Chapter 109 Kanto Competition (1)
At noon on the third day of the training camp, after the ensemble ended.
"The training camp ends here. Everyone can go home directly today."
"yes!"
Kiyono Rin looked around and her eyes stopped on Watanabe Toru, whose eyelids kept drooping.
"Tomorrow we will continue to practice at a high intensity, so it's best to stay home and rest. There are only five days left until the Kanto Tournament, so don't fall asleep during practice."
"yes!"
"Watanabe-san?"
"There's a reason why I've been dozing off today." Watanabe Toru raised his foot and pointed at the mosquito bite: "Yesterday there was a mosquito that kept buzzing, so I..."
Before he finished speaking, Qing Ye Lin had already withdrawn his gaze: "Disband."
"..." Toru Watanabe had forgotten that this woman could see through lies.
"NPCs have more powerful skills than players, so I must have made a mistake." Watanabe Toru complained in his heart, then he pulled himself together and started packing up the music stand and chair.
After moving their instruments and packing their luggage, the wind band took the school bus back to Shinjuku City, ending their three-day and two-night training camp.
Toru Watanabe, who was fine with going to bed late and getting up early every day and exercising regularly, felt tired when he returned home .
He casually kicked off his shoes, walked into the entrance, turned on the air conditioner, sat down on the floor, and then moaned with satisfaction.
The two goldfish caught during the summer festival and placed in the fish tank were already dead, with their bloated bellies facing upwards.
Toru Watanabe stared at it for a while before slowly taking out his cell phone, taking a picture and sending it to Miki Kujo.
[Deceased]
[knew]
Five days passed quickly, and soon it was the afternoon before the Kanto competition.
In order to prepare for tomorrow's game, the training ended early.
Toru Watanabe returned to his rental house and received a express delivery from his hometown, a duck.
His father raised the ducks in the rice fields. He originally wanted to kill them and eat them when he returned, but because of the wind band affairs, he stayed in Tokyo for the entire summer vacation.
"The ducks that eat weeds and pests have all been killed. That means it's almost time to harvest the rice." Toru Watanabe muttered to himself as he stared at the tied-up ducks.
Soon he had a headache. Killing a duck from scratch was a very tedious task, including bleeding, plucking, etc.
But raising ducks or selling them is not realistic.
After thinking about it, Toru Watanabe took out his cell phone.
"What's the matter?" Kujo Miki's voice came over.
"My hometown sent me a duck. Would you like to come to my place for dinner tonight?" With the words of a guest, the host will be motivated to tidy up the kitchen.
"Duck?" Kujo Miki was stunned for a moment, "Why send this thing? Where can't I get it?"
"Paddy ducks are quite rare for ordinary Tokyo citizens, right? Do you want to come?"
"Do you want me to go to your place so much?" Kujo Miki's tone was contemptuous and ambiguous.
"Hey, don't get the wrong idea. I just don't want to deal with the duck by myself. I will only have the motivation to cook if you come to eat."
"is that so?"
"Of course. If there were no guests, who would bother to kill a duck? I definitely don't have the dirty idea that 'my girlfriend agreed to come to my house for dinner, so she agreed to do that kind of thing'!"
The laughter of Kujo Miki on the other end of the phone showed that she did not believe what Watanabe Toru said at all.
It’s such a headache.
If it was Kiyono Rin, she would definitely know that Watanabe Toru was a hospitable host without any dirty thoughts.
"Okay, I'll come to your place at eight. Wash yourself clean."
"Wash yourself clean? Meiji, I'm really not a scum with a head full of carnal desires, I..."
"I meant duck."
"Ah? Oh."
The call ended with Kujo Miki laughing. It seemed that she was in a good mood. Could it be that she had recently closed a few deals and made billions of dollars?
Toru Watanabe thought of Doshi Takashi who gave him a Lamborghini as a gift as soon as they met. The life of rich people is unimaginable.
Since Kujo Miki agreed to come for dinner, Watanabe Toru decided not to be lazy and boiled water to kill the duck.
He can't cook, so he prepared duck soup and hotpot.
He asked his mother for the steps to make the soup, put the duck bones in the pot and boiled the soup, and then he went out to buy other ingredients.
It was very hot outside on the afternoon of August 24th.
The asphalt roads and the roofs of residential areas sparkled in the sun, and the few pedestrians on the street tried to walk in the shade.
Toru Watanabe finally walked into the mall and let out a long sigh. His body was already sticky with sweat.
I stood in the air-conditioning vent for a while and then strolled around the vegetable selling area of the mall.
A plate of high-quality Wagyu beef, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, chrysanthemums, baby cabbage, enoki mushrooms, chrysanthemums... many styles but small quantities.
Thinking that Kujo Miki liked to eat salmon, Watanabe Toru put the most expensive plate of salmon in the mall into the basket.
Finally, I got a bottle of orange juice, paid the bill, and returned to the rental house all sweaty.
In this kind of weather, one really doesn't want to cook, let alone kill a duck.
