Chapter 417

Himemiya Chihaya smiled silently. Judging from his age, he was indeed not qualified to call others that, but he just liked to act like a senior and tease others.

Eh~ If anyone's to blame, it's Japan's wicked senior-junior system!

A one-year age difference can be incredibly devastating.

Kasamaki Nozomi glanced at the instrument in his hand and the speaker next to him, and asked curiously, "When you said there was a performance to watch, you weren't referring to yourself, were you?"

"Not entirely, but I do have a performance later."

"Hey~ No wonder I waited for ages and didn't see anyone performing. I thought you were kidding me."

She gave him an admiring look, "Your courage to Solo in front of so many people is commendable."

"What's wrong with that?"

Himemiya Chihaya rolled her eyes dismissively. "Haven't you ever seen street performances? Or those bands and idols? It's common for them to perform in front of crowds. There are tons of people like that in Tokyo."

"People from Tokyo are just different. If it were me, I might get too nervous to play it..."

Kasamaki Nozomi sighed, "Those guys in Tokyo really know their stuff compared to us country bumpkins," and then asked:

"So your specialty is the soprano Saxophone. Mine is the Flute."

"Oh, really? Did you bring any instruments? Would you like to perform with me?"

He asked in a teasing tone.

"I didn't bring it, and even if I had, I wouldn't want it."

Kasamaki Nozomi closed her eyes and shook her head helplessly.

"So, when are you going to start?"

"Immediately... no, now."

Upon finally seeing that familiar four-colored performance costume, he smiled slightly, squatted down, and turned on the stereo to play accompaniment.

"??※?..."

Upon hearing the melodious and resonant tune, hundreds of people, including spectators and tourists, both inside and outside the parking area, froze and instinctively looked towards the source of the sound.

Being drawn to a lively scene is a basic human instinct...

The piece begins with subtle, understated electronic harmonies and a gentle undertone, giving it a warm and lingering atmosphere.

Throughout the piece, one can hear electronic drums and Percussion, with Bass providing additional support, all contributing to a hazy and beautiful picture that seems like a paradise on earth.

A few seconds after the intro, a sudden high-pitched Saxophone announces its presence, but after playing only a few notes, it falls silent again, merging into the background music.

Just when the audience couldn't stand its departure and was about to erupt, it reappeared at the opportune moment.

From then on, he continued to dominate the music.

"???∮※?∽?..."

"~∮~?~?~??~??~"

"..."

The melody seemed to praise the efforts of all the teams, and also seemed to praise their hard work, giving the audience a wonderful memory.

In short, the gentle, soothing yet uplifting notes seemed to be offering a fitting end to today.

The portable speaker, turned up to its maximum volume, and the soaring Saxophone's penetrating power instantly made the swaying white-haired figure the center of attention.

If you were to ask Himemiya Chihaya what the most important thing about playing the Saxophone is, he would answer, "Play it in a flamboyant way."

The Saxophone, no matter how seriously you play it, will still have a soft, languid tone. So why not dance along with its unique characteristics?

In Kitauji.

"Someone's playing the Saxophone!"

Ogasawara Haruka was quickly drawn to his attention.

The instrument she was responsible for was the bass Saxophone, and she was also the leader of the Saxophone Section.

"That's a really good performance..."

Tanaka Asuka adjusted her glasses, her face filled with rapture.

"The sound seems to be coming from the Parking Lot. Could it be an outdoor performance?"

Nakasako Kaori looked ahead and exclaimed, "Ah, I see it."

"Eh...?"

At the same time, Tanaka Asuka was taken aback when she saw that person.

That figure... it looks so familiar.

"Huh?!"

X N.

Apart from her, everyone else who had noticed him or interacted with him before stared wide-eyed.

"Kumiko!"

"Yes! It's him!"

"Wow~ What a beautiful Saxophone sound! I'm in love!!!"

"Well..."

Kumiko Oumae stared silently at Kawashima Midori, who was cupping her small face in her hands.

"It really sounds good, doesn't it?"

Kato Hazuki only started learning to use the Tuba this year, sought her opinion.

Even though she hadn't studied musical instruments or music theory much, she could still tell the beauty of the music and the skill of the performer just by relying on her innate human instincts.

"That's true... By the way, he majored in the Saxophone?"

Kumiko Oumae, muttering to herself, "This strength is far too cunning..."

Compared to this powerful performance, which she couldn't even describe, only felt an overwhelming sense of emotion welling up inside her, all the other band members from Sunfes seemed like they were just playing house.

