Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part1

So they finally revealed more information about the anime, and honestly even though I got used to the anime designs, I still wonder why Nanao’s design was changed. Anyways, I think and hope it will be a good anime, and I just hope the kyudo girls don’t get cut out!

Also, the archery-or-kyudo internal debate is back! Which one should I use?????

I was thinking of making a glossary for the many kyudo terms used in the book, but I found a good one online . Please use it to look up terms since I won’t write definitions for ones that are used frequently!

Translation Notes

1. Shoumen no kamae is where the bow is kept in front of the body. Shamen no kamae is where the bow is held to the left side. Both methods are accepted in kyudo (Source:  KYUDO : The Essence and Practice of j.a.panese Archery)

2. Daisan is the intermediate stage of the hikiwake where half of the yazuka is drawn.

3. A tasuki is a cord used to tie up the sleeves of a kimono. I think Kashuu from Touken Ranbu wears one as his casual clothing?

4. Makiwara practice is more close-ranged than target practice and the arrows used are different as well, as they don’t have fletching and therefore not suitable for long distances (Source)

5. Dantian breathing, tl;dr, is a type of Daoist breathing exercise that centers around points of energy on the body called dantian. (Search Wikipedia for more info)

6. The original phrase used here was 褒めて育てろ, which literally means praise and raise, where the basic idea is that you help your kid grow better by praising them. A type of parenting method in j.a.pan

7. The actual word used here is mushin, which is the Buddhist term for being free from obstructive thoughts.

8. The Daishadokyou school is a kyudo school that focuses more on the spiritual aspects of kyudo.

9. The tateyoko-juumonji (vertical and horizontal crosses) refers to the vertical axis of the spine and legs and the horizontal axis of the shoulders and arms being perpendicular to each other. Crosses are a very important form in kyudo. ()

Full list of translations

At the Kazemai High School kyudojo, about twenty jersey-clad new recruits gathered.

“Today, I would like all of you to learn the ‘kihontai’ (Fundamental Forms). They can also be called ‘taihai’ (movements), and all of the movements are centered around posture. Don’t all excellent athletes hold steady postures?”

Tomi-sensei instructed Seiya to hand out the extracts from the first volume of the Kyudo Textbook.

“The four ‘Fundamental Postures’ are the standing posture, the sitting posture, the kneeling posture, and the kneeling-on-tiptoes posture, and there are also two types of the kneeling-on-tiptoes posture: the kiza (kneeling with the b.a.l.l.s of the feet on the floor and sitting on one’s heels​) and the sonkyo (crouching). The eight ‘Fundamental Movements’ are the way of standing up, the way of sitting down, the way of walking, the way of stationary turning, the way of moving and turning, the way of kneeling and turning, rei, and yuu.”

There was someone who made an “ugh” face listening to that.

“Don’t worry about it, didn’t you see three archers doing zasha (shooting while sitting) yesterday? That consists of almost all of these kihontai. All you have to do is break them down and memorize them.”

First, it was how to enter and exit from the kyudojo. They lined up at the entrance with the toriyumi (bow-holding) posture.

“When you enter the kyudojo, pay attention to the kamiza. The oomae will do the ‘three breaths of rei’, and the archers following will do the ‘two breaths of yuu’. The movements are carried out with proper breathing.”

Ryouhei asked a question.

“What are the ‘three breaths’?  I know ‘rei’ is a deep bow, and ‘yuu’ is a shallower version of rei, though.”

“The three breaths are bending the body while inhaling, exhaling while the body is bent, and inhaling while straightening up. The two breaths are inhaling while bending the body and exhaling while straightening up. In a nutsh.e.l.l, when you enter the kyudojo, the first person does eight counts of rei, and everyone after does four counts.”

Even though Ryouhei had experience with kyudo as his compulsory martial arts course in middle school, he hadn’t properly learned taihai with shooting technique as a focus. They repeatedly practiced walking while sc.r.a.ping their feet on the floor, trying to not show the backs of their feet as much as possible and without bending their knees.

When they took a break, Seiya and Ryouhei took drinks from their water bottles.

“This tea is so good—. And my knees and thighs hurt too—. Kiza is a lot harder than I thought it’d be.”

