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

He has already progressed to the point of "meeting".

However, his "meeting" is not enough to be called a "meeting".

With the bowstring not fully drawn and his bow-holding posture incorrect, the arrow he shot in that state naturally missed the target.

"come on!"

Sakurai Fuko, a senior member of the archery club, encouraged him with a smile.

Fuko Sakurai is also the kind of girl who is very cute, and her smile is sweet.

Her encouragement naturally made Yuasa, who had little contact with girls, blush, and inspired her to regain her confidence.

The remaining arrow, number two, was nocked back onto the bowstring in his hand.

With focused attention, Taketa Yuasa concentrated his gaze on the circular target on Azuchi 28 meters away.

The two arrows of Uesugi Kai remained precisely positioned above the circular bullseye.

The two arrows, almost touching each other, put immense pressure on Taketa Yuasa.

He swallowed hard, the image of Uesugi Kai's composed and dashing figure as he shot an arrow flashing through his mind.

He slowly drew his bow, and the arrowhead slowly moved toward the bullseye.

but,

Click...!

Suddenly, a hurried note rang out, and the arrow flew from the hand.

Without a moment's hesitation, the arrow flew out of his hand, heading towards the right side of the target and landing on the pile of soil.

"Still... I didn't get it..."

Taketa Yuasa put down his longbow, feeling somewhat discouraged.

However, this is the normal situation after practicing archery for two days. Some members who had previously demonstrated their archery skills also found themselves in the same predicament as him, missing both shots.

Therefore, they did not make any mocking noises, which is part of the etiquette of archery.

In archery, there are only two results: hitting the target or missing, unlike in the West where scoring is based on the number of rings on the target.

In the first round, Taketa Yuasa missed the target due to nervousness, and in the second round, he missed the target again because he released the arrow too early.

The posture and breathing techniques are also somewhat lacking.

Compared to the archery skills displayed by Uesugi Kai, the difference is enormous.

Aoya also stepped forward and stood in front of Yuasa Taketa, encouraging him:

"Keep going! As you've seen, many of your classmates were in the same situation as you. This is a common problem caused by a lack of experience and practice. Please don't be discouraged. We will all work together with you from now on."

"Yes!"

Taketa Yuasa straightened up and responded loudly.

Chapter Sixty-Six: Running Against the Night Breeze

The night breeze brought a touch of coolness.

Kai Uesugi embraced the cool breeze, following closely behind Hanabi Hanabi and Rie Ayaka.

Looking at their black sailor uniforms illuminated by the streetlights, Uesugi Kai reflected on the past few days.

He suddenly felt that such fulfilling days were also exceptionally interesting.

Rie Ayaka's attitude towards Kai Uesugi has improved in the past few days, but she is still herself after all, and her personality hasn't changed much.

And, she seems to have recently discovered something.

Rie Ayaka secretly glanced at Kai Uesugi behind her, then whispered to Hanabi Hanamaru, who was clutching her shoulder bag beside her:

"Hanabi-chan, why have you been sneaking peeks at Uesugi lately?"

"No...no..." Hanabi Hanabi's heart tightened.

"You—" Ayaka Rie leaned closer, narrowing her eyes, "You wouldn't actually be dating Uesugi, would you?"

"I don't..."

Hanabi Hanamaru responded weakly, her voice extremely soft.

Rie Ayaka leaned closer to her face and sniffed; the scent of lilies wafted from her fair neck.

The nose moved away from her, satisfied. Ayaka Rie looked at her slightly flushed face and frowned.

"lie."

His tone was firm, as if he were Holmes explaining the clues he had to Watson.

"Yes, I'm sorry..."

Hanabi Hanamaru couldn't control her blushing and pounding heart. She knew that if she continued to lie, Ayaka Rie would definitely expose her.

Rie Ayaka has noticed many small details over the past few days, and this is the third time she has asked her this question in the past few days.

"So, you're really dating Uesugi?" Ayaka Rie turned around and glanced at Uesugi Kai, who had already noticed the two of them, and continued to ask.

