Uneasy daily life

The dancer, dressed in a bright yellow costume with her blonde hair tied at an angle, looked focused as she walked barefoot to short, frequent rhythms, her graceful figure rising and falling with each step.

The musician pressed his flute and exhaled, long whistles echoing one after another, each whistle like a long bean pod, interspersed with rounded vibrato. The dancer seemed to glance sideways at the musician, a competitive smile playing on her lips. She swayed freely, shifting her feet, bending and lifting her head, drawing a stunning arc, like a serpent dancing to the music. A shiver ran from her waist to her shoulders, then from her shoulders to the outstretched fingertips of her left hand. As one long beat ended and another began, the shiver returned from her left fingertips to her shoulders, then from her shoulders to her right fingertips.

The dancer was completely unpretentious; every movement was natural and fluid, like a white lotus emerging from the water. The musician, seemingly moved by the dance, began to play unrestrainedly, his playing varying in length and tempo, piecing together a chaotic melody. Just as the dancer finished a long beat, she was suddenly struck by a sharp, loud short beat. Without a word, a reproachful smile appeared on her lips, and she kicked the musician's trembling shin with her bare foot.

The musician hurriedly moved aside, but clearly hadn't given up on his mischievous idea. Suddenly, his flute produced a deep, melodious, and wondrous sound, like a lover whispering in your ear, like a sweetheart gently rubbing their chin with their head in your arms, like a couple by the bedside while lovers are having an affair under the bed...

Of all the musical instruments in the world, the saxophone is the most flamboyant, while the others fall short by a mere fraction.

The dancer seemed to grind her teeth for a moment, her eyes darting around, and a fake smile of annoyance and resentment appeared on her lips.

She floated gracefully to the chair, and as the melody whispered like secret whispers, she swayed like a slender branch in the wind, leaning against the chair with her arms, her waist slender and agile like a snake, dancing and singing softly around the chair with the musician, a few strands of hair unconsciously brushing against the musician's face...

"Ah sneeze——!"

The boy sneezed loudly.

"I won!" The girl braced herself on the chair, instantly straightened up, and said triumphantly, "Isn't my snake acting more convincing than yours? This is what we'll perform at the cultural festival!"

Phew~ According to the schedule, the next step is to chat casually about how to perform at the cultural festival, while naturally lifting the chair, walking off the stage, and completing the performance...

"Then I'll have to show you my true skills."

The boy suddenly stood up and said arrogantly, "Let me show you what it means to act like a snake!"

girl:"?"

The boy lay down on the spot, holding a vertical flute in both hands, and blew a snake flute sound. His upper body twisted and turned from side to side like a snake, and his heels pressed the ground frequently and quickly, making his body move as if gliding.

Accompanied by an exotic melody, the person moved forward at an extremely fast speed, twisting and turning towards the side of the stage... crawling... backwards... walking backwards?

In short, they drifted further and further apart, and slipped away in a very elusive manner.

The girl stood there stunned for a few seconds, completely lacking the ease she displayed when dancing. She felt the audience's gazes were a bit harsh, so she quickly stepped forward to catch up with them and head off the stage together.

"Don't you want your clothes and shoes anymore?"

Shouts came from the side of the stage.

"oh oh……"

The girl quickly ran back, slipped her feet into her shoes, grabbed the clothes and skirts from the table and pulled them into her arms, then turned to run away as fast as she could.

"Also, move the tables and chairs down; someone else needs the stage."

"?#!"

The girl took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, stacked the chairs on the table, lifted the table with a whoosh, and walked step by step to the side of the stage under the gaze of the audience.

It wasn't until the girl disappeared off the stage and the host reappeared that the audience was convinced the performance was over.

Sparse applause gradually rose and quickly spread, turning into a loud cheer.

The host, who was about to speak, could only maintain an awkward but polite smile and wait for the audience to calm down.

In a corner of the gymnasium, several school teachers were discussing the matter.

"These two students gave a good performance. They were very creative, outgoing, and had solid acting skills."

The principal put down his clapping hands and asked curiously, "Which class are they in?"

"The girl is not from our school."

Where are the boys?

"The boy isn't from our school either."

"?"

Backstage.

With a dark expression, Feng Bin and Hua raised a chair, forcing the white figure to retreat continuously.

"What are you trying to do?" Bai Ying said sternly. "You have no energy for acting, but you've got plenty of energy for throwing a tantrum. Shouldn't you reflect on your behavior?"

“Exactly, exactly,” Yukino Yukinoshita chimed in. “His improvisational performance was off-key, and he forced his lines. It’s clearly a problem with Hana-chan’s level. His acting is still far from up to par. But his acting in the last scene was absolutely amazing. His awkwardness, frustration, and unease were so vividly portrayed. With some polishing, he’ll definitely have a place among the comedians in the Japanese entertainment industry…”

"Nisunai——!!"