After taking a shower and changing clothes, I saw that it was almost time, so I started washing rice, cooking rice, washing vegetables and arranging the dishes.
After dark, before Kujo Miki arrived, he went to the store and bought a gas stove for camping.
The gas stove was placed on a round low table, and the duck soup pot that had been cooking for the entire afternoon was placed on it, and the other dishes just filled up the round table.
I raised my phone high, found the right angle, took a photo, and sent it to my mother and Miki Kujo.
Toru Watanabe turned on the TV and drank orange juice while watching NHK's documentary about the severe weather in the northernmost part of Hokkaido - he paid for it after having so much money that he didn't know what to do with it.
While waiting for Kujo Miki, the pot was bubbling and the aroma filled the entire rental house.
Miki Kujo arrived on time at eight o'clock.
"Finally you're here. I'm starving." Toru Watanabe opened the door.
Miki Kujo wore a simple short-sleeved top with the hem tucked into her skirt, highlighting her graceful waist curve.
She sat down at the low table and glanced at the dishes on the table: "I haven't eaten anything since you called me. If it's not delicious and disappoints me, I will punish you by making you dance."
"Please smell this." Toru Watanabe made a gesture of invitation to the hot pot.
Kujo Miki sniffed with her delicate nose: "It's just so-so."
"Smell it carefully."
Kujo Miki sniffed again and said, "I don't think the paddy duck is that special."
"It doesn't matter whether it's a duck or not, this is all my love," said Toru Watanabe.
Miki Kujo glanced at Toru Watanabe and picked up the glass he had prepared for her: "Pour me a drink and put some ice in it."
"Has my love not been conveyed?"
Miki Kujo knocked the base of the glass on the table, signaling him to stop talking nonsense.
Watanabe Toru was also hungry, so he stopped joking and poured her a drink, added ice cubes, and then placed the ingredients one by one in the snow-white broth.
After everything was ready, the two started with the dishes that were easy to cook.
Watanabe Toru picked up a piece of duck meat for her and looked at her expectantly: "Try it."
Miki Kujo didn't eat it immediately. She first picked off the duck skin and put it in Toru Watanabe's bowl, and then took a bite of the duck meat.
"How is it?" asked Watanabe Toru.
"Yeah." Miki Kujo nodded indifferently.
Watanabe Toru was very satisfied to receive such an evaluation, and felt that it was worth it to work for a whole afternoon.
He dropped the duck skin into his mouth .
Miki Kujo picked up a piece of boiled Wagyu beef for herself, feeling it was very good and nodded.
She ate some vegetables and asked Watanabe Toru to give her another bowl of rice.
"Are you busy lately?" Toru Watanabe put the tofu soaked in soup into his mouth.
"I have a few projects. I'm not really busy, but I don't have much free time."
"Will you watch my game tomorrow?"
"The Kanto Tournament is boring, let's talk about the national tournament later."
"You have confidence in me."
"I believe in the ability of that woman, Kiyono Rin." Miki Kujo rolled her eyes at Toru Watanabe, put the food on the chopsticks into her mouth, and ended up scalding herself on the potatoes.
She frowned and her little red tongue stuck out slightly.
Toru Watanabe looked up and saw Kujo Miki's appearance and couldn't help laughing out loud.
Miki Kujo had a cold face and poured the bitten potatoes into his bowl.
The two of them ate and chatted, the hot pot was bubbling, and the heat filled the air between them.
After eating hot pot, Toru Watanabe leaned against the wall, drank the remaining orange juice, and watched the unfinished documentary.
Miki Kujo was full, so she laid her head on his legs and closed her eyes to digest the food.
A few strands of black hair fell on her face, and Toru Watanabe used his index finger to gently and carefully help her tuck the long hair behind her ears.
Miki Kujo reached out and held the palm of Toru Watanabe's hand that was stroking her face.
Her hands were so soft and slender that Toru Watanabe couldn't help but knead them gently.
The scorching temperature was transmitted through her skin. Miki Kujo felt very comfortable, as if she was getting a massage. Her face, with her eyes quietly closed, looked even more lazy.
The air conditioner was blowing cold air, there were leftovers on the table, and occasionally a dog barked outside the house.
After a night filled with the smell of duck, it was time for the Kanto Competition, and Toru Watanabe came to the music classroom early as usual.
In the past, the only person who arrived earlier than him was Asuma Mai, but today there were three more people, and all of them were practicing seriously.
After Qing Ye Lin arrived, the wind band practiced the assigned songs and optional songs from beginning to end several times.
Before starting to move the instruments, Qingye Rin said, "Do you remember what our goal is?"
“Gold Medal in the National Competition!”
"That's right, so don't use up all your nervousness in the Kanto Tournament and then get nervous again in the National Tournament."
The wind band burst into laughter and their hands, which were tightly gripping their instruments, relaxed.
When the laughter died down, Qing Ye Lin said again: "If you are really nervous, just look at the music score in your hand."
Everyone's sheet music was in tatters, with notes all over it.
"Okay, let's go."
"yes!"