“Just doing taihai properly is little bit like doing muscle training.”

“By the way, Minato didn’t come. I wonder if he felt sick the other day.”

“Well, he will be here eventually. It’s still April, so I think he can still join during the middle of it.”

“Seiya, you and Minato were kyudo regulars during middle school, right?”

“Yes, but we lost in the finals of the prefectural tournament.”

“Maybe he’s still carrying that around with him?”

“Losing in the prefectural tournament wasn’t the direct cause. It’s probably my fault…”

“What do you mean? What are you saying?”

“Sorry, I’m not good at explaining with words.”

“Oh, so it’s that kind of thing. You guys always knew each other too well.”

Seiya ended the conversation by bringing his bottle to his mouth. He thought that he had talked too much. He had felt relaxed in front of his companion who he used to spend time with like a brother when he was little. Ryouhei seemed to be an airhead as well as surprisingly sharp. Even if the person himself had unintentionally seen through to the truth of the matter.

He knew that even if he spoke about his past failures, it was useless. He could only do what he can do right now. It was precisely because Minato wanted to change somewhere in his heart that he continued to secretly practice behind Seiya’s back. He was fully aware that it would be a long battle. He told himself that it was useless to rush it.

After the break was over, Tomi-sensei opened up the doc.u.ment again.

“Next, let’s do the shooting techniques. For example, if people were told to ‘imitate pulling a bow’, most will stiffen the left arm holding the bow and pull the string with just the right arm. However, when using the j.a.panese yumi, you put it in the uchiokoshi position—that is, raising it up—and then you push it open equally left to right. Finally, the process of shooting the bow is divided into eight steps and named. Those are called the ‘Shahou Ha.s.setsu’. By the way, the left and right hands are called the ‘yunde’ and ‘mete’ respectively, or the ‘oshide’ and ‘katte.’”

The Shahou Ha.s.setsu were as followed.

First, ashib.u.mi: Spreading the feet wide. Forming the proper posture to shoot a bow.

Second, douzukuri: Placing the bow on the left knee, and the right hand on the right hip. At this time “tsurushirabe” (checking the bowstring up and down) and “noshirabe” (gazing along the arrow shaft to the target) are also performed.

Third, yugamae: The right hand takes the bowstring (torikake), the left hand’s grip is adjusted (tenouchi), and the eyes are on the target (monomi). The two methods of yugamae are “shoumen no kamae” (frontal stance) and “shamen no kamae” (oblique stance). (1)

Fourth, uchiokoshi: The bow and arrow are raised upwards in the left and right hands. The two methods of uchiokoshi are “shoumen uchikoshi” and “shamen uchiokoshi”.

Fifth, hikiwake: The raised bow is drawn to the left and right evenly. Taking the “daisan” (2)—short for oshi dai moku hike sanbuichi (push big and pull one-third), and then pushing and pulling until the yazuka length (the draw length or length of the arrow to draw that is most suitable for the archer) is reached.

Sixth, kai: The condition where hikiwake is completed. The peak of the draw.

Seven, hanare: Where shooting occurs. The arrow leaves along with the activation of fighting spirit.

Eight, zanshin: The position after the arrow leaves. The conclusion of the shot.

They entered into bare-handed shooting practice. Bare-handed shooting was where one went through the motions of drawing a bow without holding anything in one’s hands, and it might seem silly when watching from close by. Just because one joined a kyudo club, it didn’t mean that one could suddenly grab a bow and shoot an arrow. After practicing “bare-handed shooting,” “rubber bow shooting,” and “subiki” (drawing the bow without an arrow), one could finally shoot an arrow at a “makiwara.” It was still a long way off before one could draw a bow in front of a target.

During practice, the names of Seiya, Nanao, Kaito and Ryouhei as well as the names of three girls were called. The words that came out of Tomi-sensei’s mouth were unexpected.

“Do you all want to try partic.i.p.ating in the qualifiers for the prefectural tournament? Since I’m looking after the beginners, I want you all to switch to yakazu (repeatedly shooting arrows) practice for the compet.i.tion.”

