Chapter 146 National Competition (1)
At 5:30 in the morning, Toru Watanabe opened his eyes, rubbed his hair and sat up.
"Hmm——" A dissatisfied voice came from beside me, expressing dissatisfaction at being interrupted.
When Toru Watanabe looked over, he saw Kujo Miki curled up under the quilt with only her head exposed, her messy black hair spread out on the sheets and pillow.
"Awake?" As he said that, Toru Watanabe pulled the quilt up again and leaned his upper body over Kujo Miki.
He pressed his body against her porcelain-smooth skin and stroked her sleepy head with his hands.
As if seeking warmth, Kujo Miki also leaned into his arms.
The temperature in the bed was a little higher than usual and very comfortable. After enjoying it for a while, Watanabe Toru sighed, lifted the quilt and sat up again.
"What?" Kujo Miki complained as she reached out to hug him, and after forcing him back into the bed, she pressed her face against his chest with satisfaction.
The soft touch reached Watanabe Toru through his pajamas.
He patted Kujo Miki's snow-white shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Meiji, I'm going to do morning exercises."
"...Yeah." Kujo Miki responded in a voice that sounded completely unconscious.
Watanabe Toru had no choice but to put his arms around her waist and close his eyes for a while. When the morning light shone into the room, he knew he couldn't go on like this.
He turned over, pressed Kujo Miki under him, and huddled his body into the quilt.
Miki Kujo's long eyelashes trembled slightly. She raised her eyelids, with sleepy eyes, and saw a large bulge in the quilt on her chest.
"What are you doing so early in the morning?" She lifted the quilt and complained to the person inside.
"Morning exercise." Watanabe Toru's voice was dull, as if he was holding back something.
Miki Kujo wanted to raise her head, but her body, which had just woken up, was too heavy. After struggling for a while, she simply gave up.
She covered herself with the quilt again, closed her eyes and went back to sleep, her fingers running through Toru Watanabe's hair.
…
"It's so heavy, get up quickly." Miki Kujo slapped Toru Watanabe who was sniffing her neck.
Because of the comfort, Toru Watanabe completely put his center of gravity on her. Although it was not the first time, it was really heavy.
"Okay, okay."
Toru Watanabe got out of bed and walked to the window.
The weather was very good, and the clear and crisp blue sky of autumn came into view. He was contented and stretched himself lazily, feeling refreshed.
As the seasons change, the quilt becomes softer and softer, and getting up early becomes more painful.
…
"Good morning."
"Good morning, ah~~"
"Are you still asleep?"
"Yeah, I'm exhausted. But I just have to hold on for two more days."
The wind band said good morning to each other, chatted, took out their instruments, and prepared for practice.
Some members concentrated on practicing the theme song, and the "March to Endless Dreams" played by different instruments mixed together in the music classroom;
In the center of the classroom, the trombone section and the French horn section were working on a section of the ensemble free piece that needed improvement;
In the corner, members of Department B were doing basic exercises seriously.
In the euphonium part, Asu Mai pulled out the euphonium tube and poured the condensed water droplets on the tube into a bucket - she had been practicing for a long time.
While cleaning, she looked towards the bassoon and oboe section, but the oboe had not arrived yet.
Toru Watanabe is not always the second one to come to the music classroom, but he is always among the first few. Today is the first time like this.
"Senior, what's wrong?" Aoi Ikki noticed Mai Asu's gaze.
Asu Mai shook her head slightly and said nothing.
Toru Watanabe walked into the music classroom just in time for the ensemble to start at 8:30.
It only takes a few minutes to get from Kanda to Yotsuya Station by train, and the exercise doesn’t take that long, so where does the time go?
Could it be that the time for morning exercises in bed was longer than he imagined?
Watanabe Toru decided to reflect on himself and shorten the time next time... Forget it, he might as well just wake up earlier.
"Before the ensemble, tune the oboe first." Kiyono Rin looked at Watanabe Toru.
Toru Watanabe put the reed in his mouth and blew out long and precise notes. The other instruments slowly followed suit, and the resonating sound caused ripples in the water in the plastic bottle.
They practiced until 10:15. Even though it was already October and the highest temperature of the day was only 20 degrees, even the conductor, Kiyono Rin, began to sweat on her forehead.
"You've worked hard. Take a break for now. The second round of practice will begin at half past ten."
"yes!"
Toru Watanabe stretched his hands towards the ceiling and stretched lazily.
"Watanabe-kun, you came so late today. Are you tired from the sports festival?" Hayami Kaoru, who was sitting next to him, asked softly, with her dark red bassoon placed on her skirt at her knees.
"No, the bed was so comfortable this morning." Watanabe Toru replied, twisting his neck.
"In this kind of weather, I really want to sleep a little longer." Hayami Xun's eyes lingered on his hands with distinct finger bones.
After the second round of practice, Toru Watanabe returned to the Human Observation Department for lunch.
