It was only the first day, but she was already in trouble.
Ishida Andini, the girl's name. A girl with long hair. An Indonesian-Japanese girl, who has just returned to Japan, after three years she lived in Indonesia, in her Mother's country. From birth to sixth grade, Andini lived in Japan, in her Father's country. Then, her father was transferred to Indonesia and now he was transferred back to a company in Japan. But, just a day after she set foot in Japan, she was already in trouble.
More precisely, she was looking for trouble.
Andini is not like most girls. She is beautiful but she is far from feminine. That girl is a tomboy. She is strong. She likes to defend justice. Her dream as a child was to become Sailor Moon, the hero in sailor clothes who defends justice in the name of love.
"Hey! Stop, you damn girl!"
The scream made Ishida Andini turn her head. She snorted and glared at the three men chasing her.
"You stupid people! Do you think I'll stop if you tell me to stop?!" Andini exclaimed in a fierce tone. Then, because she wasn't too focused, Andini tripped over a nearby pebble and fell. The girl hissed from the pain in her knee, then looked up. Right in front of her, there is a towering staircase. She could also see the gate leading to the shrine that she used to see on television shows.
"Hey!"
The scream made Andini click her tongue and hastily got up. She didn't mind the pain in her knee. Andini ran up the stairs and when she was at the top of the stairs, the girl froze and widened her eyes. That sound. A very familiar voice. The sound she missed so much. The sound also changed her life as well as ruined her life.
Tsurune. The sound of a bowstring as it releases an arrow.
Realizing that there was no time to linger over the past, Andini ran again. She saw a small sign saying "Yata No Mori Kyudo Hall'' on a building beside her. Then, the tsurune's sound grew louder, making Andini grit her teeth and clenched her fists. Andini could see an adult's waist-deep fence made of bamboo, making her immediately turn and jump over the fence. She kept running, coinciding with the release of an arrow from her left side.
"Watch out!"
The exclamation made Andini stop running and turn around. Her light brown eyes widened as the arrow flew toward her. She wanted to dodge, but her legs felt heavy instead. The arrow then scratched her white cheek and stuck the target in the distance right in the middle. Andini stared at the target board with a sharp gaze, then turned to the direction the arrow had been fired.
And meeting the blue eyes of a handsome man wearing a hakama. The man's hair was the same color as his eyes and he was holding a bow. The man's blue eyes widened as he stared at her. Maybe because Andini's eyes are so sharp and can see far away, she can realize it. The night wind blew, dropping the leaves from a large tree that was nearby.
"There she is! That damn girl is over there!" shouted one of the three men, who had been chasing Andini.
"Tch! They're still after me," grumbled Andini. The girl ran toward Kyudo Hall and jumped up.
"Hey! That's very impolite! You—"
"I'll borrow this for a moment," Andini interrupted quickly. She grabbed the bow in the man's hand and grabbed the arrows that were nearby. Then, she got into a stance and aimed her bow and arrow at the three men, who were already in the Kyudo range. The three of them stopped and froze. "You guys still want to chase after me? You guys want to feel what it feels like to be shot by this arrow?"
"Stop joking! You're just a brutal girl! There's no way you could use that tool."
Andini smirked when she heard the ridicule. "Do you want me to try it right now to see if I can use this tool or not? Hmm?"
"Hey, that's dangerous," said the blue-haired man in a firm tone. "Don't—"
However, Andini did not listen to his words. The girl released an arrow from her bow with an extremely perfect technique. From the start, the blue-haired man had been stunned by the girl's perfect stance. The arrow then stuck right between the legs of the man, who had just challenged the girl, causing the blue-haired man to raise an eyebrow. In fact, the tsurune created by the girl beside him was beautiful and melodious to his ears.
The three men in front of Andini immediately shouted. They looked at Andini with angry looks and pointed at the girl's beautiful face.
"If we see you again in that place, we will teach you a lesson! Remember that!"
They immediately ran away from the place, making Andini snort and stare at the blue-haired man in front of her. The girl returned the bow in her hand to the man, then bowed apologetically.
"Forgive me for my impoliteness. I've also disturbed your Kyudo practice. In that case, I will be leaving now."
Andini jumped down from that place.
"Wait!" The blue-haired man put down his bow and jumped down too. Actually, this is a very impolite act. But, he had to chase after the girl. "You're hurt. Your cheeks are bleeding. You shouldn't be where people are shooting arrows like earlier."
Andini rubbed her cheek and winced. She could see the blood on her fingers.
"This is nothing. Just a small wound." Andini bowed again. "Then, I'll go first. Good night."
"Wait!"
However, Andini ignored the call and ran. She jumped over the wooden fence in front of her, then disappeared. Making the blue-haired man put his hands on his hips and subconsciously worry because of the bleeding wound on her cheek that was caused by his arrow just now.
###
"Andini-chan!"
