Chapter 421

Even if you say he's a young man in his twenties, it's not that hard to understand.

"That might be true... but I don't really want anything else. If it really doesn't work out, then forget it."

Kōsaka Reina frowned slightly, accepted his explanation, and then bowed to him in apology.

"I'm sorry to bother you with this request so suddenly."

"I don't need the 10,000 yen; please leave it for the next person. I'll be going now."

With that, she turned around gracefully and walked back the way she came without any hesitation.

Chapter 392 The second person I fell in love with at first sight.

Staring directly at her back, Himemiya Chihaya opened her mouth, but was speechless.

Well, I've been outmaneuvered again by this guy who's got plenty of money... So, you rich kids are really something!

"Wait a moment!"

"Um?"

Kōsaka Reina turned her head to the side, her thick, lead-white hair gleaming in the sunlight.

"I'll pick them, okay? But I can't control how old you think I am."

He gave up, making a deadpan expression, and then raised his slender, fair, and beautiful hand, which looked fair and elegant even from a distance.

He paused his finger in front of his face, glanced around at the hundreds of large, "bat-like" eyes that were all staring at him without moving, and after confirming that no one was taking pictures, he quickly removed the face covering.

The warm object that had been covering his face was removed, and a cool sensation immediately washed over his face. He shook his silver hair, which had been ruffled by the mask, and swept it back behind his head.

This action revealed even more of his forehead skin.

"..."

X N.

One, two, three... Okay!

After silently counting to three, he put the seal back on.

"Finished looking? I'll put it on now."

He smiled faintly as he looked back at Kōsaka Reina, who stood there blankly, her eyes vacant. "Reina-san, are you satisfied with this answer?"

"..."

Kōsaka Reina remained silent, as if she hadn't heard his question.

Not only her, but most of the people on the field seemed to have been frozen in time at this moment, their mouths agape, staring blankly at him, forgetting to speak.

The most obvious sound was the neat "hiss--" sound when he just picked it.

A while later.

"Eh, eh, eh--!!!"

X N.

"This face... I think I'm in love, Koshiori!"

Me too~

"Could it be some celebrity? A newly debuted musician?!"

"Really?! Is that a boy?! It's definitely a girl!"

"He could be a boy, but he seems to fit my aesthetic even better than the girl from before..."

"Such formidable musical talent, and such an appearance... Excuse me, I'd like to go to the mountaintop for some peace and quiet."

"I'll go too."

"Remember to come back! Don't actually jump!"

"..."

Kitauji.

"Wow~ Oh, korewa korewa (This is really, really)~"

Tanaka Asuka twisted her body, covered her face, and said with great gossip, "I never expected that Himemiya student would have such a cute face~ Is that why he wears a mask?!"

"Um, are you willing to say he's cute now?"

Kumiko Oumae couldn't help but complain.

She had just said that she would only use the word "cute" to describe girls.

"That was just now, this is now!"

She waved her Conductor's Baton with a grin, striking a golf-playing pose, her expression full of enthusiasm.

"And then! Among our Little Birds, are there any who have a crush on Himemiya student?"

"Forehead..."

"While Himemiya student is indeed quite handsome... or beautiful?, I, Kogoro, am even more fascinated by his music!"

"Oh~ Sophia Kawashima, are you in love with his music?"

Yes! I'm in love with his music!

"So you have romantic feelings for him? Oh, I see!"

"Asuka, stop teasing them too much."

Ogasawara Haruka rolled her eyes at her.

"Hey~ hey hey~ what does it matter!"

Tanaka Asuka pressed on her shoulder, shifting her teasing focus, "And you, Haruka? When you see his face, do you feel any sense of love?"

"No, stop teasing me!"

Ogasawara Haruka blushed and slapped her, making her quickly laugh and dodge.

"Mo! Why do you get so excited every time we talk about love? You've never even been in one!"

"So, Haruka, you also... cough um~ longing for that kind of thing is a young person's—no, it's a human instinct!"

Seeing the serious expression on her face, she decided not to provoke her any further.

"What about Kaori? I see quite a few kids on the field have pink hair on their heads, so youthful~"

"..."

"Kaori?"

"Oh, sorry! What did you say?"

Nakasako Kaori quickly composed herself and met her gaze.

"..."

Tanaka Asuka leaned closer to her graceful figure in surprise, observing her closely. "Hmm~ I didn't expect Kaori to be attracted to him too, that's quite a surprise!"

"That's not quite right..."

Nakasako Kaori immediately retorted without thinking.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, a sense of enlightenment, as if the answer had been revealed, lingered in her heart.

No, perhaps that's exactly what happened? She frowned, lost in thought.

