I play wind instruments in Kansai

After school in the afternoon, Gong Lingwang picked up his schoolbag, ready to go to the music store to pick up the rented musical instrument.

After putting on my shoes at the shoe-changing area at the main entrance, I put my indoor shoes in the shoe cabinet. I don't really like metal cabinets, especially when it's damp, as the smell can be quite strong.

"Miyare-kun."

Her loafers looked brighter than everyone else's, with the toes pointing towards Hall 3, which was the direction of the college baseball field.

"Kirishima-kun." Miyamine Nozomi picked up her schoolbag and walked over.

"Shall we go home together?"

As the breeze passed by, the curve of her wisps of hair brushing past her ears was reminiscent of the receding tide at dusk over the Ji Zhichuan River.

There was an extra small sticker on her backpack compared to yesterday.

"Kato-kun gave it to me, I think it's quite cute." Kirishima Ruka noticed his gaze, and the sunlight climbed onto her socks, making them appear even whiter.

Gong Lingwang nodded. It would be good to go back together; he could ask her some questions on the way.

"Hello!"

A girl walked quickly over from the west staircase, leaving her friend behind, without even changing her indoor shoes.

Perhaps wanting to be heard, her voice was a little loud, attracting the attention of many students who were about to leave. Noticing the excessive stares, the girl couldn't help but let down the stray hairs behind her ears to cover her rapidly reddening earlobes.

Gong Ling saw that it was a willow wood lantern. She only said one sentence and then stopped talking, just staring straight at him.

"What's going on? A chaotic scene?"

"Damn it, isn't this my script? Being chased home by two beautiful girls after school."

"Being good-looking really does give you the freedom to do whatever you want."

The students around him whispered among themselves, and the more they whispered, the more stern Liu Mujie's glare became.

She didn't have the shyness that a young girl should have at all.

"Sorry, I almost forgot I made plans with Yanagi-kun," Miyamine Nozomi said to Kirishima Ruka with a hint of apology.

Kirishima Ruka wasn't angry. She merely glanced at Yanagi Yuuta, then a faint smile appeared on her lips as she said:

"It's okay, let's all go back together next time. Goodbye."

"See you tomorrow."

As Kirishima Ruka stepped outdoors, sunlight climbed onto her skirt, creating a distinct boundary of light and shadow between her skin and the hem.

"snort--"

Liu Mujie gave a soft hum, changed his shoes, walked to Gong Lingwang's side, glanced at him, and said...

"Walk."

She finished speaking and continued walking forward.

Gongling looked ahead and followed.

She didn't say anything on the way, probably still holding back a lot of anger, and didn't want to provoke anyone.

Someone was pedaling their bicycle fast on the asphalt road, their white shirt billowing like sails on the slope.

"Are you going to take me to some dark corner and have your friends humiliate me one by one?" Miyamune asked.

"Huh?" Willow Knot Lamp deftly turned its head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"You came to see me, not to do anything to me?" Gong Lingwang only made an appointment with her to go for a morning run tomorrow, but never made an appointment to go home together.

What was said back then was—

"If I met you, I would go home with you."

"......"

Willow Knot Lantern glanced to the other side, her gaze wandering along the cracks in the brickwork of the flowerbeds along the street. Her slender white fingers fiddled with the shoulder strap of her schoolbag a few times, and she said in a low voice,

"Thank you."

Gong Lingwang paused for a moment, thinking he had misheard, and stared at her with slightly widened eyes, saying:

"What did you say?"

Just as I stepped out of the street, the tram passed right in front of me.

Suddenly, Yuuto quickly mumbled "Thank you" in her proud Kansai dialect.

The speech was so fast it sounded like chanting a spell, the last syllables completely swallowed up by the sound of wheels hitting the rails.

But he still heard it.

"What are you thanking me for?" Miyamine asked 'curiously'.

"...Speak up for me in the classroom." Liu Mujie's throat moved slightly, and her ears turned a faint red.

Just like the Kishu plums my mother bought last night, I just don't know what they taste like.

"Is this how you thank me? I'm a first-year student, risking being targeted by upperclassmen to speak up for you," said Miyamune Nozomi.

"You didn't support me to the end! I'm being kind by not hitting you!"

Willowwood lamp's cheeks grew even redder as she gripped the shoulder strap tightly and said:

"How about I treat you to something? Ice cream? Or milk tea?"

"Eating such cheap food? Do you think I'm a poor wretch?"

"Well......"

Liu Mujie raised an eyebrow sharply, knowing that his family was much wealthier than his own, and could only offer a forced smile.

"So what do you want, Young Master Gongling?"

Gongling Wang said without hesitation:

"As a guy, of course I hope you can repay me with your body."

