Lonely Rock, Liang is my fiancée

Compared with the remote and low-end residential areas in the past, today's new residences are much more convenient, and even the number of elderly people wandering on the streets has greatly increased.

Of course, this isn't necessarily a good thing.

The houses in Shimokitazawa are densely distributed, and the buildings on the same street can have very different styles.

In the early morning of August, the sun lazily shines on the ivy on the whitened wall. Next to it, the neon lights of a nightclub filled with modern colors are stubbornly lit.

There are many small paths here, extending in all directions. Since these streets are not recorded on map software, it is common for tourists from other places to get lost.

Ito Rin stood next to the vending machine at the entrance of the community, threw in a coin, took out the drink she wanted, and was about to take a sip facing the early sun.

"If you want to get up so early, why do you need to ask for leave in the group?" Ichichi Hongxia appeared out of nowhere, stood in front of him with her hands behind her back, and started to give him instructions.

"There must be a reason. Is Ijichi-san interested?" Ito Rin said loudly after drinking her drink happily.

During the holidays, Hongxia's dressing style is more casual, which makes people feel comfortable.

Walking side by side on the road, Ito Rin threw the empty drink bottle into a trash can in the distance.

"Full marks!"

"If my classmates see me like this, it will have a huge impact on my image of you."

"As for my image, it only has reference value if people care about it. But people who really care about me definitely know who I am, so don't worry about it."

After that twisted logic, he began to talk about the reason why he couldn't go to training even though he got up early. The call of the wind band was like a soldier's horn, and he had to fight for his own value.

"School during the summer vacation? I heard that students who have clubs or make-up exams are forced to stay in school, but I haven't seen it yet." Ijichi Hongxia pinched her hair, with a hint of curiosity in her tone.

Even though it is a high school, there are always people who take advantage of the situation in the class, let alone the entire school, so there are people who need to retake the exam.

If it weren't for the intensive training before the exam, Liangjiang might have had to go to school to take the exam during the summer vacation.

When they reached the crossroads where they were about to part, Ito Rin invited them, "Do you want to go see Shimokitazawa, where there aren't many students?"

"I'm not really interested, and my sister is waiting for me to come home and cook for her."

"If you keep pampering her like this, the store manager won't grow up. She's already that old, how could she starve herself?"

"Instead of squeezing your sister, why not get up earlier and make breakfast and do some housework? You usually do this, right?"

In order to find an accomplice to sit on the bench with her, Ito Rin encouraged others to be very serious. After seeing the hesitation on Hongxia's expression, he said as if he had made a conclusion.

"Even if we are sisters, we can't be together forever. Let the store manager get used to a life without anyone to serve her."

……

"Ito-senpai, Ijichi-senpai, thank you so much for troubling you." The trumpeter, called Yuna, said to them apologetically.

This was the first task they received from Minister Aoyama after arriving in Shimokitazawa. They took the trumpet player Kousaka Yuna to the teaching building to pick up the lead bass section member, who was taking a make-up exam because he had failed a course.

Under such circumstances, it is impossible to participate in club activities. Do I have to go to the Kanto Competition like this?

"It's okay, Kousaka-san. We can avoid the wind band practice."

On the school wall, the birds that were looking down at Shimokitazawa High School were startled by the sudden music from the club building, causing bursts of fluttering sounds.

After Hongxia comforted her junior, everyone went to the teaching building and waited for the make-up exam to end.

"Don't you need to practice, Kousaka-san? Just leave the waiting for others to the two of us."

She shook her head, her tone now sounding extremely confident. "I'm the leader of the brass section. I can catch up quickly even if I train less for a while. And as for Kumiko... her personality is a bit eccentric. I'm worried that the seniors won't be able to communicate with her normally."

How terrible must Asakura-san be to be described like this by his friends?

He said, "If I remember correctly, people who fail the exam cannot participate in club activities. Is that okay?"

"I believe in Kumiko. Even if there are no opportunities for ensemble performances, she will practice alone at home."

"That's good."

After the polite conversation, they and their schoolmates fell into an unspeakable silence. The gap between rock music and wind music is like the gap between chess and international chess. It seems that both sides have a drum instrument, but in fact they are completely different.

But compared to the lively rock musicians, the kids in the wind band are much gentler. I really envy them.

"When does their game start?" Hong Xia said in a low voice.

