At the arena, not only students from class 10A but also many students from other classes came to watch the showdown between Kurosawa Haruto and Gushiken Keijy. Loud cheers filled the air, creating a tense and suspenseful atmosphere. On the judges' panel, Mr. Riven (Vice Principal) and Mr. Meito (Head of the Archery Club) observed the match.
– "If the performance is bad, then it's a waste of my time watching," Riven said with a smirk.
– "I think it will be amazing," Mr. Meito replied with a smile.
Keijy and Haruto stepped onto the arena, their faces serious. Keijy glanced around, suddenly spotting Fushima sitting in a row, his eyes fixed on her.
Fushima smiled and raised his hand in encouragement. The crowd chanted in unison:
– "KEIJY! KEIJY!"
Keijy paused briefly. It had been a long time since she'd felt the trust of so many people.
"How long has it been since I've felt this way? The feeling of being trusted, of being loved… Yes, I have to try! I'll show everyone – and Riven – my talent." – Keijy thought to herself, a slight smile curving her lips.
Haruto saw that smile, a hint of surprise in his heart:
– "He smiled… it's rare to see."
– "The match, BEGINS!"
Cheers erupted as Haruto drew his bow. The target was quite far away, making it difficult to aim.
A "whoosh" sound rang out as the arrow left the bowstring, hurtling straight towards the target.
– "Round 9!" – Miha shouted.
The audience cheered wildly:
– "Haruto!"
Haruto smiled. Just one arrow had drawn so many admiring glances towards him. The next two arrows also scored 9 points in a row, causing the entire arena to erupt in cheers.
Keijy also drew her bow. She closed one eye, making her face even more serious.
– "That shot scored 8 points!" – Miha shouted.
– "He's on par with Haruto now!"
– "The next two arrows also scored 9 points!" – a student exclaimed.
– "What a talented new student," – Riven murmured softly.
Miha stepped onto the stage and announced the results of Round 1:
– "Round 1 Results:
– Haruto: 27 points
– Keijy: 26 points"
Keijy sighed softly. She still couldn't accept these scores. Haruto, standing nearby, smiled and said:
– "Excellent!"
Keijy didn't reply, only silently staring at the bow in her hand.
[...]
The next round was about to begin. Fushima noticed Keijy's slight confusion, and he suddenly stood up and shouted:
– "Go, Keijy!"
Keijy was startled and turned to look at Fushima. She smiled slightly, then quickly turned her gaze back to the arena. Haruto caught that moment and unconsciously smiled along.
On the stage, Miha declared loudly:
– "Round 2 begins!"
Haruto confidently raised his bow. The first arrow flew straight into the number 9 ring. Then, another arrow hit the number 9 ring. On the final shot, Haruto's arrow pierced the number 10 ring, causing the entire audience to erupt in cheers.
– "HARUTOOO!"
The shouts echoed throughout the arena. Haruto smiled triumphantly, a feeling of victory surging within him:
– "I did it."
Keijy sighed softly, then slowly raised his bow. Her expression was so serious it took people's breath away.
The first arrow left the bowstring, carrying immense pressure, and landed in the number 9 circle.
– "A 9-point shot!"
But with seven years of experience, Keijy didn't stop there. The second arrow sliced through the air, straight into the bullseye.
Cheers erupted throughout the stands. Haruto stared at Keijy in astonishment, unable to believe her archery skills were so sharp.
Keijy looked at her arrow with satisfaction. Fushima, seeing this, couldn't help but jump to his feet along with everyone else.
– "Excellent, Keijy!" – Teacher Meito shouted, his voice full of excitement.
For the final arrow, Keijy drew her bow but suddenly stopped. She raised her aim higher, surprising the audience.
– "Isn't she aiming for the number 10 circle?"
– "Is Keijy going to miss?"
– "That's definitely not going to hit it…"
As the murmurs died down, Keijy's arrow shot out, soaring high like a mysterious warning. The arrow struck the tree trunk, causing a collective gasp of disappointment from the audience. Haruto was also surprised, turning to look at Keijy with a puzzled expression.
– "Why didn't you aim at the 10th ring instead of shooting at the tree?"
Keijy remained silent, not answering. At that very moment, a snake pierced by the arrow fell from the branch onto the arena. Everyone was stunned, their eyes following it until they realized: on that branch was a small bird's nest that Keijy had just protected with her decisive shot.
Cheers erupted throughout the arena, everyone staring in amazement at the snake before turning their gaze back to Keijy – including Haruto. He stood motionless, stunned by Keijy's archery skills. Teacher Meito was also taken aback, jumping up to look at her in astonishment.
– "Very good," Riven said.
The entire audience turned around. Riven had acknowledged Keijy's talent. He stood up and continued:
– "But that's still not enough. You still need to try harder."
That statement made Miha frown. Being a fan of Keijy, she was annoyed to hear someone criticize the good qualities of her idol. Miha was about to speak when Keijy gently stopped her.
