I play wind instruments in Kansai.

"Ask him after you get a boyfriend."

Seeing that he really didn't care about her at all, Kato Ai was a little incredulous. She didn't want to keep Miyamine Nozomi, she just thought he was very strange.

Not long ago, she was pestering me to practice, but after just a few days, she stopped paying attention to me.

I'm a little angry, but there's nothing I can do about it.

Gongling Wang took a few steps, and with the intention of persuading people to do good, said:

"But you'd better practice more. It won't hurt you. You're the only oboe player in the club. If you don't play well, how can you expect to compete?"

Kato Ai repeatedly picked at the insole with her toes and said:

"Okay, don't pressure me."

"Shiraishi-kun is also a beginner in piccolo, but he is progressing very quickly. You heard it when you were practicing marching earlier."

"I heard she used to play the tuba, how can I compare?"

"These two instruments are very different—"

Miyamine Nozomi originally intended to explain the differences between the two instruments to her, indirectly proving Shiraishi Hitomi's unparalleled talent in musical instruments.

Seeing that Kato Ai looked uninterested, he didn't bother to say anything more.

She might only take it seriously when the list of Editor A comes out and Kato Ai's name is not on it.

People won't move forward unless they get stabbed.

"Have fun! Also, your skirt looks beautiful when rolled up; you're very eye-catching."

After saying that, Miyamine Nozomi turned and walked into the club building.

"..."

Kato Ai, however, felt no joy whatsoever. She lowered her rolled-up skirt, not for any other reason than that she felt it would look better to show her thighs, since she was standing in the first position.

But after hearing what Miyamune said, she no longer wanted to roll up her skirt.

◇

Miyamine Nozomi returned to the flute practice room, and then the sounds from the corridor came through the walls, muffled, like a handful of popping candy being thrown into a glass jar.

The laughter of the girls echoed through the corridor, bouncing off the ceiling and shattering into pieces before finally finding its way into Miyamune Nozomi's ears through the cracks in the doors and windows.

I couldn't hear what they were saying at all, but their laughter was very clear, with the nonsensical laughter typical of adolescence.

"Really?!"

"Then she said..."

"No, no, absolutely not!"

Every sentence was incoherent, and then someone suddenly lowered their voice halfway through, while everyone else collectively raised their voices in response.

The descending key here is much more uniform than in an ensemble performance.

The girls noisily entered the same practice room, where they would take off their tops and skirts, revealing their inner layers, and change into their usual Haruki uniforms.

Miyamine Nozomi was about to go out to find Yanagi Yuto to go home together when another person entered the practice room.

It was Hitomi Shiraishi, who had already changed into Osamu's uniform.

As if surprised that he was there, Shiraishi Hitomi's tightly closed lips parted slightly, but he didn't say anything. He simply placed her on the backpack strap.

Gong Lingwang naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity. Shiraishi Tong was one of his current major holdings. How could he manipulate her portfolio if he didn't know her a little better?

"If Shiraishi-kun or Liu Mu-kun said anything offensive to you, I have taken the liberty of apologizing to you."

Hitomi Shiraishi slowly raised her eyelids, her dark pupils looking extremely lazy, as if she didn't want to move at all.

"It's my fault, Yuito did nothing wrong."

She picked up her bag with both hands and asked proactively.

"Is there something wrong with the flute?"

The girl's lips parted, but her voice seemed to come from somewhere else.

The dim yellow light gradually crept up her cheeks, and in this light and shadow, Gong Lingwang could even see the fine downy hairs on her face.

“No problem, it works very well. If it’s suitable, I will choose to buy it,” said Gong Lingwang.

"Ah."

As she was about to leave, Gongling Wang spoke again:

"You don't seem to like walking. Do you want me to help you negotiate? I have a pretty good relationship with Daidouji-senpai."

Hitomi Shiraishi stopped in her tracks. Her knees were completely covered by her schoolbag, with only a small section of her fair calves showing.

She seemed hesitant, as if engaged in an internal struggle, but ultimately shook her head, her hair swaying slightly with the movement.

"No need, it's too late."

"You seem to talk very little, why? Don't you have confidence in yourself?" Miyamine looked at her and said, "Kirishima put you in the piccolo section, doesn't that mean you have a lot of talent?"

"......"

Hitomi Shiraishi remained silent, the shadows cast by her bangs reflected in her pupils, revealing her melancholy.

Gongling Wang understood.

This quiet girl has a mental illness.

Many people suffer from mental illness, but it rarely manifests outwardly. Therefore, saying things like "You look fine" is not a wise thing to do.

She gripped the shoulder straps of her schoolbag with both hands without speaking. Gong Lingwang suddenly remembered a text he had read before: she was like a summer firework about to fade away, or a single child's boot left behind in a sand pile in the park.

"You don't like playing the piccolo?" Miyamine Nozomi said with a gentle smile. "You can rest assured and tell me; I won't tell anyone."

"Well......"

With her long, slender eyelashes slightly lowered, Shiraishi Hitomi spoke in a soft, sweet voice:

Why are you telling me all this?

