"Hoo..."
Kagura pulled back the bow in her hand, staring intently at the distant target. Her hand was still trembling slightly from unfamiliarity and nervousness.
"Relax, relax, Kagura. If you want to aim well, you need to calm your mind and concentrate."
Rudolph Symbol bent slightly and stood behind Kagura, gently holding Kagura's hand to help her steady her arm, while her other hand was wrapped around Kagura's waist to help her adjust her posture.
After finishing her second race, Rudolph Symbol decided to relax for a few days. As she had nothing to do, Rudolph Symbol took Kagura to Tracen Academy's Archery Club the day after the race.
Although it was called a club, there weren't many people in it currently. Only Rudolph Symbol would occasionally drop by to shoot a few arrows when she was bored, as this hobby was, after all, a bit too anachronistic.
It was Kagura's first time trying this sport. Although an Uma Musume's innate strength allowed her, even as a child, to easily draw the bow Rudolph Symbol usually used, she still had significant problems with aiming and needed Rudolph Symbol to constantly guide her.
"Focus... focus..."
Holding the bow up and aiming for a long time also required considerable arm endurance. Kagura felt that her inability to aim wasn't just because she had never shot an arrow before, but also because her arm would ache terribly after holding it for a while, causing her aim to constantly waver. The few arrows she had just shot would make a connoisseur exclaim about a good Uma Musume.
Kagura was quite impressed when she saw Rudolph Symbol casually draw her bow, aim for a moment, and then hit the bullseye of the distant target. Her relaxed and effortless manner showed that she must have practiced archery for a very long time.
After aiming for a good while, with Rudolph Symbol's help, Kagura finally stabilized her aim again. She squinted at the distant target, and after steadying her hand, she released the next arrow.
With a whoosh as the arrow sliced through the air, Kagura's arrow struck the target. To be precise, it hit the very edge of the target, almost missing entirely.
"Ah... it's really off..."
"It's fine, Kagura. This is your first time using a bow today, right? Being able to hit an arrow in such a short time is already very good."
"How long has Young Lady been practicing?"
"I don't remember. I've enjoyed drawing a bow and shooting a few arrows since I was little. I don't know how many years it's been now."
Saying this, Rudolph Symbol placed her hand on Kagura's head and stroked it. For some reason, she found rubbing Kagura's head particularly addictive, and it was fortunate that Kagura didn't mind her doing it.
"Kagura, you stay here and shoot a few arrows. I'll go get you some water."
"Um... Young Lady, shouldn't I..."
"I said, today is for you to rest. Be good and wait here."
Without giving Kagura a chance to retort, Rudolph Symbol finished speaking and darted away.
—Your archery is so weak!
After Rudolph Symbol left, Kagura immediately saw this line of text appear on her phone screen, specifically written in chinese, as if afraid she wouldn't understand Japanese.
'Eclipse-san, you're so harsh! By the way, where did you learn chinese!?'
—I'm very international, so I naturally know a little bit of everything! Never mind that, relax your body, and I'll show you how to do this!
'Eclipse-san, you know archery too??'
—Just a little, not proficient.
On one hand, Kagura was genuinely curious how Eclipse would demonstrate it to her. On the other hand, she really wanted to learn how to shoot arrows, so she quickly obeyed Eclipse's instructions and relaxed her body.
Soon, she felt a strange sensation in her body. She hadn't given any commands to her body, but her body had already started moving unconsciously. She found that she seemed to have entered a third-person perspective; she could see her body, but couldn't control it.
If anyone else were closer, they would now see Kagura's eyes turn dark red.
'Eclipse-san, you really can possess my body!!'
"I don't like doing this kind of thing. It's too draining. If I do this, I won't be able to give you Racecourse guidance in your dreams this month. I just felt that I should guide you on this, after all, learning archery helps improve your poor concentration. My time is limited, so you must learn well—"
Controlling Kagura's body and speaking to herself, Eclipse, who had possessed Kagura, skillfully drew an arrow from the quiver on her back and nocked it onto the bow. She released the arrow almost without aiming.
"Whoosh—!!"
The arrow, carrying astonishing momentum, struck the bullseye in the center of the target. Kagura was completely stunned. The process from Eclipse taking the arrow to releasing it was terrifyingly short; there seemed to be no aiming phase at all, yet her arrow did not miss.
"Ah... sorry, sorry, it was just a reflex. I forgot you're still a beginner, kid. Come, remember this feeling: take the arrow, nock the bow, then concentrate, aim..."
After Eclipse's words fell, Kagura felt she regained control of her body. She was still in the state of drawing the bow and aiming, and her hand was holding the bow in a way that didn't feel strenuous at all, without any trembling from effort.
After the possession was lifted, Kagura couldn't hear Eclipse's voice anymore. She also couldn't lower her head to look at her phone screen, so she could only try to remember the feeling of drawing the bow, as Eclipse had instructed.
Kagura aimed for a while before releasing her hand. The arrow flew out and struck the target. Although it didn't hit the bullseye, it was much better than the outer-ring arrow she had shot earlier.
—That's right! Just like that, while you haven't forgotten that feeling, take a few more shots!
—And tell your Young Lady later that when she has nothing to do, she should let you come here to practice a few times. You're a Runaway, so you need to improve your terrible concentration. Don't expect me to help you run on the Racecourse then; I won't help you.
It was no wonder Eclipse was so concerned about this; it seemed she had indeed been looking for opportunities to help her correct these old habits.
"Kagura, take a short break and drink some water—Oh, you can already hit the bullseye? You're very talented!"
Not long after Eclipse lifted the possession, Rudolph Symbol returned with bottled water. Seeing the additional arrows on the distant target, she raised her eyebrows in surprise.
The arrow in the bullseye was perfectly straight, clearly hitting the bullseye directly through aiming, not some random lucky shot. Considering that Kagura was a beginner who couldn't even hold a bow steadily just moments ago, Rudolph Symbol couldn't help but feel shocked.
"Hehehe... It was just an accident... Um, Young Lady, I feel like practicing archery might help me train my concentration. Can I come here to practice more often in the future?"
"Yes, yes, of course you can. I was afraid you wouldn't be interested, Kagura. There are also several sets of protective gear and bows here, and no one usually comes here. You can come whenever you want."
Hearing that Kagura wanted to use archery to train her concentration, Rudolph Symbol was naturally even more pleased. She had previously been worried about how to ignite Kagura's competitive spirit and help her develop a competitive athlete's mindset. Since Kagura was willing to actively train her concentration, it meant she also wanted to run better, and Rudolph Symbol was naturally delighted about this.
"To be honest, after all this time, you're the first student who has told me they're interested in archery... Kagura, you really do surprise me often."
"Is that so? Is Young Lady usually the only one here?"
"Pretty much. Very few others come here, after all, there are indeed few such enthusiasts. Students are usually busy with training, and when they're free, they just want to rest properly, so naturally, no one comes."
Although the Archery Club wouldn't be abolished because of her, it had been a long time since new members joined, and this problem genuinely existed. This time, meeting Kagura, who was interested in it, Rudolph Symbol felt a sense of joy, like finding a kindred spirit.
"Then I'll be bothering you a lot from now on, okay?"
"I couldn't ask for a better bother! Come on, let's practice a few more shots!"
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