We agreed to be in a band for life, what the heck is Dragon Raja?

This was a performance she had been looking forward to for a long time.

As a member of the brass band, Motoyo Nagasaki practiced the double bass for a long time before being selected for this performance.

After all, she is only a junior high school student, and it is already quite remarkable that she can compete with many senior students who have practiced for a longer period of time.

Nagasaki Motoyo felt a little nervous.

As the first performance, the wind band will have very little time to prepare tomorrow morning.

Moreover, this was her first performance after all. Even before she took the stage, the excitement and nervousness she felt were already surging within her, amidst the discussions and anticipation of so many people around her on campus, in her class, and in her surroundings.

Nagasaki Motoyo then understood the feeling of excitement she had felt sitting in the audience, watching the performance on stage.

The feeling is almost completely different from standing on the stage yourself and watching the audience cheer for you.

The minister's voice rang in my ears:

"Next, we will present Joe Hisaishi's Princess Mononoke."

Nagasaki Motoyo quickly snapped out of her daze and, along with her teammates, bowed to the audience.

Her skirt swayed in a wave with her movements, revealing her leg line as it fell back down.

clap clap clap-

The audience erupted in applause.

"It feels like watching a concert," Nan Yun Yuyue whispered, tilting her head.

Ruoye Mu turned her head and softly hummed in agreement.

Toyokawa Shoko remained silent, her eyes fixed on the stage.

In the center of the stage, the conductor raised his small baton.

She glanced at the band members, waved her hand, and the music started playing.

The program begins with a gentle woodwind base, followed by the string section. The lighting then transitions from cool white to a mix of soft blue and golden yellow, with beams of light hitting the reflective metal surfaces of the instruments and creating scattered points of light.

The audience fell silent instantly.

This song, Princess Mononoke, is the theme song of Hayao Miyazaki's animated film "Princess Mononoke," composed by Joe Hisaishi. Almost everyone here grew up watching Miyazaki's films, so they are extremely familiar with this song.

The sound on the stage gradually progressed, with the flute taking over the rhythm, carrying an indescribable, faint sense of sorrow that slowly seeped into the entire hall.

Listening to this piece of music, Nan Yunyu felt as if the moonlight was gently caressing her face in the dead of night, and the world was vast and distant.

He noticed that Nagasaki Motoyo's gaze seemed to be fixed on him, Wakaba Mutsu, and Shoko, which made his previous guess even more certain.

"It seems to be a detection-type Word of Power. No wonder it can always catch Xiao Mu in the story."

Nan Yun Yuyue listened attentively to the performance on stage, lost in thought.

The hall was completely silent, with only the melodies of the wind ensemble flowing slowly through it.

Motoyo Nagasaki played the double bass, her bow strokes slow and deliberate, the bass notes layered upon layered, supporting the entire soundstage.

Shoko Toyokawa kept her eyes on the stage, and naturally noticed Motoyo Nagasaki's figure.

She was somewhat surprised.

"Su Shi's rhythm is so steady..."

Previously, Toyokawa Shoko's impression of her was still that scene after school when Nagasaki Motoyo greeted Nagumo Ugetsu. She never imagined that she would have such a high level of skill on the double bass.

Beside her, Nan Yun Yuyue watched the performance on stage, also lost in thought.

The wind band's performances are still ongoing.

Joe Hisaishi truly deserves his reputation as one of Japan's top composers; everyone here has heard his works to some extent.

"Carrying You," "The Path of the Wind," "Inochi no Namae," "Kikujiro's Summer"...

Almost as soon as the melody started, the audience naturally recalled their childhood.

On stage, Motoyo Nagasaki remained immersed in the performance.

Originally, because it was her first time performing on stage in front of so many people, her emotions remained unsettled for a long time.

But on stage, the moment the melody began, accompanied by the sound of the double bass, she immediately felt her emotions gradually calm down, and then her consciousness became clear and ethereal.

Nagasaki Motoyo gently closed her eyes, savoring for a moment the feeling of a melody flowing freely, a sensation only a musician could evoke. Then, worried about making a mistake, she blinked and opened them again.

Nagasaki Motoyo thought to herself:

"So... this is what it feels like."

At this moment, she had a glimpse of what it felt like to be on stage, with lights converging and music flowing like an ocean.

In addition, the music played by the brass band at this music festival was already ethereal. Even though it was pure music without lyrics, it still touched the hearts of many audience members.

Motoyo Nagasaki integrated herself into the club and, following her own stage presence, became immersed in the performance.

"No wonder so many people like to form bands... This feeling seems pretty good."

she thought.

Motoyo Nagasaki's parents divorced when she was young, and she has lived with her mother ever since.

