Chapter 7: Talent (2)

“That target looks good.”

The target closest to us.

It looked to be about 25 meters away, so it wouldn’t be a bad choice for our first practice.

Shione, who was standing at the spot I designated, was letting her bow hang down, waiting for my next instructions.

Without delay, I demonstrated directly how she should proceed, explaining the method.

“Notch the arrow on the string. This bow has weak tension, so like this. Use your index and thumb to grip the tip of the arrow.”

“Uhmm… like this, is it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hmm. This looks different from what you just used.”

She has already noticed my fingers again. I never imagined she would pay attention to such details.

I thought she would only be able to see if the bow shot well.

It seemed she was carefully observing not just how straight the bow was, but the entire method and process leading up to shooting.

She seemed more eager than I expected, which wasn’t a bad thing for someone in my teaching position.

“What I just used was a different method.”

“Are you not going to teach me that technique?”

“Isn’t this your first time holding a bow, Shione? It would be better to get accustomed to the bow using this method first before learning that.”

I strongly felt that the split-finger method wouldn’t suit her at this moment.

I didn’t want to see her give up after struggling with the more complicated Mediterranean-style method when there was an easier pinch-style method available.

It seemed I conveyed my thoughts well enough, as Shione nodded in understanding.

“Turn sideways toward the target. Then, raise your arms so you can shoot.”

“Yes, archers certainly took this position. Is this right?”

“It is right, but… your arms are a bit low.”

“Do you mean to raise them higher?”

“Yes, raise your arms until they are parallel to the ground.”

“Ugh.”

Oh no, she’s much weaker than I thought…

Trying to lift not just her body but also the weight of the bow in her hands seems to make it quite hard to hold it horizontally.

As a result, her arms kept dropping to a suitable height and then rising again repeatedly.

No, sis, what are you doing? We haven’t even pulled the string yet!

My sister was much weaker than I had imagined.

“…Your stance keeps getting off.”

“…………The bow is heavier than I expected. Let me try a bit longer.”

I didn’t think just waiting would solve this issue.

I set my bow down and approached her from behind.

“I will help you with your stance from behind.”

“What?”

“Excuse me.”

I moved behind Shione and opened my arms as if to hug her.

Her frame was quite larger than mine, so it turned into an embrace.

My left hand supported her arm, while my right hand was ready to assist her right arm, which would soon draw the string.

“How is this?”

“…Isn’t this too close?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“Hmm…”

“Oh.”

It seemed Shione was getting lost in strange thoughts during this sacred teaching moment.

How dare she, when I’m trying so hard to teach her?

I felt a strong urge to smack her with a loving switch for my disciple, but the gap between a teacher and a student felt as vast as heaven and earth, making it frustrating to not be able to act freely.

I subtly shook my head.

“It’s fine. What does it matter if our bodies touch? Don’t worry about it.”

“Still, it’s not just that.”

“Did I get anything on my body?” I asked, as if it were water.

“No, that’s not…”

“Then there’s no problem. Now, let’s focus on the bow instead of our bodies.”

“…Understood.”

I couldn’t understand why my rather unremarkable body was a cause for concern.

One of the most perplexing reactions I encountered after falling into this world was precisely this.

Well, in the end, I had no choice but to be cautious first.

I refocused on my explanation.

“Good. Turn your left arm a bit this way so it can support the bow properly.”

“Is this enough?”

“That’s just right. Now all that’s left is to draw the string and shoot.”

She had placed the arrow on the string using the pinch-style method I had taught her earlier.

Now all that was left was to slowly draw the string using a dead release.

“Now, pull the string back until your palm touches your chin, with your elbow angled up at a shallow diagonal.”

Shivering.

“It’s harder to pull than I thought. Is this how it usually is?”

“The bowstring must have tension for the arrow to fly forward. If it’s really difficult, you could use mana…”

Ah, mana. She definitely mentioned in a near-mournful monologue yesterday that she had reached the level of a sword user. Given her current state, it was hard to believe that, but if what she said was true, she must have quite a bit of mana.

If she had used mana to lift the bow or draw the string, she wouldn’t have needed my help at all. Why did this thought just come to me now?

Moreover, I couldn’t understand why Shione was wasting her mana like this.

“Now it’s going a bit better.”

Shione, who had begun to use her mana, drew the string steadily.

Following my instructions, her palm touched her chin.

Since she had managed to get this far, it would be best to keep supporting her until she could shoot completely.

I started to explain again.

“This position is the basic stance.”

“I’ll remember the basic stance.”

“It’s okay to fail the first time; just aim for that target as you feel. If you’re too off, I’ll help you.”

“Mm.”

Not long after, Shione finished her aim.

“Okay, now release your grip from the arrow.”

Thwack!

The first arrow left Shione’s hand.

