At the start of the first round, the character controlled by Eriri launched a fierce assault, and the fight looked almost completely one-sided. (Continued)

Ignoring the two of them clowning around, Hasegawa Izumi picked up a Japanese longbow over two meters long and entered through the passage on the other side. Everyone else followed close behind.

Sunlight streamed beneath the eaves, draping the girl who sat waiting in silence in a sacred golden veil.

Dressed in a neat, fitted kyudo uniform, she had tied her long hair into a ponytail, leaving only long side locks to fall beside her forehead. Today, Shinomiya Kaguya seemed a little more spirited than the icy image most people had of her.

"Tap, tap."

At the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor, the girl slowly opened her eyes and looked toward the newcomers.

"It's been a while, Shinomiya-san."

Hasegawa Izumi spoke quietly.

"You should have said, 'Sorry for the wait.'"

Shinomiya Kaguya answered as she stood up.

Their eyes met, and sparks seemed to flicker between them.

"Why does the conversation between Hasegawa-kun and Shinomiya-san feel kind of suspicious?"

"Did they know each other already?"

Off to the side, Kyose Erika and Ki Karen, members of the News Department who had arrived earlier, snapped a photo and began whispering.

"Stop gossiping, you two. Do your jobs."

Asahi Shizuku immediately reminded them.

"Yes!"

They weren't the only ones with questions. Some of the other spectators were curious, too.

Clearly, the two people at the center of everyone's attention had no interest in pausing to answer questions.

"Let's begin, Hasegawa-kun. I'll make you understand that challenging me was the greatest mistake of your life."

Shinomiya Kaguya raised her chin slightly. In an instant, her icy eyes blazed like an erupting volcano.

She looked as if she were facing an enemy.

"Interesting."

Hasegawa Izumi summed up the situation in two words.

He'd heard plenty of challengers make threats along the way, but not one of them had meant it as sincerely as Shinomiya did.

That confidence clearly came from her past victories.

She already had the makings of a strong fighter.

But he was about to show her that there was always someone stronger, and every mountain had another mountain beyond it!

"You can decide the rules, Shinomiya."

"Fine. We'll keep shooting. The first person whose arrow lands outside the center zone loses."

It was a demanding rule. People's performance fluctuated, and factors like wind speed could always cause a miss.

"Sounds good."

His gaze was just as confident.

The weather was fair, with blue skies and white clouds.

As Hasegawa Izumi and more than a dozen spectators watched, Shinomiya Kaguya raised her bow and assumed a flawless shooting posture—the Great Frame Shooting Posture.

A Japanese longbow was a type of longbow used in Tou-ei archery. The upper curve made up two-thirds of the bow's length—in other words, a Japanese longbow was longer at the top and shorter at the bottom. Its size and length made it one of the largest bows in the world.

This design also made it difficult to balance the bow while holding it.

But after countless hours of practice, Shinomiya Kaguya had honed her extraordinary talent until she could sense where her arrow would land without even looking.

Thwack.

Her arrow flew and landed squarely in the center of the target!

A flawless shot!

"Was Shinomiya-san shooting with her eyes closed? Did I see that wrong?"

"No, I think she really did! Shinomiya-san's archery is even more terrifying than we imagined!"

"That doesn't look like the skill level of a fourth-dan archer!"

"Could Hasegawa-kun actually lose this time?"

That shot left everyone deeply shaken.

Most of them hadn't had a clear idea of Shinomiya Kaguya's archery skills. They only knew she'd won the national tournament every year since middle school.

Only now did they remember that, when it came to her record, Shinomiya Kaguya was far more accomplished than the others!

"She's that good? That Shinomiya?"

This was the first time Nibuya Morika had been amazed by someone other than Hasegawa.

"It's fine. Believe in Lord Sage!"

"As long as Lord Sage gets serious, we're good, death!"

Even as the two chuunibyou girls praised him, a bead of cold sweat ran down each of their foreheads.

"That person's still smiling...and with that same expression."

Only Natsukawa Masuzu carefully watched Hasegawa's face, remaining calm.

"Your turn, Hasegawa-kun."

Shinomiya Kaguya showed no pride after her shot, as though she'd simply fired casually.

