Chapter 93: Bamboo Bow and Selfishness

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Bamboo Bow and SelfishnessThe rain seemed to have intensified, and the sound of it striking the doorway became louder. Raindrops gathered on the clear glass separating the inside from the outside of the house, amassing from small to large. As they were about to lose their patience, they traced pale, meandering watermarks down the glass. Sugita Ourei chatted casually with Uesugi Sakura, noting that when it came to bow equipment, he was a complete novice. Moreover, besides his good looks, she hadn’t discovered any other merits in him yet. Why did her brother hold him in such high regard? "Logically speaking, your level of Kyudo should still be at the rubber band stage, right?" The rubber band stage involves tying a rubber band to a wooden stick about nine inches long to simulate the drawing of the bowstring. It’s a beginner’s tool for practice, the very basics. "I guess so," Uesugi Sakura replied to her, "since I just recently graduated from the rubber band stage." "Uesugi’s prowess doesn’t lie in his knowledge of equipment," Sugita Shuhei said as he stepped out from behind Sugita Ourei, closing the wooden door behind him. "Why do you say that?" Sugita Ourei turned her head to look at her brother, who was particularly charismatic but not particularly handsome. "Because he’s really good at archery." "Is it that simple?" Sugita Ourei was a bit skeptical. How skilled can someone be who has only just started practicing Kyudo? To have moved past the rubber band stage was already quite impressive. After all, Kyudo is something that takes a lifetime to master. "It is that simple." "Senior Sugita." Uesugi Sakura greeted Sugita Shuhei politely, who was wearing a white jacket. Hanamaru Hanabi, standing next to him, also bowed slightly, her voice obedient as she said, "Sorry to disturb." Sugita Shuhei politely returned the greeting to the two, realizing he did not know the girl standing beside Uesugi Sakura. He raised his head and asked, "Who might this be?" "Hanabi is——" Sugita Ourei interrupted Uesugi Sakura and answered on his behalf, "She is Senior Uesugi’s sister." Hanamaru Hanabi was momentarily stunned, waving her hand, "No... it’s not like that..." She then reflected, realizing it was somewhat inappropriate, and added, "I suppose... in a way..." Not, yet also is. So is she or is she not? Sugita Ourei, with her agile and quick-witted thoughts, glanced at Uesugi Sakura, "Adoptive sister of Senior Uesugi?" Adoptive sister? Uesugi Sakura thought back briefly; back in kindergarten, he used to feed Hanabi during lunch. He could be considered half a brother. "That’s right." He readily agreed. Sugita Ourei looked at him with eyes that became somewhat peculiar. "My name is Hanamaru Hanabi, pleased to meet you." Hanamaru Hanabi clasped her hands at her skirt, slightly bowing her upper body about 15 degrees forward, an ordinary yet cute greeting. "Sugita Ourei." She returned the greeting. "Sugita Shuhei, pleased to meet you." Compared to his sister, Sugita Shuhei’s manners and etiquette were even more graceful, making every gesture feel naturally comfortable. Uesugi Sakura knew this was the aura cultivated from years of practicing Kyudo, as if he had integrated the word "upright" into his everyday life. "Ourei, have you introduced the necessary items to Uesugi?" Sugita Ourei shrugged to her brother, "Not yet." Sugita Shuhei said nothing. A testament to their sibling bond, she quickly understood her brother’s intention. She pointed to the waiting area in the corner behind her and told Hanabi, "Hanamaru-san, please have a seat there. There’s morning tea and cookies." Hanamaru Hanabi looked in the direction she pointed to, seeing a clean coffee table and beige sofa, neat and tidy. She gently nodded at her, her voice soft, "Thank you..." Topics naturally arise between girls. Seeing Hanabi and Sugita Ourei chatting amiably, Uesugi Sakura continued to select his Japanese bow. Opening the glass display case, Sugita Shuhei took out a bow that Uesugi Sakura had just been looking at—Sugita Seiya. "As an archer, I still prefer the bamboo bow." The bow was strung, the vine-colored string slightly veering to the right, not parallel to the bow body. Though Uesugi Sakura didn’t understand the reason behind this, from his experience of shooting numerous arrows, a bowstring slightly to the right could improve shooting accuracy. Sugita Shuhei, holding the seven-foot-three-inch bright bamboo bow in his left hand, continued to explain: "Due to its material, bamboo bows are susceptible to environmental weather effects causing deformation and cracking. Without proper maintenance, their lifespan is short and they are expensive, not the best choice for novices." "No advantages?" Uesugi Sakura asked. "The advantages are that it’s light, aesthetically pleasing," Sugita Shuhei explained succinctly, "These are its practical merits. Compared to newer fiberglass and carbon fiber bows, bamboo bows hold more cultural significance, their shooting form more graceful and aesthetically pleasing." "A graceful shooting form is crucial in rank audits; high-level priests and Fan Shi do not use non-bamboo bows." Uesugi Sakura understood the implication in his words: "So, using a bamboo bow will be more favored during rank assessments?" "You could say that, but what’s most valued is the shooter’s skill itself," Sugita Shuhei handed the bamboo bow to Uesugi Sakura, "The string is specially made by me. Give it a try." Uesugi Sakura took the bamboo bow, which was taller than himself, and looked up at its tip. "How light." He kept examining the bamboo bow back and forth, and that was his first impression upon touching it. The bright bamboo bow was slim, longer at the top than the bottom. About two-thirds of the way up the bow, at the grips on both ends, linen-colored binding ropes were tied, at spots known as the vine head and vine grip below. The entire bow was approximately 2.3 meters in length, which was even longer than the longbows he used in the Kyudo Club. Sugita Shuhei: "This bamboo bow is a ’Four Sun Stretch’ (approximately 233cm), with a full draw distance of 97cm, maximum bow force of 21kg, low vibration, and moderate bow recovery speed." "My grandfather made it not long ago." "21kg?" Hearing the bow force, Uesugi Sakura decisively abandoned the idea of drawing it bare-handedly to the full string. It was significantly more than the 14kg bow force he usually pulled. Nevertheless, he still tried to pull the string slightly. Gya——n A sharp, short low note, noticeably different from the high-pitched tones he had encountered before. Sugita Shuhei: "The bowstring is a synthetic string ’Heavenly Bow Jade’, sharp in sound, supple, easy to string." Uesugi Sakura’s action of drawing the bowstring made him focus, his voice calm as he said: "This bow, I’ll give it to you." Pausing his hand from pulling the bowstring, Uesugi Sakura did not eagerly accept it but instead asked, "Why?" 110,000 yen would be enough for his living expenses for several months. "An archer needs a good bow." Sugita Shuhei closed up the display’s glass, "Actually, selecting a bow doesn’t require many conditions; you simply need to know its attributes, be drawn to it, and like it." His tone was as composed as his demeanor. "Fate is important. Once an archer holds the bow, they’ll adapt to and feel it, and it will become more suitable for the archer as well." "But that’s not a reason for me to accept such a favor from Senior," Uesugi Sakura said. "Because I appreciate you, Uesugi," Sugita Shuhei remarked, "Giving you this bow also harbors my own selfish motives. I heard from Yooya that you want to participate in the National Kyudo Championship." "Then you must know about my performance in that national event." "No, I don’t." "..." Uesugi Sakura spoke the truth: "But I’ve heard a bit about it."