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“Naruhodou Ryuunosuke. I refuse to accept defeat.”
“Huh? If you want the last dango, I guess I don’t mind sharing…”
“No, not that!” Asougi Kazuma grit his teeth. “I mean the speech competition. Yes, you were witness to one of the most embarrassing moments of my life,” along with much of the student body, he neglects to mention, “But I must redeem myself. Will you accept my challenge?”
Naruhodou’s stick of food paused halfway to his mouth. “Wh...challenge?”
“I have a mission,” Asougi began, by way of a straight answer, “that requires considerable focus and resolve. I need to prove my skill.” He chops his hand down on the table for emphasis. “And it’s with you, who stood above me then, that I would like to see this matter through to the end.”
He had already been chosen, even if it had been by the skin of his teeth, and proud of the fact. But he also wanted to dispel the doubts the results of the speech competition had planted in him. That very seed had sprouted into roots that took the form of the hachimaki he currently donned.
More relevantly, what was with that look on Naruhodou’s face? Without putting that bite in his mouth, he swallowed thickly anyway, eyes darting everywhere. “...What is it, exactly? A speech rematch?”
He’d considered that. At his current level, Asougi wasn’t confident he would be able to do a follow up speech competition either. Shamefully, he would need assistance. The only person with nearly enough verbal skill was Naruhodou himself, but they were rivals. His pride wouldn’t allow that.
Asougi settled down at Naruhodou’s table without waiting for an invitation, digging into his beef bowl. “Have you heard about the Asougi family secret technique? Just by drawing my blade, I can cut a watermelon from seven meters away.”
“Well, that’s nice, but if you’re saying we should settle this with swords, I’ll pass. I don’t really like blades…”
“Hmph.” He really was an upstart amateur. “You’re only a student now, I suppose.”
“And you aren’t?”
“Anyway.” That threw out the chance for a swordfight, to his slight disappointment. “The justice minister also assured me that speech or sword competitions weren’t the only way for lawyers to demonstrate their prowess. There’s an archery competition happening soon, and I would certainly like for you to take part in it with me. It’s a way for one to make their points, ensuring they’re straight and true.”
For his part, Naruhodou wasn’t too rattled by Asougi’s sudden request, only chewing thoughtfully on his dango two at a time and puffing out his cheeks in turn. “That’s rather specific.” He wasn’t imagining the twinkle in Naruhodou’s eyes, was he? “But also poetic. Though...”
Asougi wouldn’t be where he was today if he didn’t strike at every opening he could. “How about I treat you to a beef bowl if you win?” He definitely didn’t imagine the consequent spot of drool at the other man’s lips. “Would you accept my proposal? Naruhodou Ryuunosuke.”
Swallowing the last dango seemed to be the decision-maker for Naruhodou, the same way one would tell fortune by flowers. “I’m no lawyer, but all right, Asougi Kazuma. I accept.”
Practice truly did make perfect.
This was child’s play to him. While perfecting his katana technique, Asougi had also studied the yumi to broaden his possibilities and ensure himself an asset for long-distance combat as well.
He snuck a glance to see how Naruhodou fared. The poor fool seemed to have caught his ear several times in his practice.
“There’s a problem, Asougi,” a student informed him. “Besides what you’re looking at, of course.”
Asougi dragged his attention away from Naruhodou at the news. “What’s wrong?”
“We underestimated how many people would be participating, so the amount of handguards is limited. Naruhodou came late, and everyone’s already geared up; I doubt he’ll be able to get one of his own at this point.”
Asougi clicked his tongue. It was far from ideal, but he gathered he had considerably more experience than his rival. It would only be fair for him to even the playing field. “Here, Naruhodou.”
“Eh? But isn’t this…?”
“Just take it.” Asougi slipped his handguard onto Naruhodou’s hand without a moment’s delay, giving him little room to argue. Little room at all, because he couldn’t help but correct the man’s form when it was right in front of him, despite Naruhodou’s squeak at the sudden contact. “And do something about this posture of yours. Eyes straight, hips over your feet, legs lined up with your shoulders.”
He smells rather sweet , a voice in the back of his mind supplied. Probably the dango. Another voice poked fun at him for helping his competition.
No matter, he assured them both. It would still be an easy win.
And it was.
The mission was straightforward, after all: shoot as close to the target as possible. He harbored neither thoughts nor illusions as he sunk each shot with cold precision. Only his “truth,” able to cut past whatever lies blocked his way and hone in on what mattered most.
“Asougi Kazuma is the winner!” As he should be.
This wasn’t to say Naruhodou was completely hopeless, however. Though he had yet to hit a target straight in the center, each shot was closer than the last.
Consistent and yet inconsistent at once. Asougi knew he had made the right choice asking him to join.
The next half of the competition involved horseback shooting, a contest of who could hit still targets while in motion. He was less practiced with yabusame, but this would serve as training in itself.
He looked back at Naruhodou once more, just in case. At least he seemed better off this time, tending to the horses.
