I live my life in Tokyo

He just came to take a last look and seek peace of mind.

Sakakibara Kaede nodded to Miss Nanakusa, stood on the stage, and looked at the dark audience seats.

"This place can accommodate about 15,000 people. I heard from Miss Nanakusa that the tickets were sold out in an instant, and many scalpers appeared." Nishikino Maki said lightly, and when she mentioned the scalpers, she curled her lips slightly. We are not top stars who are detached from the world, but ordinary people, so we are naturally not interested in scalpers.

"Feng-san, you seem very confident, different from the first time. It seems that you don't need anyone to enlighten you."

"Maki-san, please don't bring up old things like this."

Nishikino Maki smiled without saying anything. Sakakibara Kaede sighed softly and turned to look at the audience again.

After all, this summer was not in vain.

Chapter 46: A touch of color in the dark night

Under the spotlight, the musicians, holding their instruments, sat down in the positions they had been familiar with for the past three days. They were still wearing white T-shirts and black suits as they had worn in the previous days. The suits were smooth and neat, and the adult musicians said it was nothing, but the members of the wind band who were only high school students seemed to have grown a few years older after putting on these suits.

After this experience, their understanding of music has reached a higher level. However, now, they are not thinking about the upcoming national conference or the gossip on the high school campus. They just want to complete this concert and live up to their efforts in this summer. That's all.

Compared to the expressionless adult musicians, the students in the wind orchestra were somewhat active today. The first reason was that many of their parents would come to attend the last concert, to cheer for World Shine and to proudly watch their performance. The second reason was what Kaede Sakakibara said last night, that they had performed in suits for the past few days and it was a bit unsatisfying, so they might as well let go of themselves on the last day and present this last performance with their love for music.

Mr. Yamada had a brief conversation with Mr. Takisho backstage, and after shaking hands with a smile, the former stepped onto the stage facing the fluorescent light in the dark. Mr. Takisho stood there for a moment, then entered the audience. He had been resting backstage in the past few days, but today he watched the students' performance from the perspective of an audience member.

Mr. Yamada was also dressed in a suit. He came to the podium, picked up the baton and raised his hands slightly. The students of the wind orchestra and the professional musicians affiliated with the wind orchestra association stopped chatting and making eye contact. They picked up their instruments and began tuning them before the concert.

It was like a symphony performance by an orchestra. The fans who had not come in the first three days could not help but be slightly amazed when they saw this scene after they sat down. Some people just regarded the fusion of rock and orchestra that was hyped up on the Internet as a gimmick, but those who had heard it said it was good. There were many fans who posted emotional or literary posts on Twitter after listening to the concert, and they were determined to get the Blu-ray CD.

Behind the scenes, Sakakibara Kaede looked at the packed house on the screen and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. After all, after this concert, he could finally take a break in the fall, shifting his focus from music to his acting career again. He received a work email from Kei Iida last night. There were two things. One of them was that Toei contacted the agency and threw the role over, which was just the basic operation of an ordinary company contacting an agency for an audition. The second was that the movie Your Name directed by Makoto Shinkai was about to be released, and as the actors and voice actors in it, they needed to attend a meet-and-greet event on the day of the movie's release at his invitation.

These are no big deal. According to Kei Iida, Mr. Makoto Shinkai doesn't have any requirements. He just asks her to wear a kimono and smile at the scene. Maybe she can even attract some passers-by.

"Are you ready?"

Yuuma Miura was still wearing a suit and tie, and he looked like a very successful businessman, except that his golden hair was not so pretty, making him look like the boss of an overseas company. Of course, as a golden cat, Uehara Yo, who was compared to Yuuma Miura by Sakakibara Kaede, was inferior. If he wore a suit, he would probably be mistaken for a Yamaguchi-gumi thug.

"I'm ready, where's Maki-san?"

Maki Nishikino did not wear the dress she wore a few days ago today - according to her, it was the dress her mother picked for her, intended for her to wear when she graduated from college, and it was okay to use it now.

Today she was wearing a shirt that was easy to take off, and underneath she was wearing rock-style clothes with wild English letter icons printed on them.

The same goes for Sakakibara Kaede.

The staff member at the side whispered to them that it was time to go on stage. After nodding in thanks, Sakakibara picked up the electric guitar that had been maintained for a long time, and walked towards the unknown darkness.

The screen had not been fully opened yet, and the direction could only be identified by the faint indicator lights on the ground. Sakakibara and his companions had walked for three days, so they were not unfamiliar with the road. After arriving at the location, he looked back. Although the lights were sparse now, he still saw Mr. Yamada and many musicians holding musical instruments looking at him expectantly. He smiled at them, but he didn't know if this smile could be conveyed to them?

