I play wind instruments in Kansai.

The beginning was much better; the long, drawn-out notes were like bubbles rising from the deep sea, round and slow, only gently bursting when they reached the surface.

But when she reached F-sharp in the third measure, her breath became shallow, and the sixteenth notes that should have flowed smoothly were played like tiny, shuffling steps.

"Okay, thank you."

Before the solo segment was finished, Daidouji Seiko abruptly stopped him, her expression calm.

"Hmm..."

Erika Toda's face suddenly flushed red, her fingers gripping the flute tightly, her gaze shifting back and forth between their faces.

She understood to some extent that it was because she wasn't playing well that Daidouji-senpai stopped her, not because she was playing too well.

A gentle smile appeared on Tani Hanane's face as she spoke to Toda Erika:

"Thank you for your hard work, Toda-kun. You can go now. Don't worry, you'll definitely get into the A-level cohort."

After watching her finish speaking in a gentle tone, Erika Toda simply nodded silently, but the feeling of being abruptly stopped made her feel uneasy.

"Then let Shiraishi-kun come in?" Hayami Tenma said.

"Ah, okay, I'll take my leave now."

Erika Toda glanced at Nozomi Miyamine subconsciously and found him resting his elbows on the table, waving at her.

What... not saying a single word...?

However, we can't expect him to say anything meaningful, since we are essentially competitors now.

Holding a flute in her left hand and composing music in her right, Erika Toda quickly opened the door and went out. As soon as Hitomi Shiraishi saw her come out, she stood up.

Looking at that doll-like, exquisite face and the two musical instruments in her hands, Erika Toda couldn't help but feel nervous.

She was sitting here just now, so she should have been able to hear the sound of the solo being interrupted inside.

A feeling of shame suddenly welled up in Erika Toda's cheeks, making her somewhat embarrassed to meet Hitomi Shiraishi's gaze.

"It's your turn."

"Ah."

Hitomi Shiraishi didn't say much, took off her shoes and went into the first music classroom.

The sliding door behind her closed, and Erika Toda gripped her flute tightly. Should she stay here and wait for her to come out, or leave now?

As the group leader, and with Shiraishi Hitomi as her junior, it was only natural for her to wait for her to come out and congratulate her.

but.......

Erika Toda pursed her lower lip and happened to run into Chiyo Akamatsu, who was playing with other girls ahead. After a slight hesitation, she decided to walk over.

"By the way, who's doing the trumpet solo this time?"

"Undoubtedly, it's Senior Daidouji. Is there really any doubt about that?"

"But Kirishima is also very strong. I can hear her in the morning. I feel like she's not much different from Daidouji."

"Judging from the grade, it must be Daidouji-senpai."

"What? We agreed to judge based on ability, but it turns out we're still judging based on class."

"In football, even when everything else is equal, we still look at the world rankings, right?"

"Daidouji-senpai is not that kind of senior."

Amidst the whispers and murmurs, the sound of a piccolo drifted from behind me; her high notes were as beautiful and melodious as ever.

◇

The auditions were proceeding smoothly, and by the time the auditions for the woodwind section were finished, it was already past five o'clock.

Next up is the selection for the brass section.

"The first part is the trumpet."

Gu Huayin looked at the schedule, leaned forward slightly, and pressed her soft breasts against the edge of the table as she spoke.

"Junior Gongling, thank you for your help. Akamatsu has already gone back."

"Row."

Gong Lingwang nodded, got up and left the first music classroom.

Shida Nana glanced at the door that had been closed again and said:

"What if Junior Gongling wants Liu Mu to go to the First Whirlwind? Would you agree?"

A troubled smile appeared on Gu Huayin's face:

"Honestly, you always leave the decision-making power to us. Nana, don't you care at all?"

Nana Shida shook her head; her face only showed a fascinating expression when she saw stickers on shop windows.

"No, I just thought anyone could do it, I didn't think that much about it."

Tani Hanane raised her hand to smooth her hair, her smile appearing extremely awkward and artificial:

"What about the Holy Son? What do you say?"

Daidouji Seiko was already seated in the audition seat, her gold-lacquered trumpet resting on her ample lap, gleaming brightly under the cool white indoor lights.

"This is a matter for the trumpet section, and I'm involved in it, so it can only be decided by Director Hayami."

She spoke with an extremely fair demeanor, and Hayami Tenma felt as if they had suddenly handed over all the choices to him, putting him under immense pressure.

Choosing Daidouji Seiko is fine, but if we don't choose her, people might think we're settling a personal score.

Hayami Tenma felt caught in a dilemma. What if Kirishima Ruka performed even better? What should he do then?

correct.

Since it's not easy to choose, why not give the choice to Miyamine Nozomi?

Seeing his usual self-satisfied demeanor, Hayami Tenma Sei was curious to see who he would choose.

Meanwhile, Miyamine Nozomi had arrived at the trumpet practice room, where everyone was tuning their instruments.