It was just a joke, and he was prepared to take a punch from Liu Mujiedeng, then laugh and say, "I was just kidding."

But the actual situation seemed to be somewhat different from his expectations.

Liu Mu Jie Deng suddenly stopped talking, unconsciously grinding a cherry blossom petal on the ground with the tip of her shoe. Her fingertips brushed against her earlobe, burning as if she had been exposed to the Kishu July sun for an entire afternoon.

"You..." She suddenly swallowed, holding her breath as she said, "Are you confessing your feelings to me?"

what?

Gong Lingwang was stunned. He had considered all sorts of possibilities, but he never expected her to say such a thing.

Although it was just a joke, she seemed to have misunderstood it very deeply. Although she had a bit of a temper, she was surprisingly innocent.

Gongling Wang suddenly felt like a terrible person, and his tone of voice became somewhat unsteady:

"No, I was just kidding."

She paused for a moment, then puffed out her chest and raised her voice, saying, "I knew it! I was just teasing you!"

"You really amused me," Miyamine Nozomi chimed in.

"Um."

After Liu Mujie finished speaking, they continued walking forward and arrived at the station.

"I won't be able to go home with you later," Miyamune Nozomi said.

"Where are you going?" She suddenly glared at me.

"I'm not going to find Kirishima."

"Who knows if you're lying?"

Gongling Wang found a seat, looked at the long track line on his left, and said:

"Have we skipped the dating and marriage stages and entered into a life of mutual suspicion?"

"Hmph—"

Willowwood Lamp's eyelashes fluttered rapidly. She sat down directly to his right, placing her schoolbag on her own right side.

"Did Hasebe bully you?"

"What does bullying mean to you?"

"In the wind band, you're given all sorts of tasks to do, but you're not even given a good arrangement."

Willow Knot Lamp said,

"They're used to doing this kind of thing. Kohinata has been tortured terribly by them. They're such cowards."

"Who is Kohinata?"

Looking at his profile, Yuuki looked as if deliberately reminding him, and said, "Hina Kohinata, my very best friend."

"Best friends are great, best friends are the most understanding of you," Gong Lingwang said casually.

"Of course, I have many best friends, including my senior classmates from the past three years."

Willow Knot Lantern's tone became much more relaxed.

"So where do you want to go?"

Gongling Wang said, "Go get the instrument. I just bought a new flute online. It's super cool, and it's pure silver."

"Your old flute isn't working anymore?"

"It works, but I want something better."

"Then I'll go with you."

"Aren't you going to level up your alt account? Instead, you're wasting your time accompanying me to get something?"

I'm not in the mood today.

Willowwood Knot Lantern's legs were stretched out straight, the hem of her uniform skirt falling exactly two centimeters above her knees, and the black calf stockings had a very high-quality feel.

"It would be better to have someone who knows the ropes go."

"Liu Mu, I play the flute, I'm the real expert."

I'm talking about a haggling expert.

"How can you bargain over the price of musical instruments?"

"Look at you, an amateur," Willow Knot Lamp said smugly. "I bought my trumpet by bargaining."

"Musical instruments all have a soul, and they certainly do not want their value to be diminished by their owner."

"Tch~~~"

Willowwood Lamp raised its hand and patted his head, saying,

"You can use the money you save to treat me to something to eat, or to buy me a gift for my birthday."

"How can you be so selfish, only thinking of yourself?" Gong Lingwang laughed.

"No, you'll see when the time comes that you're also enjoying my selfishness, hehe~~"

She smiled, as if a little bird was hiding inside her, fluttering and bobbing against her chest, humming a tune that seemed about to fly off her lips.

"Miyare, you need to work hard in the wind band. It would be best if you could climb to the first position on the flute. Only then can the flute be saved. Hasebe and the others are useless."

"Don't worry, my flute is probably much better than you think," Miyamune Nozomi said.

A gust of wind suddenly blew by, and Liu Mujie covered her skirt with her hands:

"Come on, Senior Gu Hua told me that you need to practice your flute more. She was being very tactful."

"If the brass band wants to win gold, it's not just a matter of one or two people. No matter how well or how outstanding they are, they can't win gold."

"Of course I know. Do you think I'm a child? Senior Daidouji often tells me to have leadership qualities and then inspire all the members," said Yuuto Yanagi.

"Your infection is really too much," Gong Lingwang said mercilessly. "Do you know how many people were cursing you back then? I was cursing you too."

"What do you mean?!"

Willow Wood Lamp raised his hand and pinched his ear, but not hard; it was more like a gentle touch.

Inside the station, many students were waiting for the tram to arrive, and the interaction between the two attracted the attention of many people.

