[Dongyun Academy, Archery Department Training Hall, 5 a.m.] Sayaka arrived at the training hall earlier than anyone else. No one knows that she only sleeps three hours each night. She did not bring the black spade A back to her dorm; she placed it in the most prominent position in her quiver. She said nothing, but that card had already become her talisman. She stood in front of the target and closed her eyes. Yet memories of a certain night from years ago resurfaced in her mind. [Memory · The Girl Without a Home] By the time she was thirteen, her family's archery tradition had reached her generation. She was the only one practicing the forgotten "Phoenix-style Archery." She was ostracized by her peers and labeled a "monster with emotional barriers." During a family training session, her brother accidentally discharged a bow, and the arrow nearly pierced her left arm. She did not cry, however. She just lowered her head and continued to practice. Others called her "cold-blooded," "mechanical," and "a puppet of archery." Little did they know that in the dead of night, she would hide alone in the equipment room and speak to her reflection, "If I could cry like others, would I not always be alone?"
[Reality · Shooting Off Again] She opened her eyes, nocked an arrow, drew back, and released! "Bang——" The arrow flew past the target and fell to the ground. This was her first shot of the day. But it missed the target by a full five centimeters. Shaye's heart tightened at that moment, her palms sweating. "How could this happen... I already confirmed the wind speed, the data... it should be right..." She stood there in a daze, her gaze drifting away. The black spade ace pinned to her quiver glimmered slightly in the morning light. She clenched her teeth and murmured to herself: "Calm down, Hōdō Shaye, this isn't the first time you've wavered." [The Appearance of the Deputy Minister of the Archery Department, Nanaki Tokihira] "You're not calm; you're just good at deceiving yourself." A familiar voice interrupted her murmurs. Nanaki Tokihira leaned against the doorframe, her messy blonde hair and a hint of rare seriousness in her eyes. "Shaye, do you think suppressing your emotions will prevent you from missing? No, you're just hiding the arrows in your heart." Shaye didn't turn around and quietly replied, "Emotions are my greatest vulnerability." Nanaki slowly approached, suddenly slapping her shoulder. "That's why you need to practice here. It's not about improving your archery skills; it's about how to integrate your emotions into the arrows, rather than hiding the arrows in your emotions." Shaye trembled slightly. Nanaki took the bow from her hands, nocked an arrow, and shot straight at the bullseye— "Boom!" Right in the red center. Nanaki turned to her, her expression serious: "You're not practicing archery to win against anyone; you're doing it to prove that your existence won't be overwhelmed by your emotions." She stood there for a long time, her shoulders quivering slightly. At this moment, she finally whispered: "I... want to try again."
[Chapter Epilogue: Arrow Hearts Steady]
She drew the bow again, adjusted her breathing, closed her eyes for three seconds, and then suddenly opened them wide. The arrow shot forth as if emerging from night into dawn.
"Bang!"
The arrow hit the bullseye, almost perfectly centered. She gently exhaled, her shoulders relaxing slightly. That black spade A swayed gently in the quiver, like a heart that has not yet settled but is finally no longer trembling.