Am I being simulated by their love affair?

In the end, most of the girls decided to go to Atsuta Shrine, which is known as one of the three major shrines in Japan and is also a tourist attraction worth visiting in Nagoya.

At the suggestion of Tomatsu Tomoka, Yamami Maki's four-member team started their tour from Shiratori Garden, then passed Shiratori Park and crossed the stone bridge to reach Atsuta Jingu Park and the Main Shrine.

Yumi-chan accompanied Imokawa Natsumi to take photos, while Tomatsu Tomoka and Yamami Maki wandered around in the winding garden, and the four of them separated temporarily.

Yamami Maki, who came from a distinguished family, admired the garden's design and enjoyed a lively conversation with the gardener's wife. Tomatsu Tomoka said something to the director and walked alone to the river, where torn cherry blossom petals floated on the water, like the shimmering water of the Horikawa River.

"It's finally over." The voices of the seniors came from the other side of the wall-like bushes.

"There's no need to practice with that crazy woman. Now she has no excuse to blackmail us, right?" She heard someone tut impatiently.

"I feel like we can really win national gold." Someone whispered.

"To be honest, I'd rather not win the national gold medal, otherwise I'll have to watch Tomatsu steal the show again." This is the senior who lost her boyfriend.

"I don't want to listen to her saxophone anymore. It's disgusting. I really don't want to experience that muddy emotion. It gives me goosebumps."

Tomatsu Tomoka stopped Yamami Matsukio who was about to rush over, and the minister's face was filled with tangible anger.

The elders walked and talked as they circled around the garden, and their voices gradually faded away.

"Is it okay?" Yamami Moki looked at the girl's profile.

"Anyway, they probably won't participate in training after the national conference, so the minister doesn't need to care about their opinions." Tomatsu Tomoka's face was calm.

"Have you threatened them before?" Yamamiya Moki heard the conversation of her seniors and was a little worried that her juniors might leave any handle behind.

"I just advised them to practice hard." The girl imitated the minister's kind smile.

Yamami Moki could only sigh. She took her junior's arm and said, "Let's go and find Xia Shi and the others."

The four-member team paused for a moment before the cherry blossoms that bloomed in autumn, then walked across the bridge, through the ball field of Atsuta Jingu Park, and into the quaint torii gate of the main shrine.

The Jingu Shrine's natural landscape was no different from many parks in Japan, except for the wider paths and denser shade. The four of them walked along the seamless cobblestone path, quickly separating themselves. The two from the news department took photos as they walked, while the two from the orchestra kept pace.

It's like diving from the skyscrapers in the city into the forest. The sounds of traffic and roads, machinery and business are all blocked outside the water by layers of trees.

Yamami Maki and Tomatsu Tomoka passed by the temizuya, walked through the large camphor tree that was said to be a thousand years old, and drew fortunes outside the main hall where the Kusanagi sword, one of the three sacred treasures, is enshrined. The main hall is only open to relevant personnel during special festivals.

Tomatsu Tomoka shook the fortune stick holder gently and drew out one, the twenty-third. She wrote down the number and went to look for the fortune stick.

"If close friends forget about etiquette, they may quarrel. If the mind is not clear, there is a risk of unintentional slander."

"Wish: Taking care of others will grant your wish."

"Waiting for others: belated."

"Matchmaker: Be patient and your wish will come true."

"......" Tomatsu Tomoka looked at the Sueyoshi fortune in her hand, and the complicated emotions in her heart were hard to describe.

Is this a little too late?

Yamami Maki walked up to the girl and said, "Didn't Tomoka draw a good fortune? Don't worry too much."

"No, it's good. If I had come to Atsuta Shrine earlier, maybe everything would have been different." She folded the fortune carefully and put it in her pocket.

Legend has it that if you tie the fortune stick you get to the shrine, you can establish a bond with the gods, but the girl doesn't intend to do that, perhaps the gods will punish her for it.

They walked out of the main hall and met two people from the news department. Imokawa Natsumi felt a little disappointed when she learned that she could not take a picture of Kusanagi Ken. Seshita Yumi stood on tiptoe and touched the girl's head to comfort her.

Atsuta Shrine is huge, and the girls, feeling a bit tired from walking, returned to the playground at Jingu Park. The principal tuba player, Tadashi, and most of the wind band were there, playing with baseball sets they'd borrowed from somewhere.

The four-man team sat on the benches at the ballpark and watched as Duodai yelled "Home run!" with every pitch until the bottom of the ninth inning.

"I lost... I'm so unwilling..." Duodai knelt down in front of the principal trombone player, and Imokawa secretly took a picture of it.

"It's okay! All my bad luck was lost in the baseball game, so I won't lose in the concert!" The girl stood up suddenly. "Time is almost up, let's go back. Mount Fuji is waiting for me!"

