My girlfriend is a bad lady

She raised the baton with her slender fingers, and the rest of the people in Shenchuan raised their instruments in unison like soldiers seeing a commander's flag.

Kumiko couldn't help but grab the hem of her skirt.

Then, the baton swings downward.

In an instant, uniform notes gushed out from the mouthpiece of the instrument without a trace of impurities.

The trumpet is powerful, the percussion is running forward, the brass plectrum is clanging, the bass drum is roaring loudly, the snare drum is like thunder, and the sound is continuous...

The sounds constantly collide with each other, and the main melody is complex and shocking.

Suddenly, the beautiful melody of the flute passed by like the night breeze, and the fierce performance was slowly subdued. Then, the euphonium came with a lingering tone like a love song.

The notes overlap and connect seamlessly.

Although the role of the euphonium is more of a foil, adding to the quality of the flute like a slow cooker, the tone is so beautiful, so transparent, and so warm.

That was the most beautiful euphonium sound Kumiko had ever heard.

She, who also played the euphonium, couldn't help but look over. There were two euphonium players in Kamikawa, but at this time there was only a girl with an indifferent expression playing.

She wasn't looking at the music score, nor at the conductor. Following her gaze, she saw Kamikawa's oboe player.

It was Watanabe, just as he thought about it, the field suddenly became quiet.

Kumiko quickly looked at the conductor, and Qingye Rin put down her hands and nodded slightly to the oboe.

"The timing of the solo is left to the performer himself!" Lina couldn't help but whisper in surprise.

Kumiko was surprised.

Reina is Kitauji's trumpet soloist, but she is strong enough to be a soloist in her first year, and the timing of her start also depends on the conductor's arrangement.

The soloist cooperates with everyone, rather than everyone cooperating with her.

The silence continued, filling the concert hall.

Gradually, the atmosphere began to become anxious, and a few audience members even began to whisper.

But when Watanabe Toru held the reed in his mouth and exhaled into the oboe, the only thing left in the world was a sad and melodious melody.

The notes seemed to extend to the ends of the earth, driving away all uneasiness and anxiety, and filling every inch of the concert hall.

Everyone's heart was beating violently, vibrating their eardrums.

As always, that sound intoxicated Kumiko, shook her soul, and resonated greatly with people.

In a trance, a bluebird hatched from the oboe.

She grew slowly, stretching her wings lazily, adjusting to her body, and then, spreading her wings, chirping and flying.

In response to her call, all the clarinets sounded together, with the golden clarinets gathering at the back, following the bluebird like a flock of birds.

but.

Just as everyone was mesmerized by the ensemble and swallowed up by the torrent of sound, the bluebird suddenly let out an arrogant cry.

The cry broke through the air, disrupting the coordination of the ensemble and forcibly piercing their eardrums regardless of whether everyone wanted it or not.

The audience, the judges, Kitauji in the backstage, and everyone watching the live broadcast on TV were all stunned at the scene on the stage:

The clarinet and the golden flute were all abandoned by the bluebird. She danced alone, flying higher and higher, and the light began to shine, and the colors gradually became colorful.

As she hovered in the concert hall and everyone bathed in her radiance, everything, everything, was convinced.

Kumiko felt like her brain was about to melt.

……

"Please ask representatives from each school to line up on the stage."

Before I could react, the award ceremony had already begun. The sound of the oboe is still lingering on everyone’s eardrum.

A whole row of golden trophies, shining brightly under the stage lights, further aroused everyone's desire.

"Number one, representative of Beilu, Yiyan Commercial High School, bronze medal."

A disappointed sigh came from somewhere in the corner, but no one cared about them.

"Number 4, Kanto representative, Tokyo Metropolitan Komazawa High School, gold medal!"

"Ah——" Amid the boy's roar, there was a girl's sharp voice and cry of joy.

The schools that were still waiting for the results looked livid. Gold awards only accounted for 30%, and with one more school, their chances would be even smaller.

"Number 5, Kyushu representative, Qingliang Girls' High School, gold medal!"

Two gold medals in a row.

The girls at Qingliang Girls' High School were running and jumping, their legs were exposed under their skirts, and they were hugging each other. This was a scene that usually attracted people's attention, but now no one cared.

"Number 6, Kanto representative, Tokyo Metropolitan Katakura High School, gold medal!"

Thunderous cheers.

The sound waves hit the heads of all the remaining school students hard.

Three golds in a row.

Even though they knew that this was beyond human control and that the next one would not be a silver or bronze just because the gold medals were close together, No. 7 already had despair on his face, and some female members could not help sobbing.

The faces of everyone at Shenchuan High School also looked unhappy.

Representative from Kanto, two schools have already won gold medals. Will the last school also be awarded a gold medal?

Will there be judges who cannot stand Kanto’s dominance, or think that since Kamikawa is entering the national competition for the first time, just giving him a silver medal is enough?

"Number 7, representative of Shikoku, Shikoku University Affiliated High School, bronze medal."

The people at Shikoku University Affiliated High School covered their faces in despair, and some boys gritted their teeth as if they hated their own uselessness.

On the stage, Misaki Komatsu's hands were cold, the beating of her heart spread through her bones throughout her body, and her feet began to feel numb.

