Chapter 262: May Rose and Bath Water, Selection and Rock-Paper-Scissors

When Kujo Miki woke up, Watanabe Toru was no longer in the room.

Her eyes, beautiful and noble like gemstones, glanced around her and then closed them again.

The retro interior, with its historical furniture decorations, seems to have lost its charm, turning black and white and weathered.

"Meiji, my Meiji, are you up?" A gentle call and approaching footsteps.

The world suddenly had color, the furniture shone brightly, and the bed had just the right amount of warmth.

The sound of birds singing in the early morning came from the courtyard, and the May sunshine shone softly in.

She didn't speak.

She pretended to be asleep.

Waiting for the boy who called her name to wake her up.

…

Toru Watanabe ran around the house twice, picked a rose from the garden, and returned to the bedroom.

Miki Kujo lay gracefully on the soft big bed.

Her gorgeous black hair, delicate face and white arms were as radiant as last night's bright moon.

Pretending to sleep.

Miki Kujo's sleeping posture is very childish.

Toru Watanabe walked over, placed the rose on the tip of her beautiful nose, and leaned over to smell it.

The only thing between their faces is the morning rose.

The petals brushed across her nose, feeling a little itchy, and Kujo Miki opened her eyes.

Their eyes met, and Watanabe Toru said:

"Meiji, I love you."

Miki Kujo glanced at him, then lowered her eyes to look at the roses, asking him what was going on with her eyes.

"I picked them from the garden. I promised to give you a rose every day, not a day less."

"This is the May Rose." Miki Kujo looked at the bright red petals of the rose.

"May Rose that blooms in May? What a great name."

“It’s called the Queen of Flowers.”

"It suits you best."

"It is rich in vitamins and natural pigments, which can improve endocrine disorders and skin, make the body odor fresh and maintain the figure. In addition, it can prevent wrinkles, make the skin ruddy, and make people look younger and more beautiful."

"Rose has so many uses? Aren't they just for appreciation?"

"Where did you pick it?" asked Miki Kujo.

"In the yard."

"Silly, that's what my mother planted for bathing."

Toru Watanabe looked at the flowers and then at Kujo Miki, who was more beautiful than the flowers.

"So, the two of us are smelling your mother's bath water?"

After a brief pause, Toru Watanabe couldn't help laughing.

Miki Kujo looked at him coldly at first, but then she laughed herself.

Watanabe Toru threw the flowers to the end of the bed, and the two of them hugged each other through the quilt.

"Come in and sleep a little longer." Miki Kujo patted Toru Watanabe's back gently.

"Okay." Toru Watanabe let go of her and began to take off his clothes.

"Don't take it off."

"As you command, my queen."

Toru Watanabe lifted the quilt, took off half of his clothes and got in.

While having breakfast in the morning, Kujo's mother couldn't help but admire Watanabe Toru and Kujo Miki as they walked in side by side.

A handsome man and a beautiful girl.

The more she looked, the more satisfied she became with Toru Watanabe.

Smart, handsome, funny, and judging by his daughter's looks, she's also pretty good in bed.

"Meiji is becoming more and more feminine. Come on, teach your mother how you did it?" she teased.

Miki Kujo glanced at Toru Watanabe and asked him to answer.

"Smell your bath water every morning," said Toru Watanabe.

"Bath water?" Kujo's mother was stunned for a moment, and looked at Kujo Miki in confusion, who was putting pressure on Watanabe Toru with a cold eye.

Kujo Miki walked to the long table and sat down. She picked up her knife and fork and said:

"Early in the morning, he picked a May rose and put it on my face, showing off proudly."

"May Rose? The one in the yard?" asked Kujo's mother curiously.

"Um."

"That's not me..." Jiujo's mother reacted and giggled, "This child, why not pick any other flowers!"

Her voice was full of vitality, and I didn't know whether it was the effect of May Rose or the credit of the 'beauty cream'.

"Please stop talking. If you continue I will act like a spoiled brat and won't eat breakfast!" Toru Watanabe smiled and sat down opposite Miki Kujo.

The two of them looked at each other affectionately with smiling eyes.

The dining table was filled with colorful flowers, and the three of them ate breakfast happily.

After enjoying a delicious breakfast, the two said goodbye and left the Kujo family's mansion.

Miki Kujo went to work, and Toru Watanabe went to school to prepare for the audition for the wind orchestra.

Today is Saturday. He doesn't have to arrive at school early, nor does he have to practice the oboe as hard as last year. Toru Watanabe arrives leisurely ten minutes before the audition begins.

At this time, among the more than 100 members of the wind orchestra, the earliest one to arrive had already been practicing for three hours.

The corridor on the third floor of the club building was crowded with people, some practicing and some preparing for the first batch of interviews.

They were already nervous, and became even more nervous after seeing Toru Watanabe - this meant that the audition was about to begin.

"Good morning, Watanabe-kun."

"Good morning."

People kept greeting him.

The personal attacks last year have long disappeared as "one game after another, Toru Watanabe demonstrated his unparalleled playing skills time and time again."

