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

With only one arrow left in the quiver beside him, and his arms feeling tired and weak, Uesugi Kai decided not to continue shooting.

Each time you draw the bow, it takes a lot of mental effort.

After putting down the longbow, I felt a sharp, red mark on my right thumb, which was quite uncomfortable.

"I'm still not used to the bow and arrow club's guillotine." He raised his hand, looking at the four-finger guillotine he was wearing on his right hand.

Asaka Ogata, holding her bow with both hands, gazed at the target directly in front of her. Her black hakama skirt gave her a very elegant and stylish appearance: "You need to tailor one for you. Without a bow and arrow, it's hard for an archer to show his best form."

“Yes, yes, it’s really necessary,” the beautiful Sakurai Fuko immediately chimed in. “Once you get used to your own, you can’t use any other kind of pot.”

In the world of archery, "弽" usually refers to the outermost deerskin glove worn on the right hand.

The "bo" is an indispensable tool for those who practice archery.

The Japanese idiom "不可替的" (unreplaceable) originates from this.

The arrow was launched at an initial speed of 216 km/h, enough to pierce an iron frying pan from more than ten meters away.

Without a proper "bow," fingers that pull the bow too much will become extremely uncomfortable due to the force of the bowstring, and their condition will inevitably decline after continuous bowing.

Therefore, a suitable "弽" is also called a lifelong companion for an archer.

There are also some rules to follow when choosing a "bowl".

"The position of the thumb and wrist", "The direction of the thumb", "The length and width of the ring, middle, and index fingers", "The nut for drawing the string"...

These are all issues that need to be considered and corrected in accordance with your right hand.

Ideally, it should be tailor-made.

That means spending more money.

"Should I buy a pair?" Uesugi Kai asked, though he really wanted to save the money.

“I highly recommend it!” Sakurai Fuko said earnestly. “If Uesugi-kun needs it, I recommend Sugita-senpai’s bow fitting shop. It’s very famous and located in Chiyoda Ward. The bow fittings and handguards I use were custom-made from his shop.”

Click...!

The sound of the bowstring beside him continued; this was Sugita Sohei's sixtieth arrow shot that day.

Noticing that Uesugi Kai was looking at him, Sugita Sohei turned his head and said to him, "1-16 Kanda-Suda-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Sugita Yugaku. If you really need anything, you can come to me on the weekend."

"Then thank you in advance, senior."

Kai Uesugi knows nothing about choosing bows, but with the help and guidance of her senior, this is the best outcome for now.

I don't think I'll get scammed.

"It's nothing," Sugita Sohei replied.

"Sigh~ Senior is going to buy his own bow and arrow," Chitose Mai said with a disappointed look on her face, looking at her hands. "I haven't hit the target with a single arrow yet. Am I really useless?"

"Haha~ Don't worry, we've all been there," Sakurai Fuko's eyes were filled with a natural smile, as warm as a spring breeze. "Back then, I couldn't even draw the bowstring. Actually, as long as you persevere in archery, you don't need to work too hard to develop a good understanding and skill. Keep it up!"

Chitose Mai looked at the longbow in her hand, still somewhat discouraged: "Every time I draw the bow, it wobbles. Is it because I don't have enough strength?"

Kai Uesugi: "The bow is long at the top and short at the bottom. In addition to a certain amount of strength, the archer also needs to maintain the balance of the bow when drawing the string. You must control the amplitude of the bow and arrow when drawing the string. Pay attention to my movements."

As he spoke, he took out the last arrow from his quiver.

"Section One – 'Stepping In': Be careful not to plant your feet too deep or too shallow."

Kai Uesugi straightened his upper body and spread his feet apart.

"Section Two – 'Body Structure': Be careful not to twist your waist."

While keeping his upper body still, he turned his head to look at the shooting range.

"Section Three – 'Preparing the Bow': The smaller the hand, the better; the ideal position is 'standing ready'."

The right thumb hooks the bowstring, while the other fingers are brought as close to the palm as possible, the clasped fingers curling up like an innocent infant's.

"In sections four and five, when 'raising' and 'drawing the bow,' it is crucial to ensure the arrow does not deviate, and the force applied to the left and right sides of the bow draw must be even."

Uesugi Kai raised the longbow with both hands, paused briefly when the bowstring was halfway drawn, and then drew it to its full length in one breath.

Breathe smoothly and steadily.

Chitose Mai's eyes sparkled; she felt that Uesugi-senpai was exceptionally charismatic at that moment.

Sugita Sohei, Sakurai Fuko, and Ogata Asaka also stopped and quietly observed Uesugi Kai's archery skills from their respective shooting positions.

"Meeting" and "leaving," chest tightness, full exertion of strength, and steady breathing."

At this moment, Uesugi Kai's posture with the strings fully drawn is very close to the perfect proportion of the golden ratio.

Next second,

The arrow was released from the bow.

With a "bang," it appeared directly above the target full of bamboo arrows, as naturally as rain falling from the sky.

"In the final section, 'Residual Heart,' maintain balance throughout the body, both up and down, left and right, and keep your breath calm and steady."

