Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 106

One Arrow, One Soul

The so-called “Eight Steps of Archery” refer to the eight standard steps in a single arrow shot.

These are: stepping, positioning the body, nocking the arrow, raising the bow, drawing, focusing, separating, and maintaining concentration.

Taking off the half-sleeve again, Sato once more held the bow with his left arm, stood up, and stepped to the shooting point.

Shifting his stance in place, constructing his posture, facing forward, bowing and nocking the arrow, raising the bow above his head, he drew the string to full extension.

As he began his movements, everyone in the vicinity fixed their gaze. This opportunity was rare, and every detail had to be observed carefully.

Even for Shiromiya, the number of times she had seen her master shoot arrows was not very frequent.

“Such a strong state of concentration…”

Seeing this scene, Uesugi, as a sixth dan in archery, felt a chill in his heart and held his breath.

During the process of watching archery, making any noise was strictly forbidden to avoid disturbing the archer’s concentration.

In any field, the hierarchy resembles a pyramid, and the higher you climb, the narrower the path forward becomes.

Sato Shinichi, as one of the pinnacles of Neon Archery, spent his entire life immersed in archery, and possessed extraordinary talent.

In a state of intense concentration, Sato drew the bow, and his arm trembled slightly.

This wasn’t due to old age or weakened strength; it was a perfectly normal occurrence.

It was related to muscle control, a condition reflexively triggered when the muscles were highly tense.

In reality, an arrow wasn’t shot; it swam out, much like a fish.

Under the powerful thrust of the bowstring, arrows usually had a flexible texture, allowing them to travel far while constantly oscillating. 

To restrain this movement and achieve a perfectly straight trajectory, the arrow would need to be rigid and heavy.

“Snap!”

Finally, Sato released the bow, the arrow separated, and the bowstring emitted a crisp and pleasant sound.

The arrow pierced through the air and accurately hit the target sixty meters away, displaying remarkable precision.

“Hit! Inner ring!”

Uesugi, observing from a distance as a sixth dan, couldn’t help but express his surprise at the outcome.

Sato’s skill at the ninth dan was truly exceptional.

The rule for this competition was “One Arrow, One Soul,” meaning each participant shot one arrow at a time. If the arrow hit the target, the archer could continue to shoot another arrow until only one person remained.

As there are only two participants in this competition, missing the target once implied defeat.

With the announcement of the result, Sato paused in his bow return state and then slowly stood upright, signifying the end of the round.

He didn’t glance at Kurosawa because this was a competitive state, and distractions were not allowed.

“So powerful.”

“Well, that’s Master. Isn’t it natural?”

His disciple on the side couldn’t help but marvel at the scene.

The previous arrow was too splendid—flawless in concentration, precision, and shooting form.

“Hoo.”

Meanwhile, Kurosawa was adjusting his breath.

After a few breaths, he rose from the kneeling position and stood up.

It’s still quite close… And the target is so big.

Stepping and adjusting his position, Kurosawa raised his head, his gaze falling on the target sixty meters away, thinking to himself.

He noticed that after gripping the bow, his vision became formidable. 

Despite the sixty-meter distance, the target, one meter in diameter, was clear and vivid, as if it were within arm’s reach.

With this thought in mind, Kurosawa slightly lowered his head, raised the arrow, and drew the bowstring to its full extent.

The onlookers standing beside him were somewhat surprised at his archery posture.

“Such a beautiful shooting form.”

Watching his archery posture from the side, Shiromiya, with her gem-like red eyes, widened them in amazement.

Initially, when they agreed to meet on the weekend, she thought Kurosawa claiming to be proficient in archery was just an excuse to get to know her better. 

She believed he was just a novice boasting about his skills.

However, she didn’t pay much attention at the time, given that archery didn’t require a high level of proficiency. Besides, she was eager to have her first male friend.

But now, it seemed that Kurosawa wasn’t just saying things to get close to her. He genuinely excelled in archery; it wasn’t a boast.

“Snap!”

Aiming and releasing the arrow, Kurosawa let go of the arrow with his right hand.

The sound of the bowstring was crisp and powerful, echoing as if breaking through everything, resonating deeply in the soul, even more melodious than Sato’s.

“Thud!”

Although the distance was considerable, due to the courtyard setting, the powerful shot at the bullseye surprisingly echoed.

“Hit… Bullseye!!”

Realizing the incredible strength in his arms, Uesugi carefully examined it and couldn’t help but be amazed. 

Previously, during his time in the school club, Kurosawa, who seemingly knew nothing about archery, displayed unparalleled talent. All 20 arrows hit the target, each arrow hitting the bullseye. 

However, that was with a target at a close range of 28 meters.

Now, at a distance of 60 meters, and on the first arrow, in an unfamiliar setting, he directly hit the bullseye. The precision was terrifying.

At the same time, lines of text appeared before Kurosawa’s eyes.

Mission objective【Shoot an arrow into her heart】 achieved.

Mission objective【Make her look at you with admiration】 achieved.

【First date with Shriomiya Mirai】All four mission objectives achieved. Mission complete. Rewards: Entry-level archery, Entry-level piano (permanent).

Due to the host already possessing an archery reward, Archery Mastery upgraded to Perfect Mastery.

Due to the host already possessing a piano reward, Entry-level Piano has been upgraded to Mastery level.

With the appearance of these words, a myriad of knowledge and experiences flooded Kurosawa’s mind.

I’ve completed the mission just like that?

Absorbing the benefits brought by the permanent reward, Kurosawa slowly lowered his bow and couldn’t help turning his head to glance at Shiromiya.

Caught in a trance while staring at him, Shiromiya, upon realizing his gaze, was suddenly startled and nervously averted her eyes.

“Why is he so good at archery? Didn’t he say only practiced at his hometown occasionally? Such a big liar.”

Shiromiya lowered her head, her face slightly flushed, and her heart pounding.

The arrow he just shot was too cool, almost too cool, as if it had pierced her heart.

Could it be that Kurosawa really had a chance of winning against the master? If that was the case, did it mean she would really have to kiss Kurosawa? 

This would be her first kiss as well.

“Indeed… Mr. Kurosawa is very impressive,” observed Akai beside them, unsurprised by the scene.

When she saw Kurosawa before, she felt like he had encountered something good. 

Whether in his posture or walking, even his back was straightened, radiating a self-assuredness from the inside out.

This kind of demeanor doesn’t appear easily; it was the result of having some reliance, allowing him to face all situations with ease.

“So accurate?” At the same time, Sato, despite not wanting to be distracted by other competitors, was also amazed by this arrow.

Hitting the bullseye at a distance of sixty meters is not an easy feat.

“I’ve never heard of his name before. Where did this guy come from?” With just this one arrow, Sato already realized that it might not be so easy to discipline this young man.

If this arrow isn’t just a fluke but indicative of his skill level, in terms of archery alone, he might have been able to compete with Sato in his prime.