Everyone returned to the Century Hall, where the final performance of Elite Girls' High School had just finished and was leaving the stage.

After waiting for half an hour, a man with a melancholy face and who looked tortured by the workplace walked onto the stage. He tapped the microphone lightly, and the scene naturally quieted down.

Everyone is waiting for the results.

"Now announcing the final results of the 72nd National Neon Wind Music Competition High School Division."

"...Ninth place, Mitaka City Hanaoka High School, Gold Medal."

The girls hugged each other excitedly, "Gold medal! It's a gold medal! National gold medal!"

“National Gold!!!”

The tuba leader Duodai wasn't as happy as he thought, probably because Bisheng had said it so many times, "I'm actually looking forward to Mount Fuji..."

As representatives, Yamami Maki and Tomatsu Tomoka went on stage and took home the gold trophy.

A lady who had been sitting on the judges' panel walked over to the girls and waved to Tomatsu Tomoka with a smile.

The girl walked over and saluted her, "Thank you for your recognition of our performance."

The woman smiled and said, "Your saxophone is very emotional. I really like that kind of sorrowful tone, almost like a broken heart. If your playing can continue to improve, you might be sitting on the judges' panel in a few years."

The girls lowered their voices and listened attentively to the conversation between the two.

"This is my business card. If you are interested in furthering your studies in this area when you enter university, you can consider the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra."

After the girl bowed again to express her gratitude, the woman waved goodbye and left.

"Amazing, Tomatsu! That guy seems to be the concertmaster of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra!"

The girls chattered around Tomatsu Tomoka, except for the seniors with grim expressions.

Matsueda Jun took out the microphone again and interviewed Yamami Maki first. "As the president, how do you feel about receiving the national scholarship this time?"

Her face flushed with excitement. "This is probably the happiest and most exciting moment I've ever had since entering Haneda High School. This is the result of the joint efforts of everyone in the wind band!"

The girls surrounded Yamami Maki again and took turns holding up the trophy representing the highest honor for the high school group.

Matsueda Jun continued to interview Tomatsu Tomoka, "Tomatsu-san's outstanding performance is obvious to all, and the judges just expressed their recognition of you. How do you feel now?"

"Thanks to the Minister and everyone's support." The girl looked at the camera behind him, then seemed to be looking over his shoulder. "I also want to thank the person who gave my saxophone such rich emotions. He taught me so much. Thank you."

There was no time for a celebratory banquet. At Hirouchi Aya's urging, the girls quickly boarded the school bus and hurried back to Tokyo.

The bus passed the Shizuoka coast again. The fish-scale-like light of the day was drowned by the night. Passing through the mountains of Kanagawa, Mount Fuji and Mount Myojin were also hidden in the shadows.

The car was so quiet that only the breathing of the girls could be heard. Once the excited and tired girls relaxed, they all fell asleep.

Yamami Maki forced herself to stay awake, looking at the girl sitting by the window. Tomatsu Tomoka wasn't sleepy at all, she was already thinking about what to do after returning to school.

When the two of them vaguely saw the bridge over the Tama River, Yamami Maki suddenly said.

"Youhua, I probably won't be staying in the brass band after next year. I hope to hand over the position of leader to you, and everyone will agree."

She is still worried about her juniors. After winning the gold medal at the national competition, Tomatsu Tomoka's expression became even calmer as she looked out the window, as if she had no worries.

Tomatsu Tomoka nodded, "If nothing unexpected happens, I will take over the responsibility from you, senior."

What other surprises could there be? Yamami Moki looked at her in confusion.

Tomatsu Tomoka didn't explain. She reached into her pocket and touched the thin paper of the fortune stick.

I haven't finished reading the signature documents for this afternoon.

"We should prioritize honesty and integrity, and be cautious in what we say and do."

“Travel: Be cautious.”

"Dispute: Let others do as they please."

Tomatsu Tomoka looked down at the Tama River beneath the bridge. The water rushed endlessly in the darkness, reflecting no light. This was only natural. The fireworks from two months ago had long since disappeared, and the remaining ashes and embers had long since been washed away by the flowing water and wind.

The girl's prayers in Tokyo did not receive any response. She wondered if the same result would occur this time as she severed her ties with the gods.

She began to wait for God's punishment.

Chapter 88 The Story of Your Life

Jun Matsueda and Haruka Mochizuki walked through the corridor of the teaching building together. It was time to go home from school and there were quite a few people in the corridor.

On the bulletin board in the middle of the first floor, there are two commendation letters with photos attached.

One photo shows Jun Matsueda standing in front of the Aoyama University auditorium. He has a calm expression, which makes people feel that "this guy has already won."

