I play wind instruments in Kansai.

As soon as Kirishima Ruka finished speaking, Yanagi Yuuta's gaze swept over her with extreme ferocity, the meaning of which was self-evident—

"Is what she said true or false?"

“Um… I don’t think I ever agreed to that?” Miyamune said.

Kirishima Ruka shook her head; the fleeting panic she had felt earlier had vanished without a trace.

"No, you promised me. I said I would tell you a secret if you promised me."

"But you said that yourself, didn't you?"

"Then why are you sitting next to me listening to me? So, Gong Ling is also a complete scumbag? Skilled at toying with girls' feelings?"

"..."

Gongling looked on, speechless.

Looking out from the window here, one can see the lush greenery of the courtyard. A gentle breeze blows, and the flowers and plants planted by the horticulture department seem to be laughing at him as they bend over.

“It seems so,” he said to the willow wood lamp.

"You—! You're utterly useless!"

She got so angry that she clenched her little fists as if to hit him, but in the end she had to give up and instead picked up her indoor shoes and stomped her feet.

"But I didn't do what Hayami did, and I won't do that kind of thing again."

Kirishima Ruka explained,

"Maybe it's just that the pressure on supervisor Hayami is too great and she's unhappy, or maybe Miyamine gave her the courage to speak up."

Gong Lingwang pointed to himself.

"Uh...me?"

"Yes, if you hadn't spoken up and had remained silent, Director Hayami might not have had the courage to tell the truth. After all, having support and having no one to speak up are two different things."

"......"

Kirishima Ruka's words make a lot of sense. Miyamine Nozomi was only thinking about not embarrassing Hayami too much, so she said a few words to save face.

At this time, Gong Lingwang felt that his cultivation was still shallow and he thought very little.

"You promise me you didn't do it?" Willow Wood Lamp still seemed a little skeptical.

"No, you won't change your mind just because I made a promise, it's pointless."

Kirishima Ruka pursed her lower lip and said in a low voice,

"Lunch break is over, goodbye."

She walked away quickly, disappearing from their sight without looking back.

"Gong Ling, what do you mean?" Liu Mujie glared at him, one eye bigger than the other.

"Do you expect me to just stand by and watch you two fight?" Miyamine said seriously. "Although I'd love to see it, Kirishima definitely can't beat you."

Willowwood Lamp was panting heavily with anger, her full breasts heaving beautifully.

"Ha, if she can beat me, you'll let us fight, right?"

"Correct."

Gong Lingwang nodded and smiled at her.

"That way I can carry you home while you're crying, and secretly save a few photos to laugh about at night."

Liu Mujie was stunned for a moment, her face, already flushed with anger, turned even redder, and she raised her leg to kick him:

"Nonsense! I would never cry!"

Gong Lingwang reacted quickly, raising his hand to grab her leg, which was covered by black stockings, his knuckles sinking deep into the fibers of the stockings.

It felt warm to the touch through a piece of fabric.

That's because you haven't encountered anything that can make you cry.

"Except for family!"

Liu Mujie tried to break free, but Gongling Wang took a step forward while holding her leg.

She had no choice but to back away with her other foot. The heel of her shoe tapped on the floor, and after two or three steps, she bumped into the wall with a dull "thud".

The girl's skirt was rolled up to her upper thighs, revealing a large expanse of fair and soft skin, where the muscles were taut and stretched into long lines due to the exertion.

Willow Wood Lamp's heart pounded wildly in her chest; she could feel his fingers digging into her calf, his thumb stroking her gently.

"I knew you were a pervert, a scoundrel. What do you want? To have sex with me here?"

Gong Lingwang shook his head, his eyes like those of a teacher patiently instructing a slow-witted student:

"A story only truly ends when someone is lost, but everyone's life goes on. You have to live in a world with her in it day after day, no matter how unwilling you are. Time will always move forward, and as long as you are alive, things will keep changing."

He wanted to reconcile the group.

Things didn't go in the ambiguous direction that Liu Mujie had imagined. She only felt her blood vessels dilating and her whole body burning with heat.

"You're crazy! If you want to teach someone a lesson, just say it properly! Why are you putting me in this position?!"

"Kirishima lost her family, but life is not just about lamentation. She must find something she can dedicate her life to."

"What is it? Playing music?" Liu Mujie asked, his face flushed.

"Correct."

"Ha, and what about you? Are you going to dedicate your whole life to her?"

"Not now."

"You've always been like this, putting on an 'I'm such a nice guy' act!"

Liu Mujie Deng, with an unknown source of strength, who had been unable to move under her control, now easily pushed Gong Lingwang away.

She quickly straightened her disheveled skirt, repeatedly combed her bangs, and hurried away.