To prove herself and because she needed to support her daughter, her mother was always very busy with work, sometimes unable to come home for extended periods.

The family's house kept getting bigger and bigger thanks to the savings my mother accumulated from her work.

Most of the time, Nagasaki Motoyo would stay at home alone.

She looked around the empty, single-level apartment and sometimes felt that life was utterly meaningless.

That's why she refused her mother's plan to hire a maid, and instead learned to help her mother with some housework, such as cooking and cleaning, trying to feel needed.

Because of her family atmosphere, Nagasaki Motoyo has always chosen to be as gentle as possible in her daily life.

Later, I came into contact with musical instruments and studied music in order to make myself more sociable and not feel as lonely as I did at home.

Motoyo Nagasaki's memories flowed with the music, and the audience below the stage was also immersed in the song.

Many people have heard this piece and are familiar with the melody, but when it is actually presented to us in the form of a wind ensemble, the feeling is completely different.

There are no flashy techniques or sudden bursts of energy; the entire piece is gentle and steady, yet it gradually pulls the listener's emotions down.

After two or three months of rehearsals by the wind band, the piece had actually reached the point of capturing the feeling of 'artistic conception'.

Toyokawa Shoko placed her fingers on her knees and listened quietly.

As the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family, she had been exposed to music since childhood and was naturally able to discern the quality of this performance.

At the same time, perhaps because of the new transfer student, Nagumo Ugetsu, she naturally paid more attention to Nagasaki Motoyo and also noticed her performance.

"Her voice... is quite gentle."

With these thoughts in mind, Toyokawa Shoko continued to watch the stage.

A thought suddenly popped into her mind, but she put it aside for a moment and then focused her attention back on the performance on stage.

now,

The performance had entered its middle section, and the music gradually spread throughout the hall, making people almost forget the time.

Wow!

Time passes slowly,

The woodwinds and strings intertwine, creating a sense of calm and stillness.

Only when the final coda ended and the music stopped did all the emotions slowly return to calm.

One second, two seconds...

three seconds,

Clap clap clap clap! —

Applause suddenly erupted.

The entire stadium roared.

"That's amazing... This year's performance by the wind band has completely exceeded my expectations."

"Like...a movie playing in front of you."

Who is that girl playing the double bass?

"His name is Nagasaki Motoyo, and he is a core member of the brass band."

"What a gentle older sister."

"Actually, she's only in the third year of junior high school. You wouldn't believe it, would you?"

"what?"

Amidst the noisy discussions, Nangumo Ugetsu looked at Wakaba Mutsu sitting to her left.

Ruoye Mu turned her head at some point and was also looking at him.

She said softly:

“Singing...and music.”

The implication was that even she approved of the performance by the wind ensemble.

"It's really great; every member of the wind band works together very well."

Nangumo Ugetsu also expressed her agreement.

He pretended to get up slightly and adjust his posture, then glanced down at Toyokawa Shoko.

At this moment, Xiangzi was still watching the stage.

Nan Yun Yu Yue thought to herself:

"I guess she noticed Nagasaki Motoyo's performance around this time."

"On the one hand, Su Shi's performance is indeed of a high standard. For a girl of this age to reach this level, she must have put in a lot of effort behind the scenes."

"On the other hand... it should be the sorrow of blood..."

He thought about it slowly.

After the performance, the lights did not turn off immediately.

The members of the wind ensemble held their final pose for a full two seconds before the conductor slowly lowered his baton.

They bowed to the audience in unison, and then parted to the sides from the center of the stage, leaving one by one.

Swish!

The lights then dimmed, and the spotlight slowly narrowed to the edge of the stage.

The backstage staff rushed onto the stage and began moving some instruments that were inconvenient for one person to carry away.

The stage was plunged into darkness.

At this moment, because the three of them were sitting together, Toyokawa Shoko naturally overheard Nagumo Ugetsu's conversation with Wakaba Mutsu.

The two seemed to be discussing the members of the brass band who were going on stage this time:

"..."

"Moreover... Su Shi is very good at keeping the rhythm. It would be much better to have a teammate like that when forming a band."

A band...

The term had been mentioned several times recently, so much so that the thought even flashed through her mind for a moment while she was watching the performance.

Toyokawa Shoko subtly tilted her head and then looked at the two people beside her.

In the dim light of the hall, she could only see Ruoye Muji's fair face turned toward Nan Yun Yuyue, while Nan Yun Yuyue was whispering something in the dim, half-bright light below the stage.

"Um……"

…………

…………

at the same time,

Behind the stage.

Motoyo Nagasaki felt a sudden sense of relief.