'So, what is this horseback archery?

'It's like a mini-game in Onin no Sato. Each of the 20 targets has a maximum score of 50 points, and you get a reward depending on how many points you get. The challenge fee is three thousand Iris per challenge.

'I see, a mini-game...'

　After listening to Himiko's explanation, I glanced at the yabusame.
　I wonder if it's an NPC who's challenging me right now?　Oh, I fell off my horse.
　There are 20 of 50 points, so I guess 1000 points is the maximum.

'By the way, I had 12 points.

'1000 points is the maximum, right?'

'Don't say that, .......'

　I couldn't help but poke my head in, but he was aware that his score was low. He covered his face and started to mimic crying.
　I shouldn't have said that, at least I haven't done it yet.

"Grass.
"12/1000.
"That's about 1%.
I'm not sure what to say.

'Mmm, I'm getting the feeling that Skuna's listeners are making fun of me. ......'

'It's more like that.'

'Don't reveal it.
'You can see it from within the game, even if you hide it.
'Why don't you try it, Skuna?

'Yeah, I think I'll try it too.

　I've never played yabusame before.
　It's been a while since I've touched a bow.
　If anything, I remember touching pistols and rifles more often.
　When I traveled to a country that didn't have a firearms law, Rin-chan let me touch many things.

'By the way, what happens when you get the maximum of 1000 points?

'Hmm ......, I believe you can get a rare item, like a high rare item, the first time you get over 500 points. No one's ever done anything above 700 points, so I don't know.

'I see. I'll give it a try then.

　I was motivated when I heard about the high rare items.
　It's worth it if you can get attribute crystal class items.
　At 3,000 Iris a time, it's not too costly, and it's worth it.

I'm rooting for you!

You can use a bow?
"There are no weapons you can't use in Azerbaijan.
I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.


'That's Sukuna's favorite thing!

'Well, just watch me. I'll go win some rare items.'

　There were a lot of people watching, but not so many people actually participating, I guess.
　In order to participate, I called out to the strong uncle of the demon tribe at the reception desk.

'Uncle, next please.

'Oh, I don't mind, but ...... doesn't that whole body thing hurt?

　While taking the Iris from me, the uncle looked at the cracks all over my body and had a worried expression on his face.
　You look strong, but you're kind.

'No, I'm fine now.

'If you're okay with it, then fine. Do you understand the rules?

'I'd like you to explain them to me.

　Himiko told me earlier, but just in case.

'Basically, all you have to do is shoot through the 20 targets by riding the rail hose there. The closer you are to the center of the target, the more points you get, and the further away from the center, the less points you get. You can use as many arrows as you want, but if you exceed 20 arrows, you'll be penalized for each one you exceed, so be careful.

'So you want to use the least amount possible. I understand.

'Bows are available for rent. Use this one.

'Yes, sir.

　I took the bow from my uncle and stroked the neck of a horse named Railhorse.
　I'm not sure it's a horse. But not a draft horse either. But he's got the kind of flesh that gives him great endurance.
　I'm a bit curious about the origin of the name 'rail horse', but from the way he's been running, he seems to be very stable.

'Nice to meet you.

'Brrrr.

'Yeah, he's cute.'

　The rail horse rubbed his cheek against mine in a friendly manner, and I felt a little happy.
　Games are good. Just being able to interact with animals makes me happy.
　I wonder if the water dragon kid is doing well?　I wonder if I can see him next time I'm in Trillia.

　And by the way, I'm relieved that the curse doesn't seem to have any particular effect on me.
　It seems that the Onigoto's bracelet is firmly suppressing the curse. I have to thank Byakuya for lending it to me.

'Well...'

　I stepped over the rail hose and stabilized the base.

　Once it is stable, I lightly stretch the bow and let the arrow fly.


　Then stretch the bow as far as it will go and shoot.
　Yeah, I know this bow's quirks.
　There's nothing special about it. It's really just an ordinary bow and arrow.

'Then let's get started.

'Okay.

'All right, ......, let's begin!


'I've never held a bow before.


'I've never seen you hold a bow before.

　While the menu card shows Sukuna's delivery, Himiko at the top of the screen sees Sukuna adjusting the bow on the horse right now.
　The way she adjusts the bow with her very experienced hands makes you want to ask her, 'Are you a professional or something? It's just a mini-game.
　As it was just a mini-game, she didn't seem to be overwhelmed. He looks relaxed as usual.

'It's difficult, isn't it?

　The minimum score for that yabusame is 10 points.
　So, for now, if you hit all of them, you can get 200 points. If you can get 200 points, you can more than make up for the entry fee, and that would be a good record.
　However, if you use too many arrows, you will be penalized 2 points per arrow.
　Himiko barely hit two targets, and used four more arrows. So her score was 12 points.

'Start ......!

'Nyowah!

　Perhaps because she was distracted by her own disappointing results, Himiko let out a strange voice at the signal given by the demon tribe at the reception desk.
　While being rocked by the lightly running horse, Sukuna gently set up her bow.
　The arrow shot out from the beautiful archery style like a model, and pierced the center of the first target with a light thump.
　The first five targets are evenly spaced and flowing.
　Sukhna rhythmically shot his arrows and pierced the center of the five targets with five arrows. He now had 250 points, 20 times as many as Himiko.

'Wow, ......'.

　Compared to traditional yabusame, the distance between the targets is longer and the speed of the horses is slower.
　The distance between the targets is about 15 meters, which should be about 5 meters, so the pure difficulty level is probably higher.
　However, this is a game world. If you take into account the unreasonable physical ability called "status", this distance may be just right.

