Because Sister Reina resisted very strongly, Toru Watanabe had to pretend to go to the bathroom and leave the backstage full of misunderstandings.
For some reason, Kiyono Rin followed.
But it doesn’t matter, this is not the first time they have gone to the bathroom together.
"Kiyono-san, Tokyo has lost all its face in Kyoto because of you."
"I think it's a disgrace to Iwate Prefecture. What do you think, Watanabe-san?"
"The island nation is one family. Why should we divide it into Iwate and Tokyo?"
Kiyono Rin had originally given up hope that Watanabe Toru would reflect on his actions. She said, "This is a rare opportunity. Please stand up during the solo performance later."
"Yes, yes, why?"
"Having already lost in terms of character, I must win it back somewhere else."
"I see." Watanabe Toru nodded, "Just wait for me, I will definitely make them kneel down."
"What if not? You run back to Tokyo?"
"Hey, Kiyono-san, you're not quite right today. Why are you more sharp-tongued than usual? I like you more like this."
"If you like being scolded, I can satisfy you with as many scoldings as you want."
“…”
Looking at the speechless Watanabe Toru, Qingye Rin smiled happily, then suddenly frowned: "Your sleeves."
"Sleeves?" Watanabe Toru raised his hand and looked at his sleeves: "What's wrong?"
"...Don't you feel confused?"
"Not bad." After moving the musical instruments, Toru Watanabe casually put down his sleeves. It didn't look as neat as before, but it wasn't messy either.
Qingye Rin put his hand on his forehead and sighed, feeling helpless.
She reached out and grabbed Watanabe Toru's right hand, carefully adjusting the cuffs to the way they were before moving the instrument, no, better.
Watching Kiyono Rin slowly turning up her sleeves, Watanabe Toru suddenly felt a warm feeling in his heart.
"Um, thank you." He said a little unnaturally.
"Left hand." Qingye Rin didn't understand the boy's touched heart at all.
After finishing arranging both sleeves, she nodded, smiled with satisfaction and said, "It finally looks comfortable."
After expressing her thoughts, she turned and walked into the women's room at a slightly faster pace than usual.
Are you really here to go to the toilet?
Although Toru Watanabe, who stayed where he was, didn't feel anything, he had already come here, so he could only take advantage of it.
…
"It's so annoying! It's so annoying! It's so annoying!"
"What's wrong with that person? He's so weird and his personality is so terrible!"
"You're worse than trash! Ah! I'm so angry! I'm so annoyed!"
Looking at Reina stamping her feet and yelling because the volume was too loud, Kumiko smiled bitterly and bowed to the stunned other people in Kitauji to apologize.
Midoriki and Yeyue, who had never seen Reina like this before, were so scared that they kept blinking.
After cursing for a while, Reina let out a long sigh of relief, then grabbed Kumiko's hand and pressed it against her chest.
"Kumiko!"
"Huh? Yes, I'm here!"
"That guy must be taught a lesson!"
"Yeah! But...how can we make him look good? We can't beat him up, right?"
"What are you thinking about? Of course, you want to completely defeat him at the show!"
"Okay!" Kumiko nodded vigorously.
"Xiao Lu, come and help too!" Lu Hui clenched his fists and lifted his heels involuntarily, "I didn't expect that person to be so vulgar!"
"Me too!" Ye Yue shouted without much confidence.
"Thank you." Lina said with a smile, "Let's make him look good together!"
"But, Sister Lina is really big."
"Kumiko!" Reina exerted force on her hand, and the five fingers of Kumiko's hand that was being held overlapped.
"It hurts! It hurts! Lina—it hurts so much!"
Kitauji was the second to go on stage, behind Tachibana.
All 81 members of the wind band took to the stage. The square stage was unable to accommodate so many people. After the trumpet and trombone members lined up on the stage, there were no empty seats left.
Kumiko stood under the stage holding her musical instrument, and couldn't help but search the audience with her eyes.
There were a lot of people, but she quickly found Toru Watanabe standing in the corner of the stairs.
After confirming the target's presence, Kumiko turned her head and looked at Midori.
With her petite figure, she looked even cuter as she held a huge double bass and nodded firmly at Kumiko, looking like a complete elementary school student.
