Summer vacation officially began on July 21, the day after the dance.
Toru Watanabe still gets up at six o'clock and goes out for a run.
But the running route has changed.
Because he always runs on the busy Shinjuku Avenue, he seems to have really become Forrest Gump, attracting a lot of onlookers.
These bored guys treated him as a tourist attraction or anecdote in Shinjuku! There was even a TV show interviewing him!
So starting today, he decided to go for a morning run on residential streets where no one would mind his business.
Route: Home - Suga Shrine
The residential areas in Yotsuya are quite dense and the roads are narrow.
In July, the sky is blue and the sun is shining. The creepers, evergreen trees and other vegetation are shining with dazzling green, and beautiful hydrangeas can be seen occasionally.
There are so many ramps here that they are almost as many as the number of roadside vending machines.
After running up the uphill road called Tennozaka, even though he insisted on exercising, Toru Watanabe was already out of breath when he arrived in front of Suga Shrine, with beads of sweat as big as pearls rolling down his fair and handsome face.
Toru Watanabe sat on the stone steps at the entrance of the shrine, listening to the cicadas chirping from the shrine and taking a big gulp of soda.
"Young people nowadays drink junk drinks so early in the morning." Three old ladies strolling near the shrine looked at Watanabe Toru's face and the drink in his hand.
"If you don't drink now, will you wait until you are older to drink?" Watanabe Toru replied loudly.
So the old ladies looked at him even more unhappily.
While pointing and talking to Watanabe Toru head to head, he disappeared around the corner of the downhill road.
Toru Watanabe took another big gulp, let out a contented sigh of carbon dioxide, and then pointed the soda bottle with marbles into the sun.
The patterns on the glass reflect dreamy colors under the sunlight.
After resting for a while, I ran home to take a shower, changed into school uniform and set off for school.
Although there are fewer people on campus during the summer vacation, it is still very lively. The enthusiastic shouts of young people from the sports club on the playground can be heard throughout all the corridors and atriums of the school.
As the wind band's training entered the sprint stage, it became increasingly arduous under the pressure of Kiyono Rin.
She often says now: "Before taking a shower or going to bed, you must memorize the melody. Those who don't make the greatest effort don't deserve to enter the national competition."
Even Toru Watanabe, who gradually became more and more proficient in the oboe, could not escape being criticized.
"Watanabe-san, don't you know that the oboe in the piece I chose is very important?"
"Watanabe-san, why did you take so long to use the bathroom? Are you planning on living there?"
"Watanabe-san, since you have time to play Jingle Bells and play games, why don't you practice your solo?"
…
"Watanabe, Watanabe, Watanabe," Toru Watanabe threw the baseball in his hand with all his strength, "I don't know my last name is Watanabe! Do I need you to remind me?"
The crisp sound of a baseball hitting the ball resounded through the summer sky at the end of July.
Kunii Osamu in the batting cage yelled, "Good ball! Come again!"
Toru Watanabe picked up another ball from the basket and threw it toward the strike zone.
The only unexpected sound in my ears was the whistling of the baseball bat.
"Impossible! Carter ball!" Kunii Osamu shouted in disbelief after his swing missed.
"Wrong! It's a Pokémon Ball!" Toru Watanabe threw another Carter Ball that he had no idea what it was.
This time, the crisp sound of the metal ball hitting the ball resounded throughout the Kamikawa again, attracting the attention of the crows standing on the treetops, overlooking the school building.
After hitting the ball, the two men went to the dugout near first base.
"Your pitching speed has been getting faster recently. Today, you even threw a cutter. If you keep going like this, you can definitely come to the baseball club as a sparring partner."
"Underestimating me? My goal is to strike you out before the Koshien game starts."
Kunii Osamu responded to Watanabe Toru's brazen words by laughing loudly towards the sky.
He said, "By the way, when does the wind band competition start?"
"August 5th."
"That doesn't leave much time. No wonder I haven't heard any sound of musical instruments taking a break recently."
"What about you?" Watanabe Toru asked back.
"We've already defeated several schools, but I didn't play." Kunii Osamu pointed at a player who was practicing with his coach, "Senior Uchida, with his high-speed ball alone, Kamikawa can win the East Tokyo championship and the right to play in Koshien."
“So amazing?”
"Of course. But Uchida-senpai is..."
"Not him. I mean, can a great pitcher make a team win?"