　Well, from Himiko's point of view, it was difficult to even shoot a bow properly, so she would have preferred a distance of about five meters.

　The figure of Sukuna had already become difficult to see, and from this point on, the screen projected in the air would take the place of the audience's eyes.
　This screen looked like a downsized version of the one that had shown the final day of the event, the battle to destroy the apostles.
　It is said to be a magical device, but Himiko does not know the details. Even though it's said to be found in various towns, Himiko was carried to the demon village shortly after she started, so she can't be sure of the truth.


　The sixth to tenth targets are not just arranged in a row.
　There are five targets alternating in the order of high to low. Because of the alternating firing lines of the bow, you have to aim and fire in a short time.
　It is a common sight to see a sudden decrease in the number of hits in this area, but Sukuna hit all the targets in the middle of the five consecutive shots.


　Himiko could no longer see the vision of Sukuna missing the arrow against the immobile target.

　As expected, Sukuna hit the target with such precision that she suspected auto-aim.
　The targets were evenly spaced, and the horses moved at a constant speed. The arrows shot at exactly the same intervals made a pleasant sound again.

'This is where it all starts, isn't it?

　Himiko had expected this level of perfection when she hit the first arrow cleanly. 　
　But from here on, the target 'moved'. The first two targets moved up and down, the next two diagonally. The next two turn in a circle.
　These six targets are so troublesome that it is difficult to shoot them down normally, but you have to hit them before they pass by on horseback.
　Moreover, the targets move very fast. To be honest, I doubt if they want us to hit the target.

　However, Himiko thinks that her prediction that there is no intention to make the players guess the target from here on is not so far off the mark.
　Because, as Himiko said earlier, if you get 500 points, you can get a high rare class item.
　And theoretically, getting 500 points itself can be accomplished with just the first 10 unmoving targets.
　In fact, Sukuna has just achieved 500 points easily.

　Get as high a score as possible in the first half, and prepare for the second half.
　There are more Yabusame enthusiasts than you might think, and the players who achieved 500 points all earned at least 400 points in the first half.
　By the way, the highest player record is 610 points set by an archer of the Onin race. That player had 450 points in the first half alone, and was shooting with very high accuracy.

'Hmmm, 12 points is indeed disappointing.

　Maybe I should ask Sukuna to teach me how to use a bow after the game.
　While Himiko was thinking about this, Sukuna entered the target zone.
　She pulled an arrow from her quiver, readied herself, made a slight pause, and then released it.
　The sequence of actions was seamless, and the arrow was sucked into the center of the target, which repeatedly moved up and down.
　One more arrow. Although the pause was a little long, the same gesture shot through the center of the second target.

　Rather than the arrow hitting the target, it was as if the target was going to hit the arrow. Sukuna's shooting was so accurate that it gave me such an illusion.
　It did not matter if the movement was up and down, diagonal, or circular.
　The remaining four moving targets were shot through the center so easily.
　He must have been so sure of hitting the target that he was able to hit the center of the target with such an unconcerned appearance.

　So far, 800 points.
　While the other challengers were watching in amazement at the accuracy of the shot, the four most difficult targets stood in front of Sukuna.

　It was not that he had not expected this level of shooting.
　It was a test of her usual throwing skills. Even Himiko knew that Sukuna was a monster.

'I wonder about this...'

　But the last four targets were in the middle of a strong wind.
　The wind blown by the Wind Charm easily changed the trajectory of the arrows. Moreover, it seemed that the wind was not blowing with the same strength from one direction, and complex air currents, like turbulence, surrounded the targets.


　To be precise, there was no wind around the target like the eye of a typhoon, and there was a wall of airflow about 10 meters away.
　Himiko's arrow was bounced by the wall in front of her, and she could not even send it into the target area.

　It would be difficult for even a scuna to hit the target.
　As Himiko was thinking this, Sukuna lowered the bow in his left hand a little, lifted his right hand a little, and spread his palm out.
　It was a very brief gesture before the horse reached the target.
　The Sukhna nodded his head in agreement, lowered his hand, and took out two arrows from his quiver and placed them in the bow.

　Sukuna's gaze, unchanged until a moment ago, sharpened sharply.
　The force with which he pulled the arrows was much stronger, but his aim never wavered.
　The bowstring made an exceptionally loud sound, and the two arrows headed toward the wall of strong wind with great force.
　They were heading in the wrong direction, too.

　The two arrows took completely different trajectories from the archer to the target, probably due to the different winds.
　One arrow went to the left, and the other to the right. The two arrows, shot at slightly different heights, danced in the wind ...... and each pierced the center of a different target.
　Gasp, gasp. The sound of the arrows piercing the target clearly showed that the power of the arrows was different from that of the arrows that had made a light sound up to this point.
　It must have needed momentum to break through the strong wind.

　While the audience was transfixed by the movement of the arrows, Sukuna was firing his third arrow.
　By the time it overcame the wall of airflow and pierced the target, the last arrow had been released.
　The arrows all pierced the center of the target with a sharp impact.

　All arrows hit the target, 1000 points.
　The maximum score of the mini-game was too easy for Sukuna.


'Phew, that's a lot!

　Himiko thought to herself as she watched the spectators stunned by the smiling Sukuna as he returned on his horse.

(I know, I know.)

　Himiko, a trained Sukuna listener, turned around and silently sympathized with the spectators, folding her arms in a boyfriend style.