– "He really is…"
– "It's alright, Miha."
Miha froze. Keijy wasn't angry or upset; he simply bowed to Riven:
– "I understand."
Riven nodded in satisfaction. But that very attitude only further angered Keijy's fans. Even in words, Keijy still maintained a degree of wariness towards Riven.
– "I understand."
– "So who will be the winner?" – a student suddenly asked loudly.
Teacher Meito smiled, stepped onto the arena, and declared loudly:
– "In a match where the players haven't fully showcased their talents, it's impossible to say who will win or lose. But there's one thing we must admit: Keijy possesses superior archery skills compared to Haruto."
The audience erupted, chanting her name:
– "Archer Keijy! Archer Keijy!"
Keijy smiled. Haruto wasn't disappointed at all; on the contrary, he felt happy for her.
After the game, in the school cafeteria, Keijy and Fushima sat together for lunch, chatting about the game.
"You did very well, Keijy," Fushima remarked proudly.
"But Mr. Riven said I still need to try harder," Keijy replied softly.
Suddenly, a voice rang out:
"Am I bothering you two by sitting here?"
They looked up and saw Haruto standing there, holding his lunch.
"All the tables are full, I couldn't find an empty seat."
Fushima smiled and pulled out a chair:
"Please feel free to sit down."
Haruto put down his lunch and sat next to Fushima.
"You're Haku Fushima – the school's basketball star, right?"
"That's right."
– "I really admire your basketball skills."
Fushima chuckled awkwardly:
– "The Vice President of the school admires me…?"
Haruto scratched his head, smiling casually:
– "Nobody forbids the Vice President from admiring others."
Fushima smiled, his voice initially teasing, but then becoming serious, yet still friendly:
– "Your performance was excellent too."
– "Thank you," Haruto replied, a genuine smile on his face.
Keijy sighed softly, placing her glass of water down on the table. Her voice held a hint of resentment, but her outward appearance remained cold:
– "Why did you praise him but not me?"
– "I remember I praised you," Fushima replied.
– "But he was praised as excellent, while I was only… good," Keijy said, her eyes showing a hint of reproach.
Fushima sighed, turning to Haruto:
"Keijy is very talkative, don't pay attention to him."
"Who did you just call talkative?" Keijy snapped.
Haruto chuckled:
"You're not like this in class. That's surprising."
Fushima was slightly surprised, turning to look at Keijy:
"Is Keijy different in class? Colder?"
"They say I'm unapproachable," Keijy replied softly.
Fushima was surprised. He had never seen Keijy unapproachable to anyone before, so he found it hard to believe. Haruto quickly defended him:
"You're not as unapproachable as they think. They just haven't interacted with you yet."
Fushima teased again:
"With a face like a bucket of cold water, who would dare approach you?"
"Fushima!" Keijy exclaimed, his voice a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
Haruto smiled at the two of them:
"You two look so happy."
Keijy and Fushima turned around simultaneously, surprised:
"What did you say?!"
"We're just friends, okay?"
Haruto awkwardly chuckled:
"Oh... I'm sorry."
Seeing Haruto lost in thought, Fushima gently nudged his shoulder:
"So where's your best friend?"
Haruto jumped, snapping out of his reverie:
"Best friend? Hm... I don't have a best friend."
His gaze briefly darkened. Keijy stood up, extending his hand to Haruto—just like he used to do to her:
"Don't be sad. If no one else is your friend, we're here."
Haruto froze, surprised by those words.
"What is this feeling? So familiar... Keijy..." he thought to himself. Fushima patted Haruto on the shoulder:
– "If you don't want to, you can refuse."
But Haruto took both their hands, a grateful smile appearing on his lips:
– "Thank you both, Keijy and Fushima."
Fushima was slightly surprised to hear Haruto call him "Fushima." Normally, everyone called him "Haku," but Haruto chose a different way of addressing him – a genuine expression of respect.
– "So united…?"
All three turned around in surprise. It turned out to be Mr. Meito. Seeing his students startled, he chuckled:
– "I wasn't trying to scare you, so why are you so startled?"
– "Mr. Meito…" Fushima sighed.
Meito smiled at them, then his gaze settled on Keijy:
– "It's been a long time since I've seen someone so skilled at archery."
– "Does that mean there was once someone as skilled as Keijy?" – Haruto asked curiously.
Meito's lips curved slightly:
– "Yes. No less capable than Keijy."
– "So, what's his name…?"
– "Well, I have something to do." – Meito interrupted, leaving before Fushima could ask any more questions.
That afternoon, Keijy didn't come to school. Haruto was quite surprised. After school, seeing Fushima waiting, he ran over:
– "Is Keijy absent this afternoon?"
Fushima looked around; indeed, Keijy wasn't there:
– "I don't know either. He's probably busy."
Haruto nodded, and they both left.
That evening, while studying, Haruto suddenly heard a strange sound coming from his neighborhood – the sound of a violin. The sound was poignant, carrying a sense of longing.