This is an official competition for college students, co-sponsored by the Japan High School Sports Federation and the Kyudo Federation.
For traditional kyudo players.
Its significance is no less than that of Koshien for the baseball club, and the national competition for the instrumental club... It is the highest level competition that high school students can challenge.
All famous archery players do not want to win honors in this sacred and supreme hall.
From December 24th to December 26th.
This selection meeting lasted for three days in total.
According to men's group and women's group, individual competition and team competition.
During this period, the top six in the individual competition and the top three in the team competition will be selected from contestants from 43 prefectures across Japan.
And today.
December 26th.
It’s the last day of the National Kyudo Conference.
After a morning of fierce competition, the results of the individual competition have been announced.
Among them, private Toyosaki performed very dazzlingly and won first place in the men's and women's groups respectively!
Next, there is the team competition in the afternoon.
It was under such circumstances that Ryoko Nakano came to the backstage of the men's competition.
"Everyone, excuse me."
Waiting room.
Five boys wearing white gowns and black hakama skirts were silently adjusting their bows and equipment.
When they saw her coming, they couldn't help but show expressions of surprise.
""""Nakano-senpai!""""
As if they had met the backbone, the four boys from the Kyudo Club immediately surrounded him.
"Congratulations on winning the women's category, senior!"
"We watched the game in the morning, and your concentrated posture was so beautiful."
"As expected of you, you were so fearless in the face of danger until the very end!"
"In comparison, we are lagging behind..."
Ryoko Nakano smiled and said, "Don't underestimate yourself. Being able to reach the finals is not a hindrance. You all performed very well."
"But……"
Nomiya, the captain of the men's team, smiled bitterly.
"Except for you and Kato-kun, none of us can get a ranking in the individual competition. We really don't deserve your usual guidance."
"That's right."
His friend Miyazaki echoed.
“Honestly, the pressure of the individual competition is really overwhelming.
It was okay in the preliminaries and semi-finals, but when it came to the finals, the rules of shooting and shooting were really terrible. I was so nervous that even my shooting patterns became strange..."
The so-called "shooting-stopping shooting method".
It means that all contestants shoot together, and the person who can hit the target until the end wins, and the ranking is determined according to the number of hits.
It is worth mentioning that.
When the shooting competition reaches the fifth arrow, the original target diameter of 36 cm will be replaced with a 24 cm diameter target, and the difficulty will suddenly become higher.
It is a great test of the players’ basic skills and psychological quality.
As the only two players in Toyozaki to participate in the men's individual competition, Miyazaki made an off-target error at that time, thus missing out on qualifications.
Nakano Ryoko was very aware of all this and saw their discouragement, so she clapped her hands gently and said seriously:
"Okay, let's not mention things that have passed. What you should do now is look forward."
""""Senior...""""
"For me, this is the last national competition.
As a selector of the private Toyosaki, no matter what the result is, you must shoot every arrow without any distractions, do you understand?"
Feeling the majesty coming from her body, the four boys immediately straightened their backs and responded in unison:
""""yes--!""""
Nakano Ryoko then nodded lightly with satisfaction and looked past them to the back.
A young man was sitting there quietly, exuding an atmosphere of calmness and thinking at the same time. He didn't know what he was thinking.
"Yu-kun?"
After stopping the four members who wanted to help call for help, Ryoko Nakano stepped forward.
"what's on your mind?"
"...?"
As the light in front of him was blocked, the young man slowly raised his head and looked towards her.
As if he had just woken up from some deep meditation, his dark eyes seemed a little deep, but they immediately regained their clarity.
"...Nakano-senpai?"
Kato Yusuke subconsciously prepared to stand up, but Ryoko Nakano stopped him first.
"No need to be polite, just sit down and talk."
As she spoke, she held her hakama skirt and sat down next to him.
"So, Yu-kun, what were you thinking about just now?"
Smelling the elegant and fragrant fragrance of the girl, Kato Yusuke took the initiative to move a little bit, and then replied: "...I'm sorry, I was just in a daze."
"daze?"
Nakano Ryoko tilted her face, blinked and said, "Ah, is it because I transferred Yu-kun to "Omae" that you feel stressed?"