Unfortunately, Toyohama and Hana overestimated their strength. In just one exchange, they were cut down by Yukinoshita and imprisoned between her arms.

"I never expected Kazuha-chan to be so amazing." Yukinoshita Haruno reached out and touched Kazuha Toyohama's belly with emotion. "Is that the waist that's twisting and turning on stage? It's really beautiful and feels nice to touch."

Bai Ying placed the chair down, sat down, raised her hand to support her chin, and looked as if she was observing and appreciating something, lost in thought.

Feng Bin and Hua shifted uncomfortably, annoyed, "Get up! Let go! I need to change my clothes!"

"Why are you suddenly shy?" Yukinoshita Haruno asked with interest. "You're so bold and confident on stage, how come you suddenly turn into a little hedgehog that bristles at the sight of your belly?"

"I want you to take care of it!"

With a twist of her waist, Toyohama Kazuya slipped out of Yukinoshita's arms like an eel, gave me a knowing look, and hurriedly ran into the changing room with her clothes.

Damn it! Why would someone on stage suddenly start dancing that kind of dance around that bastard?

Feng Bin and Hua changed their dance costumes under their breath, and quickly found a reason—who made that guy imitate the sound of a saxophone? To match the sound and rhythm of the saxophone, the dance would naturally appear more graceful and ethereal, rather than a hot dance with many movements to match the sound of a snake flute.

Well, it's all that bastard's fault! Who told him to mess up his improvisation during the performance? Isn't it normal for him to improvise a little dance himself?

It was a bit close then, so that guy probably didn't see his belly button clearly, right? I don't think I touched him, right? Hopefully the audience won't react too strongly!

Feng Bin and Hua became increasingly stiff as they thought about it, feeling ashamed to face anyone and wanting to escape to the end of their memories.

The clothes he was holding pressed against his face.

It let out a suppressed, mournful cry.

"My guitar is falling apart, it's all over..."

Goto Ichiri was wailing in despair, "What should I do? I've never learned to dance! Is it too late to learn now?"

"Calm down! Calm down! We're a band, not a dance troupe!"

Chapter 81 Playing the Dissent

"Okay, so awesome..."

Yui Yuigahama muttered resentfully, "Xiao Feng dances so well."

"It's alright," Hachiman Hikigaya said subtly, "but doesn't it seem a bit out of place with the atmosphere of the school festival?"

It's not too explicit or violent, but rather it's the kind of thing that's a little bit... erotic, but upon closer inspection, it seems not to be... at all?

It lies in a delicate space that is both very serious and seemingly not so serious.

"Toyohama is a long-established idol, and her more sociable stage presence doesn't really fit with a school-organized cultural festival," Yukino Yukinoshita commented objectively. "However, for students, this kind of unusual performance is very emotionally engaging..."

In short, a serious performance in a cultural festival atmosphere that is not too serious.

Yui Yuigahama exclaimed in shock, "Koyuki is going to perform this at the school festival?!"

“I’m not good at dancing, and I’m not interested in performing in weird clothes,” Yukino Yukinoshita rejected outright. “If Yuihama is interested, she can start practicing now and submit it as a performance program later.”

"I can perform the ritual dance!"

Chitanda Eru suddenly appeared, her face beaming with excitement: "Yukinoshita-san, we can perform a festival dance at the school festival, right!"

"A sacrificial dance? That should work too."

Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes flickered slightly as she said, "Isn't Chitanda-san preparing to run for executive committee chair? I'm afraid she won't have the energy to prepare a program then, right?"

"Ugh—" Chitanda Eru pondered in distress, then finally clenched her fist, "It's okay, we'll do our best together then!"

Yukino Yukinoshita casually remarked, "If you really can't spare the energy, which side are you planning to focus on, Chitanda-san? You're probably good at the ritual dances on the Jinde side, right?"

"Yeah, I learned it when I was a kid... It will definitely take some time to get back into practice."

As Chitanda Eru pondered the idea, she was indeed drawn to the option of performing her hometown dance on stage, and began to seriously consider it.

Yui Yuigahama, simply joining in the fun, asked, "Is it the kind of dance that shrine maidens perform?"

Wow, Yukinoshita, how despicable of you to use your niece to stab your uncle?

Hachiman Hikigaya remained silent, pondering whether to report the military situation to the commander—report my ass! I didn't hear a thing!

Houtarou Oreki remained silent, pondering whether to report to Shirakage that Hachiman Hikigaya had withheld information—report! I saw him pretending not to hear anything!

