Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

"No." Uesugi Kai didn't want to attract attention.

“Then you—” Tsubokawa Takahiro hesitated, then said, “Never mind, it doesn’t matter whether you talk to Uesugi or not. Goto and I are not like you. We don’t have childhood friends or cute girls who go to school together.”

"Why do you say that?" Uesugi Kai noticed something in his eyes.

"Didn't you notice?" Takahiro Tsubokawa felt that Kai Uesugi was being rather oblivious.

"What did you find?"

"The way Hanamaru looks at you!"

"She would glance at you every now and then during class. If you turned your head even slightly, she would immediately lower her head and blush. It's obvious that she's interested in you."

Takahiro Tsubokawa looked at Kai Uesugi with suspicion.

"You didn't notice? Don't lie to me, I know you love to lie."

“No,” Kai Uesugi said naturally. “I’m being honest. Please don’t generalize about me based on the characteristics of people from Tokyo. I’m different from them.”

"Alright, I'll pretend you really don't know." Tsubokawa Takahiro glanced at Uesugi Kai and took another bite of the very chewy Inaniwa udon noodles.

"I didn't know before, but I do now. Um... thank you for reminding me."

After they had all been eating in silence for a while, Takahiro Tsubokawa looked up:

"Now that you know, you have no thoughts? Your childhood sweetheart won't be a loser in the real world either, will she?"

【败犬】is a derivative of 【败得如丧家之犬】, which can be roughly understood as a person who has lost in a struggle.

Why would you think that?

"Your relationship with Hanamaru is becoming more and more like this—the girl is interested in the boy, the boy half-heartedly believes that he doesn't have those kinds of feelings for her, and the girl is too shy to confess, so the two of them just keep going on like this, without end."

Takahiro Tsubokawa held chopsticks for eating noodles in his right hand.

"Then a girlfriend suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and Uesugi, you completely switched sides. Hanamaru could only watch the two of you happily together, silently sealing his own feelings in his heart. Every day, watching the two of you being affectionate, his heart ached, but he dared not say anything. Every day, he still had to silently accompany you to school."

"This is torture! Uesugi-san!"

"How can you bear to let such a lovely Hanamaru be sad for you every day? Your childhood friend who goes to school with you every day is being abandoned so heartlessly?"

While eating his beef bowl, Uesugi Kai listened to Tsubokawa Takahiro's heartfelt performance.

Do you think the plot will develop the way you expect?

Takahiro Tsubokawa pushed up his glasses again: "Because you are the protagonist, Uesugi-san! Show your manliness! Face your feelings!"

"So? What exactly are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is, you should seize the opportunity to confess to Hanamaru! Don't wait until a girlfriend suddenly appears out of nowhere, or all your years of relationship will be over."

As he spoke, Takahiro Tsubokawa nodded to himself.

"This is the experience I've gained from playing visual novels for many years. Trust me, you won't go wrong."

"..."

Uesugi Kai paused for a second, then said, "That visual novel you mentioned, is it fun? I hear you talking about it all the time."

After listening to him ramble on for so long, all Uesugi Kai knew was that so-called GALGAMEs were just bishoujo games.

I don't know why Takahiro Tsubokawa is so enthusiastic about this kind of game.

"Oh~ you want to try?" Takahiro Tsubokawa gave him a mischievous grin.

Uesugi Kai sensed that he had ill intentions and continued to eat with her head down.

"never mind."

......

After school in the afternoon, Uesugi Kai walked towards the archery club's playground. The baseball club members were as enthusiastic as ever, and it was said that they were determined to go to Koshien Stadium for the competition.

This is a tradition of the Shingo High School baseball team, burning with the most passionate youthful energy.

Uesugi Kai felt that since he was participating in both the national kendo and archery competitions, he should be no worse than them.

As he continued walking, under the azure Tokyo sky, Uesugi Kai recalled what Tsubokawa had said at noon.

In the afternoon, he made a point of observing Hanabi Hanabi's little actions during class, and sure enough, they were exactly as Tsubokawa had described.

When she looked at me, she was filled with shyness and embarrassment.

Their eyes met, and she hurriedly lowered her head again to jot down notes on the blackboard that weren't needed.