"Da Qian" is the number one position in the team competition. This position is usually occupied by the high-level archer in the team.
Before Kato Yusuke agreed to participate in the competition, this position in the men's team originally belonged to Nomiya, the captain of the Kyudo Club, but the opponent has now been replaced by the final "position".
Glancing at the four boys who were secretly observing the place with his peripheral vision, Kato Yusuke opened his lips and said:
"I'm not thinking about this, I'm just thinking about some personal issues. Senior sister, there's no need to worry.
As for the location…
No matter where my senior arranges for me, I will do my best, so don’t worry.”
"Well~ Yuu-kun's words are indeed very reassuring."
Ryoko Nakano joked with a smile, and then said:
"Although I think it would be good to put you in the "lower position", Miyazaki in the second position is easily affected by the atmosphere, so I hope you can give everyone a good start.
Nomiya’s character is relatively calm, but occasionally he will become anxious because he is too concerned about the overall situation, so it is more suitable to put it at the end. That’s basically it.”
Kato Yusuke nodded, knowing that the other party's words were actually a drunkard's intention and not about drinking. He didn't mean to say anything to him, so he didn't say much.
When the other four people heard this, they couldn't help showing thoughtful expressions on their faces.
After all, for them.
After all, Kato Yusuke is an outsider who came in.
It is indeed difficult for them to recognize a guy who has never trained with them as a teammate in a short period of time, and Nakano Ryoko's words are to dispel their concerns.
After understanding this, the faces of the four boys looked much better.
At this moment, the door to the waiting room was suddenly pushed open.
"excuse me."
Staff members in black suits walked in and announced to everyone: "The competition is about to begin. Players please prepare to enter the shooting range."
So Ryoko Nakano didn't stay any longer, and after a few words of encouragement to the juniors, she left the waiting room.
From the waiting room to the auditorium outside.
Instead of struggling to join the crowded front row, Nakano Ryoko sat alone in a high seat in the back row.
The announcement just happened to sound at this time.
"Next is the men's team competition, the final round."
Inside a semi-open Japanese-style dojo.
A group of players lined up in a line with bows in hand, and then moved to the track at a constant speed while maintaining the same pace.
"The first shooting range, private Toyosaki Academy."
"No. 1, player Kato."
"No. 2, Contestant Miyazaki."
"No. 3, Yukimura."
"No. 4, player Murata."
"No. 5, Nomiya Player."
"The second shooting range, Fujisaki High School."
"..."
Bang bang bang bang~
As the contestants entered the stage, there was a burst of applause from the audience, which quickly subsided.
It's snowing lightly in Tokyo today.
White snow fell from the sky, laying a layer of silver on the turf of the open-air shooting range.
Clouds dyed orange-red linger in the azure and azure sky.
The white air exhaled from the mouth and nose seemed to be sucked away by the setting sun.
Everything is filled with a strong sense of winter, presenting an almost transparent world.
"start--!"
The referee's voice came from the distant dojo.
Nakano Ryoko wrapped her body in a small silk jacket, looked back from the high dome, and followed the sound.
Bang~
As if to break away the distracting thoughts in her heart, the beautiful string sounds came to her ears.
Half a beat slower.
Bang -!
With a head start, the bow and arrow hit the target.
【Private Toyosaki:】
【Fujisaki High School:X】
"Okay~~~!"
The audience cheered loudly.
Ryoko Nakano smiled and clapped her hands gently.
Directly in front of the field of vision, the young man stood tall.
The lights on the beams swayed, cutting over his head for a while.
His profile is bright and dark, his eyebrows are slightly raised, his eyelashes are very long, his nose is high and his mandible has an angular arc.
The breeze blew, and the white gown clung to his back, forming a smooth arc.
Looking at Kato Yusuke who calmly drew back his bow and knelt down on the floor.
Ryoko Nakano's eyes flashed with appreciation.
'It's a pity that Yuu-kun refused to join the Kyudo Club, otherwise he would have been an excellent general.'
She couldn't help but think about it, until a majestic voice suddenly came to her ears.
"Is that the person you like? Ryoko."
Ryoko Nakano was stunned for a moment, a flash of panic flashed across her face, and then she immediately stood up from her seat.