"Of course! How can you win if others can't hit your ball and can't score points? But if the other side also has a good pitcher, then it will be troublesome."
Kunii Osamu enthusiastically told Watanabe Toru about the 19th Koshien match between the Hyogo Prefecture representative and the Aichi Prefecture representative.
The pitchers on both sides were all like Lu Bu - according to Kunii Osamu, which resulted in the batters on both sides failing to hit the balls they threw, and no points were scored throughout the game.
The game lasted for more than four hours, and the scoreboard could not fit the score, so it had to be temporarily extended.
"However, if a pitcher wants to stand out, he has to be very, very strong, and as long as the batter gets one hit in three at-bats, it's a win for the batter." Finally, Kunii Osamu, the batter, said.
The two chatted for a while, and then the baseball coach blew the whistle, and all the players gathered immediately and continued training under the scorching sun.
Watanabe Toru stayed in the rest area for a while and heard the coach curse at least ten times.
It seems that no matter which club, the coach always likes to teach people a lesson.
"Watanabe-kun, would you like some water?" The female manager of the baseball team, who had particularly big breasts, came over with a bottle of water.
"Thank you, no thanks." Watanabe Toru stood up, "I have to go back to practice too."
"Yes, okay." The female manager smiled very cutely, "Thank you Watanabe-kun for helping Kunii-san with his training."
"It would be great if I could really help." His current level is not even as good as the automatic baseball pitching machine in the entertainment venue.
When Toru Watanabe returned to the music room, other members had already started basic training and tuning.
Because he would be scolded for playing mobile games, Watanabe Tetsuya had no choice but to pick up the oboe, hold the reed in his mouth emotionlessly, and start practicing.
After a while, Qingye Rin walked into the music classroom.
"Begin the ensemble."
"yes!"
Near the end of July, the wind orchestra, which used to be so hard to hear that it woke up Miki Kujo, was playing better and better, and the melodies of the assignment songs and free songs were deeply engraved in everyone's hearts.
Rin Kiyono's guidance also began with the basics such as breathing, pitch, rhythm, etc., and then moved on to more difficult performance techniques.
"Stop. Didn't I tell you to play with emotion here? Why is the rhythm still fragmented after practicing so many times? We must practice this part well today."
"yes!"
She can always find problems in places that many people think are fine.
However, before Watanabe Toru came out to absorb the hatred, when Kiyono Rin said there was a problem, everyone didn't believe it, or they knew it and held a confrontational attitude and deliberately didn't change. But now, although they can't help but have all kinds of emotions in their hearts, at least they will practice seriously according to the instructions.
Because people look at Kiyono Rin objectively, they gradually come to know her excellence.
Even if she was suddenly appointed as a judge for the wind instrument competition, the people in the Kamikawa Wind Band would not be surprised.
Thinking of this, looking at Kiyono Rin giving instructions on the stage, Watanabe Toru said in his heart with great satisfaction: "I brought up that child by myself."
"Watanabe, the F note is too high, do it again."
“…”
In that instant, the music classroom was filled with the tittering of girls, who were probably saying, "You've got this day too!"
The only pity for them was that for some reason, Watanabe Toru was getting more and more handsome, so they couldn't find any reason to make personal attacks on him.
Time moves towards the end of July in a fulfilling and repetitive manner, and strides towards August.
Late at night on July 31st, after a day of training, Toru Watanabe was flipping through "The Great Matchmaker" borrowed from Kiyono Rin under the desk lamp.
This very short drama script tells the story of a handsome adopted son and his beautiful adopted mother who go out together and are maliciously slandered by the citizens, and rumors spread that the two are having an affair.
The adoptive father went from being unbelieving at first, to being half-believing and half-doubting, to finally being extremely furious.
The adopted son and mother, who had no relationship at all, supported each other with the "help" of these rumor spreaders and finally got together.
These rumor spreaders are the "matchmakers" in the title of the book, and the word "great" seems extremely ironic.
"As expected, 'Great' is better."
Toru Watanabe is not interested in drama. In addition to learning Spanish, he wants to know what Rin Kiyono, as a woman, a beautiful girl, thinks when she reads this script with the theme of extramarital affair.
Do you ever fantasize about the plot of an adopted son and his adoptive mother?
"Why am I interested in this? Men's bad taste?" Watanabe Toru was thinking this when his cell phone alarm rang.
00:00
He closed the book.
