They all have hidden attributes!

“My father,” said Tachimi Yuki.

"Could I have seen him on TV?"

"I don't think so. He passed away 8 years ago and wasn't a professional archery player."

Tachikawa Yuki nocked the arrow again, and Takahashi Makoto noticed that her arm was trembling in a barely perceptible arc, as if she were afraid.

Snapped--

Before Tachikami Yuki could even get his arm into position, his fingers suddenly released, and a chillingly cold string note rang out, causing Takahashi Makoto to swallow hard.

Each person's string tone is different, and as an archer, one is even more sensitive to all kinds of string tones.

He heard a feeling as if winter was approaching from Tachimi Yuki's music.

Makoto Takahashi was certain that the young lady in front of him was not a gentle angel at all, but rather someone who was warm on the outside but cold on the inside.

"Hey, Takahashi-kun."

Tachikami Yuki lowered her bow and turned to face him, her short golden hair gleaming under the bright light.

She smiled and asked in a sweet voice, "Can you tell me why you drew your bow?"

"There's no particular reason, I was just bored in Yamanashi Prefecture."

Makoto Takahashi gave a casual, perfunctory answer, then asked her in return, "Where's Tachimi-senpai?"

"I really like archery; it holds many memories from my childhood."

After giving a brief answer, Tachibana Yuki immediately steered the conversation back to Takahashi Makoto: "What do you want to do after you achieve your dream, Takahashi-junior?"

She was referring to the [pathway survey guide], and regarding dreams and beliefs, Tachikami Yuki wanted to know more.

"I haven't thought about it yet. Maybe it's about achieving world peace or punishing evil and promoting good."

As he spoke, Makoto Takahashi took his usual bow from the wooden shelf on the wall, then took arrows from the quiver and walked to the front of the arrow path to position himself.

As he drew his bow, Tachimi Yuki beside him also nocked an arrow. The two faced the turbulent archery path together, a scene that might be mistaken by outsiders as that of like-minded partners.

[Concentrated Breathing] was triggered. Makoto Takahashi loosened his fingers, and another string melody eagerly rang out beside him, along with Yuki Tachimi's playful teasing.

"Never thought about ruling the world?"

"I hadn't thought about it," Takahashi Makoto answered honestly.

“You know what? Lions don’t feel any guilt when they kill antelopes,” she asked pointedly.

Upon hearing this, Makoto Takahashi felt that he and the young lady were indeed not a good match.

He silently shot his second arrow, thinking that even without friendly training, he should at least improve his resilience today.

The melody resonated in Tachibana Yuki's heart, and she tactfully changed the subject: "Takahashi-kun, actually you and Sayo are quite alike."

“I am completely different from the people blocking the corridor.”

As Takahashi Makoto spoke, he drew back the bowstring. Seeing this, Tachibana Yuki became even more convinced that he had no reason to draw the bow.

If you enjoy archery and are completely focused, how could you possibly be in the mood for idle chatter while shooting an arrow?

"Takahashi-kun wanted to become the so-called strongest because he was all alone and helpless, right? As for Sayo, it was because she had no one to rely on and realized that she could not rely on anyone, so she decided to live alone."

She spoke slowly, and before Takahashi Makoto could release the arrow, she loosened her grip first.

The arrow flew into the rain and landed on the grass in front of the target.

"It sounds a bit pitiful, but I find it hard to imagine that something like this could happen to someone from her family background," Makoto Takahashi said casually, eagerly awaiting more information.

Whether or not Tachibana Yuki understood his intention, she said in a light tone, "I don't know much about Saya, does Takahashi-senpai not want to know about me?"

"I've loved practicing archery with my father since I was a child."

"After my father passed away, I was sad for a long time, and that's probably when I stopped seeing Xiaoye."

"Later, I saw the [NG.Party] band perform and was deeply moved, so I decided to study at Tsurumizawa University in the future."

"I also tried to form my own band with Lengzi and Xiaoye, but when we met again, Xiaoye was already cold and aloof."

"Saying that you want to live without relying on anyone in the future is a strange thing."

"It's true that she's always wanted to beat me, but she wasn't as obsessive as she is now. Besides, I've already lost to Sayo in kendo, but she still won't let go."

......

After listening to Tachikami Yuki finish telling the story, Takahashi Makoto just finished his archery training for the day and successfully gained +2 Guts - a Friendship training session without triggering any assistance cards.

Remembering what Uesugi Maya said—that only by being true to oneself can one build genuine bonds—he put away his yuki and gave Ryoumi Yuki a playful smile:

"Does Tatsumi-senpai think that Uesugi-san is a stupid little sister?"

Yes.

Seeing that she made no attempt to hide her thoughts, Makoto Takahashi asked the most crucial question: "When did you start having this problem of shooting arrows too quickly, Tachimi-senpai?"

Tachikami Yuki's answer was even more direct than he had imagined, requiring no speculation or doubt.

"After hearing your zither music and seeing your shooting form."

"I see, so you released the arrow too quickly because of PTSD, senior." Takahashi Makoto stared straight into her eyes, the corners of his mouth gradually curving into a smile of pleasure.

Kyudo is, after all, an individual competitive sport, so breaking your opponent's mentality is certainly something to be happy about.

Furthermore, feigned humility is not only a sign of contempt for others, but also a disrespect for oneself.