Asougi’s usual choice, a white stallion, was there as well. He accompanied a black horse, both nudging to receive the apple from Naruhodou’s hand and neighing softly when he shouted “Hey, this is mine!” with only laughter in his voice.
Strange. The horse never showed Asougi such favor, despite knowing him longer. He kept looking solely because of that mystery, of course, until the call for the next half of the match sounded.
This part seemed similar at first, but shooting from atop a horse was much easier said than done. Still, Asougi put his very soul into the challenge as per usual, knowing that even triumph would be soured if he didn’t give it his all.
He and Naruhodou ended up neck-and-neck, as fate would have it. It seemed Naruhodou’s accuracy somehow increased while he was on horseback, an observation that only fueled Asougi further.
The final showdown approached, in the form of a target cut off from the rest by a near-forest of trees and considerably high up as a result.
He had a very bad feeling about this.
“Easy,” he murmured, holding his horse back. There had to be some other targets around, surely—
Something zoomed right past him, only the sound of hooves and a sweet scent left behind.
It couldn’t be.
The surrounding crowd confirmed his suspicions. “Naruhodou’s going for it? No one could even pray enough to make that shot unless they catapulted themselves off the horse!”
Asougi hadn’t planned for this, a failure on his part. That simple Naruhodou would be so reckless truly upended his expectations beyond recognition.
“It looks like the dark horse of the match is rearing its head now!” the announcer cried.
Naruhodou’s own dark horse continued its sprint, though everything felt as if it was in slow-motion now.
Asougi could very well have turned his head from the impending doom in front of him, but his eyes betrayed him, locking him onto the scene with no escape.
“Naru—l”
It seemed he took Asougi’s earlier words to heart, his posture undeterred even by the horse galloping underneath. Asougi could only hold his breath when Naruhodou tensed, the latter’s tongue poking out in utmost concentration.
Then he jumped .
It took an entire second for Asougi’s brain to catch up to the sight of Naruhodou afloat, even flipping so that his back was to the sky. Miraculously, Naruhodou kept his stance true, the flapping fabric of his hakama giving him the impression of wings.
Truly, he was a dragon mid-flight, about to descend on his kill.
The shot that rang out and hit the target square in its center may as well have pierced his heart for how it made it stop, then start again.
Naruhodou dropped back onto the horse with a flourish, not dispelling the image even as he cooed over his steed on the return journey.
Asougi stepped down from his own horse. The battle was won already.
Naruhodou. So, he’s also more flexible than Asougi realized. No matter. Bow strings are flexible. And this particular wielder drew both them and him in.
“How did you do that?” Asougi asked Naruhodou as soon as he'd climbed off the horse with a parting pat.
The color drained from Naruhodou’s face when it hit him. “How—how did I do that? I don’t like heights, but I suppose I wanted to reach the target so much I...forgot?”
Forgot. Naruhodou’s potential seemed to be from another universe entirely. Perhaps that was what led him to victory: he seemed so unassuming at first glance, but even a mouse would strike back at a cat when it was cornered.
Asougi’s sigh couldn’t help but become a chuckle. He really had no chance against this man, did he?
Naruhodou laughed in turn, not unlike a bell. But when he reached to put his hand behind his head, Asougi grabbed it without a second thought.
“Your hand is injured.” Even with the guard, he noted as he removed it. Had it slipped during that jump?
“Ouch!...So’s yours.”
Tch, Naruhodou was right. He’d let his own guard down. “We both need a trip to the infirmary, then. Come with me.” Grabbing Naruhodou’s good hand this time, he proceeded to politely drag him to their next destination.
“Oi, It’s only my hand that’s injured. I can still walk on my own.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Why wouldn’t I?!”
“Spoiling him already, are you?” the student from earlier said with a knowing smile.
It was reflex that caused him to squeeze Naruhodou’s hand then, that was all. “…I was the one who challenged him, so the responsibility should fall onto me.”
“That’s not the only thing that’s falling.”
“Hah?”
“Nothing. Take care of yourselves, we’ve got it from here.”
“...Thank you. We’ll absolutely make this up to you all next time.”
The student simply waved the pair off, saying something that sounded suspiciously like, “Only after you both make out, I suppose.”
“It seems the nurse isn’t here today,” Asougi reported, steering Naruhodou to sit.
“Whew...I’m fine with that, actually. I don’t like doctors. Or dentists. Any medical professional, really.”
Asougi examined him, personally as well as physically. What an oddball he was. “Is that so? You’ll have to tell me why one day.”
Naruhodou’s hand was the only injured spot, it seemed. Luckily, Asougi was used to treating scrapes and bruises just fine, however, having learned so from Susato after he would spend too long training with Karuma. He located the supplies he needed easily enough and set to work.
“Uuuu...be more gentle, Asougi.”
Where did the man who performed that otherworldly jump go? And how did he only manage to injure his hand from all of that? It was rather like if he’d fallen into a raging winter river from a great height and then managed to escape with only a cold.
