Otake Youko

The following weeks were nothing short of hectic in Japan in light of the Matoi Corporation Scandal as vultures swarmed to have their fill of a rotting carcass. Companies acquired assets, workers were laid off and even politicians were sacked and arrested, some of them being sentenced to the **** penalty as political parties were left in total shambles.

Youko never cared all that much for politics or business matters, but she had to admit, seeing a huge corporate power like Matoi collapse so quickly was nothing short of surprising.

'Big Sis did always complain about Matoi Corp, something about being too powerful for the police to touch...'

Such thoughts were fleeting, unimportant to her as she loosed another arrow, finding her mark.

"Ah, crap, I'm really nowhere near as good as I should be..."

Youko resisted the urge to sigh as she saw the results of the former Club President's archery practice; most of his arrows were close to the target, with even one or two bullseyes. Only rigorous training and constant practice could allow an archer to attain such accuracy, and he said he was nowhere near as good as he should be?

"Why do you say that, Misao-san?" Youko questioned with a deadpan tone.

"Believe it or not, and not to boast, but I used to be much better than this," Misao scratched his head sheepishly, "You could say with the mass desertion of club members, I haven't been practicing as much."

"Then isn't it good you have me and Eothai now?" Youko asked, setting aside her bow, "Though we still lack the minimum number of club members needed."

"You're right on that," Misao sighed.

Misao and Youko worked hard to print flyers advertising the archery club, pasting them on bulletin boards where people were likely to notice them, but so far they failed to attract interest. If it persisted and they failed to meet the quota by the deadline, they'd be **** to disband. None of them wanted this to happen, Misao due to his loyalty to the club, Eothai and Youko because they found a suitable hobby at school to while away the time.

"I really don't get the guys at Gohanyama; why go for football, basketball or other sports and not archery?" Misao whined, his face turning sour, "Don't they get that Gohanyama's Archery Club even went to nationals, once?"

"They flopped so badly in Nationals that they became the laughingstock of Japan," Youko answered, "Some say they crumbled under pressure, others say they were easily discouraged by superior opponents. Whatever the case, the archery club's reputation has since gone downhill, hence why no one really wants to sign up for it."

"Fuck me, no wonder," Misao groaned, "How come I didn't hear of it until now, and how did you know?"

"I did some digging around in my spare time," Youko answered with a shrug, "And according to what I found out, this incident happened about four years ago."

"So before I entered High School," Misao groaned, "At least I know now. But damn, we really have a high hurdle to overcome, don't we?"

"Then we simply need to challenge another school to an archery contest," Eothai suggested, speaking up from nearby corner where he was busy reading.

Both Misao and Youko looked at Eothai as if he sprouted three heads.

"Wait, what? Seriously? That's the best you can come up with?" Misao said with disbelief.

"And exactly how many schools are willing to entertain such a sudden and asinine challenge, especially from a disgraced archery club?" Youko questioned, as if to point out a silly mistake, "You do realise they can just turn us down, right?"

"I am aware it is risky with low odds of success," Eothai shrugged, "And yet if we do not score a victory, especially against a strong opponent, we cannot hope to banish this reputation of weakness and restore school confidence in the archery club. It's not a mere possible option, it's a mandatory criterion we must fulfil."

"...I take you already singled out an opponent for us to compete against?" Asked Youko.

"Youko-san!? You're agreeing with him?" Misao asked incredulously.

"He's clearly given this a lot of thought, and I have to admit he does make a valid point," Said Youko, "And I finally found a club I want to join; no way I want to let it disband like this."

Misao sighed, "Guess I'm outvoted, then. By the way, which school did you have in mind?"

"Kobe High School," Eothai answered.

And this time, Misao completely lost his composure, grabbing Eothai by the collar and shaking him with bloodshot eyes of anger and fear.

"Why the fuck did you have to pick that school of all places!?"

Youko, on the other hand, simply facepalmed.

Kobe High School, being the prestigious school of the entire prefecture famed for producing top athletes in all of Kobe and Hyogo Prefecture by extension, was thrice as large as Gohanyama with four times as many students. According to available information online, its school grounds were occupied by large indoor stadiums, gyms and other sports facilities from swimming pools to racetracks, all of which cost more than quintuple Gohanyama's annual budget to maintain.

The match would not take place at Kobe High School, however, but at Gohanyama with visitors from Kobe High, and right now, the Archery Club members were busy waiting outside the school gate for their guests.

Misao clutched his stomach at the onset of grueling abdominal pain, feeling an ulcer form from sheer stress.

"Oh, why did I agree to this?" Misao muttered, his face sunken with depression, "If I lose here, I'll be the laughingstock of all of Gohanyama."

"Is this why you suggested we come here after school hours?" Questioned Youko, "And besides, how did you even meet with people from that High School when you're not even allowed in without proper permission?"

"I met one of their archery club members while practicing at the Kobe Kyodo [1] Archery Range," Eothai answered, "He saw my talent, then we agreed to a friendly duel which I won, and then he introduced himself to me before challenging me and our entire club to a duel."

"Uh-huh, and surely you didn't suggest to him the idea?" Youko asked with narrowed eyes.

Eothai held up his hands, "I swear to the Gods, he approached me first. It just so happened he was very insistent and was even willing to make the trip to Gohanyama with volunteers during club hours to uphold the duel, or so he said."

Youko scratched her head in befuddlement, then shrugged in nonchalance.

"Oh well, at least I'll get some decently tough opponents to face," Youko said.

"And I guarantee you will not be disappointed."

They turned to face a tall, handsome young man dressed in stylish school uniform at the school gates, his eyes sharp and his posture rigid and dignified. With the stereotypical appearance of a bookish man blessed with high intellect, one could easily mistake him for a person who preferred intellectual pursuits to sports. Accompanying him were two other students, each looking very confident and gazing upon Eothai's club with inquisitiveness.

"Good to see you've here, Eothai," Said the sharp-looking student, "And these two are...?"

"My fellow members of the Gohanyama Archery Club," Eothai answered, "Is your club ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Said the sharp-looking student, "Shall we get started?"

"Follow us," Eothai beckoned.

[1] Kyudo - The name for traditional Japanese archery, closely associated with Zen Buddhism. Translates as 'The Technique of the Bow'.