Her words really surprised Gong Lingwang. It seems she takes motives very seriously, which is good. At least she's not stupid.

Gongling Wang said with a smile:

There's a saying that goes, "Give a rose to someone and your hand will retain its fragrance." Things you think you're giving unilaterally will eventually come back to you. In a sense, helping you is also helping yourself.

In reality, the number of times this statement actually came true was pitifully small. Gongling Wang also reflected in his heart on whether he should have said it at all, as it seemed to have the air of preaching a great principle.

He never imagined that one day he would be discussing these profound truths with people, truths that would likely never be rewarded.

I thought Hitomi Shiraishi would show disgust, but her face was full of a bewildered expression, like that of a puppy named Laika riding into space on Sputnik 2.

In any case, Miyamine Nozomi also believed that Laika died from poison in space, not from pain.

“Ruka is very important to me, so I will try my best not to hold anyone back when I play the piccolo,” said Hitomi Shiraishi.

Gongling Wang hesitated for a moment before saying:

"But wasn't it Kirishima who left you behind back then?"

"no."

To explain for Kirishima Ruka, Shiraishi Hitomi answered quickly, her skirt-skirted legs moving, the sound of her shoes scraping against the floor audible.

"Liuge really wanted to go on stage back then, but too many people were saying things about her—"

She suddenly stopped again, but Gong Lingwang, not being foolish, said bluntly:

"To say she's a witch who can manipulate people's hearts? To make her achieve everything she desires?"

"..."

Hitomi Shiraishi's shoulders slumped, and her hair shone faintly with a leaden gray hue in the light.

"So? Shiraishi-kun believes she has the ability?" Miyamine asked.

"I believe it, because I am a beneficiary, even now."

Shiraishi Hitomi said,

"So, I will do anything that Ryuga asks me to do."

Gongling Wangzai paused for a moment, then said in a calm and unhurried tone:

What benefits did we receive?

"Well......"

Shiraishi Hitomi frowned slightly, seemingly unwilling to speak, her fingers nervously twisting the bra strap.

"What are you doing?"

A familiar voice came from the doorway again. The two looked up and saw that it was Yuki Yuki, with Kohinata Hina following behind.

Willowwood Kite walked in with a frown. Kohikari Hina stepped into the classroom, then seemed to feel her feet were too hot and pulled back, eventually just standing at the door.

"No, it was I who initiated the conversation with Shiraishi-kun," Miyamine Nozomi quickly replied.

"I'm talking to you. What are you and Xiaotong talking about?"

I thought that Yukito would come in and get angry at Shiraishi Hitomi, but unexpectedly she went straight to Miyamine Nozomi and said...

"No matter what, she won't tell you the truth. There's hardly any consistency between what she thinks and what she says. Her mind is only on Kirishima."

On the surface, she was venting her anger at Miyamune Nozomi, but in reality, she was just saying things that Shiraishi Hitomi didn't mean. There was no need to talk to her anymore.

As if her words had hit the nail on the head, Shiraishi Hitomi avoided her gaze, biting her lower lip as she said:

"No, why are you saying such hurtful things again...?"

Willowwood Lamp glanced at her, crossed his arms, and whispered:

"Then why did you stay in the brass band?"

Shiraishi Hitomi opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. The muffled conversations of the club members in the corridor sounded dull to her ears.

The words that came out of Liu Mujiedeng's mouth were clear and forceful:

"Xiaotong, you shouldn't stay here. You only want to make Kirishima happy. When she leaves one day, you will leave with her and abandon me."

"Will not."

Shiraishi Hitomi spoke quickly, perhaps because she rarely spoke so fast; she seemed almost out of breath.

“I went on stage with you back then because Yukito is also my friend.”

"......snort."

She was telling the truth, but Liu Mujie narrowed her eyes, as if unwilling to say anything more, and turned around to say "Let's go".

Upon reaching the door, he noticed that Miyamine Nozomi hadn't followed him out yet, so he turned around and said:

"Gong Ling, are you leaving or not?"

See you tomorrow, Shiraishi-kun.

Liu Mu's attitude towards her wasn't very good, but Gong Lingwang naturally wouldn't be like that. Not to mention that she was very beautiful, she was never aggressive.

It is precisely because she is so emotional that she speaks very little.

42. The lady turned the tables.

Miyamine Nozomi walked into the corridor, and Kohinata Hina met his gaze, nodding slightly as she said:

Hello.

Her expression seemed somewhat stiff.

"Hello." Miyamine Wang didn't pay much attention to that and turned to Yanagi Yuuto and said, "I think Shiraishi-kun is a nice person."

Liu Mujie's tone was not pleasant:

"Oh yeah, you've only known her for a few days and you're already making such a judgment? A handsome guy who can play the flute is really confident."

Gong Lingwang put his hands in his pockets and looked out the window. Students were walking towards the school gate in twos and threes.

"While one cannot judge a person's character based on a single incident, their words and actions often reveal deeper truths."

This made Miyamune Nozomi realize that Shiraishi Hitomi's environment was likely deteriorating irreversibly day by day.