#masa works design coming in clutch with the motivation

[thefinalcinderella]

Tsurune Book 2 Chapter 2-One over f (Part 2)

In this chapter: Regionals begin and end, Tsujimine is introduced, and Masaki and Shuu make a bet

Some parts of this chapter reminded me of Dive!!...I miss it so much

Glossary here

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

1. Temari are handballs with colorful designs. They are highly treasured gifts. You can see some examples here

2. Fuwa says “heart of marble” in English here. Like, it’s literally written in English which is why it’s a bit weird to read

3. Sanbun no ni or “two-thirds” is a stage similar to the daisan of hikiwake (or an intermediate stage of hikiwake, it’s hard to tell) that only applies to shamen uchiokoshi. This is where the draw is momentarily halted two thirds of the way through, with the arrow stopping at the height of the eyebrows.

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The next morning was cloudy.

When Minato was packing for their departure, he heard a scream behind him.

"Wha, what's wrong, Ryouhei! What is it this time!?"

"There's a black thing on my baaaaaaaaag!"

"Could it be the rumored coc—"

"Don't say anymore than that!"

"I don't see anything. Oh, could it be this?"

His line of sight stopped at a small spider about a few millimeters big. Minato, partly fed up with it all, barehandedly caught the tiny intruder.

"Ugyaaaaaaah! Minato, you really are a hero!"

"A cute little guy like this is no big deal, isn't it?"

"Of course it's a big deal! Don't bring it over here! You used to catch cicadas barehanded, right? When you had one in both hands, I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest."

"If you're in a place where your hands can reach the cicadas, then you don't need nets."

"That's not what I meant!"

While the two were talking, the tiny spider swung from a thread of web and fled. Minato moved the spider hanging from his finger to the window, and it escaped outside.

Ryouhei watched the course of events while glued to Seiya's back. Not the slightest hint of a brave figure that felled a boar with one strike could be sensed from that figure.

Kaito tore Ryouhei off of Seiya.

"Don't always take advantage of others with your huge body. To begin with, I really don't understand the difference between the stuff you're scared of and the stuff you aren't scared of. You spoke with Fujiwara, our enemy, last night, and you even got him to promise to shoot together, didn't you?"

"Shuu-kun hating to lose is cute, but spiders aren't cute at all."

"That Fujiwara is cute——? Ryouhei, did you eat something wei…Oh, crap."

Kaito said hurriedly, then rushed to the bathroom while clutching his stomach.

Nanao lightly knocked on the door.

"Kacchaaaan, are you okaaay? Are you nervous before the competition?"

"Shut up, it's probably because you poured me so much milk at the breakfast buffet. I just wanted another cup, but there wasn't even a drop left afterwards!"

"Because, it was soooo tasty that I drank a lot of it. I just had to recommend it to you, Kacchan."

"I'm pretty sure you were drinking it because you wanted to grow taller rather than for the taste!"

"Ah, it's out."

Nanao made an embarrassed face.

Kaito, coming out of the bathroom with a dejected-looking face, was greeted by Seiya holding medicine.

"Ryouhei is a big man for calling a high-spec man who we are no match for, cute, and you are a small fry for weakening your stomach just from drinking too much milk, so from now on I will train you without holding anything back."

"…Seiya, you're scary when you go all out."

"Kaito, you're actually really soft on Nanao."

"Hah? Not a chance. Are you a moron?"

"Let's have a nice, long talk afterwards, Kacchan."

Kaito clutched his stomach again before a smiling Seiya.

When Minato and the others arrived at the venue, the sky turned clear.

The paddy fields reflected white clouds.

The roof tiles that diffusely reflected.

It was likely that it would get more and more from that afternoon onwards.

For the regional tournament, the team competition was on the first day, and the individual competition was on the second. Kazemai High School was only participating in the team competition, and Kirisaki High School had both Shuu and Motomura in the individual competition.

They spread a plastic sheet on the long-distance range, which was being used as a resting place for the competitors, and put their baggage on it. They used the changing rooms to change clothes, but there were students from other schools who changed on their plastic sheets. They were wearing their hakama on top of their gym shorts.

When he finished getting ready and took a break, Minato looked at the tournament brochure again. He was caught by the name of a certain person.

"Seiya, isn't there a person who has the exact same name as this?"

"Yes, it's probably our acquaintance. It seems that he had moved to the neighbouring prefecture."

"We didn't get to meet him at yesterday's official practice, but I think it's better that we go greet him first today."

