「We’re here」
「Yeah」
Jered-kun and I arrived at the training grounds.
As usual, aside from the rice bale targets, the place was completely empty. After checking the condition of the bales, we got ready to shoot.
Whenever we’re preparing like this, I always remember bowling alleys from my past life.
That feeling you get when you’re putting on the shoes or picking out a ball… somehow it’s kind of the same. Not that it really matters.
「By the way」
「Hmm?」
「How’s your magic practice going, Jered-kun?」
「Ah, I haven’t really been doing much」
I asked because I suddenly remembered the first time I tried using fire magic here.
By the way, Jered-kun can use wind magic.
I saw it once… but it was just a small breeze. Honestly, even the most worn-out fan back on Earth could’ve made a better gust…
「You’re allowed to practice magic though, right?」
「Yeah, as long as you don’t aim it at people, it’s fine」
「Hmm」
「But I like archery more than magic. I want to focus on the bow」
As he said that, Jered-kun lifted his bow lightly and smiled.
I kind of like magic more than archery though. Maybe that’s because I’m originally from Earth?
If you’re a human from Earth, you’d probably want to try magic over a bow, right?
Well, even I don’t actually practice magic. Fire magic is forbidden without my parents around, and being an elf living in the forest, I don’t really get chances to use fire magic anyway.
So it feels pointless to go out of my way to call my parents just so I can practice.
Besides, after paying tributes to Laudette-san every other week and getting my stats appraised, I’ve learned that except for leveling up, there’s almost no other way to increase them.
Practicing fire magic a few times a week won’t raise my magic stat at all. Which makes it seem even less necessary.
That’s why I’ve been prioritizing sword training instead… though judging by Father’s attitude, who knows when my swordsmanship will actually amount to anything…
「Hey, you ready?」
「Ah, yeah, I’m good」
Jered-kun and I finished preparing and stood about fifty meters from the target. We stood roughly five meters apart from each other.
Since there was only one target, we’d take turns shooting at it.
「Alright, I’ll go first」
「Yeah」
After calling out to Jered-kun, I held the bow with my left hand. I hooked the arrow onto the string with my right hand, then drew it back with my index, middle, and ring fingers until it reached beneath my chin.
Careful with my posture and the balance between my pushing and pulling hands… I released my right hand—
「Yaa」
The arrow I shot stuck firmly into the rice bale. But it landed slightly to the right of the center.
Maybe the reason it went off was because my bow hand wobbled at the release?
Such a difficult weapon. Even the tiniest shift of a few millimeters in my hand turns into a much larger miss by the time it reaches the target.
Next was Jered-kun’s turn. He too held the bow with his left hand, drew the string and arrow with his right, and—
「――――!」
The arrow Jered-kun released pierced the very center of the rice bale.
He checked where it landed, then… looked at me.
…What was that? I felt a bit irritated. No, Jered-kun didn’t mean anything by it. He was just looking at me because it was my turn next, that’s all.
It’s not like he purposely made a smug face to show off. Calm down, focus… focus. With the bow, focus is everything.
I raised the bow again, drew the string, and—
「Yaa」
This time it was off a little higher… just a little, only a little, but still.
Next was Jered-kun again. He aimed, drew, and—
「――――!」
Once more, his arrow struck dead center. It landed neatly right beside his first shot.
He checked the arrow, then――――looked at me again.
「…Tch」
「Did you just click your tongue…」
「Ah, sorry Jered-kun. It’s just, I can’t help but feel like I’m being looked down on by a handsome guy(ikemen)…」
Am I still clinging to the idea that ikemens are my natural enemies…?
Jered-kun was probably just looking normally, but my brain twisted it into 『The enemy is mocking me!』… a total delusion.
「That again… You say that sometimes. About guys with good looks, right? If that’s the case, you’re the better-looking one.」
「Eh? Oh, really… No no no, I still think you look cooler, Jered-kun.」
Ah, I slipped again… Right, I was supposed to be the true ikemen here.
But I’m not arrogant enough to just accept being told I’m more handsome. I felt like I had to show some modesty, so instead I ended up praising Jered-kun.
「Hah? Why? You’ve got the better face.」
「No no, when I saw you shooting the bow just now, your dignified profile really stood out, you know?」
「I-is that so?」
When I praised Jered-kun while tying it to his passion for archery, he blushed and looked embarrassed.
…Yeah, thinking about it calmly, what on earth am I even saying?
Wait, isn’t this kind of bad? This kind of exchange is exactly the sort of thing fujoshis would feast on, isn’t it?
「Hey, what’s wrong?」
「Eh? Ah, no, it’s nothing…」
Jered-kun grew worried as I shrank back from the gaze of fujoshis who weren’t even here. …But I still couldn’t stop being conscious of that gaze, and I failed to answer him properly.
「You’re acting weird」
「N-no, I’m not…」
Somehow this turned into a youth-style situation of “our relationship gets awkward because we care too much about what others think.”
I don’t want that with Jered-kun. If anything, I’d rather have that kind of youth-style situation with someone like Laudette-san—
That thought brought to mind the face of Ralina-chan, with her noh mask-like expression, for just a moment.
「Anyway… shall we keep going?」
「Yeah… You really are a strange guy」
My head was getting cluttered, so I ran away into archery. Shoot the bow. Just focus on that.
――After that, we shot about fifty arrows between us.
As expected, whenever I missed and Jered-kun hit the target, I felt a small flicker of irritation.
I think this whole competition-like setup is what’s causing the problem. Maybe if we high-fived each other every time we hit, it’d be better? It’d feel even more like bowling though…
No, that won’t work. It’d ruin the mood for the serious Jered-kun, and besides, the eyes of fujoshis are terrifying.
Speaking of bowling… could I make a set with woodworking? Maybe not? Or maybe? Probably tough? It’d definitely be a huge woodworking project though.
「Ah」
「What is it?」
「I just realized I’ve completely lost focus for a while now」
「I see…」
Archery really is difficult…
next chapter: Mother Doll Alternative
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