I am a teacher at a girls' school in Tokyo

"Fruits...are all OK."

"How about oranges?"

"good."

"Orange then... Here, two servings of orange-flavored shaved ice."

“…So that’s what you’re asking.”

-

On a midsummer night in August, I took a spoon and scooped up shaved ice mouthful by mouthful. The cool ice cubes entered my mouth with a sweet and sour taste of orange.

The hot air feels cool.

I ate and walked in silence, and the radio sounded in my ears.

"The fireworks display will begin in half an hour. The fireworks display will begin in half an hour. Visitors who want to watch, please go to..."

The repeated broadcast caused a stir among the tourists on the street.

Naturally, Tetsufumi Hirakawa and Shiori Shinohara, who were strolling around, were also attracted by his attention.

"Teacher Hirakawa, let's go." Shinohara Shiori raised her face and looked at him.

"Ah."

Summer festivals and fireworks displays are a perfect match, just like Shinohara Shiori and yukata are a perfect match.

When you come to a festival, you must watch the fireworks display.

-

Following the instructions on the radio and the direction of the tourists, Tetsufumi Hirakawa and Shiori Shinohara soon arrived at the venue of the fireworks festival while moving forward at a snail's pace.

An empty space - of course this was when no one was there, but now it is a bit crowded.

A girl in a yukata stood beside him.

"Shinohara-san, I think now is the time to have a good talk."

Tetsufumi Hirakawa looked up at the completely dark night sky.

The fireworks have not yet been launched and the night is getting dark.

"Ah."

The girl responded softly.

-

A noisy crowd surrounded them, but the atmosphere between Tetsufumi Hirakawa and Shiori Shinohara was a little quiet.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa was waiting for the girl beside him to speak, to make the final decision.

Shinohara Shiori, she was thinking about how to start the conversation.

"Ok?"

When the radio broadcast that there were only ten minutes left until the fireworks display, Tetsufumi Hirakawa asked a question.

"All right."

After Shinohara Shiori nodded, she saw the teacher, who was looking up waiting for the fireworks, looking at her.

"Please tell me."

"Then..." Shinohara Shiori looked back at Hirakawa Tetsufumi's eyes and his face, "Teacher Hirakawa, can you also listen to Shiori's story?"

"Ah."

Chapter 200: Festival, Fireworks, and a Girl in a Yukata (Part )

"Teacher Hirakawa, do you know why Shiori likes wind music?"

Just as Tetsufumi Hirakawa's story begins with a question, so does Shinohara Shiori's.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa looked at the girl and met her calm, slightly smiling gaze.

She opened her mouth slowly and told her story.

"Shiori grew up in a privileged family environment."

"No, superior is not enough. It should be said that Shiori was born to stand at a destination that is out of reach for most people."

In a calm tone, as if mentioning a trivial matter, the proud young lady spoke thus under the night sky.

"Although the status of the heir of the Shinohara family brings a series of obligations that must be undertaken."

"According to my mother's ideas and plans, I will become a qualified heir."

"I have received all kinds of education since I was a child, including etiquette, social interaction, tea ceremony, flower arrangement... everything."

"However, these obligations are actually insignificant compared to my status as the eldest daughter of the Shinohara family."

"I understood this a long time ago. Being the eldest daughter of the Shinohara family is not a burden. I don't hate it."

"I haven't had this stupid idea since elementary school, that I only see the shackles that come with a certain identity and ignore its advantages."

"but--"

His originally calm expression suddenly changed, and when Tetsuo Hirakawa saw the young lady Shinohara Shiori, a willful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Unfortunately, just as Mr. Hirakawa said, Shiori is a very willful person."

"Of course I understand this truth, but I don't want to be satisfied with just this."

"When I entered junior high school, I suddenly felt that Shiori thought she had done a good job as the eldest daughter of the Shinohara family, and my mother's plan had not gone wrong. So, can I do something I want to do?"

"There is always one thing that should be done by Shiori, not by the eldest daughter of the Shinohara family, right?"

"No matter what it is, at least one thing is from me, from Shiori, not from my mother's wishes, plans, and arrangements."

"That day, I was walking on campus and thinking about this."

