September 28, Thursday.
Capital City, Yunbei High School, Music Classroom.
"The trombones and trumpets are a bit confrontational here. Pay attention to the overall balance and lower the volume a bit; otherwise, it’s really too noisy."
"Let’s have the trombones and trumpets play alone."
While the trombones and trumpets played, Chisako from the tenor horn section was slightly distracted.
The steps of the Station Building Concert were approaching day by day. On the music score, there was a small calendar with two circles drawn on the date.
The central hall, sandwiched between the east and west sides of the Kyoto Station Building, is a very spacious and high-ceilinged space, made up of a façade with four thousand pieces of glass and a huge eaves.
And the grand staircase on the west side is the main stage for this Station Building Concert.
Besides them, the organizers also invited Yuming Girls’ High School from Osaka.
Though it is a girls’ high school, the sound they produce is loud and clear. They are a renowned powerhouse in national wind music competitions, consistently winning.
Chuyun High School, where Chisako studied, had its glorious days in the past, but it had been a long time ago until this year when they changed advisors and set their sights on the national competition again.
With efforts and miraculous performance in the Kansai competition, they really became representatives of Kansai.
In late October, they planned to travel to Nagoya along with two other historically strong schools from Kansai to participate in the national competition.
Every time she thought about this fact, Chisako’s mouth would go dry, and her heart raced.
Walking this path, Chisako admitted that luck played a part, but their craving for the "national gold" and efforts matched anyone’s.
There was a slight itch on her leg. Chisako put the tenor horn on her lap, pinched the edge of her sock with her fingertips, and pulled it up.
Where the elastic band was originally, there were several indentations.
She gently touched the red indentations, thinking to herself: I wonder if a beauty like Sahui would have marks left by socks.
I’ll check later and then take the opportunity to pinch her beautiful thigh.
"Let’s start practicing the next piece."
"Yes!" Chisako got startled, quickly came to her senses, and flipped open her music score.
After the ensemble ended and Advisor Aoki left, Shengong, the Minister of the Wind Instrument Club, walked up to the podium.
"I have something to tell everyone about the Station Building Concert on Sunday. The organizers have added another slot. It’s Goda High School from Tokyo, they’re also this year’s representative of Kantou entering the national contest. Listen carefully to their performance."
Chisako didn’t know much about this, only aware of famous strong schools like Yuming Girls’ High School.
At dinner time, she asked Chiba Reiko who handled the tenor horn: "Lian, do you know about Goda High School?"
Chiba Reiko was very cute and looked like a squirrel when she puffed her cheeks.
She was a fan of strong wind music schools and had been eagerly looking forward to listening to Yuming Girls’ High School’s performance at the Station Building Concert.
"Of course!" Chiba Reiko excitedly clenched her fist, "Lian won’t miss any performance from schools entering the national competition!"
"Really?" Mukai Asaka from the tuba section showed disbelief.
Chisako also felt that Chiba Reiko might be too obsessed with wind music, but she admired Chiba Reiko’s courage even more; she wouldn’t dare to listen to performances from other strong schools.
Chisako looked over at Sahui eating a sandwich unconsciously, wondering if she would go to listen.
Sahui glanced at Chisako curiously and handed her sandwich over, "Ham. Want some, Chisako?"
Although that wasn’t what she meant, Chisako still bit where Sahui had bitten and mumbled, "Tasty."
Sahui smiled beautifully, tucked her hair behind her ear, and continued eating her sandwich.
After Chiba Reiko and Mukai Asaka discussed their ’listener’s feedback’, they finally remembered Chisako’s initial question.
She said, "Goda High School is also entering the national competition for the first time like us, but unlike us at Yunbei returning to the national contest after many years, it’s really Goda’s very first time."
This statement was somewhat awkward, but everyone understood her.
"Is it because they changed advisors?" Rinai guessed.
Yunbei’s original female advisor took maternity leave, and this year they also changed to a new advisor, which accounted for their current strength.
Even Sahui who was extremely skilled at playing the trumpet had applied to the otherwise average Yunbei High School early, knowing about the new advisor’s arrival.
"Exactly!" Chiba Reiko became excited, "And, Goda’s new advisor is a freshman from Goda!"
"Really? No way?!" Mukai Asaka opened her mouth in surprise.
She was also a freshman and hadn’t even made it into division A, but even a third-year senior from division A couldn’t possibly be an advisor.
Sahui couldn’t help but ask, "Are you sure?"
Chisako understood her feelings.
Sahui aimed to become someone special by playing the trumpet. Hearing that someone became an advisor in their first year and led the Wind Instrument Club to their first national competition might be very appealing to her.
Chisako saw Chiba Reiko puff up her cheeks, couldn’t help but laugh, and said, "No one doubts Lian, we are all just surprised. Please tell us more!"
Lian indeed got distracted, continuing to talk about Goda High School.
The other three gradually learned about the school through her explanations.
"So, Goda High School not only consists of students who could attend Imperial University but is also identified by the judges of the national competition as a seed team?" Mukai Asaka seemed perpetually astonished.