Tokyo Detective Chronicles

Just as the two were practicing, a group of students dressed in archery uniforms walked along the school corridor leading to the archery club, chatting and laughing.

There were about six or seven people, both men and women.

The leader was a tall, ordinary-looking third-year boy, who was none other than Takeru Satoh, the captain of the archery club.

He was talking to his subordinates with a smug smile on his face.

"That new girl in first grade... what was her name again?"

"It seems that his last name is Hoshizaki."

"Yes, her name is Hoshizaki. I've noticed she's been practicing quite diligently lately; I guess she's waiting for me to give her some pointers."

The previously lively crowd suddenly fell silent, staring at Takeru Satoh with incredulous eyes, as if they were facing something filthy.

What does it have to do with you that the new junior is practicing hard?

Sato Takeru, oblivious to everything, stroked his stubble-covered chin, exhaling through his nostrils as he thought about Hoshizaki Rina's beautiful face, his mind wandering.

"I'm afraid that if she just sees my imposing figure during a competition, she'll fall hopelessly in love with me?"

Several of his subordinates outwardly agreed, but their eyes were filled with speechlessness and annoyance.

Everyone knows that President Sato has a girlfriend he's dating. He just bought her an expensive gift with club funds yesterday, and now he's shamelessly eyeing a new first-year junior.

What a scumbag.

There have been freshmen who were scared away by this before, right?

This unrepentant guy...

However, Sato Takeru led the archery club to a top-three finish in the national tournament and team competition last year, making him a well-known genius in the archery world. The school has high expectations for him.

Therefore, none of the members dared to offend him openly.

Especially after the club advisor, Mr. Takeda, took leave, the archery club became his personal fiefdom.

Sato was unaware of what the archery club members were thinking; he was preoccupied with figuring out how to dump his current girlfriend.

That woman has been bothering him a lot lately, acting like she's suicidal all the time. She even looks unhappy when he gives her gifts. It's so annoying.

A woman who can't provide emotional value is unlucky to look at.

As expected, it's much better to have a fresh and youthful junior like Hoshizaki. If only I could take the opportunity of teaching archery...

He became more and more excited as he thought about it, and his steps quickened.

Until he arrived at the archery club's dojo.

He tidied his hair and collar slightly, put on what he thought was a very handsome expression, and confidently pushed open the wooden door.

But unexpectedly, they saw Rina Hoshizaki hugging a man they didn't know.

Who is that?

He was momentarily confused as to why there were strangers in the dojo.

Although the archery club usually opens its doors to the public for visits in order to recruit new members.

When Sato saw that the man was whispering something in Hoshizaki's ear, he was only slightly annoyed.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the other person was actually instructing Hoshizaki Rina on archery!

This was completely intolerable, and he was utterly enraged.

In his specialty, archery, he bosses around his fellow club members. Who does he think he is? Where does he think he is?

This is the archery club, my territory, Takeru Satoh!

This is completely dancing on his bottom line.

Sato paced to within three meters of the two men, suppressing his anger as he spoke:

"Hoshizaki, who is this?"

Rina Hoshizaki turned around at the sound of the voice, paused for a moment when she saw Sato and a group of club members behind him, and then gave a polite smile:

"Ah, this is my friend, Fushimi Iori."

As Hoshizaki spoke, he subconsciously took half a step closer to Fushimi: "He's teaching me archery..."

She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.

Isn't this just blatantly trying to make Iori the target of hatred?

Just as he was about to explain, Sato interrupted him.

"Oh? A friend."

Sato Takeru looked Fushimi up and down, and when he saw his face under his bangs, he was surprisingly a repulsive handsome guy. He said he taught archery, but he didn't even have any protective gear.

"Teaching archery? Which club are you in, Fushimi-kun? I don't remember your name being on the archery club roster."

"I didn't join any clubs."

Fushimi's voice was flat, revealing little emotion.

"That means they're laymen."

Sato laughed, pointed at Fushimi, and turned to look at the many club members, his sarcasm obvious.

That smile was filled with barely suppressed contempt.

"Hoshizaki, it's good for beginners to be enthusiastic, but letting laymen teach them will only create bad habits. You can practice if you're not skilled, but it's hard to turn back once you've gone down the wrong path."

Several of his subordinates behind him chuckled softly in unison.

