Amane followed Kyouko to the changing room.
"Since the Kyudo Club uniforms need to be purchased by oneself, there are no spare ones in reserve."
Kyouko said in a soft, shy voice, making one want to pinch her cheeks.
"Then what should I do?"
Amane looked at the changing room.
It was very clean.
Even the floor was polished to a shine, reflecting people's figures.
It seemed to be meticulously cared for.
"How about you try President's for now? I hope you don't mind."
It seemed only President's clothes would fit Miyako-san.
Kyouko's face reddened.
"I don't mind."
"Then please wait a moment."
Kyouko found a locker, opened it, and took out a set of Kyudo Club uniform.
Amane touched the fabric.
It was very soft, just like Suzune's… ahem.
Amane directly took off her school uniform.
"Eh? Miyako-san, are you just going to change right here?"
Kyouko hadn't even finished speaking.
Amane had already finished.
"Ah ah ah ah!!!"
"Kyouko, your reaction is a bit much, you know. We're all girls, it's nothing."
Amane said while putting on the Kyudo uniform.
She looked quite dashing.
"Miyako-san, you should say something before changing!"
Kyouko covered her flushed face, still not daring to look at Amane, who had already changed.
Her original intention was for Amane to just put the Kyudo uniform over her white shirt.
But she didn't expect Amane to be so bold.
"I'll be more careful next time. Where's the bow?"
"The bow is…"
Kyouko looked at Amane, whose demeanor seemed to have changed, and shook her head.
"The bow is over there, please follow me."
The practice bow was placed at the very back of the bow rack.
Next to it was a neatly arranged quiver, with ten feathered arrows in each.
Amane glanced at it and casually picked up the bow that was placed in the center and enshrined.
Then she slung the quiver from beside her over her back and walked outside.
"Wait, Miyako-san, that bow can't be drawn!"
"I like it."
…Kyouko had a bit of a headache.
She wasn't very good at dealing with people like Amane.
Before she could explain,
Amane had already walked outside with the bow.
Only Kyouko's anxious voice remained.
Fujiwara was watching two boys shoot at the target.
Suddenly, she saw Amane walk out.
She was about to say hello but then saw the bow in her hand.
"Miyako-san, that's not something you can handle with just a little experience, you know. You should be aware of the weight of that bow."
Fujiwara kindly reminded her.
But Amane completely ignored Fujiwara's words and directly picked up the wrench on the ground.
Then she drew an arrow, and the bowstring was slightly open.
"Amane…"
"Shh, the bowstring is already drawn. She probably can't hear you anymore. What a headache."
Fujiwara walked over to Amane's side, just as Amane was drawing the bow.
Fujiwara quickly put a chest protector on Amane.
If she didn't wear it, she could get cut.
Whoosh!
The arrow pierced directly through the center of the target.
"What?"
The two boys next to them were about to make a ruckus.
But they were stopped by Fujiwara's gaze.
The bowstring snapped back, hitting the chest protector with a heavy thud.
"Oh."
Amane stared at the target expressionlessly, yet let out a lovely sound.
The two boys nearby immediately turned red.
An-ta saw this and directly pulled the two of them away.
It was only then that Kyouko ran out.
Just as she was about to report to Fujiwara, she saw Amane retrieve an arrow and nock it.
She released her hand.
"Oh~"
The second arrow also hit the bullseye.
Then came the third, the fourth... accompanied by a series of 'Oh's that made people blush.
By the eighth arrow,
Amane was a little out of breath.
But she still shot the last two arrows.
All hit the bullseye.
Amane's lips curved slightly.
She seemed quite satisfied with her results.
"My arm is so sore, and it hurts here too, Suzune..."
Amane shoved the bow into Kyouko's hands and pounced on Horikita.
"Get off! You're really heavy!"
"I'm not heavy!"
"Just get up, quickly."
After a while of playful wrestling, Amane finally stood up.
As soon as she took off her chest protector, a relaxed smile appeared on her face.
"How were my scores?"
