Chapter 165 School Trip (14)
The mechanical pencil slid across the notebook, writing down one English word after another.
Curves are flowing, straight lines are light and airy.
Aoi particularly likes the fluency of problem solving and the clarity in the brain.
After finishing last year's exam paper of her target university, she picked up the red-covered reference book at hand and corrected the answers herself.
The accuracy rate is good. A rough estimate is that the deviation value is around 72.9.
I stretched myself and prepared to take a break before correcting my mistakes.
She tiredly supported her chin with her right hand, staring blankly at the blue sky outside the window, and her eyes moved down to see the playground of Kitauji.
At noon, there were only a few boys from sports clubs on the playground, playing basketball during their lunch break.
Aoi thought back to herself, she had been a member of the wind band until she entered her third year of high school.
In order to cope with the heavy entrance examination and not repeat the failure of the high school entrance examination, she chose to quit the club despite the pleas of her junior and good friend Kumiko Huangqian.
Kitauji's wind orchestra is not worth mentioning.
Although it was once glorious, it had long since become a third-rate club that couldn't even qualify for the Kyoto Competition - this was before this spring.
Aoi picked up the eraser with her free left hand, pinched it between her index and middle fingers, and rolled it unconsciously.
Outside the window, the white clouds in the sky are very similar, looking a bit like the body of a tenor saxophone.
Now, Kitauji's wind orchestra has won the Kyoto Competition and produced miraculous sounds at the Kansai Competition. Although it only won the bronze medal in the national competition in the end, it has already become a hot topic club in school.
The principal even praised them at the meeting, saying that Kitauji's enrollment next year would be more popular because of them.
I have been in the wind band for two years. If I persist in the third year...
Aoi stopped turning the eraser and laughed at herself.
Impossible.
She was not like the vice-chairman of the wind band, Asuka Tanaka, who was also a third-year student and was considered special by everyone.
With outstanding appearance and excellent leadership ability, his euphonium playing is as good as that of strong schools, and he ranked among the top 30 in the country in the mock exam.
How can there be such a perfect person in the world...
Aoi thought about her mock exam results and realized that she was still some distance away from her target private university.
For an ordinary person like her, it is completely impossible to balance club activities and study hard at the same time.
After thinking about it for a while, Aoi stretched her arms upwards and prepared to continue studying.
At this moment, his peripheral vision undoubtedly swept across the edge of the playground, the path leading from the school gate to the school building, and a familiar figure came into view.
Kumiko?
What are you doing there at noon?
Even though the competition is over, the wind orchestra should continue practicing, except for the third-year students who are preparing for the entrance exam.
While she was thinking about these unimportant questions, two figures beside Kumiko attracted her attention.
Kitauji's winter uniform is a long-sleeved sailor suit, and the two of them in Western-style school uniforms are like sunflowers attracting bees.
Aoi, who went to Nagoya to watch the national competition, recognized these two people.
A unique talent on the oboe, and the first high school student to conduct the wind instrument competition in history;
Ranked first and second in the national mock exam for high school students;
Impeccable appearance;
…
Countless advantages.
Kitauji's special existence - Tanaka Asuka, also seems ordinary in front of the two of them.
Why did they appear in Kitauji at this time?
…
Kumiko, carrying a gift, looked at the classmates around her with a wry smile.
There were boys and girls, seniors and juniors; in the distance, students kept leaning out of the windows of each class.
That’s fine! The key is…
"Watanabe, could you please stop laughing?" Kumiko complained.
"I just couldn't help but smile when I saw my old friend. But you, Kumiko, please explain why you are not happy at all when you see me who came more than 400 kilometers to see you."
"I'm happy... But if you keep going like this, I'll definitely be surrounded by the whole school after you leave!"
"That's your business, right? Please handle it yourself."
"What did you say?" Kumiko asked in disbelief.
"I'm kidding, don't take it seriously. In Kamikawa, I only dare to smile at my girlfriend and Kiyono-san, but in Kitauji, I'm only there for a lunch break and can smile as much as I want without thinking about the consequences. Just think about it, everyone is fascinated by me, but in the blink of an eye they never see me again, don't you think this is very youthful?"
"...I just feel that you have a very, very bad character."
"The person who directly says that others have a bad character is the one with a bad character, right?"
"Yeah, yes." Kumiko said weakly to Watanabe Toru, giving up the idea of persuading him to stop laughing.
She looked at Qingye Rin who was still gasping for breath and comforted her, "Qingye-san, we'll be at the music classroom soon, and you can rest soon!"
"...Thank you." Qingye Rin said thank you with great difficulty.
"But how did you get this thing?" Toru Watanabe picked up the school admission permit from his chest.
Kumiko proudly puffed out her chest a little bit. "Ms. Matsumoto Michie is the deputy advisor of the wind band club and also my homeroom teacher. I told her to invite the oboe player to the band for exchange, and she agreed immediately."
"That female teacher who looked very stern at first glance, but after the competition, she hugged her students and cried?"