"I think it'll be okay when we go see him."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Minato closed the brochure, still concerned.

The Kazemai High School cheering squad had also come running to the venue. The parents, Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo were part of it, as well as six elite members of the Nanao Fan Club.

"Nanao-kun, we made these for you! Please eat them!"

"Uwaah, thanks. Can I open it? Ooh, onigiri that looks like temari. (1) They're cute, just like all of you. I'll savour each one."

When Nanao winked, the girls squealed.

At the entrance to the stands, there was a line of people trying to secure their seats. When the entrance was opened, the Nanao Fan Club elites sat down with their frog fans in hand. Besides them, two young man sat just little further away.

They were Masa-san and Ren.

Ren changed the lens of his single-lens reflex camera and took a trial shot of his surroundings. Though he was only taking pictures, the virility and an adult man's bewitching allure drifted in the air. Even the cheering squads from other schools were taking glances at Ren and Masa-san.

Masa-san pulled his hat deeper over his head in order to avoid the sunlight.

"I didn't hear that you were coming, Ren. I was looking for a souvenir for you yesterday too."

"I thought that I would surprise Masaki."

"I'm thankful that you gave the girls a ride, but will you be okay with work? Aren't you neglecting your home in Tokyo these days?"

"I thought that I should move out of that apartment and return to my hometown. The bullet train to Tokyo is nearby if I have to go there, and Dad will be relieved that I'm helping with shrine work."

"Oh, really…"

Masa-san blinked slowly and observed him sideways.

They were often told that they were brothers with similar eyes, but Masa-san, who was four years younger, looked younger.

Ren placed his camera on his knee.

"Since rent is too wasteful, can I live with you in your apartment?"

"I have to wake up early in the morning for shrine work. Can I really live with someone like you, who's nocturnal?"

"My little brother is so heartless."

"You only act like an older brother at times like this. The nyujo will be starting soon. Don't keep chattering after it begins."

"This is the first time I'm seeing Minato-kun and the others shoot since the spring training camp. I wonder if I can have your students show me what they got, Masaki."

"I'll say this: they don't need surprises. Especially our oomae and ochi. They're pure-hearted and overly serious."

"I won't do it today."

Ren chuckled.

When the opening ceremony ended, the competitors began to move.

Ryouhei went back to the long-distance range to get his equipment, and then suddenly he was tapped on the shoulder from behind.

When he turned around, he saw a boy with an amiable smile standing there. He had an appearance where one could sense that he was well-bred, and his large black eyes conveyed his friendliness even towards people he had just met. Despite all that, the sharp lines of his chin added a gallant dignity to him.

"You dropped your underglove."

"Oh, I did, I never noticed. Thanks."

"No problem. It'll get hotter from now on today, so be cautious of getting heat stroke."

When he could no longer see Ryouhei, the boy pulled over his head the hood of his hoodie that he was wearing over his hakama.

Beneath the hood, a shadow was cast over his face.

His smile was already disappearing.

A little further away, there was another boy. He looked intimidating and had cold eyes. After brushing up the hair on his face, he stood next to the boy in the white hoodie.

"That's rare, Nikaidou, you being so nice to someone you don't know."

"Fuwa, were you there? We might meet somewhere else again, don't you think? If I do something for that kind of dim-witted guy to make them owe me, then they might be good for something."

"…Crafty bastard."

"Aren't you the same?"

Fuwa Koushirou did a small yawn. The early morning was cloudy and cool, but as the temperature rose, drowsiness also increased.

"Didn't get enough sleep?"

"I was bothered by the sound of the ventilator, so I woke up a lot during the night."

"You're surprisingly high-strung."

"Say delicate. I guess guys with ulterior motives like you can't understand it."

"Don't talk like I'm such a black-hearted person. Say that I'm like a marble of mixed black and white, at the very least."

"Marble can mean the rock or the toy, but heart of marble means a 'heart that is as cold as a lump of marble.'" (2)

"Heh, is that so, I didn't know that. You sure are wise, Fuwa."

"Don't diss me so casually."

"Well, since there's only good people here, they’ll even hand over the victory for today's competition to us. Our goal is Inter-High. Also, take a look at this?"

Nikaidou Eisuke looked at his phone screen and chuckled to himself.

"A boar infiltrated the hotel those guys were staying at, I heard. That's Minato-chan for you. He's liked by all kinds of things."

"Let's go, Nikaidou. Leave your phone and hoodie with someone."

"Even though I was expressly telling you something funny, you party pooper."

"I don't care about your acquaintances. I just want to get this over with quickly and sleep soon."

