The "bearded middle-aged man" did not hastily shoot his arrows like the young men standing to his left and right.
He held his breath, his sharp eyes fixed on Aoto's approaching figure. His stance... was like an eagle soaring in the sky, always ready to swoop down and capture its prey.
Scritch—The "bearded middle-aged man" widened his stance, then swiftly and steadily raised his yumi bow, setting the arrow, pulling the string tight, and aiming along its trajectory... gathering formidable momentum in his waist and arms.
Just as Aoto was around 10 meters from the alley entrance, at that split second... the "bearded middle-aged man" suddenly opened his half-closed eyes wide!
In an instant, the tension in his arms released, and the sound of the arrow slicing through the air followed!
The archery of this "bearded middle-aged man" was indeed far superior to the two young men on either side of him.
