Chapter 129 Cultural Festival (2)
The activity application form for the Human Observation Department was written by Toru Watanabe. He clearly remembered that in the "Specific Activities" column, the words "Tickets: 200 yen" were clearly written.
"It should be a big profit." He looked at the director with such eyes.
Because the movie was well received by everyone, the faint smile on Kiyono Rin's face slowly stiffened under such a look.
She gave Watanabe Toru a fierce look, as if to say 'Your superficiality must have a limit', turned her head away, and continued to enjoy the audience's eager expressions with satisfaction.
Watanabe Toru withdrew his gaze and looked at the screen again.
The ending song is a gentle and delicate oboe solo, clear and transparent, with a tone that extends infinitely like God's sigh.
The credits roll, and in the background is the heroine looking out over Tokyo Bay at night.
"..."
「Sponsor: asj photography equipment store」
"Cooperation with: Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Station, Kamikawa High School, Meiji Jingu Gaien"
"Director: Kiyono Rin"
"Special reminder: This story is purely fictional and has nothing to do with any real people, groups, or other proper nouns or phenomena. Any similarities are purely coincidental."
The thirty-minute movie ended here, and the lights in the audio-visual classroom came on again. It was not as exaggerated as in the cinema, but everyone felt a slight trance in their hearts.
A heated discussion ensued.
The sun, as summer is about to end, shines through the silver leaves of the outer gardens of the Shrine.
In the afternoon before the last fireworks display began, Toru Watanabe was walking on a quiet path in the woods, looking up at his handsome face, feeling the sunlight shining on it, his hair fluttering in the wind, a sight that made girls fall in love with him.
"It's very successful." Looking at the audience who were talking nonstop, Kujo's mother said with a smile.
"Meiji's acting is amazing!" Watanabe Toru applauded, "An Oscar is just like this."
Kujo Miki nodded with satisfaction: "You are not bad either."
"No, no, no, I'm just a vase. I'm not even worthy of carrying your shoes in terms of acting skills."
"If you want to do the job of holding my shoes, you can do it anytime." Miki Kujo gently shook her long legs, and the end of her black stockings and her indoor shoes were hanging on her toes, about to fall off.
Seeing Watanabe Toru's dumbfounded expression, Kiyono Rin couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Watanabe Toru himself quickly took the opportunity to change the subject: "Director Kiyono is also very good, whether it is the script or the camera, it is very professional."
Qing Ye Lin restrained her smile, neatly lifted her long hair, and put on the momentum of a supervisor: "Thank you, but no matter how much you compliment me, I won't let you touch my shoes."
"Oh, does Watanabe-kun have such a hobby?" Kujo's mother asked in a puzzled tone.
“…”
Toru Watanabe pursed his lips, looked at the ceiling of the audio-visual classroom, and could not say anything.
The four of them stood up and left. Since they came in secretly and took the ' staff passage', they didn't have to worry about being besieged by fans.
After leaving the audio-visual classroom, we came to the colorfully decorated corridor.
"It's just right. The wind band's performance is about to begin," Watanabe Toru looked at the shiny black dial on his wrist, "Shall we go together?"
"I heard from Miki that you are very good at playing the oboe. I want to listen carefully." Kujo's mother said with a smile.
Watanabe Toru glanced at Kujo Miki who was crossing her arms and said with a smile: "Originally I wanted to be more modest in front of my elders, but since Miki said so, I must excel."
Kujo's mother laughed happily, covering her mouth with her hands in a ladylike manner.
"You're such a smooth talker." Kujo Miki rolled her eyes at Watanabe Toru, "If you disappoint your mother later, you'll have to suffer tonight."
"...Advisor Qingye, please testify for me!"
Advisor Kiyono nodded and said, "Although Watanabe-san is a hopeless person, we have to admit that he is indeed exceptionally good at orchestral music."
"Why am I so bad?"
Kiyono Rin glanced at Watanabe Toru who was dissatisfied.
'Are you sure you want me to say it?'
"No , thank you." Watanabe Toru was also first-rate in his ability to admit defeat with his eyes.
"It's almost time, let's go." Kujo's mother looked at her daughter with a mocking smile.
The corners of Kujo Miki's mouth pulled out a cruel arc, and she smiled and replied: "Yes, let's go."
Watanabe Toru had a bad feeling, but now was not the time to think about it.
