Chapter 589
At its end, there are the usual train barriers; you have to wait for them to rise before you can pass.
After passing through, there's the tiring long uphill slope that Okita Sawa mentioned—probably several hundred meters long, which is indeed a good workout.
Fortunately, biotechnology can make up for everything.
He patted Sabure, who was breathing heavily, urging him to try harder.
"しくをける(The breeze brings new green)"
"どこまでもくみるよ(clear sky, high distance, boundless blue)"
"Now the sun is caressing the earth"
"てをやわらかくらすだろう~(Tenderly spread the light~)"
"..."
The sudden low contralto voice made him turn his head in surprise.
The soothing and gentle a cappella melody, even without accompaniment, brings a sense of calm and relaxation.
The style combines Japanese pop with traditional choral rhythms, making it a suitable lyrical campus-style song.
After she finished singing it once and paused, the two arrived at the school gate. He asked nostalgically, "What song is that? I've never heard it before, but it's a really nice piece."
"The Heart's Melody." Okita Sawa turned around and smiled, her youthful and mischievous charm overflowing.
"It's a song our school's Choir Club is preparing to submit to this High School Joint Music Presentation —but we don't know who the composer is; it's just sitting in the preparation room behind the concert hall."
"Oh, by the way, that preparation room is now the Choir Club's office!"
Himemiya Chihaya nodded in understanding, but looking through the school gate at the magnificent teaching buildings and greenery inside, she felt a pang of sadness.
Because it was the weekend, the main gate was naturally closed, but--
How come even a school is so luxurious and high-end... Aside from the size, this place feels just as good as Haneoka.
And it not only has basic facilities like a gymnasium, Parking Lot, and playground, but also a two-story independent restaurant with a spiral staircase... Seriously, is this how big a school is on a small island?
I'm so relieved, thank you.
"That building in front is our teaching building. The left side is for the General Department, and the right side is for the Music Department... Our school is a little different from other schools in this respect."
Through the iron gate, Okita Sawa pointed to the elegant building directly opposite, a blend of classicism and modernity.
"It's definitely different..." It's a bit too extravagant; even Minehara High School, where Sakurajima Mai attends, can't compare.
Sure enough, it's those who play music and art who have money.
"Is Miss Sawa in the Choir Club?"
"You could say that. I used to be in the Archery Club, but my friend messed up in the Vocal Music Club last year and couldn't sing this year, so he left the club and started a new Choir Club, and he pulled me in too~"
Her brows furrowed with a mixture of helplessness and affection for her friend. "But the Archery Club activities are still going on, and I hope I can participate in the equestrian archery competition in the future."
The friend she was talking about was Miyamoto Raika. She was a bit of a ditz, and her figure and height couldn't compare to hers, but she had a good heart. She had a very lively and cute personality and was very passionate about singing.
Last year's blunder refers to the fact that I sang off-key during the competition because I was too nervous, and afterwards I was relegated to the lowly job of turning pages for the Piano...
"I see."
He spurred his horse and urged it onward uphill, "Since we can't go in, let's keep going. Miss Sawa, could you sing that song again? I'd like to sing along too."
"It's possible, but did you remember that?"
"For now~"
"Okay, one, two, three!"
"しくをける(The breeze brings new green)"
"..."
"The wind passes through the earth and the earth comes through (listen to the wind gently passing through, and let the green waves of the earth roll by)"
"しくをんでるよ(Time forgets to pass, everything is immersed in the moment)"
"..."
Chapter 532 An Encounter on the Beach
By the time I stepped back onto the bridge to the outlying island, the song had already ended.
While waiting for the railing to rise, Himemiya Chihaya remembered to ask, "Miss Sawa, when is the next joint presentation?"
"It's next Wednesday, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, it just feels like it's going to rain."
"Ah," Okita Sawa looked up at the sunless sky overhead, "Speaking of which, the weather forecast said it would rain for the Mirai two days..."
"It should be fine, there are still three days left," Himemiya Chihaya reassured her.
"Yeah, it should be fine... right?" A sense of foreboding slowly crept into her heart.
You're overthinking it. Even if it rains, it won't affect their indoor performance.
Yes! There shouldn't be any problem!
Reaching this end of the bridge, Okita Sawa reined in her horse and turned to ask, "Where are you going next Chihaya- san?"
"I'd like to take a walk along Shichirigahama for a while."
"Sandy terrain... Have you ever been to the Radiant Sanctuary?"
"I don't think so. It mainly roamed through grass and mud before."
"That's a good opportunity for it to get used to it! Maybe it'll even participate in competitions with sandy surfaces in the future!"
The two walked and talked, and after walking through the Katase Higashihama Beach, they officially entered the main road.
The two hurried along the main road, one after the other. It was better to get through quickly than to walk side by side and obstruct the road.
The distance from the bridge to Shichirigahama or Kamakura High School is only about two kilometers, a distance that a horse can cover in a few minutes at a trot.
Before reaching the steps leading down to the beach, the two dismounted and led their horses down the steps.
After walking on the beach for a while, Sabure didn't seem to mind, probably because he occasionally came here. But the Radiant Sanctuary seemed a little uncomfortable, snorting impatiently as if lamenting how unpleasant the lousy road was.