Hanabi Hanamaru's face flushed, and she nodded in response, "Mmm..."

Sigh, I knew it.

Rie Ayaka looked at her, wary of Kai Uesugi who was eavesdropping from behind, and then whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Can you tell me what it feels like to be in love?"

Ayaka Rie's breath brushed against Hanamaru Hanabi's sensitive earlobe, and she immediately shuddered, feeling a tingling sensation all over her body as if she had been electrocuted. Then she blushed and shook her head.

This was not only a subconscious physical reaction, but also a subconscious answer to Ayaka Rie's question in her mind.

"Fireworks... I don't know about Fireworks..."

Hanabi Hanamaru's violent reaction naturally caught the attention of Kai Uesugi behind her, but under Rie Ayaka's wary gaze, he had no chance to get close.

"You really don't know?"

Rie Ayaka continued to whisper, "You're always secretly looking at him, and you seem distracted. Are you being led around by his shadow every day?"

"N-no..."

"Aren't you two childhood sweethearts?"

"Um..."

"You wouldn't get tired of being together every day?"

Hanamaru Hanabi shook her head.

"I don't understand."

Rie looked at her shy face with confusion. In her opinion, friendship was more appropriate than so-called love for childhood playmates like this.

After all, they are already familiar with each other and with each other's every reaction. Once the novelty wears off, it becomes difficult for their relationship to develop further.

We see each other all the time, after all these years, don't you ever get tired of it?

Ayaka Rie pondered for a long time.

Finally, looking at Hanamaru Hanabi, who was completely beyond saving, he sighed:

"That Uesugi guy really has completely tamed you, Hanabi-chan."

......

Tokyo's night sky is always filled with the densest blue, stars drift like stars on a night sea, and leaves rustle in the breeze, adorning the quiet night with the beauty of nature.

This quiet residential area, enveloped in cherry blossoms, is where Uesugi Kai and Hanabi Hanabi grew up.

The two walked along the quiet path home, surrounded by familiar sights.

The cherry blossom trees, the wooden fence, the tangled wires, the warm yellow streetlights...

Some things have changed with time and disappeared, but what remains is the feeling of having walked this place together since childhood.

I walked slowly along the path filled with cherry blossom petals.

Hanabi Hanamaru stepped out of her round-toed leather shoes, her even steps causing her shadow under the streetlights to lengthen and shorten along with the shadows beside her.

The footsteps were clear and bright.

"Hanabi."

For some reason, Uesugi Kai wanted to call out the girl's name at that moment, even though he didn't know what to say.

"Ah."

After Hanamaru Hanabi quickly agreed, the quiet atmosphere returned.

Kai Uesugi couldn't find the words to continue, and Hanabi Hanabi was also silently standing alone.

The atmosphere became somewhat strange.

Uesugi Kai tried hard to find a topic in his mind, and after pondering for a while, he said:

"Ayaka-san already knows about what happened between us, right?"

At this moment, Uesugi Kai actually wanted to express his gratitude to Ayaka Riei.

Upon hearing these words, Hanabi Hanamaru was overwhelmed with guilt.

“I…I’m sorry, Kai-kun,” she said, bowing her head. “Hanabi couldn’t keep the secret.”

It's that kind of talk again.

With a sigh, Uesugi Kai looked at her reproachfully: "Silly girl, didn't I tell you that you don't need to apologize to me?"

"sorry..."

Hanabi Hanamaru blurted out something again, but then she suddenly realized what she had said, quickly covered her mouth, and looked nervously at Kai Uesugi.

In his trembling eyes, a faint light flickered, as if he were saying "I'm sorry".

Her appearance brought a smile back to Uesugi Kai's face.

He moved his backpack to a more comfortable position: "Fine, I'll apologize then. If I accept it, Hanabi will feel better."

Hanabi Hanabi nodded slightly, indicating that she agreed with what Kai Uesugi had said.