Amane followed Kyoko into the changing room.
"Since archery club uniforms need to be purchased individually, we don't have any spares lying around," Kyoko said in a soft, apologetic tone that made you just want to pinch her cheeks.
"Then what should I do?" Amane glanced around the changing room.
It was impeccably clean. Even the floor was polished to a mirror-like shine. Clearly, it was well cared for.
"You can try the club president's uniform for now. I hope you don't mind." It seemed the president's uniform was the only one that would fit Miyako-san.
Kyoko's face flushed slightly. "I don't mind at all."
"Please wait a moment." Kyoko found a storage locker, opened it, and pulled out an archery uniform.
Amane felt the fabric. It was soft... almost like Suzune's...
Ahem.
Amane promptly began taking off her school uniform.
"Eh? Miyako-san, are you planning to change right here?" Kyoko's words hadn't even fully left her mouth before Amane was already... done.
"Eeeeeek!!"
"Your reaction is a bit much, Kyoko. We're all girls here, it's nothing." As she spoke, Amane finished putting on the archery attire. She looked quite dashing in it.
"You should've at least warned me before changing!" Kyoko covered her burning face, still not daring to look at the now fully dressed Amane. She had originally meant for Amane to just wear the archery uniform over her white shirt. She never expected Amane to be so... unrestrained.
"I'll be more careful next time. Where are the bows?"
"The bows are..." Kyoko shook her head, noticing how Amane's aura seemed to have shifted. "The bows are over there. Please follow me."
The practice bows were placed at the very back of the bow rack. Next to them stood neat quivers, each holding ten arrows.
Amane's eyes swept over them, then she casually picked up the bow displayed prominently in the center—the one enshrined like a treasure.
She slung a nearby quiver over her shoulder and headed straight outside.
"Wait, Miyako-san! That bow... it can't be drawn!"
"I like it."
Kyoko felt a headache coming on. She wasn't very good at handling people like Amane.
Before she could even explain, Amane was already outside with the bow, leaving only Kyoko's frantic voice trailing behind.
Fujiwara was observing two boys practicing at the targets when she saw Amane walk out.
She was about to greet her, but then she noticed the bow in Amane's hands.
"Miyako-san, that isn't a bow you can handle with just a bit of experience. You should understand its... weight," Fujiwara kindly reminded her.
But Amane paid no attention to Fujiwara's words. She simply picked up a shooting glove from the ground, drew an arrow, and slightly opened the bowstring.
"Miyako..."
"Shh. The string is already drawn. She probably can't hear you now. What a headache." Fujiwara walked over to Amane just as she was drawing the bow. Quickly, Fujiwara helped her put on a chest protector. Without it, the string could cause a nasty cut.
Thwip!
The arrow pierced straight through the bullseye of the target.
"What?!" The two boys nearby nearly exclaimed aloud, but Fujiwara silenced them with a sharp look.
The bowstring snapped back, hitting the chest protector with a solid thwack.
"Oh!" Amane stared expressionlessly at the target, yet let out an unexpectedly cute sound. The two boys' faces instantly turned bright red. Anta, seeing this, promptly dragged them both away.
It was only then that Kyoko came running out. She was about to report to Fujiwara when she saw Amane nock a second arrow, draw, and release.
"Oh~"
The second arrow also struck the bullseye.
Then came the third, the fourth...
Each shot accompanied by that same, blush-inducing "Oh!"
By the eighth arrow, Amane was slightly breathless. But she still shot the final two arrows.
All hit the bullseye.
Amane's lips curled into a slight, satisfied smile.
"My arms are so sore, and it hurts here too... Suzune..." She shoved the bow into Kyoko's hands and practically pounced on Horikita.
"Get off! You're heavy!"
"I am not!"
"Just get up, already!"
After a bit of playful wrestling, Amane finally stood up. As soon as she took off the chest protector, a look of pure relief spread across her face.
