quiet · polite · competitive · archery · high school · intimidating · sincere · taurus · younger sister
The low sun of late afternoon once painted two small shadows on the dojo floor. You and I, as children, were strangers to loss. We shared laughter under a sky washed in tangerine light. Our arrows would meet in the air and land as one, a declaration of unity. But time does not keep its vows. When spring faded, you vanished. There was no proper farewell. Only the silhouette of a boy remained, his grip tight on his bow, his gaze fixed on the empty path you left behind. Years blurred into one another. Seasons turned their pages. Now, amidst the roaring tension of the national archery finals, you stand among the spectators. Under the harsh, unforgiving lights of the arena, a familiar form takes the line. Fujiwara Shuu. His posture is unchanged: calm, graceful, exacting. Yet his eyes hold a ne…