Am I being simulated by their love affair?

"Does that mean playing 'Kyoto Blowing'?"

Hirouchi Aya was so angry that her chest heaved and she slapped Matsueda Jun's arm.

"Shut up! Lead the way!"

Matsueda fell silent. They walked up the tourist trail, passing Hakone Shrine, where a girl in a shrine maiden's attire was sweeping the floor at the entrance. They also passed the Narukawa Art Museum, where many tourists were walking along the path, and many couples were staring at the two people who were not in a relationship.

After turning into a small path away from the lakeshore, you can see an auditorium-like building after a few steps, and you can faintly hear the sound of music.

"This is it, teacher. I'll go back first." Matsueda Jun turned and was about to leave, but was stopped by Hirouchi Aya.

"Today I must show you what a professional teacher is!"

Jun Matsueda could only walk in with her, and "When the Wind Shines" was played louder in his ears.

"Teacher Aya!"

The girls put down their instruments and looked at Hirouchi Aya who appeared at the door.

"Aho~" Hirouchi Aya waved to the girls, and the girls in the front row ran up to her and hugged her.

"The teacher has gotten better again~"

Yamami Maki looked at the laughing and noisy girls with a helpless expression.

"Alright, hurry up and get back to your original position. Mr. Guangnei, please come to the stage and give us some guidance."

Jun Matsueda walked to the tripod, and Natsumi Imokawa and Yumi Seshita moved two chairs and sat there.

"I'm back, Yumi-san, go out and play."

Yumi-chan cheered and slipped out like a wild cat.

"Would you like something to drink, Yuchuan? I can buy it for you. You must be tired sitting here all the time, right?"

"Imokawa..." The girl ignored his question and just repeated the name.

"Don't you like being called that? Then I'll just call you Imokawa-san." Matsueda Jun thought that the two of them had become familiar with each other after such a long period of filming.

"No, Imokawa will do!" She shook her head and watched Matsueda Jun sit down in Seshita Yumi's chair.

The two stopped talking, one looking at the camera monitor and the other at the stage. They were not embarrassed by the silence, as they had become tacitly in sync.

After playing the theme song again, the stage fell silent, waiting for Hirouchi Aya's opinion.

"The flute should enter the second section a little faster. Note that it's not early, but fast. The principal can raise the volume a bit to bring out the emotions of the others."

The girl sitting in the front row at the flute nodded.

"The connection between the clarinet and the saxophone is not good, and the performance is a bit chaotic. Pay attention to it when practicing the parts and practice a few more times."

Yamami Maki nodded vigorously. She was the principal clarinetist, and the clarinet section also had the most senior students.

The seniors behind him responded enthusiastically, but their faces showed no expression.

Hirouchi Aya asked some more questions about intervals and phonation, and finally said, "First, practice on your own for half an hour according to my suggestions, and then we can play together."

The girls came down from the stage and scattered to various corners of the auditorium, while Hirouchi Aya walked to the tripod.

She raised an eyebrow at Matsueda Jun, "So, are you shocked by my professional guidance?"

Jun Matsueda looked at the camera monitor and nodded. "The teacher is indeed professional, but could you please move a little closer to the audience?"

"what happened?"

Matsueda Jun glanced at the screen again and said, "Nothing."

Just now, Hirouchi Aya stood in front of the camera, with her upright suspenders directly in front of the lens, revealing a sea of ​​white.

Matsueda Jun leaned over to Imokawa Natsumi's ear and whispered, "Delete that part later."

"Why?" Natsumi Imokawa looked at him with wide eyes, "Wasn't the scene just now quite good? The teacher's shape was also--"

Matsueda Jun quickly put his hand in front of the girl's mouth. After confirming that Hironachi Aya didn't hear him, he breathed a sigh of relief, "Stop talking! This doesn't fit the theme of our filming. Delete it!"

Imokawa Natsumi nodded aggrievedly. It wasn't that big, so why couldn't she take a picture of it? She lowered her head and glanced at her chest.

In the corner on the right side of the auditorium, Yamami Maki was communicating with the club members.

"Didn't everyone perform well in the previous performances? Why are the problems so obvious recently?" The director frowned. She was a sophomore and couldn't be too tough in front of her seniors.

"Because of the saxophone, the saxophone. We've never worked together before, and it seems to have a big impact on us. We're not used to it." The seniors also acted troubled, looking at the saxophone part on the other side, or to be more precise, the girl who played the lead.

Tomatsu Tomoka was concentrating on correcting the club members' problems and did not notice their gazes.

Chapter 54: Dissonant Intervals

"The flute has made great progress this time, and the emotions are more in place. The vibrato in future performances should be based on this standard and should be maintained."

The principal flute player gave Hirouchi Aya a sweet smile, and the girls behind her gave a small wave. The fatigue from their repetitive practice dissipated considerably after receiving praise.