"Yeah, yeah."

Fuwa did not like getting friendly with others, and drew a line between himself and other people. Because of that, Nikaidou and Fuwa had a dry relationship even though they were in the same grade, and they both avoided intruding upon each other's privacy.

After Nikaidou got his equipment, he called out to a teammate in the shade of a tree.

"Kuro-chan, it's convocation time."

"One, two, three, four…"

"Ootagurooo, we'll be disqualified if we're late."

"Oh, sorry."

The boy who was doing push-ups vigorously got up slowly. His body was bigger than the average high school student's, and his thick chest, which could be seen even through his kyudogi and bulging arms, made him seem more like an American football or rugby player rather than an archer.

Ootaguro Kenyuu was a second-year student like Nikaidou and Fuwa.

There was a reason for his persistent muscle training mania and devotion for body building while reciting his extensive knowledge about it every day. Those who saw his bow for the first time unable to take their eyes from that rare item. That was because it was a yonsun-nobi bamboo bow with a draw weight of nearly thirty kilograms.

A large bow that made a two-hundred-and-twenty-one centimeters bow look like it was for children, its overwhelming length, width, and thickness had the effect of making people suspect that it was a decorative bow. Even the one-hundred-and-eighty centimeters tall Shuu only used a nineteen-kilogram bow, so extraordinary muscle strength was needed to handle this bow.

Marble Nikaidou.

Borderline Fuwa.

Macho Ootaguro.

Those three second-years occupied the positions from oomae to third archer. The ones who served as the last two, the fourth archer and ochi, were third-year students.

Nikaidou also called out to his two seniors, but he only got one leisurely response, "…'Kaaaay, got it!" back.

Higuchi Touma was a boy who was extremely slow in both moving and talking. With a small build, he and Ootaguro looked like parent and child when they were side-by-side. He always had bed hair, and he constantly pulled on the sleeves of his jersey, so they became saggy moe sleeves. It was rare for Fuwa to feel sleepy, but for Higuchi, it was an everyday occurrence.

On the other hand, Aragaki Reiji was an extremely silent boy who served as the president of the kyudo club. With his slender physique and the mask that he always wears, he looked like the bassist of a visual kei band. As he never took off his mask except for eating and shooting a bow, the kyudo club members were about the only ones who had properly seen his true face. On that day as well, Aragaki at last took off his mask when he entered the venue.

Even when he removed his mask, he almost never met his teammates' eyes, always looking to the distance—for the sake of showing everyone his profile. He was actually a narcissist who loved his own profile, but hated his front face. Him choosing the kyudo club was also because he thought that his profile when drawing a bow would surely be beautiful.

Slothful Higuchi.

Maskman Aragaki.

Since information notification did not always go as one wanted with those two, Nikaidou was the one who truly managed the club. Their advisor could not be relied upon, but as they could not be in tournaments without a manager, they were saved by that.

The five headed for the waiting area with Nikaidou in the lead. The eccentric group was the focus of stares pouring in from the competitors from other schools.

The words "Tsujimine High School" were printed on the cloth bibs pinned to their right hips.

The stands fell silent, and the chirping of small birds could be heard.

The team competition involved five-person teams shooting four arrows in zasha. The time limit was eight minutes. Boys and girls from each of the sixteen schools were participating.

For the preliminaries, each team shot twenty shots in two rounds, with a total of forty shots, and the top eight teams with the highest amount of hits would pass. The finals were in a tournament system with twenty shots to a team.

When they were about to head towards the waiting area, Tommy-sensei asked Minato something.

"Have you seen Takehaya-kun and Kisaragi-kun?"

"Seiya forgot his tsurumaki so he went back to get it. Nanao got captured by some girls from another school."

"Oh my, how unusual for both of them."

When all five gathered, Tommy-sensei loudly declared the start of the mission.

The first round of the preliminaries began.

At the back of the shajo, the third waiting area had two rows of five chairs. The competitors sat in those chairs and waited for their turns. They advanced to the second waiting area, entering it at a signal with Kaito leading them. Divided into the first and second shajo, two teams with a total of ten people lined up in front of the targets simultaneously.

After Minato sat down in the chair before the honza in the first waiting area, before his eyes the other schools' competitors faced the targets. Perhaps because his point of view was different, he could well understand the differences of each person's shooting form. They also had a variety of shooting quirks.

The person whose bow slanted forwards in the time between daisan and hikiwake.

The person whose right shoulder moved forward at kai.

The person who raised their chin and whose head fell backward.

