I play wind instruments in Kansai

"So, you've agreed to my request?" Daidouji Seiko asked.

Gongling Wang shrugged dismissively:

"Let me state this first: I can do this for Liu Mu, or to enhance my future resume, but there's no reason for me to do this for Daidouji-senpai."

His words sounded more like a naive disguise. Daidouji Seiko let out a soft hum, her neat and beautiful profile turning casually as she said:

"It doesn't matter to me who you're working for, and I won't care. Gong Ling, you just need to do your best."

[Market Update: Daidouji Seiko, up 3%]

Current price: 116

[Analysis of the unusual activity: Gongling Wang promised her something, so he is considered one of her people, a part of her, and a fellow ambitious force within the club]

What does it mean to be a part of her?

"If something happens to me because I'm giving it my all, will you choose to protect me?"

"What are you saying?" She raised her finger to smooth her sweat-dampened bangs.

Gongling Wang pretended to sigh and said:

"In your opinion, I am just a first-year student with very little say in the club. You should have realized this, which is why you handed over the position of flute leader to Toda-senpai."

Daidouji Seiko smirked without any politeness:

"Because for me, as long as I'm obedient, it doesn't matter who the team leader is; only being able to participate in the competition matters. Is power important to you as the team leader?"

"But if power isn't important, then Daidouji-senpai is nothing."

"......" Daidoji Seiko couldn't help but frown.

Perhaps sensing that she wasn't very happy, Gongling Wang naturally didn't want to make things awkward, so he immediately put on a smile and said:

"I was just kidding. I just heard there are cliques within the ministry that might make future elections unfair."

"That's not true. As long as I am the deputy minister, I will not tolerate any unfairness."

She answered with her usual indifferent expression, her gaze lingering on Gong Lingwang's shoulder, where his crisp shirt suited him quite well.

Gongling Wang had long expected her to say such a thing, but many people swear that something will never happen, but in the end, it all backfires on them.

"Did you tell Hasebe-senpai about this?"

"I will talk about it at the club meeting after the parade is over. This is not something he can decide alone. I will never allow the wind instrument club to become someone's private playground in the future."

Her words left no room for doubt, and Miyamine Nozomi really wanted to ask her if she wanted to build the brass band into the kind of organization she dreamed of.

But then I thought it might upset her, so I gave up.

"Okay, I'll follow Daidouji-senpai's arrangements."

Daidouji Seiko kept staring at him, her eyes flashing with a look that seemed to say something, but she simply sighed and turned to leave.

"Miyarei, what does Daidouji-senpai want with you?"

Kato Ai walked up from behind, having been hiding for who knows how long.

The sunlight shone down on her without reservation. She wanted to treat this as an ordinary topic, so she raised her hand to tidy her long hair, which had been ruffled by the wind, to show that she was relaxed.

The sweat stains on her neck were faintly visible; one wondered just how salty they must be.

"Remind me to talk to girls less in the brass band."

"Huh? Why?"

"have no idea."

Gong Lingwang turned to walk towards the club building. He was very tired today and wanted to go home and rest early.

"etc--"

Kato Ai strode forward, forcing a smile as she spoke, coughing slightly as her toes, encased in her shoes, involuntarily curled up.

"I'm planning to play games with Anhe-senpai tonight, what do you think?"

"Go ahead and play! Games are great! They can improve your dynamic vision and reaction speed, build a strong heart, prevent dementia, and even help maintain world peace."

"Well......"

This was far from the scene that Ai Kato had imagined.

Logically, Miyamine Nozomi should have first stopped her from going, then invited her to the evening practice session, and finally sent her home when the time was right.

The two walked in silence on the road illuminated by the warm yellow streetlights, but their minds were racing with thoughts of spring fever.

Then, at just the right moment, Miyamine Nozomi makes a heartfelt confession, and their relationship blossoms!

But now he directly says that playing games is good, and even lays out the benefits of playing games in front of her, speaking in a serious tone, as if she would be stupid if she didn't play games tonight.

How could he do this? I! No! Accept! It!

"Is that so? Then do you want to come and play?" Kato Ai's facial muscles twitched violently.

Gong Lingwang shook his head and said, "No, I want to go home."

"What's fun to do at home?"

"Boys have way more fun things to do at home than girls can imagine."

"What do you mean?"

"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 in the troupe. 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 walking 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 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 Miyamori 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 repeatedly in the corridor, hitting the ceiling and shattering into pieces before finally slipping through the cracks in the doors and windows into Miyamune Nozomi's ears.

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

"Really?!"

"And 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 the Haruki 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 manage her portfolio if he didn't know her a little better?

"Shiraishi-kun, if Yanagi-kun said anything offensive to you, I've 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 Miyamune Nozomi.

"Um."

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

"You don't seem to like walking. Should I help you talk to someone? I get along quite well 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? Do you lack confidence in yourself?" Miyamine looked at her and said, "Kirishima put you in the piccolo section, doesn't that mean you have great 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 something like, "You look fine," is not a wise approach.

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 asked with a gentle smile. "You can tell me without worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Hmm..."

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." The 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 Shiraishi Hitomi would show disgust, but her face only showed 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 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.

"Ryuka 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 whatever 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'll do anything that Ryuka asks me to do."

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

What benefits did you receive?

"Hmm..."

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 section?"

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:

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

No, it won't.

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 Jeden 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.