They are here today too, right? They should be sitting in the first row in the front. Sakakibara Kaede plucked the strings of the guitar with a faint smile on his face. He felt the same throbbing in his heart as before. After all, he changed himself and stood here, singing for them so that he would not regret it.

He smiled into the microphone and sang the lyrics of his new album. The screen then slowly fell down, and Mr. Yamada put away his smile and frowned. He held the baton in his right hand and nervously waved his left hand in the air twice, then jumped tightly and slammed it down. The string music sounded softly, interweaving with the rock music to form the last echo of the whole summer.

There were many music enthusiasts among the audience. As the host of this event, the Wind Instrumental Division had privately obtained a lot of tickets for musicians from other bands or independent musicians. Naturally, they also attended the event as promised, and when they heard the smooth blend of string music and rock, they couldn't help but feel refreshed for a moment.

The young man looked at the audience who were waving their hands, laughing with great delight. He raised his hands and responded loudly to the cheers of the fans.

After singing three songs in a row, Sakakibara covered the microphone and gasped for breath. The lights then slanted and shone on his head and body. Mr. Yamada and the musicians of the orchestra behind him took this opportunity to change the music score.

"Good evening Osaka! We shine in the world!"

This sentence once again made the audience excited, and the young man calmed his breathing, "Today is the last day, thank you all for coming here to enjoy the shining of a new world."

"The three of us are very excited right now... We hope we can keep singing like this until the end."

Sakakibara Kaede put down the microphone, leaving enough space for himself in his words and actions, and also giving Nishikino Maki and Miura Yuma some time to rest.

He turned his head to look at Mr. Yamada, who nodded at him and then raised his hands again.

The lights gradually dimmed and the audience chattered excitedly, but soon fell silent again.

He put down the microphone and placed it on the ground, then looked at the audience, put his hands to his mouth, and shouted out the harmony part of the song's prelude with all his might.

The harmony sung by himself gradually turned into a chorus of the audience. At this moment, the young man's smile was so brilliant.

Listening to the familiar beginning, even though Sakakibara knew that the next song would be this one, he still felt happy. Songs are a way to express one's inner thoughts. There must be some difference between singing yesterday and singing today. The only difference is the change in mood and attitude towards the world.

"This is my decision."

He raised his hand and said.

What was he thinking when he sang this song? Living alone in this world, eating all the delicious food in the world, seeing all the beautiful scenery in the world, and closing his eyes with the last rays of sunset?

Yes and no.

What he wanted to do now was to eat all the delicacies and see all the beautiful sights in the world with Mai Sakurajima, Madoka Higuchi, Chizuru Ichinose, Asuna Yuuki, and Toru Asakura. He had already made the decision and given the answer, so he would not let them down.

"What's best for you is less form. It's my decision."

Maki Nishikino glanced at Sakakibara Kaede quietly. She felt that he seemed to have completely let go today. As he took off the suit that bound him, Sakakibara Kaede today seemed to have broken through the original shackles. While strolling in the garden and running left and right, the gratitude and determination in the lyrics were like that of a young wanderer, walking towards the distance with a hint of determination in his melancholy.

He was particularly dazzling today.

The audience was even more so, as they waved their hands to the rhythm, and did not hesitate to lend their voices during the chorus, roaring out their chests. There were even a few emotional high school students who came to listen to the singing and shed tears.

Decision, this uplifting song carries determination. The path of life is in your own hands, and every decision is a journey. How can these high school students who are full of ambition and feel that they have no fear for the future, can accomplish anything and do anything not be overwhelmed and shed tears on the stage?

Mr. Tanaka saw that some of the high school students from the Kitauji Wind Orchestra had traces of tears on their faces and their lips curled up. Although he was already in his thirties, he still got excited when he heard this song. If he were those young and passionate students, his performance after hearing this song might not be much better.

"Honestly, it's great that everyone came on the last day." After the three songs, Sakakibara Kaede began to interact with the audience with a smile, "Thank you all for gathering together today. Ah, those who came in the past few days, can you let me see your hands?"

Looking at the many hands raised, Sakakibara Kaede laughed. He glanced at the hands of the five girls sitting in the first row and first column, then looked away.

"Well, although the situation is different from the last concert in Yokohama, we are all in 100% condition. No matter what the situation is, we should enjoy it."

“Although the concert was a hastily decided performance, we have learned a lot from the musicians in the past few months, as a band, as musicians… Well, after hearing this, I feel that string music is really good.”