Kiyono Rin sat by the window, holding chopsticks in one hand and flipping through the music score with the other. The record player next to her was playing "March to Endless Dreams".
"You're taking it too seriously," Toru Watanabe sat down at his seat and glanced at the record player. "Can you really hear where it's playing?"
Qingye Rin sighed and put the broccoli that had been on the chopsticks for a long time into her mouth.
"You have a solo for the free song 'Prosperous Four Seasons', so there is no problem, but the assignment song..." Qingye Rin paused, "It will take another month to reach a level that satisfies me."
“I think it sounds good.”
"That's totally not enough." Qing Ye Lin looked at the music score covered with notes. "With their current level, the chances of winning the national gold medal are only 70% at most. What if a judge thinks that it's Kamikawa's first time attending the national competition, so it's not a bad thing to win the silver medal? The chances of winning the gold medal will be even lower."
After listening to her, Toru Watanabe asked curiously, "Our goal... the goal of the Human Observation Department, isn't it to help the Wind Ensemble enter the national competition? Of course it would be great if we can win the gold medal, but it doesn't matter if we can't, right?"
Qing Ye Lin glanced at him and said, "I know you don't have any big ideals, but I didn't expect you to be so unambitious."
"I'm so sorry for my lack of ambition. Thank you for contributing carbon dioxide to me every day."
People inhale oxygen and then expel carbon dioxide through their noses. When people breathe, they inhale 0.032% carbon dioxide.
Watanabe Toru and Kiyono Rin spend most of their time in the club room, so they are bound to inhale the carbon dioxide emitted by each other.
Qingye Rin immediately understood what he meant.
This means that she didn't give birth to him, didn't raise him, and didn't even reimburse the money he spent on krypton gold, so she has no right to ask him to have ambition.
"Do you need me to explain to you the rights of ministers and advisors?"
"Iwate Prefecture, Mizawa Village, Watanabe, the goal is national gold! Work hard from now on!" Watanabe Toru showed a little bit of spirit.
Qing Ye Lin closed the music sheet as if he couldn't bear it anymore, and didn't even bother to read it: "Did you get beaten up by Kujo-san last night, causing you to become mentally ill?"
"Yeah, is your mental hospital still free for me?"
Qing Ye Lin looked at him in surprise, and put his chin on the hand that was not holding the chopsticks, thinking: "It's strange that I didn't bother you."
Looking at Kiyono Rin who was thinking about herself, Watanabe Toru patted the beech table and said, "R-san, please listen carefully to what others say instead of cheating with your ability."
"Quiet." Qing Ye Lin said unhappily, "From just now on, you have disturbed my listening to music."
“…”
The pointer of the record player rose and fell slightly, and the vinyl record that looked like a biscuit tin lid rotated. The distinctive melody of "March to Endless Dreams" overflowed from the door of the activity room and spread to the empty corridor on Saturday.
“So you can really hear?”
"Why else would I let him out?"
"In addition to lie detector testing, you are also able to multitask. I lose." Toru Watanabe covered his face with his hands, looking confused and lost.
"You actually want to beat me?" Qing Ye Lin was also surprised. "I underestimated you, Watanabe-san. You have a dream that is even greater than winning the national gold medal for three consecutive years."
"Why three consecutive years? Isn't that too easy?"
"How many years of high school do you want to go to?"
"...Can't I join the wind orchestra in college?" Watanabe Toru argued.
"We'll talk about it when the time comes." Qingye Rin picked up a small mouthful of rice with chopsticks without interest.
Although he wanted to say that he had won once by getting first place in the country, it was not the behavior of a "Tokyo handsome guy" to haggle with women and act arrogant in front of them.
The two stopped talking and watched her start to eat in small bites. Watanabe Toru also took out his bento.
"Would you like some fried chicken?" Qingno Rin asked tentatively.
"You don't want to eat?"
"Eating too much will make you fat."
" With your figure, are you afraid of getting fat? Stop joking." said Toru Watanabe.
"Planning is the key to success. Failure to plan leads to failure. T-san, who is ranked first in the liberal arts, do you need me to explain?"
"…Please give me some fried chicken. I haven't had breakfast yet."
Rin Kiyono picked up the fried chicken nuggets on the toothpicks and put them in Toru Watanabe's eel bento box.
Toru Watanabe put the fried chicken into his mouth and while chewing the chicken, he inadvertently glanced out the window.
White clouds meandered, inlaid on the azure sky; the train rumbled past Yotsuya Station and disappeared along the tracks into the jungle of high-rise buildings.
It was bright outside, and as I gazed into the distance, my eyes ached slightly.
The last day of training passed .
The next day, October 25th, Sunday.
After finishing the morning practice, the band took the school bus to Nagoya City in Aichi Prefecture.
It took unexpectedly long. We set out at noon and arrived at the booked hotel at four in the afternoon.
Kamikawa did not choose an expensive hotel. In order to facilitate pre-match practice and considering the geographical location, he booked a relatively simple hotel with a concert hall.
