The players who got scolded were used to it, their sportswear filthy with dirt from the baseball field.
Glancing twice, members of the Wind Instrument Club moved from their small practice rooms to gather in the music classroom.
First were the closest flute and piccolo sections, then the French horn section...
Finally, Dubian Che saw the low brass section, and Mayi Asuka was also there.
The two caught each other’s eyes, and Mayi Asuka nonchalantly walked up to him, facing Kiyono Lin.
"Miss Kiyono, what brings you here?" Dubian Che asked.
"Ichiki invited me to coach the low brass section."
After saying that, Mayi Asuka seemed to feel her words were too terse and came off as cold, so she added,
"She mentioned it to me the day we watched the movie, to start after the final exams."
"I see," Dubian Che nodded.
"I’ll come again in the future."
"After I start university, I can also practice here on Saturdays and Sundays."
"As for the oboe, I could coach you, Miss Kiyono," Dubian Che wanted to say with a smile but restrained himself knowing others were around.
"Hm." Mayi Asuka nodded.
After a moment of silence, she said softly, "I’m moving after the graduation ceremony."
"I’m really looking forward to the graduation ceremony, a proper one, I’ve never seen it before."
They stopped talking, and Kiyono Lin began making the rounds, listening to individuals play.
The first one was an oboe player.
Once she finished, other oboe players also took note of what Kiyono Lin advised their section member.
After all the coaching was done, Mayi Asuka remained with the low brass section.
Dubian Che and Kiyono Lin wrapped up club activities early to go shopping for Valentine’s Day return gifts.
The sky began to darken, street lamps and vending machines lit up.
The two came upon a small street.
Residential buildings and shops lined both sides of the street.
Most windows were dark, except for a tiny store at the far corner, where warm yellow light spilled onto the street.
Amidst the dim street, that shop felt like a sanctuary in a storm, warming the heart.
"Shall we take a look?" Dubian Che gestured towards the shop.
They wandered without much deliberate conversation, only speaking casually in passing when something came to mind or upon discovering something intriguing in a storefront window.
Their chats started abruptly and ended just as abruptly.
But the atmosphere remained relaxed, even when one spoke and the other didn’t respond, it was all still fine.
There weren’t many people on the street, just a middle-aged man coming towards them on the left side.
He was pushing a bicycle, grasping the center of the handlebars with one hand.
As they approached, the shop turned out to be a tiny bookstore that also sold coffee and desserts, or perhaps a coffee and dessert shop that also sold books.
"Buy a book?" Dubian Che asked.
"That would be too easy for you," Kiyono Lin said, supporting her chin with her hand, pondering seriously.
Miss Kiyono wasn’t usually .
"Then what do you want?" Dubian Che asked casually, making it sound like Kiyono Lin could have anything.
"What’s the return gift you’re giving to Jiutiao?" Kiyono Lin asked.
"Every day, I’ll buy the most beautiful rose from Ota Flower Market and present it to her as a good morning gesture."
"That’s a lie. But I’ll take that."
"Why not?" Kiyono Lin asked with a smile, her arms folded.
"Since when do friends send each other roses every day?"
"Then you can put the roses in the clubroom as decoration."
"Mr. Dubian, I’m quite satisfied that you can resist giving me any," Kiyono Lin nodded.
"...Are you testing your devotee?"
"Sort of," Kiyono Lin said. "If you had agreed right away, although I..., I’d be a bit disappointed."
"All women are like that."
"But aren’t you a girl?"
"Aren’t girls women?"