Her eyes followed the arrow closely.

Thump!

Her arrow hit the target.

It wasn’t in the center, but it wasn’t at the edge either.

Seeing her arrow stick into the target from a distance of 25 meters, Shione gazed at her hand in wonder.

“I’ll do it myself this time.”

Shione shot another arrow just as I had shown her.

Thwack!

This time, her arrow hit the edge.

“I think I’m starting to understand how to do this.”

She shot again.

This time, she hit closer to the center than the edge.

“Once more.”

After carefully aiming with a dead release, she let go.

Her gaze was fixed on the arrow, which had become one with her focus.

“You hit the center cleanly.”

“Somehow, I feel like if I shoot again, I can hit the center once more. What do you think?”

“That can only be known by shooting again.”

“…I will shoot again.”

“I’ll bring you an arrow.”

Shione accepted the arrow I handed her and focused once more.

Her eyes were starkly different from when she was lounging on the bed, munching on cookies.

The vague, unfocused look she had was nowhere to be found, and seeing her eyes immersed in concentration felt refreshing.

I never thought I would see such eyes from her, except when she was eating.

Did I save her, in a way?

“Thank you.”

Shione, having received the arrow, immediately took action.

Thwack! Thump!

Once again, the arrow hit the center.

As she quietly observed the result she had created, she took her quiver and moved to a different position.

From the 25-meter target to a target that looked about 40 meters away.

I silently watched her.

“Do you think I can hit this one as well?”

She picked up an arrow and assumed her stance, but as it came time to shoot, she asked nervously.

Hitting or missing was another story. The distance looked nearly 50 meters.

It was a bit tough for someone who had only shot a bow three or four times to aim for the center.

Moreover, unlike the bows used in Earth’s archery, hers didn’t have a sight. Plus, the cold morning wind was making it sway.

To be honest, I thought her arrow would miss or barely graze the edge of the target.

However, right now, I didn’t want to say anything discouraging.

“The arrow draws the most satisfying trajectory when its owner trusts themselves without wavering. Just—”

Shione glanced at me while drawing the string in a dead release.

“Clear your mind and shoot. You will hit it.”

“Alright.”

Whizz!

This arrow made a sharp sound as it flew, unlike the previous ones.

Thwack!

In an instant, the shot arrow embedded itself in the target.

It wasn’t the center. However, it wasn’t at the edge either.

What mattered to her was that her arrow had hit the target itself.

“…I hit it!”

The corners of her mouth, which always drooped, arched up in a parabola.

Having succeeded in hitting it once, her confidence seemed to have grown, as she shot two more arrows.

She could have thought that getting one lucky shot was a fluke, but every arrow she shot landed in the target.

“…No, I’m shooting better than I did at the beginning.”

I was holding a compound bow, a far superior mechanical bow compared to the one she was using.

I recalled that back then, I had aimed at a target around 50 meters away, just like her. However, my arrows rarely reached the target; at best, they barely grazed the edge.

I thought I was merely introducing her to a hobby, but perhaps she had found her talent instead.

In the midst of this, Shione called out to me in a crumpled posture.

“Could you come and help me?”

“Help? You mean?”

Wasn’t she shooting well just a moment ago?

“This time, I want to achieve it using only what I have, without relying on mana.”

She moved to aim at the target 70 meters away and began to draw the bowstring again, trembling arms in tow.

“I feel like I can have confidence in myself with just one shot.”

“…Just a moment, please. I’ll be right there to help.”

I approached her and supported her left arm as it came down with the bow, helping her gradually draw the string by herself.

Once her stance was established, she suppressed her trembling right arm as much as possible and aimed the bow.

“I’ll let go now.”

“Thank you.”

I lowered my hands, which had been helping her arm.

And then…

Inhale.

Shione’s breath stopped, and in a moment of stillness, a line was shot forth.

At the same time, her arm extended.

Unbeknownst to her that her posture had become awkward, she seemed to pour all her nerves into that one shot, beads of sweat trickling down her face.

“Hah, haha.”

Her laughter sounded weak, like air escaping from a balloon.

Then, a smile brighter and more radiant than ever appeared on Shione’s face.

“I may not have done well with the sword, but with the bow… it might be different.”

The arrow had indeed found its way into the target.

Though it might have been a stroke of luck, it was enough to show her the possibility she had longed for.

Shione turned around with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes as she met my gaze.

“Will you continue to teach me how to shoot?”

“Of course.”

“If that’s the case…”

As the sun began to rise and the sky turned red at the horizon, she promised from this spot.

“…I want to come here every day at this time.”

Shione, who had been hesitating, spoke with a determined expression.

“Can you help me?”

I nodded in agreement with Shione’s words.

“That’s a good choice.”

From spoiled food to fermented products, my former self, who had been rotting away in the corner, began to change.