There were surprisingly few who could do the gojuu juumonji perfectly. Even if one could do it yesterday, it was difficult to say if one could do it the same way today. It was said that it was more difficult for the brain to reproduce what one remembered than to memorized, and always drawing a bow in the same form was a high-level physical activity.

When the last team sounded their final tsurune, the five knelt at the shooting line all together.

With their left fists on their hips, they raised the upper tips of their bows (urahazu) to eye-level while turning their hips, then turned towards the wakishoumen. The ways in which they moved their bows occurred precisely at the same time.

The oomae, Kaito, was the first to shoot. After he stood up while holding his bow with both hands, he performed ashibumi. Even though he was starting to shoot, he might still be feeling the effects of his bad stomach. He had a disappointing start, with his arrow going beneath the target.

Next was the second archer, Ryouhei. Perhaps it was because of his earnest nature, he absorbed what he was told without doubt or hesitation. He landed a perfect hit.

The third archer, Seiya, was calm and never deviated at any moment. He ascertained his own weaknesses and had the strength to make up for them with intelligence. ——He hit.

When the fourth archer, Nanao, raised his bow, the girls eagerly leaned forward as usual. When the matooto sounded, they flapped their yellow-green frog-shaped fans all at once.

Minato was the fifth archer, the ochi. He gently lifted his bow up so as to not sense the pain in his left wrist. Because it especially hurt from uchiokoshi to daisan, he moved through those parts slightly earlier than usual, but his arrow landed to the right of the target.

For the second shooting round, all five members of the Kazemai team hit the target, and on the bulletin board, which displayed the scores in 〇's and x's, there was a row of "〇." There was applause for the five-person kaichuu.

Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo also clapped their hands vigorously, so that Minato and the others would hear them.

"The boys are doing really well."

"Yep, I have a good feeling about this."

However, for the third shooting round, Ryouhei, Seiya, and Nanao missed in succession, and lost the possibility for personal kaichuus.

For the fourth shooting round, everyone hit except for Ryouhei, and they ended up with scores of three, two, three, three, three—a total of fourteen hits.

When they left the shajo, Kaito struck a triumphant pose.

"Alright! Not bad at all. Let's keep going like this!"

"Yeah!"

The second round of the preliminaries began.

The temperature was rising little by little. Although it was a break in the rainy season, there were already hot summer day being recorded, and the people in the stands were covering their heads with sports towels in order to block out the sun.

Kaito grandly raised his bow.

A heat filled the depths of his body.

I dedicate this heat to you, kyudo.

His tanned skin shone, his flexible muscles stretched gracefully and he formed a cross. His scarlet eyes were fixed on only one point.

What I'm calling for is you.

Shoot through my heart.

A cheer sounded from the stands at the sharp flight of his arrow.

Ryouhei, Seiya, and Nanao also hit their targets, and there was a succession of cheers.

Minato protected his left wrist, putting strength into his right arm and raising his bow. He moved his arrow tip little by little, drawing his bow to the limits of his strength.

The beautiful kyudo that toyed with the archer.

Even though it was wearing a gentle smile, it became more distant when one extended one's hand to it.

Let me hear your voice at least.

When Minato shot the target, the bulletin board displayed a row of five circles, and applause burst out once more.

For both the second and third shooting rounds, there were three hits out of five shots.

Kaito got a kaichuu with his four arrows, and exited the shajo while receiving applause. Ryouhei, Seiya, and Nanao also hit, and the five would have had another team kaichuu if Minato had hit after that, but he regrettably missed and hit to the left of the target.

The results were four, three, three, two, and three—a total of fifteen hits.

With a total of twenty-nine hits out of forty shots in the preliminaries, Kazemai High School would be advancing to the finals tournament.

Kaito: ×〇〇〇　〇〇〇〇 7

Ryouhei: 〇〇××　〇〇×〇 5

Seiya: 〇〇×〇　〇×〇〇 6

Nanao: 〇〇×〇　〇××〇 5

Minato: ×〇〇〇　〇〇〇× 6

In preparation for the tournament battle, lunchtime also served as a break.

Minato and Seiya stood talking, away from everyone else. They suddenly felt eyes on them and when they looked, they saw a boy wearing a white hoodie.

"——Nikaidou-senpai."

"Hey, it's been a while. Fancy meeting Minato-chan and Seiya-chan here."

"It has been a while. We're sorry for not greeting you sooner. So, you moved."

