Chapter 373

"It's a strong school that has consistently participated in the Kansai Regional Competition for the past ten years."

Kawashima Midori knows them all like the back of his hand.

"And then, over there is Rikka."

A woman's voice sounded behind the three of them, startling them.

The speaker Natsuki Nakagawa, was in the Low Tone Section, just like the other three, and played the Euphonium, just like Kumiko Oumae.

"Rikka, you mean Rikka High School?"

Kato Hazuki sought confirmation from Kawashima Midori.

Even though she had no interest in Wind Instrument Music, she had heard of the prestigious reputation of this girls' school.

"That's right, their Marching skills are astonishing!"

Kawashima Midori affirmed, "Their unique stride is befitting a prestigious school known as the Azure Demon '."

[Note 1: The Wind Instrument Music competition is divided into Seated Performance and Marching (playing while walking).]

Note 2: The selection process is roughly divided into prefectural (county) competitions, Regional Competition (according to research, there are a total of 11, not just Kansai; Kanto is even divided into East Kanto and West Kanto), and a National Competition. Some regions initially have pre-prefectural selections. Because there are 11 regions, Kansai only has 3 spots for the national competition.

"They're all cute girls, but as soon as the competition started, they were laughing and playing music while jumping and skipping around. What a terrifying bunch!"

The leader of the low (nine) cold Liu Si Liu Qi Bao Ba Yin section, Tanaka Asuka, a third-year student who is leading the team today, casually taps her shoulder with the leader's tall Conductor's Baton, looking like she is frowning and can't let it go.

She was Hidemi, with a figure that was quite pleasing to the eye for a high school student, and she was Ouka Mai. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was the tallest girl that Sakurakoji Talent had ever seen.

Even with red-rimmed glasses, her already strong and free-spirited leadership aura remained undiminished; instead, it added a unique charm to her.

Among the girls in the Wind Ensemble Club, who already have a high average appearance, she stands out even more.

The only downside is that at such a young age, she's already starting to adopt that mature, married-style hairstyle with a strand of Black Stockings falling down her front...

Chapter 386 Himemiya Chihaya, please come!

"Speaking of which! On the Program List..."

The last girl in the Low Tone Section, Nagase Riko, glanced at Sunfes' Performance Order Sheet and her eyes filled with despair.

"Ugh... The order is definitely first Rikka, then us, and then Luqiu!"

The so-called Sunfes is an annual parade of Parade Wind Instrument Formation Wind Instrument Club the many high schools near Uji City.

Of course, different schools are strong or weak. R] Ichigo, Tachibana and Luoqiu are traditional strong schools, while Kitauji High School... Before this year's new counselor Taki Nosei came over, they couldn't even pass the first round of the Kyoto prefecture qualifying competition every year.

"Hey? What's wrong with that?"

Kato Hazuki peered over, puzzled.

"This is the worst possible outcome,"

Natsuki Nakagawa frowned as well, "We might be overshadowed by their brilliance and appear completely unremarkable."

"Hey~ I don't want that!"

As a tense atmosphere settled over everyone, a cute girl with Trombone ponytail, holding a trombone, waved from the Rikka camp they had just been watching, not far from the playground.

"Kumiko ~!"

Kumiko Oumae looked over there. "Oh, Azusa..."

"Acquaintance?"

"Yes, he was a classmate from my Junior High Wind Instrument Club."

She looked around. "There's still time, right? I'll just go over there for a bit!"

After saying that, she picked up her Euphonium and jogged toward Sasaki Azusa.

"What?! Kumiko, you're in Kitauji?!"

"Yes! Azusa, you went to Rikka!"

"Haha~ I've always wanted to wear this uniform, and just like I imagined, the training is incredibly rigorous!"

"After all, it's Rikka."

Kumiko Oumae gave a wry smile.

Her gaze inadvertently drifted to her much larger breasts, which she found inconvenient. Instead, she envied her own frontal armor. A slight smile played on her lips, and the joy of their reunion turned into something ambiguous.

"Speaking of which, Kumiko, it's you who went to Kitauji! Why did you go there?"

"Huh?"

"There must be some reason, right? Is it because you have a friend over there?"

Sasaki Azusa guessed, then suddenly remembered something, "Ah, right! If it's Kitauji, Kōsaka Reina should be there too, right?"

"I heard she turned down Rikka's guaranteed admission and went to Kitauji instead!"

"Eh, eh? Is that so?!"

Kumiko Oumae was taken aback; she hadn't known this information either.

"Everyone says there must be some reason, like there are a lot of handsome guys or something... Haha~ That can't be right!"

Sasaki Azusa smiled and shook her head, shifting her gaze back from her own school group.

"Hey, Kumiko, haven't you heard about this? By the way, is there anything special about Kitauji?"

"I don't know! Is there anything special about it?"

"Amo~ Tell me!"

