Different from China where everything is for study, no, everything gives way to exam-oriented education, although the pressure of entering school in Japan is also very heavy, students have not given up other activities.
In Japan, there are a variety of club activities starting from elementary school. Joining a club is not a waste of time, but a part of school life. In order to ensure the quality of the club, the school will set aside a sum of money every year to develop the club.
For students, participating in club activities is the norm, and those who do not participate are the oddballs. Take Shiki Tono as an example. If he did not have the "anemia" symptoms caused by the lack of vitality, he would not go home early after class.
Club activities are usually scheduled after school. Sports clubs with competitive characteristics will also add a morning exercise before school. Japanese schools start late and end early, so the extra time is used to prepare for club activities.
The reason why Sakura and Shinji went out so early was because of club activities.
As a ghost student in school, Shinji was unwilling to go to school, let alone join any clubs. However, he did not join, but Sakura did, and it was a club that was very famous in Fuyuki and even the surrounding areas - Hogunhara Junior High School Kyudo Club.
Archery is a sport that has a considerable following in Japan, and there are many competitions. The Kyudo Club of Hogunhara Junior High School has done very well in this area and is highly valued by the school. Every year, many students submit applications to join the club, but not many can pass the test and be allowed to join. They either have outstanding talents in this area or have a good foundation in archery from childhood.
Of course, for Sakura, who had practiced martial arts since childhood and whose physical fitness was far superior to that of ordinary people, the entrance test was just child's play. Even without any archery foundation, she quickly became the vice-general of the Kyudo Club and was hailed as the rising star of the Kyudo Club, and was highly anticipated by other members.
The morning practice time of the Archery Club was 7 o'clock, which was still an hour before the official school classes started at 8 o'clock. At this time, most students had not arrived at school yet, and the school was very deserted.
The brother and sister didn't care about it. The sister was used to this kind of campus, and the brother didn't feel anything because he didn't come to school often. It didn't matter whether there were many people or few people. He decided to accompany his sister and didn't plan to go anywhere else. When his sister went to the archery club to practice, he went to the archery range to watch.
As one of the school's business cards, the archery range is very professionally built, with all kinds of facilities related to archery. From the perspective of a middle school, it may even seem a bit excessive. It is said that the principal himself loves archery very much, so he invested a lot of money to build this professional venue. The good results of the archery department are also inseparable from the perfect training venue itself.
As soon as she entered the archery range, Sakura seemed like a different person, from a sister who depended on her brother to a star figure in the club. She greeted her seniors and peers, and then began to call for equipment, arrange the venue and personnel, just like a housekeeper.
Under her leadership, it took less than ten minutes for the morning practice of the Kyudo Club to begin. Sakura, wearing a special Kyudo uniform for archery, held a bow in one hand and a white feather arrow in the other, aiming at the target and shooting the first arrow of the day.
Without looking at the result, just by looking at Sakura's tense posture and focused eyes, Shinji knew that this arrow would definitely hit a ten-ring mark.
The result was as he expected, without any suspense.
This arrow got the club's activities off to a good start. Members took their bows and arrows to the shooting positions, shooting arrows one after another. Whenever someone shot a good result, the companions next to them would applaud. Naturally, the club's second-in-command, deputy general Ying, received the most applause and the best result.
Seeing his sister surrounded by her peers, with a pure and beautiful smile, Shinji casually sipped his tea, his face full of relief. It was right not to let her go to the Clock Tower, but to let her stay in Fuyuki to study in an ordinary school. It might delay her magic training a little, but compared with her sister's healthy growth, this loss is not worth mentioning.
It's still better this way. If such a cute sister grows up to be a disgusting mainstream magician, Shinji will never forgive himself in his life.
A new round of practice began, and Ying hit the bull's eye again. This was her fifth time hitting the bull's eye today, breaking her personal best.
The girl put down the bow and arrow and shook her long purple hair which had been tied into a ponytail so as not to affect her drawing of the bow. She waved at Shinji and made a strange gesture with her index finger and thumb clasped together.
That was a gesture that only the brother and sister knew, and it was a childhood memory unique to them. At that time, I had just started learning rune magic, and in order to maximize the power of the rune stone, I chose to use a slingshot as my weapon.
Sakura, who had been her brother's little follower since childhood, wanted to learn it, so Shinji made a slingshot for her. However, it was not a professional grade compound slingshot, but just a small amateur toy. Even so, Sakura still had a lot of fun and practiced with her brother every day. Every time she hit the target, she would wave to Shinji like this.
"This girl." Shinji chuckled softly, his eyes warm.
"Oh, isn't this the legendary genius student?"
A female voice came from behind him. Shinji turned sideways and turned to the girl who spoke, a strange yet familiar person.
The reason they felt like strangers was that they had not had much interaction with each other. They had only spoken a few times and knew each other's names.
The reason why she is familiar is that she looks very much like an old friend of Shinji. She has short hair that reaches her ears, a face that is both gentle and heroic, and a free and unrestrained personality. She is like a replica of Ryougi Shiki, except for her figure - Shiki's figure is not much better than Toosaka Rin's. However, the girl in front of him can compete with Sakura.
"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. Speaking of rumors and fame, you seem to be more famous than me, Mizutsu Ayako-san."
Ayako Mizutsu is the name of this girl. Before Shinji traveled through time, she was known as "Miss Shiki's nickname" and was even given the nickname "Nuclear Chasing God" - one of the "Four Great Guardians of Fuyuki" - just a joke. However, one thing must be mentioned, excluding the mysterious characteristics, Ayako Mizutsu is no worse than Ryougi Shiki.
There is no need to say much about her appearance and figure. Similar to Shiki, Ayako is also from a samurai family. She has practiced martial arts since she was a child and is proficient in all kinds of martial arts. Her catchphrase is "A beauty cannot do without martial arts." Her skills are extremely good for ordinary people. She can break ten tiles with one punch. She is a modern heroine.
Because of his outstanding appearance and outgoing personality, he is very popular in school. Because of his strong fighting ability, many students privately regard him as one of the people who cannot be disobeyed in school.
"Just call me Mizue." The girl sat down next to Shinji in a familiar manner. "I'm here every day, but you're hardly ever here. If you were here every day, you'd definitely be much more famous than me. So, what on earth happened today that brought you, who almost never come to school, to our Kyudo Club?"
PS: I asked a professional, and found out that breaking ten tiles with one punch is a professional black belt level in Japan, and in China one has to be a master who has practiced martial arts since childhood and immersed himself in it for twenty years - "Bajiquan" can also do it. In the industry, "Bajiquan" is often called a wall-breaking martial art, and it seems that there is even a wall specifically used for practice.
PS2: I have already mentioned the "Four Great Guardians" and the reasons for their names, so I will not elaborate on them here.