Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 129: Shoot One Arrow, Exert a Lifetime’s Strength

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Shoot One Arrow, Exert a Lifetime’s Strength

The Ogasawara family is renowned for its rigorous and strict etiquette.

Etiquette, horseback archery, senchado, kyudo... all these are included.

The first ancestor dates back over 700 years.

The current 32nd head, Ogasawara Cho, is the eldest son of Ogasawara Shikyo Fan Shi.

"I thought learning from Ogasawara sensei here would be intense, but it’s unexpectedly relaxing."

"Relaxed it may be, but do you understand the breathing technique the teacher talks about?"

"No, but when Ogasawara sensei draws the bow, he let me feel his arm muscles, and they were truly relaxed! While when we draw the bow, our muscles tense up tightly, it’s so stiff."

"Sigh, I really can’t figure out how the teacher does it."

A day and a half mostly wasted meaninglessly for the Kyudo Club members.

Uesugi Sakura calmly watched the clear water of the stream, listening to the chirping of night cicadas.

"Uesugi, your barbecue."

"Thank you."

Uesugi Sakura took the barbecue, watching the water splash against the stones as he ate.

"Why doesn’t Uesugi join in on barbecuing?" asked Sakurai Fumiko, carrying a bunch of vegetables and sitting beside the cold Ogata Asaka.

"Ah, senior, didn’t you know? This time, Senior Uesugi can only sit." Chitose Mai said while roasting vegetables.

"Only sit?"

"Yeah, last time everyone ate senior’s barbecue, it was so salty — either too much salt or it was roasted too dry, completely lost the look of food."

"Eh, shouldn’t barbecue just be roasted until it’s golden?" Sakurai Fumiko, who missed the last gathering due to an urgent matter, asked.

Hearing the girls’ chat, Hirata Masanobu laughed slightly, "Feel the nature of the ingredients sincerely, just like practicing kyudo, you need to barbeque with a calm heart, a chaotic mind introduces emotional toxins into cooking."

Kanai Hideyoshi took a bite of venison on the skewer, glanced at him, "Do you think Uesugi’s mindset isn’t as calm as yours?"

Hirata Masanobu held his head, laughing, "Haha, in terms of archery and kyudo, indeed he’s better than me."

Chitose Mai flipped the vegetables in her hand, sizzling under the fiery charcoal.

She raised her beautiful eyebrows and said, "So, Senior Hirata was lying just now?"

"Lying... not necessarily, I think it made quite some sense."

Suddenly thought of something, Chitose Mai asked, "Saw it online?"

Hirata Masanobu chuckled, "Correct."

Chitose Mai exclaimed, "Ah~ What Senior Hirata says is completely untrustworthy."

Uesugi Sakura silently heard them discussing him, finishing half of the venison on the barbecue rack.

As they seemed unable to find a topic, they just kept discussing "why Uesugi can’t cook."

Ultimately, they concluded to ask him directly.

"Senior, why?"

"Ask me?" Uesugi Sakura patted his stomach, "Probably no need, I don’t want to learn."

In reality, his cooking was fixed at -10 from the start, only improving to -9, and no further.

"Hmm, mostly just being lazy," he added after thinking a bit.

Ogata Asaka, who sat together with everyone but stayed silent, said, "He has a sister to cook for him, so naturally, he doesn’t need to learn to cook."

The mentioned sister is Hanabi.

The Kyudo Club sometimes teased him about this.

What’s with him randomly talking about relationships?

Uesugi Sakura inexplicably felt there were hidden meanings in her words, suddenly remembering she too had a sister.

"Hanabi-chan?"

Upon hearing Hanamaru Hanabi mentioned, Chitose Mai pondered, "Ah~ why didn’t senior bring Hanabi-chan along for the training camp? The Kyudo Club has only three girls, and Senior Sister Ogata isn’t fond of talking, it’s so dull."

"She’s not in the Kyudo Club."

Uesugi Sakura actually wanted to bring Hanamaru Hanabi, but unfortunately, there were many restrictions, and no reason seemed fitting.

Couldn’t just have her over to watch everyone’s training.

Shaking his head, he gave up the idea and decided to chat with her while soaking in the hot springs instead.

——————

Days without a girlfriend around are quite dull.

On the third day, everyone still hadn’t grasped the breathing rhythm after the afternoon training, leaving them quite frustrated.

"Have you all thought about where the problem might be?"

Ogasawara Shikyo Fan Shi, dressed in a pristine kyudo uniform, walked hands behind his back. His stern appearance reflected the seriousness of his youth.

Most of the Kyudo Club members looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion.

After two days, without any enlightenment, they felt ashamed, even doubting if they were cut out for Kyudo.

Sugita Shuhei sat quietly on the side without speaking.

"What do you think, Uesugi?" Ogasawara Shikyo suddenly turned to ask him, and all Kyudo Club members turned their gazes toward him.

—If Hanabi were in this situation, she’d feel enormously pressured, yet Uesugi Sakura was indifferent to their gazes.

"Too serious, perhaps."

His words left everyone puzzled.

What does being too serious mean? Isn’t serious study and research a good thing?

"That’s exactly it."

Unexpectedly, Ogasawara Shikyo Fan Shi laughed, then faced the members kneeling in the Kyudo Field.

"For the past two days, I’ve seen everyone’s efforts and enthusiasm."

"You’ve diligently studied my words, but do you know why I say you’re too serious?"

Ogasawara Shikyo slowly turned, picked up his bamboo bow, and drew an imaginary bowstring.

His arm seemed relaxed, effortless.

"When drawing a bow, what should you pay attention to? Action, posture, position, breathing coordination, and breathing."

"—All these actions complement each other, but what did you only focus on during the past few days of training?"

"Breathing, only breathing."

"You were thinking hard about how to do it, wanting to achieve a similar rhythm and tempo as mine; you focused all your attention on breathing, as if there were no other tasks."

Ogasawara Shikyo then put down the bow, gazing at the suddenly enlightened members.

"During archery, it’s not just about breathing."

"As for why I mentioned your problem only now, quoting ’Bow Saint’ Awa Kenzo—"

"If you show the problem from the start, it won’t convince you of the decisive role breathing practice plays. Like struggling in water makes you grasp the life saver thrown to you sincerely only after enduring hardship."

"And that life saver, in your mind, becomes very clear."

"Shoot an arrow, exert all life effort."

"Please remember this saying."

In the following days, those participating in team and individual events underwent hellish training.

On the last day of the training camp.

In this bamboo forest dojo, the five people who practiced for a week showed their form to the caring teacher Ogasawara Fan Shi.

The clear blue sky, the swaying green bamboo, and the sound of the bowstrings echoed through the sky, blending seamlessly.

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