"On August 20th, if you win the gold medal, you can enter the national competition."

"That's amazing, much higher than our current level."

Classmate Hongxia, before making the comparison, please be sure to understand the difference in time and staffing between the two sides. You should know that half of the members of the wind band that won the silver award last year are still in the band, and this year we have recruited many talented wind instrument players, aiming directly for the gold award.

And now that the band is over, how can you have the nerve to compare yourself with the other party?

The bell for the end of the make-up exam rang, and a girl with brown curly hair ran out of the teaching building. After saying goodbye loudly to another brown-haired girl, she said, "I hope Xiaowei can pass the make-up exam." and ran towards them.

"Yuuna, I miss you so much~"

Kousaka Yuna used her hands to support Asakura Kumiko, who had put her face close to her, in disgust, and her mouth was pinched into the shape of a sausage.

"Can't you be a little more ladylike in front of your seniors?"

"Senior? There! I only saw a handsome guy!"

Ito Rin, who was originally watching the show, cast an admiring look at her junior. It is common to see people with such perceptiveness, but the guy who can say it so frankly is really likable.

"I really can't do anything about you. We should go back to training. During your absence, the director was not satisfied with the training of the bass section."

When they returned to the music classroom, Kumiko Asakura quickly got into the mood, found her seat, and started to join everyone in the ensemble training.

The idle duo slipped out and stood on the steps, listening to their voices.

“That sounds great.”

"Yes."

As the competition approached, the training of the wind band became more intense. The music, which was already smooth and emotional, became more able to touch the hearts of the audience, and even laymen like them were moved by it.

Minister Qingshan's stern teaching voice came from inside, causing the two people standing outside to look at each other in confusion, and then to laugh quietly.

"Isn't it a bad idea for us to do this?" Hong Xia said casually while blowing away the dust on the steps and sitting on them, chatting with her angry sister on her cell phone.

"To be precise, it should be me. After all, Hongxia, you are not a member of the brass band." Ito Rin hugged her knees with her hands and stared boredly at the baseball club members who were sweating profusely on the playground in the distance.

"Yes, hurry up and go in and practice."

……

In that instant, Ito Rin felt that the person next to her seemed to have been replaced by Yamada Ryo, otherwise how could he say such cold words.

Unfortunately, after he looked at her carefully, Hongxia's face turned red, but he still didn't find any clues that Liangjiang was in disguise.

"If Minister Aoyama is willing, I am still thick-skinned enough to participate in the competition." Ito Rin said lazily.

In this unfulfilling and even time-wasting chat, the numbers on the calendar gradually increased, striding towards the competition in August.

One day before the competition, Ito Rin, who had some rest time, seized the opportunity to continue training the socially anxious Goto.

One of the principles he firmly believed in was that nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets his mind to it, and that things like social phobia would always get better after one has experienced social death a few times and seen through the world.

But is Goto really a social phobic?

Being able to hang a sign of atonement in a station with huge passenger flow and immerse herself in her own world without paying attention to the people around her, in some ways, she is much more capable than people like Ito and Kita.

"Pochi-chan!"

“Ah… here!”

"Today's task is simple. You will be solely responsible for the bar and treat customers with a kind attitude. Can you do it?"

"cannot!"

The speechless Ito Rin grabbed the tail of Pochi-chan who was trying to escape, and wished she could kneel down to this ancestor.

If I remember correctly, they have been working here for three months. Even if you put a parrot here, it can learn to say hello to humans. If the parrot evolves to grow arms, it can be fully capable of doing this kind of job which is not difficult.

But Pochi-chan is still at the stage of passing things.

"How about just trying it for one day? You can let Pochi-chan rest tomorrow." Helplessly, Ito Rin tempted Pochi-chan with a holiday. School was about to start, and Pochi-chan probably didn't want to work more part-time.

"Hey, don't bully her."

Hongxia came over and interrupted his plan. After sending Ito Rin to work somewhere else, she led Xiao Pochi to work as a drink server near the bar.

August 20th, there is only one week left before school starts.

All activities seemed to be no different from usual, except for the bus parked in front of the club building, which indicated that today was an extraordinary day.

As one of the few male members of the wind band, even though Ito Rin considered himself a non-staff member, he played a huge role today, which offset the punishment he should have received for slacking off.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Ito Rin realized for the first time that rock music was better than wind music. At least it was not as difficult to lift the instrument.