She herself seemed to realize this, but she didn't let go. The ambiguity was like a bottle of soda that had been turned on, with sweet bubbles rising and overflowing her heart.

Rather, she thoroughly enjoyed this feeling.

Gongling Wang slightly curled up one shoulder and said:

"To be honest, the problem isn't with you at all, but with Hayami, the supervisor and advisor, who is the core of the team."

"Of course I know."

Willowwood Knotting pinched his ear, its fingertips feeling his contours, occasionally pressing harder.

"But Supervisor Hayami doesn't know anything, what can I do?"

"It's simple, you can give feedback to the school. Hey, stop touching me." Gong Lingwang couldn't stand it anymore and slapped her hand away.

Willow Wood Lamp pursed his lips, withdrew his hand, and said:

"Senior Gu Hua would never agree to this. She's so gentle and maternal; she would never hurt anyone."

What does it mean to have maternal instincts?

"Then you're all doomed." Miyamine Nozomi mercilessly pronounced their death sentence. "Member quality is the lower limit, but the quality of the advisors is the upper limit."

"Stop talking, the more you talk, the more tired I get." Liu Mujie exhaled a long breath, his shoulders slumped.

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about this."

Driven by his curiosity, Gong Lingwang blurted out the question.

"What was your relationship with Kirishima before?"

"What? Did she send you to find me?"

Willow Knot Lamp's eyes instantly lost their warmth, and its long eyelashes blinked slowly in the honey-colored light.

"If I were that close to her."

Willowwood Lamp narrowed his eyes slightly, sighed again, and said in an unquestionable tone:

"Actually, there's no particular reason. Everyone's spreading rumors about her, you probably know that, right?"

"The ability to manipulate people's minds?"

"right."

Willowwood Lamp snorted coldly, lowered her head, and repeatedly smoothed her skirt with both hands, saying...

Everyone thought it was a rumor, but only I knew it was true.

"...Why?"

"Because I am a victim."

"Huh—?"

Gong Lingwang couldn't help but look at Liu Mujiedeng. Her gaze was so direct, without the slightest sign of lying.

"Although I'm lucky it didn't affect my future, it's still enough to make me uncomfortable, so I've always told you to stay away from her."

"Is it that serious?" Miyamune chuckled lightly to ease the tension.

Willow Knot Lantern stood up, looking at the tram station that was entering from the left.

Because of sitting for a long time, the skirt briefly clung to the skin of the thighs in the air, leaving a small patch of damp warmth.

Gong Lingwang remained seated, his gaze instinctively trying to peek under her skirt, but he could see nothing but her thighs.

"I know you don't believe me, but I really didn't want her to join the brass band in the first place."

"She seems like a good person."

"Of course I know that."

Willow Wood Lamp glared at him defiantly, her little face still bearing the marks of childhood.

"I know there are many things she can't choose, but I hope she can care more about her friends."

The second half of the sentence was clearly not addressed to Miyamine Nozomi, but to Kirishima Ruka; he figured he was going to become a messenger between the two of them.

"So you weren't planning on telling me."

Willowwood lamp looked at the tram that had come to a complete stop, turned its head to Gongling Wang and smiled:

"If you call me 'Mom,' maybe I can tell you."

"Mother."

Self-esteem is abandoned very quickly in the face of the truth.

"Get out of here!" She was clearly startled and quickly boarded the tram.

"Tell me," Miyamine Nozomi followed.

"No~~"

"Mother."

"Shh, don't talk in the car! Be careful someone hears you!"

◇

The tram travels along the Kishigawa Line to Wakayama Station. The double cherry blossoms of May have already faded, leaving only a faint pink layer on the ground.

"Because she didn't play in your match, right?" Miyamune asked, sitting down next to her.

The two remained close together, with no backpack between them to act as a shield. Chu He could feel the warmth of her soft thighs seeping through the fabric.

Gong Lingwang did not reject physical contact with her; in fact, the girl's body was very comfortable, so why should he reject it?

"Isn't that outrageous? She used her skills to make us practice for so long, but when it came to the final competition, she treated us like a joke."

"..."

"She came over and said she didn't want to play anymore because she couldn't produce any sound. And since it was a crucial trumpet melody for her, she left the rest of us on the field like idiots."

Recalling the past, Liu Mujie Deng appeared very unhappy and even somewhat resistant to the topic.

Yuiyuu and Ruka Kirishima have been best friends since childhood, both in the same brass band. They even participated in a competition together, forming a very standard brass quintet.

Two trumpets, one French horn, one trombone, and one tuba.

Miyamine Nozomi felt that if they went to look for it now, they should be able to find a video.