He said he's a third-year student like Asuka- senpai, is that true? Or is he some famous professional musician from who-knows-where?

After all, he was wearing a mask, so it's not impossible...

The number of people drawn by the upbeat music kept increasing, and soon a crowd had gathered around the small mound planted with a few broad-leaved trees.

The Kitauji group, whose path was blocked, also stopped in their tracks without realizing it.

No one blamed the order; everyone tacitly reached a consensus—listen to the whole thing before leaving.

Behind the group of three first-year students.

Kōsaka Reina stared intently at that dazzling, unique figure with clear eyes, remaining silent in her heart.

Whether it's the silver hair, the Saxophone, or the voice, everything about it is dazzling!

Whether it's the music, the eyes, the movements, or the clear emotion of daring to perform in front of everyone, it's all very special!

I remember, he came to the Wind Ensemble Club area before, right? He even spoke to someone—her gaze shifted to the only curly-haired girl in the Wind Ensemble Club with whom she could barely be considered close, and she took a step forward...

"Teacher, do you know what piece of music this is?"

Kōsaka Reina unknowingly walked up to Taki Noboru and asked him a question.

Taki Noboru's gaze shifted from the other person to her, a faint smile appearing on his calm and focused face, "No, unfortunately, I don't know either."

"Teacher, you haven't heard of it either?"

She opened her eyes slightly.

Both she and Taki Noboru's father were renowned professional musicians, and their fathers often exchanged ideas in private.

So even though they are quite different in age, they knew each other before.

In her opinion, among young musicians, Taki Noboru is already among the most outstanding.

Originally, she came to Kitauji intending to study under Taki Noboru, Taki Toru's father—who had previously been an advisor to Kitauji, but had retired, so she chose Taki Noboru as a second choice.

[Note: This is from the novel; the anime would directly feature Taki Noboru.]

Taki Noboru didn't feel particularly ashamed; he simply explained to her calmly, "There are countless excellent pieces of music in the world, as numerous as classic books. It's perfectly normal that I haven't heard them."

"Only..."

"Only?"

Kōsaka Reina repeated solemnly.

"This kind of arrangement and composition must have been created by a musician of exceptional skill. The rich emotion and skillful playing are rare even among professional Saxophone; it's truly remarkable."

Taki Noboru looked at the young man, whose identity he did not know, with admiration, his words full of praise.

Kōsaka Reina was stunned; she hadn't expected him to give such high praise.

She knew the other person was very capable, but that was all she knew... Her eyes turned to Kumiko Oumae.

Since things have come to this, all we can do is go and ask.

"Oumae, classmate."

"Ah, yes! Eh? Kousaka student?"

Kumiko Oumae turned around, she saw someone who was both familiar and unfamiliar, and even a little scary, and she immediately panicked.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

She forced a smile and asked, her body drenched in cold sweat.

"Um?"

Without spending much time on her reaction, Kōsaka Reina pointed directly at the mound and asked, "You spoke to that person before, right? Who was they?"

"Oh, I see..."

Understanding her question, Kumiko Oumae regained her composure, but also felt a slight sense of loss.

"Actually..."

With tears in her eyes, she recounted what had happened.

Kōsaka Reina held her fingers, listening to the music and pondering, "I see, Himemiya Chihaya... I've never heard of her."

From Tokyo... wait, what?!

She looked up abruptly, her voice breaking as she demanded, "You said he's a third-year student?!"

"Hey!"

Kumiko Oumae was startled by her violent reaction and immediately stood up straight. "That's what he said!"

Ignoring her own loss of composure, Kōsaka Reina abruptly turned to the silver-haired figure, her eyes wide with shock.

This is... fake, right?!

They're not even students from Music University; is it even possible for a high school student to reach this level?!

"That's... Nozomi?"

In another part of the Kitauji squad, when Yoshikawa Yuko's gaze fell on the person next to the silver-haired performer, she knew something terrible was about to happen.

She immediately turned her head to look at the spot where the little one had just been, her gaze following the little girl's retreating figure.

"Sleet!"

She quickly shouted and chased after him.

"Um?"

Kumiko Oumae and the others, Natsuki Nakagawa, who had attended the same junior high school as the two of them and had a rather complicated relationship with Yoshikawa Yuko, heard the familiar voice and subconsciously turned around.

"What's that guy doing now? What happened to Mizore?"