𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗡'𝗦 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬! ━━━━ mao isara (on hold)

49. winner (chiamao)

ᡣ𐭩 . archery | neutral

The whispers from the crowd were sharp. His heart beats erratically from all the attention. The warmth of the sun was uncomfortable as the bow he held didn't sit straight in his hold.

Mao squinted his eyes in focus as he lifted the bow into the right position and aimed the arrow it clocked in with the target far ahead.

He lets his shoulders relax from the stiff tension his anxiety gives them, positioning his own figure more comfortably and right as two seconds passes, Mao lets the arrow release from its hold.

The arrow went by fast, the crowd held in their own breaths, ready to cheer Mao Isara on...

... But the arrow misses the target by a few inches, digging into the ground off to the side.

His kelly green eyes widened. He was in the finals for this month's championship - a one on one competition against one of the most famous archers across the country.

Never once - in practice or other competitions - had Mao missed a shot. Just like the person he was going up against, Mao was fairly well known around the area, for being the youngest archer there had ever been to be included in any competitions.

The said man he was competing against stands from his tall pedestal off to the side, grinning like the psychopath he was and clapping slowly whilst walking over to Mao. "How sad... I was having fun watching this finale..." The man went on with ranting about anything possible, insulting Mao as much as he could during the talk with hints.

The crowd was intrigued, focusing intently on the man's words while the same man circled Mao as though he was a simple and weak zebra in the drylands ready to be gobbled by a ferocious lion.

"...How pathetic you youngsters are, nothing ever changes."

...

The bow snapped simply in half once hitting the red coloured stone tiled flooring as Mao sat on the bench in the middle of the changing room with hiding his face in his hands, letting the darkness sweep past his eyesight that he forced shut.

Tears of frustration and anger welled up behind his eyelids, though he didn't dare let his eyes open for the tears to fall and only wished for the salty droplets to disappear.

"Isara?"

His head suddenly perks up, kelly green eyes wide at the sudden call. A familiar brunette teammate poked his tall figure past the corner of the room near the door.

"Chiaki!" He then glances to the bow that he broke a few minutes ago, seeing both halves lying astray in its own self-made pile beside the bench he sat on. He watches as Chiaki walks over, picking one half of the item up, glancing it over with a frown.

A sudden realisation knocks into Mao's thoughts. "I'm sorry... I forgot that was your bow! I just..."

"It's okay!" Chiaki reassures with a genuine wide smile, "it was a spare one anyway. I didn't like this one that much, so you did the job for me in finding an excuse to get rid of it." Chiaki explains as he places half of the bow he held in his hold gently back down with the other piece and walks over to the bench, sitting next to Mao. "That's not what I came back here for anyway. I came to check on you, see how you're doing after the last performance, but by the looks of it... you're not doing well, are you?"

Mao looks towards Chiaki for a short while, thinking a few words over as he leans his arms onto his lap and leaning slightly forward as he faces front-way from where he sat. "I failed our team. I made a promise to you and the others that I would win this competition for team STARPRO, and yet..."

Chiaki frowns, "do you think we're upset with you?"

Mao's facial features twitched, unsure whether to show how right Chiaki was or to hide his feelings and pretend he didn't think that thought over on his own since leaving the competition's grounds twenty minutes ago.

Chiaki carries on, "we're far from upset - in fact... we're proud of you, Isara!" A small noise leaves between the gaps of Mao's lips as the brunette teammate swung an arm around him shoulders and reeling him in closer to Chiaki's side, his head almost leaning on the brunette's shoulder. "You got us into the semifinals, man! That's a first for STARPRO in many years!"

"I guess so, but..."

"I don't want to hear it!" Chiaki then swiftly stands from the bench, his attention still focused on the younger. Chiaki reaches one hand out to the beaujolais-haired smaller, his smile positioning into a champion's grin, "come on, let's go celebrate with the others! I'm sure our winner is hungry after today."

"Fine," Mao takes a hold of Chiaki's hand after a second of hesitancy, being helped up into a standing position with a thin and yet soft smile painting its way onto his face slowly but surely. Chiaki felt the sensation of pride swirling in his heart at seeing Mao smile once more.

"Do you have any idea on where you'd like to eat?"

"There is one place I would like to try out." Mao replies after thinking the question over.

"Yeah? Then spill! We'll go literally anywhere you desire!" Chiaki pressures.

"Mm. I was thinking..."