In Sato's opinion, if Fushimi had any skill at all, he should have joined the archery club long ago, since Kiyosumi-dai Private Academy's archery competition results are among the best in all of Tokyo.

Achieving a decent result in the competition can be extremely helpful for college entrance exams.

"Kyudo should follow the fivefold ten-character rule. It is a skill that emphasizes etiquette and mindset. It cannot be taught by just anyone."

Sato's tone was brimming with an air of self-righteous superiority:

"Hoshizaki, if you want to improve, I can personally mentor you. Maybe you can become a full member of the competition next year..."

She watched as Takeru Satoh's eyebrows twitched like caterpillars, and her eyes twitched.

But Sato continued talking without stopping...

"This kind of inexplicable guy only knows how to crudely draw a bow, right?... "

Finally, Hoshizaki Rina couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and grabbed Fushimi's wrist, her lips twitching with anger:

"Iori, let's go!"

She was upset because she had dragged Iori into this pointless dispute.

She turned around and was about to leave with him.

Fushimi, however, grabbed her wrist and gently stopped her from leaving.

"What you call Kyudo is essentially the technique of hitting a target with an arrow. Etiquette, forms, schools... these are just decorations added by bored people."

He looked up, his eyes finally meeting Sato's:

"No matter how elaborate the decorations, they're meaningless if they can't efficiently hit the target..."

Sato felt a chill run down his spine from that look, but it was quickly overcome by anger.

Fushimi's words undoubtedly negated the value of the entire Yingzhou archery tradition.

"What do you know! Kyudo is a spiritual practice that integrates mind, technique, and body! Someone like you, an outsider—"

"so……"

Fushimi interrupted him: "So, after all this training, what's your best result? Only third place nationwide?"

Sato choked.

A surge of anger welled up inside him, a feeling of frustration stuck in his chest, and he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word. What did he mean by "only third in the country"?

Is being third in the country such a shameful achievement?

Who does this guy think he is?

What kind of attitude is this?

"That was a team competition... Last year, I came in second in the national individual competition."

Fushimi disagreed.

"Do you think you're qualified to comment on archery, you second-year brat..."

Takeru Satoh employed the same tactics used in the Japanese-style school bullying: seniority-based suppression.

Fushimi released Hoshizaki Rina's hand and sighed.

He wasn't really interested in arguing with high school students about these trivial things, but with Rina Hoshizaki standing next to him, he could feel the girl's tense shoulders.

If Fushimi turns away now, showing escapism and cowardice, it won't bother Fushimi, but Hoshizaki Rina will likely become the target of verbal bullying from the archery club members.

Even if they withdraw from the department, the news will probably still reach the class, right?

Rumors, exclusion, and covert bullying... these things are all too common on Yingzhou's campus.

It could even ruin her next two years of high school.

"How about this?"

Fushimi looked at Sato: "Let's have a match. If you win, I'll apologize for what I just said. If I win..."

He paused, then chuckled softly, "You decide what to do."

"Pfft..."

"A competition? You?"

Sato burst out laughing, his previous anger vanishing.

The other party's suggestion struck a chord with him. He wasn't stupid; as the head of the archery club, he would lose face even if he won by challenging an amateur to a competition.

But if Fushimi, this layman, were to start a fight, that would be a different story... That idiot...

"Okay... sure."

No… Just thinking about what would happen next made Sato unable to suppress his smile, and he raised his hand to cover his face.

No, no, no...

You can't laugh yet...

After taking a deep breath, he raised his face, which was flushed red. He first looked at Fushimi's face, which was so handsome it was nauseating, and then turned to look at Hoshizaki Rina, who had a gloomy expression beside him.

Ha... ungrateful.

It's time to let this woman know who she can truly rely on.

A pretty boy who only talks big is unreliable.

Takeru Satoh turned around, looked at the many members, and nodded in satisfaction.

With the entire archery club present today, it's time to re-establish his authority. Until now, he had never imagined the possibility of losing.

"Okay, but just apologizing is too boring... How about this, whoever loses has to lie on the ground and bark like a dog while apologizing, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Fushimi laughed, surprised that this guy actually had quite the courage.

The real reason he smiled was that a ball of light the size of a billiard ball appeared above Sato's head...

"OK."