COTE: Self-Preservation

Y2V3: Competitions are Troublesome

Today is the day.

All of these competitions were open to spectators, so it was, in a way, a mini-sports festival. There was only one I was interested in watching, though.

I walked towards the area where Akito was doing his archery. The wooden hall had an opening on the backside where all the archers were present in their white and dark blue clothes.

There were various targets spread across the large green field in front of the archers. It was just synthetic grass, though. I guess the school cheaped out.

"Do you think he's got this?" Keisei asked, a little worried.

Haruka nodded, "Yep, I believe in him. I gave him a real talking to last night."

"You did, huh?" I questioned.

"Mhm, I can be very inspirational," Haruka casually said.

"I-i think he's going to win this as well," Airi nodded with a slight smile, looking as if she was forcing herself to be excited.

As for whether Akito could win this, I have no way of knowing. His competitors, his own skill level, I didn't know any of that. Hmm, we spent so much time together, but when it came to things like this, I was in the dark, huh?

"Yeah, I think he's got this."

But even with that lack of knowledge, as his friend, there's only one thing I can do.

* * *

Akito stood in front of the instructor.

"Alright, so 8 of you here, huh? That's good, it's an even number. There will be 3 different competitions. First, it will be a small tournament. Based on your general results in training, I've given you a number from 1 to 8. 1 goes against number 8, 2 against 7 and so on. Then, the second competition will be rapid-fire. Lots of targets, limited number of time, highest point wins. and finally, basic still targets at different distances."

The 8 nodded, all going to receive their number.

Akito got number 4, meaning he'd face the 5th best archer.

The way it worked was simple. In each match, athletes compete head-to-head in a best-of-five set format. In each set, both athletes shoot three arrows each. The athlete with the highest score at the end of each set gets two points. If a set is tied, both athletes receive one point.

When an athlete wins 3 sets or gets 6 game points, the game is over.

Akito's turn was last, however, due to his number.

The first round was simple for the first seeded archer. It was as if he could control the air as the arrows flew through the air.

8 points.

9 points.

Bullseye.

The first set was easily won by him. The second was easily won, and so did the third.

The second seed went up next, casually winning the first set. The second round ended quickly as well. The third is just as fast.

There was a clear gap in skill between those at the top and those near the bottom. The elite and the average.

"Good luck, Miyake."

"Yeah, same to you."

He drew back his bow for his first shot of the day... his eyes dull and unfocused. The arrow flew threw the air without conviction, hitting a decent 7.

His next arrow was worse, getting a measly 6.

His opponent had what Akito didn't, precision. Though their difference in numbers was clear, the skill didn't reflect that.