Every time he saw her blushing face, Uesugi Kai really wanted to pinch it again.

But in the last few days, Hanabi has been avoiding his outstretched hand, shyly refusing him. I wonder if it's because of the rings.

Kai Uesugi raised his left hand, held it high in the sky, and looked at the ring finger where something should have been.

"Senior!"

Upon hearing the sound, Uesugi Kai lowered his hand and said to the girl who had suddenly appeared beside him, "Chitose-kun, it would be better if you didn't startle people like this in the future."

Chitose Mai smiled as she took off her earphones, still chewing her ever-present gum.

Instead of answering Uesugi Kai's question, she asked him curiously:

"What were you looking at just now, senior? There was nothing in the sky. Was the gesture of opening your left hand meant to look at your ring finger?"

"Are you getting married?!"

Chitose Mai looked surprised, circled around Uesugi Kai, but found nothing amiss. She then moved closer to his side and sniffed him.

She suddenly frowned, staggered backward, and displayed an exaggerated expression of disgust:

"Huh~"

Uesugi Kai knew she was exaggerating, after all, this junior had a very eccentric personality, but he was still curious about what she had smelled, since he himself didn't have any scent.

"What did you smell?"

Chitose Mai shook her head and looked at Uesugi Kai again with a look of disdain:

"The sour and sour smell of love."

"..."

Uesugi Kai ignored her and continued walking towards the archery club.

"Senior, are you in a relationship?" Chitose Mayi followed, very curious.

"What do you think?"

Kai Uesugi suddenly realized that he kept asking questions in return today.

“I think so,” Chitose Mayi nodded heavily, “The ambiguous aura emanating from my senior is almost making me faint, it’s too strong!”

Kai Uesugi frowned: "Are you referring to the perfume you're wearing?"

"Haha~"

Chitose Mayi smiled very frankly, "I didn't expect that my senior would find out."

"It would be strange if they hadn't noticed."

###Chapter 64 Archery###

A cool breeze rustled, gently shaking the trees that had sprouted tender buds in April.

Next to the playground of Shin-Ko High School, under the wide eaves of the archery club.

Uesugi Kai, dressed in a pristine white kyudo robe and hakama, held a seven-foot-long bow, drawing the string to its full draw. His calm and confident gaze revealed a serene composure.

Behind him, all the club members were quietly observing his movements, not making a sound to disturb his concentration.

Kyudo cultivates the heart.

When the mind is at peace, the arrow will naturally follow the will of the heart.

This is what is known as "a direct hit is guaranteed".

As always, these bold and unrestrained characters hang directly above the archery club, constantly reminding everyone who practices archery here.

With his right hand, gloved in deerskin, Uesugi Kai drew the bowstring, the armored arrow resting steadily on the string, poised to be released.

At the same time, he used his ring and little fingers to hold arrow B, and arrow A, which was strung on a string, and arrow B held between his fingertips formed a regular obtuse angle.

The nocked arrow remains parallel to the ground.

A gentle breeze blows in your face at this moment.

As she tossed her hair, Kai Uesugi's black hakama pants fluttered in the wind, making her straight and slender figure appear naturally fresh and elegant.

An intangible aura emanated from him.

The sixth section of the eight-section archery method – “Meeting” – is ready.

The seventh section, "Separation," is the natural release of an arrow when the momentum and power of "Meeting" reach their peak.

With a solemn expression, Sugita Sohei sat cross-legged to the side of Uesugi Kai, constantly observing his movements.

He knew that the arrow, drawn taut, was ready to be released.

Everyone held their breath, staring at Uesugi Kai's gently rising and falling chest, as he steadily built up his aura.

Next second,

Kai Uesugi's black eyes gleamed, and his trembling fingers suddenly released their grip.

Click...!

With a sharp twang of the bowstring, the straight arrow flew from the hand.

Amidst the whistling sound, as Uesugi Kai maintained his archery stance—

The arrow flew like a swallow, aiming straight for the circular target 28 meters away.

All eyes followed the arrow toward the bullseye.

"Just as I thought," they thought to themselves.

One arrow, and it hit the target precisely.

And the posture was extremely standard.