbyists.
There was even a soldier in full military gear holding a compound bow like a weapon, staring at the target as if it were prey.
One man wore hunting gear and looked like a professional. His compound hunting bow glowed faintly red at the tip, as if it had been stained by the blood of wild boars or black bears.
Organizing such a chaotic event was actually understandable.
After all, for a sport seeking to attract more attention, whether for promotional reasons or to pull in sponsorships, it made more sense to use standardized and mass-producible equipment like recurve or compound bows.
Traditional bows are simply too hard to master. In this impatient age, few people have the time or mindset to patiently study them.
Moreover, traditional bows come in many types.
Just within the Sinosphere, you have the Japanese yumi, Qing bows, Han bows, Mongolian bows—all with their own distinct craftsmanship.
Bows made by grandmasters, revered as national treasures or divine artisans, are entirely different from those made by average bowyers.
These handcrafted bows are as unique as people. Each one feels different in the hand, each string makes a distinct sound when pulled. It's nearly impossible to guarantee fairness in a competition using them.
In fact, in modern times, even using a compound bow, if one can consistently hit within the 9-ring at 70 meters without the aid of sights or stabilizers, they're already considered a legendary sharpshooter.
If Shirou truly wanted to showcase his real abilities, even skeet shooting wouldn't be enough. Ideally, he'd need an opponent who excelled in wilderness combat—a true gunfighter-level archer.
And just then, the girl who suddenly challenged Shirou displayed a similarly out-of-standard level of skill.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
She fired six arrows in rapid succession—swift, sharp, and precise.
Every single one hit the bullseye.
Each impact struck the target with a resounding blast, distinctly different from the other contestants around. If others were shooting bullets, she was firing cannons.
Her shooting posture, though fitting the rules for compound bows, didn't resemble modern competitive archery form.
Instead, it looked like a battlefield kill technique, honed through blood and fire.
Even if she were on horseback, she could probably draw and loose just as cleanly—hitting the target without fail.
What had initially caught Shirou's attention was the 85-pound, purple-colored Monster Safari compound bow in her hands.
She wasn't using any sights, stabilizers, or assistance gear. Her form was clean and sharp—there was a modern, metallic savagery to the bow that melded beautifully with its ancient, streamlined lineage.
Compound bows have pulley cams on the string that reduce the holding weight once the bow is drawn. But the strength needed to draw it in the first place—the wrist and arm strength—is no less than that of a traditional bow.
An 85-pound bow requires about 40 kilograms (88 lbs) of force to draw—an overwhelming weapon that even many adult men can't fully draw.
But in the hands of this girl, she handled it with complete ease—demonstrating its full power.
Shirou opened his Mystic Eyes, and on the girl's body, he saw the spiritual aura of a long-horned, white-haired female samurai ghost possessing her.
When her turn ended, the girl slung her bow over her shoulder and looked at Shirou with a provocative gaze.
"According to my rules… if you lose, you have to grant the winner one request, got it?"
Her name was Erina Nakiri—the young lady of the Nakiri International Group, a corporate giant in the culinary world, controlling half of the Japanese haute cuisine industry.
However, in this world, since supernatural or excatsy-inducer cuisine didn't exist, the Nakiri family had not established Tōtsuki Academy.
Erina was simply a junior high graduate, blessed with an extraordinarily sensitive tongue and world-class tastebuds.
She had just taken the International High School entrance exam.
She loved reading manga.
One day, she came across a story where the heroine traveled around trying ramen at different shops and slowly "conquered" people through food and love—a youthful romance-food series.
It sparked her interest in ramen, a commoners' dish she'd never really paid attention to before.
So she invited her new friend, Hikigaya Komachi, whom she'd met during the entrance exam visit, to go try ramen together.
They searched through several nearby ramen shops, but with Erina's discerning palate and sharp eyes, she found fault with most of them—some cut corners, others lacked skill. Finally, they found an old shop that had been running for decades.
The third-generation ramen chef was in his early forties—just at that golden age where experience had accumulated but vigor hadn't yet faded.
When he heard they were examinees, he personally cooked a rich tonkotsu ramen with great care.
Both girls were deeply satisfied. Their afternoon exam went smoothly.
But mental exertion left them hungry again later that day. Komachi took out a bento box of rice balls and shared it with her friend.
"What is this?!"
Erina, ever-picky about food, cried out in shock after biting into one.
"Huh? Just a normal rice ball," Komachi blinked in confusion.
"No! I mean, who made this rice ball?! What chef?!"
"Ahaha, you're being dramatic, Erina-chan. My big brother made them for me as a snack~" Komachi replied cheerfully.
"Can I have another?"
"Sure~ You let me eat that super yummy ramen, so I owe you one. If you like it that much, you're welcome to come over and have a home-cooked meal at our house sometime!"
Komachi grinned. She was confident—anyone who tried her brother's cooking would definitely fall in love with it.
So refined—each ingredient's strengths perfectly highlighted, and its flaws delicately neutralized.
Erina, with her hypersensitive sense of taste, could trace every step of the rice ball's preparation.
The rice, seasoning, and fillings were all ordinary—household staples.
But the techniques used, the timing of each step, the precise balance of salt, sugar, and vinegar—this wasn't an ordinary rice ball.
This was the work of a chef who stood at the pinnacle of humanity.
Looking at Komachi, blissfully unaware of the culinary treasure in her hands, Erina couldn't help but think of the man behind it all.
"Komachi! Where will your brother be this Saturday?" the blonde girl asked urgently.
"Eh? You're really coming?" Komachi replied, excited. Her friend was not only gorgeous but super rich. Honestly, her awkward and clueless big brother might not even be good enough for someone like Erina…
Komachi felt truly noble and selfless. If she had to measure her "matchmaking value" as Komachi Points, she'd probably maxed it out by now!
"I'm going to challenge him—as a chef!"
Erina declared with blazing determination.
As a genius, she refused to accept the idea that a simple rice ball had tasted better than a French gourmet dish she herself had made.
It had to be an illusion!
So she would personally challenge the man behind the dish—to prove she was the strongest, most talented culinary prodigy!
Still immersed in the satisfaction of having accomplished a major life mission, Komachi nodded with a radiant smile.
"Sure, sure~ Challenge my big brother all you want! You're welcome anytime! Even if you decide to marry into the family, we'll welcome you with open arms~
Eh? Wait, challenge?!"
Komachi suddenly realized what she'd just agreed to—and her eyes went wide in shock.