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)

Shinomiya Kaguya stood nearby, watching and wondering whether her opponent could do what she had. Then the man made another astonishing move.

Hasegawa Izumi first shot an arrow just like hers. It pierced through the first arrow, and then he drew a fresh one from his quiver.

This time, he took two.

"Could he be trying to... No, that's impossible! He can't do that!"

As Shinomiya Kaguya tried to understand what he was planning, even her own idea startled her.

But, unbelievably, he actually did it.

He set the arrows and drew the bow.

In the same stance as before, Hasegawa Izumi loosed both arrows, sending them flying toward the distant sky.

Thwack!

The sound of both arrows hitting the target rang out almost simultaneously.

Now three arrows were clustered together on the target, separated by mere millimeters.

"He really hit it!"

Her guess had been right. Shinomiya Kaguya's heart jolted, and she instinctively took a small step back.

Shooting two arrows into the same spot was not simply a matter of firing one extra arrow. The difficulty was more than twice as great!

Could she do it?

The long vacancy on the Throne of Heaven was finally over...!

Shinomiya Kaguya asked the bow and arrows in her hands, but got no answer.

She had never even considered trying something like this.

Shinomiya Kaguya asked herself, and got an answer.

Because she was Shinomiya Kaguya.

"If it's Shinomiya Kaguya, then she can definitely do it!"

In the blink of an eye, the confusion in the girl's eyes gave way to resolve. She looked at the target dozens of meters away, suddenly feeling that her vision had never been so clear.

This would work. It had to!

She drew two arrows as well, set them to the bow, and drew the string back in the same stance. But the arc of the bowstring was different.

To make both arrows hit at once, she had to exert more strength.

Whoosh!

As she watched the two arrows land on the target, Shinomiya Kaguya could hardly believe it. She even lowered her head to look at her palm, already covered in calluses.

Turns out she was even more capable than she'd thought!

"Basics are the measure of one's ability, but the standard of a true expert is how far they can take those fundamentals! And the importance of the mind in all this cannot be overstated."

Just then, she heard that guy beside her start up with his "incomprehensible" lecture again.

"So this is why you've been encouraging everyone so much?"

In that instant, Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly understood something else.

While provoking his opponents, this guy had also kept up the pressure, pushing them to unleash their potential and improve. In that case, was he actually doing it for everyone's sake?

Could this guy really be so noble?

The girl found herself imagining all sorts of things.

"Shinomiya-san, congratulations on truly reaching the state of 'Unity of Man and Bow.' But this alone isn't enough. The Far East Magic Society needs this victory as the final flourish. So now, let's see what you can do!"

As Hasegawa Izumi spoke, he strode forward confidently and drew his bow again.

This time, he used three arrows!

The result was beyond doubt: they all landed in the central area of the target.

"I have to win!"

The pressure came crashing down again, and Shinomiya Kaguya gradually entered an even more selfless state. The cries of surprise around her fell on deaf ears. All that existed was the bow and arrows in her hands, her breathing, and the target in the distance, reflected in her heart.

"Lady Kaguya can actually do this? I always thought she'd changed after understanding that arrow, but... but..."

In the crowd, Hayasaka Ai watched Shinomiya Kaguya's current state from afar, her heart pounding.

Then she began to worry.

"Lady Kaguya is still a girl, and she's only practiced the Breathing Technique at a basic level. Her arms won't be able to hold out under this much strenuous bow-drawing!"

But the next moment, Shinomiya Kaguya reached her limit sooner than Hayasaka Ai had expected.

"Huh? Where are the arrows?"

Shinomiya Kaguya's eyes were unfocused, as if she'd lost her bearings. Her right hand instinctively reached for her quiver, only to find it empty.

She slowly raised her head and noticed that there were fewer arrows on the target than she'd expected. Some had even landed crookedly.

From a hazy memory, she recalled that she'd simply drawn her bow and shot the arrows.

"Ah, so I've already lost."

At the thought, Shinomiya Kaguya swayed and began to fall.

Then she heard a voice by her ear.

"It's just an archery contest. Don't act as if you've risked your life in battle. It's not some dark duel! But Shinomiya-san, you really did your best. You've already done enough to earn my recognition... Oh, how cute, Shinomiya-san."

What's that supposed to mean? Saying something like that makes it just like a few years ago. And now you've caught me again. This is so embarrassing.

That was what she thought as she slowly closed her eyes.

"Staying in that state for so long is too much of a strain on an ordinary person's 'mental strength.'"

Hasegawa Izumi supported the girl by the shoulder with one hand and made a perfectly reasonable diagnosis.