【New product: Beauty cream】
[Beauty cream: remove acne, remove spots, whiten, resist aging, repair and brighten skin tone, one bottle of effect, permanent guarantee, no side effects]
“…”
Toru Watanabe covered his face with his hands, closed his eyes and thought, with a blank expression.
Should have known this long ago.
Don't put any hope in the system.
[Skills: Beginner - Appendectomy (100), Master - Acting (1000), Proficient - Shooting (10,000), Master - Massage (100,000)]
Although he didn't understand the meaning of "appendectomy", "shooting" and "massage" made Watanabe Toru wake up instantly.
Although her shooting skills were not at the master level, Toru Watanabe guessed that Shizuru, Kujo Miki's personal bodyguard, was almost at the proficient level in shooting skills.
There is no problem with this exchange. The key is whether to exchange the <Master-level Massage> worth 100,000 points.
Miki Kujo promised him that as long as he served her well, she would allow him to use the gun club freely.
Whether it is access to guns and ammunition or a suitable place to practice shooting, a government-approved gun club is very important to Toru Watanabe.
With access to the club, he could even hone his shooting skills to master level on his own.
Although it is difficult, he is never afraid of it and never slacks off.
However, exchanging 100,000 points for a "massage" that is rarely used only gets these, which is not worth it.
Especially when he basically doesn't earn any points except for the sign-in reward from Miki Kujo.
However, the system can even spawn something as exaggerated as the "Wind Bon Dance", so who knows how long it will take to spawn a suitable skill.
Watanabe Toru thought about it and decided to give up.
I really can't bear to give up 100,000 points.
Anyway, as long as he doesn't do anything unfaithful, Miki Kujo probably won't inject him with succinylcholine or throw him out of the car.
After exchanging for the <Mastery Level·Shooting> that could not change the status quo, Watanabe Toru felt like it was tasteless and a pity to throw it away.
If it weren't for the ridiculously weird skills refreshed by the system and the pressure from Miki Kujo, he really didn't want to exchange for mastery-level skills.
After glancing at the [Points: Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven Thousand] on the system interface, Watanabe Toru made the bed, turned off the desk lamp, and went to sleep.
In August, Kiyono Rin borrowed a concert hall .
Just like they were familiar with the examination hall, the wind orchestra practiced and practiced like crazy in this concert hall.
Watanabe Toru, who has acquired an amazing shooting skill, still drinks his boba soda every day, endures the contempt from the old lady at the shrine and Kiyono Rin, and his daily life remains unchanged.
On the morning of the competition, the school bus and truck stopped in front of the club building.
Toru Watanabe went up and down. As one of the few boys in the wind orchestra, he could not avoid the job of moving musical instruments.
By the time he finished moving, he was too tired to move.
Especially the percussion instruments, which seemed too heavy for him, whose physical strength was only 6 points.
For the first time, Asako Hanada showed her extraordinary strength. She held the 100-jin xylophone in both hands, went down from the third floor humming a song, and then immediately went upstairs with cheerful steps to continue moving it.
They didn't sweat a drop even in the hot summer - in order to make the competition look formal, they wore long-sleeved school uniforms.
It's really terrible.
I'm really worried about her future boyfriend. If he's a scumbag, his head will be twisted off, right?
I sincerely hope it’s a man as dedicated as him, Amen.
After moving the instruments and checking again to see if there was anything forgotten, the rear door of the truck was locked and all members boarded the bus.
On the way to the stadium, the car was eerily quiet.
Some girls' faces turned so pale due to nervousness that they looked like they were about to be sent to the hospital at any time.
Qingye Rin sat alone in the front row, closing her eyes and resting.
Asu Mai took off her shoes, curled up in a chair, and played a music game with headphones on. Sitting next to her, Hanada Asako stared blankly at the scenery outside the window that was constantly receding.
In the back row, Toru Watanabe was sitting with a boy from the trombone section, also playing a music game.
"Haomi-chan, are you nervous?" The boy whispered to Tamamo Haomi who was across the aisle.
"Don't talk to me now!" Tamamo Haomei said unhappily.
There was no trace of blood on her beautiful white face, and her lips were muttering to herself, reciting the trombone melody over and over again.
The boy was bored and too nervous to calm down, so he turned his attention to Watanabe Toru.
Although Toru Watanabe may appear to be an enemy of men, everything he does - whether it's confessing his love in public, not flirting with other girls, or his "old chuunibyou" - makes him a good friend to boys.