"Huh? How did you know?" Kumiko looked at Watanabe Toru in surprise.
" Of course I saw it. Wasn't I there at the time?"
"You're kidding! How can a human have such a good memory?"
"Kiyono-san, cheer up," Watanabe Toru turned his head to look at Kiyono Rin, who was about to close her eyes in pain, "Some people say that the two of us are not human."
"...Shut up." Qingye Rin finally couldn't bear it anymore.
She reached out and gently grabbed Watanabe Toru's sleeve, transferring some of the gravity to him.
Watanabe Toru pulled up the school uniform jacket that had slipped down to his shoulders and said to Kumiko, "Can we find a place to rest first?"
Kumiko looked at Kiyono Rin with worry and surprise. She didn't expect that someone could be so weak.
"Hmm..." She thought for a moment, "The shoe cabinet seems to be a good choice!"
The three of them walked into the school building, changed into their indoor shoes, and stopped at a vending machine.
From time to time, girls holding hands passed by them, and after they walked away, they immediately whispered to each other.
There were also boys chasing and playing with each other, and deliberately talking loudly in front of Kiyono Rin.
"Would you like anything to drink?" Kumiko asked.
"Let me do it." Toru Watanabe took out the ten-yen coins he had saved up during this period and put them into the coin slot one by one.
Kumiko knew that this guy was very rich, and even though she only had 3,000 yen a month, she chose to accept it.
Watanabe Toru ordered strawberry milk for himself first, and then asked for hot tea for Kiyono Rin, and said to Kumiko: "I don't know what you like to drink, order it yourself."
"This is so embarrassing." Kumiko said this while her hand was already on the button for the most expensive drink.
I've been wanting to try it for a long time!
Even so, there is still a balance.
"Give me another bottle, Sister Reina." Toru Watanabe unscrewed the cap of the hot tea bottle and handed it to Kiyono Rin who was resting with her eyes closed.
Qingye Rin opened her eyes and took small sips.
"If you say that, you will definitely be scolded by Reina later." Kumiko bought barley tea for Reina, "But there are boys who like to drink strawberry milk."
"When learning, the body will want something sweet." Toru Watanabe bit the straw and looked around Kitauji's environment.
Dark yellow tiles, fluorescent lights neatly arranged on the ceiling, and the open wooden door of the classroom.
In the corner of the corridor, there are piles of tables with graffiti on them and chairs with missing edges.
An ordinary public high school that seems to have no other special features except that its school uniform is a sailor suit.
"Why don't I have that kind of situation?" Kumiko asked.
"It means you are not really learning."
"impossible!"
"Am I the best at telling lies in the country? I just rely on strawberry milk to replenish sugar and keep my brain active."
"Alas." Qingye Rin sighed helplessly.
"What's wrong?" Toru Watanabe immediately turned his head and asked with concern.
"The glucose that replenishes the brain is converted from starchy foods such as rice, bread, and noodles after being digested and absorbed by the human body. I think you should improve your common sense more than your grades."
"You're saying I have no common sense?"
Kiyono Rin gave a kind smile and confirmed Watanabe Toru's question.
Avoiding her smile, facing Kumiko's piercing eyes that asked, "How do you explain that?", Watanabe Toru shrugged nonchalantly.
He took a sip of milk and said, "I used to be well-versed in history and the West, but since I had Doraemon, I can only know what I don't know now."
"But aren't you number one in the country?" Kumiko reminded kindly.
"What I hate most is judging a person by his or her academic performance. It's too narrow-minded! People should live in a broader world!"
"But if you are the best in the country, you should at least know that the sugar your brain needs is obtained through..."
"Kumiko." Toru Watanabe patted Kumiko's weak shoulder.
"Here!" Kumiko thought to herself, this hand is too big.
Watanabe Toru said with a charming smile and a gentle tone: "You must be unwelcome, right ?"
"Huh?" Kumiko blinked. "No..."
Before she could finish her words, she heard a scolding from a distance.
"Stay away from Kumiko, pervert!"
Watanabe Toru took his hands away, pretending he had done nothing, and said to Reina, who was walking towards him with her eyes wide open:
"Long time no see, Sister Reina, I'm your fan from Tokyo, and I came to see you."
“Go to hell!” Rina glanced at him fiercely and looked at Kumiko with concern, “Kumiko, he didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
"Not yet." Kumiko replied.
"Hey?!" In the face of Reina's murderous gaze, Watanabe Toru defended himself, "It's not good for you to sow discord between me and my idol, right?"
Kumiko laughed happily, this was revenge for saying she was unwelcome!
Everyone, now you know who the person with a bad temper is, right?
"Kumiko, let's go." Reina grabbed Kumiko's hand, "Ensemble practice is about to start at noon."
"Wait a minute, Reina, I..." Unable to break free, Kumiko had to shout to Watanabe Toru and the others, "Hurry up and follow me!"
Toru Watanabe drank the strawberry milk in one breath and threw it into a nearby trash can.
