Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 88 A Belated Thing
The audience could finally breathe deeply, and the air in the entire hall seemed to be sucked dry in an instant.

Jun Matsueda sat in the audience to calm himself down. After the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, he never went to the wind band again. Tomatsu Tomoka's solo hit his heart like a hammer.

Unlike when she captured everyone's attention in Tokyo, the girl's feelings were like a rainstorm falling on a reservoir. No one knew about it, but the water level kept rising. When she decided to release it with a musical instrument, the locked gates were opened, and those emotions invaded his heart in an overwhelming and pervasive way.

He patted the shoulder of Natsumi Imokawa next to him and said, "Stop patting her. She's already left the stage."

The girl snapped out of her daze, her gaze still fixed on the stage, which was now completely dark. "It was so amazing. I loved it."

The three members of the News Department had been in the audience, and they all agreed that "Fantasy of Eternal Summer Days" was undoubtedly the best free repertoire among the schools that had performed so far. The audience also began to murmur, noting that Tomatsu Tomoka's solo had such magical power.

When the three of them walked out of Century Hall, the girls from Yugaoka were already at the entrance of the conference hall, and it was still Tadashi who greeted Natsumi Imokawa.

"Xia Shi, come and take a picture for us!"

The girl trotted over with her camera in hand, her chest beating thrillingly, shocking the girls as much as Tomatsu Tomoka's solo.

"What kind of pose should we strike?" someone asked.

"It must be the V-sign! It represents victory! We will definitely win!" said the tuba leader confidently.

So everyone made a V sign to the camera, but Natsumi Imokawa did not press the shutter.

"Um, please, that student, don't stick out your tongue and roll your eyes, it looks weird," the photographer girl said.

"Who is it?!" the girls started to make a fuss.

Jun Matsueda remembered this girl. She was the same one who had said that she was showing a sense of openness when she performed at the summer festival.

After the group photo was taken, Natsumi Imokawa switched the camera to video mode and Jun Matsueda took out the microphone.

“How do you feel now that you’ve finished playing?”

The girls responded in unison: "I feel like the stone in my heart has finally fallen to the ground."

“Very happy! Very relaxing!”

“The feeling of reaching climax!”

Jun Matsueda remembered the appearance of this outspoken girl firmly in his mind and decided to stay away from her in the future.

"I feel like Tomatsu-san is really amazing!"

The girls quieted down and looked at Tomatsu Tomoka who had been silent in the crowd.

"Mr. Tomatsu is really amazing. I was also shocked by your solo in the audience just now. It felt like the music really turned into pictures appearing before my eyes." Jun Matsueda has entered the interview state and showed a business-like smile.

"So, what do you think, Tomatsu-san?" He handed the microphone to the girl.

"Thoughts. I'm glad I was able to express what I wanted to say through this performance." Tomatsu Yuka's smile was very calm.

"What about the minister?" Jun Matsueda turned the microphone to Yamami Miki.

"Everyone has played to their best. I think even if we lose, we won't have any regrets." The senior student smiled with satisfaction.

The girls started making noise again, shouting things like "Buyer, don't set a flag." Yamami Maki, who didn't understand, tilted her head in confusion.

The last recorded shot was of the girls playing and fighting, and Jun Matsueda ended the interview accordingly. If they didn't win the national gold medal and the school didn't intend to use the footage of failure, then it would be nice to end the wind band chapter of the recruitment promotion here.

Hirouchi Aya walked up to the front of the group and said, "The results won't be announced until 6:30 pm, after all the teams have finished performing. So we'll be staying in Nagoya for most of the day."

As soon as the counselor finished speaking, the girls looked at her eagerly.

Hirouchi Aya sighed. "You can go out and play, but you absolutely cannot leave Atsuta District. You must travel in groups of at least three people, and you must report your location to me every hour, otherwise I will call the Atsuta Police Station. Do you understand?"

The girls began to form groups. Yumi-chan pulled Imokawa to find Tomatsu Touka and Yamami Maki. Before being dragged away, Imokawa Natsumi looked at Matsueda Jun reluctantly, like a chick leaving its mother.

"Does Matsueda want to go play with them?" Hirouchi Aya walked up to Matsueda Jun, and he shook his head.

"Then follow me. You can help if there is any unexpected situation."

Jun Matsueda was recruited in this way.

There aren't many places worth visiting in Atsuta. Although there are some so-called unique retro shopping streets, the girls who go to school in Tokyo certainly have no interest in shopping in Atsuta.