With her lovely appearance and gentle personality, she has been loved by others since childhood, which she has long taken for granted and is willing to treat others sincerely.

After meeting Kitauji in Asuka, she felt as if she had encountered a "special being" whose light was different from everyone else's, and she was gradually drawn to Asuka.

Like any boy or girl meeting their first love, she firmly believed that this relationship was unique and pure.

"I've never thought about getting close to anyone else; Asuka is probably the only one in my life"—that's what she once thought.

Although they are just ordinary friends right now, and she doesn't plan to ruin that friendship immediately, she intends to confess her feelings to Asuka with a love letter and move in together after graduating from high school...

Regardless of what others think, she has no intention of going against her own heart.

This feeling is pure and innocent, not something vulgar that deserves criticism, a fact she would swear on her life.

But just now, she seemed to have seen another radiance of "special existence," and that radiance of tomorrow seemed much brighter than Asuka's...

Now, what should she do...? Her pearly white teeth, as white as snow, bit her cherry-colored lower lip, her eyes filled with unprecedented confusion.

If she had already established a relationship with Tanaka Asuka, had a definite connection and someone to whom she would give everything, then she wouldn't be troubled by this at all.

But, not yet, and I haven't even mentioned this idea to her... And what's more, the other person is a man...

Whether she likes it or not, she has to admit that, considering both societal views and the Mirai of both parties, the path of a man and a woman is much wider than that of a woman with only one partner.

"..."

No, she doesn't know him well enough yet; it's too early to think about that. Even if she were willing, he might already have a girlfriend.

She shook her head, forcibly pulling herself out of her chaotic thoughts.

"Not going to say anything? Then you can leave. I need to continue hosting the event."

He had no time to deal with the little beauty whose worldview was shattered; he then gestured to the crowd below, instructing them to continue playing music and dancing.

But perhaps it was Kōsaka Reina's request that opened Pandora's box, because the subsequent plot developments are clearly very wrong.

The ratio of men to women on stage has changed from almost equal to 20/80, and the demands made by the participants have gradually deviated from the event's overall style.

"I'd like to change my condition, just like the previous teacher, the girl! Can I take a picture with you?"

"No, next one."

"Um, if it's possible, could you please tell me your contact information...?"

"Due to privacy concerns, we cannot disclose further information."

"What's your name? Which school do you go to? Are you free this afternoon...?"

"Too many questions, you can get off now!"

Frustrated, he quickly handed out the remaining few banknotes, then picked up his Saxophone, bent over, and looked exhausted.

He held it up for a full half minute before the commotion below subsided. He then eagerly delivered his closing remarks. "As you can see, I'm out of money, and I can't delay your return to school any longer!"

"So, as I just said, let me now perform one last song for you all, and then we'll head back!"

"The name of the last song is -- Going Home!"

Having said that, ignoring the chorus of sighs below, he immediately squatted down, turned the stereo back on, and played the accompaniment.

After the leisurely electronic synthesized sounds and delicate drumbeats, a few beats of Saxophone announce its arrival.

This is different from the quiet praise in the first poem and the emotional lyricism in the second.

Lazy, gentle, warm, peaceful, with a touch of melancholy... It's like the leisurely tune that someone unconsciously hums on their way home after a hard day's work, lingering in everyone's ears.

The initially reluctant, resentful, and restless emotions in the audience were gradually calmed down the moment the Saxophone started playing in the first section.

Unconsciously, they also began to detach themselves from the lively atmosphere of the festival and miss their family members, beds, cats and dogs, and even the floors and furniture at home... The ordinary little things dispelled their yearning for the "extraordinary".

Great music has the power to manipulate and change the emotions of its listeners.

If rock music is the gunpowder that ignites emotions, then music that brings peace and deep thought must be pure instrumental music.

The leisurely and serene melody, the clean and refreshing Glissando, the clear and resonant emotional connection—all the previous deliberate displays of skill seem like clowns, silently feeling ashamed in the final notes.

Five minutes passed quickly, and the volume at the end gradually decreased, as if announcing the end.

After playing the last note, without even saying goodbye to Kasamaki Nozomi next to him, he decisively bent down, picked up the speaker, broke through the crowd, and ran into the park, not even daring to look back at the car.

"Goodbye!!!"

He left the crowd with the silhouette of a sprinter, disappearing quickly and leaving everyone, still reeling from the afterglow, speechless.

How could he run so fast...?

"Alright! That's it! We've already wasted a lot of time, hurry up and load all the instruments onto the truck!"

"Club President! Count the number of people before boarding!"

The first person to ruthlessly end the game was Matsumoto Michie.