Chapter 45: THE FESTIVAL BEGINS (Part 6)

After the chess match ended and the victory cheers began to fade, Kai gathered his students back at the side of the field. They were still in a joyful mood after Eve managed to become champion, but Kai’s expression suddenly turned serious, making them immediately quiet down. The air around them, which had been warm and full of laughter, now felt a little colder. The smiles on their faces slowly disappeared, replaced by curiosity and worry starting to creep into each of their chests.

HAAAH... Kai let out a long sigh, his voice sounding heavy and tired. "I just received news from the committee. There’s been a sudden schedule change. The archery competition, which was supposed to be held this afternoon, has been moved up to now. And the volleyball competition, which was supposed to be this afternoon, has been moved to later this evening. So archery first, then volleyball. In half an hour we need to be ready at the archery field."

HAAAH! Rin gasped in shock, her breath catching in her throat. Her eyes widened, not believing what they had just heard. PLAK! Rin slapped her own forehead with her palm, as if trying to wake herself from a nightmare.

"What?! Why so sudden, Sir? We just finished chess, we haven’t had time to rest. This doesn’t make sense!" Rin clenched her fists tightly at her sides. KREK! Her knuckles cracked from the pressure.

Katrin shook her head, her eyebrows furrowing in disbelief. "Yeah, Sir. Why is there a sudden schedule change? Usually the committee gives notice well in advance. This is really unprofessional."

Mira, hearing that, immediately looked at Nora and Luna with concern, her eyes starting to glisten. "Nora! Luna! You’re ready, right? It’s sudden like this, but you can do it, right? You’ve been training for months."

Nora nodded calmly, her pale blue eyes remaining flat despite a slight tension in her jaw. "I’m always ready. It doesn’t matter when the competition is."

Luna, sitting beside her, just nodded slightly, her silver-gray hair swaying. "I’m ready too. We’ve been practicing every day."

Kai looked at Nora and Luna seriously, his eyes looking at both of them with full confidence. "You two will be representing us in the archery competition. Remember everything we’ve practiced. Focus on your breathing. Don’t let distractions around you break your concentration. And most importantly, believe in yourselves."

Nora nodded. "I remember, Sir."

Kai turned to the others. "All of you will support them from the stands. But remember, don’t make noise that could disturb their concentration."

Rin nodded, trying to smile despite still looking anxious. "Relax, Sir. We’ll be quiet."

The archery field was located behind the gymnasium. The area was quite spacious, with six target lanes arranged in a row on the eastern side. Each target was circular with different colors—yellow in the center, red around it, blue, black, and white on the outermost ring. The distance from the shooting line to the target was about thirty meters. The targets were made of compacted straw, with color rings painted clearly on their surfaces.

WUUSSS... The wind blew gently among the trees, occasionally carrying dry leaves swirling in the air. The atmosphere around the field started getting busy with participants from various classes preparing themselves. Some were checking their bows carefully, some were adjusting their bowstrings, and some just stood silently staring at the target in the distance.

Nora and Luna stood on lanes three and four, sharing the same space. They were already holding their respective bows, with arrows neatly arranged beside them. Nora’s face remained calm, her eyes focused on the target in front of her. Luna beside her also looked calm, although there was a slight tension in her shoulders.

In the stands, Kai and the other students sat anxiously. GLUK! Mira swallowed hard, her fingers gripping Rin’s hand tightly. "Mira is really nervous, Rin."

Rin returned the grip, her warm hand holding Mira’s cold one firmly. "Calm down, Mira. Nora and Luna can do it. They’ve trained hard."

Katrin, sitting beside them, added, "Yeah, Mira. Nora and Luna are strong."

PRITT! The referee blew a long whistle, its sound echoing across the field. "The archery competition begins! Each participant will release six arrows. The highest total score will be the winner!"

GLUK! Mira swallowed again, her eyes not blinking from the field.

Nora took her first arrow from its place. She placed it on the bow, pulled the string slowly, and aimed at the target in front of her. Her pale blue eyes focused on the yellow dot in the center of the target. WUUSSS... The wind blew, but she waited patiently until the gust subsided. Then, she released.

Whoosh! The arrow shot quickly, cutting through the air with a sharp sound. BUK! The arrow landed right in the center of the target—the yellow circle worth ten points. Straw fibers scattered around the arrow.

"Ten!" the referee announced.

HAAAH... Mira sighed in relief, her eyes sparkling. "Nora got a ten!"

Rin smiled widely. "She’s amazing."

Luna’s turn. The silver-haired girl took her arrow with more careful movements. Her slender hands gripped the bow firmly, and her half-closed eyes were now fully open. She pulled the bowstring slowly, feeling the tension in her fingers. Then, she released.

Whoosh! The arrow shot and landed in the red circle—eight points. BUK! The sound of the arrow piercing the straw.

Mira cheered softly again. "Luna got an eight! Good job, Luna!"