In the end, most of the girls decided to go to Atsuta Shrine, which is known as one of the three major shrines in Japan and is also a tourist attraction worth visiting in Nagoya.

At the suggestion of Tomatsu Tomoka, Yamami Maki's four-member team started their tour from Shiratori Garden, then passed Shiratori Park and crossed the stone bridge to reach Atsuta Jingu Park and the Main Shrine.

Yumi-chan accompanied Imokawa Natsumi to take photos, while Tomatsu Tomoka and Yamami Maki wandered around in the winding garden, and the four of them separated temporarily.

Yamami Maki, who came from a distinguished family, admired the garden's design and enjoyed a lively conversation with the gardener's wife. Tomatsu Tomoka said something to the director and walked alone to the river, where torn cherry blossom petals floated on the water, like the shimmering water of the Horikawa River.

"It's finally over." The voices of the seniors came from the other side of the wall-like bushes.

"There's no need to practice with that crazy woman. Now she has no excuse to blackmail us, right?" She heard someone tut impatiently.

"I feel like we can really win national gold." Someone whispered.

"To be honest, I'd rather not win the national gold medal, otherwise I'll have to watch Tomatsu steal the show again." This is the senior who lost her boyfriend.

"I don't want to listen to her saxophone anymore. It's disgusting. I really don't want to experience that muddy emotion. It gives me goosebumps."

Tomatsu Tomoka stopped Yamami Matsukio who was about to rush over, and the minister's face was filled with tangible anger.

The elders walked and talked as they circled around the garden, and their voices gradually faded away.

"Is it okay?" Yamami Moki looked at the girl's profile.

"Anyway, they probably won't participate in training after the national conference, so the minister doesn't need to care about their opinions." Tomatsu Tomoka's face was calm.

"Have you threatened them before?" Yamamiya Moki heard the conversation of her seniors and was a little worried that her juniors might leave any handle behind.

"I just advised them to practice hard." The girl imitated the minister's kind smile.

Yamami Moki could only sigh. She took her junior's arm and said, "Let's go and find Xia Shi and the others."

The four-member team paused for a moment before the cherry blossoms that bloomed in autumn, then walked across the bridge, through the ball field of Atsuta Jingu Park, and into the quaint torii gate of the main shrine.

The Jingu Shrine's natural landscape was no different from many parks in Japan, except for the wider paths and denser shade. The four of them walked along the seamless cobblestone path, quickly separating themselves. The two from the news department took photos as they walked, while the two from the orchestra kept pace.

Like a dive, leaping from the city's skyscrapers into the forest, the sounds of traffic, highways, machinery, and commerce are all blocked out by layers of shade. Yamami Maki and Tomatsu Tomoka cleansed their hands at the water pavilion, passed through a giant camphor tree said to be a thousand years old, and drew fortune slips outside the main hall where the Kusanagi sword, one of the Three Sacred Treasures, is enshrined. The main hall is only open to relevant personnel during special festivals.

Tomatsu Tomoka shook the fortune stick holder gently and drew out one, the twenty-third. She wrote down the number and went to look for the fortune stick.

"If close friends forget about etiquette, they may quarrel. If the mind is not clear, there is a risk of unintentional slander."

"Wish: Taking care of others will grant your wish."

"Waiting for others: belated."

"Matchmaker: Be patient and your wish will come true."

Tomatsu Tomoka looked at the omens in her hand, her complex emotions difficult to express.

Is this a little too late?
Yamami Maki walked up to the girl and said, "Didn't Tomoka draw a good fortune? Don't worry too much."

“No, it’s good. If I had come to Atsuta Shrine sooner, things might have been different.” She carefully folded the fortune slip and put it in her pocket.

Legend has it that if you tie the fortune stick you get to the shrine, you can establish a bond with the gods, but the girl doesn't intend to do that, perhaps the gods will punish her for it.

They walked out of the main hall and met two people from the news department. Imokawa Natsumi felt a little disappointed when she learned that she could not take a picture of Kusanagi Ken. Seshita Yumi stood on tiptoe and touched the girl's head to comfort her.

Atsuta Shrine is huge, and the girls, feeling a bit tired from walking, returned to the playground at Jingu Park. The principal tuba player, Tadashi, and most of the wind band were there, playing with baseball sets they'd borrowed from somewhere.

The four-man team sat on the benches at the ballpark and watched as Duodai yelled "Home run!" with every pitch until the bottom of the ninth inning.

“I lost. I’m so unwilling to accept it.” Tadai knelt down in front of the trombone master, and Imokawa secretly took a picture of him.