27.B Flute

After school in the afternoon, in preparation for the parade at the Child-Friendly Festival, the brass band's outdoor practice gradually came to the fore.

"Where's Yanagi-san? Why didn't you go with her?" Mizuno Souji asked on the way to the brass band club.

She seemed to be angry, but Miyamune had no intention of telling him that.

"What were you doing during the march?"

Mizuno Soji, carrying his instrument case, said:

"Of course, we'll play the trombone. Senior Ryūno said that the department doesn't have many instruments specifically for marching, so the trombone is fine. The percussion is the most lacking, and Senior Anwa doesn't have any either."

"You can't exactly go up there with a timpani or something."

"Senior Anwa is the flag bearer. I heard she volunteered to be the flag bearer last year." Mizuno Soji's words were full of admiration for Senior Anwa.

Gong Lingwang vaguely felt that he had a crush on this senior, but that was normal, as many boys in the school liked Anhe.

After all, where can you find a girl who is beautiful, loves to dress up, has long, straight black hair, likes playing games, has a great figure, and is also understanding?

Upon arriving at the club building, the corridors were filled with club members.

After parting ways with Miyamine Nozomi, Mizuno Souji headed to the flute practice room.

Luckily, neither of the two upperclassmen showed up; only Erika Toda and the new member Hitomi Shiraishi were there.

Her knees, beneath her skirt, almost bumped against the black music stand in front of her, and the flute in her hand was noticeably shorter than Eri Toda's.

He was holding a piccolo, the paint on which was worn, and it looked like an old stock from the department.

"Junior Gongling, you've arrived."

Erika Toda said with a smile,

"Let me introduce you. This is Miyamine Nozomi, a junior in the same year. He plays the flute, and his skills are reliable!"

The next sentence was clearly addressed to Hitomi Shiraishi.

“She knows that we are classmates,” Gong Lingwang said.

Shiraishi Hitomi looked up at him, remaining silent as usual, her thoughts unfathomable.

However, Erika Toda was unaware of this and thought the new junior was just shy, so she smiled and said:

"Don't worry, everyone in the brass band is very friendly! Feel free to talk to them!"

Gong Lingwang sat in the steel pipe chair against the wall and said:

"But it's better to maintain a certain level of vigilance. People within the department have different ideas, and clashes are inevitable."

"Don't say that..." Erika Toda pouted slightly and said, "Everyone is doing very well."

"Everyone's here?"

The noise from the doorway interrupted their conversation.

Hasebe appeared in the practice room. He had clearly dressed up nicely; his white shirt was ironed, and his hair looked much smoother.

Even Okamoto, the senior student next to him, was starting to look somewhat like a human.

The turning point came when a beautiful girl joined the team.

"Junior Brother Gongling, have you taken to heart what I told you before?"

Hasebe Souta's gaze swept over Shiraishi Hitomi beside him, and he gave Miyamine Nozomi a slight smile.

He had previously mentioned wanting to test things out, and now with a new member added, it's highly likely he'll be using Miyamine Nozomi as a guinea pig to showcase his unique understanding of the flute.

"Now?" Miyamine asked.

"Of course, it's almost time to go off the field. It's not certain whether you'll be on the field or just playing with colored balls."

Souta Hasebe extended his hand to Erika Toda and said...

"Give me the sheet music."

"Which one?" Erika Toda asked.

"Of course it's the sheet music we sent before, or which one else?"

"But I've only been practicing for a few days..."

Erika Toda muttered to herself.

"I think it would be better to use something like a flute etude..."

Sōta Hasebe said somewhat impatiently:

"Give it to me right now."

"Hmm, oh—"

Erika Toda pursed her lips somewhat timidly and handed over the sheet music.

Hitomi Shiraishi looked up at them, her gaze as intense as the spreading night, before turning to the sheet music to prepare.

Miyamine Nozomi assembled the instruments, and the flute part in "The Swordsman's Entrance" was not difficult.

"Hmm... let me see where to start."

Souta Hasebe muttered to himself as he flipped through the tracks, then glanced at Hitomi Shiraishi and deliberately raised his voice.

"These don't seem too difficult."

"Here it is," said Okamoto, standing beside him and pointing to the sheet music, "This section after 126..."

Hasebe Souta nodded, saying with great approval:

"Gongling, 126, begin."

Erika Toda held a breath in her mouth and looked at Nozomi Miyamine.

She wasn't worried at all. This junior's flute skills were excellent, even better than hers. No wonder he came from a top school.

Miyamine Nozomi flipped through the sheet music, picked up her flute, and with just a glance, she saw that senior Okamoto was recording a video on his phone.

I took a deep breath, and the cool, silver mouthpiece touched my upper and lower lips.

The first few descending long notes deliberately slow down and widen the airflow.