Chapter 105: Kyudo Club - Trial Training

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Kyudo Club - Trial TrainingThe thing that Uesugi Sakura hates the most is probably having her nap interrupted during lunch break. Under the shimmering heat of May approaching summer, leaning as much as possible on the shade of the trees planted on the right side, Uesugi Sakura walked absentmindedly along the path beside the spacious playground, with a bow bag in her left hand. The constant clanging sound of metal hitting baseballs was ongoing. It was quite pleasant to listen to, but each time it was accompanied by shouts tinged with the smell of sweat, making it somewhat dreary. Why do I always see them training? With her excellent vision, Uesugi Sakura could see many girls chatting and laughing in the rest area of the baseball field. They would occasionally cheer for the baseball team members, looking very enthusiastic. In Japan, high school baseball ranks first, soccer second, in popularity, which is undeniable. Perhaps this is the treatment only popular clubs receive? Walking to a quiet corner of the campus, entering the Kyudo Club, the scent of green grass carried by the breeze greeted her. The drowsiness from interrupted sleep that Uesugi Sakura felt was swept away. Seisuke Yooya and Sugita Shuhei were walking over from the other side of the lawn, holding arrows. It was obvious they had just finished a round of shooting. Seeing Uesugi Sakura with a bow bag at the entrance, Seisuke Yooya took off his shoes and stepped onto the wheat-colored wooden floor. "Is Uesugi-san preparing for the district tournament?" "More or less," Uesugi Sakura said, "After all, I have a goal now." "Five million yen?" Seisuke Yooya chuckled. "Quite clear, isn’t it?" Uesugi Sakura glanced at Hirata Masanobu, who was walking out of the fitting room, then slightly turned her head and spoke to the two in front of her. "Winning five million yen means aiming for first place?" Uesugi Sakura placed the bow bag down and said casually, "Even though I don’t even know the rules of the competition, I still have that bit of confidence." From an outsider’s perspective, saying something like that might appear arrogant. Yet, Sugita Shuhei completely agreed with her words, with a serious expression: "Although our Kyudo Club doesn’t have many members, we do have some skill; we’ve achieved quite good results in team competitions over the years." "Haha~" Hirata Masanobu, who had just walked over, scratched his head awkwardly when he heard the word ’results’, "Except for Senior Sugita, the rest of us in the boys’ team aren’t very good." If Sugita Shuhei’s skill were placed in an individual competition, it would almost certainly be at a level that could take first place. However, his ambition seemed not to lie there; for this district tournament, he only planned to participate in the five-person team competition. "No need to be modest, our Kyudo Club is really quite strong," Sugita Shuhei intentionally glanced at Uesugi Sakura. "So, what’s the reason you called me here at noon?" Uesugi Sakura already had her bamboo bow out of its bow bag and interrupted. There were only the four of them in the Kyudo Club at the moment. "Training." Straight to the point. Uesugi Sakura was not surprised. Seisuke Yooya pressed his right hand against his chin: "Hmm, actually it’s not exactly training, because there’s not enough time at noon. Consider it a preliminary understanding of the team competition rules." "Does the district tournament have a preliminary round, or is it a random draw?" Uesugi Sakura asked, really knowing nothing about these details. "Yes," Hirata Masanobu grinned, "There are about 60 schools participating in the entire Shinjuku District, maybe a few more this year. The filtering method is five people shooting four arrows each, in two rounds, and selecting the top 20 with the most hits." Five people shooting four arrows each means the entire team must shoot 40 arrows. Those forty arrows don’t have to hit the bullseye, just the target. But even so, it’s exceptionally difficult. Out of nearly 60 schools in all of the Shinjuku District, you only need to hit half the target arrows to barely pass. Archery seems extraordinarily simple, but actually handling the bow to aim at a target more than twenty meters away turns out to be troublesome. The process of raising and drawing a bow requires not only arm strength but also balanced effort from the back. Numerous novices injure themselves repeatedly because they only use arm strength to draw the bow. After nocking the arrow and stabilizing the stance, one would use the "Da San" technique–simultaneously pushing the bow and drawing the string to achieve an evenly balanced opening effect. But for an average beginner, shooting even one awkward arrow is quite good enough, let alone having to constantly attend to various details and corrective movements. Truly engaging with Kyudo makes one realize that mastering it requires tremendous patience. One thing that Hirata Masanobu has always been curious about is: "Why does Uesugi improve so quickly? Not at all like a novice." The several beginners of his year hadn’t hit the target even once until now. Uesugi Sakura glanced at her bamboo bow, not yet strung: "If I have to say what makes the difference, it’s probably paying attention to detail." He wasn’t lying; any deviations in shooting form were corrected by his own understanding under the seniors’ guidance. Sugita Shuhei placed the arrows in his hand back into the arrow case, looking up to say: "Yeah, initially Uesugi was just a beginner. Unlike others, he could quickly grasp what I meant." "Shooting form, hand placement, angle sighting, Da San, yumi gaeshi... He only needed to see me demonstrate once, and he could perceive and integrate it into real practice." Learning it at one go? Hearing this remark, Hirata Masanobu couldn’t help but smile wryly: "Ah, something to envy, I’ve been learning for a year, and the more I learn, the more I regress, not making much progress." Seisuke Yooya patted him on the shoulder, laughing: "These are minor things; I think your mindset is quite a good one." "Seisha Hicchu, I know." "Hasn’t Sugai arrived yet?" Hirata Masanobu asked. "He should be here soon; I’ve heard he’s been preparing for exams and is fully packed with things every day," Seisuke Yooya responded. "Exams are something I can’t manage." Sugita Shuhei slowly walked over, having already grasped his bamboo bow in his left hand, overhearing their conversation. "You don’t actually need to go to university, do you, senior? Given your status in the Kyudo World." Sugita Shuhei shook his head: "Though my academic performance is not impressive, I still want to experience university life." Soon after Uesugi Sakura strung his bow, a new face entered the dojo with a blue bow bag. Sweating on the forehead, he bowed to everyone: "Sorry, I’m late." "No worries, we’ve just been chatting for a few minutes more," Seisuke Yooya greeted him with a smile. The Kyudo Club had very few members; both the president and vice-president were friendly. Overall, it was quite a peaceful place where not much was said about leaving early, and it was up to personal discretion. This was the main reason why Uesugi Sakura stayed. After getting to know Sugai Toji, the five of them began their first team competition training session. The entry order for the competition was tentatively set as: "First Shooter: Uesugi Sakura" "Second Shooter: Sugai Toji" "Center Shooter: Seisuke Yooya" "Fourth Shooter: Hirata Masanobu" "Last Shooter: Sugita Shuhei" During the competition, shots must be taken in the order from "First Shooter" to "Last Shooter." "Why is Uesugi-san the First Shooter?" Sugai Toji asked everyone before officially entering. "A weak opening shot would greatly affect the team’s morale." Sugita Shuhei explained. Usually, the First Shooter implies the ace of a team.