After slowly lowering the longbow in his hand, Uesugi Kai said to Chitose Mai, who was observing him very carefully behind him, "These are the problems I encountered during training. Consider them a reference for you."

The smooth movements made Sugita Sohei feel good. He turned to Chitose Mai and said, "What Uesugi showed is very typical archery experience. As long as you fully digest these movements, shooting a perfect arrow will not be a problem at all."

Chitose Mayu said helplessly, "This feels so difficult..."

Chapter 82 Apologies Should Be Sincere###

"Senior, senior."

Kai Uesugi had just left the archery club when she was caught up by Mai Chitose, who came running out from behind.

Kai Uesugi glanced at her: "Why aren't you working at your convenience store? What are you doing here?"

“No rush, I’m on the 8 o’clock night shift today,” Chitose Mai said with light, quick steps, her tone lively. “I mainly wanted to thank my senior for sharing his archery experience with me.”

As she spoke, she placed her hands behind her waist, arched them back, and bowed to Uesugi Kai with a smile: "Thank you, senior!"

Her expression, tone, and actions conveyed a very sincere thank you, but it leaned heavily towards a young girl's style.

"Don't you think I'm cold?" Uesugi Kai's tone, which was similar to Ogata Asaka's, softened slightly. "And yet you're still willing to thank me with that kind of tone."

"He was a bit cold, but it's true that he shared his experience, right?"

Chitose Mai stood up, now dressed in the school's standard sailor uniform. "After all, that's just my senior's personality. Everyone is different... What's that saying again? Um... a thousand people see a thousand different things... Huh? I can't remember. Anyway, I don't really care. I just remember that my senior helped me, so it's only natural to be grateful."

“A thousand Hamlets,” Uesugi Kai added, then continued walking forward. “Although I don’t know why you approached me in the first place, your words are quite good, and I still want to thank you in return.”

"Thank you for having such a carefree attitude, not disliking something just because it's different, and having your own thoughts and opinions. As your senior, my impression of you has improved a lot."

It turns out that not all the girls I know besides Hanabi dislike me.

Although Hanabi seems to dislike him a bit today too...

"Hehe," Chitose Mai chuckled mischievously, "A cool and handsome guy like you can only be admired from afar. If you get too close, you'll get frostbite. You probably don't have many female friends, right?"

Female friends.

A slideshow of images flashed before Uesugi Kai's eyes, showing the faces and names of the girls in his class: "There really aren't any."

Of course, Hanabi is an exception; she has been his childhood playmate since the beginning.

However, the pure friendship between opposite sexes also undergoes some changes with the arrival of puberty.

The feeling of being in love is intoxicating.

Every time I think of her sweet smile, my heart warms up.

She was adorable as a child, and she's still adorable now. Her shy and charming appearance is unforgettable.

In order to stop her from continuing to hate him, Uesugi Kai had to take some action.

In that brief moment, Chitose Mai noticed the unusual look in Uesugi Kai's eyes and took the opportunity to ask, "Senpai seems to have something on your mind today."

You noticed?

"The seniors all said there was something wrong with your arrow."

Pause for one second.

"That's true."

Can you tell me about it?

"Why?" Uesugi Kai asked back.

"If I tell you, maybe I can help you, senior. It would be a way to thank you for the experience you just shared with me." Chitose Mai smiled.

Kai Uesugi didn't turn his head to look at her, but asking her for advice was a feasible solution.

After all, she and Hanabi are both girls, and even if their personalities are completely different, they should still have some similarities.

Just like when he asked Takahiro Tsubokawa at noon, it was good to take it as a reference, and as it turned out, his idea was very useful.

“A girl dislikes me, and I’m thinking about how to apologize to her,” Uesugi Kai said naturally.

But Chitose Mai's eyes were full of stars, and she asked with great curiosity, "Your senior is disliked by girls? Why?"

why?

Could I say that I secretly touched her breasts in my dream, and she even knew about it through the dream?

"There's no deep reason, it's just ordinary dislike," Uesugi Kai didn't want to make up another lie. "I want to go back to the way things were before. Is there any good solution?"

"Hmm~"

Chitose Mai didn't answer Uesugi Kai's question immediately. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand and scrutinized him carefully. "Girlfriend?"

“A female friend.” Uesugi Kai wasn’t lying; she was indeed a female friend, but a closer one.

He also remembered his father-in-law saying that couples shouldn't spend all their time together at school, since they hadn't even gotten into a prestigious university yet, and it would affect their studies.

He also said that the best way is to hide it. As long as you try your best to hide it, you will restrain your thoughts at school and not flirt with others, and you will spend the little time you spend in class on teaching.

Although he didn't know why he had to add a 16-year-old age limit.

Chitose Mai was clearly confused by him: "But just now, senior said that he doesn't have any female friends."

“If I’m disliked, then I can’t be considered a friend right now.” Uesugi Kai looked towards the school building not far away.

The ancient, vigorous, yet vibrant locust tree enclosed below is quite large and conspicuous.