Seo Rika, the leader among the girls, combed her short hair upwards. Usually she gave a dignified impression, but she was obviously confused as to how to respond. Hanazawa Yuuna, who had fluffy bobbed hair, and Shiragiku Noa, who had long hair with a hime cut, responded on behalf of Seo.

“The prefecture’s district tournament is in the middle of May, sir. Will we be good enough for it by then?”

“Even though I have experience, I have never been in an official compet.i.tion.”

Nanao interjected.

“Isn’t it great? Let’s do it! If I’m together with a cute girl, I’ll be completely motivated.”

“You should be quiet. Seo’s feelings are important.”

“…Okay.”

It seemed that kyudo girls were a hard nut to crack even for a boy who was naturally popular with girls. Tomi-sensei continued the talk he was giving to Nanao and the others.

“At the beginning, I had been thinking of asking you all to partic.i.p.ate for the time being in order to create a record of activities, but I changed my mind while I watched all of you shooting.  You are good at this. There aren’t enough people for team compet.i.tions, but what do you all think of partic.i.p.ating in individual compet.i.tions?”

The three girls met face to face with each other, and Seo relayed their agreement on their behalf. But, there was someone who objected to it.

——It was Seiya.

“Please let the boys enter the team compet.i.tion. I cannot take part in individual compet.i.tions.”

Hearing that, Kaito objected even further.

“What are you talking about? Don’t you know how hard it is for beginners to even just stand in front of the targets? Even if you let Ryouhei in, there’s currently only four people to take part in compet.i.tions, so you’re forcing us into a five-person team compet.i.tion.”

“There is another person who is planning on joining the club. Are there still days until the deadline for club applications? Can’t we wait until then?”

“Hah!? Who are you talking about? No way, you can’t mean that guy who only showed up once?”

“Narumiya Minato. There are some circ.u.mstances, so he’ll be late in joining the club.”

“What circ.u.mstances! I don’t know what the h.e.l.l hayake is, but he ran away from the bow. Can you acknowledge a guy like that as a teammate? For the individual compet.i.tions, if it’s me and Seiya we can aim for the top. In the first place, there’s no meaning in letting a guy at Nanao’s level partic.i.p.ate.”

“I think Minato has more natural ability.”

“What did you say?”

Ryouhei was completely startled by Kaito’s vehemence and tapped Nanao on the shoulder. As if he understood, Nanao winked.

“Kaccha~n, are you underestimating me? Want me to expose that secret?”

“What, what do you mean by secret?”

“Is it okay? I’ll spill it all here.”

“I said, what are you talking about!”

“Leaving that aside, I’m thirsty. Kacchan, please give me your sports drink.”

“I ain’t doing that. Buy your own.”

“Well then, I’ll ask Sakurako-chan. Oh, or maybe Maki-chan.”

“…I’ll give you mine. Don’t bother other people.”

“Thanks, Kacchan!”

“I—told—you, don’t call me Kacchan!”

As Nanao and Kaito unfolded their comedy routine, Seiya was already thinking of something else.

That he had to change the plan and fast.

The sky was dyed in a deep red, and the wind grazing his cheeks was pleasant.

Minato was visiting the Yata no Mori Kyudojo as though he went there every day.

When he pa.s.sed through the entrance, Ma.s.san, who was naked to the waist in his hakama. Seeing his limbs glowing in the evening and hearing his tsurune, Minato unintentionally stopped his feet. Kyudo was a formal discipline where one wore traditional clothing, but to avoid having the left sleeve get caught on the bowstring, men stripped to their waists and exposed their left upper body, and women tucked up their sleeves with a tasuki. (3) Finishing a series of movements, Ma.s.san lowered his bow (yudaoshi) and grinned when he noticed Minato.

Time was flowing slowly here. The scent of the gra.s.s and soil riding on the wind, the insects that gathered by the lights, and the creatures that crawled on the ground. The forest and people gently mingled together and respected each other.

After changing into a hakama, Minato headed for the targets. Ma.s.san, who was Minato’s oomae, was at the third target, and the last target was empty as it was reserved for the sensei. This kyudojo was also a six-person kyudojo like the one at Kazemai High School.