He led the way, and the four of them went to Class 4, Year 1 first - his oboe was still in the classroom.
"Watanabe-kun, what are the activities in your class?" asked Kujo's mother.
“Performing an original play.”
"You must be the leading actor, right?"
"My classmates recommended me to play the leading actor, but I refused. I only want to be the leading actor for Miki." Watanabe Toru showed his loyalty first, regardless of what went wrong just now.
Mother Kujo looked at her daughter.
Kujo Miki didn't comment and asked, "Original? What kind of play is it?"
“Not really.”
"What's the reason?" asked Qingye Rin.
"I read the script, and the first line is: 'Spring has come, the snow is melting, the sun seems to be getting warmer, and on the way home I see the cherry blossoms in bloom at the Kurome River.'" said Toru Watanabe.
"Is there something wrong?" asked Kujo's mother puzzledly.
"It's spring and there are cherry blossoms. It's too cliché. If it were between a man and a woman, the girl would probably be the first to notice the boy's ill intentions."
"In our generation, this is how everyone would start expressing their feelings to each other," said Kujo's mother, smiling.
"It's outdated, outdated." Watanabe Toru shook his head in a pretentious manner.
"Oh?" Kujo's mother asked curiously, "Then how did you express your feelings to Miki?"
“…Nothing special.”
Watanabe Toru's hesitation made Kujo's mother even more curious: "What's wrong? Miki, tell me."
Kujo Miki showed a disinterested expression and said, "During the exam, he suddenly ran to the courtyard and shouted something like 'I swear to Kamikawa, Yotsuya Station, and everyone else that I love me the most'."
“Hahaha.” Kujo’s mother couldn’t help laughing, “There really is no spring or cherry blossoms!”
"Hey, Miki, why did you say that? There's no need to remember it so clearly!" That memory was too shameful for Watanabe Toru no matter how hard he tried to discipline himself.
Qingye Rin's soft, cherry-colored lips moved, but in the end she didn't say anything.
When it came to Class 4, Year 1, the students were busy making final preparations for the drama.
"What's going on! Why is there still someone who hasn't put on makeup?!"
"Where's the props team? Hurry up and count the props again. Don't leave anything out!"
"You guys over there! If you have nothing to do, go outside and solicit customers instead of making trouble here!"
“Have you put up the promotional posters?”
Toru Watanabe always felt that this was the atmosphere that a high school cultural festival should have. The orderliness of their Human Observation Department - excluding the typhoon and the final outstanding results - seemed out of place.
After looking around, I couldn't find Kunii Osamu and Saito Keisuke. I didn't know if they had gone out to play or were sent by the girls to distribute flyers.
After he picked up the oboe, the four of them walked towards the gymnasium.
The gymnasium of Kamikawa High School is very large and is a regular basketball court.
Kiyono Rin and Watanabe Toru went backstage to prepare.
The mother and daughter of Kujo sat in the new seats specially added by the principal.
The old man usually restrained himself a little towards Kujo Miki, but when he saw Kujo's mother, he completely displayed the style of a capitalist running dog and blatantly sought special treatment.
If someone like him was not a lackey of the Kujo family, he would be the first one to be dealt with when Watanabe Toru becomes prime minister and forms a cabinet.
However, from a practical point of view, if nothing unexpected happens, after Watanabe Toru and Kujo Miki get married, this old man is more likely to be promoted.
While waiting for the performance, Kujo's mother and daughter talked about what had just happened.
"Watanabe-kun said in front of Rin that he would only be your male protagonist. They should just be friends."
"Friends?" Kujo Miki looked at the clean, reflective floor of the gymnasium. "Mother, Kiyono Rin has never had any friends since she was a child. Why did she become friends with Watanabe?"
"Doesn't Rin hate liars? Doesn't Watanabe-kun lie?"
Kujo Miki rarely showed a helpless expression: "Do you think he looks like him?"
Seeing her daughter's expression, Kujo's mother laughed happily, "So what's so special about him? Rin became friends with him, and even you, Miki, chose him as your husband."
“There are a lot of secrets that interest me.”
"There are many ways to know a secret. There must be other reasons."
"Looks."
"Hmm..." Mother Kujo nodded in agreement, "But it's still not enough."
Kujo Miki retracted her gaze and looked at her mother: "Whatever reason you want, that's why I chose him."