"Both of you didn't advance to Kirisaki High School either. Same as me. Wow, what a coincidence. They only got rich people over there, so it's too high-class for us commoners to be in. Oh, wait. Seiya-chan is the son of doctors, so he can't be talked about like he's in the same category as me and Minato-chan."

Seiya also greeted him with a meek smile.

"No, fortunately I'm really pleased with Kazemai High School."

"Heh… Must be nice, that feeling of deeply trusting your comrades and hanging out even on your days off. Yep, we must follow your example as well."

Nikaidou went to middle school with them, so in other words, he was the former senpai of Minato, Seiya, and Shuu. He was also a senior who even Shuu had difficulty dealing with.

Nikaidou chuckled, perhaps sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere around the two of them.

"Minato-chan, how many boys and girls are in the Kazemai club?"

"Five boys and three girls."

"A total of eight people? I'm surprised, you only got a select few. Renting out a kyudojo to that number of people, you guys must be able to run yakazu practice too. You guys must have shot more than anyone else here, haven't you?"

"It's not like that."

"Don't be humble. It's a big deal to defeat that powerhouse Kirisaki and advance to the national tournament. In the end, didn't you win thanks to Shuu-kun losing? And on top of that, there was even a guy with hayake? They say fortune favors the brave, but I guess you guys' everyday behavior must be terrific."

"No, that's…"

"Even so, though Shuu was bestowed so many gifts from the heavens, the only thing he doesn't have is luck, huh. I think that since lacking something like that is also human-like, it's nice. Hah…, did you see his tall bow and long arrows? If it were me, I would be too awed and I wouldn't even be able to hold them. That he missed even while using such high-grade equipment, such a waste."

Minato, without immediately replying, looked straight into Nikaidou's eyes. Even though Seiya was standing still at that gaze, Minato was not taken in by it.

"Don't talk bad about Shuu when he isn't here. And Manji-kun is working hard to overcome his hayake."

"Oh wow, I'm so happy to hear my kouhai Minato-chan speaking to me so casually. I feel like the distance between us has shrunk. It's so tacky to make much of one's seniority nowadays, isn't it? Well then, I have a question for you, Minato-chan. For what reason are you shooting a bow?"

"What reason, you say, I shoot a bow because I love it…"

"Heh, so pure, like a little kid. I'm doing it to win. I love winning."

Nikaidou lifted a corner of his mouth, then he put on his hood.

"Later, Minato-chan and Seiya-chan."

Seiya's voice, admonishing him that he must not react to Nikaidou-senpai, passed through his ears.

Minato was thinking.

That that senpai was the only one who he definitely did not want to lose to.

Around the same time, Masa-san was with Shuu.

Shuu had stopped him, saying that he wanted to talk to him.

"What was that just now?"

"If Kirisaki High School wins this competition, I would like you to be my coach for a week."

Masa-san pressed his hand to his forehead.

"I'm sorry, but I have to refuse. I don't want to make wagers on archery. And in the first place, did the Kirisaki manager allow you to be taught by a coach from another school?"

"Our advisor does not balk at any means that would help us win, but if you are worried about it, I will keep it a secret."

"Well now, it'll be revealed eventually. With your skill, Fujiwara, you should have a more distinguished sensei teach you rather than a newbie coach like me. Why me?"

"Minato said that you are his goal. I was also shown videos of you shooting. I heard that you are the grandson of Yasaka-hanshi. I am very interested."

Before the indecisive Masa-san, someone suddenly showed up.

It was Tommy-sensei.

"Ho ho ho, what an interesting proposal. Let's go with this match. On the contrary, what will Kazemai get if we win, Fujiwara-kun?"

"That's right, shall I show you Saionji-sensei's words that I have accumulated? I've written down hidden techniques that weren't taught even to Minato."

"That's alright with me. I will go talk to Kirisaki about this."

"Yes, then, I look forward to working with you."

Shuu bowed, then left.

Masa-san grimaced.

"Tommy-sensei! Is this okay? Wouldn't you be fighting over this with the sensei at Kirisaki later?"

"It's fine, it's fine. I know the personality of the Kirisaki sensei, and the point is that Kazemai should win, right? Even by some chance we lose, I would be a lucky man if I could see Fujiwara-kun's shooting up close. Can't you believe in your students, Takigawa-san?"

"That's not what I meant, but…"

"Didn't the one called the Young Lord expressly tell you that he wants to be taught by you? The people who stand at the top are always lonely. It may be that he sympathizes with you, Takigawa-san, who had a wonderful teacher everyone envies, and experience with winning Inter-High. However, are you still keeping this quiet from everyone in the club?"