Feeling the vibration, she stopped her cute swaying motion. "Sorry, wait a minute."

She took her phone out of the pocket of her blue uniform and glanced at the messages.

"Hooray! Minami Uji High School is here! Let's go check it out, the Parking Lot is nearby!"

"Huh?"

"Most of us from junior high went to Uji, right? Everyone must still be there!"

"That..."

Kumiko Oumae hesitated.

"Alright, hurry up and go! It's been so long since I've seen Asami and Yoko!"

As she walked, Kumiko Oumae stopped.

Sasaki Azusa turned around in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Turning her head to glance at the Colorful Team in Uji, she saw Kato Hazuki dancing along, Tanaka Asuka chatting indifferently, and Kōsaka Reina staring intently at her own Trumpet... Kumiko Oumae's eyes kept flickering.

"Hey, shall we go?"

Sasaki Azusa urged him on.

Kumiko Oumae lowered her head and pondered for a few seconds, then looked up to meet her gaze again. "I'm sorry, I won't go today."

"Huh? Why?"

"The reason I chose Kitauji is..."

She said slowly, her voice hollow, "Actually, I don't have any particular thoughts."

"I just want a fresh start, I want to go to a high school where I don't know many people—to start over."

Sasaki Azusa's eyes, like a lake, were gently stirred by these words as she listened silently to her narration.

That's all.

Kumiko Oumae delivers her final lines.

"Kumiko... I see."

She abandoned any attempt to persuade her to stay or say anything, and instead asked briskly, "So, have you started over?"

"Ah..."

Kumiko Oumae was somewhat surprised that she didn't receive the expected criticism.

Just as she was about to say something, the announcement came over the loudspeaker. "Next up, the Sunrise Festival parade, featuring performances by the Wind Ensemble Club from various high schools in the prefecture, is about to begin."

"Participating schools, please assemble at the venue and line up to wait..."

Kumiko Oumae withdrew her gaze from the air above the arena and said softly, "I have to go."

"Okay! Then let's meet again at the competition!"

Yes, it is!

Let's cheer each other on!

"Okay! I'm going!"

Her miniskirt billowed as Kumiko Oumae jogged back to her current spot, gazing at her classmates and seniors not far away, silently thinking:

'Just then, I realized that I had taken a completely new step...'

And, without regret.

"Huh? Who is this?"

As she jogged back to her "nest," she discovered a conspicuous "foreign object."

What made them stand out was that they weren't wearing the same uniforms as them, nor were they carrying musical instruments or Conductor's Baton, and they were wearing masks that covered most of their faces... Rather than being out of place, they were more suspicious.

However, that outstanding, sparkling, and stunningly beautiful silver hair, shimmering in the sunlight, was deeply imprinted in her eyes. So beautiful...

But considering his height and the fact that the armor on his chest is flatter than his own, could he possibly be male?

Uh, no way...

Not only her, but also dozens of members of the Kitauji Wind Ensemble Club, because of her conspicuous features, secretly glanced at her from different angles.

"Um, Hazuki-chan, who is this? Asuka- senpai knows?"

She approached Kato Hazuki and pointed to Tanaka Asuka, the only one who wasn't intimidated by his appearance and was casually talking to him.

"No, it doesn't seem so,"

Kato Hazuki shook her head. "I don't know who it was. They just suddenly appeared in the group. Asuka- senpai thought they were a lost audience member, so she went up to talk to them."

"Suddenly? How suspicious~"

She had barely finished speaking when she quickly covered her mouth.

Hmm, how can I break this bad habit of involuntarily blurting out my innermost thoughts?

However, no sooner had they finished speaking than, driven by curiosity, the two of them pulled Kawashima Midori, who was standing next to them, closer to Tanaka Asuka, who was both the Vice President and the leader of their Low Tone Section.

When they got closer, they could hear each other's conversation clearly.

"Hey~ So you're from Tokyo?"

It seems that Tanaka Asuka has already found out some information.

"Yes, it's Golden Week, so I thought I'd wander around. I happened to be in Uji today, and I heard there's an annual Music Festival here, so I came."

The person answered cheerfully, their eyes crinkling with a smile.

"Haha~! I really envy you~ You can wander around freely Golden Week, unlike everyone in our department who were still practicing like crazy until yesterday!"

Tanaka Asuka shrugged, her tone devoid of any envy.

"Oh, by the way! By the way, why are you wearing a mask? Is it for sun protection? Or to look cool? Is this some new ritual among young people in Tokyo?"

Tanaka Asuka leaned forward, closing in step by step, her face filled with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

"No, it's because I'm afraid of causing a disturbance and ruining your mood..."

He muttered to himself.

"Um?"

"Ah, it's nothing, actually..."

He coughed lightly, then covered his face with the mask with sorrow. "I've had surgery on my face, so I don't want to offend your eyes or spoil your good mood!"