Many people even guessed the original intention of Watanabe Toru's action.

After all, he was not that kind of person before, and he never did such a thing later.

"Senior, Watanabe-senpai!" Horikita Mai took the reed out of her mouth and ran over skipping.

"How are you preparing?"

Toru Watanabe looked at the reed in her hand and recalled the days when he made his own reed by the window after school last year.

"Absolutely not." Horikita Mai said with a bitter face.

"Read more of what I've told you, and also read what you should pay attention to when playing in an ensemble."

"Okay! I understand ! I will try my best and will not let you down!"

"Just be true to yourself."

Toru Watanabe stopped chatting and walked into the music classroom.

The classroom, which is usually filled with stools and music stands, is now empty.

There were three stools, two desks and a music stand placed in the center.

There are two tables for Watanabe Toru and Kiyono Rin to use, and a music stand for the members participating in the audition to place the music scores.

Kiyono Rin was already sitting at a desk, writing something on the music score with a pencil.

In the empty music classroom, the only sound was the rustling sound of her writing on paper.

"Good morning, Kiyono-san." Toru Watanabe walked over and sat next to her, smelling a light, sweet fragrance.

"Good morning."

"What are you writing?"

“The key points of each instrument’s performance.”

"You're just helping out but you're taking it so seriously."

Qing Ye Lin did not answer him. She was sometimes lost in thought, and sometimes scribbling on the music score, writing the names of instruments such as "clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, oboe" between the notes.

That should be the section where each instrument will be tested.

If I knew the content of the assessment a month in advance, I wonder if I could use it to trade with the girls in the wind band and ask them to run errands and buy drinks.

Toru Watanabe was thinking about meaningless things, and soon the selection time came.

In the morning, it is brass instruments, and in the afternoon, it is woodwind and percussion instruments. The first part to be selected is the euphonium.

There were no third-year members in the euphonium club, so the first one to join was Aoi Ikki from the second year.

She walked in nervously, sat down uneasily opposite the two of them, and placed the wrinkled music score on the music stand.

"Please tell us your grade, name, and instrument you are responsible for," said Qingye Rin.

Although we were in the same class, she still followed the procedures meticulously.

Kiyono Rin would never show mercy just because of their good relationship, so she let Ikki Aoi introduce herself respectfully as a junior or subordinate.

"Tuning?" Qingye Rin's voice was flat.

"It's already been adjusted!"

"Play the thirty-second bar of the designated song until I say stop. Start."

"yes!"

Ikki Aoi took two deep breaths, picked up the euphonium above her knee-length pleated skirt, took a third deep breath, and then put her lips to the mouthpiece.

The rich and powerful sound of the euphonium vibrates the air in the music classroom in early May.

Watanabe Toru listened quietly.

Aoi Ichiki's voice is very similar to Mai Asuka's early days.

"That's it." Qingye Rin suddenly spoke.

Ikki Aoi's mind went blank and she had no idea where she was playing. She could only stupidly follow the instructions and put down the instrument.

"The characteristic of the euphonium is that its tone is soft, yet it carries a very deep resonance. Ichiki-san, go back and think about it carefully."

"Yes!" After answering subconsciously, Ikki Aoi's face turned pale.

Was she, unsuccessful? A look of self-doubt appeared on her face.

Judging from her appearance, after all, they are classmates. Watanabe Toru said:

"Congratulations, Ikki- san ."

"…Huh?" Ikki Aoi stared at Watanabe Toru, then remembered that Kiyono Rin had the final say in this matter, so she looked at Kiyono Rin nervously.

"The results will be announced at noon." Qing Yelin said coldly, "Please call the next person in."

"Ah, yes!"

Ikki Aoi put away the music score and walked towards the classroom door without feeling comfortable.

"Is it okay to tell her ahead of time?"

"How do you know she passed?"

"Don't I know you? You only say a few words about things you care about. For example, I'm the one you scold the most."

"Don't be so self-righteous. I scold you because you deserve it."

Listening to the conversation between the two people behind him, Ikki Aoi finally felt the thickness of the wooden floor under his feet.

Passed!

She was holding her musical instrument and sheet music, but she opened the classroom door very skillfully.

The euphoniums are all finished and there is a fifteen-minute break.

At this time, apart from Toru Watanabe and Rin Kiyono, only Aoi Ikki, who has confirmed that she has passed, can truly rest.

The rest, including the euphonium members who had already been interviewed, were all extremely nervous.

Toru Watanabe propped his chin up and stared out the window.

You can faintly hear the cheers of sports clubs such as the baseball club and the track and field club, and everyone is cheering for the game.

He turned his head and said to Qingye Rin who was writing the qualified list:

"I heard that when you were a kid, you won the game of rock-paper-scissors for an entire afternoon, and let Meiji push you on the swing for an entire afternoon?"

"She told you?"

"Her mother."

Qingye Rin nodded.

"Are you good at rock-paper-scissors?" Watanabe Toru continued.

"I've only played rock-paper-scissors with Kujo Miki, so I don't know if I'm good at it."