The Kanto tournament was held at an international conference center in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.
Shinjuku Ward, where Kamikawa is located, and Bunkyo Ward, where the competition venue is, are closely connected, which is why they have enough time to practice in the morning.
"Hey, do you think that if we make it to the national competition, do we have to go to Nagoya a day in advance?" said a boy on the bus.
"Maybe." A girl answered.
"I really want to go to the castle tower and see it!"
"I want to go to Nagoya University, and my goal is to study law at Nagoya University."
" Tamamo, where do you want to go?" a boy asked.
Tamamo Yoshimi was much calmer than last time, perhaps because she had the most notes on her music score.
The way she tilted her head back and thought carefully was very attractive to boys.
"I want to go to Yamazaki River to see the cherry blossoms. I heard there are hundreds of cherry trees along the one-kilometer walking path there."
"You're an idiot," Watanabe Toru couldn't help but say, "The national competition is in November, where are the cherry blossoms for you to see? Do you think you're Haruhi Suzumiya?"
"…Who is Suzumiya Haruhi? Is she as beautiful as me?!"
Is this the point of attention? You are really an idiot.
After getting off the bus, the strong sunlight and heat wave hit us in the face.
The people in long-sleeved school uniforms began to sweat before they even entered the venue. The venue was packed with people, and students in various uniforms were running around everywhere.
Tamamo Yoshimi and the others stayed in a corner, and every time they saw a team from a strong school, they became more nervous.
In their eyes, the powerful school seemed to be different in every word and action. The neat uniforms gave off a shocking sense of oppression.
There were even TV stations filming and interviewing people.
"What should I do? My hands are starting to shake!"
"I can't even remember the melody! It's over, it's over, what note was that at the beginning?!"
"Stop talking, I'm almost forgetting you!"
Just as they were spreading anxiety to each other, there was a sudden commotion at the entrance of the venue, and even a suppressed scream from a young girl.
The people in the wind band subconsciously looked over and saw the boys from the Kamikawa High School wind band walking in, each holding a bottle of soda in their hands, sweating profusely.
The venue was filled with sweaty boys who were responsible for carrying the instruments, but the girls were focusing on Toru Watanabe.
He pulled at the collar of his suit with one hand as if he couldn't stand the heat, because under the sleeves rolled up to carry the instrument was a well-proportioned and strong arm.
“That guy is so handsome.”
“Could it be an artist?”
"No way, look at him in school uniform."
"Which school's uniform is that? I'm so envious!"
"It seems to be Kamikawa."
"Hey, isn't that a private high school famous for its academic advancement? I haven't seen them in a competition before."
For the first time in history, the girls in the wind orchestra felt proud that Toru Watanabe was one of them.
Only Tamamo was so beautiful and sighed.
The screams had not yet ended. When Kiyono Rin, who had gone to change clothes at the beginning, walked in, the venue became noisy again.
"That girl is so handsome!"
"Look at her clothes... a consultant? You must be kidding. She's too young!"
"It seems to be Kamikawa's too!"
"Ah, such a handsome classmate and advisor, why isn't he in our school? Even one of them would be great!"
The students from the wind bands from all over Kanto were discussing without restraint.
Not only that, those TV stations immediately swarmed over like sharks smelling blood.
As soon as Toru Watanabe walked up to Seino Rin, who had transformed into a beautiful boy again, and was about to tease her, they were surrounded by reporters.
"Hello, which school are you from?"
Watanabe Toru glanced at Kiyono Rin, who was crossing her arms and looked like she had no intention of speaking.
"Kamikawa High School." Watanabe Toru had no choice but to take the initiative.
Cameras and guns were immediately aimed at him.
"Classmate, what's your name? What instrument do you play?"
"My name is Toru Watanabe, and the instrument I play in the club is the oboe."
"May I ask what your goal is?"
"Become the Prime Minister of the island country and lead the island country to become an independent country." Watanabe Toru spoke eloquently, full of confidence.
Not to mention Qingye Rin who could see through lies, no one who could hear his voice believed him.
"Classmate, what I'm asking is your goal for this competition." The reporter reminded him.
Another reporter continued to ask: "Watanabe, how did you become prime minister? Do you have a specific plan? And what do you plan to do?"
Watanabe Toru ignored the serious reporter and said to the reporter who looked promising: "I plan to participate in various competitions in high school to increase my popularity. This orchestra competition is one of them. I am also practicing baseball and strive to enter Koshien next year."
“…”
"Of course, this is far from enough." Watanabe Toru continued, "My grades are third in the school. If nothing unexpected happens, I will get a recommendation for admission to the University of Tokyo."
“…Is this true?”
"Of course." Watanabe Toru said with the demeanor of a young politician full of righteousness, "Although I cannot reveal the details, my girlfriend is powerful and influential. Even the classmate I made friends with, the one next to me, is also well-known..."
"Shut up." Qingye Rin rubbed his eyebrows with a headache.
"Yes." Future Prime Minister Toru Watanabe chose to surrender temporarily.