Behind her, Asu Mai pressed her lips into a straight line.

"Number 8, representative from Northeast China, Iwate Prefectural Hinode High School, Silver Medal."

Her breathing became heavier and heavier, and Komatsu Misaki watched woodenly as the representative of Hinodezawa High School accepted the trophy and certificate with satisfaction.

If Kamikawa only got the silver medal, she would never forgive herself.

Kamikawa is a school where graduates who didn’t get into Imperial University would feel embarrassed to attend the reunion. We will never allow ourselves to lose to other schools after giving our all!

"Number nine, Kanto representative, Tokyo Metropolitan Kamikawa High School..."

Everyone in Shenchuan couldn't help but hold their breath.

The girl clasped her hands together and closed her eyes to pray, while the boy didn't blink, clenched his fists, and stared at the emcee who announced the result.

In the silent meeting room, the emcee's stern voice rang out:

“Gold Prize!”

"what--"

"Gold medal! Gold medal! Gold medal!"

“Senior——!!!” The junior girl suddenly threw herself into the arms of the senior girl in the same singing department.

"Don't cry, we won the gold medal! Don't cry...ah!" While comforting her, the senior student couldn't help but burst into tears loudly.

The moment she heard the result, Komatsu Misaki felt like she was going to collapse.

The sound faded away, the scenery remained still, and that short second was stretched hundreds of times in length.Off the stage, the screams of everyone embracing each other were as far away as something in a dream.

Great, really great.

"Misaki." Asuka Mai called softly.

"Yeah." Komatsu Misaki tried hard to hold back her tears, walked forward with Asuka Mai with her head held high, and received the trophy and certificate.

The host's steady voice continued to come through the microphone.

"Number 10, Kansai representative, Kyoto Prefectural Kitauji High School, bronze medal."

……

“I always feel like taking photos is not enough!”

"Senior, what on earth do you want to do? This is so troublesome. We just want to have a good meal!"

"You didn't have this attitude when you cried in my arms just now!"

"You're so long-winded! You're almost turning into an old woman!"

"Alright, alright, Ichinose, what else do you want to do?"

"Hmm...ah, I got it. Let's shoot a video and sing the school song! Save it in the brass band!"

"Hey - the square is full of people, it's too embarrassing to sing the school song!"

"That's right! No, no!"

“1, 2, 3, sing!”

"Wait, wait, I'm not ready yet! What was the first sentence?!"

……

"The Yotsuya hills, the school building that the crows passed by, our alma mater, Kamikawa!"

People passing by stopped to watch this group of young boys and girls, their cheerful singing lingering in the autumn evening of Nagoya.

Chapter 151 Return to Tokyo

"Students from Kitauji, please gather over here!"

The Minister and the Vice Minister stood in front of the Kitauji members as usual.

The two held the trophies and certificates they had just received, comforted the disappointed people, reviewed their hard work, and gave instructions for the next generation of brass band leaders...

Kumiko really didn't want to listen any more. If this continued, the tears she was trying hard to hold back would soon fall.

She turned her head and looked at the classmates who had worked so hard together: the third-year senior had a tearful face, Reina, who had just cried loudly, had adjusted her mood, and the lively Luhui was dejected...

"…We have tried our best, but others are better. In the end…"

She finally tried to listen carefully for a while, but when the word "finally" came out of the third-year senior's lips, Kumiko turned her face away again.

I always feel indescribably uncomfortable.

Is this the end? Will I never be able to work hard with my seniors again? Can time go back to summer? I will definitely work hard.

No, we can't let this emotion continue to spread like this.

Kumiko took a deep breath to suppress the burning sensation rising in her throat, and the world in her eyes was already a little blurry.

Blinking hard to squeeze out the troublesome tears, Kumiko suddenly noticed that Watanabe Toru was standing quietly beside her, as if waiting for her.

"...Everyone please move to the bus. Mr. Taki will tell everyone the judges' evaluations on the bus. After returning, the first and second grades must practice accordingly."

After the third-year senior finished speaking the last order from the minister, Kumiko quickly walked up to her and said, "Senior, I have a friend. Let's talk and get back to the car right away."

"It's okay, go ahead." The senior student replied in a lackluster voice.

Kumiko nodded and walked quickly towards Watanabe Toru, afraid that if she said one more word to her senior, tears would fall.

"are you looking for me?"

"Wait a moment." Toru Watanabe flipped through the pages of the notebook in his hand.

Kumiko checked and saw that there were only a few pages left, so she waited patiently for him.

The spectators passing by and students from other schools all looked at this place with amazement.

Kumiko took a step back slightly.

When she stood next to Toru Watanabe, who could play the oboe with such a beautiful tone, she couldn't help feeling jealous and ashamed.

She recalled the scene she had just seen in the concert hall, where judges from various famous music schools were vying to get Watanabe Toru to their schools.

"Okay, sorry." Watanabe Toru closed his notebook and looked at the absent-minded girl in front of him, "How do you feel?"

"I'm not willing to accept this." Kumiko complained angrily, "It sounds nice to say that we are the same kind of people, but in the end you won the gold medal and I won the bronze medal."

"Hahaha."