"Mmm, Asahi News Agency will pretend to introduce this year’s graduation season, take everyone on a trip down memory lane, and then they will casually mention, ’At Goda High School’s graduation ceremony, the girl on the left is the third in the nation, and the freshman pinning the corsage on her is the first in the nation this year.’ "
"The adult world is so hypocritical, no wonder they chose Dubian for it."
"Hey, you shouldn’t talk about Mayi like that... Oh no, I forgot you’re live streaming, will it be a problem if we talk about school matters?"
"It’s fine, I’ve only got two thousand fans, and there are just over a hundred people watching Haomei’s live stream."
[koko, share more of your life and you’ll become a great YouTuber.]
[Take photos, I’ll buy a hundred copies.]
[If there are swimsuits, I’ll buy a hundred too.]
[I told you koko is a beauty YouTuber already!!]
"Is that so. By the way, I’m also on YouTube, mainly watching gaming YouTubers. What’s your name, Haomei? I’ll follow you."
"[A Life With the Trumpet by koko]"
"You plan to live stream your entire life?"
"How could I, Kui? Haven’t you seen ’A Life of Shadows Rejected’?"
"Really? What is it about?"
"It’s about never giving up hope on life, no matter how shattered life may seem, you have to keep trying to live."
"Sounds interesting."
"Right? How about coming over to watch at Haomei’s place after school today? I have the Blu-ray at home."
"Sure, do we need to buy..."
Chatting, the two entered the Wind Instrument Club.
There was a round of greetings, watching Yuzao Haomei’s live stream, joking with each other, and eventually as they talked about the seniors who were about to graduate, the atmosphere turned sad again.
Several emotional girls even started crying.
At 9:25, Yuzao Haomei put her phone in her front breast pocket, the camera facing the outside.
Everyone grabbed their instruments and entered the gymnasium early.
The gym’s basketball court had a fresh coat of wax, shining like a mirror.
The stage’s curtain read "Graduation Ceremony."
After sitting down, Yuzao Haomei placed the trumpet on her lap and took out her phone.
The trumpets and tubas sat at the back, next to the timpani. She stood up, aiming her camera at the entire gymnasium.
[Such a big gymnasium??]
[It’s as big as three of our schools put together.]
[They even have a designated place for the Wind Instrument Club!]
[During our school’s graduation, the gym was too small, so of the fifty people in Wind Instrument Club, only six got to go.]
[Who cares about the gym! I want to see the female high school musicians!]
[The trumpet in the front is a cornet, right? She has a nice profile.]
At that moment, a steady stream of people began to enter the gymnasium.
Yuzao Haomei sneakily aimed her camera that way.
Male teachers in suits, female teachers in pencil skirts; male parents in suits or jackets, female parents in kimonos or skirts.
Leaders sat on one side of the stage, teachers on both sides of the basketball court, and parents in the bleachers.
"That’s our principal, that’s the guidance counselor, over there is the PE teacher, we call him Xiao, and over there is our class teacher, a super nice art teacher."
Besides these people, there were also some who were clearly middle-aged, but obviously not student parents.
They held high-end cameras, likely reporters from Asahi News Agency, ’in cahoots with Goda Private, prepared to write an article that seems to report on graduation season, but actually promotes Goda.’
[It’s about to start.]
[It feels so ceremonial, it makes me remember the day of my graduation.]
[Our school’s graduation ceremony was in February, I confessed and got rejected.]
[If there’s a confession later, can koko stream it?]
[Cute girls are appearing.]
[I type; I also like Haomei’s type.]
[You just like the cute type, don’t you?]
[Huh? Is that a handsome guy?]
[He’s too handsome! I’m jealous!]
[You girls are disgusting, can’t you look beyond a face and pay more attention to talent?]
Graduation representative Mayi Asuka and freshman representative Dubian Che were also among those who arrived early.
"That guy is Dubian," whispered Yuzao Haomei, "a total jerk."
"Don’t talk nonsense, Haomei." A girl from the cornet section laughed and turned her head.
"If Mr. Dubian hears you, he’s going to scold someone again."
"Speaking of scolding, I recently dreamt that Mr. Dubian scolded me."
"What did he scold you for?"
"You’re so cute, it made me fall for you, let’s get married. I said, ’No way, Mr. Dubian, you’re not even eighteen yet, please wait until then to propose to me!’"
"Definitely a dream."
"I think it’s her fantasy, not a dream."
"Oh, I hate you guys, you guessed it."
"Your storyline, the moment I saw Mr. Dubian, I had already played it out in my head ten times."
"Ten times? Yukari, you’re pretty impressive."
"What’s that compared to anything? I heard that Chichiko from the art club used Dubian as a prototype for her shoujo manga, and it’s already been published by ’Housewives and Life.’"
"It’s not what you think, it’s a publishing house, mainly..."
The girls’ endless topics.
Dubian Che and Mayi Asuka were seated near the stage, conveniently positioned for their upcoming speeches.
After chatting for a bit, at 9:50, the first and second years started to enter.
Once they were seated, it was the turn of the third years.
"Everyone, let’s start." Ayane Kumi wasn’t holding the bassoon today; she was in charge of conducting.
Yuzao Haomei put her phone back in her pocket, leaving only the camera showing, and picked up the trumpet on her lap.
As Ayane Kumi’s baton went down, a solemn and majestic symphony began to play slowly.
To this music, the third years entered the hall in pairs, orderly and dignified.