NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6
The next morning, I sought out Shione.
“Princess Shione, please wake up.”
“Why on earth are you here so early…?”
“We made a promise yesterday, did we not?”
“Ah….”
She glared at me, clearly perturbed that I was shaking her awake at such an ungodly hour, but it didn’t faze me much.
“Ugh….”
Remembering the conversation from yesterday, she got up and began to prepare herself.
“Please wear this. The morning air is still quite chilly.”
“How generous of you.”
“Thank you for your kind acknowledgment.”
“…I don’t like it.”
Despite her grumbling, Shione put on the coat I offered. I had worried it might be too small for her robust frame, but it fit perfectly, easing my concerns.
“You look good in it.”
“…You seem a bit more talkative today. That’s not just my imagination, is it?”
“If it displeases Princess Shione, I will speak less.”
“Forget it. Do as you wish.”
With a swift turn, Shione headed outside. Perhaps she was just being coy, but considering yesterday’s events, her reaction was amusing.
The shooting range was tucked away in one corner of the training grounds. Having confirmed that practice bows and arrows were set up there yesterday, I didn’t need to bring anything other than myself.
Whoosh.
A chilly breeze swept past. Though it was spring, the morning air remained quite cold. This frail body of mine was sensitive to cold, and I involuntarily shivered as the wind brushed against me.
“Hmph….”
Look at those goosebumps. I had woken up a bit earlier than usual, still feeling drowsy, but that perfectly timed breeze shook me wide awake.
Shione cast a sidelong glance at me, then removed the coat I had given her.
“You look cold, so you should wear this.”
Shione Shianella, being so accommodating…? The same Shione who would guard her snacks like they were treasures?
Incredible, but she even reached out to hand me her coat.
“Is your arm sore? You should take it quickly.”
“Are you really sure it’s okay for me to wear it?”
“With this body looking as plump as it is, just moving around will warm me up, so wearing an extra coat isn’t necessary.”
“Huh?”
“…It’s warm, so just wear it.”
I accepted the coat from Shione and put it on. The warmth of her coat helped alleviate my chill quite quickly.
“Thank you, Princess Shione.”
“Don’t mention it.”
As we exchanged light banter, we soon arrived at the training grounds. Naturally, considering the hour, there wasn’t a soul in sight.
Fortunately, Shione wouldn’t run off at the sight of people.
“…I thought I’d never set foot here again.”
Shione gazed out over the expansive training area, as if reminiscing.
“Would you like to tour the training grounds for a bit?”
“No, no need for that. Let’s head straight to the shooting range.”
“Understood.”
We entered the shooting range. The sun was beginning to rise, allowing us to clearly see the target positions, and the heavy darkness that could obstruct our sight was lifting.
I began looking for suitable bows for us.
Let’s start with the closest one.
I picked up a bow and tested its draw.
“This has too much tension.”
This bow was way too powerful for a novice. Shione’s strong, muscular arms, made of flesh rather than just muscle, wouldn’t handle pulling back the string well. Of course, if she used mana, she could manage, but starting out with something manageable would be a better way to pique her interest.
“These two should work.”
After trying out a few more bows, I narrowed it down to two that had just the right tension for a beginner. One was light enough for my slight frame to handle comfortably, and the other had a bit more tension since, being a woman, Shione could handle something a tad heavier.
I handed her the bow I had chosen for her.
“Princess Shione, you should use this one.”
“…You seem to have put a lot of thought into picking it.”
“It’s only fitting to choose a bow for Princess Shione with utmost care.”
I slung the quiver over my shoulder. My hobby back on Earth was archery, and even after becoming a hunter, I wielded a bow, so the thought of shooting again thrilled my heart faster than usual.
“Before I show you, would it be alright if I take a shot?”
“Do as you wish.”
“Then, I’ll make it quick.”
I positioned myself, facing the target roughly 40 meters away.
“It’s been a while, so I’m a bit nervous.”
What if I miss? My confidence, once soaring from my previous experience, began to wane. Back in the day, I’d easily pierced the foreheads of enemies from over a hundred meters away, yet now here I was feeling apprehensive over a target half that distance.
What a drop in skill.
“Huff, ha.”
Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself with a slightly sideways stance.
Calm down and draw the arrow with a pinch-style method to begin…
I pinched the arrow between the side of my index and thumb while pulling the string back.
Hmm…there’s more tension than I expected.
But I didn’t let the surprise pressure deter me from drawing the string back even further.
Dead release. I drew the string back until my fingertips reached my chin, stopping to maintain form. Despite the bow being easier than others, the effort was still considerable. My trap muscles hadn’t fully developed, and the form of my new body was still adapting for archery.
I redirected some of my mana to quell the tremors in my arms. For the men of this world, mana proved inferior. Just a tiny bit of mana felt like a big weight on my senses.
…It can’t be helped. This is just how this male body is.
I focused on the target, taking into account the blowing wind and adjusted my aim.
“Hup!”
Twang!
I held my breath and let go of the taut string.
Whoosh!! Thunk!!
The arrow sliced through the air and struck dead center in the wooden target.
“Looks like my skills haven’t waned.”
Despite my earlier nerves, nailing the shot gave new confidence to my spirit. Not wanting to stop here, I pulled another arrow from my quiver and nocked it.
“Let’s see how it goes this time.”
Having used a pinch-style release, now it was time to pull off my usual shot. The Mediterranean style, or split finger shooting method.
I placed the arrow vertically between my index and middle fingers, securing it with the tips of my ring fingers against the string.
This time it wasn’t about drawing back and waiting to shoot; I released the string while pulling my hand back in one smooth motion.
Sliding release. The arrow shot out swiftly and powerfully.
Thwack! Crack!!
This arrow split the previous one and embedded itself right in the center again.
“Thank goodness.”
Seeing the arrows fly straight where I wanted, it felt like my archery skills were still intact despite my new body.
When I turned around, I caught Shione looking at me in disbelief.
“…You’re saying those who only skimmed the surface of archery could perform like that?”
“What do you think?”
“This time I’d like to see from the side instead of behind you. Could you give it another go?”
“Of course.”
Once I saw her position herself beside me with her bow, I took another shot.
I employed the sliding release once more. My movements were fluid as if they flowed like water.
Once the string drew back adequately, I let go with a graceful flick of my fingers.
“Ah….”
I heard Shione’s soft gasp of surprise. Just by drawing back and releasing the string, I was consistently hitting the center of the target, leaving her awestruck.
I lowered the bow.
Using muscles I usually didn’t, my arms began to feel stiff.
It was awkward to use my mana after having already shifted gears, so I figured it was better to take a little rest before shooting again.
I looked at Shione with a soft smile.
“How was that?”
“…Remarkable.”
Seeing her expression, it was clear she was going to question just how I’d reached such a level of skill in archery. Even hitting the center of a target at 40 meters without error was no trivial feat.
To avoid the headache of fabricated excuses, I knew I had to speak first.
As soon as I caught sight of her about to speak, I jumped in.
“It’s not such impressive skill, but as I mentioned yesterday, it’s more than enough to teach someone just starting out in archery.”
After trying a few more shots, I felt confident that even in my current state, I could hit targets up to 70 meters.
What I had shown her was merely the ability to hit a target at 40 meters, so I downplayed my true capabilities.
I pulled out another arrow from my quiver and offered it to Shione.
“Here, now it’s your turn to give it a shot, Princess Shione.”
Now it was her time to shine.
Ready, set, let’s see what you’ve got!