"Does Chihaya- san attend school in Fujisawa?" Okita Sawa asked while reassuring Radiant Sanctuary.
"No, it's in Tokyo, but I spend most of my time working now, so I don't go to school often."
"Huh? Is this okay?"
"It's okay~ Our school values student autonomy, as long as there's a legitimate reason."
"Ha..." Her worldview was shaken; she didn't know whether she should marvel at Tokyo's advanced educational philosophy...
"So you're already working? That's amazing! What kind of job is it?"
"My family is in the clothing industry, so I've been learning clothing design and production since I was little. Music is also one of my extracurricular hobbies; I occasionally work as a composer and temporary musician."
"That sounds amazing... I can't even imagine it, it's like they're professionals, even more impressive than our school's Music Department."
"It's not that exaggerated. The young people around me are all very capable."
"This is what they mean by birds of a feather flocking together. So, what kind of job do you want to do in the Mirai?"
I think they will all do it.
"So you're doing multiple jobs? Isn't that tiring?"
"As long as it's something I want to do, I won't feel tired."
"That makes sense too!"
Hearing this, she seemed even more determined.
Himemiya Chihaya awkwardly smoothed her hair. He had only answered casually; she really didn't mean anything by it.
So, it's true that humans always seem to have sudden, inexplicable epiphanies in all sorts of places...
The two men and two horses were so conspicuous that anyone who noticed them would stare at them intently.
At this point, if there are acquaintances among them...
"Chihaya ~san!"
"It sounds like they're calling you?" Okita Sawa reminded her from the side.
"Let me see..." Because the name Himemiya Chihaya, he didn't react immediately.
The familiar yet youthful voice didn't stir much in Himemiya Chihaya Sakurajima Mai, who was likely to cause some trouble.
But in a sense, they seem pretty much the same...
At the edge of his focused gaze was a girl with blue-black hair, wearing a pure white ruffled dress, waving vigorously in his direction, accompanied by a couple.
The face, somewhere between youthful and adolescence, looks like someone just entering puberty—okay! That's enough! No need to go any further!
This is a far more dangerous area than Inui Shinju!
"Shoko's sister?" He said the name unexpectedly, and waved in that direction as well.
"An acquaintance?" Okita Sawa asked back.
"Yes, she's a little girl I knew before."
He looked around and realized that after walking along the beach for a while, they were now located not far from Minehara High School.
Phew~ Should I say it's a good thing it's the weekend?
[Note: The prototype for Minehara High School should be Kanagawa Prefecture Shichirigahama High School, which is located a little further east than Kamakura High School.]
After exchanging a few words with her parents, Makinohara Shoko came running over, her ponytail swaying and her skirt, a contrasting color, flowing gently.
Upon meeting, Makinohara Shoko politely greeted them, "Good morning, Chihaya- san! Are you here for a walk too?"
"Hmm, good morning, Xiangjiuzi, it's you too?"
Although he had been out for a long time, it was only eight or nine o'clock.
"Well, my parents insist on dragging me out to play on the weekend..." She frowned and smiled wryly.
She was both happy for her parents' concern and felt that their overprotectiveness was a burden on them—this was her complex inner world.
Putting all that aside, she looked at Okita Sawa beside him. "This older sister is... is she your girlfriend?! She's so cute!"
"What?!" Okita Sawa, whose identity had been mistaken for hers, took a step back, defeated by the words of the girl who was five years younger than her.
Throughout her life, although her mother and others had jokingly asked her about her boyfriend and other things, she always defused them with a gentle and breezy demeanor.
The problem is—there really is a guy with her!
Himemiya Chihaya chuckled playfully, her mischievous side awakened, and nodded repeatedly with her arms crossed. "That's right~ This is my girlfriend whom I just met this morning~"
"No way! Chihaya- san!" Okita Sawa denied loudly, her face slightly flushed.
"Isn't that right?" It was Makinohara Shoko asked, tilting her head.
"No! Chihaya- san and I only met this morning! It's because of the Radiant Sanctuary!"
"The Radiant Sanctuary?" She understood even less.
Okita Sawa quickly explained what had happened to her.
"..."
Upon learning the truth, Makinohara Shoko rolled her eyes at him, put her hands on her hips, and held up her index finger, lecturing him in a lecturing tone. "Chihaya- san, that's not good, is it? How can you just casually call someone your girlfriend?"
Her maturity beyond her years and appearance creates a strange sense of incongruity.
"Sorry, I just suddenly felt like making a joke to tease you two."
"Even worse~" Makinohara Shoko pouted, turned her head away, and politely introduced herself to Okita Sawa: "Hello, Sawa- san! I'm Makinohara Shoko!"
"Makinohara Service Area! Shoko can fly freely!"
Himemiya Chihaya's gaze faltered slightly as she recalled their last meeting.
"Shoko-chan, your self-introduction is quite unique." Okita Sawa couldn't help but chuckle, suddenly feeling an urge to hug her because of her cuteness!
"I learned it from Chihaya- san!" she playfully stuck out her little pink tongue.
"Um?"
Okita Sawa was completely confused, but she didn't think about it too much.