"How was my score?" she asked, a little smugly, looking at President Fujiwara's grave expression.
"Excellent. A perfect score. You should go change first."
"Mhm, mhm." Though she sensed something off in Fujiwara's tone, Amane still energetically tried to drag Kyoko back to change. But Kyoko absolutely refused to go back with her this time. Left with no choice, Amane headed to the changing room alone.
"President Fujiwara, is there a problem?" Horikita naturally had also noticed Fujiwara's troubled expression.
"I'm very sorry, but our archery club cannot accept Miyako-san as a member."
She had hit ten out of ten. Why would President Fujiwara reject her? Even someone with little knowledge of archery could see Amane was highly skilled.
"May I ask why? Did she do something wrong?"
Seeing that Horikita seemed to have misunderstood her meaning, Fujiwara gave a wry smile.
"Our humble dojo is too small for someone like Miyako-san. I'm not being sarcastic, I'm just stating the facts."
Horikita was visibly displeased. "What kind of reason is that? I don't think Amane will accept that, and I doubt the school will accept such a flimsy excuse for denying a club application either."
She was testing the waters, suspecting Fujiwara felt threatened by Amane's skill and wanted to exclude her. She hinted she might report it to the school to gauge Fujiwara's reaction.
"You're clever, but unfortunately, I'm not that petty." Fujiwara saw right through her.
"Then why? Fujiwara-senpai, you must give me a reason that convinces me. Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain this to her?"
Horikita's stern, serious expression made Fujiwara nod in acknowledgment.
"Very well. I'll be frank. Your classmate comes from a distinguished family and has mastered archery. There's nothing left for her to learn in our club."
"If she's interested in the future, she's welcome to come practice here. But I am not qualified to teach her."
Seeing Horikita about to speak again, Fujiwara raised a hand to stop her.
"First, Miyako-san uses a technically perfect Ogasawara-ryū style. Ogasawara-ryū emphasizes the way of etiquette."
"It's simple to begin, but mastering it requires significant financial resources and time. Miyako-san's level is such that even the head of the Ogasawara school would find little to fault."
Horikita's jaw dropped slightly in surprise.
"Meanwhile, we practice the more practical Heki-ryū style. Miyako-san would likely find it difficult to adapt. That's the first point."
"Second, that bow she used is a modified decorative piece. Drawing it requires fifty pounds of strength."
Because the Japanese bow is made of bamboo, some who want to build strength choose thicker bows with higher draw weights. Fifty pounds was pretty much at the limit.
"While many people can draw it, for a high school student to fire ten shots in succession and only be slightly winded..."
"If I had to describe it... unless she's been practicing for over ten years, she's simply a monster."
"You should know, I can't even draw that bow to its full extent. Do you still think I'm qualified to teach her?"
A bitter taste filled Fujiwara's mouth. Her pride as a female archer, the skill she took most pride in, had been effortlessly surpassed by a first-year.
"Is Amane really that... incredible?" Horikita still found it hard to believe that the often-silly girl she knew was the 'monster' Fujiwara described. The images just didn't match up.
But honestly, that wasn't the most important thing.
The important thing was, she was the one who had dragged Amane here to sign up without really consulting her. And now Amane was being rejected for this reason.
How was she supposed to explain this to Amane?
Her intention was never to put Amane in this position...
"What are you two talking about?" Amane came bouncing back, cheerful as a child, and stopped beside Horikita.
"Let's go back," Horikita said softly, unsure how to break the news.
"But aren't we joining the..."
"Please, come back with me." Horikita held out her hand.
Amane looked at Horikita's expression, which seemed on the verge of tears, then glanced at Fujiwara, who bowed deeply to her.
She seemed to understand.
"Okay." Amane took Horikita's hand.
The two of them walked towards the dormitories, treading the fading light of the sunset.
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T/N: Yk, i feel a very... Elysia and Mobius type relationship here... I could be delusional tho. Maybe i just keep seeing Elysia in everything...
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.