"Congratulations to Jun Matsueda from Class 17, Grade 19, for winning the gold medal in the th Neon Science and Geography Olympiad Championship and the th International Geography Olympiad Trials. Special commendation."

One photo shows the wind orchestra on the stage of Century Hall in Nagoya International Conference Center, with Tomatsu Tomoka performing a solo in the center of the picture.

"Warm congratulations to our school's wind band for winning the gold medal in the high school category of the All-Neon Wind Band Competition."

A few days ago, at the school's request, Jun Matsueda and Tomoka Tomatsu both accepted interviews from local media, and now everyone in the school knows them.

"So where are you taking me?" Mochizuki Yao looked at the boy next to her.

"Let's watch a movie." They went up to the fourth floor of the activity building, where there were many idle classrooms.

"Watch a movie?" The girl frowned. "My aunt is still at the hospital. I don't have that much time."

"Starting today, her physical examination will be adjusted to this time period. There's no point in you going back now."

Jun Matsueda opened the door of the empty classroom. The sunlight penetrated the dust, leaving mayfly-like spots of light in the air. He pulled all the curtains, turned his head and said to the girl.

“They say people go to the cinema when they die.”

The tables and chairs were piled up randomly in the back row of the classroom. Mochizuki Yao pulled out two chairs and placed them in the middle of the classroom, wiping the seats clean with a tissue.

Jun Matsueda stood at the podium, bent over, and pressed the power button. The computer case hummed to life, shaking off dust from the edges. He covered his nose, took out a rag from the cabinet under the podium, and wiped the dust off the table.

He pulled a disc out of his pocket and showed it to the girl who was already sitting in the chair, "This is the movie we're going to watch today."

Mochizuki Haruka walked to the front of the podium and looked at the words on the CD cover.

"Arrival".

"Do we have to watch movies after school from now on?" This is the question the girl is most concerned about.

"Don't worry, it won't prevent you from seeing your aunt, and I won't see her every day. I don't have that much time."

Jun Matsueda put the CD into the computer case, and the projector on the ceiling lit up. He sat on the chair next to Mochizuki Haruka, and the girl twisted her body awkwardly.

The picture on the screen on the blackboard began to move.

"Arrival" is a science fiction film in the style of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" that tells the story of aliens coming to Earth, but the core issues it expresses are very philosophical.

The film's protagonist, Louise, has the ability to predict the future after contact with aliens. She sees herself falling in love with her colleague Ian, marrying him, and having a daughter named Hannah.

But her daughter, the fruit of their love, will die early due to an incurable disease, and after she tells her husband about her future, he will leave her because he cannot bear the blow.

A future where happiness is short-lived and pain is long-lasting.

“If you could look at your life from birth to death, would you try to change it?”

With her back to the camera, Louise asked this question to her colleague and future lover Ian, and Mochizuki Haruka's hands trembled.

At the end of the film, the two hugged each other for the first time, but for Louise, it was as warm as their last hug after many years.

She still chose to move towards her destined future, experiencing happiness mixed with pain and pain mixed with happiness.

The screen went dark, and neither of them moved. The only sound in the dark room was the humming of the computer case.

A few minutes later, Matsueda Jun spoke, "Do you still think it's a waste of time?"

"It's very good." For Haruka Mochizuki, it is more than just a movie.

"Is this your first time watching this?" she asked Jun Matsueda.

Jun Matsueda nodded. This was the film he asked the people from the Film Research Society to help pick out, and it seemed to be quite good.

"If it were you, what would you do?" the girl looked up at him in the darkness, her expression unclear.

"I will try to change." In fact, Jun Matsueda has already made a similar choice. His rejection of the system in this life is proof of his change.

"But the future is not something that can be changed so easily." Just like although he rejected the system, things did not go so smoothly.

Mochizuki Haruka knew that Matsueda Jun wanted to remind her about her aunt, but that was not what she was asking. No matter what the outcome was, her aunt must be saved.

She was hesitant about whether or not to try to like Jun Matsueda. She had also seen a future where happiness was short-lived and pain lasted.

"Let's go. There's too much dust here. We'll clean it up next time we come." Jun Matsueda pulled open the curtains again and opened the windows to ventilate the room.

Jun Matsueda looked down. The area downstairs was the edge of the school, where usually no one would come, but this was an exception.

"What's wrong?" The girl walked up to him with a subtle expression, as if she was trying hard to hold back her laughter. "Someone confessed to her again."

The two looked at Tomatsu Tomoka and the strange boy on the ground. Judging from their school uniforms, they were third-year students and had giggling expressions on their faces.

Due to the height, they could not hear the conversation downstairs clearly. They could only see Tomatsu Tomoka's impatient expression. After a few minutes, the boy left with an embarrassed look on his face.