"Although I don't really want to admit it, that's just how it is. But I don't hate it."

Tachikami Yuki walked with him to the wall, put the bow back in its place, and looked back at the archery range: "Shall we go in and collect the arrows?"

"Although I really want to see my senior soaked in sweat, I'll pass. I need to give the other members something to do so they can feel at ease being listed as members of the archery club."

"That junior is really lewd."

When Miyuki heard these words, she did not show any obvious disgust. Her beautiful eyes remained clear, which increased Makoto Takahashi's trust in Maya Uesugi even more.

Her advice wasn't deceiving; at least it felt natural when she was dealing with Tachimi Yuki.

Tachikami Yuki had no intention of changing her clothes. After Takahashi Makoto turned off the lights, he walked with her through the corridor to the stairs.

"The weather is terrible. Do you need me to take you home?" Tachibana Yuki stopped and asked with a smile.

"I don't want to owe my senior a favor," Takahashi Makoto said.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that then. Let's talk more next time we have a chance." Tachikami Yuki didn't deny it, waved to him, and turned to walk towards the door.

Makoto Takahashi saw Reiko Kashima waiting outside with an umbrella, and a black sedan with its headlights on.

He climbed the steps, walked through the elevated corridor, went back to the classroom to get his light novel and the umbrella he had just bought, and then went to the shoe locker on the first floor.

Seeing that there were still many umbrellas at the public umbrella lending station, Makoto Takahashi was being a bit more rational today, so he took another umbrella, intending to keep the umbrella he bought in his apartment and use the borrowed one instead.

If umbrellas have durability, then this behavior is what we call personal rationality, right?

If everyone does this, it will lead to a situation where everyone has no umbrellas to borrow after all the public umbrellas have run out of durability, which is a collective irrational disaster.

Although I don't know much about the tragedy of the commons, I imagine it's something like this.

After leaving the college, he ate out as usual and then took the streetcar back to Toshima Ward.

After exiting the tram station, to get back to your apartment in Mejiro 2-chome, you have to cross a pedestrian overpass. When you reach the center, trams will speed past beneath your feet.

Makoto Takahashi suddenly stopped, took out his phone, and started looking through old photos.

In order to find the most suitable shooting style, archers often ask friends to take pictures. He didn't have any friends, but he had the help of the club's instructor.

I finally found a photo taken not long after I enrolled in school, when I had just awakened my system.

Close your eyes and think carefully, and sure enough, it looks somewhat similar to Tachibana Yuki's shooting style—she is deliberately imitating her own shooting style?

No wonder he couldn't hit the target; anyone who has studied archery would not do something so foolish.

It's baffling why Ritsumi-senpai, who seems quite intelligent, would dare to call Uesugi Maya, the nation's top student and bestselling author, stupid.

However, that's probably why she has feelings for me.

Makoto Takahashi put away his phone and stepped forward again, his eyes showing no sign of confusion in the blurry rain.

After listening to Tachikami Yuki finish telling the story, he understood Uesugi Maya's mindset.

It wasn't that he wanted to defeat Tachibana Yuki, but rather that he wanted to gain her approval in order to prove himself, which is why he chose the band.

Because there are probably only two things that Tatsumi Yuki could be considered complete failures: the band and archery.

Maya Uesugi always knew that she was the cause of Yuki Tatsumi's psychological problems, which is why she was so persistent in asking her to join a band.

Her thinking was probably quite simple: if you can beat her in archery, you can definitely beat her in bass too.

Thinking about it this way, Maya Uesugi actually has a rather simple personality. After failing to persuade him, she immediately switched to a monetary employment model without any other ulterior motives.

As for the "Lone Wanderer," her past, why it changed, or other more complex emotions and thoughts in her heart, Makoto Takahashi had no interest.

He only needs to understand the cause and effect to ensure that it will not affect his physical and mental freedom.

It's hard to say. If I see a good chance of winning, I'd still be interested in participating in a game between young ladies.

Tuesday, the last day of June, was a rare sunny day during the rainy season.

Before the alarm on his phone went off, Makoto Takahashi had already opened his eyes and sat up in bed. The sky in the distance outside the window was tinged with pink.

What woke him up was the system panel; although there was no sound, it was enough to make him wake up.

[Assessment Ended]

[An unknown newcomer actually completed an oil painting of this quality. The exquisite use of light and shadow and the distinct layers of color shocked all the judges, especially considering that inexpensive paints were used.]

[The foundation is somewhat weak, the artistic level is also quite low, and the aesthetic sense is slightly lacking; of course, such controversies are not uncommon.]

[But your superb skills are unmatched, even by established masters; "Spring Thunder" won the gold medal at this exhibition.]

[Rewards: Perception +10, Intelligence +10, Painting Skill +1]

The attributes are a bit few, but it has [Lv.3 Painting], so I don't have to worry about the assessment items next month.

Takahashi Makoto exited the assessment interface, selected [Training], and began to think about today's assistance card configuration.

Yesterday's Friendship Training yielded very little benefit; it feels like there are still too few Assist Card slots. To increase them, the [Greed] skill must be upgraded.

The only way to upgrade skills is with the new support card [Two Completely Opposite Characters].

He found the system instructions and carefully read them while washing up, finding the instructions about the multi-person assistance card.