Luna smiled slightly, satisfied with her result.

The competition continued with increasing intensity. Each participant released their arrows one by one. Nora continued to show her consistency, almost every shot landing in the yellow circle. Luna also started finding her rhythm, getting closer to the center of the target each time.

Whoosh! BUK! Whoosh! BUK! The sound of arrows shooting and landing became a regular rhythm on the field.

In the stands, Kai started noticing something strange. He noticed that some participants from other classes started changing their arrows after each shot. Their movements looked quick and skillful, like they were well-trained. Some took arrows from behind their jackets, some exchanged with friends beside them, and all were done quickly without being noticed by the referee.

Kai frowned. Why are they changing arrows?

But before he could think further, as Nora took her fifth arrow, something happened. As she pulled the bowstring, a strange sound was heard—KREK... the sound of wood cracking.

Nora blinked, but didn’t think much of it. She released the arrow, but the result went far off target. The arrow only hit the white ring on the edge of the target, the lowest value.

"Ah!" Mira exclaimed from the stands, her voice full of worry. "Why did Nora’s arrow go off target?!"

Rin also looked confused, her eyebrows furrowing. "I don’t know... Nora was always on target before."

Kai, seeing that, frowned. There was something strange. Nora’s arrow shouldn’t have gone that far off.

Nora took her last arrow. She pulled the bowstring once more, but this time—

CRAK!

The arrow in her hand suddenly snapped into two pieces. KLAK! The broken piece fell to the ground with a soft sound, and the other piece was still in her hand. The rotten wood crumbled easily, as if it had been brittle for a long time and was just waiting for the right moment to break.

Nora fell silent. Her eyes stared at the broken arrow on the ground, and for the first time, her flat expression broke. There was confusion in her eyes, followed by something deeper—disbelief, and then awareness slowly starting to creep in.

"The arrow broke," Luna whispered beside her, her voice almost inaudible. GLUK! She swallowed with difficulty. "That’s impossible. Our arrows are always strong. We checked everything before the competition."

Nora didn’t answer. She just stared at the broken arrow with an empty gaze.

PRITT! The referee blew a long whistle. "The competition is over! The highest total score is won by Class 2.2!"

CHEERS! Shouts from Class 2.2 filled the field. They shouted and hugged each other, jumping with joy. Meanwhile, Nora and Luna were still standing in their places, not moving. Nora was still staring at the broken arrow in her hand, while Luna stood beside her with an empty expression.

Tap... tap... tap... Kai came down from the stands with quick steps, the sound of his shoes on the hard ground. He approached Nora and Luna with a serious face, his eyes already seeing what happened. "Nora, Luna, what happened? Why did the arrow break?"

Nora lifted the broken arrow in her hand with slightly trembling hands. Her pale fingers gripped the rotten wood tightly, and her hands trembled finely. "Sir... this is broken. I don’t know how it broke. I checked these arrows before the competition, and everything was fine."

Kai took the broken piece, examining it carefully. His eyes narrowed. The arrow was indeed broken, but not from a regular break. There was something strange about its texture. The wood looked rotten, almost brittle. But from the outside, the color looked like a normal arrow. Someone had swapped Nora and Luna’s arrows with rotten ones, but wrapped them in such a way that they looked like new arrows.

KREK! Kai’s fingers pressed the broken piece. "These aren’t your arrows, are they?"

Luna shook her head, her voice soft but firm. "No, Sir. Our arrows are different. These are darker in color. And the wood feels lighter than our arrows. Much lighter."

Kai turned to the referee, who was still standing near them. "Sorry, I want to raise an objection. The arrows my students used were swapped. Those aren’t the arrows they were supposed to use. This was rigged from the start."

The referee blinked, then shook his head. His face looked indifferent, like he already knew what was going to happen. "Sorry, Sir. There’s not enough evidence. All arrows were checked before the competition."

"But look at this," Kai said, showing the rotten broken arrow. "This is rotten. This was clearly swapped. There’s no way an arrow like this passed inspection."

The referee just shrugged, his expression remaining flat. "Sorry, Sir. The decision is final. The winner is Class 2.2. Nothing can be changed."

KREK! Kai clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking from the pressure. His blood felt hot flowing through his body. He wanted to shout, wanted to argue, wanted to break something. But before he could open his mouth, a gentle touch on his arm stopped him.

"Sir." Nora’s voice was soft, almost a whisper, her eyes looking at Kai with a pleading gaze. "Don’t bother. It’s no use anymore."

Kai looked at Nora, seeing the girl’s eyes starting to glisten. "But, Nora—"

"Enough, Sir." Nora’s voice started to tremble, but she still tried to stay strong. "We’ve already lost. Nothing can change that. No matter how hard you argue, they’ll still make Class 2.2 win. This was rigged."

