I play wind instruments in Kansai.

"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 fluttering inside her, bobbing against her chest, and humming a song 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 flute position. 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," Miyamine 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 Yanagi Yuto.

"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 not agree. She is so gentle and maternal, she would never hurt anyone."

What does it mean to have maternal instincts?

“Then you’re all doomed.” Gong Lingwang mercilessly pronounced their death sentence. “Member quality is the lower limit, while 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 should know that, right?"

"The ability to manipulate people's minds?"

"Correct."

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."

"Eh--?"

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 that 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?" Gong Lingwang 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.”

"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 decide, 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 something."

"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,” Gong Lingwang followed.

"No~~"

"Mother."

"Shh, get in the car and don't talk! 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 competition, 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 a long time, 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, arranging 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.

15. How can you be so pretentious?

The rented musical instrument shop is located near Bisono-cho, Wakayama.

“I used to go to school here.”

As they passed by Wakayama Municipal Junior High School, Yuuki Yanagi deliberately raised her hand and pointed out that her arm, which was white and smooth, was protruding from her sleeve.

“This park is bigger than the school,” said Gong Lingwang, looking at the Meiyuan Park next door.

"The smaller the better, and there are several izakayas nearby, which makes it convenient to have gatherings with friends, and the prices are also cheap."

Passing by the cemetery of Dali Temple, we came to a three-story musical instrument shop.

It stands at a crossroads with relatively low foot traffic. The storefront is narrow, the wooden signboard is dark sandalwood, and a bell hangs on the glass door, swaying lazily in the wind.

"I've been wanting to ask you this since I came here, did you do this on purpose?"

Just as Gongling Wang was about to walk inside, Liu Mu Jie Deng couldn't help but ask.

What did I do on purpose?

Anyone would be confused if they were told something for no apparent reason.

His expression was blank, as if he had no idea what had happened. Liu Mujie licked his lower lip with his tongue, and without replying, he opened the glass door.

Gong Lingwang followed dejectedly. The glass door opened to reveal a narrow staircase, indicating that it was on the second floor.

"Tone Adjustment", "Bow Repair", "Tone Awakening", "Basic Tuning"...

The stairwell was dimly lit, with various advertisements plastered on the walls. The air was much cooler than outside, with a faint scent of rosewood oil.

Upon reaching the second floor, various musical instruments are neatly displayed. The left wall is covered with string instruments, the right wall with wind instruments, and further inside is a grand piano.

Just by standing at the entrance, you can see the entire layout of the store.

A middle-aged man stood at the counter, leisurely looking at his phone; it seemed there weren't many customers in the store.

“Uncle Baishi.” Liu Mujie stepped forward naturally.

The man she greeted looked up, forced a smile, and said:

"Oh, Miss Willow, what brings you here today? Didn't you just get some skincare done a few days ago?"

“It wasn’t me,” Liu Mujie Deng said, glancing at Gong Lingwang. “It was him.”

Gong Lingwang stepped forward: "Hello, I'm here to pick up my musical instrument."

"Musical instrument? What musical instrument?" Uncle Shiraishi asked.

Miyamine explained the rental process on the website.

Willow Wood Lamp looked at him meaningfully. Gongling Wang knew what was going on because he lied and said he bought it, but in fact he rented it.

She probably thought he was trying to show off in front of her, but she didn't expect that she knew the shop owner.

"Oh, I know." As soon as the topic of rental came up, Uncle Shiraishi immediately remembered, "Three-shot 301, right?"

“Yes.” Gong Lingwang nodded.

Uncle Shiraishi leaned forward and shouted loudly into the unknown space inside:

"Xiaotong—!"

His voice was very loud, which was completely contrary to Miyamine Nozomi's stereotype that music store staff all spoke softly.

At this moment, a slender girl walked out from inside, who looked to be about 1.55 meters tall.

Her bangs were neatly styled near her eyebrows, her skin was fair, her waist was slender, her chest was flat, and her small face was as clean as a summer sky washed by rain.

Gong Lingwang was stunned for a moment. Wasn't this girl the silent girl sitting next to him? He had hardly heard her speak except when the supervisor asked her questions.

She had only been back for a short time and was still wearing her loquat-colored uniform.

"Xiaotong," Liu Mujie greeted her calmly.

When Shiraishi Hitomi walked up to her, her expression was like a silent sea that would not ripple in the slightest.

"Welcome, Jie Deng."

Her voice was very soft.

“It wasn’t me who came; he was the one who wanted to get the musical instruments,” Liu Mujie Deng said.

“Shiraishi-kun.” Miyamine Nozomi nodded slightly.