While waiting for the timing to enter the target bank from the target viewing area (kantekijo), Ma.s.san shivered at the sound of the released arrow. The bamboo arrows Ma.s.san used were different from Minato’s aluminum ones, but the sound they made as they flew was more amazing than any he had heard before. It was the sound of cutting through the air at high speed.

He never got tired of watching Ma.s.san shoot. Every time he flicked his right hand (mete), a beautiful tsurune flew into the night sky—. That joy in those ideal shots existing right in front of him. How should I express that excitement in words? Should I say that it’s good to be born?

Yes, I’m thrilled.

Ma.s.san seemed to be related to this kyudojo. Indeed, if that was the case then he could accept many things. Such as drawing the bow at night, as well as his remarkable ability. But he also felt uneasy. When they met for the first time, Ma.s.san said that he shot a hundred arrows each day and was aiming for a total of ten-thousand arrows. In other words, a hundred days. Today he was about to pa.s.s ninety days, and when he finished shooting ten-thousand arrows, was he not going to draw a bow at night anymore?

As Minato returned from recording the shots, Ma.s.san spoke.

“Let’s go down in weight for the bow. n.o.bisun bows (bows that are 6cm longer than a standard one) are fifteen kilograms now, I think?”

“This one is fine. In the past, I was taught by my senpai that changing to a heavier bow would increase my hitting rate. I couldn’t afford to buy a new one so I stayed with my old one though.”

Bows can be handled by men and women of all ages without any problems because the person chose a bow that fit their physical strength. There were bows weighing from around six kilograms to twenty-three kilograms, and some of them were even forty kilograms. The average weight for a normal man was sixteen kilograms. For bow lengths as well, there were namisun bows (standard bow size of 221cm), n.o.bisun bows (227cm), yonsun bows (12cm longer than standard), etc, that matched the height and the yazuka of the archer. Ma.s.san used a twenty-two-kilogram yonsun “bamboo bow,” but “gla.s.s bows” made of gla.s.s fiber were commonplace among students.

“Since a strong bow makes arrows fly well, it can gloss over the badness of the shooting form. There are also people who get hayake with the change to a stronger bow, so if you want to increase your draw weight, you should do muscle training while correcting your shooting form, so don’t go up a level is what I’m saying. Right now it’s better to focus on keeping the kai long.”

As he said that, he prepared another bow.

Ma.s.san’s handling of his bow was gentle. When stringing the bow, many people pressed their weight on the bow and firmly pressed down, but Ma.s.san dipped up the bottom part of the bow and gently placed it on his knees. His usual movements and behavior were rough and sloppy, but only when it came to bows was he well-conducted.

The makiwara practice began.

“Minato, you’re bending back. Push your hips forwards more. Like you’re peeing standing up.”

“Peeing standing up…”

“After daisan, you should stretch your upper right arm more. Sort of a ‘look at my armpit hair!’ feeling.”

——Correction. Ma.s.san’s advice was vulgar. It was far from good conduct. He wondered if there wasn’t just another way to say it. However, it was very accurate and easy to grasp the feeling behind it. Because he couldn’t see himself shooting, he was thankful that there was someone here who could see it.

“Get a makiwara arrow (close-range practice arrow​) and try to go in front of a target.”

“Eh, but if you shoot an arrow without feathers in front of a target, isn’t it dangerous since you don’t know where it’s going to go?” (4)

“Are you scared of letting it go? That’s the aim. The no-shoot shooting method is a type of practice where you draw the bow without letting the arrow go, and then returning back to the start. The not letting it go part is pretty close to subiki (drawing the bow without nocking an arrow). Let’s try to hold out for three seconds first.”

“Is this really okay?”

“Even if it’s said that a featherless arrow would meander and not fly straight, it won’t go all the way to the neighboring targets. Well, try, and you can do it.”

Now, he thought. His feet froze when he went in front of the target. He was still scared. Scared of facing a target. He was worried that his string would escape from his yugake, but somehow he finally reached daisan. He slowly and carefully drew the bow. And then, without firing the arrow he returned to the start.

“Did you do it?”

“…Yeah.”

