The Beautiful Senpai from the Archery Club Is Sleeping in My Room with Her Stomach Exposed. - Chapter 8: Tracing the Schedule— 2

Tracing the Schedule— 2

The archery club’s practice hall was surprisingly quiet—so much so that it was hard to believe training was in session.

Conversations were minimal, and voices were kept low. The number of members present was around fourteen—relatively small for our school.

With the summer tournament over and the third-year students having retired, the club had returned to its routine of foundational training.

The junior members were using practice rubber bows, learning the fundamentals of archery—something called the “Eight Phases,” if I recall correctly. Among those instructing them, naturally, was our captain, Watanuki-senpai.

“Wait. Your posture just collapsed. You noticed it, didn’t you?”

“Y-Yes!”

“Start over from the beginning. Let’s check from ‘Ashibumi’ (foot placement) again.”

Watanuki-senpai, dressed in her hakama, placed a slender index finger against her well-defined chin, resuming her calm and precise observations. The first-year girl being instructed was visibly tense—she was trembling quite a bit.

Senpai seemed even more focused than usual during practice. It was as if her already formidable presence had intensified several times over.

Standing in an inconspicuous corner so as not to disrupt practice, I idly observed the members while holding my notebook.

Though I was here as a trial participant, Watanuki-senpai had introduced me with, “He wants to observe the club’s atmosphere,” allowing me to quietly watch from a distance.

I kept my presence minimal, ensuring I wouldn’t be a distraction—but I still wanted to take in as much information as possible about how the club operated.

I decided to jot something down in my notebook.

(As captain, she may be accumulating significant mental fatigue.)

It sounded like something from a doctor’s assessment. If she ever saw it, she might think I was being condescending. I should rewrite it on another page.

(Watanuki-senpai, maybe you could relax your shoulders a little?)

Hmm… still sounds presumptuous. I revised it again.

(Senpai. Loosen up.)

There. Just vague enough to sound like an actual note. If I ever showed her, this would do.

“I’ll demonstrate a full-body draw once.”

Just as I was finishing my pointless rewriting, Watanuki-senpai began to move. Ah—could it be…? Hastily, I dropped into a push-up position.

Whenever she engaged her arm muscles, I would do strength training as well—to experience firsthand the physical demands she endured. That, too, was part of my trial participation.

Even to an amateur’s eye, her movements were flawless as she drew the bow. At the same time, I began my push-ups.

One… two…

“……!! My legs…!”

I quietly despaired. My lower body screamed in protest, trembling uncontrollably. Turns out, I was the most unsteady presence in the entire archery hall.

—Thunk.

A short, crisp sound echoed through the hall, abruptly pulling me out of my trivial thoughts.

From a distance of over twenty meters, Watanuki-senpai had landed her arrow squarely in the center of the target.

“…Phew.”

Even though she was under far more strain than I was, her posture never wavered.

“…That was beautiful. And… so far beyond reach.”

A quiet murmur came from the girl who had been receiving instruction.

Collapsing onto the floor after failing my second push-up, I silently agreed.

Our captain—she was undoubtedly someone the juniors deeply admired.

***

As the quiet practice session continued and I had completed more than ten push-ups, Watanuki-senpai suddenly clapped her hands together with a sharp snap.

“Break time. We’ll resume in ten minutes. Make sure to stay hydrated.”

A synchronized “Yes!” echoed in response to the captain’s command.

With that, the tension in the room finally eased, and the previously disciplined club members scattered, each moving independently.

I had heard that archery placed great emphasis on etiquette, but witnessing it firsthand was something else entirely. Even though I was only here for a trial session, I was already convinced—I wouldn’t be able to handle officially joining. Not physically, and certainly not mentally.

“Amemoto! I never thought I’d see you in the archery club! Welcome!”

It was Urushibara—his baby-faced features had already become a familiar sight over the past two days.

Seeing a classmate in a hakama instead of a school uniform felt refreshingly novel. In contrast, Watanuki-senpai looked so natural in his that it didn’t even register as unusual.

“Well, I’m more of an observer than a trial member… I feel bad just standing around doing nothing.”

I lowered my head slightly, acknowledging my position as an outsider among dedicated practitioners. When I looked back up, Urushibara was vigorously waving both hands.

“Nah, nah! You were doing push-ups while watching, which means you’re full of enthusiasm! You looked like you were itching to draw a bow!”

I was not. If I tried, my shoulder would definitely pop out.

“Haha… I haven’t decided whether I’ll join yet.”

With how fired up he was, I could only offer a vague response.

Sorry, my brain isn’t working well enough to come up with a better reply. The short-term exhaustion had taken its toll.

“Sorry to interrupt your little bonding moment~. Amemoto-kun, was it? Are you unsure about joining?”

A senpai with soft, fluffy hair approached and spoke to me in an airy tone.

Another person jumping into the conversation was more than I could handle. Panicked, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind: “It’s… going well.”

I am… weak…!

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself first. I’m Ayamori Eiko, the vice-captain~. You’ve been watching so intently—what were you taking notes on?”

“R-right, Ayamori-senpai! I’d like to know too! If you don’t mind, could we take a look?”

For some reason, Urushibara clasped his hands together and earnestly pleaded alongside her.

Wait, are they talking about my notes on Watanuki-senpai? I had jotted down some thoughts on his exhaustion, but that, like his reliance on energy drinks, was something I should probably keep to myself.