"Yes."

"Oh, so young. My blood is boiling up."

Tommy-sensei couldn't stop grinning. Getting a glimpse at his crafty side, Masa-san sighed.

The first round of the finals tournament began.

As a result of the lottery, Kazemai High School was suddenly facing off against Tsujimine High School. When the competitors entered the shajo, the venue immediately became noisy. That was because Tsujimine's Ootaguro was carrying a huge bow that was non-standard for a high school student. Many from the stands was whispering, "What is that? I never seen one like that before."

Tsujimine High School did shamen uchiokoshi, which was in the bushakei style.

The oomae, Nikaidou, moved his left foot a half step towards the target while watching it, then looked down and moved his right foot the same way in the opposite direction. He held his arrows while their arrowheads (itatsuki or yajiri).

After gripping his string, he fixed his tenouchi diagonally to the left, pushed his bow open, and did yugamae. From there, he raised his bow slanted to the left and did not stop midway, or maybe he did the "sanbun no ni" (3) in his own way and drew.

When he entered kai, his yugake made a grinding noise.

After he swung his arms and his bow fell forward at hanare, there was a pleasant matooto.

Then, it was the second archer, Fuwa. He looked towards the target with a gaze that was cold and indifferent to the enthusiasm enveloping the venue. There was an unseen boundary line between him and his surroundings. Within that barrier of ice, he got a hit.

Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo conversed in the stands.

"Shamen uchiokoshi is cool, you really feel like they are drawing a bow."

"Yeah. Now it's Macho-kun's turn."

The third archer, Ootaguro, raised his huge bow slanted. Those who laid their eyes on that conspicuously gigantic bow would have the delusion that their sense of perspective was paralyzed. The bamboo bow with an amber luster bent grandly, forming a cross on heaven and earth. The arrow went towards the target along with a furious, whooshing momentum, and an extra-large matooto sounded.

After him was the fourth archer, Higuchi. The exact opposite of Ootaguro, he was an archer with a frail impression. At intervals that made people want to tell him that he didn't have to draw that slowly, he gently drew his bow. And at kai as well, he did not readily release his arrow. His zanshin after he shot his arrow was bizarrely long. However, because he hit precisely, it was funny.

Last was the ochi, Aragaki the maskman. He was devoting all of his nerves on beautifully displaying his profile. With something mysterious, it prevented careless deviations and distortions of the body, and there was another hit. Applause swelled for the five-person kaichuu.

Shooting their arrows in that order, Tsujimine and Kazemai both went to their second shots without any misses.

And then it was the third shooting round.

The Kazemai cheering squad cheered with all they had for Kaito's hit. However, Ryouhei, Seiya, and Nanao missed in succession, and the situation for Kazemai turned risky. If they missed any more than that, their results would be settled before they shot their fourth arrows.

Minato couldn't withstand the pain in his wrist, decided that he could do kai early and went on to take a hit. Intent on not wanting to lose to Nikaidou at the very least, he released his arrow.

For the fourth shot, all five from Kazemai hit, and Minato fell back to honza amid applause.

The announcement of the results came on.

"We will now announce the results just now. First shajo, four, four, three, three, four—a total of eighteen hits. Second shajo, four, three, three, three, four—a total of seventeen hits…"

Hanazawa and Shiragiku covered their faces.

"…Kazemai lost?"

"No way!? Isn't it still the first round of the finals tournament?"

The Nanao Fan Club stood up early to go receive Nanao, but Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo did not move.

Of course, even the people concerned did not know what had happened.

Even Kirisaki High School, peeking at the situation, could not hide their surprise.

"Oi, is this really happening…?"

Senichi and Manji were whispering.

Shuu put his arms around their shoulders. Seeing that, Sase and Motomura joined in.

The five formed a huddle, and Sase raised his voice.

"Ki-ri-sa-ki, fight!"

"Yeah!"

Kirisaki High School gave off the air of champions from the moment they entered the shajo. A majestic, dignified walk. Their demeanor was obviously different from others.

Shuu and the others got kaichuu in succession, and there was loud applause every time. The twins sealed up their fast-shooting, and it was the oomae, Motomura's fractal-like shots that were handed down to those behind him instead. They were uniform, well-controlled, and beautiful shots.

After that, the tournament continued, with Kirisaki High School and Tsujimine High School facing off in the final match. Kirisaki won, with nineteen hits to eighteen hits.

With this, Kirisaki High School obtained the special ticket to take part in the national tournament.

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