Kumiko looked at Hazuki again. She didn't notice Kumiko's gaze and looked restless. She was probably so nervous that she forgot about making the boy look good.
Finally, there's Reina.
He was concentrating, with his head held high and his chest puffed out, holding the trumpet tightly in his hands like a knight holding a sword. In front of his sight was not the music score, but the stinky hooligan from Tokyo.
"For Reina, come on!" Kumiko took a deep breath, carefully feeling the expansion and contraction of her lungs.
Kitauji's consultant, Noboru Taki, bowed to the audience, and the noise in the station slowly died down.
Taki Noboru raised his baton only when the venue was completely silent. At the same time, Kumiko took the euphonium off her knees.
The white baton shook slightly, and Kumiko immediately sent air into the mouthpiece.
"East Coast Scenery", the song selected by Kitauji for the wind instrument competition, was slowly played at Kyoto Station.
The piece transitions smoothly into the second movement.
"Here it comes." Kumiko's heart tightened.
Speaking of the highlight of the second movement, it must be the trumpet solo, which is Reina's part. It is a one-on-one duel.
Takisho closed his eyes and waved his baton softly, and delicate and gentle notes came from Reina's trumpet.
Her voice was so bright and exciting. Kumiko closed her eyes and was mesmerized by it.
When the solo was over, Kumiko had already put her lips on the mouthpiece of the euphonium, and she was trying her best to play the part she was responsible for.
Her only thought now was that she must not hold Reina back and must teach that guy from Tokyo a lesson.
As a performer, the performance ended before they had time to feel it carefully. Kitauji received a warm response from the audience, who sent them off with thunderous applause.
“It seems pretty good!”
"Isn't it embarrassing?"
“No matter how many times I perform, I always get nervous and have no idea how well I’m playing!”
Kumiko was listening to other club members' discussions in a daze when someone suddenly patted her on the shoulder from behind.
"Kumiko, let's go see Kamikawa's performance."
Kumiko was startled and looked back to see Reina looking at her with a musical instrument case containing a trumpet, and Midoriki and Hazuki behind her.
"Sorry, I just didn't recover from the game."
"Let's go! Little Green can't wait any longer!"
"Xiaolu, you haven't forgotten about revenge, have you? We are not going here to enjoy the show!" Ye Yue said.
"Xiaolu didn't forget!"
During their argument, Kumiko picked up her musical instrument case and the handle immediately hurt her palm.
I'm so envious of the wealthy Tokyo High School. I wish Kitauji also had its own school bus.
The stairs in front of the stage were already crowded with people. When Kumiko and the others arrived, they couldn't find a seat and could only stand and watch.
Luhui was too short and couldn't see anything even if she stood on tiptoe. Kumiko and the other two had to use their bodies as a wall to create a position for her with a relatively good view.
On the stage, the girls of Kamikawa High School wore school uniform suits and pleated skirts, while the boys wore long pants in pure black, which had a negative aesthetic.
Kumiko thought about the crow on their school bus.
"Is it that person?!" Some female passers-by started talking about it.
"That's right! The last time he appeared on TV, he said his goal was to become the Prime Minister of an island nation!"
"It's so funny, but he's so handsome!"
"Didn't you hear what the guest expert on the news said? He has a chance to become prime minister!"
“Is this true or false?”
Kumiko and the others couldn't help but look at the girl. Although they didn't hear her name, she looked very handsome. Could she be the gangster?
Although he has a bad character, it cannot be denied that in Kumiko and the others' hearts, 'that guy = handsome'.
But what is it like to be Prime Minister, not a performer?
The girl continued, "The TV station did a special investigation on his identity. It was said that he was admitted to a private high school in Tokyo through self-study from a country school that was about to be abandoned. His academic performance was definitely good enough for him to be admitted to the University of Tokyo."
"Wow, that's amazing! But it's a bit difficult for someone born in the countryside to become prime minister, right?"
"He's got perseverance, he's smart, and he's handsome!"
"That's right!" Another girl easily agreed with her companion's point of view.
"Oh, and there's more," the girl whispered, "It is said that his girlfriend and friends are all former aristocrats and current tycoons, and their families have seats in parliament in various regions!"
