I play wind instruments in Kansai.

The sound was hollow, like the echo of air sloshing around inside the body after the internal organs have been suddenly emptied.

There was no anger, no surprise, and no relief; all the emotions that had been churning for so long simply vanished.

"Didn't do it?" she muttered to herself.

Gong Lingwang stared at her in astonishment, then leaned closer and said with a grin:

"What are you thinking about? You're a lecher."

"Well--"

Liu Mujie's face flushed red, then she glared at him with a stern expression before turning her face away and saying...

"Anyway, I have no proof that you're lying. Ha, you think I'm easy to fool, don't you?"

Gongling Wang stood beside her, casting a direct gaze, and said calmly:

"I'll be sad if you say that. Do you want to try taking it back?"

"......"

Willow Wood Lamp bit her lip hard, her expression wavering, and she could only turn her gaze to the courtyard, which was being scorched by the sun, as if fleeing.

Only at this moment did she realize that Gong Lingwang's care for her was meticulous in certain aspects.

Compared to him, I seem petty and narrow-minded.

In his heart, has she become an unreasonable girl who doesn't know how to think about him?

Gong Ling saw that she didn't speak, but just shrugged without getting angry, because he knew how stubborn Liu Mujiedeng was.

He realized that the reason for liking someone is not necessarily because of their excellence; each person has their own unique charm that can be appreciated.

Her stubbornness, however, was a kind of charm in Gong Lingwang's eyes.

And to be honest, he's not a perfect guy to begin with, even though he's trying his best to be that way.

"Alright, alright, I won't make things difficult for Liu Mu anymore," Gong Lingwang said with a smile. "You'll have to buy me a drink next time, okay?"

"..."

Willow Knot Lamp's lips turned crimson, her self-esteem like a transparent glass wall, enveloping her entire body, her toes hidden inside her shoes curling repeatedly.

When Gong Ling saw her like this, a bright smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Clean lamp?"

"Huh? What?"

Liu Mujie instinctively raised her head and met his gaze. To hide her shame, she could only say some harsh words.

But Miyamune gazed at her with increasing determination, his gaze seemingly imbued with a softening agent:

"Don't feel embarrassed. I think you look even more beautiful now. I really like you like this."

"......"

Suddenly tasting the metallic flavor in her mouth, Liu Mujie realized that the mucous membrane of her lower lip had been bitten through by her teeth.

Gongling Wang is usually as childish as a little kid, but occasionally he will say things like this, which is really hard to deal with.

Liu Mujie blushed, swallowed hard, and stammered:

"Take it back..."

"What?" Gong Lingwang thought he had misheard, but her rosy cheeks came into view.

Willow Knot Lamp's teeth repeatedly bit into the wound:

"Take it back."

"what......."

To her surprise, Gong Lingwang didn't seem very happy; instead, he looked bewildered.

"What's with that expression?!"

Gong Lingwang shook his head and said, "Actually, I hope you won't say it out loud."

"What do you mean? You asked me to take it back, and now you're saying this! Are you playing me?" Liu Mujie glared at him sullenly.

"Because if you do that, you'll feel guilty, and if I make an unreasonable request in the future, you might think, 'I have to make it up to Xiaowang.'"

As soon as Miyamine Nozomi finished speaking, she received a punch on the shoulder from the girl.

I can't stand you!

While Liu Mujie was cursing, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This made her realize that Miyamune Nozomi genuinely wanted to take advantage of her, and that he hadn't shifted his focus elsewhere.

At the same time, a sense of distress welled up inside her, even though she considered her relationship with Shiraishi Hitomi to be quite good.

However, Shiraishi Hitomi's excessive contact with Miyamine Nozomi aroused suspicion. Does this prove that in Hitomi's heart, she, as a friend, is not actually important?

Looking at his smiling face, he seemed completely oblivious to everything, which made me a little annoyed.

Willow Knot Lamp unscrewed the cap of the strawberry milk carton and said, "So what are you going to do tonight?"

"Of course we're going to practice. Do you want to come along?" Miyamune asked.

"Row."

"You agreed so quickly."

"I just happened to have nothing to do."

"Just say you want to spy on me." Miyamine Nozomi smiled.

Willow Knot Lamp tightened his lips: "Tch, back to class."

The two returned to the classroom together. Liu Mujie glanced at Shiraishi Tong but didn't say anything more.

◇

After school in the afternoon, Hayami Tenma Sei wandered around the brass band club for a while, pretending to be casual.