"Watanabe, is your girlfriend here to cheer you up?"
"It's not a national competition. She won't go to such a big meeting."
"Is that so?" The boy was silent for a while, then asked, "Are you nervous?"
"fine."
"I really envy you. I'm so nervous that my hands are numb and cold. Do you want to touch them?"
"What are you doing!" Watanabe Toru slapped away his hand.
He didn't succeed, but the boy didn't care: "How can I be as calm as you?"
"Can you guys be quiet a little!" Tamamo Yomi warned in a low voice. The noises from the two people were so loud that she couldn't concentrate on memorizing the music.
The boy shrank back.
Watanabe Toru tapped on the phone interface and said, "Being nervous means your level is not good enough. The good ones can't wait to go on stage and show off themselves."
Tamamo Yoshimi thinks Watanabe Toru is talking about her!
She was instantly irritated, and her two beautiful eyes stared at this side.
The boy in the middle wanted to run away immediately - if there were no extra seats and this place was close to Tamamo, he would not have wanted to sit with Watanabe Toru, the most handsome guy in the school.
"For example, for me," Watanabe Toru continued without looking up, "I am very good at it. As long as I perform, I will be praised. Why should I be nervous? Only people with low level will have the mentality of being reviewed."
"Watanabe Toru!"
"What's the matter?" Toru Watanabe raised his head and met Tamamo's beautiful face, which was so beautiful that she bit her lips in anger.
"Why do you always go against me?"
"Haven't you heard the saying? I don't want to be your enemy, I want to be the enemy of the world."
“You, you… Ugh!!!”
Watanabe Toru said such childish lines just to liven up the atmosphere, but who knew that Tamamo Haomi didn't understand the plot at all and just buried her face in her skirt and started crying.
"This..." Watanabe Toru was speechless, and the phone kept saying "Miss".
The girls around him immediately denounced him, and the bus, which had been quiet for a while, suddenly became lively.
"What's going on?" Qingye Rin walked over with his arms folded. His cold voice was like a heavy snow covering the mountain, and all other sounds disappeared immediately.
"Watanabe made Hao Mei cry!"
“That’s right!”
Kiyono Rin set her sights on Watanabe Toru.
"I don't."
"Lie." Judge Rin Kiyono immediately gave the verdict.
"No, I did make her cry, but my original intention was not to make her cry. I wanted to liven up the atmosphere and make her less nervous."
Qing Ye Lin sighed and said weakly: "Using bullying methods to comfort girls, are you still a child?"
She took out a handkerchief and handed it to Tamamo Yoshimi: "Tamamo-san, I apologize to you on his behalf. Although Watanabe-san's words may be unpleasant, he is a good person."
Good man... Why does it feel like I'm scolding him, even though he is indeed a good man.
With everyone's comfort, Tamamo Haomi's emotions gradually calmed down, but she was still sobbing quietly.
"Everyone keep quiet and get enough rest before the game." Kiyono Rin glanced at Watanabe Toru with a warning look and turned back to her seat.
Watanabe Toru felt bad when he saw Tamamo's beautiful shoulders were still shaking.
Making a girl cry is really not something a man should do.
When the car arrived at the destination and she got off, Toru Watanabe said sorry to her with red eyes.
Tamamo Haomei said nothing and walked straight to the truck to get her trombone.
Watanabe Toru, who had no idea what to do with women, followed and helped unload the instruments.
Everyone took their instruments and followed the staff to the preparation room to tune them with tuners.
"Is the sound tuned?" At some point, Rin Kiyono, wearing a neat black suit and transformed into a beautiful boy, pushed the door and walked in.
Her snow-white and crystal skin looks even more holy against the black suit. Although it is summer, she does not make people feel hot even though she is dressed up.
His long hair, as black and shiny as 0.5mm lead powder, was tied into a ponytail. As his body swayed, his slender figure and handsome face had a fatal attraction to girls.
The girls in the wind band who usually disliked her all had rosy cheeks and whispered, "So handsome!", "Let me die!" or "Why didn't I notice it before!"
There are even lines like "More handsome than that Watanabe scum!" that are so inexplicable and obvious that they are lies.
Under everyone's gaze, Qing Ye Lin subconsciously lowered her head to look at her outfit, and then asked again nonchalantly, "Are the sounds all tuned?"
"alright!"
"Sorry, I haven't yet!"
