When the complainer student—the one who was supposed to have been chased off—reappeared, an atmosphere of confusion and hesitation settled over the shop. The collective thought running through everyone’s mind was the same: Wait... what is he even doing back here?
Ignoring the mood of those around him, the complainer student wore a triumphant smirk as he voiced his claims.
“Hey, hey, what’s the matter? Are you all scared because I brought my senior along and your little scam is about to be exposed?”
I had to wonder what on earth this guy was talking about. Just because everyone was speechless with bewilderment didn't mean they were agreeing with him.
Regardless of our thoughts, the complainer student only grew more heated.
“...Um, you’re the person who left a moment ago, right?” the Female student clerk began, her expression one of utter perplexity. “As I told you before, we aren’t doing anything dishonest. No matter which game you play, the bow and arrows are the same.”
“Ha! You think you can just say that and get away with it? I bet you were pulling something crooked back then, too!”
“...”
She tried to handle him with a professional demeanor, but it was clear that Kishi—the complainer student—had no intention of listening to reason.
A cold atmosphere settled over the room as Kishi continued his one-man tirade. Finally, he was cut off by the rebuking voice of the man he had brought with him—the one he called his senior.
“Hey, calm down, Kishi. Whether they’re cheating or not, you need to talk to them properly first.”
“But Haranishi-senpai! There’s no point in talking to people who are just trying to deceive us...”
“I said calm down. I’ll handle the talking, so you stay quiet.”
The agitated student was apparently named Kishi. While rebuking him with a stern expression, the man named Haranishi stepped forward to address the Female student. He made it clear through his attitude that he was taking over the conversation.
Given that he was the senior of someone making such bizarre accusations, I had expected him to be arrogant. Instead, he gave a polite bow and offered an apology.
“First, let me apologize for the scene he caused at your storefront. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no... you don’t need to apologize.”
Faced with an unexpected display of common courtesy, the Female student was caught off guard. She had been wearing a look of annoyance that her professional smile couldn't quite hide, but now she was flustered. She likely hadn't imagined that the person brought by such a ridiculous kid would be so reasonable.
“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate it if we could talk this through...”
“Ah, yes. That’s fine. We’d much rather resolve this through a discussion as well.”
And so, a talk was held between Haranishi and the girl. Kishi stood behind his senior with a dissatisfied pout, but he didn't dare cut in.
The three of them moved toward the back of the shop to begin their discussion. In the meantime, the rest of us—customers and staff alike—waited with bated breath. No one felt like continuing the game while the situation was up in the air.
“I appreciate you making the time to talk,” Haranishi said. “Now, to the main point... Is there any truth to his claim that this shop is rigged?”
“No, absolutely not. Every guest uses the same equipment to enjoy the game.”
“I suspected as much. But he claims that because you don't want to give out prizes, you hand out low-precision tools to the customers...”
“The bows and arrows used here are handmade by the students, so if you're saying the precision is poor... then I can only apologize.”
Since the equipment wasn't commercial gear from a sporting goods store but items crafted by students, one couldn't expect much in the way of precision. If Kishi wanted to harp on that point and claim it was intentional... well, there wasn't much they could do but apologize. The lack of precision was, after all, a fact.
Haranishi seemed to find this explanation acceptable, nodding without showing any signs of annoyance.
“If they’re handmade by amateurs, then poor precision is understandable. I don’t believe that’s an issue in itself.”
“Haranishi-san?!”
“Kishi, I told you to stay quiet, didn't I? Considering the costs, making them by hand is a perfectly logical decision. Besides, for a school festival stall, you don't need the kind of precision required for a dungeon. This is a game where you aim at a stationary target, not a monster.”
“?!”
Kishi tried to object, but Haranishi rebuked him with an exasperated look. As someone acting reasonably, Haranishi could easily tell which side was making the foolish argument.
“Sorry, we got sidetracked. I understand why the precision is low, but he also claimed the difficulty of the game was absurd...”
“The game he attempted is our highest difficulty setting. If he finds the difficulty absurd, all I can say is that he was the one who chose that level out of all the options we provide.”
“...”
Haranishi shot Kishi a cold, piercing look. Claiming the difficulty was "absurd" when he had chosen it himself meant his entire logic was collapsing.
Kishi awkwardly averted his eyes, and Haranishi looked like he was developing a headache. The situation was clearly far removed from whatever story he’d been told.
“...Understood. For the sake of thoroughness, could I have you explain the rules for this highest difficulty? I’d like to verify everything myself now that we’ve come this far.”
“Certainly,” the girl replied. “Kishi, that’s fine with you, right?” Haranishi added.
“...Yes.”
Haranishi’s expression was already that of a man looking for a way to settle the matter. Even though Kishi had misled him, Haranishi was now a part of the disturbance. He couldn't just walk away.
Under the circumstances, everyone around felt nothing but sympathy for Haranishi. As for Kishi, who was currently just digging himself into a deeper hole, I wondered how he intended to save face.