Just by standing at the door, he could sense that the atmosphere here was distinctly different from the other sections, as tense as a string that could snap at any moment.

He raised his hand and gently knocked on the door, saying:

"It's your turn."

Kirishima Ruka and Yanagi Yutō are also among them.

The former, holding the trumpet, got up and simply nodded as he passed by Gong Lingwang.

Gongling Wangye nodded in return.

"It feels like we're going to fight each other to the death," Liu Mujie Deng said, standing beside him.

Gong Lingwang smiled; her trumpet bore a clear fingertip mark.

"It's not that serious. Regardless of whether I'm elected or not, I think we'll wish each other well."

Willow Wood Lamp, however, showed no appreciation whatsoever and let out a light snort:

"You make it sound so easy, with only two flute sections."

"But don't worry, I have the right to make suggestions this time," Gong Lingwang said calmly. "Even if they can't make a decision, they will listen to my opinions appropriately."

"Oh, you mean even if I play terribly, I still have a chance to become the trumpet master?" Willow Wood Lamp said.

"That depends on whether you're willing or not."

Gongling Wang suppressed his smile and said the words very calmly.

Willow Wood Lamp felt his palms sweating slightly; even though he hadn't said everything, the meaning he conveyed was already very clear—

He is not a very fair person; if I bring it up myself, he will definitely side with me.

As expected, Gongling Wang was still on his side; he didn't belong to any other place. This filled Liu Mujie with heartfelt joy.

Even after arriving at the door of the first music classroom, Yuki Tatsumi didn't say a word, and Miyamine Nozomi understood her feelings from this.

"Wait for me to call," Gong Lingwang said, and then walked into the music classroom by himself.

"Come on, me!"

A girl raised her hands and patted her cheeks, but because the system was testing the sound, she dared not make too much noise.

Kirishima Ruka stood to the side, holding her trumpet, and glanced at Yanagi Yukito.

Her beautiful face was filled with determination, and she never admitted defeat.

For most trumpet players, entering the A section is a must, and the most important thing is whether they can play solo, or at least enter the first part.

At the same time, Kirishima Ruka discovers a truth.

It seems that the willow knot lamp is not very popular among the members of the section.

This welcome was not out of dislike, but rather a reluctance to have much contact with her in daily life, aside from playing together.

She could understand this to some extent, entirely because of Miyamori Nozomi.

These two are already an open couple, and yet Miyamine Nozomi is still getting so close to Daidouji-senpai, and even went so far as to eavesdrop inside today. It's hard not to suspect that Yanagi Yuuto might be profiting from this.

She must have been under immense pressure.

Kirishima Ruka clenched her small hands, wanting to go forward and talk to Yanagi Yuuka, but the last vestiges of her pride prevented her from taking that step.

"Hmph, as expected of the trumpet section, I can already see the tension filling the air."

At this moment, Sumire Amamiya, who had finished her sound check, rested her chin on her hand and looked very seriously at the trumpet section at the entrance of the music classroom.

What are you saying?

However, the first person to answer her was Yuuki Yanagi, which greatly puzzled Kirishima Ruka.

Sumire Amamiya leaned forward, swaying her body shyly, her skirt bobbing from side to side with her movements:

"Hasn't Senior Liu Mu read any manga? Whenever the tension is high, the author makes the drawing tense and draws lines to depict the tense scene."

“I don’t read comics,” said Yuki Tsubaki.

"What about shoujo manga?" Sumire Amamiya asked.

"dont see."

"No wonder he's so slow in some ways."

"what?"

In Yuuto's heart, she didn't dislike Sumire Amamiya very much; rather, she was able to know about Nozomi Miyamine thanks to her.

"No."

Sumire Amamiya smiled, and her pearly white teeth were faintly visible through her cherry-colored lips, adding to her youthful charm.

"Oh, Kirishima-san, good luck too~!"

Kirishima Ruka paused for a moment. She had vaguely sensed from the time they met at the washbasin that she wasn't very good at dealing with this kind of girl.

"Hmm, how did the oboe selection go?"

"It's alright," Sumire Amamiya said, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers. "It doesn't feel very challenging, and it's a bit boring."

Her tone was extremely flat, and Kirishima Ruka could even sense a hint of disdain from Amamiya Sumire towards Kato Ai, but perhaps she had misunderstood.

"Speaking of which, is there any possibility of replacements for the A-level staff?" Sumire Amamiya suddenly asked.

Kirishima Ruka asked:

"A substitute? Why?"

"What if someone doesn't play?"

Sumire Amamiya, with her signature innocent expression, tilted her head and said...

"Speaking of which, I once went to watch an elementary school ensemble competition. I forgot what the group was, but someone didn't get to perform, and there was no substitute. It was a terrible situation."

This statement is entirely about her.

Kirishima Ruka remained silent, her long eyelashes shimmering with an unpredictable light within her eyes.

But seeing Sumire Amamiya's delicate and adorable appearance, it was hard to suspect that she had any bad intentions.

She may not have said those things intentionally.