"Hurry up." Qingye Rin said, "We have to practice the opening a few more times before we go on stage."
"yes!"
Everyone knew that once the first note of the brass instrument was lost, it would be almost impossible to revive it again, and no one objected to Kiyono Rin.
Watanabe Toru played a teasing long note on his oboe and said to Kiyono Rin who was looking over, "You're so handsome, Kiyono-san."
Qingye Rin glanced at him with a 'you are so boring' look, turned her eyes away, but the corners of her mouth raised an almost invisible arc.
"Among the boys I've met, no one can match your handsomeness except me. I, Watanabe, would like to call you the most handsome!"
Qingye Rin couldn't stand him and scolded him angrily: "Instead of talking nonsense there, you might as well prepare well."
"How heartless! Do you know how hard it is to get my recognition?"
Kiyono Rin tapped her fingers on her arm impatiently and was about to say something, but she saw that Watanabe Toru had already put the reed of the oboe in his mouth, with an attitude that said, "Don't disturb me while I'm practicing."
She pinched her brows and couldn't do anything about him.
"Contestants from Kamikawa High School, the time has come."
After the staff members finished their announcement, the short practice period that they hoped would never end came to an end.
Before going on stage, Qing Ye Lin looked at everyone and said, "Don't be nervous, as long as you perform at the level you practiced, I promise you: you will definitely enter the Kanto Tournament."
"Yes!" everyone responded loudly and nervously.
"Watanabe-san, do you have anything to say?" Kiyono Rin suddenly said.
Watanabe Toru pointed at himself: "Me?"
"Yes." Qing Ye Lin nodded, "You are the most crucial solo, say a few words to everyone."
"Then..." Watanabe Toru was about to laugh at the crowd and inspire hatred among them, but was stopped by Kiyono Rin's stern look.
"Hmm... I don't have anything to say." Watanabe Toru hesitated, "Let me sing a song for everyone."
Before everyone could react, Toru Watanabe had already started singing with his voice that was deemed hopeless by Rin Kiyono.
"The Yotsuya hills, the school building that crows fly over, our alma mater, Kamikawa."
Regardless of whether they hated him, liked him, or ignored him, all the members of the brass band followed him and sang the school song of Kamikawa High School in unison.
"Kamikawa!"
"come on!"
Everyone walked onto the stage and took their positions in their own trenches.
"The next performer is number 33, Tokyo Metropolitan Kamikawa High School."
"The music piece to be performed is "Prosperous Four Seasons" composed by Kawa Hideaki, and conducted by Rin Kiyono."
As soon as the host finished speaking, lights as bright as day filled the entire stage.
Kiyono Rin bowed his head towards the audience, and applause broke out in the venue, accompanied by a murmur of discussion - this was the first time he had seen such a young conductor.
Qingye Rin raised his head and walked up to the podium.
At the same time, the audience quieted down, all noise disappeared instantly, and all eyes were focused on the stage.
In this silence, the concert hall was filled with a frenzy that was incredible.
Kiyono Rin raised her baton, and everyone picked up their instruments at the same time. She looked around at every face of the A group members, and each of them looked at her.
Finally, she fixed her eyes on Toru Watanabe.
Their eyes met, and at that moment, she swung her baton.
The flute and solo melodies are layered, and on the sheet music, it says "crescendo!"
Then, the rich, full sound of the euphonium vibrates the air, and here it says, "Listen to the melody! Listen to the melody! Listen to the melody!"
The euphonium caught up with the song, and it said, "The intervals tend to go low!"
"It depends on the command!" "We need to teach that scum Watanabe a lesson!" "The third day of being laughed at"...
The words written on the music score with a pen have long been so dense that I can't see the music itself, but the melody is unconsciously memorized in my heart.
After June, July and into summer, the initial notes have even begun to fade.
As soon as Qingye Rin withdrew her hand, the concert hall fell silent.
Rin Kiyono slowly waves her baton, and the oboe plays solo!
The melodious, clear and paralyzing tone breaks through the air!
Everyone swallowed involuntarily, sat up straight, their hearts trembling, and goose bumps standing up.
At this time, no one in the brass band cursed Watanabe Toru for making a mistake.
A burning tension burned through my throat.
Tamamo Yoshimi, Hanada Asako, Asuka Mai, Komatsu Misaki, Miya Madoka on saxophone, Ishitani on flute... Everyone had only one thought:
Go to the national competition!