Ishida Andini stopped walking and turned around. She frowned at that girl with short, shoulder-length hair, who looked so energetic and cheerful. As soon as they faced each other, the short-haired girl immediately hugged her, making Andini widen her eyes and didn't know how to react. Before long, the hug broke. She cupped Andini's face and brought their faces closer so the girl could see Andini's eyes were so brown. Those brown eyes, when exposed to sunlight like now, turn golden.
"It's me!" the short-haired girl exclaimed. Seeing Andini still confused, the girl laughed. "You must have forgotten me. I'm Inga! Kurosaki Inga! Your elementary school friend before you moved to Indonesia. We always play together and practice Kyudo together. Do you remember?"
Andini raised an eyebrow. Soon, a thin smile appeared on Andini's lips, making Inga laugh even more.
"Yes, I remember. You are Inga, the crybaby, who is very afraid of butterflies."
"Aish, you only remember the embarrassing part," chuckled Inga. "How are you, Andini? I was very sad when you moved to Indonesia and you never contacted me even once. I was surprised when you came into my class as a transfer student. Are you going to stay in Japan for a long time?"
Andini nodded. "Yes, it seems so."
While chatting with Kurosaki Inga, several students walked near the two. Andini took a glance. There are five boys and three girls. The eight people brought special bows for Kyudo. Are these people from the Kyudo club? If Andini pays attention, Kurosaki Inga also brought the same thing as the eight people.
"Kurosaki-san, why are you still here? The practice will start in a moment," said a bespectacled student. He looked at Andini and back at Inga. "Is this your friend?"
"Yes," Inga nodded enthusiastically. "She's my friend. More precisely, my elementary school friend. Just so you know, Takehaya-kun, this girl is really good at Kyudo."
"Inga-chan!" Andini exclaimed, shaking her head. "I don't do that anymore."
"What? Why?" asked Inga in a disappointed tone. Disappointment also shone in her eyes. "You can't do that, Andini-chan! Why don't you do Kyudo anymore? Fujiwara Shu will surely be disappointed when he learns of this."
Andini froze when Inga called that name. Then, a black-haired student came closer, making Andini stare at him.
"Hello. My name is Narumiya Minato. Do you know Fujiwara Shu?"
Andini nodded to return the man's greeting. "I'm Ishida Andini. Yes, I know him. You know him too?"
"We're his middle school friends," answered the bespectacled man. "Hi, I'm Takehaya Seiya. I'm the president of the Kyudo club."
Andini smiled slightly and looked at Inga. "I'm sorry, Ina-chan. I must go home now. I—"
"No! You can't," Inga shook her head firmly. The girl pouted and hugged Andini's arm tightly. "You should come with me to our Kyudo Hall!"
"What?!" Andini blinked and widened her eyes. The girl couldn't get away from Inga, who was now pulling her passionately. "Wait a minute. Inga-chan? I don't want to go there. I must go home."
However, Andini's words are ignored by Inga. The girl could only be helplessly dragged away by Inga, while the Kyudo club president and the other members followed behind. As if wanting to keep her from escaping. Andini's heart was beating so fast, that the girl was afraid that her heart would jump out any minute. She didn't want anything to do with Kyudo anymore. She—
It was then, she heard the same tsurune as the one she heard last night at Yata No Mori Kyudo Hall. Andini frowned. Such a beautiful Tsurune. A tsurune, who reminds her of the Kyudo she loves. Her legs felt weak for some reason. As soon as she entered the Kyudo Hall, Andini froze and her eyes widened when she saw a blue-haired man doing a Kyudo move and releasing the arrow from his bow.
"Good afternoon, coach!"
The blue-haired man turned his head and smiled broadly. A friendly smile. "Oh, you guys have come." His blue eyes then stopped on Andini and he blinked. The smile looked gentle, making Andini snort and look away. "Hmm? I see there is a new person there. Is she a new member?"
"No. I'm—"
"I will encourage her as hard as I can, coach!" shouted Inga excitedly. Andini could only glance at Inga but could not say anything. But... Coach? That blue-haired man last night was a coach at Kazemai High School? Why did there have to be such an unpleasant coincidence? "She really liked Kyudo since we were in elementary school! She's a very talented person! Let me introduce her. Her name is Ishida Andini."
"Ishida...?" muttered Narumiya Minato. He exchanged glances with Takehaya Seiya. "I feel like I've heard that name before."
Andini froze and clenched her fists at her sides. She looked down.
"Hi, Ishida-san. My name is Takigawa Masaki and I am the coach at Kazemai High School." Takigawa Masaki approached Andini and lowered his head so he could look at the girl. However, Andini did not want to look at him at all. "Do you want to join the Kyudo club?"
Andini was silent for a long time. Then, the girl looked up. Her light brown eyes were cold and empty, making Masaki raise an eyebrow.
"No," Andini refused in a cold tone. "Because I hate Kyudo."