“You really are something else. Someone who spits in the face of the odds without even trying.” This was scolding, Asougi convinced himself, not admiration. His tender careful motions contradicted his words.
“I hope that’s a compliment,” Naruhodou muttered. He probably meant to keep that quieter.
“Your thoughts are leaking out,” Asougi teased, unable to help himself. He had to exact even this petty revenge somehow, because, “Once again, I’ve fallen by your hand, Naruhodou Ryuunosuke. I’ve made an utter fool of myself in front of you again.”
“But...you were really cool.”
Asougi stilled. That didn’t seem like an unintentional slip. “You can’t possibly think that.”
“No, really, Asougi. Even before what happened at the speech competition, you did amazing! It was like you brought your words to life! You were so gallant…and now with your hachimaki! It was flowing with the wind like you brought that to life as well, just when you made your final shot for the first round!”
It was like he was back at that damned speech competition again, with Naruhodou’s voice flowing like water and washing over him with warm, humbled reassurance.
Pure magic, his voice felt like. Magic that could turn the hachimaki he had initially thought represented all his doubts into all his resolutions instead.
Asougi vaguely thought it a shame Naruhodou did not intend to become a lawyer. He himself was predisposed to doubt despite his chosen path, but he found himself believing in Naruhodou’s belief in him.
He was so awed he almost missed Naruhodou catching himself mid-tirade and flushing before the other man muttered, “Here, let me patch you up next.”
Almost.
Naruhodou was decidedly less experienced than him when it came to bandaging wounds, it seemed, clumsily wrapping Asougi’s wrist and prolonging the process. He would excuse it this time.
“Admirable of you to be treating a rival, ” said Asougi, breaking the silence by zipping past his own hypocrisy. “You could be crossing some dangerous bridges if you were to trust everyone, you know. Make enemies without even realizing.”
But the moment those words left him, he wondered.
Naruhodou gave him a wary look. “Are you my enemy?”
Asougi’s surprised silence gave way to breathless laughter soon enough, releasing the tension from those thoughts for now. “I would hope not.” He wasn’t above rewarding such straightforwardness with his own, bringing his good hand to cover Naruhodou’s. “I want to be your friend.”
“I thought we were rivals.”
“Rivals can be friendly, too.”
“Kind of strange, coming from you…” Naruhodou murmured to himself again. Saying his thoughts aloud just seemed to be a habit of his.
“No stranger than the man scared of heights taking flight just now, I would say.” He’d have that image burned in his mind’s eye for as long he lived.
Naruhodou just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Maybe not so strange as it is unexpected? I’m grateful, though! Really! It was you who gave me the handguard, after all.”
“Not that it did much good, considering you still got hurt.”
“It’s just a flesh wound, Asougi. And you ended up getting hurt yourself! Because you lent it to me...”
He couldn’t stand the guilt in Naruhodou’s voice. “Not at all. This only happened because I was careless. Consider the guard your prize for winning.”
Naruhodou’s gaze locked onto him this time. Asougi returned it head-on, marveling at how easy it was to read Naruhodou’s thoughts just from how he bit his lip or scrunched his eyebrows. He seemed to wisely decide against arguing, realizing he wouldn’t win against a certified lawyer.
One point to Asougi.
“I suppose it’s payback for the hachimaki, is it? Then…thank you, my friend.” Naruhodou could rival even the sun, it seemed, with how bright his smile radiated. “I’ll treasure it forever!”
“Well, that’s...” His tongue was twisting, even if the words weren’t actually so hard. “It’s not something that needs to be worn all the time...” It was hard to begrudge him when he seemed so happy about basic safety. Unless he actually was that clumsy?
Still, Asougi cleared his throat for appearance’s sake. “I suppose we should take this experience as our punishment for raising hell on the courtyard.”
Naruhodou dropped his voice to a whisper, as if about to reveal his greatest secret. “Then, could you say we’re partners...in crime?”
One more point to Naruhodou, because that was another shot to his heart. And not one he was about to recover from any time soon, from the way his brain latched onto that single word and proceeded to flip as Naruhodou had from his steed.
From rivals to —
“Partners, huh.” It rolled off his tongue so smoothly. “…I like the sound of that, partner.”
Naruhodou beamed at him once more. Ten points for that. “So, partner, about the beef bowl prize...”
Five points, the full ten docked some for Naruhodou’s obvious intent. Asougi sighed without any exasperation. “I should have known your powers of observation and memory were too strong to forget that.”
Naruhodou’s expression was almost too much. It was hopeful and slightly pleading, like a mouse inching closer to the trap about to snap it up.
Though, Asougi mused, who truly was the one caught?
“It was a draw. I won the first round, and you won the second. I daresay we treat each other for the trouble.”
“Uuuu. Fine, then.” Naruhodou was still holding his hand. “I won’t lose next time, Asougi!”
Or perhaps he was still holding Naruhodou’s hand. “That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say, Naruhodou.”
It may not have been a perfect win, but Asougi didn’t feel as if he lost at all. Not when he had locked onto something even sweeter than victory.