"...I'm really sorry that I didn't notice you, Father."
——He just bowed and saluted the person who appeared next to him at an unknown moment.
After a brief silence, an emotionless voice responded to her.
"Well, sit down first."
"Okay, sorry."
At the visitor's request, the two of them sat down one after another.
Nakano Ryoko raised her head and looked at the middle-aged man in front of her who was wearing a dark green kimono, had long black hair, and a calm and confident face.
Behind the other party, there were two burly men in black suits who were watching the surroundings vigilantly.
"You guys go down first."
Nakano Yukihira waved away the two bodyguards, put his hands in the sleeves of his loose kimono, crossed his chest, and looked at the dojo not far away with burning eyes.
"Father..."
"What's that person's name?"
Nakano Ryoko paused for a moment and said softly: "...Do you mean Kato-kun?"
"Kato-kun..."
Nakano Yukihira nodded and asked the previous question again: "Is that the person you like?"
"... Among his peers, Kato-kun is indeed very outstanding. He is my outstanding junior in school." Ryoko Nakano said without squinting.
"Is that so?"
Nakano Yukihira didn't comment on this, he just freed one hand to stroke his neatly trimmed beard, his eyes never leaving a certain figure on the dojo.
"Father."
Ryoko Nakano asked humbly: "Can I ask why you are here?"
"It's okay, I just came to take a look."
just looking around……
Nakano Ryoko chewed on this word, feeling a little ridiculous and funny in her heart.
As the current head of the Nakano family, although Nakano Yukihei is not too busy, he is not leisurely enough to come and watch a high school student's game.
——Even if this game is his daughter’s retirement game.
not to mention.
She had actually told the other party about this game a long time ago, and the father did not say at that time that he would come to participate.
So if you ask her if she believes in this kind of thing, she will naturally not believe it.
Even so, it cannot be revealed.
I even had to pretend not to know and express my gratitude.
Otherwise, once the fig leaf is torn off...
'Perhaps even the last trace of peace will disappear.'
Nakano Ryoko was thinking silently while observing her father's expression calmly, completely losing interest in watching the game.
In contrast, Nakano Yukihira took it very seriously.
Occasionally, he would touch his beard and nod slightly, as if he was thinking about something.
Although the person involved said nothing, nothing could be seen on his face, which showed no emotion or anger.
but--
Those few words just now revealed some kind of signal.
Nakano Ryoko sighed softly in her heart and began to prepare for the rainy day.
after awhile.
"By the way, Father."
She said intentionally or unintentionally: "You may not pay much attention to these boring little things, but Kato-kun already has a lover in school, and he also has many confidantes."
Hear this.
Nakano Yukihira, who was stroking his beard, couldn't help but pause, and then immediately turned his head to look.
Without saying anything, Ryoko Nakano looked at her father calmly.
When their eyes met, those majestic eyes showed a bit of anger for the first time.
Nakano Yukihira had a dark face, glared at his daughter fiercely, and let out a cold snort from his nostrils.
"If it weren't for the fact that there is no male in our family, do you think I would be willing to take care of these things?"
Nakano Ryoko lowered her head, bowed slightly and whispered softly:
"Thank you for your concern, father. Please take care of yourself. My daughter can handle her own affairs and does not dare to trouble father."
"you……!"
Nakano Yukihira stood up angrily, his face turning a bit blue again.
No longer interested in watching the game, he turned around suddenly and walked away with his wooden clogs, escorted by two bodyguards.
Ryoko Nakano stood up respectfully and bent down to see him off, and did not stand up until the other party completely disappeared from sight.
Unknowingly, the situation on the shooting range has become clear.
"The result of the game just now——
Private Toyozaki Academy No. 18 and Fujisaki High School No. 14.
Therefore, the private Toyosaki High School will advance to the finals, and the second round will be held later.”
As the referee made the announcement, there was a burst of applause and cheers from the audience.
Attracted by one of the sounds, Ryoko Nakano subconsciously turned her head to look.
What caught his eye was a cute girl sitting alone not far away.
The other person had long brown hair and was wearing the uniform of an unknown school. He was looking in the direction of the dojo and applauding softly.