The mechanical pencil slid across the notebook, writing English words one after another.

Curves are like flowing, straight lines are brisk.

Aoi particularly likes the smoothness of solving problems and the clarity in her brain.

After finishing last year's exam papers from her target university, she picked up the red-covered reference book at hand and corrected the answers by herself.

The accuracy is pretty good. If you give a rough estimate, the deviation value can be around 72.9.

I stretched myself and prepared to rest for a while before correcting my mistakes.

She rested her chin with her right hand tiredly and looked out the window at the blue sky in a daze. When her eyes dropped, she could see Kitauji's playground.

At noon, there were only a few boys from sports clubs on the playground, taking advantage of their lunch break to play basketball.

Aoi remembered that she had been a member of the instrumental club until she entered her senior year of high school.

In order to cope with the arduous entrance examination and not repeat the failure of the high school entrance examination, she chose to quit the army despite the persuasion of her schoolmate and friend Kumiko Huangmae to stay.

Kitauji's instrumental section is not worth mentioning.

Although it was once glorious, it had long been reduced to a third-rate club that could not even qualify for the Kyoto Competition - this was before this spring.

With her free left hand, Aoi picked up the eraser, held it between her index and middle fingers, and rolled it unconsciously.

Outside the window, the white clouds in the sky look like a tenor saxophone.

Now, Kitauji's performance club has won the Kyoto Competition and played a miraculous sound in the Kansai Competition. Although it only won the bronze medal in the national competition, it has already become a topical club in the school.

The principal even praised them at the meeting, and the enrollment in Kitauji next year will become more popular because of them.

Obviously I have been in the music department for two years, if I persist in the third year...

Aoi stopped turning the rubber and laughed at herself.

impossible.

She is not someone who is regarded as a special being by everyone like Tanaka Asuka, the deputy director of the Musical Instruments Department, who is also a third-year student.

With outstanding appearance and excellent leadership skills, his euphonium playing is not at the level of a strong school. He ranked among the top 30 in the country in the mock test.

How can there be such a perfect person in the world...

Aoi thought about her mock test scores, which were still far behind her target private university.

Taking into account club activities and studying hard at the same time is completely impossible for an ordinary person like her.

After thinking wildly for a while, she stretched her arms upwards? Aoi was ready to continue studying.

At this moment? The peripheral vision undoubtedly swept across the playground and the path leading to the school building from the school gate, and a familiar figure came into view.

Kumiko?

What are you doing there at noon?

Even if the competition is over? In addition to the third graders who are preparing for the entrance examination, the performance department should also continue to practice.

Thinking about these irrelevant questions? The two figures beside Kumiko attracted her attention.

Kitauji's winter uniform is a long-sleeved sailor suit, and the two of them wearing Western-style school uniforms are like sunflowers that attract bees.

Aoi, who went to Nagoya to watch the national competition? I recognized these two people.

The unique genius of the oboe? The first high school student conductor in the history of the wind music competition;

Ranked first and second in the country in the national mock test for the first year of high school;

Impeccable appearance;

...

Countless advantages.

Kitauji’s special existence—Tanaka Asuka? also seemed ordinary in front of the two of them.

Why did they appear in Kitauji at this time?

****

Kumiko, who was carrying a gift, looked at the classmates around her with a wry smile.

There are boys and girls, seniors and juniors; in the distance, students are constantly leaning out of the windows of each class.

Forget it! The key is...

"Watanabe, can you stop laughing?" Kumiko complained.

"I couldn't help but smile happily when I saw my old friend. But it's you, Kumiko, please tell me why I'm not happy at all when I see you, who is not far away more than 400 kilometers away."

"I'm happy...but if you continue like this, I will definitely be surrounded by the whole school after you leave!"

"That's your business, right? Please solve it yourself."

"What did you say?" Kumiko said in disbelief.

"Just kidding, don't worry about it. In Kamikawa, I only dare to smile at my girlfriend and Kiyono-san, but with Kitauji, I only have a lunch break and can laugh as much as I want regardless of the consequences. Think about it, everyone is fascinated by me

, and then you never see me again in the blink of an eye. Don’t you feel very youthful like this?”

"...I just feel that you have a very, very bad character."

"The person who directly calls others a bad character is the person with a bad character, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." Kumiko said weakly to Toru Watanabe, giving up her plan to persuade him to stop laughing.

She looked at Qingye Rin, who was still breathing, and comforted: "Qingye-san, you will be in the music classroom soon, and you will be able to rest soon!"

"...Thank you." Qingye Rin thanked her very hard.

"But how did you get this?" Toru Watanabe picked up the school admission permit from his chest.

Kumiko proudly puffed up her chest a little: "Teacher Michie Matsumoto is the deputy consultant of the wind club and my class teacher. I told her, 'I invite you to come to the wind club for exchanges,' and she immediately agreed."

"That female teacher who looked very stern at first glance, but ended up crying while hugging her students after the competition?"

"Huh? How do you know?" Kumiko looked at Toru Watanabe in surprise.

"Of course I saw it, wasn't I there at the time?"

"Liar! How can humans have such a good memory!"

"Kyono-kun, cheer up," Toru Watanabe turned to look at Rin Kiyono, who was about to close his eyes in pain, "Some people say that the two of us are not human beings."

"...Shut up." Qingye Rin finally couldn't hold it any longer.

She reached out her hand and gently grabbed Watanabe Toru's sleeve, transferring part of her gravity to him.

Toru Watanabe pulled the school uniform suit jacket that slid to his shoulders and said to Kumiko: "Can you find a place to rest first?"

Kumiko looked at Kiyono Rin with worry and surprise, she didn't expect someone to be so weak.

"Hmm -" she thought for a while, "it seems to work in the shoe cabinet!"

The three of them walked into the school building, put on indoor shoes, and stopped at the vending machine.

From time to time, girls holding hands with each other passed by them, and after they were far away, they immediately whispered to each other.

There were also boys who chased and fought with each other and deliberately spoke loudly in front of Rin Qingye.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Kumiko asked.

"I'll do it." Toru Watanabe took out the ten-yen coins he had accumulated during this period and put them into the coin slot one by one.

Kumiko knew that this guy was very rich and she only had 3,000 yen a month, so she chose to accept it.

Watanabe Toru first ordered strawberry milk for himself, and then ordered hot tea for Kiyono Rin. He said to Kumiko: "I don't know what you like to drink, so order it yourself."

"How can this be so embarrassing?" As he said this, Kumiko's hand was already on the button for the most expensive drink.

I’ve wanted to try it for a long time!

Even so, there is still a balance.

"Bring me another bottle, Rina-san." Toru Watanabe unscrewed the cap of the hot tea bottle and handed it to Rin Kiyono, who was resting with his eyes closed.

Qingye Rin opened his eyes and took a sip.

"If you say that, Reina will definitely scold you later." Kumiko bought wheat tea for Reina, "But there are boys who like to drink strawberry milk."

"During the learning process, the body will want sweet things." Toru Watanabe bit his straw and looked at Kitauji's environment.

Dark yellow tiles, fluorescent lights neatly arranged on the ceiling, and open classroom doors.

In the corner of the corridor, tables with graffiti carved on them are piled up, with chairs missing.

An ordinary public high school that seems to have no other characteristics except that the school uniform is a sailor uniform.

"Why am I not in that situation?" Kumiko asked.

"It means you are not really studying."

"impossible!"

"Am I the best in the country at telling lies? I just rely on strawberry milk to replenish sugar and keep my brain active."
To be continued...