"Hmm... the saxophone is excellent, but it's a bit too prominent, and the clarinet is a bit too weak. This will ruin the overall feeling of the piece. We should try to improve the coordination."

"The trumpet and French horn can remain as they are now. When practicing independently, try to cross scales more often and try to handle the details as well as possible."

Flute and saxophone are the parts with more freshmen. They are very humble and willing to accept Hirouchi Aya's guidance and practice seriously.

As a teacher, Hirouchi Aya doesn't criticize other vocal sections for not practicing hard enough. She simply offers suggestions, not the kind of person who whips them from behind, urging them to move forward.

National Gold isn't an honor you can earn through high-pressure training; it requires unity and concerted effort. If the majority of members aren't willing to work toward this goal, no amount of lashing out from the advisor will be of any use.

"Take a ten-minute break, then practice for another hour, and finish at noon. The director seems to want to arrange for you to go out and play." Hirouchi Aya walked to the stage, and the girls' numb expressions became lively because of the sudden surprise.

The wind band's training camp has been going on for five days. Yamami Maki knows that they can't let everyone's nerves get too tense, so it's time to relax.

Hirouchi Aya walked towards the news department. "How do you feel? Have their skills improved?"

The three of them nodded, with Natsumi Imokawa nodding the most. This plot of youthful struggle seemed to satisfy her.

Hirouchi Aya was still standing in front of the camera, but today she was wearing a long dress, which was not very revealing and not attractive enough for the girl holding the camera.

"We can clearly feel that the overall performance of the wind ensemble is better, and the coordination is more harmonious and more uniform. But we are outsiders and can't hear anything more." said Jun Matsueda.

"Are you an amateur, Songzhi? I was watching you while I was dazed on the stage. Every time you played, you kept the beat from the audience. Our timpani made mistakes, but you never missed a beat."

Hirouchi Aya rolled her eyes at him, and Matsueda Jun smiled and made a gesture of spinning a drumstick with his bare hands.

Jun Matsueda did have something to say. In the past two days, he clearly felt that the improvement of the wind section was reaching its limit, and the reason was the coordination between the saxophone and other parts.

In fact, the saxophone can be easily integrated into the symphony. The problem is not the instrument itself, but the person who uses it.

After a few days of observation, he found that this "discordant sound" almost came from the sophomores and juniors. Whenever the saxophone sounded, whether intentionally or due to emotions, their playing would become less focused and the level would drop slightly.

Jun Matsueda was just an amateur drummer, and he had rarely played since leaving the orphanage. Hirouchi Aya couldn't have been unaware of what he could see, and since the teacher hadn't said anything, he wasn't going to say anything either.

Perhaps a scenario where they failed to win gold would also be a good one. He glanced at Natsumi Imokawa beside him. The girls tried their best but still failed miserably, their tears streaming down their faces. Surely Imokawa would be excited to film that scene, too?

After all, failure and tears are the main themes of most people's youth.

An hour later, the exhausted members swarmed out of the auditorium, with Matsueda Jun following behind them.

Walking out of the woods, the sunlight blew in, hitting their faces which had become flushed from long hours of practice. The girls squinted their eyes, feeling uncomfortable as if they had returned from another world.

A girl in the crowd gradually slowed down her pace and finally walked side by side with Matsueda Jun.

After the short-lived fireworks festival, Tomatsu Tomoka is no longer as close to Matsueda Jun as before. Perhaps this is what the girl calls "proof"?

"Chunjun, the captain asked me to tell you that he hopes you can come with the band on their trip." The girl still used that intimate name.

"The director said that in order to be responsible for the safety of the members, everyone must travel together. If anything unexpected happens, Jun-kun, as a boy, will be more reliable."

"I also hope that when I stand in front of such a beautiful scenery, the person closest to me is you."

Tomatsu Tomoka looked at Matsueda Jun's fluttering eyelashes. The girl's ability to say sweet words had improved a bit. Perhaps her progress in this area was faster than that of Saxophone.

Jun Matsueda nodded. "Everyone from the News Department will be here. If you have any plans or need me to bring anything, please let me know in advance."

The girl no longer felt offended by his politeness, so she nodded and returned to the group.

When we returned to the hotel, Mochizuki Yao was sitting on the lawn at the door reading a book. The girl was wearing a white floral dress with fluttering lace edges, and a cat was walking around her.

Mochizuki Haruka rarely wears large areas of white, but in fact, white looks her most natural. Her face, with a hint of childishness, and eyes that are free of impurities, is like Lake Ashi at a quiet moment, where even without wind, waves stir in one's heart.

Jun Matsueda walked to the edge of the lawn and held out his hand to the cat. The golden elf walked gracefully towards him, licking his palm repeatedly and tickling him.

When the girl looked up from her book, she saw the docile cat in front of the boy and cried out in dissatisfaction, "Golden Branch!"

The creature named Golden Branch rubbed Jun Matsueda's hand twice with nostalgia, then returned to its owner.

