He looked utterly disheveled, a stark contrast to his usual haughty demeanor in the Wind Instrument Club, eliciting laughter from the members.
It had been quite a struggle for Dubian Che to break free from the track and field club, where these people had invited him to join—talk about pushy!
He shrugged off his sports jacket, which had slipped down to his shoulders.
"1100 meters, done. Kiyono, please review."
Kiyono Lin nodded, "Must’ve been tough."
Dubian Che tossed his jacket atop hers, his gaze shifting to the Wind Instrument Club, "What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be practicing?"
"Mind your own business!" Yuzao Haomei turned her face away.
"Heard you’re retaking the monthly test again?"
"Not at all! Not at all! Haomei has been trying really hard, and clearly doesn’t have to retake it this time!" Yuzao Haomei was extremely agitated, her voice even adopting a falsely accused cry towards the end.
Kiyono Lin glared at Dubian Che and turned to the Wind Instrument Club, "Don’t you have a dress rehearsal to get on with? Get started."
"Yes." Accustomed to obeying her commands, the Wind Instrument Club members hastily set down their water bottles and towels and began to form lines.
Allowing Dubian Che to rest for a bit, Kiyono Lin also urged him to resume practice.
He nailed the thirty-meter goal on his first try.
After a meaningful glance, Kiyono Lin passed him the ball.
After scoring five times from thirty meters, ensuring a hundred percent success rate, she moved the goal further out to forty meters.
As time passed, the sky unknowingly stained a red hue, and the stadium lights illuminated.
Having finished dinner, Dubian Che and Kiyono Lin decided to rest for a while.
The Wind Instrument Club members were also hard at work, seemingly determined to resolve all of their dress rehearsal issues today, but after eating, they too entered a period of rest.
But even during the break, they were dedicated to preparation for the national competition.
Ichiki Aoi’s lips vibrated, her silver mouthpiece emitting a "poof!" before gradually producing each note’s sound.
But it didn’t sound quite right.
The airflow was incorrect, making the tone impure.
"...So it is," remarked Mayi Asuka with a faint nod.
"It’s totally different from the way you play, Mayi-sempai!" Ichiki Aoi was dissatisfied with Mayi Asuka’s dismissive attitude. "Sempai, please, could you play it one more time? I’ll study it seriously this time!"
Mayi Asuka ignored her and turned to Dubian Che, who was killing time by watching them. "Mr. Dubian, do you want to give it a try?"
"Me? I don’t know how to play the tenor horn."
Despite his near invincibility when it came to the oboe, there were significant differences between instruments, including embouchure and breath control.
If he were to switch to the tenor horn, he’d be only a tad better than a complete novice who knew nothing about instruments.
"It’s okay," said Mayi Asuka, approaching Dubian Che in small, quick steps.
She stared at him intently and then blinked several times, "I can teach you."
"Eh!!! Why?!" Ichiki Aoi exclaimed.
Sitting with them, Yuzao Haomei looked over in surprise, and Hanaoka Asako... she clenched her fists even more tightly.
Kiyono Lin frowned slightly, scrutinizing both of them.
"No, no, no," Dubian Che quickly backed off, "I’m not interested in any instrument other than Sahui’s trumpet."
"...So it’s fandom," concluded Mayi Asuka, nodding faintly.
"No, it was a joke, forget it," said Dubian Che. "Consider this a break, Mayi-sempai, go ahead and teach."
Mayi Asuka brought her seemingly cool and appetizing lips to the mouthpiece.
She first blew out a "puff" sound, then said, "Try to change pitch while maintaining this state."
Following that, Mayi Asuka emitted a crisp series of notes, each scale played distinctly.
Unlike Ichiki Aoi’s sinking tones, Mayi Asuka’s sound was beautiful and sonorous, melodious to the ear, floating across the dusky sports ground and attracting the attention of the crows.
"Uhm—" Dubian Che pondered, "No."
"Give it a try." Mayi Asuka handed over the now-damp mouthpiece.
"Why would you?!" Ichiki Aoi quickly grabbed her hand.
"Mayi-sempai, you can’t just lend your mouthpiece to the opposite sex so freely!" cried Hanaoka Asako.
"Exactly, exactly!" Yuzao Haomei continued to persuade.
Mayi Asuka looked puzzled, "Mr. Dubian is very talented with instruments, I like him a lot, so I’d love to teach him the tenor horn."
At the word ’like’, Dubian Che flinched, but thankfully—
"That ’like’ doesn’t mean you can lend a mouthpiece! That’s just appreciation," Ichiki Aoi snatched the mouthpiece into her hands.
Mayi Asuka watched her closely, her emotionless eyes narrowing slightly, "...I see."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, except Kiyono Lin, who watched Dubian Che with a faint smile.
Dubian Che quickly shot her a look.
’It has nothing to do with me!’
Kiyono Lin had already looked away.