Amane looked at President Fujiwara, whose expression was solemn, with a hint of smugness.
"Good, perfect scores. You go change your clothes first."
"Mhm, mhm."
Although she sensed that President Fujiwara's tone was off,
Amane still excitedly dragged Kyouko to change clothes.
However, Kyouko adamantly refused to go back with her.
Amane could only go to the changing room by herself.
"President Fujiwara, is there a problem?"
Horikita naturally also noticed that President Fujiwara's expression was not quite right.
"I'm very sorry, but our Kyudo Club cannot allow Miyako-san to join."
She hit all ten arrows, so why would President Fujiwara refuse her?
Even someone who didn't know much about Kyudo could tell that Amane indeed had excellent archery skills.
"May I ask why this is? Did she do something wrong?"
Seeing that Horikita seemed to have misunderstood her meaning,
Fujiwara gave a wry smile.
"Our small temple here cannot accommodate Miyako-san. I don't mean to be sarcastic; I'm simply stating the truth."
As soon as Fujiwara finished speaking, Horikita showed some displeasure.
"What kind of reason is that? I don't think Amane will be able to accept it, and I doubt the school would accept such a reason for rejecting someone from joining a club, right?"
Horikita asked tentatively.
She thought Fujiwara saw Amane's archery skills and feared she would surpass her, which was why she refused her entry.
So she hinted that she would report it to the school.
To gauge Fujiwara's reaction.
"You're very clever, but unfortunately, I'm not such a petty person."
Fujiwara saw through Horikita's thoughts at a glance.
"Then why? Fujiwara-senpai, you must give me a reason that can convince me, otherwise, how can I explain it to her?"
Horikita's serious and earnest expression made Fujiwara nod.
"Alright, then I'll be frank. Your classmate comes from a prestigious family and is proficient in archery; she won't learn anything new in the Kyudo Club."
"If she's interested in the future, she's welcome to practice here, but I'm not qualified to teach her."
Seeing that Horikita wanted to say something more,
Fujiwara held up her hand to interrupt Horikita.
"First, Miyako-san uses the Ogasawara-ryu archery style, which is considered perfect. Ogasawara emphasizes the way of etiquette."
"It's easy to get started, but mastering it requires a lot of money and time. Even the head of the Ogasawara family would be no more skilled than Miyako-san."
Fujiwara's words left Horikita with her mouth agape in surprise.
"And what we use is the Heki-ryu, which is more focused on practical combat. Miyako-san might not adapt well to it. That's the first point."
"Secondly, that bow is a modified decorative piece. It requires fifty pounds of force to draw it."
Because Japanese bows are bamboo bows, some who want to build strength choose to thicken them and increase the draw weight.
Fifty pounds is already considered the extreme limit.
"Although many people can draw it easily, for a high school student to shoot ten arrows consecutively and only be slightly out of breath..."
"If I had to describe it... unless she's been practicing for at least ten years, otherwise, she's a monster."
"You should know that I can't even draw it fully. Do you still think I'm qualified to teach her?"
Fujiwara's words held a hint of bitterness.
Her skill, which she took pride in as a girl, was effortlessly surpassed by a first-year student.
"Is Amane really that amazing?"
Horikita still found it hard to believe that Amane, that somewhat frivolous girl,
was the 'monster' Fujiwara spoke of.
The image simply didn't match.
Actually, none of that mattered.
What mattered was that she had brought Amane to sign up without Amane's consent.
And now Amane was being rejected for such a reason.
How was she supposed to explain it to Amane?
Her original intention was not to let Amane... "What are you two talking about?"
Amane skipped happily like a child.
She came to Horikita's side.
"Let's go back."
Horikita didn't know how to explain it to Amane.
"But aren't we still going to join..."
"Come back with me."
Horikita extended her hand.
Amane looked at Horikita's almost tearful expression.
Then she looked at Fujiwara, who was bowing to her.
She seemed to understand something.
"Mhm."
Amane took Horikita's hand.
The two walked towards the dorms, bathed in the lingering glow of the sunset.