At this point, he smiled and moved half way aside so that the audience could see the many musicians sitting behind them.

Feeling the audience's gazes, the students of the Kitauji Wind Orchestra felt a little embarrassed.

He smiled and immediately spread his hands to introduce, "Hey, this time we have to thank Mr. Yamada and all the musicians for making this performance a precious memory for everyone. I just wonder if there will be more opportunities for cooperation next time?"

Mr. Yamada grinned, half nodding and half shaking his head. He also felt it was a pity. As a musician, he probably only had one chance like this in his lifetime. If such a performance were to be held again next time, it would not be his turn to conduct.

"We will present even more passionate performances in the future, and we hope that everyone in the concert hall can continue to enjoy it, okay!"

The audience waved their hands, and as the lights gradually dimmed, Sakakibara chuckled and picked up the microphone again.

It's a pity that today's performance was in a concert hall which was not open-air, so he couldn't see the stars in Osaka at night. If he had sung facing the sky full of twinkling stars like in the concert in Yokohama, it might have been a different kind of romance.

There are gains and losses. Looking at the sparkling eyes of the people in the audience and the emotions in their eyes, Sakakibara Kaede felt satisfied.

No matter how beautiful the starlight is, it is still difficult to observe because it is far away.

The distance between people can be shortened. When looking at each other, any emotion can be sensed one by one.

It’s so beautiful. Looking at the hall that is gradually illuminated by the warm blue light, it feels like being at the bottom of the sea, melodious and graceful.

The same is true for the sound of music.

Sakakibara Kaede raised his hands, and many audience members had already raised the blue glow sticks prepared under their seats.

The surroundings suddenly became a blue ocean.

"weare, weare——"

The accompaniment was clear and melodious, and people suddenly realized that many of the audience who had listened to the latest album of World Shining were waving their glow sticks faster.

"weare, weare——"

Sakakibara Kaede smiled and pointed at Nishikino Maki, who smiled and also looked up at the other side of the sky blue.

"It's so beautiful."

The young man raised his hand and led the people to sing, "weare, weare——"

After plucking the electric guitar, he leaned into the microphone and sang a cappella.

The students of Kitauji High School had already wiped away their tears, but when they heard the prelude of this song, some of them couldn't control their emotions again and burst into tears. Kumiko Huang pursed her lips and looked at Tanaka sitting next to her. She found that although she was smiling, there were tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Whenyou'restandingontheedge.Soyoungandhopeless.Gotdemonsinyourhead.Weare,weare——"

This world is wonderful. You will see the most beautiful kindness and the most terrible viciousness. You will see some people who still maintain the youthfulness of 18 years old and pursue their dreams.

Likewise, you will also see the evil happening in the sewers of this world, the unpredictable human heart, and the complexity of society.

No matter what you encounter in the future, please don't be too disappointed with this world, and don't expect the world to treat you specially.

Keep a place in your heart and tell yourself that this is where your original kindness and best dreams are.

"Nogroundbeneathyourfeet.Nowheretoholdyou.'Causeweare,weare.Thecolorsinthedark."

Now you don’t have to think too much about what will happen in the future or what you will do in the future.

Work hard to improve yourself and see the world.

Do the best things at the best age.

Keep your original intention and be kind.

Cheer for your future self.

"'Causeweare,weare,Thecolorsinthedark."

Because I am, we are, the shining color in the darkness.

Chapter 47 It’s time to unlock new CG

The four-day concert came to an end. With the falling of the last note, Sakakibara Kaede took the towel thrown by Miura Yuma, wiped the sweat off her body, waved and smiled at the audience.

Accompanied by waves of enthusiastic cheers, the three people who shone in the world stood up again. Mr. Yamada and many musicians behind them also stood up. They held musical instruments in their hands, with sincere smiles on their faces, and bowed to the audience.

Many parents of the students took this opportunity to wipe away their tears, and as the performance ended, they wanted to rush to their children's side and give them a big hug.

“Thank you everyone, I hope everyone can become the best version of themselves, and I hope everyone will continue to support Shine the World in the future.”

Sakakibara smiled, put the microphone on the stand, and smiled at Nishikino Maki. The two of them met with Miura Yuma, who was sitting behind the drum kit, and the three of them entered the exit passage amid the cheers of the audience. Under the direction of Mr. Yamada, the musicians also left the venue in an orderly manner with smiles on their faces.