“If you did it for three seconds, you’ll then be able to do it for five seconds. Try to be aware of your breathing.”

“Is that like that abdominal breathing thing and dantian breathing thing? (5) It’s really difficult to grasp the image.”

“The internal organs that humans can consciously move about are the lungs. When you imagine the lungs are a big organ stretching from the collarbones to the solar plexus to the back of the body, and inhale, the air will enter the abdomen properly as well. Kai is the point from where you continue to exhale until the arrow leaves.”

After that, to the shouts of “Exhale. Thinly, drag it out, keep on exhaling like you’re letting the air leak,” he went back and forth between the makiwara and target, carefully drawing the bow enough times for twenty shots.

When the moon was visible, Ma.s.san called Fuu. Minato stroked the feathers of the owl that he had gotten to perch on his arm, discovering that its whole body expanded and shrunk slightly in time with its breathing. When Fuu went back to the forest it was coffee time. Ma.s.san had a lot of books about kyudo, and he quickly looked through them. There were books that were for students and those that weren’t commercially available, even monthly kyudo magazines that were serialized in the past, and photocopies that were bound together into one single book.

“It’s amazing that you collected all of these books together so thoroughly.”

“I didn’t do that, they were a gift.”

“I knew it.”

“What do you mean, 'I knew it.’”

“It’s because that kind of detailed work doesn’t suit Ma.s.san.”

“Do you not feel like treating your superiors with just a little respect?”

“Not at all.”

“Good grief, does that mean I have to teach you by praising you?” (6)

Ma.s.san put something on Minato’s open book. When he looked closer, he saw that it was a rubber animal mascot that could fit in the palm of his hand.

“Is this a dormouse?”

“Yep. Don’t they look cute when they sleep? Since I’m giving it to you, clench it everyday.”

“Why?”

“Since it’s not for grip strength but an exercise for better controlling the triceps brachii muscles, grip it with your pinky and ring finger. Then, rotate your shoulder blades every morning for ten minutes. This is for increasing the flexibility of your trapezius muscles.”

“I’ve never heard of that kind of practice before.”

“Thought so. That’s because it’s a method recommended by my sensei.”

“Hey, Ma.s.san. Why does hayake happen? Did your sensei say anything about that?”

Ma.s.san closed the book in his hands and gently placed it beside him.

“I’ve read materials relating to hayake on my own and tried anything and everything. It’s said to be an illness that appears when one improves their skill and shoots well. That it’s easy to get hayake if the desire to hit the target is strongly expressed. Does anything come to mind?”

“Hmm, there is. My hayake started up during a tournament, where I was thinking that I absolutely must hit.”

“Even though it’s all called hayake, the symptoms and courses of illness are wide-ranging. In your case, Minato, you can’t stand in front of a target but you can somewhat keep your cool in front of the makiwara. That situation has many cases where it is healed. As for completely separating yourself from the makiwara, it will become serious and difficult to overcome if you do that. Because the cause is not clear, an effective treatment cannot be established.”

“I heard that counting numbers at kai helps, though.”

“There are people who say to count to ten in your mind and chant sutras. That is good for preventing hayake, but not very effective for those who already have it. The more you think about not shooting, the more you will end up shooting.”

“So in the end, you’re saying that I can only stop thinking about it?” (7)

“You do know that it’s not as easy to stop thinking as it is to say it? Drawing with the bones instead of muscles, seeing with the mind instead of the eyes, shooting without aiming—that is the peak of enlightenment. Though the theory is understood, the people who can personify that are rare. That’s probably why books like Zen in the Art of Archery were created.”

Zen in the Art of Archery was a true story where the German philosopher Eugen Herrigel became a pupil to Awa Kenzou of the Daishadoukyou school (8), questioned Eastern ideas with Western ones, and did things like Zen dialogues. There was a famous scene where Awhanshi (Master Awa) shot two arrows in the dark, and the second arrow pierced and got connected to the nock of the first arrow which had hit the target. That was called a “tsugiya” (joined arrow) .

