SO LET'S GO SEE THE STARS

NICE GAME Takuma's POV Today is our archery tournament. It isn't a huge competition, but I must say the arena is incredibly crowded. Students from different schools filled the seats, and even my own classmates came to support us. They were holding banners with our team name and cheering loudly from the stands. Their voices echoed across the arena, giving us encouragement and energy. In the middle of the crowd, I suddenly noticed a familiar figure staring at me. His gaze wasn't sharp or intimidating, and I didn't feel any negative energy from him. Instead, his eyes were filled with curiosity and a hint of confusion. It felt like he wanted to say something, yet he couldn't bring himself to do it. For a moment, I tried to figure out who it was. But eventually, I just shrugged the thought away and focused on the competition. Our goal today was simple—to win. Not to lose. "Takuma, it's your turn"My coach called out my name. "Yes, Coach!" I replied quickly as I ran toward her. "Good luck. You can do it. We believe in you." My teammates cheered loudly behind me. "Thank you," I said with a small smile. I stepped into position and raised my bow. The arena suddenly felt quieter even though the crowd was still cheering. I pulled the arrow back slowly. Then— A loud cheer from my classmates distracted me for a split second. I closed my eyes briefly. Inhale. Exhale. Release. "Ten points!" The announcer's voice echoed through the arena. The crowd burst into applause as the score appeared on the screen. I prepared for my next shot. I took a deep breath again and released the arrow. "Eight points!" The announcer called out once more. A quiet sigh escaped from my lips. I think this time we might not make it. Even though I scored eight points, the opposing team is still three points ahead of us. For a moment, doubt crept into my mind. Then suddenly— "You can do it!" "Fighting!" "We believe in you!" Encouraging voices from my classmates and teammates filled the arena once again. "Pull yourself together… you can do this," I whispered to myself. I lifted my bow once more and prepared my final shot. This time, I closed my eyes for a moment to clear my mind. Right now, I cannot afford to make a mistake. Everything felt still. I inhaled deeply. Exhaled slowly. Release. "Ten points!" The announcer shouted. The arena exploded with cheers. Wow… closing my eyes actually helped. For a moment earlier, I thought we wouldn't be able to catch up. But somehow, I managed to score ten points. After the round ended, I returned to my seat to wait for the final scores. The tension in the air was heavy as everyone waited for the announcement. "Congratulations." Our coach greeted me with a proud smile. "See? I told you that you could do it!" my teammates said excitedly as they greeted me with high fives. "Thank you," I replied with a smile before sitting down. While waiting, I took out my phone and started typing a message when suddenly someone tapped my shoulder. "Takuma?" It was my friend. "What?" I asked without looking up from my phone. "Do you want to go outside for a bit and buy something to eat while we're waiting?" he suggested. By the way, this is Junsei, my close friend. We've known each other for a long time. We have been classmates since elementary school, which is why we became good friends. We're also both members of the archery club. "Come on, let's go," he insisted. "Wait, there will be an announcement soon," I replied. "We'll only be outside for a short while. We won't be gone long," he defended himself. "Alright, fine," I finally agreed. As we walked toward the exit, I didn't notice someone walking in the opposite direction and accidentally bumped into him. "Sorry," I said immediately as I stepped back. "It's okay," he replied calmly. When I raised my head, I finally realized who the person was. It was Kaito—our classmate. He's also an athlete like me, but instead of archery, he plays volleyball. "Oh… Kaito," I said in surprise. "Why are you looking at me like you've seen a ghost?" he asked with a slightly amused expression. Then he added, "By the way… nice game." After saying that, he excused himself and walked ahead. When Junsei and I arrived at the convenience store, the heat outside made me crave something cold, so I decided to buy ice cream. Meanwhile, Junsei bought ice cream and a slice of strawberry cake. After paying, we immediately headed back to the arena. Just as we returned to our seats, the announcer's voice suddenly echoed through the speakers. "Good afternoon, everyone. We will now announce the winners of today's competition." My heart started beating faster as the announcer continued speaking. "Our third place goes to… Team Seishin Kyūdan!" Applause filled the arena as the team walked onto the stage to receive their award. "Our second place goes to… Getsuei Archers!" Once again, the crowd clapped and congratulated the team. Then came the final announcement. "And our champion for today's tournament is… Team Kageya!" Loud cheers erupted from my teammates and classmates. We won. After receiving the award and taking photos on stage, the crowd slowly began leaving the arena. Once everyone from our team boarded the bus that would take us back to school, our coach looked around. "Is everyone here?" she asked. "Yes, Coach," our team captain answered. "Once again, congratulations on winning," our coach said with a big proud smile. "Thank you, Coach!" we all replied in unison. The bus ride back to school took about thirty minutes. The venue was quite far, so most of us just rested during the trip. When we arrived at school, everyone started heading toward their rides home. Some were picked up by family members, while others walked toward the nearby train station. Our house is also quite far from school, so my older sister picked me up. Our parents were still at work and hadn't arrived home yet. "Finally home," I whispered as I dropped onto my bed. While waiting for dinner, I decided to scroll through my phone and opened our team group chat. "Congratulations!" our team captain messaged. Soon, more messages appeared. "Congrats!" "Congratulations!" "We did it!" The chat was quickly filled with celebratory messages. I must say, this tournament brought all of us so much joy because of our victory. But as I continued scrolling through my phone, the image of the figure who had been staring at me earlier suddenly crossed my mind again. "Wait… I think I know him." "Hmm..." "Oh, right. It's Kaito." Now I remember. We never really had many interactions before. Maybe that's why he looked so curious and confused earlier. Perhaps he was just surprised to see me like that. Because of the exhaustion from the tournament, I didn't even realize when my eyes slowly closed. Before I knew it I had already fallen asleep.