"Really?!"
"I heard that, it wasn't reported in the news, but from the angry tone of that expert, it seemed like he thought there was a real chance he could become prime minister, so it must be true!"
"Why are the experts angry?" Ye Yue asked in a familiar manner.
The girl glanced at her, not caring whether she knew her or not, and explained:
"Experts say that today's smart people are all thinking about getting into the University of Tokyo, and then going into politics and finance, and have given up on science and culture. Experts also conclude that if the younger generation of the island nation continues like this, it will be the end sooner or later!"
"What the expert said makes a lot of sense!" Ye Yue nodded in agreement.
Kumiko would like to say that not all smart people have the conditions to make the prime minister their goal.
But, he actually became the Prime Minister...
She looked at Lina and said with a low laugh, "What should we do? He's the Prime Minister. Should we still make him look bad?"
Lina looked at her unhappily: "Are you going to betray me?"
"Of course not." Kumiko shook her head firmly.
"That's good!" Lina nodded with satisfaction.
“I won’t vote for him!”
"……this?"
Reina's surprised look with her lips was so adorable that Kumiko couldn't help but rub her face against hers.
"I'll always stand by Reina," she whispered.
"Yeah." Rina also rubbed Kumiko's face with her face.
"It's about to begin!" Lu Hui's words drew everyone's attention back to the stage.
The high school where everyone can be admitted to the Imperial University is indeed different. They hold their heads high and look at the conductor and the audience with sharp eyes.
Especially the oboe player sitting in front of the conductor. His awe-inspiring confidence brought a strong sense of oppression to everyone.
"What should I do? When I look at that guy now, it's like I'm seeing the Prime Minister." Kumiko grabbed Reina's hand and whispered.
Reina held Kumiko's hand back, said nothing, and waited quietly for Kamikawa's performance.
The emcee began to announce: "The next performer is Kamikawa Private High School from Tokyo. They are one of the 29 teams that entered the national competition this year. The song they will perform is: "Prosperous Four Seasons."
Kumiko and Reina looked at each other subconsciously. Having been exposed to wind music since childhood, they certainly knew this song.
Produced by Hideaki Kawa, this is a song whose quality is almost entirely determined by the oboe player.
The fact that Kamikawa High School chose this piece and became the Kanto representative and a seed team recognized by the judges shows that the oboe player has strength beyond imagination.
Kumiko swallowed subconsciously. The performance hadn't even started yet, but it felt like she had already lost half the battle.
She secretly glanced at Lina, her crystal eyes fixed on the stage motionlessly, and her breathing was slightly rapid.
"So Reina gets nervous too?" Kumiko thought to herself and gave a wry smile. It's natural for people to get nervous.
At this time, the beautiful girl named Qingye on the stage waved her baton, and the deep and solemn music intertwined into a melody of winter, and the quiet music flowed in the venue.
Just as Kumiko was immersed in the experience, the hand she was holding with Reina suddenly tightened, and then the instruments on the stage suddenly became quiet.
As most people put down their instruments, the guy who claimed to be a fan of Reina stood up.
"Here it comes!" Kumiko held her breath.
The moment the first note came out of the black woodwind instrument, Kumiko felt as if she had been hit by a heavy punch on the forehead. The tone was extremely gentle, but it vibrated the air and penetrated her eardrum.
Kyoto Station is large and tall. Every time she stands here, Kumiko feels that the 4,000 pieces of glass above her head are as far away as the sky. However, at this moment, they - the glass - seem to be slowly falling. She needs to get closer to listen to the wonderful sound.
The quiet notes, like a whisper, sounded for a while before the clarinet and brass instruments suddenly joined in, and the scale of the music suddenly became grand.
Every note shines brightly, giving birth to a pleasant and melodious melody.
'Spring is coming!' Many people have never heard this song, but they immediately understood its meaning.
The expressiveness is so strong!
The light melody, the slowly accelerating rhythm, and the pleasant notes bounce on the stage.
All of them performed really well, but the audience could not take their eyes off the standing woodwind player, whose fingers moved so quickly that it was dizzying, and who continuously produced sweet and soul-stirring sounds.