“Hayake tends to be spoken of something spiritual, but the mind and body are linked. Practice correct breathing and shooting forms over and over so that your body will remember it and you’ll be able to do them reflexively. The most important form in kyudo is the vertical and horizontal crosses (9). Extend in all directions, don’t shoot the arrow even if you want to, and wait for the arrow to leave you naturally, or something like that. Kai is just an infinite hikiwake after all.”

“So I don’t think about wanting to hit?”

“If I say not to think it, then I will be lying. Think that you’re just lucky if you hit. For archers, the sound of a matooto (sound of the arrow hitting target) is sweet. The pleasure of a hit becomes a habit. Then after that, in order to 'make practices open, practice openly,’ it is better to practice while being exposed to the public so that you can get used to the situation. Even though I’m doing it by myself now, I don’t recommend practicing alone. Well, that’s out of the question here though.”

“It’d be great if I drew a bow.”

“If you drew a bow, huh. Well then, will you draw one?”

Ma.s.san looked at night sky for a moment.

He put on his yugake, then took the “girikoire” tied onto his tsurumaki.

Giriko was a powder made of pine resin that was used to stop the yugake from slipping, and girikoire was its small tube-shaped container. Its materials ranged from cheap ones like plastic to expensive ones like the inner bark of cherry trees and water buffalo horns, but Ma.s.san’s was wooden and something was wrought on the surface.

“What kind of drawing is that?”

“Oh, Minato is a healthy young man as well, eh?”

Looking closer at the girikoire handed over to him, he saw three triangle designs.

“No way, this is…”

“Yep, it’s a bikini.”

“…You have some rare items here, old man.”

“I am honored to receive a compliment from you.”

“It wasn’t a compliment—!”

As Ma.s.san laughed, he found himself softening his own lips as well. For some reason, he was weak against Ma.s.san’s smile.

After changing back into his street clothes, Minato went home.

There was a figure of a person in front of his house. When he looked closer he saw that it was Seiya along with Bear.

“Minato, are you coming home just now?”

“You’re the one walking Bear?”

“Well, yes. By the way, where did you go last night? My mom asked me to bring some side dishes to your house, but you were not there.”

“Oh, I see. Sorry about that.”

Without telling him that he was going to another kyudojo even though he kept turning down invitations to join the kyudo club, Minato went to park his bike in the garden as though he was escaping from the situation.

Suddenly, Seiya touched Minato’s hair. Surprised, Minato instantly brushed his hand away.

“Ah, sorry. What, what is it?”

“There was a bird’s feather stuck there. Did you keep a bird at home? And, it’s quite a large bird, isn’t it?”

Looking at Seiya’s hand, he saw a brown feather with white stripes there. It was probably Fuu’s feather. Seiya placed the feather on top of Bear’s nose, and Bear shook its head and let it fall. Seiya’s gaze also fell to the feather.

“Minato, where do you go every night?”

“Not anywhere really… Just wandering around on my bike.”

“Wandering, huh.”

Seiya exhaled deeply, then got a resolved look on his face.

“Minato, let’s go to the prefectural tournament together.”

“…Eh?”

“Right now, there are four people with experience among the boys, and if you join it will be five. We’re entering the team compet.i.tion at Inter-high. Isn’t it rare to have an opportunity where you don’t have to fight to become a regular? And, there are no worries about getting hara.s.sed by someone who didn’t get a regular spot, or losing and getting called unmotivated.”

“You talk about team compet.i.tions, but I’m not even in the club.”

“You can turn in your club registration form tomorrow. The Kazemai High School Kyudo Club is really nice. Everyone’s really enthusiastic and feels at home there. Tomi-sensei is also sorry about pressuring you during the introductory cla.s.s. He even told me that he is taking responsibility for you, and that he will work hard to help you draw a bow without hesitating.”

Minato wondered if all the blood in his body was flowing backwards.

“What the h.e.l.l are you talking about! Haven’t you seen my ugly shots lately? Did you forget about us being losing at the finals of the prefectural tournament in middle school?”

“Oh, I remember. I can’t forget it.”

“At that time, all you said was, 'What a shame,’ but it wasn’t just that. Even though you said nothing after that, why are you so determined now after such a long time?!”

Because he raised his voice, Bear made a whining sound like it was worried. Minato lowered his voice.

