A few days after Kai's conversation with Horikita, the first Archery Club meeting was held at the clubhouse. Kai stood at the front, introducing a new face to the group.
"Everyone, this is Shiina Hiyori from Class 1-C," he said. Then, turning to her, he added, "Hiyori, these three are Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Sakura Airi, and Horikita Suzune."
They all exchanged polite greetings.
Kai smiled and looked back at Hiyori. "I think you and Sakura might get along. You both have a similar vibe: quiet, reserved... not the type to talk much unless it's about something you're passionate about. Like how you open up when books come up? Sakura's the same with photography."
Hiyori and Sakura exchanged a glance, a spark of mutual understanding passing between them. They silently agreed to talk more after the meeting.
Kai continued, "You might also get along with Ayanokoji. Apparently, he likes reading too."
"Apparently?" Hiyori asked, tilting her head.
"Yeah," Kai chuckled. "He claims to like books, but the guy didn't even know about Harry Potter."
Hiyori's eyes widened in disbelief. "Seriously? How can someone not know the most popular book series of all time?"
She turned to Ayanokoji, who simply stood there, offering no explanation.
Of course, he couldn't exactly tell them he spent most of his life in a facility called the White Room, cut off from the world.
Kai gave a teasing grin. "Sometimes I think Ayanokoji knows so little about pop culture, you'd assume he spent his whole life in prison."
"Can we get to the actual meeting?" Horikita cut in sharply, clearly unimpressed by Kai's joke.
"Yes, boss. Of course, boss. Would you like a cup of tea, boss?" Kai replied with exaggerated sarcasm, giving her a mocking salute.
Horikita shot him a cold glare, but Kai only smirked and turned his attention back to Hiyori.
"She's my biggest project," he said, nodding toward Horikita.
"In what way?" Hiyori asked, intrigued.
"I'm trying to smooth out some... rough edges in her personality. Make her less bossy, more approachable," Kai explained. "Think of her as a solid block of ice, and I'm the sculptor trying to turn her into a beautiful statue."
Horikita's glare intensified, practically freezing the air around her.
Kai glanced her way and sighed dramatically. "But as you can see, the ice isn't exactly cooperating."
He leaned back, folding his arms. "Though, it might get easier after I win our bet."
"What bet?" Sakura asked, her curiosity piqued.
Kai's grin widened. "We made a deal. If I can convince her brother, the student council president, to join our club, I win, if not then I lose. If I lose, I have to follow all of her commands for an entire month."
"And if you win?" Hiyori asked cautiously.
"She has to become my girlfriend," Kai said proudly.
"Don't talk like you're actually going to win," Horikita said coldly. "The only reason I agreed to that bet is because I know you don't stand a chance."
Even though her face was expressionless, if you looked closely, you could see a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Kai smirked. "I can't wait to see your face when I win. I'm definitely taking a picture."
Horikita, not wanting to hear another word from him, cut in, "Can you just tell us why you called us here?"
Kai decided to comply. "There are two reasons I called this meeting. First, I wanted to introduce Hiyori to everyone. And second," he paused, "I want you all to shoot a few arrows so I can get a sense of your skill level, and see if anyone's naturally talented at archery."
He looked around. "Have any of you used a bow before?"
"I have," said Horikita.
"Me too," Ayanokoji added, both of them speaking at the same time.
"Perfect," Kai said, pleased. "Then I assume you two don't need much guidance?"
"Not really," Horikita replied.
"No," Ayanokoji added simply.
"Alright then. I'll start by helping Hiyori and Sakura shoot a few times," Kai said. "After that, the three of us will have a little competition."
"What kind of competition?" Ayanokoji asked.
"Each of us will shoot three arrows," Kai explained. "Whoever gets the lowest total score has to clean up afterward."
Horikita and Ayanokoji nodded in agreement, the quiet tension of competition already in the air.
__________
Kai first helped Hiyori and Sakura shoot a few arrows. He was quite impressed by Hiyori, because while Sakura managed to hit the target only once out of five shots, Hiyori hit it three times. Kai deduced that she must have a natural talent for archery, as her accuracy clearly wasn't due to luck. She missed her first two shots, but then landed the next three, each one getting closer to the bull's-eye.
Kai said to Hiyori, "I know I told you that you could join this club without actually practicing archery, but you seem to be naturally talented at it. So, I hope you'll at least practice from time to time."
Hiyori nodded, surprised. She had never shown any talent for sports before. That was one of the reasons she preferred to spend her days reading books. But when she was shooting with the bow, she found it surprisingly relaxing. It gave her a feeling similar to reading in peaceful silence.
After giving Hiyori some pointers, Kai turned to Horikita and Ayanokoji.
"Alright, now it's time to start our competition."
"In what order will we shoot?" asked Horikita.
"Of course, my lady will go first. Ayanokoji second, and I'll go last."
"I'm not your lady," Horikita replied coldly.
"Not yet," Kai smirked.
Horikita decided to pretend Kai didn't exist and walked to the shooting range. Her performance was solid: two sevens and one eight. A total of 22 points.
Next up was Ayanokoji. He calmly shot three times, hitting seven each time. His score was 21. It was a decent result, but Kai suspected he might have been holding back.
Finally, it was Kai's turn. With quiet confidence, he positioned himself and released his first arrow. Bull's-eye. The second shot; another bull's-eye. The third went straight into the center again.
Silence.
Everyone stood frozen in shock. Kai had just done something even professional archers would find difficult. The target wasn't far, but hitting three bull's-eyes in a row was still incredibly impressive.
"Well, looks like Ayanokoji will be the one cleaning," Kai said, breaking the silence.
"Kai, that was amazing!" exclaimed Sakura.
"It's nothing, really," he replied.
"Are you sure you're not a professional archer?" asked Horikita suspiciously.
"No," Kai shook his head. "Archery's just been my hobby since I was nine. I never thought about going pro."
They chatted for a while before heading back to the dorms together. Only Ayanokoji stayed behind, tidying up the equipment.