He didn't need to look after his younger brother; even among siblings, they needed free time to participate in different club activities, so they usually went home separately after school.
Upon arriving at the Archery Club, most of the members were maintaining their bows and arrows, while the Club President and a Senpai seemed to be arguing about something in the corner.
"Imagawa Senpai, Nanchuan Club President, long time no see."
Higashiyama Shin walked over and greeted them.
"Ah, Dongshan-kun is finally here! Quick, quick, come and curb Imagawa's arrogance! He's acting as if he's too good for me, his Club President, just because he has some skill! Wuwu, to openly challenge me in broad daylight, it's too heartbreaking, wuwuwu."
Nanchuan Qingzi looked at Higashiyama Shin as if he were a savior, quickly grabbing his arm to complain.
The person being openly accused was Imagawa Takaya, a skilled archer from the Archery Club; he stood rigidly with his arms crossed in front of the wall of honor, calmly watching Nanchuan Qingzi's actions.
"...Club President, in archery competitions, what truly matters is individual skill," Imagawa Takaya nodded to Higashiyama Shin, then continued to stare at Nanchuan Qingzi, "not... so-called archery etiquette. And Dongshan-kun is not part of your skill."
"Dongshan-kun, tell me, aren't you a loyal subordinate of my Archery Club?" Nanchuan Qingzi looked at Higashiyama Shin with teary eyes, tugging on his sleeve, half-hiding behind him.
"...Loyalty!" Higashiyama Shin sighed, cooperatively shouting the slogan to humor this dramatic Club President.
Nanchuan Qingzi was always very dramatic, so this was nothing new.
She was also a fan of anime, occasionally practicing archery while dressed in elaborate cosplay outfits; that was fine, but when the mood struck her, she would even say things like, "Bonds, friendship, witness my demon-sealing power!"—lines that were off-the-charts cringe-worthy.
Like now, she was wearing a green and white outfit with a red bow tie, clearly not a Komagome Academy uniform, cosplaying some unknown anime character.
"Haha, see? You rebel, as long as 'Archery Fledgling' Dongshan-kun is here, you won't take my position as Club President!" Nanchuan's expression instantly changed; she put her hands on her hips, arrogantly challenging Imagawa.
"..."
Imagawa's expression was cold, looking at her as if she were a madwoman.
This person should join the Drama Club.
Higashiyama Shin listened to their conversation for a while and understood what was happening.
In archery, there had always been a saying that etiquette was more important than hitting the target, emphasizing the so-called archery etiquette and "truth, goodness, and beauty." It was a set of ritualistic archery procedures that sometimes led to neglecting the development of true archery technique.
It got to the point where some newcomers were as skilled as robots at assembling and disassembling bows and nocking arrows, perfectly remembering the eight steps of shooting, but their arrows, if not entirely missing the target, at best barely hit it.
Imagawa Takaya was never a talkative person, earning him the nickname "Silent Archery Heartthrob"; if he hadn't truly reached his limit, he wouldn't have brought up this issue with the Club President.
So, during the discussion about recruiting new members and training plans this year, the two argued because their opinions differed.
There are a few sayings in archery, such as "correct shooting will surely hit" and "the arrow shot will not lie," which emphasize the unification of the archery process with spirit and etiquette. As for the actual score, it is sometimes secondary.
Learning manners and a righteous heart through archery is the key.
Of course, hitting the target is still quite important, but there isn't much emphasis on the rings hit, because those targets don't have rings.
Therefore, in competition scoring, the proportion of etiquette is very important.
He remembered that Imagawa Senpai's etiquette score was not high enough, so even if he hit the bullseye, he couldn't pass the Kanto High School selection competition.
In fact, all that talk, in Higashiyama Shin's personal understanding, was similar to tea ceremony or flower arrangement: using complicated etiquette to cultivate so-called noble temperament.
Kendo and Judo were a bit better, emphasizing skill more; if you couldn't win, you just couldn't win.
"In short, it is only by relying on the experience summarized by generations of our predecessors that we can fill this wall of honor! And even more importantly, the allocation of funds! Etiquette training must be the most important, and on this point, the instructor agrees with me."