"Is this your cat? It's quite human-like." Jun Matsueda asked. He always thought it belonged to the hotel.

The girl didn't answer. She turned another page in the book and said without emotion, "The female cat is in estrus. When she reaches adulthood, she should be sent for sterilization."

The little female cat crouched before Mochizuki Haruka, her eyes tearing up as she cried out twice. The girl lifted her foot and kicked it aside. Jinzhi rolled over and landed beside Songzhi Jun again, her fur stained with broken grass leaves, and she stared at him with wide eyes.

Tomatsu Tomoka was talking on the phone with her mother on the third-floor terrace. She looked at the two people and the cat on the lawn, her face expressionless.

"Well, I'll pay attention."

"Boys? There aren't any boys. The only ones coming to the wind band this time are girls."

"Don't worry, even if there are boys, they won't live with us."

On the lawn, Matsueda Jun was about to speak, and Mochizuki Haruka was also looking at him, with her lips slightly parted, as if she had something to say.

"You speak first." Wangyue Yao lowered his head and started reading again.

"Mr. Mochizuki Haruka, regarding the Earth Science Competition, I hope that in the future, before the people you arrange take any action, you can try to inform me in advance. And don't say "young master" or anything like that, it makes me feel embarrassed."

"Okay." Mochizuki Haruka's voice was muffled. Although Matsueda Jun had spoken very politely, she still felt empty in her heart.

I did something wrong again.

"What did you want to say?" asked Jun Matsueda.

"...There's a table available at a famous kaiseki restaurant at noon, but you're not going there anyway."

Wang Yueyao lowered his head, his eyes seeing the out-of-focus printed text, and the paper with a light wood color was wrinkled.

Having just expressed his dissatisfaction with the girl, Jun Matsueda felt a little embarrassed facing her kindness.

When Tomatsu Tomoka hung up the phone and returned to the terrace, there was no one on the lawn, even the golden cat was gone. Only an open book was lying there alone.

She went downstairs and onto the lawn, closing the book that had been opened. It had a light green cover, a gold border, and white cursive text.

"What's Inside My Head When I Fall in Love with You".

Tomatsu Tomoka knew that a person in love would not ask this question.

Chapter 55: Calling the Devil of Love in the Sculpture Forest

The wind band's holiday is one and a half days, which is neither long nor short. That afternoon, the girls went to the Open-Air Museum first.

There are more than a dozen art museums of various sizes in Hakone, many of which are more like art parks than art museums.

Entering the Open-Air Museum requires passing through a cave, and Jun Matsueda was reminded of the Peach Blossom Spring. After exiting the cave, a platform suddenly opened up before him.

Jun Matsueda was responsible for the rearguard, walking behind the girls with Natsumi Imokawa. Yumi Seshita was not interested in the art museum and chose to stay in the hotel and play with the cat.

Mochizuki Haruka didn't show up. In fact, she was away from Hakone most of the time. Matsueda Jun guessed that she was with her aunt. The girl had left someone to protect him. It was the man in the suit, standing by the statue outside the crowd. His face was a little haggard, almost blending in with the statue beside him.

Tomatsu Tomoka walked beside Yamami Maki. The minister's smile was fainter than usual, with a hint of worry.

"What do you think about the clarinet and saxophone, Minister?"

They walked a little further away from the crowd, and in front of them were four statues. The two of them read the explanatory texts on the side.

"The attitude of our seniors is not careless, it's just that they are not as serious as us..." Yamami Moki sighed. She didn't want to make the situation too awkward.

"I'll go talk to my seniors in the evening. Although I don't really want to force them, everyone is working hard and we can't let others down." In order to reassure Tomatsu Tomoka, Yamami Maki smiled. When a member of the club called her, the girl turned and left.

Tomatsu Tomoka nodded slightly and looked at the sculpture in front of her. The description said that it was created by the assistant of the famous sculptor Rodin.

The four 3.75-meter-high copper alloy sculptures reflect a dull glow in the sunlight, representing "strength," "victory," "freedom," and "eloquence" respectively.

When Tomatsu Tomoka returned to the band, she realized she was left out. The other girls were busy taking pictures of the sculptures and buildings, seemingly enjoying themselves, and didn't give her a chance to join them.

That was fine, the girl walked towards Jun Matsueda on the other side.

When Natsumi Imokawa saw Tomoka Tomatsu coming over, she immediately went somewhere else to take pictures. Girls appearing next to Jun Matsueda always made her feel nervous.

"What are you looking at, Chunjun?" The girl approached with a smile.

Jun Matsueda pointed to the sculpture in front of him. It was a large stone human head lying on its side on the ground, smiling, and the head was covered with dense vegetation.

"This sculpture feels very mysterious. It would be a bit scary if you saw it at night." The girl guessed what he was thinking.

"It's really creepy. I feel like it will say to me, 'It's time.'" Matsueda Jun nodded, but Tomatsu Tomoka didn't understand what he said and tilted her head cutely.