Chapter 424

"..."

X N.

A long time.

While the other three stared at the desserts in their hands with complicated expressions, it was Tanaka Asuka spoke first.

She pointed at him, stomping her foot in feigned exasperation. "You! You're even such a good cook?! With such a strong Feminine Charm, you're really going to become the kind of person guys talk about!"

"I don't understand what you're saying,"

Himemiya Chihaya glanced at Kumiko Oumae who had appeared behind her. "Oumae and the others are here."

A moment later, the three-person team from Class 3, with stiff Low Tone Section, arrived at their side.

"Asuka- senpai, this is...?"

"Hey! Three kittens! You've kept us waiting!"

Tanaka Asuka gestured to them, "Hurry up and introduce yourselves!"

"Kitty?"

"Have you been waiting long?"

"Introduce yourself?"

The three looked at each other, bewildered by their superior's words, but when they saw Himemiya Chihaya standing next to them, they realized who they were introducing themselves to.

"Oh, we meet again... I'm Kumiko Oumae, nice to meet you~"

"I'm Kato Hazuki! Nice to meet you, you awesome young man!"

"I'm Kawashima... just call me Kogoro!"

"Hey~ don't be shy, Sophia Kawashima ~"

Tanaka Asuka grinned mischievously and patted her shoulder.

"Waaaaah~! Don't say it out loud! Asuka- senpai!"

Kawashima Midori blushed and hurriedly waved his hands.

"My name is Himemiya Chihaya, as I've introduced myself before. Nice to meet you."

After saying that, he took out three of his special greeting gifts from his Backpack and distributed them to the three people.

"Is this... the one the seniors were holding?"

"Oh, it was posted by Himemiya student! I was wondering why Kousaka student had one too..."

Meeting Kōsaka Reina's tilted and puzzled expression, Kumiko Oumae quickly and awkwardly looked away.

"Wow~ So delicious! I felt a different kind of emotion from music, from the food!"

"Hey? Kogoro, you're already eating?"

"Seriously! It's incredibly delicious!!"

"Hazuki-chan, you too...?"

"Alright~ Stop dawdling! I'm starving, let's go, let's go!"

Tanaka Asuka gave the order, pointing to the road ahead. "Let's Go!"

"Huh? Where are we going, Asuka- senpai!"

Unlike the others who already understood the reason, the three who were unaware of the situation quickly jogged to catch up.

"Let's go eat!"

"Huh? You guys were waiting for us to have dinner with us? What about back in the clubroom earlier...?"

"We didn't know either! Who knew we'd run into this guy at the school gate!"

She pointed to the silver-haired boy beside her, "Oh, by the way, he's treating us to lunch today!"

"Is that so?! But why...?"

"Ah~ Hmm! Oumae-chan, you ask too many questions!"

"..."

"..."

Five minutes later, Kitauji and the others understood what had happened and why the others were there.

"By the way, Himemiya student, where are your musical instruments and stereo?"

Kumiko Oumae looked curiously at his empty Hands.

"It's in the car."

"I see... Hey? Did you come with your family?"

"No, I drove here."

"..."

X N.

The seven of them stopped in their tracks and stared at him in disbelief.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I still have a driver's license, after all."

Without a second thought, he pulled out his fake driver's license and waved it in front of them.

The group breathed a sigh of relief.

"Great! I thought we'd run into a reckless driver!"

"You got your driver's license so quickly? Your birthday is quite early Himemiya student."

"By the way, where did you find the time to get your driver's license? Did you skip class or take leave?"

"..."

The group of women chattered excitedly as they walked towards the family restaurant they knew well, laughing and joking.

Kōsaka Reina silently looked away from him, her feelings a jumble of complex emotions.

While she was still yearning for something special and longing for a spontaneous trip, others had already obtained their driver's licenses and were even going on road trips during high school...

This huge gap made her feel a little heartbroken.

Ten minutes later, the group sat down in the family restaurant and ordered their food.

"My Himemiya student ~"

"What are you doing, Asuka- san?"

"How can you play the Saxophone so well? When did you start learning music?"

"It just happened naturally like this? When... when I was 6 years old, I guess?"