Kumiko's breathing became difficult and she clutched the performance costume tightly on the left side of her chest.
The moment the last note sounded, there was no sound of footsteps in the entire station.
After a moment of silence, applause broke out, almost shattering the glass. The sound echoed throughout the station building.
Kumiko sighed deeply, only then realizing that she had been holding her breath for quite a while.
"This is the level of that gangster." Lina muttered to herself.
"It's amazing!" Ye Yue, who was standing aside, blushed and looked at the stage almost fanatically.
On the contrary, Lu Hui, who was a strong school fan, held her cheek contentedly and sighed lazily: "Ah, today is a perfect day. Xiao Lu can't ask for anything else."
Kumiko looked at the Kamikawa Wind Ensemble, which was bathed in the spotlight and preparing to leave the stage. “Is this our opponent in the national competition?”
“Kumiko!” Noticing the disappointment in her tone, Reina held her face in her hands, “Now is not the time to give up!”
"...Okay, I understand." Kumiko couldn't be as confident as Reina.
With Reina's trumpet level, she is very strong among high school students across the country, but she is not good enough. She can't even compare to the third-year senior.
“Kumiko,” Reina saw her friend’s emotions and put her forehead against hers, “Three years. We have three years. We can definitely surpass them!”
The long hair fluttered in front of her eyes, and the soft touch through the fabric cheered Kumiko up.
An impulse welled up from deep inside her heart, her throat itched, and she couldn't tell whether it was joy or shame. Kumiko said to Reina in a low but firm voice:
"I will do my best in the competition!"
"Yes!" Lina happily let go of Kumiko, "Sooner or later, we will use our strength to make that guy apologize for his frivolity!"
"I feel like he likes Reina...'s breasts. It shouldn't have anything to do with strength, right?" Kumiko teased deliberately.
"I'm going to hate you!"
"Oh, sorry, sorry, I was wrong. I won't make such a joke again! Sister Lina, please forgive me!"
"Kumiko!" Rina shouted helplessly.
Just as Kumiko went from being lost to being excited and started to tease Reina, the people from Kamikawa High School reappeared in the audience, ready to enjoy the performance of Kiyora Girls' High School.
Kumiko suddenly felt lucky that Kitauji was not ranked behind Kamikawa, otherwise the pressure would be too great.
"Sister Lina." A smiling voice came from a distance.
Kumiko held back her laughter and looked at Reina, who naturally had a sullen face. If there hadn't been so many people and no extra seats, she would have probably turned around and left.
"Sister Lina, it's me, your first fan." The boy walked over.
"Hey, that's enough!" Kumiko wanted to sound more stern, but after she opened her mouth, she realized that her tone was filled with uncontrollable laughter.
Lina glared at her best friend in a reproachful manner, then stared at the boy: "Don't think you can be so arrogant just because you are better than me now!"
"Arrogant? How could that be!" The boy quickly denied , "I am really your fan, can you give me an autograph? This is the biggest purpose of my coming to Kyoto!"
"How dare you mention that!"
Reina's tone was so fierce that Kumiko almost thought she was going to fight on the spot.
"I just want an autograph." The boy was not scared at all, and kept insisting, "If you just give me an autograph, Sister Lina, I'll disappear right away!"
"Don't go too far!" Lu Hui couldn't bear to watch it any longer, "How can a boy do such a thing!"
"That's right, don't you want to be the prime minister? Doing something like this will leave a stain on your future!" Kumiko held back her laughter and joined in the scolding.
"How do you know about the Prime Minister? Forget it. For Sister Lina, I can give up being the Prime Minister."
Kumiko was stunned for a moment, then turned around with a smile that she could no longer control, and said to Reina, "He said that he, hahahaha, he can give up being the prime minister for you, Reina."
"Whether he becomes prime minister or not has nothing to do with me!" Lina replied to her bad friend unhappily.
"Don't be angry," Kumiko comforted, "I feel this classmate has no ill intentions."
"As expected of Kumiko-san!" Watanabe Toru gave a thumbs up in appreciation, "When I become prime minister, I will definitely promote you to be my secretary."
