I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Hey kid, if you'd told me earlier that you wanted to do a piano solo, I could have rented a suit for you first."

Hiratsuka Shizuka, biting into a candy stick, looked at him with a hint of regret at his perfect figure—broad shoulders and narrow waist accentuated by his school uniform: "I always felt you were suited to wearing a suit. It's such a rare occasion; it would be a shame not to wear one."

Tenkuji Yu frowned, subtly adopting a wary posture: "I know I look better in a suit, but Hiratsuka-sensei, please don't get any ulterior motives towards your student."

Hiratsuka Shizuka raised her fist with a broad smile, her tone unusually gentle: "I'll punch you, okay?"

Tenkuji Yu shrugged, pretending that nothing had happened.

"That's too formal, and my family already has one..."

At this point, he suddenly paused, recalling the suit he had obtained at a shopping mall event, which cost nearly 100,000 yuan, through eating watermelon and kissing.

They're currently at Yukinoshita's place, not at their own home.

"...Anyway, it's just playing the piano for a few minutes, not a formal performance. Wearing a suit would just seem strange."

After giving Hiratsuka Shizuka a perfunctory reply, Tenkuji Yu did not linger.

He stepped through the darkness of the auditorium and headed backstage for the performance.

Just before leaving, he suddenly made eye contact with Yui Yuigahama.

'come on!'

Even in the darkness, her large, round eyes shone brightly, as if she were saying this to him.

Tenkuji Yu laughed and waved casually at her.

I'll be right back.

……

When the lights came back on, the emcee returned to the center of the stage.

"The drama club's performance has come to an end. Let's give them a round of applause for their wonderful performance... Oh, it seems that all the judges have already given their scores."

"I wonder if our score is higher than the previous performing group, the brass band..."

Asuna Yuuki was distracted and didn't pay any attention to what the emcee was saying.

She lifted her hips slightly from the chair and looked around the seating area for people from outside the school. Her gaze kept sweeping across the area where the second-year classes should be located in the distance, trying to find the person she was thinking of among the indistinct heads.

Beside her, Kyoko Yuuki shook her head as if she couldn't bear to watch any longer, her brows furrowing, and her tone becoming slightly stern:

"Sit down! Asuna, what kind of behavior is this? If you want to find him, can't you wait until after the performance?"

"But..." Upon meeting her mother's rather threatening gaze, Asuna Yuuki hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed in resignation and obediently sat down.

Then, with her head down and fingers twisted, she muttered and complained, "I wanted to arrive early so I could cheer him on, but it's all because of Mom..."

"You blame me?"

Kyoko Yuuki immediately raised her eyebrows, making her already harsh and cold face even more intimidating.

Yuuki Asuna, however, did not back down in the slightest. Instead, she raised her face, pouting her little mouth in dissatisfaction, and met her gaze.

"That's right! We agreed to leave on time, but you were delayed by thirty minutes because of the email. Mom was the one who broke the agreement first, wasn't she?"

"I... I'm doing this because of work..." Kyoko Yuuki stared, somewhat exasperated.

As if she had sided with justice, Asuna crossed her arms and declared confidently, "That's your reasoning; I'm just stating the result."

"In the end, Mom's situation delayed our departure time. Is that conclusion wrong?"

"..."

Holding her head, Kyoko Yuuki felt a little dizzy.

The daughter who used to always obey her arrangements and instructions without question, never uttering a word of objection even when she had a disapproving expression, and who was always so obedient and exceptionally outstanding, is now...

Not only can she talk back to her mother, but she can also leave her speechless.

Gone was the obsequious smile, gone was the forced hesitation—the daughter spoke her mind without reservation, as if she had drawn a sword against her mother and stood right in front of her.

...I see, this must be what they call the rebellious phase.

"I'm not going to say anything more to an ungrateful person like you... Next time, you can just take the bus yourself."

Kyoko Yuuki closed her eyes, her expression returning to calm.

"Of course, no problem. I know it's hard for Mom to drive, and I've always been grateful to her, but let's be objective..."

"Alright, stop talking." Kyoko Yuuki interrupted her, feeling both annoyed and amused. "Standing on the moral high ground and using self-evident justice as a weapon, it's just a way of talking that's all just sophistry... Asuna, did you learn that from that guy?"

"Uh……"

Asuna Yuuki stiffened slightly, then gracefully sat back down, smiling broadly as she looked up at the sky: "Oh dear, Mother, what are you saying? I don't understand."

"Really..." Kyoko Yuuki rubbed her temples and sighed, "To think that she's led my daughter astray like this... it seems I can't easily agree to this marriage..."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Asuna panicked and quickly grabbed her mother's shoulders, shaking her violently. "How can anyone do this?!"