He picked up Qingye Rin's shoulder bag and held out his hand to her: "Let's go, gentle and common-sense Qingye God."
Qingye Rin glared at him in dissatisfaction: "I still have the strength to stand up!"
"Can I take the bag myself?"
Before Watanabe Toru could finish his words, Kiyono Rin had already stood up, her silky and shiny black hair swaying, and walked towards Kumiko and the others.
"What are you still doing? Hurry up."
"Qiono-san, I'm a boy and I'm holding a girl's bag, especially in a place like school. No matter how you put it, it's a bit..."
The four of them arrived at the music classroom.
"You should know them, right?" Kumiko introduced Watanabe Toru and the other man to everyone. "They happened to be on a school trip to Kyoto this time, so I invited them to the club to exchange ideas."
After that, she said to the two of them, "Can you introduce yourself?"
Qingye Rin nodded: "Hello everyone, my name is Qingye Rin, I am the consultant and conductor of the wind band of Kamikawa High School, and my specialty is the trumpet."
The crowd applauded enthusiastically and talked a lot.
"Look closer, it's so beautiful!"
"What a great figure! Even with such a long skirt, you can tell her legs are so long and thin!"
"I really want to know how she became a consultant!"
The applause stopped and everyone fell silent, looking at Toru Watanabe.
They listened to the CD of the national competition countless times, watched it again and again, and the sound of the oboe was still so incredible.
I asked my advisor and oboe player Kazuka Mizuka, and they replied, "That's not a level you can catch up to if you work hard."
"Hello everyone, my instrument is the oboe, and my favorite food is Uji's matcha, especially matcha smoothies and matcha..."
"Tetsugu Watanabe-san."
"Well, Toru Watanabe, please give me your guidance." Toru Watanabe nodded and saluted to the people around him.
"Watanabe-san, can you play the oboe once?"
"Yes, yes, I am your biggest fan!"
The new second-year president, Yuko, clapped her hands and shouted, "Everyone, be quiet!"
After everyone quieted down, she said to Kiyono Rin and Watanabe Toru, "Kiyono-san, can you direct our ensemble practice at noon? Please!"
Qing Ye Lin put his hand on his chin and thought for a while: "It's "Dance of the Crescent Moon", right?"
Minister Yuko nodded excitedly: "That's right! This is our free song!"
"Kiyono-san has an amazing memory. We only got a bronze medal, but he still remembers the song ." Kumiko said in surprise.
"Don't mention the bronze medal, Kumiko," Reina said with a sigh.
"Eh?" Kumiko came back to her senses, glanced at the embarrassed expressions of her classmates around her, and quickly apologized.
In the face of the national gold medal, it seems inappropriate to say that my club only won the bronze medal.
"Honestly," Qing Ye Lin glanced at them, "I'm surprised that you guys can enter the national competition with your level."
"Hmm!" Watanabe Toru made a loud noise and explained, "Our school was able to win the gold medal thanks to the strictness of Seino-san. Everyone, please be mentally prepared."
"Yes!" Instead of minding, everyone looked at Kiyono Rin curiously.
Maybe, with the mentality of stealing others' skills?
Kiyono Rin glanced at Watanabe Toru, walked up to the conductor's seat, and started looking at the music score of "Crimson Moon Dance".
"Watanabe, are you coming too?" Kumiko asked expectantly.
She also wanted to hear that incredible voice again.
"I never turn down a friend's request, but I didn't bring my instrument. Does your club have an oboe?"
"Well……"
How could a public school like Kitauji, which doesn't even have a school bus, buy such an expensive musical instrument?
The only oboe was bought by senior Kaizuka Mio herself.
Just when Kumiko was feeling sorry, Kaizuka Mizuki's calm voice came over: "If you don't mind, please use mine."
"Eh? Senior Mizuki, is this okay?" Kumiko asked in surprise.
"Yeah." Kaizuka Mizuki nodded, "I want to become stronger, for Shimei."
"Oh, I see." Kumiko understood immediately.
Watanabe Toru looked at the situation in front of him and felt it was very familiar.
He leaned close to Kumiko's ear and whispered, "Does this senior with a cool name like girls?"
"What's wrong with liking girls?!" Reina squeezed in between the two of them, looking up at Watanabe Toru with her pretty face, "Do you have any opinion?"
"Not at all. To be honest, I like girls too."
"Instead of exposing your queer fetish, why not look at the music score?" Qing Ye Lin shot a cold gaze at him. "What do you think, Watanabe Toru?"
"You are right."
Watanabe Toru walked towards Kaizuka Mizuki in the crowd.
Kaizuka Mizuki stood up, handed him the oboe, then sat next to Watanabe Toru, staring at his fingers and lips motionlessly.
Watanabe Toru looked at the reeds and praised, "Kaizaka-senpai, although you are still far behind me, you are also an amazing reed player!"
"Yeah." Kaizuka Mizuki nodded slowly.
“…”
