I closed my right eye looking directly at the red center, waiting for the right time. The wind blows softly against my face as the wind changes its direction. Swoosh! I let go of the string as the arrow flew slightly up, curving back down hitting the target. "Nice shot!" praised my father as he sat behind, under the roof drinking tea with his friend along with my dad's friend's son, away from the shooting area. 

"Hikari," Ishi said approaching me, "Let's have a competition" he suggested. I smiled, "I prefer not to because you don't want to be loosing your reputation of losing" "How would you know that I will lose to you?" He said grabs his bow and his arrow ready to shoot. Without actually focusing and trying to be cocky, he lets go of the arrow aiming at the 5 point mark. "Still a long way to learn, Ishi" I chuckled setting my bow and arrows in my case packing up. Ishi glanced at our parents as they pretend not to be looking. "Have a good day with the guys. I'm outta here" I said, slip my case strap around me leaving. "Why don't you stay longer, Hikari?" Mr. Ganseki said as I bowed at him and my dad. "Mr. Ganseki, you have a wonderful boy, but if my father really wants me to get married to Ishi I have to have my part in the say" I said. "Go on" Mr. Ganseki said. "I don't marry a guy who is weaker than I am. I was born like my mother, skilled in archery, but if my man can't beat me to that skill there's no point of having a man" I said in a calm and polite voice. Mr. Ganseki nods with agreement as I excused myself out making my dad have a angry face. 

Back at home
"Hikari" my father said stopped me from entering my room. "Yes, father" I answered turn back to him. "I know Ishi isn't the strongest man, but if you marry him then our family will benefit each other" father said. "You know my attitude, father. If he can't beat me like how you beat mother then I'm not going to marry" I answered, entered my room as father sighed leaving. 

Next day at school where girls are crowding the hallway because there is a transfer student from South Korea. "Isn't he cute" the girls whispered to each other as he came out of the office. I turned to corner from the gym holding my archery bag walking towards the crowd. "Hikari!" Taki shouted waving at me to come over. I glanced up observing the situation. "Watch out!" Taki yelled when she notices that I am about to hit with someone coming to my direction. However...

"Ah" my shoulder bumps into his making me drop my archery bag. "Who are you not watching where you're walking?" I shout, grab my bag as I glared at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to" he apologized speaking with an accent. "Hikari!" Taki said rushed over pulling me back away from him. "What?" I ask shifting my head to her. "Sorry, Kurai. My friend was not careful and bumped into you" Taki said with a smile facing him and ignoring me. "It's okay. It was my fault for not moving away when I saw her walking this way" Kurai continue to speak in an accent. "Taki" I said in a harsh voice as she waves at Kurai pushing me to continue to walk. "What's with you?" I said once we reached her locker bay. "You bumped into the school's principal's son Kurai" Taki said. "So what? It's not like I have to respect him just because he's the son of the principal" I said. Taki covered my mouth saying, " Quiet before people hear us. We'll get killed if we talk bad about him" "But he didn't sound fluent in Japanese" I pointed out. "His dad is Japanese, but he married a Korean woman" Taki said. "No wonder he at his pronunciation" I said. "Let's head to class before we get scold" Taki said pulled me along with her.

Hours later during lunch time as I opened my lunch box sitting under the shade of a big tree. Taki rushes over to join me as she finished her band lessons. The girls walked passed giggling about Kurai on how he hit the target 9 times in a row. "Pardon?" I asked them as they explained, "During the practice of archery, Kurai made 9 perfect hit with different distance so sensei is going to move him to the encore rank" one of the girl said. "He's still in the archery room with sensei" the other girl added. "How dare he beat me" I said as I left my stuff to go to the archery room. 

"Good. That's wonderful" sensei said complimenting Kurai. "No one is allowed to be in encore rank without my permission" I said walked into the room crossing my arms in front of my chest as Taki enter watching from aside including the girls who told me the story. "Why do you say that?" Sensei asks. "I am in charge of the encore rank members. I have to see for myself if he's going to qualify" I said. "No problem" Kurai said. "Good-" "Haven't you known? The position of head leader of encore rank has been passed down to Kurai since this morning" sensei said. "What?" I said feeling anger raise up to my head, "how come I was never informed of this?" I asked. "You are now" sensei said. 

I glared at Kurai then back to sensei. "I demand a match with you, Kurai!" I said in a confident voice. "Sure" he answered. The whole archery room and outside are filled with students watching us competing each other. I pulled out my bow and arrow getting ready. Kurai stared at me then back to the target. "Don't underestimate me, Kurai" I said. "Want to bet?" Kurai said. "What?" I said thought I heard something different since I can't really understand him with his accent. "If I win, you'll be the slave of the encore rank and be my girlfriend for 2 weeks" Kurai said. "But if I win, I get my position as head leader and you'll be my slave" I said. "Deal" he said as I walked to the board of the starting point. 

"You may shoot, Hikari" sensei said. I closed my right eye focusing on my destination of my life. Pulling the string back with all force, my hand doesn't shake as waited for the right moment to let go. Swoosh! The arrow pierced right into the center perfectly. The crowd cheers releasing the tension of the match. 

We took turn shooting as no one failed so far. I made the last shoot perfect and clean. If he misses the center, I automatically win. "Good luck, Kurai!" I heard the girls cheer. Kurai closed his left eye pulling the string with all force. Swoosh! The girls gasped as my eyes widen. 

Everyone leaving the archery room as I was the last one in the room including Kurai. "Hold on" I said, stopped him from leaving. "Yes?" He answer faced me. "Why did you purposely missed the target?" I ask, angry. "I didn't. My hand slipped" he said. "Excuses. Why didn't you shoot like how you did with the others?" I said. "I don't want the position" he said. "Then what about the girlfriend for 2 weeks?" I asked. "It was a joke," he answer, " if I didn't say that, would have you tried so hard?" "Idiot, if you're going to win then win! No need to hold back because you are now my enemy in archery" I yelled. "What?" Kurai said. "This wasn't a fair match because you didn't try. Prepare yourself next time because you haven't seen my true skill, Kurai" I said leaving.