"Until a flyer for recruiting new members of the wind band floated down to my feet and I picked it up."

Shinohara Shiori recalled that time when, by chance, the wind blew up the wind band's flyer.

Sometimes, unintentional coincidences can be so touching.

"When the student from the wind band who was handing out flyers came over, before she even opened her mouth, I asked her:"

"Can I join the wind band?" She was stunned for a moment, then nodded blankly and said yes.

“So I joined the wind section.”

When Shiori Shinohara talked about how she joined the wind orchestra, her tone didn't fluctuate much, but Tetsufumi Hirakawa could still see the joy in her eyes.

"Such a sudden thing is naturally hasty. It was the first time that the willful Shiori did this without asking her mother."

"But this kind of willfulness did not affect my love for wind music in a short period of time."

“I chose trumpet as my instrument and quickly became proficient at it.”

"but--"

The slightly sarcastic expression on Shinohara Shiori's pretty face allowed Hirakawa Tetsufumi to guess how events would develop next.

If nothing unexpected happens, something unexpected is going to happen - Shinohara's mother is about to appear.

correct.

“After I had practiced for a semester and was about to participate in the junior high school wind instrument competition, the instructor of the wind instrument section found me.”

“She said, I can’t play.”

“I asked her why and she said, ‘Because I’m not skilled enough.’”

"Even though I've only been practicing for a short time, my trumpet is already better than most of the others in the orchestra."

"However, I didn't pay much attention to it at that time, and I didn't expect that it was actually authorized by Shiori's mother."

"In fact, it wasn't until the second grade that I discovered what role Shiori's mother played in Shiori's daily life."

The sarcasm on Shinohara Shiori's lips turned into a tiny sarcasm.

"After all, my mother always respected my wishes. I always thought so when I was young."

"My mother's outward manners were always impeccable. Although I had some doubts before, I didn't think much about it."

"It wasn't until my sophomore year, when I was preparing to participate in the junior high school wind instrument competition for the second time, that the wind instrument department's instructor told me."

"Shinohara-san, I don't think you're suited to playing wind music."

"..."

The sound stops here.

Although there was always a noisy crowd around him, when Shiori Shinohara stopped speaking, Tetsufumi Hirakawa did feel a moment of silence during the brief pause.

The silence was a little distressing.

In my mind, Mr. Toda, who was in charge of club work, also said this to Mr. Ogasa last semester.

"Shinohara-san is not suitable to continue staying in the wind band."

The same words, the same means, it turned out to be just a repetition of the events.

"And then?" Tetsufumi Hirakawa looked at the girl in front of him.

Although when this matter was mentioned at this moment, Shinohara Shiori's expression seemed indifferent and calm.

But... do you really not care?

She was only in the second grade of junior high school at that time, no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. How did she feel when she heard these words from her instructor?

Shinohara Shiori raised her head, and after seeing the look in Hirakawa Tetsufumi's eyes, she smiled gently and continued her story.

"After returning home, Shiori confronted her mother face to face for the first time."

"I asked her whether she authorized the matter of the wind orchestra."

"She said that she respected my wishes, supported everything Shiori did, and had never done anything like this."

"Ah."

Miss Shinohara smiled softly.

"..."

"Since Shiori's mother respected my wishes, I was removed from the club's membership list by the wind band instructor shortly afterwards."

"..."

It’s a very ironic logical relationship of “because…so”.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa was speechless.

"But despite this, Shiori did not give up practicing wind music."

Shinohara Shiori said lightly.

“Although I no longer participate in club activities, it does not affect my personal playing.”

"Shiori's mother also tried to stop it, including filling up Shiori's free time with various courses."

"At that time, I didn't know why my mother did that, but no matter what the reason was, I never gave up playing wind music."

"As the first thing I wanted to do that was not part of my mother's plan, I stuck with it."

“Then, time came to high school.”

"I entered Moriya, and before long, the chairman of the Moriya board of directors suddenly became my mother."

"..."

"..."

In a moment of silence, Hirakawa Tetsufumi stared at Shinohara Shiori. She nodded.

"Yes, that's it."

“After that, I joined the wind band again in Moriya.”

"At first, my mother didn't do anything, so I thought she approved of my determination."