“We lost in the prefecturals because I, who was the oomae, got hayake. After the tournament, everyone was all, 'What happened? You shot so early’ and 'Don’t worry about it,’ giving me words of pity and sympathy. And yet you guys, who were in the same team as me, said nothing. That guy who was the ochi (last archer) just stared at me with cold eyes as well. And then he won the individual compet.i.tion beautifully. It felt like he was showing off the difference between our positions.”

“It wasn’t just your fault that we lost that compet.i.tion.”

“I told you, I hate it when you say that!”

There were those who thought that even though kyudo was called a team sport, it was more like an individual sport, so it had nothing to do with team play, but there were also those who let themselves get influenced by someone else who messed up the rhythm. Particularly, because Minato’s hayake first appeared at that tournament, Seiya, who stood behind him, was thrown off guard. Even though the person in front of him had finished shooting, he himself hadn’t even finished yugamae yet, and that caused him to get impatient. It was inevitable that the shot will get messed up when one was impatient. Minato’s three-person team had a total of twelve shots with seven hits; Seiya had two hits, and Minato had one.

“As long as my hayake is not cured, things like tournaments are impossible…”

“Was hayake really the only reason?”

“What else is there?”

“Beyond you getting hayake and losing the tournament, shouldn’t you be more concerned that I missed the target because I let myself get affected by your bad condition? But, that’s not anyone’s business. I judge myself on my own terms.”

The sky, unable to hold itself back, let fall drops of rain.

While Seiya took refuge with Bear under the eaves, Minato remained silent. Even if he wanted to object, he couldn’t, so he said nothing. Because Minato also hated to lose, Seiya knew that he would be considerably annoyed.

At first, Seiya hadn’t understood what hayake was. He just thought that it came from tournament nerves, so he hadn’t recognized that it was a serious disease with such a lasting effect. Since Minato seemed worried about it, he thought that he should left him alone for now and it’s better to push him to the side a little, which is what he did, but then it turned into everyone in the club seemingly abandoning someone who was suffering from a disease. Seiya himself didn’t want to admit that error of judgement that was due to inexperience. That was why he didn’t want to fail this time.

Minato pressed the scar on his left flank through his clothes.

His old wound was throbbing. He still didn’t have self-confidence. He just wanted to be left alone a little more. Today, he finally faced the target. Once he started to stand confidently on his own two feet, he thought that he would like to report that to Seiya.

Even though many words were running around in his head, the single sentence he should say was that his place to go was still lost.

Seiya took off his wet gla.s.ses and spoke.

“Minato, let’s stand at that place one more time.”

“Weren’t you the one who suffered most from my hayake, Seiya?”

“Next time I won’t let myself get affected by it. Therefore, it’s fine if you have hayake.”

“That’s enough! You said it’s my fault that we lost, so why aren’t you blaming me!? I don’t want to do kyudo with you anymore, Seiya!”

c.r.a.p, Minato thought.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do it with Seiya—he just hated to cause trouble for him, but he didn’t know how to convey that better. If he joined tournaments in a state where he wasn’t able to defeat his hayake, he would cause trouble for his teammates. He especially just didn’t want to do anything that would hold Seiya back a second time.

Seiya also understood the gist of what Minato wanted to say. However, he couldn’t quite withstand the phrase “I don’t want to do it with you.” To be able to rely on Minato was Seiya’s anchor.

Perhaps due to being soaked to the bone by the cold rain, his normally gentle face disappeared. His gaze looked cold, as though he was looking down on his opponent.

“…Actually, can you endure it if I did blame you? Or can’t you? It isn’t difficult just to make you cry.”

“——!”

Minato grabbed Seiya’s collar, the momentum blowing the gla.s.ses Seiya was holding away. They fell onto the ground with an unpleasant sound. A Seiya without gla.s.ses was in complete attack ready mode. Pushing him back while his collar was still being grabbed, he thrust his opponent to the tree behind him. Minato’s face twisted with pain, and his eyes that should have had a clear shine was blurred by the rain as well.

They gazed at each other without moving, as Bear’s barks and the sound of the rain reverberated.

Sources that saved my life and sanity