Medicine and martial arts had always gone hand in hand, so it was only natural for him to play the Old Chinese Doctor.

Clap, clap, clap...

At that moment, the crowd watching nearby broke into enthusiastic applause.

"Shinomiya-san tried her best, but there's no helping it. Hasegawa is just too strong."

"That was an amazing match!"

"Even Shinomiya-san lost. Suddenly, I don't feel so bad about being trampled by that guy."

"From today on, this era belongs to Hasegawa!"

Shinomiya-san's performance and Hasegawa's strength had won everyone over.

"Kaguya-chan! Waaaah!"

The girls from the Kyudo Club who'd been worried about their Club President had been about to step in, but when they saw Chika-chan rushing over in tears, they wisely stopped in their tracks.

"Idiot! Idiot! Izumi-chan, you big idiot! You hurt Kaguya-chan like this! I'm breaking up with you!"

Fujiwara Chika held Shinomiya Kaguya in both arms and began to condemn someone's inhuman behavior.

"But I didn't even do anything."

Hasegawa Izumi couldn't help feeling wronged.

"No buts! It's all your fault, Izumi-chan! Look at this!"

Fujiwara Chika lifted Kaguya's hand, revealing several red marks where the bowstring had bitten into it, some nearly bleeding.

"Uh..."

Now that his icy demeanor had worn off, he looked a little embarrassed.

He had put his friend through this. It really had been a bit much.

"The loser has no say... Fujiwara-san, stop making a fuss."

Suddenly, Shinomiya Kaguya came back to her senses a little and rebuked her. There was also a hint of inexplicable resentment in her voice.

"I-I understand. Sorry, Izumi-chan."

Once her excessive worry had subsided, Fujiwara Chika immediately turned and apologized.

"Are you done?"

Hasegawa Izumi chuckled, then ruffled Chika-chan's pink hair into a complete mess as payback. Afterward, he looked toward the members of the Far East Magic Society.

"Yeah."

After nodding, the group followed him out of the Kyudo Club.

As they walked from the shade into the light, Hasegawa Izumi proclaimed their victory with a stirring speech.

"No one starts out standing above the heavens—not you, not me, not even the gods. But this unbearable vacancy on the Throne of Heaven has finally ended... From now on, we shall stand at the pinnacle!"

As he walked, he swept all his unruly-looking hair back, shaping it into a slicked-back style with a single lock left as an accent.

The look gave him a certain indescribable air.

"Hasegawa..."

"Far East Magic Society!"

"Hasegawa...!"

As their figures emerged, the students waiting outside erupted in a deafening roar of cheers.

I and Lord Sage scored a hundred points together!

With the people behind them, they were invincible!

The moving sight was etched into their hearts. They would probably remember it for the rest of their lives.

The expressions on the faces of the two people walking behind them shifted subtly as well.

"Did I ever hope for a scene like this?"

Nibuya Morika suddenly understood something.

In the past, she'd immersed herself in Mori Summer, fully inhabiting the character and taking great pleasure in it. But as she grew older, she'd become more and more concerned with what others thought of her, until she eventually gave up that path.

Now, Hasegawa seemed perfectly capable of helping her continue her pursuit of Show Off in front of others—the external validation she needed.

At this rate, she really would fall back into it...

"My, my. The world is as foolish as ever. That fellow isn't what you all imagine him to be."

Natsukawa Masuzu walked at the very back, looking at the Shuchiin students around her, fervent as believers. A mocking smile tugged at her lips.

"But he did achieve the same effect."

At the thought, she felt the faintest stir of emotion.

"Thank you all for your attention and support!"

Hasegawa Izumi first responded to everyone's support, then continued.

"Just as I said on the first day of school, the reason I started this challenge was that I hoped to find more people who could stand alongside me! Now we've shown that we have the strength to protect you, so if anyone meets the requirements, you can ask to join our Far East Magic Society!"

At his words, the crowd fell silent. Everyone looked at one another, and no one dared to answer.

"That's only natural. Only an idiot would join. Except me, of course."

Natsukawa Masuzu almost laughed out loud.

At Shuchiin, the Anime Club was considered the lowest of the low, made up of just a few Mixed Academy Students seeking comfort in one another.

If you were a "chuunibyou," you'd probably be buried even deeper underground.

Naturally, no one dared to respond. Their friends would look down on them, and their future prospects would be bleak.

Besides, chuunibyou like them were one of a kind. Even someone like her, a JoJo fan, couldn't get so deeply into it.

"Hasegawa-kun~!"