"Come on."

Crouching beside the bus, Hongxia made a sound unscrupulously while watching Ito Rin busying around. She was an invited audience member, and she couldn't even get her turn to handle the small items, let alone the large items. She could only use this method to get a sense of participation.

"Even though there are more girls here, we still need to cultivate everyone's sense of teamwork." After finishing her work, Ito Rin, who sat in the back row of the bus, expressed her enthusiastic feelings.

It’s not that we should treat girls as boys, but we should keep them busy.

"My senior thought so too. Minister Aoyama cares too much about the performance. If I were to become the minister!" The girl with a ponytail in the front row turned around and said something very rebellious with a familiar look on her face.

"Kumiko! Stop saying things that could lead to misunderstandings."

"Ah, did I say something wrong again?" Kumiko Asakura touched her hair and pretended to be stupid.

It seems that this chief is indeed a very strange person, but surprisingly, he is not that annoying.

Ito Rin started chatting with her across the chair, and the laughter in the back seat of the bus stopped when they arrived at the competition venue.

Compared to those people in the front row who are so nervous that their faces turn pale, Asakura-san and Kousaka-san are both very confident.

"Asakura-san, aren't you nervous?" As someone who didn't have to go on stage, Ito Rin interviewed her.

"Nervous!" Her answer was unexpected, and she then pinched out a universe between her fingers, "But the nervousness is only this big. Compared to me, Yuna looks more nervous!"

"Do you think everyone is as crazy as you?"

Hong Xia, who was sitting in the back row listening to music, took off her headphones, leaned on the edge of her chair, and curiously observed the conversation between the two classmates.

Today's students in Shimokitazawa still seem to be full of energy.

"Okay, it's time to move the instruments and get ready to go on stage. Today will end with Kumiko's victory!" They were clearly still bickering when Kumiko touched Yuna's head nonchalantly, then ran off the bus before she got angry and headed towards the truck transporting the instruments.

"When will she be able to become more normal?" Kousaka Yuna lifted her hair and continued to complain about Kumiko as she got off the bus.

"What if the normal price is the loss of musical inspiration? Asakura-san was able to become the principal in the first grade, so his level of tuba must be very high." Ito Rin asked suddenly.

Hong Xia also turned her head. There were too many members around her who had great musical talent but were different from ordinary people in other aspects. She also wanted to know how to make a decision when faced with such a choice.

"Well, this is not a decision I should make. The choice should be in Kumiko's hands. But I think she will definitely not give up music. This guy is just like that."

Kousaka Yuna hesitated for a moment and said this.

"But no matter what, we should seize the opportunity to win the gold medal in the Kanto Conference and advance to the national conference. That's what we should do. Seniors, please work hard too!"

Ito Rin didn't know where they should cheer for her, but she still gave them a thumbs up and watched them walk into the lounge provided by the organizer.

Chapter 74: The Kanto Conference Ends

"The next performer is number 19, Tokyo Shimokitazawa High School."

"The piece to be performed is "プロヴァンスの风", conductor: Masako Aoyama. "

As soon as the host finished speaking, the lights in the exhibition hall's auditorium dimmed instantly, while the stage became as bright as day.

Due to the inside story of the music powerhouse, Ito Rin and the others who were able to sit in the front row gave generous applause to the wind band sitting on the stage.

In terms of this confident momentum, it far exceeds the previous schools.

Minister Aoyama raised his head, walked to the podium, and waved the baton in his hand towards the wind instruments, as if with magic, controlling the audience's applause, and the concert hall fell silent.

In the silence beneath the ice, there was an indescribable feeling of restlessness. Hong Xia loosened the belt at her collar uncomfortably, but her body leaned forward obediently.

No matter what, being able to have such a performance is truly worthy of the envy of her as a rock musician who is eager to make her debut.

……

Jianzi swung the baton in his hand heavily, and the soldiers under his command made deafening musical instrument sounds.

The sound of the flute is like a crane soaring into the sky, solitary and white, emitting a clear melody.

The rich and powerful sound of the euphonium follows closely behind, acting as a green leaf to support the flute.

The trumpet, as the finale, burst out with the strongest sound at its moment. The melodious and transparent tone made people's scalps tingle. They couldn't help but look past the conductor and look at the trumpet player.