Amidst a heavy silence, Haranishi received the explanation for the game. He had clearly already decided that there was no cheating involved, but being forced to see this through to the end just to settle Kishi’s mess was a rough position to be in.
Meanwhile, Kishi looked like he finally realized he’d screwed up. He was glancing around as if searching for an escape route. He really should have just given it up by now.
“I see. Indeed, with this bow and this level of difficulty, I imagine winners are rare.”
“Yes, we haven’t had many successful challengers. That’s why it’s the highest difficulty.”
“That makes sense. If someone did it enough times, they might eventually succeed, but for a first attempt, this is quite demanding.”
Coming from an archer explorer, that was a heavy endorsement of the difficulty.
“Would you like to try it yourself?” the girl asked.
“Oh, that’s more than I could ask for. Are you sure?”
“Yes. A difficulty that even an explorer archer finds challenging... rather than just calling it ‘highest difficulty,’ that’s a great promotional line to pique the competitive spirit of our guests. I’m sorry for using you like a prop, though...”
“No problem. A slogan like that would definitely get people fired up.”
Haranishi readily accepted the girl's proposal as a way to make amends for the trouble. For someone dragged into this mess, it was a fair compromise. Lending his title for the duration of the school festival was an easy price to pay.
However, seeing the two of them coming to an agreement, Kishi looked more frantic than ever.
“In that case, please wait a moment. I’ll prepare...”
“Here, use this!” another clerk called out.
“Thank you. Sorry for the wait; please use this set.”
The girl handed Haranishi the bow and arrows, set up the target, and prepared the game. Haranishi checked the arrows, his brow furrowing for a split second at their quality. For a professional, the craftsmanship must have been painful to see. Given the circumstances, he kept his complaints to himself.
“Indeed, with this quality, it would be difficult for an amateur to hit the mark.”
“That’s why we adjust the distance and target size for the other levels. Many guests have been winning prizes in those.”
“I see. So as long as one isn’t being stubborn, it’s a fair game.”
“Precisely.”
That last remark was a sharp jab at Kishi for causing such a scene out of pure spite. I wished he’d find a more productive way to be stubborn.
But Kishi didn't seem to notice the indirect insults; he was too busy desperately trying to figure out a way to turn the tables.
“...” “...”
“Well then, I’ll begin.”
“Please do.”
Haranishi’s challenge for the highest difficulty began.
With practiced movements, he nocked an arrow, aimed at the target, and drew the string—only for a sharp crack to echo through the room.
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
For a second, I didn't understand what had happened.
Then, after a few moments of silence, a voice rang out.
“Ahahaha! I knew it! You are cheating! You gave him a defective one because you were too stingy to give out a prize!”
Kishi, who had looked pale and defeated just ten seconds ago, was suddenly laughing with a smug, triumphant grin.
While his laughter filled the silent room, Haranishi and the girl looked absolutely mortified. Haranishi had likely intended to play the game, conclude that it was "difficult but not impossible," and call it a day. But because the bow had snapped before he even fired the first shot, things had become incredibly complicated. If it had happened after a few shots, he could have claimed he used too much force, but a bow breaking on the very first draw looked undeniably like a scam.
Naturally, Kishi seized the opportunity.
“A defective product... no, it’s a rigged product! You didn't think a rigged piece of junk like this would work on an explorer archer, did you?! An amateur like me might have been fooled, but it didn't work on a pro like Senpai! Too bad for you—you were so close to pulling it off!”
Kishi was in his element now. A simple case of a weak bow snapping was being spun into a deliberate conspiracy by the shop to prevent anyone from winning. Even some of the other customers were starting to cast suspicious glances at the staff, swept up by Kishi’s momentum.
“No, it really just broke...”
“Ha! You think that’s going to fly? You caught your cheating being exposed, so now you’re claiming it was just defective? Your cover-up is pathetic!”
“No! It really was just an accident!”
“Kishi, that’s enough!” Haranishi tried to intervene. “I just didn't know my own strength and pulled too hard.”
But Kishi, sensing a total victory, wouldn't listen. He even turned on his senior.
“Senpai! You don't have to lie to protect these people! You hadn't even pulled the string back halfway! They handed you a bow that breaks from just that!”
“Hey, Kishi! You’re going too far!”
Haranishi’s voice of reason failed to reach him. The girl was frantically checking with the other staff about where the bow had come from. The scene was getting louder and spiraling out of control. The staff looked lost, and some customers were already walking away.
Normally, this would be the point where an unrelated bystander would slip away to avoid the trouble. But I stayed put. Because...
“Um... excuse me.”
“What?! Sorry, we’re a little busy right now!”
“Ah, no, it’s just... that bow that just broke. It might have been the one I accidentally snapped during practice earlier.”
The bow Haranishi was holding looked exactly like the one I had broken in the waiting area.
Wait, did they not dispose of that bow properly...?