"It's okay! All my bad luck was lost in the baseball game, so I won't lose in the concert!" The girl stood up suddenly. "Time is almost up, let's go back. Mount Fuji is waiting for me!"

Everyone returned to the Century Hall, where the final performance of Elite Girls' High School had just finished and was leaving the stage.

After waiting for half an hour, a man with a melancholy face and who looked tortured by the workplace walked onto the stage. He tapped the microphone lightly, and the scene naturally quieted down.

Everyone is waiting for the results.

"Now announcing the final results of the 72nd National Neon Wind Music Competition High School Division."

"Ninth place, Mitaka City Haneoka High School, Gold Award."

The girls hugged each other excitedly, "Gold medal! It's a gold medal! National gold medal!"

“National Gold!!!”

The eldest son, Da Dai, wasn't as happy as he had imagined, perhaps because he had said "I'm sure to win" so many times. "Now I'm actually more looking forward to Mount Fuji."

As representatives, Yamami Maki and Tomatsu Tomoka went on stage and took home the gold trophy.

A lady who had been sitting on the judges' panel walked over to the girls and waved to Tomatsu Tomoka with a smile.

The girl walked over and saluted her, "Thank you for your recognition of our performance."

The woman smiled and said, "Your saxophone is very emotional. I really like that kind of sorrowful tone, almost like a broken heart. If your playing can continue to improve, you might be sitting on the judges' panel in a few years."

The girls lowered their voices and listened attentively to the conversation between the two.

"This is my business card. If you are interested in furthering your studies in this area when you enter university, you can consider the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra."

After the girl bowed again to express her gratitude, the woman waved goodbye and left.

"Amazing, Tomatsu! That guy seems to be the concertmaster of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra!"

The girls chattered around Tomatsu Tomoka, except for the seniors with grim expressions.

Matsueda Jun took out the microphone again and interviewed Yamami Maki first. "As the president, how do you feel about receiving the national scholarship this time?"

Her face flushed with excitement. "This is probably the happiest and most exciting moment I've ever had since entering Haneda High School. This is the result of the joint efforts of everyone in the wind band!"

The girls surrounded Yamami Maki again and took turns holding up the trophy representing the highest honor for the high school group.

Matsueda Jun continued to interview Tomatsu Tomoka, "Tomatsu-san's outstanding performance is obvious to all, and the judges just expressed their recognition of you. How do you feel now?"

"Thanks to the Minister and everyone's support." The girl looked at the camera behind him, then seemed to be looking over his shoulder. "I also want to thank the person who gave my saxophone such rich emotions. He taught me so much. Thank you."

There was no time for a celebratory banquet. At Hirouchi Aya's urging, the girls quickly boarded the school bus and hurried back to Tokyo.

The bus passed the Shizuoka coast again. The fish-scale-like light of the day was drowned by the night. Passing through the mountains of Kanagawa, Mount Fuji and Mount Myojin were also hidden in the shadows.

The car was so quiet that only the breathing of the girls could be heard. Once the excited and tired girls relaxed, they all fell asleep.

Yamami Maki forced herself to stay awake, looking at the girl sitting by the window. Tomatsu Tomoka wasn't sleepy at all, she was already thinking about what to do after returning to school.

When the two of them vaguely saw the bridge over the Tama River, Yamami Maki suddenly said.

"Youhua, I probably won't be staying in the brass band after next year. I hope to hand over the position of leader to you, and everyone will agree."

She is still worried about her juniors. After winning the gold medal at the national competition, Tomatsu Tomoka's expression became even calmer as she looked out the window, as if she had no worries.

Tomatsu Tomoka nodded, "If nothing unexpected happens, I will take over the responsibility from you, senior."

What other surprises could there be? Yamami Moki looked at her in confusion.

Tomatsu Tomoka didn't explain. She reached into her pocket and touched the thin paper of the fortune stick.

I haven't finished reading the signature documents for this afternoon.

"We should prioritize honesty and integrity, and be cautious in what we say and do."

“Travel: Be cautious.”

"Dispute: Let others do as they please."

Tomatsu Tomoka looked down at the Tama River beneath the bridge. The water rushed endlessly in the darkness, reflecting no light. This was only natural. The fireworks from two months ago had long since disappeared, and the remaining ashes and embers had long since been washed away by the flowing water and wind.

The girl's prayers in Tokyo did not receive any response. She wondered if the same result would occur this time as she severed her ties with the gods.

She began to wait for God's punishment.

　Chapter 4000
　　
　
(End of this chapter)