Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 36: The Kyudo Club, Continuing to Grow.

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The Kyudo Club, Continuing to Grow.

Surprisingly, Uesugi Sakura didn’t feel resistant to what Chitose Mai suggested.

"What advantages would there be if I became a girl?"

Chitose Mai was surprised and opened her mouth in astonishment, "You don’t really want to become a girl, do you, senpai? Although, that wouldn’t be so bad."

Saying this, she gave a small smile and started to enthusiastically pitch the advantages of her gender.

"Being a girl has lots of perks. You can be cute, pretty, act tsundere, be silly, be gentle, be aloof, wear cute skirts, little accessories, and there are so many other things I can’t even list."

"But that’s not a reason for me to give up my own gender." Uesugi Sakura suddenly noticed a baseball flying over and hitting the wire mesh fence, making a crisp sound.

"Then what kind of girls does senpai like?" Chitose Mai glanced at the sound but quickly turned back to continue asking.

"Why ask this kind of stuff?"

"So I can woo you like in a game, where the male lead woos the heroine," she said casually, looking ahead, and took a piece of gum from her pocket and popped it into her mouth.

"?"

Uesugi Sakura increasingly found it hard to understand the girl named Chitose Mai, remembering some game plot that Tsubokawa mentioned recently,

"Are you approaching me just to make me fall for you like in a galgame, then dump me as revenge?"

He didn’t recall ever offending her.

"Of course not, haha. I didn’t expect someone like you to know about galgames, have you played them?"

Chitose Mai laughed, genuinely surprised,

"I’ve played ’White Album 2’, ’Steins;Gate’, and ’CLANNAD’ at home. Galgames are quite interesting. Want to play together?"

"No, I’ve only heard of them, but haven’t played." Uesugi Sakura replied.

"Then you must try them, senpai! You’ll definitely thank me once you play them!"

Saying this, she smiled again, looking quite pleased.

"Alright."

Uesugi Sakura nodded, turning his gaze back to the Kyudo Club not far ahead, intrigued by the games she was so enthusiastic about. If the opportunity arises, he might give them a try since it’s a field he’s never ventured into before.

The Kyudo Club, upon entering, revealed a familiar dojo. The wheat-colored floor was unmarked, shiny, and polished.

Under the "Seisha Hicchu" plaque at the upper right of the dojo lay several longbows of different sizes, neatly arranged on a rack.

The seniors stood on the shooting lines at the front of the dojo, wearing white feather weave kimonos, black hakama pants, drawing bows with a steady gaze, standing firm and stable.

The aloof Ogata Asaka, the sunny Hirata Masanobu, the short-haired Sakurai Fumiko, Minister Seisuke Yooya, and three other students whose names Uesugi Sakura didn’t yet know, stood in a line.

As he removed his shoes and entered, he took a deliberate glance at the senior on the far left, Sugita Shuhei, noting how distinctly different his demeanor was from the others.

For a moment, Uesugi Sakura couldn’t find the right word to describe him: poised? stern? mature?

They all seemed right but not quite.

At this moment, having just shot an arrow, Seisuke Yooya noticed the two entering the dojo and walked over with a smile to greet them:

"Uesugi, Chitose."

"Yes." Uesugi Sakura nodded to him.

"Minister!" Chitose Mai called out to him, "Can we change the training method today? Yesterday, standing all afternoon; my legs and hands still hurt."

"No,"

Seisuke Yooya declined her request without thinking, "This posture is a fundamental basic. Without solid foundational skills, you can’t learn Kyudo properly."

As he spoke, he placed the longbow he was holding on the rack in the dojo, removing his deerskin gloves and hanging them on the rack,

"This posture requires at least a week’s practice. Otherwise, you won’t even be able to pull the bow, and might injure yourself on the bowstring. This is a precaution for safety."

"Muscle building is also essential for practicing Kyudo."

"Alright then." Chitose Mai nodded disappointedly in response.

"It’s actually not so bad, just a week—it’ll pass quickly. It’s also the first hurdle in learning Kyudo; after that, you’ll get to practice in hakama."

"Minister Seisuke." Uesugi Sakura called out.

"Is something wrong?" Seisuke Yooya looked at him.

"I want to participate in the national Kyudo championships. Any advice?"

This question was better directed to a professional; it was much more reliable than the mess he found online.

Chitose Mai looked at Uesugi Sakura in surprise, "You’re already planning to join a national competition, senpai?"

"Oh?"

Seisuke Yooya smiled nonchalantly, "My advice would be to practice diligently, step by step. If you learn quickly, you can master it in a month, then you should be ready to participate in a county-level event."

Uesugi Sakura didn’t expect to reach the sky in one swift move; he continued to ask:

"When is the national Kyudo competition?"

"There’s one in September this year."

This tone... Seisuke Yooya suddenly realized the person in front of him was serious,

"If you’re serious, there’s a district event in May and in June, our school will co-host a sports festival with four other high schools, and there will be a Kyudo competition. You can gain some competitive experience then, which could aid your personal growth."

Two months left...

Uesugi Sakura nodded to him, speaking calmly, "Alright, no problem. I’ll practice earnestly."

"Good, keep it up."

Seisuke Yooya smiled encouragingly at him; he admired people with goals who strive for them, and he would do his best to offer support, though he didn’t think Uesugi Sakura could secure a significant ranking.

Even in high school Kyudo competitions, teams hit the target about six out of ten shots. Standing out relies more on mental discipline and alignment with organizational rules.

This isn’t something that can be achieved in a mere month.

As for national Kyudo competitions... there’s no need to mention it—those who place are often extraordinarily skilled.

Seisuke Yooya instinctively glanced at Sugita Shuhei on the shooting line.

...

The remaining new club members gathered, although many were still missing.

Next, it was training time as usual.

Due to physical fatigue and soreness, everyone’s standing posture became wobbly; half the day went by without them achieving the correct stance.

Uesugi Sakura also found it challenging to maintain the stability he had yesterday; the physical pain easily impacted his mental state, making him feel lazy altogether.

Nevertheless, he diligently maintained the posture of raising his hand and drawing the bow while watching the senior members train in archery, secretly extracting proficiency for his own accuracy.

[Accuracy Lv4 (2/8)]

The time slowly flowed...

[Accuracy Lv4 (3/8)]

At this moment, Uesugi Sakura suddenly thought of a question: wasn’t he supposed to use the system to be a "salty fish"? Why was he working so hard now?

While continuing to gain proficiency, he fell deeply into self-doubt.