There was an undercurrent of tension in the audience. As the host changed the stage, new performers took to the stage.

Hi everyone, good afternoon!

With a lively and friendly tone, Yukino Yukinoshita walked onto the stage with her guitar, smiling and waving to everyone, while also winking at Yukino Yukinoshita in the audience.

"Ahem~ Good morning, everyone~"

With a weak and aged voice, the white figure walked backwards onto the stage, turning its back to the audience.

Yukinoshita Haruno glanced at him and chuckled, "What's wrong with you? Aren't you going to turn around and greet the audience?"

"You're making me very unhappy right now." The white-clad figure waved the flute in her hand, her expression extremely cold. "Once I'm unhappy..."

"So you'll get angry?"

"I'll do the opposite of what you say!" Bai Ying's tone sharpened. "No matter what you say or do today, I'm going to cause you trouble!"

"Isn't it just that I'm the main vocalist and you're just a supporting role? Who told you to sing so badly and not be the lead vocalist?" Yukino Yukinoshita sighed, "You're being a bit petty."

"I have thoroughly studied the art of vocals, how could I not understand singing? It's clear that you are jealous of my talent, afraid that I will take away your lead singer position, and deliberately suppressing me. This world is too dark."

"Oh yes, yes, it's pitch black."

Yukinoshita nodded perfunctorily, though she didn't understand what the rascal was up to, she just gave a simple reply: "If we keep dragging this out, we won't have enough time for the stage later—so please enjoy... ah, we haven't named the group yet, have we?"

Bai Ying switched to a rebellious tone: "Whatever."

"Are you the rebellious kid who's having a fight with your mom and just throws a tantrum when she asks you what you want to eat?" Yukinoshita Haruno shrugged at the audience, her smile undiminished. "Then please enjoy the performance by the 'Casual' group."

With a pluck of her slender fingertips on the guitar strings, a familiar rhythm flowed forth, instantly evoking memories for many listeners with the currently popular melody.

The advantage of pop songs is that the audience knows what lyrics the performers are singing.

"The twilight falls on the podium, blurring the teacher's face. It urges time to hurry by, so that the bell can ring in the school."

A cheerful and flowing melody plays, the clear sound of the recorder and the lively tone of the guitar complementing each other. Eyes are fixed intently on the clock, footsteps tap the classroom floor under the desk, the teacher is explaining the rules and regulations, and students are waiting for school to end. The campus is shrouded in twilight, awaiting the bell to ring.

It's always the privilege of young boys and girls to hurry up and make time pass.

Suddenly, the sound of the recorder disappeared.

Beep~ Beep↘ Beep↑~ Beep——

Piercing the soul! Soaring straight to the heavens! Heartbreaking! A powerful roar!

The clock disappeared, turning into scattered white flowers. The students, who had been eagerly waiting for time to pass, instantly dressed in mourning clothes and fell into solemn silence. The teacher on the stage stopped babbling at some point and gradually froze, losing color, solidified in the square frame, and lost its color between black and white.

Sorrowful yet silent, pained yet unable to contain anger, grief, grief, grief.

The scene is silent, with music conveying a sorrowful lament.

The guitarist on stage and the audience below fell silent for a moment, with only the mournful sound of the suona horn.

"I see……"

Among the heads that emerged from behind the curtain, Yamada Ryo thoughtfully remarked, "Playing obscure pieces will lead to awkward silences, so playing funeral music directly will make the awkward silences seem normal... Brilliant."

"What a load of rubbish!" Ichiji Nijika retorted, frowning as she asked, "Do you think... this was a performance prepared by Hinano-nee and Shirakage, or was Shirakage just improvising?"

Feng Bin and Hua Youyou said softly, "There's no such thing as a prepared performance; performance is all about improvisation."

"It sounds pretty good."

Everyone turned their heads and stared at Goto Ichiri.

Kita Ikuyo said worriedly, "Goto-kun, gloom and the underworld are not the same thing..."

Goto Ichiri quickly explained, "The tune he played wasn't different, but that recorder? Uh, the instrument's timbre changed the overall rhythm..."

“It’s a suona,” Yamada Ryo commented calmly, arms crossed. “It’s a double-reed instrument with a high-pitched, bright tone and strong projection, so it’s widely used in large gatherings like funerals and weddings. In the days before loudspeakers were common, or in situations where it was inconvenient to install them, instruments with strong penetration and high-pitched sound were often used, such as military bagpipes or orchestral ensembles…”

Kita Ikuyo praised him with sparkling eyes: "As expected of Ryo-senpai! You are so knowledgeable!"

"That's common sense."

Yamada Ryo said it casually.

"Kita, wake up! This guy is clearly just showing off!"