Kai fell silent. He looked at Nora, looked at Luna who was also looking down beside her. Then, reluctantly, he nodded.

HAAAH... "Alright," he said, his voice soft. "Let’s go."

Tap... tap... tap... They walked toward the rest room behind the gymnasium. The atmosphere among them felt heavy and tense. No one spoke. Only the sound of footsteps echoing in the quiet corridor, accompanied by heavy breaths from some of them who were still trying to process what had just happened.

KRIK! Kai opened the rest room door, the sound of old creaking hinges. The room was small and simple, with a few slightly worn wooden chairs and a table in the center made of old wood. The light on the ceiling shone dimly, creating a more intimate and quiet atmosphere. In the corner of the room, there was a small window showing the afternoon sky starting to turn red.

Nora sat on one of the chairs. KRIK! The chair creaked softly under her weight. Her hand was still holding the broken arrow. She stared at it with an empty gaze, as if still not believing what had happened. Luna sat beside her, silent, her hand holding the now-useless bow.

The others also sat down, waiting in silence. No one knew what to say.

Kai stood in front of them, trying to find the right words. He saw Nora still looking down, saw Luna silent, and saw the other students looking disheartened.

HAAAH... "Nora, Luna," Kai said in a soft voice, "I’m sorry. I should have been more careful. I should have checked your arrows before the competition."

Nora shook her head, her eyes still staring at the broken arrow in her hand. "This isn’t your fault, Sir. This... this was rigged from the start. They planned this."

"Nora..." Kai tried to approach, wanting to comfort her.

But Nora kept talking, her voice starting to tremble. "I trained hard, Sir. I trained every day. Since you came, I trained non-stop. I thought I could win. I thought I could make all of you proud. But..."

Her words stopped. Nora looked down, and her shoulders started to tremble. She tried to hold back her tears, but couldn’t.

PLUK! Tears started falling down her cheeks, dripping onto the broken arrow in her hand. HIKSS... Her sobs started to be heard, soft but real.

"I failed, Sir," she whispered in a broken voice. "I failed. I tried as hard as I could, but I still failed. You all believed in me, but I let you down."

Rin, sitting beside her, tried to comfort her, but her voice also trembled. "Nora, you didn’t fail. It wasn’t your fault. They cheated."

But Nora kept crying. HIKSS... HIKSS... "I promised myself that I wouldn’t let you down. I promised I would bring victory to our class. But look what happened..."

PLUK! PLUK! Mira’s tears fell, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. HIKSS... "Nora, we don’t care about winning or losing. What matters is we’re together."

Rin moved closer, her hand reaching for Nora’s shoulder. A gentle touch. "We’re all proud of you, Nora. You fought with all your strength."

Kai moved closer to Nora. Without words, he bent down and gently hugged Nora. His hand stroked the girl’s head, like a father comforting his sad child.

"You didn’t fail, Nora," Kai said in a soft but firm voice, full of conviction. "You fought with all your strength. That’s what matters. Winning or losing isn’t everything."

HIKSS... HIKSS... "But we lost, Sir..." Nora sobbed in Kai’s embrace, her voice broken. "We couldn’t bring victory to our class."

"Losing isn’t the end of everything," Kai said, his voice still gentle. "Losing is part of the journey. What matters is that you didn’t give up. You’ve shown that you can endure. That’s more valuable than just victory."

Nora lifted her head, her eyes red from crying. "But..."

"No buts," Kai cut in firmly, but his eyes remained gentle. "I know you tried hard. I know you did your best. That’s enough. I’m proud of both of you."

Mira, also crying beside her, nodded. HIKSS... "Yeah, Nora. We’re all proud of you."

Rin also moved closer, her hand reaching for Nora’s. "We don’t care about winning or losing. What matters is we’re together."

Nora looked at her friends one by one. They were all looking at her with warm smiles.

Kai released his hug, but his hand was still on Nora’s shoulder. "Listen, Nora. I promise you. I promise all of you."

All eyes turned to him. The room, which had been silent, was now filled with hope starting to grow.

"I will bring victory for all of us," Kai said, his voice full of conviction and unshakable determination. "Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But I promise, one day, we will win together. We will prove that we can. We will show them that cheating will never defeat hard work and fighting spirit."

GLUK! Nora swallowed, her eyes starting to sparkle as she looked at Kai. "Really, Sir?"

Kai smiled, a warm and confident smile. "I never break my promises. I will fight for you. I will make sure that everything you sacrificed was not in vain."

Mira moved closer, her hand reaching for Nora’s. "We believe in you, Sir, Nora. We all believe."

Rin also nodded. "We will win."

Nora nodded, wiping her tears. HIKSS... Slowly, a small smile started forming on her face. "Okay, Sir. I believe. I believe in you."

Kai smiled, then looked at all his students. "Now, let’s rest first. There’s still the volleyball match this afternoon. And we will fight until the end. We will show them that we don’t give up easily."