"What reason do I want?" Mother Jiujo looked at her daughter and deliberately teased her, "I hope the only reason you choose your husband is because you like him."
"Then I like him." Miki Kujo looked away. The wind band was entering the stage one after another.
Kujo's mother also looked over and stared at Toru Watanabe who was holding an oboe in the crowd.
Unlike the other nervous members around him, he was yawning boredly, as if he had not slept at all last night.
This is a truly beautiful boy, whose every move makes girls' hearts flutter. Moreover, according to the information she got, he is also very hardworking and has extraordinary talent.
His character is also impeccable.
When I had no money, I could endure the hardship of working a part-time job under the scorching sun; when I had money, I never showed off, but I also didn’t deliberately put myself in a difficult position.
Kujo's mother felt that this young man, Toru Watanabe, had no other shortcomings except that his last name was not Kujo.
"Meiji, those things are indeed important, but for us mother and daughter, it's not a big deal if we can't get them. Mother, I feel that our family is enough now, and what I really want is that you can be happy."
"...Mother, I didn't lie."
Mother Kujo finally smiled sincerely: "That's good."
"Hello everyone, it's time for the wind band to perform." The person, probably the head of the wind band, spoke loudly while holding the microphone.
The stadium erupted in thunderous applause.
The fact that the Kamikawa High School Wind Orchestra will represent Kanto and compete in the national competition in late October has already been written on the school's official website.
This is also specifically stated in the "Kamikawa High School Cultural Festival Guide" manual.
“First, let’s start with the first song: ‘March for Endless Dreams’. This is a song that tells a story. You may want to guess what kind of story it tells based on our music.”
As the announcement was made, Kiyono Rin, with her long hair tied up, walked up to the command position.
When she raised her baton, the whole gymnasium was silent, and one could faintly hear the sound of the wind band members inhaling air into their lungs.
The next moment, the white baton drew graceful lines in the air, and Qingye Rin's slender fingers waved smoothly.
In sync with her movements, the sound of neat brass music passed through the walls of the gymnasium and spread throughout Kamikawa High School.
"The second piece: 'Prosperous Four Seasons'. The highlight of this piece is the oboe solo. At the Tokyo Metropolitan Competition and the Kanto Competition, Watanabe Toru, who played the oboe in the main department, was unanimously recognized by the judges, and even a professor invited him to the National University of the Arts."
There was a commotion below.
Tokyo University of the Arts, full name Tokyo University of the Arts, is headquartered near Ueno Park in Taito District, Tokyo.
The island nation's only national university of the arts is unanimously recognized as the highest institution for training artists in the island nation.
"Is this true?" asked Kujo's mother.
She had heard from Kujo Miki that Watanabe Toru was an excellent oboe player, but she had not expected him to be this good.
"I haven't heard him tell me about this."
"Want to give you a surprise?"
"I think he forgot." Kujo Miki said casually and guessed the truth.
"Can you forget how he showed off his talents and made you admire him?"
"He prefers to show off his daily exercised body in bed."
"Really? There's no need to tell mother about this."
Pause for two seconds.
"You mean, Watanabe-kun is very powerful?" Kujo's mother looked up and down at Watanabe Toru.
"…Mother, you don't need to know this."
"I'm thinking about your happiness!"
"You think too much."
As they were talking, the melody of "Prosperous Four Seasons" started playing and the two of them fell silent.
First it’s winter, with the chilly sound of a flute as the main theme, followed by a mix of sounds that come in like a snowstorm.
Winter slowly passes and spring arrives, with a brief oboe solo as the transition begins.
Because of the words of the head of the wind orchestra, the audience paid special attention to the oboe, and even though no sound could be heard from the gymnasium, they still pricked up their ears to listen.
Like a watercolor painting of a Western fairy tale, a cluster of small flowers slowly bloomed on the wall of a house made of red bricks.
The front end is green, and the white petals have a hint of yellow, giving it a gentle and pure feel.
As the oboe played like an ocarina, everyone was deeply moved by the vitality of the plants and couldn't help holding their breath.
"Is this Watanabe-kun's performance?" After the solo was over, spring had completely arrived, and amid the sound of the chorus of blooming flowers, Kujo's mother asked with endless praise.
Miki Kujo narrowed her eyes slightly and said nothing.
She looked at the young man on the stage with a faint smile on her lips.