Unsurprisingly, almost all the members who saw her greeted her, but nothing came of it.

After all, they are more concerned about whether the instructors can provide advice on the wind instrument section.

But it's clear that in their hearts, Tenma Hayami is not good enough.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't sad. Coming into a large group and finding that no one needed me made me feel awkward about leaving or staying, and I felt particularly upset.

Hayami Tenma sighed and subconsciously wanted to go find Miyamine Nozomi.

As I passed the flute section, I noticed several girls standing by the window looking inside, where melodious ensemble music was playing.

Hayami Tenma stepped forward.

His voice was as smooth as satin, and his well-defined fingers moved across the silver keys with almost no noise from the keypad and volume controls.

In particular, the control of breath reserve is excellent. At the end of a twelve-beat legato phrase, the volume decreases, but the tone remains warm and smooth without any trembling or dryness.

He's really strong. No wonder this kid is so disrespectful. Talented people are always arrogant, and everyone can accept that.

and......

Hayami Tenma's eyelashes trembled slightly as he looked at Miyamine Nozomi's handsome profile and murmured something.

It really is quite beautiful...

Several girls by the window watched him with smiles.

Hayami Tenma pursed his lips, wanting to compose himself and send them away, but then realized that these people were not from the brass band at all.

"You guys, don't stay here while they're practicing."

Since she wasn't a member of the brass band, she immediately adopted the demeanor of a supervisor.

Upon seeing that it was Hayami Tenma, the four girls quickly lowered their heads and ran away.

I suddenly felt very proud.

Hayami Tenma hummed softly twice, but then immediately slumped her shoulders, because she was leaving too.

I went downstairs to the second floor and heard the sound of long notes being practiced coming from inside.

This floor does not have practice rooms for the wind instrument club; it is occupied by art clubs.

As Hayami Tenma walked further in, the sound came from a small room.

As I opened the door, a rather unpleasant smell assaulted my nostrils.

Two girls were sitting inside.

On a nearby table was the head of a statue, with dark circles drawn around its eyes and a mustache.

It stared blankly at Hayami Tenma, who was standing at the door.

The little house was pitifully small, with only one small window. Several large cardboard boxes were placed against the wall, and some open paint buckets could be vaguely seen.

This place looks more like the art club's storage room.

"Hinata-chan? Kato?"

Hayami Tenma tilted his head in confusion.

Why are you practicing here?

Kato Ai said:

"Because there aren't many good places left."

Hayami Tenma tried to open the sliding door to its maximum, but found that it could only open a little bit; the gears underneath were stuck.

"Isn't the practice room a suitable place?" She gave up.

Facing her gaze, Kato Ai gave an embarrassed smile, and, feeling extremely uncomfortable, glanced away, saying:

"I'm not very good, and if we practice together, it will disturb Amano-gumi and Amamiya-kun."

"How could that be?"

Even knowing she was a novice, Hayami Tenma Sei instinctively defended her out of professional ethics.

"Everyone here is very united and friendly; we wouldn't do that."

However, Kato Ai just smiled awkwardly:

"Hehehe... Anyway, this place is pretty good, and the sound reception is strong."

"Hmm..."

Hayami Tenma suddenly felt a pang of sympathy and looked at the two of them, saying...

"The environment here is terrible. Why didn't you tell me sooner if you wanted to find a place?"

Kohinata Hinata said:

"This is nothing that I need to talk to Director Hayami about."

"But the environment here is terrible. These are paint buckets, you know? They'll be fine for a short time, but they'll cause problems in the long run."

Hayami Tenma stepped forward, opened the cardboard box, and said...

"Besides, the ventilation in this room is poor. For safety reasons, you can't practice here. Honestly, is this how the art club is supposed to treat you?"

"No, no, they probably don't know either."

Kato Ai quickly explained,

“We came on our own, thinking we’d leave when we were kicked out.”

Hayami Tenma Sei frowned slightly.

Suddenly, she thought of something.

She knew that Kohinata Hinata had transferred from another school and played the tuba quite well, but she just kept doing chores and seemed eager to show off.

As for Kato Ai, I heard Tani Kanon say that she wanted to leave the club for technical reasons, but she changed her mind.

Hayami Tenma's breathing quickened.

This... isn't this the "League of Losers" I've always wanted?

Moreover, they are all first-year students, and they will grow up alongside them, and these people will become their "power".