The walkway leading to the grand concert hall was filled with solemn silence.

Pushing open the soundproof door, everyone from Kamikawa High School came to the back of the stage.

The stage is filled with dazzling bright lights, which is completely opposite to the dark backstage. From behind the curtain, you can see the school where the performance is being performed and part of the audience.

Miki Kujo was sitting in the VIP area, her head resting on her hands, her expression nonchalant. As tickets were hard to come by, there was a large space around her.

"Komatsu-senpai is still the same as before. The speech before the last Kanto Competition was the same, saying that she would never lose to other schools." Watanabe Toru turned around and looked at Kiyono Rin who was standing next to him.

Rin Kiyono said softly: "Not only her, but through my observation, most of the students in Kamikawa are like this. They have become accustomed to the concept of 'either you don't do it, or you must be outstanding if you do it'."

"Well, that makes sense, you are the same person."

"How would you describe me as outstanding?" Qingye Rin looked at him dissatisfied.

"Perfect, you are perfect."

Kiyono Rin turned around and continued to watch the performance on the stage.

Watanabe Toru stared at her profile. For the competition, she tied her hair into a ball.

"What are you looking at?" Qingye Rin frowned after noticing his gaze.

"As expected, pretty girls look cute no matter what hairstyle they wear."

"...It's just appearance, what's there to say?" Qingye Rin turned away, "Please pay attention to my impeccable performance, sports, art, etiquette, and spiritual level."

"Invulnerable on a spiritual level, um——"

"Do you have any questions, Toru Watanabe-san?"

"No, I just think you are really cute."

"Are you looking down on me?" Rin Kiyono crossed his arms and looked at Toru Watanabe with a sneer.

"No, how could I look down on you?"

"Lies." Kiyono Rin's face turned completely cold, "I underestimated you, Toru Watanabe-san. I didn't expect you to be so ignorant."

“Wearing a men’s suit looks cute too.”

"I'm telling you..."

"Even if you are angry, you are still cute."

Rin Kiyono took a deep breath and said sternly: "Let me tell you again, Watanabe-san, superficial things like appearance are not worth mentioning."

"The sound of inhaling is very cute, the lips when speaking are very cute, the angry eyes are very cute, the movement of holding arms is very cute, and the rapid blinking when shy is very cute..."

"Superficial." Qingye Rin released his hands holding his arms, pursed his lips tightly, and widened his eyes, "I'm not satisfied with the recital later. I'll give you a good show when I get back to Tokyo!"

She snorted coldly and turned away completely, not even showing the side of her face to Toru Watanabe.

But unfortunately today, she had her long, straight and soft hair, as black as lead powder, pulled into a bun, so her delicate white ears were exposed.

Watanabe Toru looked at his crystal-clear red ears and listened carefully to Rin Kiyono's breathing in the darkness, feeling inexplicable emotions well up in his heart.

However, he turned his gaze to the audience, and the oboe in his hand exuded a black luster.

No matter how cute Kiyono Rin is, his music is played for Kujo Mihime.

【You have a new email】

【Oboe: Master→Beyond】

"...R-san, you must be a god, right?"

"Shut up."

****

Pushing open the heavy door leading to the stage, the sound of high school music playing suddenly flooded into my ears.

Unlike the Kyoto Competition and the Kansai Competition, once it reaches the national competition, no school is weak, and they are all well-known strong wind schools.

"But don't be afraid. Kitauji is one of the 29 participating teams and is a strong wind school!" Kumiko swallowed while holding the baritone trumpet.

The people from Kitauji filed into the backstage, and there was already a school ready to go on stage, which was Kanto representative Kamikawa High School.

A private school with a deviation value in the top 10% in the country.

Some students have extremely smart minds, some are so hard-working that it’s scary, and the rest are all smart and hard-working guys.

In Hazuki's words, the last kind of people are so disgusting that they don't give ordinary people a chance at all.

They wore neat black uniforms and looked calm and solemn, like well-trained troops.

Kumiko found a corner and found it difficult to breathe, and her heart was beating fast.

She closed her eyes and saw bottomless darkness.

"Don't be too nervous." A steady voice mixed with the footsteps reminded her in a low voice.

Kumiko opened her eyes and nodded silently to Toru Watanabe, who came over.

"Are you confident?" Toru Watanabe asked.

"Is there any..." Kumiko herself didn't know.

"You must be fine."

Kumiko looked at him in surprise: "Why do you say that?"

"Now, here at the Nagoya International Conference Hall, there are many powerful people. Including Kitauji, there are also many people with great playing skills, such as the oboe, and another euphonium player, and your good friend Rei

Nai, she is even more beautiful and powerful."

"What kind of reason is that?" Kumiko sighed speechlessly.

"However, those guys I just mentioned, I don't take them seriously. In all of Kitauji, you are the only one qualified to be my friend, Kumiko. This is the reason why you must be fine."

"Why?" Kumiko asked softly.

It's strange. Is it because there is a competition coming soon? Even though Toru Watanabe is talking bad about her respected senior and Rina, she is not angry at all.

Or, is it because Toru Watanabe regards him as a friend?

I went to Tokyo to study alone, worked hard labor, and had a girlfriend who made the organizers afraid to vent my anger. I was able to get the first place in the country without any effort. My appearance is impeccable, and I am definitely a model who stands above everyone else.

Such a person treats her as a friend.

Even Rina, who was shining in her eyes and regarded as a treasure, was not taken seriously by him, but she could.

"You and I," Toru Watanabe pointed at her and then at himself, "are the same kind of people."

"How did you tell?" Kumiko hoped he would say more.

In her previous life, she had always been called a good child and gentle, but she had never been recognized to this extent, and she felt a full sense of pride in her heart.

"This kind of thing is like it is engraved on the forehead, you can understand it at a glance."

Kumiko took a look at Tetsu Watanabe's forehead. This man had no blind spots and was very handsome, but there was no inscription on it.

She looked confused.

"How can I explain it to you..." Toru Watanabe thought about it distressedly, a slight wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows, "For example, if I am a "handsome guy in Tokyo", then you, Huang

Former Kumiko is "Kitauji's perfect heroine"."

"No," Kumiko was dumbfounded, "The range is too different, isn't it? After all, she is "Kyoto's perfect heroine"!"

Regarding Kumiko's complaint, Watanabe Toru did not comment and said with a chuckle: "How are you? Are you still nervous?"

"...So you were trying to comfort me. What you just said were all lies?" Kumiko said dissatisfied.

She felt carefully that her originally tense body did relax unconsciously.

"How is that possible? I wonder who in Shinjuku doesn't know that my greatest virtue, Toru Watanabe, is honesty."

"Who believes you!"

"Okay, "Tokyo Handsome Guy" is absolutely true, I won't lie to you."

Just as Kumiko was about to say something, warm applause from the audience suddenly came from the front of the curtain - the performance of the previous high school was over and it was Kamikawa's turn.

Kumiko's mood, which she had just relaxed, suddenly became tense again.

She looked at Toru Watanabe worriedly, but what she saw was an unmoved face.

In all the competitions she has participated in so far, Kumiko has never seen such a confident expression on anyone.

Watanabe Toru stretched out his fist toward her.

Kumiko looked at the fist for a while, then suddenly, as if remembering, she gently bumped her much smaller fist into it.

"I'm going."

"Well, come on!"

"Enjoy my performance, Kumiko. The performance that follows will never happen before, and it will never happen again in the future."

Toru Watanabe left with his oboe and sheet music, and together with the people from Kamikawa High School, they stepped onto the stage that belonged to them.

Kumiko, who was left alone, closed her eyes again.
To be continued...