"Sorry I'm late. Traffic."
"Seriously, Editor-in-Chief Shikishima? You drive a Mazda and still get stuck in traffic?"
"You know how many tourists we get in Kyoto during the Gion Festival."
Shikishima, the sports reporter who had inwardly called him a demon king yesterday, waved off his friend's teasing and asked eagerly:
"Which range is Uchiha Naruto competing at? It hasn't finished yet, has it?"
The kyudo tournament moved at a brisk pace. In just one day, the champion of the Tokyo Metropolis Kyudo Federation's team competition had been decided.
Meiji University, originally the overwhelming favorite, had been so shaken that its performance was abysmal, and it was eliminated in the second round. In the end, J. F. Oberlin University secured the right to compete in the Championship Tournament.
"The preliminary round is over. The six competitors for the East–West Tournament have already been decided. They're determining the rankings now."
"What? Was I that late?" Reporter Shikishima asked in surprise.
"Too many competitors withdrew, so the schedule moved much faster."
Reporter Shikishima understood.
Uchiha Naruto had shone in yesterday's team competition, like an incarnation of the god of archery. His astonishing arrow had shattered many competitors' confidence.
His dominance was that of a champion, on an entirely different level from his peers.
With such an overwhelming gap in ability, it was understandable that other competitors would withdraw rather than humiliate themselves.
Reporter Shikishima shook his head.
But kyudo was a martial art of challenging oneself. Rather than defeating an opponent, true victory lay in breaking through one's limitations and shooting a better arrow than yesterday.
"Come on, let's take a look."
The moment Reporter Shikishima and his friend entered the venue, they were startled.
"Bravo!"
Clap, clap, clap.
"Bravo! Bravo!"
In one corner of the spectator stands, the front rows were