And for her, that was exactly what it had been.

Ever since a sudden flash of inspiration in middle school led her to make a near-perfect shot, she'd done nothing but repeat it.

"As expected, Shinomiya, saving you for last was the right call. You should always save the best surprise for the end."

But Hasegawa Izumi saw a level beyond what ordinary people could perceive, and his expression brightened with excitement.

In the moment she'd shot, the girl's presence had seemed to merge with the longbow in her hands.

When the mind arrived, the eyes followed, and then the arrow... She could hit whatever she aimed at!

This was clearly the realm of Unity of Person and Weapon. Depending on the weapon, it could also be called Unity of Person and Sword, Unity of Person and Blade, and so on.

Even in the martial world of his memories, this would count as a level of mastery worthy of a true practitioner.

Of course, it was only mastery of technique. In other respects, she was nowhere near a first-rate expert.

But that was a limitation of the era, not of her potential.

"Hasegawa-kun, do you have to look at me like that?"

Shinomiya Kaguya turned her head slightly, her voice oddly wavering.

He was being too intense.

Someone could get the wrong idea!

"Next, Shinomiya-san, I'll show you an even higher realm! Then you can follow this path and catch up to me! We may not walk it side by side, but I still look forward to seeing you surprise me again."

Hasegawa Izumi didn't mind in the least. After saying his piece, he prepared to nock an arrow.

"I don't understand."

Shinomiya Kaguya was a little dumbfounded.

What was he even talking about?

That man really hadn't changed at all. He still said things that made no sense and did things that left people baffled...

The only difference was that he was even more annoying than she remembered.

Hasegawa Izumi stepped forward, aiming at the target beside them.

The shooting posture he displayed next gave Shinomiya Kaguya a small shock.

Hasegawa Izumi drew his right foot back like a supporting post. His left knee bent forward, his center of gravity sank, and both hands gripped the bow as he pointed it diagonally toward the sky.

He drew his bow as if it were a full moon!

"Where's that supposed to go?"

His posture challenged everything Shinomiya Kaguya and the members of the Kyudo Club knew about archery.

Their teachers had never taught them to shoot like that.

And he was aiming so high—was he trying to shoot down the sun?

Whoosh!

Hasegawa Izumi gently released the fully drawn bowstring. The arrow shot into the sky and seemed to vanish.

The spectators crowded along the edge of the shooting platform, craning their necks to look up. They nearly shoved one another off.

"Stop pushing! We're going to fall!"

"I can't see! The sun's too bright!"

Suddenly, Shinomiya Kaguya looked visibly shocked and turned toward the target dozens of meters away.

Thwack.

An arrow had landed right in the center of the target.

"Your turn."

Hasegawa Izumi turned around and gestured to her.

"I didn't expect you to adapt a shooting posture meant for a different kind of bow to a Japanese longbow. No wonder you've won your way here."

Shinomiya Kaguya swallowed and analyzed what she'd seen.

"But I'm not going to lose this match!"

She drew her bow again and repeated the exact same posture, her bearing bold and confident. Her arrow flew and struck its mark.

The shot was almost perfectly accurate. It easily pierced the arrow already embedded in the target and stuck firmly in the center.

Everyone was left dumbfounded by the feat.

This wasn't some little archery competition at a school. They could believe it was a battle for an Olympic gold medal!

"Well?"

Shinomiya Kaguya, her competitive spirit fully aroused, shot him a proud, spirited look.

"Clap, clap, clap... Honestly, that's the best archery I've ever seen in this world! And Shinomiya-san is the most talented person I've ever met."

He applauded and praised her without hesitation.

The corners of the girl's mouth lifted slightly.

She was used to being praised by ordinary people, but it was completely different when the praise came from an opponent she respected.

"But is that your limit, Shinomiya-san?"

Hasegawa Izumi stopped clapping, his voice growing solemn.

"What do you mean?"

The girl's smile slowly disappeared.

"Alas... You really are nothing more than a mortal born in this era, still unable to reach our realm."

"If you want to lecture me, beat me first!"

Her expression turned cold, and the two of them once again stood at the brink of a confrontation.

"You called me a mortal? Unbelievable! I'll show you—huh?"