"Don't you want to be prime minister?" Lina glared at the boy in front of her.
In her eyes, Toru Watanabe is just a Tokyo hooligan who relies on his strong playing skills to bully girls!
"As long as Sister Lina signs for me..."
"Don't even think about it. Go to hell."
Watanabe Toru had no choice but to look at Kumiko, who had a good relationship with Sister Reina: "Kumiko-san, please help me. I just want an autograph. I have no ill will towards you."
"Hmm..." Kumiko pretended to be thoughtful. "If I help you get an autograph, you won't be able to become the Prime Minister. If you can't be the Prime Minister, I won't be able to become the Prime Minister's secretary. So, I'm sorry."
"…Are you kidding me?"
"Yeah." Kumiko nodded decisively.
"Hahaha." Rina, Midori, and Ye Yue laughed at the same time.
Watanabe Tetsuya smiled helplessly.
It was presumptuous of me to ask a girl for an autograph, especially as a fan, so I deserved to be fooled.
Besides, he wouldn't bother with a few lively young high school girls.
When he smiled, the others stopped laughing and all looked at him in amazement.
Watanabe Toru reacted and took the opportunity to say, "Sister Reina, give me an autograph."
"Go to hell."
Watanabe Toru slowly put away his smile and looked at the Qingliang Girls' High School on the stage as if nothing had just happened.
They wore white suit jackets and trousers, black thin ties, and their long hair was tied into ponytails. Although they were girls, they looked very neat and tidy.
Maybe because of his smile, Lina also felt that this boy really didn't have any dirty thoughts.
"How about this," she tucked her long hair behind her ears, "If you win the gold medal in the national competition, it's not impossible for me to give you an autograph."
"Can't you give it to me in advance?"
Lina got angry and laughed sarcastically, "You mean you can definitely win the gold medal?"
"Can't I?" Watanabe Toru asked back.
"..." Lina was speechless for a moment, and said angrily, "How do I know if it's possible? Maybe you guys don't perform well? What if you suddenly have diarrhea, or have a car accident?"
“…”
“I feel like there’s a greater chance that I’ll be caught by the police for harassing women,” Kumiko said.
"Stop talking, stop talking. It's not okay if I don't want it. Really, it's said that girls in Kyoto are all very gentle."
Several people laughed, and when they saw Watanabe Toru give up, the atmosphere suddenly eased.
"Um," Ye Yue said excitedly, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Um."
"How long does it take to practice from a novice to your level?"
“It has nothing to do with time. People who work hard can become very good in just half a year.”
"You've only been practicing for half a year?!" Kumiko couldn't help but exclaimed in surprise.
“…That’s not the case.”
"I'm scared to death." Ye Yue, who has been in the wind band for more than half a year, nervously patted her breasts, which were only one-third the size of Sister Reina.
"How long have you been practicing?" Lu Hui asked, looking up.
"It started in July. How long has it been... a little over two months."
"...At least your lie should be consistent with some facts." Kumiko said helplessly.
"No, no, no." Watanabe Toru shook his head, "I never lie."
"No one would believe you." Lina said disdainfully.
"No, even if you don't give me an autograph, Sister Lina, I am really your fan."
"Can you please die?"
Under the harassment of Toru Watanabe, no one paid attention to the performance of Kiyora Girls' High School, and just applauded with everyone at the end.
"Goodbye, Reina-san, and Kumiko-san, Short-haired-san, and this lovely Hanada Asako-san, number two."
"See you at the national competition. " Kumiko said politely.
"Goodbye!" Ye Yue, who had short hair, was very enthusiastic.
"Senior Hanada Asako No. 2?" Midoriki touched her curly hair, not understanding what Watanabe Toru was talking about.
Toru Watanabe did not answer the question, waved his hand, and walked towards Kamikawa's school bus.
"Hey, in the field of music, I will surpass you sooner or later."
"I'll be waiting for you, Sister Lina."
Under the gazes of the four people, Watanabe Toru did not stop. He waved his hand, saying "the music is fine anyway", and disappeared at the exit of Kyoto Station.
"One last question," Kumiko shouted as if she had suddenly remembered something, "How do I learn math well?"
"Any fool would do that!"