It is said that in order to do business of hosting participating schools, the money originally intended for renovating the hotel was used to renovate the concert hall. After the 311 earthquake in 2011, the venue of the competition was changed to the Nagoya International Conference Center.
As soon as we arrived at the hotel, everyone spontaneously moved their luggage into their rooms.
According to the arrangement, the girls were assigned to dormitories according to their academic years, while the boys, because there were fewer of them, were all squeezed into one dormitories.
They took off their shoes and walked into the tatami-covered room. Without the girls, the boys instantly became active.
"I'll sleep in the corner! Don't fight with me!"
"Oh no, I forgot to bring facial cleanser, does anyone have it?"
"Will you go buy some together later? I didn't bring a toothbrush either."
In addition to life, there is also the indispensable topic of girls.
"Watanabe, can I see Sister Reina tomorrow?"
"That's right, we want autographs this time too!"
"You guys, don't scare others." Toru Watanabe quickly took out a mobile phone charger from his bag and charged his phone in the corner.
After playing games for five hours, the battery of my phone had already turned red, and I had to switch to power saving mode to avoid it shutting down.
"What do you mean by scaring her? We are her fans! We are not doing anything!"
"That's right! Watanabe just wants to have Sister Reina all to himself, right? You won't be allowed to have such a beautiful girl all to yourself!"
"I'm talking to you guys," Watanabe Toru put down his phone and started packing his luggage, "I came here because I admire Miss Reina's trumpet playing skills, but you guys always focus on her appearance. Aren't you superficial?"
"I'd never trust you, you cunning citizen of Iwate Prefecture!"
"How dare you look down on Iwate Prefecture? Nagata, you brought playing cards, didn't you? Tonight I will let you know the anger of Iwate Prefecture!"
"Who's afraid of who? The loser should go to the girls' dormitory and ask for snacks!"
"Is this true? Forget it, I will definitely be scolded by the teacher!"
"That's because I'll be scolded, that's the punishment!"
From Reina going to the girls' dormitory to ask for snacks at night, and then discussing the possibility of pretending to go to the wrong bathhouse, if it weren't for the message in the group urging them to go to the concert hall to practice quickly, the boys probably really thought of this as a school trip.
…
Kitauji, Kyoto, a warm autumn morning.
"Have you checked all the instruments? Let's go!"
"Okay!" Kumiko responded loudly, quickened her pace to confirm, and jumped out of the truck.
When she ran to the bus, Reina had already saved a seat for her.
Kumiko sat down next to Reina, lifted her feet, and took off her shoes skillfully, yawning loudly at the same time.
"Are you sleepy already?" Lina looked at her actions in surprise and noticed that tears had begun to well up in the corners of her eyes.
"Yeah." Kumiko responded weakly.
"Didn't you sleep last night?"
"I slept, but I'm still very sleepy." Kumiko fell down with her head resting on Reina's big chest.
The bus started slowly and drove towards Kitauji Gate. After getting on the highway, the speed gradually increased.
"Reina."
"Aren't you asleep?"
"Yeah." Kumiko replied lazily, "What does the Izuku Department want to see you about?"
"You know?" Lina said shyly, "I decided to go abroad and study music at a foreign university."
"Going abroad?" Kumiko sat up and looked into Reina's eyes under her long eyelashes.
"Yes, but before that, I will go to Tokyo."
"Going to Tokyo? To seek revenge on that person?"
Reina was stunned, and admired her friend's imagination: "What does it have to do with that pervert? I'm going to a women's university outside Musashino. My father knows the teachers there. It's a school famous for its English. I will study there for a year to prepare for going abroad."
"Going abroad." Kumiko murmured to herself, looking at the car window behind Reina.
The unfamiliar scenery kept changing, and her face reflected on the car window looked immature and confused.
For Kumiko, whose only trip away from home was to Aichi Prefecture, going abroad and graduating from high school are both very distant things.
"What about you, Kumiko?"
Kumiko looked away: "It may not be possible to go abroad, but I will go to that women's university. I want to continue to be with you, Reina."
Reina's eyes flickered, and she couldn't help but hold her friend's face in her hands: "Kumiko, you don't have to do this."
Kumiko shook her head quietly and rested her forehead against Reina's. "If I learn English well, I can become an English teacher and then return to Kitauji to become an advisor to the wind band."
"Well, when I return to my country, I will definitely be a judge for the national competition." Lina felt the temperature difference on each other's foreheads.
Kumiko sat up straight and said seriously, "Remember to give Kitauji an A directly."
“No way.” Reina refused without thinking, and then said seriously: “Unless Kumiko comes to beg me the night before.”
The two laughed quietly and leaned their heads together.
"How silly."
"No, we will definitely realize such a future."
"Well, if Lina said it would happen, then it will definitely happen."
"Idiot, I'm not a god, I still have to work hard."
"If there is a god in the world, it must be Reina." Kumiko rubbed Reina's face with her cheek.