"I'm just stating the result... Stop shaking me, you're shaking my body apart!"

Where no one could see, the corners of his lips, which had always been calm, serious, and stern, unconsciously softened and turned upwards.

At this point, the emcee finally finished his rambling and, while retreating backstage, loudly proclaimed:

"Next, let's welcome the wonderful performance that the club, the Service Club, is about to bring you."

"Piano Solo!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the auditorium went dark again.

On that stage bathed in light, a black grand piano and a handsome young man in a school uniform seemed to become the center of the world.

Everyone unconsciously put down what they were doing, stopped talking, and let his gaze be fixed on them, their scattered attention refocused.

Amidst the silent atmosphere of intense attention, he smiled calmly, showing no sign of stage fright.

He didn't say anything, but simply placed his right hand on his abdomen, put his left hand behind his back, and bowed at an almost vertical angle.

"—"

In that instant, it seemed as if everyone saw a black tuxedo draped over his body, glossy, elegant, and form-fitting—the battle attire of a professional pianist.

But after blinking, it reverted to its plain, unremarkable male school uniform.

No one dared to whisper; they simply held their breath involuntarily, their gazes following him as he straightened up, sat down at the piano, and finally settled on his long, slender, and fair fingers.

In the silent darkness.

Kyoko Yuuki looked at him with scrutiny, while Asuna Yuuki smiled.

Yukino Yukinoshita's expression turned serious, and Yui Yuigahama's gaze was already fixed on him.

Natsukawa Masaki was quite interested, while Isshiki Yu appeared slightly surprised.

as well as……

The girl with long, straight black hair, who had just stepped into the auditorium through the side door, was yawning lazily when her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the boy in front of the piano.

The moment the sense of déjà vu washed over her, her rosy lips froze into an "O" shape, and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Could it be... that guy..."

And in a corner of the auditorium.

The young woman with shoulder-length short hair leaned against the wall, frowning as she looked at the handsome figure of the young man on the stage, and subconsciously bit her lip hard.

"What exactly is this feeling..."

Same object, different thoughts.

On this stage where fates intertwine, Tenkuji Yuu suddenly opened his eyes and gently pressed the white key.

Thus, his performance officially began.

Chapter Ninety-Nine: A Performance Approaching Perfection

A light rain began to fall inside the auditorium.

The cheerful piano music seemed to fall from the sky, and in an instant when no one was prepared, it gently enveloped their ears.

Yukino Yukinoshita closed her eyes and found herself in a scene of continuous rain. The refreshing and moist air rushed towards her, and her body and mind felt as if they had been purified.

But when I opened my eyes, I was still greeted by the sight of hundreds of people gathered together; when I opened my palm, not a single drop of rain fell into it.

I looked up.

The person under the light swayed gently, seemingly immersed in the performance. His fingers glided smoothly and quickly across the black and white keys, as if he could play a captivating melody regardless of whether it was sunny or cloudy.

The world fell silent, all noise was swept away, and only the ethereal and clear music remained crystal clear.

It's still raining.

The rainwater spread from the stage to the corner of the auditorium, slowly seeping into the listeners' clothes and skin, and finally enveloping their hearts, gradually emptying their minds in a daze.

Many people closed their eyes, their heads swaying gently to the rhythm, and smiles unconsciously appeared on their lips; as if they were about to fall asleep, yet also as if they were reluctant to fall asleep, they wandered in the beautiful music that seemed to be the first drizzle of early spring, nurturing the growth of countless lives.

Soon, the rain intensified.

As the notes gradually rose, it eagerly pounded on the ground, as if urging the newly sprouted branches to grow quickly. Every raindrop forcefully struck the roots, stems, and leaves, resonating with everyone's heartstrings.

That kind of arrogance and domineering attitude was like a violent storm that overwhelmed the entire city.

Asuna Yuuki clenched her fists, her whole body tensing up involuntarily, trembling slightly as if she were cold—the music gave her no room to breathe, continuing forward and intensifying, like an impenetrable curtain of rain pressing down on her heart, reminding her of a familiar feeling.

But she did not choose to run away.

Even though she was soaked to the bone by the rain, Asuna stubbornly raised her head and looked at the performer on stage whose hands were flying across the keys.

Suddenly, our eyes met.

The two locked eyes, and Yuu Tenkuji's lips curled into a smile.

As if conveying some kind of emotion, his fingers danced and intertwined in the black and white world, the rapid tapping creating afterimages forming a series of musical notes, just as the rain reached its most intense moment.

His left hand suddenly rose high.

when!

The powerful voice, symbolizing a change, dispelled the heaviness in the air.

Just when everyone was struggling to bear the onslaught of the wind and rain, and their heartbeats were almost swallowed by the torrent of sound, a ray of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds.