Chapter 47 Club Activity Observation： Archery Club II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
In Kyudo, each person shoots 4 arrows. If all 4 hit the target, it’s called “kaichū” (皆中, perfect score). Conversely, if all 4 miss, it’s called “zannen” (残念, disappointing). Splitting the difference, hitting only 2, is called “hawake” (羽分け).
The girl Haruto was watching had just scored “zannen” twice in a row. Then, a boy sitting with Haruto and the others spoke up.
”Mariko, you’ve been told many times that your upper body is bent.”
”I know that without you saying it over and over.”
”Then why don’t you ever fix it?”
”I don’t know either.”
Haruto had no idea what kind of relationship these two had. At least, they seemed close enough to call each other by their first names.
”Mariko-san, take a look in the mirror.”
”…Yes, I understand.”
A large mirror is installed on the wall of the archery club. This is for checking posture, and she was told to look and correct herself in this mirror.
However, as the earlier conversation suggested, Mariko already knew what needed fixing. The issue was that she couldn’t correct it, or perhaps didn’t know how.
(But what can I say? It’s probably too much to intervene…)
If her posture was crooked, it could be due to a bone abnormality. But Haruto’s ability required touching the person to confirm, which was awkward with someone he just met.
”How is it? Do you have any questions or anything you don’t understand?”
Then, the woman who first guided Haruto came next to him and spoke. So, he tried asking with a glimmer of hope.
”What are you doing in front of that mirror?”
”I think she’s checking her posture. Do you want to go see?”
”Yes, please.”
Nice, unknown woman!
He shouted that in his heart and went toward the mirror with Mariko.
”Mari-chan, I’m just watching as a visitor, but is it okay if I watch here?”
”Yeah, that’s fine~”
Getting close was good, but just watching wouldn’t help, so Haruto decided to ask Mariko boldly.
”Sorry for asking out of the blue, but how heavy is that bow you draw?”
”Huh!? Oh, if you want, you can try it?”
”Is it really okay!?”
”Of course it is! Here, you can use this.”
Mariko handed the bow she was using to Haruto. She stood in front of him and taught him how to hold it.
”It’s dangerous if the string hits you, so I’ll hold it down. Try pulling it.”
Saying that, Mariko placed her hand over Haruto’s as he drew the string. Thanks to that, their hands touched, and he could check the position.
(Aah, leg length difference, huh?)
There are various reasons, but Mariko’s left and right legs were different lengths. In archery, you support your weight on your tiptoes with your heels raised, so if your legs are different lengths, the shorter leg bears more load. This can misalign the waist and pelvis.
”It’s lighter than I thought it would be.”
”This is for girls, so it’s much better posture! I’m envious!”
”Is that so?”
”I’ll give it a try.”
Mariko said this and drew the bow.
”See, I’m bending it outward, right?”
”Maybe, Senpai, your legs are different lengths?”
”Leg lengths? What do you mean?”
”Try sitting with your legs extended.”
You can easily check for leg length differences yourself:
1. Sit with your legs extended and check if there’s a length difference.
2. Sit in seiza and check if there’s a difference between the left and right knee positions.
3. Lie on your back, pull your legs toward your chest, and check if there’s a difference between the left and right knee positions.
”Oh, they really are different on the left and right!”
”I think this is probably the cause, so I recommend you go see an orthopedic surgeon once.”
Haruto suggested going to a hospital instead of using his ability to fix her legs. He was concerned about the potential risks of suddenly correcting such a significant difference.
Most people’s faces and bodies are not perfectly symmetrical, and the same goes for the length of their limbs. If the difference is slight, even if it’s suddenly corrected, there might not be much discomfort. However, Mariko’s leg length difference was quite severe, so Haruto couldn’t predict what would happen if he fixed it.
(If her legs suddenly become symmetrical and she can’t walk, that would be terrible.)
”I never thought my legs were like this… it’s a shock…”
”If you get proper treatment, it’ll get better.”
”Yeah, I’ll definitely go to the hospital then!”
Mariko thanked Haruto repeatedly and returned to practice. Watching her, Haruto sighed lightly, thanked the woman who had guided him, and left the archery club.
(There’s no data on what happens if injuries or conditions are suddenly cured…)
With that on his mind, Haruto headed toward his original destination: the swimming club.
Corrected “弦 (gen)” to “弦 (tsuru).”
In Japanese, it’s “tsuru,” but in Western languages, it’s “gen.”
Japanese is difficult.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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