Watanabe Toru clenched his fist with the hand that was not supporting his head and stretched it between the two of them.

"Whoever loses will be treated to lunch today," he said.

"Did you bring change?" Qing Ye Lin put down the pen, "You still haven't paid me back the money I paid for the Valentine's Day gift return."

"You're pretty confident." Watanabe Toru sat up straight and rolled up his school uniform sleeves. "It's a pity that you're the one who treated us. You should have thought about whether you had any change."

The sunlight shone through the gaps formed by the white curtains, with Toru Watanabe shining against the light, and it shone gently on Kiyono Rin's face.

After the first game.

"Best of three is fine too." Watanabe Toru said proudly.

"No need." After a brief pause, Qing Ye Lin said, "Let's bet on dinner."

"I admire your courage in admitting failure."

"Heh." Qingye Rin sneered.

The second sentence is still Watanabe Toru's victory.

"Alas." The victor sighed sadly.

"Come again."

"Lunch tomorrow?"

"You didn't bring roses today, did you? If you win, I'll forgive you."

"You really hold a grudge. I have to be more careful with you next time."

"With your personality, you should have written "Always beware of that woman Qingye" on the first page of your diary."

"You guessed wrong. What I wrote was "No matter when or where, be careful of R-san."

As he spoke, the third game decided the winner.

Watanabe Toru's long, slender hands are fists, and Kiyono Rin's white, slender little hands are scissors.

"Come again." Qing Ye Lin said expressionlessly, "If you win, I forgive you for writing bad things about me in your diary; if I win, give me your diary."

"The stakes seem disproportionate, but never mind, rock-paper-scissors."

In the fourth game, the winner continued his winning streak.

Qingye Rin looked at Watanabe Toru carefully, staring at his face unscrupulously.

It's a handsome face that any woman would fall in love with just by staring at it.

"You cheated?" she said.

"No." Watanabe Toru answered with a smile, also staring at her beautiful little face.

"All by luck?"

"yes."

"lie."

"I just have quick reactions. I can see what you are planning when you throw a punch."

Qingye Rin took the music score, turned his back, and wrote something on it.

Then, she turned around and said to Watanabe Toru, "I've already written down what I want to offer, what are you going to offer?"

"Still wearing this?"

"This bet is all the previous ones. If I win, all the previous ones will be counted as mine."

"What if you lose?" Watanabe Toru asked curiously, "The stakes are so high this time, what are you going to bet on?"

"If I lose..." Qingye Rin pondered for a moment, then raised his jade-like little finger.

Watanabe Toru looked at her in confusion.

"I allow you to touch the little finger of the Kiyonomi God."

"..." Watanabe Toru pressed her hand, "Don't do that."

His palm briefly touched the smooth and slippery back of Kiyono Rin's hand.

Late in the night after a dance last year, he briefly put his arm around her slender waist through her clothes;

At Kyoto Station, he placed his hands on her curvaceous shoulders through her performance clothes.

Just now, he touched her body for the first time.

Warm and tender, smooth and delicate, gentle and stable.

The lingering touch and slight body temperature touched Watanabe Toru's heartstrings, numbed them, and then filled with warmth.

"I accept your bet," he blurted out.

"You have a girlfriend, but you're playing this kind of game with me. How obscene." Qingye Rin pressed the back of her hand that was touched.

"Well, obscene."

“Vulgar.”

"Vulgar, so vulgar." Toru Watanabe followed her and scolded himself.

The touch of Qingye Rin's back of the hand still lingered in his mind, unable to leave for a long time.

At that moment, he would have given anything to keep that touch.

Kiyono Rin looked into Watanabe Toru's bright and clear eyes, and at this moment his gaze on her became burning.

She put the hand that had been touched on her knee and said, "Tell me, what are you going to do?"

Watanabe Toru stretched out his hand and slowly clenched his fist.

"Stone?" Qingye Rin confirmed.

Finally, Toru Watanabe raised his index and middle fingers and made a scissors hand gesture in front of his right eye.

"Scissors," he said.

"..." Qingye Rin stopped talking and tightly held the hand that he had just touched.

The two of them sat very close to each other, like they were classmates. Watanabe Toru, who had good hearing, could hear the sound of her heart beating.

"Forget it, let's just use stone." When Watanabe Toru said this, he had already broken free from the girl's love spell.

The increasingly dangerous atmosphere in the music classroom disappeared into the clear May sky along with the cheers of the sports club outside the window.

"I win." Qingye Rin showed him the music score and wrote "cloth" in the blank space in the corner.

"Lunch and dinner, I'll treat you. When will the diary be given to you?"

"I'll finish going with you so you don't make any changes secretly."

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

The break was over, Kiyono Rin sat upright, and Watanabe Tetsuya rolled up his sleeves.

"Watanabe-san."

"Um?"

"You are not only vulgar and low-brow, but also cowardly."

“…Please call this single-mindedness.”

"Exclusiveness of two lovers?"

"How do you know?!" Watanabe Toru remembered that he had never told her about Koizumi Aona.

"What is it that I don't know about you?"