Perhaps her dramatic urge was temporarily satisfied, as Nanchuan also regained some seriousness and gave an irrefutable reason.
Among students participating in club activities, besides personal interest, more often it was about spending youth with companions and striving for so-called glory. This was a matter concerning the entire club and could not sacrifice the interests of others due to the will of a few.
On this point, Imagawa also had nothing to say.
Seeing Imagawa's silence, Nanchuan wanted to press her advantage, hoping to change Imagawa's perspective and make him prioritize etiquette more, to prevent another elimination due to etiquette scores.
Dongshan stood up, taking a neutral stance and mediating the situation with a few impartial, 'just a passerby' remarks, temporarily halting Nanchuan's pursuit.
On the first day of school, Nanchuan, as the Club President, still had many things to deal with. Seeing that Dongshan was helping to keep Imagawa occupied, she left to do other tasks.
"Want to have a match?"
After Nanchuan left, Imagawa regained his composure, looked at Dongshan, and asked.
"Please."
Dongshan took out his Japanese bow, which he kept at the Archery Club, and weighed it a few times. Due to the effect of the Mortal Transformation Pill, it felt somewhat light.
Neither of them liked the complicated etiquette; they enjoyed the achievement of hitting the target more.
So they skipped the etiquette steps, merely performing a brief maintenance, then both stood in the shooting area.
The Archery Club only had a maximum range of twenty-eight meters; to shoot further, they only had the opportunity during club training camps.
"Target changed!"
A club member, familiar with their situation, proactively replaced the clear black and white thirty-six-centimeter traditional target with a sixty-centimeter ten-ring target.
The match between the two top-tier archers of the Archery Club immediately attracted the attention of others, who spontaneously gathered around, whispering and watching the two.
"Three arrows." Imagawa nocked his bow and aimed, releasing the string in two breaths. The string twanged loudly, and the arrow instantly plunged into the target face, its fletching quivering.
Trial shot score: seven rings.
"Good."
Higashiyama Shin did not take a trial shot. Instead, he took a deep breath, took his stance, and concentrated. His spiritual fire eyes instinctively activated, making the target twenty-eight meters away seem as if it were right in front of him. He could even predict the trajectory of the arrow as if it were a game.
Why did it activate automatically for him? It really caused him trouble.
He forcibly suppressed this ability, aimed, and shot.
The official first arrow.
Imagawa: 8
Dongshan: 8
When the results were announced, applause erupted in the dojo. After returning from spring break, they could still maintain such a feel directly, making the other club members envious.
Imagawa's stiff expression revealed a faint smile; he liked this kind of evenly matched strength.
Second arrow.
Imagawa: 9
Dongshan: 10
A slight commotion arose in the dojo. Not to mention a ten-ring shot, even hitting the bullseye of a traditional target was something they wouldn't dare claim they could consistently do in a match.
Imagawa was somewhat surprised, his eyes growing even hotter.
Third arrow.
Imagawa: 9
Dongshan: 9
The victory was decided.
"Imagawa Senpai, it seems I'm in good form today, a narrow victory by one point."
Higashiyama Shin said with a smile.
Imagawa shook his head: "No need to let me win."
Dongshan smiled but said nothing.
His previous strength was slightly inferior to Imagawa's, with more losses than wins, but now, as long as his spiritual fire eyes existed, even without actively using them, he could easily defeat the opponent.
The two competed for several more rounds, and Dongshan only "lost" one game.
"According to Club Rule No. 72, after a match, the Club President has the right to bestow honorary titles!"
Nanchuan returned, and after learning the results of the match from other onlookers, she excitedly "super-evolved" Higashiyama Shin's nickname from "Archery Fledgling" to "Archery Rayquaza."
What the heck? Does that mean there's also Archery Groudon and Archery Kyogre?
"No, no, no, it's Judo Groudon and Swim Club Kyogre!" Nanchuan Qingzi corrected him with a rare serious expression.
Finally, under Higashiyama Shin's protest, Nanchuan could only reluctantly bestow the more modest title of "Archery Divine Eagle," implying a period of biding one's time.
PS: Regarding archery, it's pure nonsense, unexplainable, a parallel universe.