But still… refusing now would probably leave a bad impression. Hmm… if I showed them a page with just a brief note, they wouldn’t be able to tell who it was about.

“Sure, if this is any help. I doubt it’ll be useful, though.”

I showed them a note that simply read: “Senpai—relaxing strength.”

“…Huh.”

“Amemoto, that’s an impressive insight!”

Urushibara’s eyes widened in shock. Wait, why is a simple memo like this making them react so dramatically?

Even Ayamori-senpai’s gentle aura had faded. Her refined smile was gone, and her previously narrowed eyes were now fully open, studying me intently.

“Urushibara-kun. Could it be that he has experience with archery?”

“I’ve never heard anything like that… but when we played FPS together, his aim was practically pro-level! If he improves quickly, it might really come to a point where he can relax senpai’s ‘strength’…!”

…My brain wasn’t functioning properly due to exhaustion, but—wait. Did they just take that as some kind of challenge?

Was it just my imagination, or was Ayamori-senpai, who had seemed so easygoing, now radiating something like fighting spirit…?

“So, you were assessing us second-years, huh~? Hmm, I hope we didn’t disappoint you.”

“Uh, no, that’s not it! I wasn’t analyzing you like the protagonist of a archery manga in the first chapter—I swear it’s a misunderstanding…!”

“No, no, it’s fine~! I’ll give it my all so I can become a worthy rival—someone who makes a promising newcomer like you want to join!”

“Please, just listen to me! How does someone with arms this thin look promising to you…?”

Until the break was over, I kept explaining—over and over—that I was simply learning the importance of relaxing from my senpai.

But Ayamori-senpai, her eyes sparkling with newfound determination, just nodded and said, “No need to make excuses~. You’ve given me the motivation I needed to tighten up my slack mindset~.”

…Wait. Did I actually clear up the misunderstanding…?

***

Early morning runs, drowsy lectures, insufficient lunch, and an intense club practice…

After all that, I finally made it back home.

Of course, the day wasn’t over yet. Once back, Senpai would eat a big dinner, take a bath… and then study.

We had exchanged contact information and connected via call, making it a sort of online study session where each of us focused on our own work.

I opened my math reference book, trying to memorize a new formula… but nothing was sticking. I felt as exhausted as if I’d pulled two all-nighters. My arms and legs ached. I was at my limit.

“Thanks to you, I was able to stay focused during club practice today.”

Through my earphones, a soft yet breathy voice was the only thing keeping me tethered to consciousness.

“Lately, we’ve been doing a lot of basic training, so I had started to slack off. But having someone watching really helped tighten things up—Ayamori and the other second-years said the same.”

“…I see… That’s good. As long as I wasn’t a bother…”

Maybe this was her way of giving me a break. Watanuki-senpai had her own struggles, yet she was still considerate enough to check on me at a time like this. She really was kind.

“You must be exhausted, Amemoto-kun. If you’re tired, it’s okay to sleep early, you know?”

That soothing voice only made my drowsiness worse.

“…No, I’ll stay until the end… By the way, how long do these study sessions usually last?”

“We start at 9 PM, and if it’s long, it goes until 1 AM.”

Her words jolted me awake. I was on the verge of passing out, but that statement alone was enough to shake me. More than half of the session was still left. When does she even sleep…?

“Having you join me for this study session only increases my trust in you. So, really, you don’t have to push yourself. You’ve already done more than enough. Just rest, okay?”

“…I see… Then, I’ll stay as long as I can keep up…”

“Heh, you sound like you’re about to fall asleep.”

She sounded so full of energy… Watanuki-senpai and I were total opposites. Her voice was calm, blending into the night, yet still lively. Maybe our basic stamina was just on different levels. Even if it was just for a day, I couldn’t keep up with this lifestyle.

“This is the first time I’ve done a study session over a call with a junior… and also the first time I’ve gone on a run alone with someone. And that too… a boy. It feels kind of strange.”

“…I see… Yeah… it does…”

Crap. My eyelids wouldn’t stay open anymore.

Somewhere deep down, I had already accepted what she said earlier—that I didn’t have to stay until the end. My consciousness was melting into drowsiness.

But the call was still connected. I couldn’t just fall asleep like this. To shake off the sleepiness, I forced out words, even if my mind wasn’t working properly.

“…This is my first time too… spending an entire day watching such a beautiful Senpai work so hard…”

“…B-Beautiful…!?”

Huh? The connection must be bad. I couldn’t hear her voice clearly.

But if I stopped talking now, I’d fall asleep…

“…Doing this every day is amazing… It was dazzling… You were so beautiful, so disciplined, and so hardworking that you didn’t even seem to struggle with studying… No wonder younger students hesitate to approach you… You feel so far away…”

“A-Ame…!? Amemoto-kun! S-Stop—”

Yeah, the connection must be bad. The call volume was fluctuating, cutting in and out, getting fainter.

But I had to keep talking. The last thing I wanted was to fall asleep on her.

“…Just like how you saw my efforts… I saw yours too, Watanuki-senpai…”

“…! …～!!”

“…From tomorrow, let me help you… ease up a little…”

I couldn’t even finish the sentence. I couldn’t fight it anymore. My consciousness… was fading…

“…Ah, Amemoto-kun? Hellooo… Did you fall asleep? …Ehh. Crap… How am I supposed to face him tomorrow…?”