"Wow... so you've had a foundation for over ten years, right? No wonder you're so amazing..."

Kato Hazuki was at the next table, turned around and joined the conversation.

Because there were so many of them, they were divided into two adjacent tables, with four third-grade students and four first-grade students.

"No, Kato-san, that level of skill can't be built up in just a little time."

Kōsaka Reina, who sat next to her, retorted.

"Is that so?"

She, who only started learning musical instruments this year, asked in bewilderment.

For a beginner, she couldn't even tell how good or bad the performance was.

During the Wind Ensemble Club performance at the entrance ceremony, when Kumiko Oumae criticized it as terrible, she only thought it was so-so.

"Yes, there are many people who have studied music for more than ten years, but only a very small number have reached his level."

"Ah, that's true! The teacher has been studying for many years, hasn't he? But he also said that he can't compare to Himemiya student!"

Kato Hazuki suddenly realized what was going on; after seeing the example, she immediately understood.

"..."

Kōsaka Reina subconsciously squinted and glared at him, but remembering that it was Taki Noboru himself who said it, she helplessly looked away.

Why does Himemiya student always wear a mask?

The one who asked the question was Nakasako Kaori, who found it very strange that he was still wearing a mask.

"There's no other reason, I just don't like people taking pictures of my face."

Himemiya Chihaya removed her mask and explained with a light laugh, "Because the previous performance was something I had planned in advance, I figured someone would take pictures of me."

"Oh!"

X N.

Even seeing his true face for the second time, the group was still slightly shocked.

It's such a waste not to go with that face...

"Indeed, you were already quite eye-catching. With your good looks on top of that, it would be strange if no one took pictures of you."

Kumiko Oumae crossed her arms and wholeheartedly agreed.

Tanaka Asuka couldn't help but retort to his impossibly exquisite face, "Has no one ever told you you should go back into the painting?"

Even if they consider themselves outstanding beauties, perhaps due to genetics, whitening, skincare, nutrition, maintenance, exercise, and other details, they can't help but envy his skin and appearance.

"There really is."

He let out a short sigh, thinking of Okura Rumin.

Although, to be precise, the other party said he should be sent back to the art museum and confined there.

"Then I'll have to trouble you this afternoon... Is there anyone willing to volunteer to show me around Uji and show me the local customs and culture?"

"Hmm... what should I do?"

Tanaka Asuka leisurely clasped her Hands together, rested her chin on them, and smiled slyly.

"Oh, right? Next time you go to Tokyo, I'll be your tour guide!"

"That sounds tempting, although I think it's probably going to be difficult this year because I need to prepare for the National Competition."

"That's true. I guess they'll be training at school all summer, I wonder how many days they'll get off..."

Although summer vacation is still far away and the department's training schedule hasn't been printed out yet, they have this feeling based on the past two weeks of training.

"Hey? Sacrificing your summer vacation just to prepare for this, isn't that a bit too much? It's not like it's some professional music competition... Is it really necessary to work this hard?"

"Don't say such provocative things. We couldn't even get past the Prefectural Competition before. Of course, we need to put in 100% effort to enter the national competition, right?"

"Alright~ Although I don't quite understand it, this is also a way to experience youth. I wish you all the best in making it to the national finals this year."

"Thank you, by the way,"

As if struck by a thought, Tanaka Asuka's eyes flickered, and she hesitantly asked, "When you were playing today, that girl next to you... how did you meet her?"

The person she was referring to was, of course, Kasamaki Nozomi.

"That one next to her... could it be Nozomi-chan?"

"It really was her? I saw her too!"

Upon hearing her mention this, both Nakasako Kaori and Ogasawara Haruka frowned and spoke up.

"Oh, she's here today too. Is she here to see our performance?"

"Nozomi... I think she'll accept the current Wind Ensemble Club."

Because of Kasamaki Nozomi's charismatic personality and cheerful nature, she has many friends and was very famous in the Wind Ensemble Club last year—otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to take away a bunch of classmates with a single wave of her arm.

Unlike their clear understanding, the four first-year students at the next table were completely confused.

Who is Nozomi?

"I don't know... is it a Senpai?"

"Asuka- senpai?"