Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 55 Summoning the Demon of Love in the Forest of Carving

The wind band's holiday is one and a half days, which is neither long nor short. That afternoon, the girls went to the Open-Air Museum first.

There are more than a dozen art museums of various sizes in Hakone, many of which are more like art parks than art museums.

Entering the Open-Air Museum requires passing through a cave, and Jun Matsueda was reminded of the Peach Blossom Spring. After exiting the cave, a platform suddenly opened up before him.

Jun Matsueda was responsible for the rearguard, walking behind the girls with Natsumi Imokawa. Yumi Seshita was not interested in the art museum and chose to stay in the hotel and play with the cat.

Mochizuki Haruka didn't show up. In fact, she was away from Hakone most of the time. Matsueda Jun guessed that she was with her aunt. The girl had left someone to protect him. It was the man in the suit, standing by the statue outside the crowd. His face was a little haggard, almost blending in with the statue beside him.

Tomatsu Tomoka walked beside Yamami Maki. The minister's smile was fainter than usual, with a hint of worry.

"What do you think about the clarinet and saxophone, Minister?"

They walked a little further away from the crowd, and in front of them were four statues. The two of them read the explanatory texts on the side.

“It’s not that the seniors aren’t serious, it’s just that they’re not as serious as we are,” Yami Maki sighed, not wanting to make the situation too tense.

"I'll go talk to my seniors in the evening. Although I don't really want to force them, everyone is working hard and we can't let others down." In order to reassure Tomatsu Tomoka, Yamami Maki smiled. When a member of the club called her, the girl turned and left.

Tomatsu Tomoka nodded slightly and looked at the sculpture in front of her. The description said that it was created by the assistant of the famous sculptor Rodin.

The four 3.75-meter-high copper alloy sculptures reflect a dull glow in the sunlight, representing "strength," "victory," "freedom," and "eloquence" respectively.

When Tomatsu Tomoka returned to the band, she realized she was left out. The other girls were busy taking pictures of the sculptures and buildings, seemingly enjoying themselves, and didn't give her a chance to join them.

That was fine, the girl walked towards Jun Matsueda on the other side.

When Natsumi Imokawa saw Tomoka Tomatsu coming over, she immediately went somewhere else to take pictures. Girls appearing next to Jun Matsueda always made her feel nervous.

"What are you looking at, Chunjun?" The girl approached with a smile.

Jun Matsueda pointed to the sculpture in front of him. It was a large stone human head lying on its side on the ground, smiling, and the head was covered with dense vegetation.

"This sculpture feels very mysterious. It would be a bit scary if you saw it at night." The girl guessed what he was thinking.

"It's really creepy. I feel like it will say to me, 'It's time.'" Matsueda Jun nodded, but Tomatsu Tomoka didn't understand what he said and tilted her head cutely.

The smiling white head watched the two people walk towards the tower in the distance, and Natsumi Imokawa followed behind them with a camera.

The tower's name is "Symphony Sculpture that Summon Happiness." While it might seem ordinary from the outside, once you enter via the spiral staircase, you'll feel like you've entered another world.

Colored glass surrounds the entire interior of the tower, breaking down the transparent sunlight outside into a bizarre world. The two climbed up the spiral staircase, giving people the illusion of stepping into heaven, or as if they were traveling through psychedelic colors, with a faint sound of gospel in their ears.

"Is this what happiness feels like, Jun-kun? Dazzling colors, climbing step by step, spiraling upwards, feeling as if you're walking on air, unsteady. Is this what happiness feels like?"

The girl stopped at the highest point and asked Matsueda Jun who was standing below her.

"I think you should ask the designer." Jun Matsueda thought the experience was pretty good.

Tomatsu Tomoka pouted in dissatisfaction and pressed her hands to her chest. "I think the happiness in my heart is much more solid and reliable than this."

As she left, Natsumi Imokawa took a picture of the relief on the tower's exterior wall; a creature with black wings was blowing a horn, looking somewhat like a little devil. The girls, who had practiced and played all day, were exhausted by evening. Tomatsu Yuka soaked in the warm hot spring, stretching out her fair arms and resting by the edge, letting out a peaceful sigh.

After putting on her yukata, the girl intended to go to Matsueda Jun's room. She had no intention of sneaking in, but simply wanted to try her luck and see if she could see him going out or coming back. However, as she passed the upperclassmen's room, she stopped in her tracks when she heard an argument inside.

"The problem now is that our clarinet and saxophone don't coordinate well enough. No matter what, we have to find a way to improve it, right? Teacher Hirouchi has pointed out the problem, and we must definitely solve it." She could tell that it was the gentle yet firm voice of Yamami Maki.

"Then we can also let Saxophone cooperate with us. Teacher Guangnei also said that Saxophone is too outstanding. Wouldn't it be better if they don't steal the show so much?"

Tomatsu Tomoka, the owner of this voice, remembers that her senior's boyfriend confessed his love to her after they broke up, but she was rejected. Since then, Tomatsu Tomoka has often felt malicious gazes.

"How could we ask the section that performs better to reduce its presence and cooperate with other sections? You are not new members anymore, how can you say such things?" There was a hint of anger in Yamami Maki's helpless question.

After a moment of silence, someone laughed.

"Why does it have to be a saxophone? A traditional arrangement would be fine. If Tomatsu is so talented, why not have the saxophone imitate the oboe? She's already tuning the oboe, so it wouldn't be a problem if she just joined the oboe? The soprano saxophone can fill in for the oboe, and we work well with the oboe. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

She had no impression of this voice. The girl leaned against the wall and smiled. The seniors no longer concealed their feelings. They were originally talking about "they" and "them", but now they were directly talking about Hu Song.

Yamami Matsukio was speechless. This was the truth, but how could she explain it to the saxophone part?
"And!" the voices in the room grew louder. "It's true that Tomatsu's level is high, but is her heart really in the wind band? She suddenly gave up the summer training a while ago. I don't know how you, the captain, persuaded her to come back, but it must have taken a lot of effort anyway. Can you guarantee that she won't do something like that again?"

"Everyone knows that in her heart, Jun Matsueda comes first. She loves him to death. Who knows if she'll have another love affair and just quit?"

"Minister, can you promise?"

This is the truth, Tomatsu Yuka thought.

There was a chorus of agreement in the room.

"Enough!" Yamami Maki's voice silenced the room. "Don't say things like that! At least right now, her attitude is more respectable than yours, that's undeniable!"

"I'll talk to Youhua about it. Don't mention changing the vocal part anymore. After tomorrow's break, I don't want to see you guys targeting her like this again."

Tomatsu Tomoka hid in a corner on the other side and watched Yamami Maki walk out of the room. Her steps were faster than usual, and her back was filled with a rare anger. Ever since she joined the wind band, Yamami Maki, as the band leader, had always taken good care of her, and now she was even more angry because she was angry with the seniors.

Although the wind band has changed a bit since Tomatsu Tomoka first came in, it is still a place she likes very much.

The girl slowed down her pace, walked through the corridor while thinking, and stood on the terrace again.

Jun Matsueda was watching Kaneji chasing flying insects on the lawn. When he felt Tomatsu Tomoka's gaze, he looked up.

Tomatsu Tomoka smiled and waved at him. She suddenly remembered the four statues she saw in the Sculpture Forest during the day and understood the creator's intention.

Strength, freedom, eloquence, and victory—all four are indispensable.

　We've made it to the third round of recommendations. Thank you all for your support. We'll continue fighting until the fourth round!

(End of this chapter)