Yuuma Miura took a sip of cold water and exclaimed that it was so enjoyable. Of course, his shoulders were so sore and stiff that he couldn't lift them up for a while. He was told that he would go for an ear cleaning massage tomorrow. Upon hearing this, Kaede Sakakibara's eyes lit up. He took the business card of the ear cleaning shop from Yuuma Miura and prepared to enjoy it after returning to Tokyo.

Well, it's been a hard summer.

I heard from Yuuma Miura that the girls in the ear cleaning shop are all well-trained, and they are just free gifts for ear cleaning. Kaede Sakakibara has close relationships with these girls now, so how could he abandon them and go out?

But you should really relax and try massage.

More and more people gathered in the lounge. Mr. Yamada stepped forward and shook hands with the three people from World Shining. Then it was time for free time.

Before leaving, the musicians shook hands and took photos with Sakakibara and others. This was a reward for their hard work in practicing for several months. Although for Sakakibara, talking to them for a few words and smiling at the camera for photos was not considered a reward for their hard work, he didn't say much seeing the musicians were so enthusiastic.

After the professional musicians cleared the venue, Mr. Takisho shook hands with Mr. Yamada and passed by him and went into the lounge. The students of the Kitauji Wind Orchestra couldn't help but giggle when they saw Mr. Takisho. Some boys cheered, "Teacher Taki, how was our performance this time?"

"It's wonderful. I hope we can keep up this momentum until the national conference." Teacher Takisho said. He clapped his hands, and his tone was the same as his words. It was not calm as imagined, but carried a joy like appreciation.

It was so rare to receive praise from Mr. Takisho that many female classmates burst into tears immediately. Mr. Takisho was usually known as the handsome devil, but now that he praised her with a smile, she would have earned it even if she died - this sentence of course describes Reina Kousaka who was in a daze after seeing Mr. Takisho's pursed smile.

Kaede Sakakibara knew that the students' parents were waiting for them outside the concert hall, and originally wanted to say some words of blessing, but in the end he didn't want to say a lot like the principal at the opening ceremony.

He went forward and took photos with the students one by one, leaving proof of his existence with photos, and finally asked the staff who passed by the lounge to take a group photo for them. If nothing unexpected happens, this group photo should be enshrined on the high wall of the wind band practice room, becoming proof that the Kitauji Wind Band can play the wind band in the future.

Looking at the students who were so excited that they were crying, Sakakibara Kaede knew that this might be the last time he would see them. The future was uncertain and no one knew if they would meet again next time. He imprinted those vivid faces deep in his heart, gave them a hug, and watched them leave the lounge one by one.

"Senior Sakakibara, see you in Tokyo." Asuka Tanaka brought Kaori Nakasago forward, and the latter smiled softly.

"Have you decided? I will support you." Sakakibara Kaede smiled, "If you are successfully admitted to the Medical University in Tokyo, I will treat you to a good meal."

"...good."

Sakakibara gave her a light hug, then looked at Asuka Tanaka, who still had that same unchanging smile on her face that seemed to be at ease. Noticing Sakakibara's gaze, Asuka Tanaka opened her arms and hugged the young man, "Thank you, Sakakibara-senpai."

This thank you was not just for thanking him for being their teaching assistant. Asuka Tanaka wanted to thank Kaede Sakakibara for something else. Only the two of them knew about this. Asuka Tanaka smiled mysteriously, and Kaede Sakakibara did not have the habit of solving mysteries for others. She understood, and he naturally understood too.

After seeing off the students, Sakakibara recalled the complicated look in Kousaka Reina's eyes before she left. He shook his head to drive it out of his mind. He looked at Mr. Takisho who was walking towards him and extended his hand. "I really want to thank Mr. Takisho for this summer. He has allowed me to learn a lot as a musician."

"If you have any trouble with music in the future, you can contact me via text message anytime and anywhere."

Takisho and Sakakibara Kaede exchanged contact information. After all, Sakakibara Kaede is half a musician, although not as pure as Miura Yuma and Nishikino Maki.

Sakakihara yawned. After seeing Mr. Takisho and Maki Nishikino finished chatting, he talked to Yuma Miura about the past and future plans. Sakakihara naturally knew how much Yuma Miura respected this senior. He pulled Maki Nishikino's arm and the two left the lounge. Breathing in the slightly cold air, Sakakihara yawned. He could vaguely hear the shouts from the audience. He naturally had a plan for the new album signing event to be held in Osaka the next two days.

The young man received a reply from Yuuma Miura, saying that he would go to the hotel with Mr. Takisho to have dinner or something, so there was no need to wait for him. Sakakibara Kaede looked at Nishikino Maki.

"Maki, will you come back to the hotel with me?"

"No, my mother is here today, let's have dinner together tonight."