"Everyone, return to your section's training room. I'll be coming around to check—don't make me catch anyone slacking off or chatting."
Rin Kiyono's eyes glinted with a cold light as she issued the dismissal order.
In a society like ours, where seniority and hierarchy matter so much, commanding over sixty people—including upperclassmen—with such authority… there's probably no one else who could pull it off.
No, maybe there is. Yuki Miki.
But putting her in as advisor? That would be a disaster. Surely.
Thinking that, Watanabe Tetsu found himself considering Rin Kiyono not actually all that strict.
Watching the wind down of the brass club as everyone whispered behind her back while dispersing, he couldn't help but marvel at how little they appreciated the luck they were in.
He returned to the oboe & bassoon section's practice room.
He set aside the sheet music Rin had handed out—things like that might as well have been in Tokyo, and he in Iwate, given the distance between them.
As a true beginner, he hadn't even gotten to the basics yet—long tones and the like. The priority was to make sound, then stabilize it, then finally tackle the actual music.
"Gah… gah gah."
Time flew as he immersed himself in training, and before he knew it, Kaoru Hayami called him, and it was already six o'clock.
According to Rin Kiyono's schedule, the next thirty minutes were dinner.
"Tetsu, what are you planning to eat?" Kaoru's voice was gentle as ever.
For a moment, Watanabe Tetsu didn't know what to choose. With the reed in his mouth, he thought for a moment. "I'll check the school store first. If there's nothing there, I'll just grab something quick at the station's restaurant."
It was just a five-minute walk to the restaurant, ten minutes round-trip, and twenty minutes to eat—perfectly sufficient.
Because summer days were long, it was still bright outside. The cawing of crows on the utility poles sounded especially harsh against the fading sunset.
He weaved through the after-school crowd, finished his meal, and returned to the music room ten minutes early, ready to resume practice.
"Tetsu, want to have some snacks to settle your stomach?"
Looking at Aoi Ichiki, grinning cheerfully, he blinked. "Snacks… to settle my stomach?"
"All girls do it," Aoi said mischievously. "Come on, come on. All girls, you know."
"No, I refuse."
"Why not?!"
"I'm the only oboe player in the section. I have to work hard."
Of course, that was a lie.
Even spending training time with Kaoru Hayami was one thing, but voluntarily going to a room full of girls during break? It was almost like he wanted Yuki Miki to pamper him even more.
And he had to give his all just to make Yuki Miki ignore the fact that his playing sounded like a duck quacking.
Still, Tetsu didn't mind working hard. Whether forced or voluntary, if he was going to learn, he'd do it properly.
Like learning Spanish or English—it was just a way to improve himself and sharpen his learning abilities. Whether it would be useful later wasn't his concern.
Aoi pouted in defeat. "Fine, then."
After eight o'clock, Rin Kiyono arrived at the oboe & bassoon room carrying a laptop.
She gave a brief nod, as if greeting was unnecessary. "Next, follow me in sight-singing."
"Sight-singing?" Tetsu echoed, puzzled by the unfamiliar term.
Kaoru Hayami explained gently, "It's a basic exercise focused on reading music. It helps you learn to read sheet music and produce correct intervals."
"Thanks, Kaoru."
Kaoru smiled softly. No need to mention it.
'If only my girlfriend had this kind of personality,' Tetsu thought, looking at her.
Kaoru wasn't as striking as Yuki Miki at nine o'clock, barely more than an average pretty girl, but he liked her gentle demeanor immensely.
"First, B-flat," Rin Kiyono said. "Kaoru, you go first."
"Okay." Kaoru nodded and produced a sound exactly matching the note from the laptop.
In the evening light, her voice was soft, slightly low and tinged with melancholy, making Tetsu feel as if he were back in his mother's arms.
Rin nodded, her gaze falling on Tetsu.
"Do I go next?"
"Don't think because we're close that I'll go easy on you."
"Wait, that's not what I meant—I just meant…"
Rin cut him off. "Don't waste time. Two other sections are waiting."
"…Fine."
After Tetsu finished his note, she rested her chin on her hand, contemplating. "Tetsu, you're not good at singing, are you?"
"…At the moment, no."
"At the moment? You're tone-deaf, the kind that can't be fixed overnight," she said bluntly.
"Will it affect my oboe playing?"
"No. Even if you're tone-deaf, you can still produce correct notes on an instrument."
"Then why all the talk?"
Her expression turned cold. "You're the weakest in the brass club, but academically strong. During the study session later, I'll personally train you in sight-singing."
"Sorry, my attitude's been off." Tetsu felt he said it a bit too smoothly.
Rin huffed like a child. "Apologies won't help. Now, play the B-flat together on your instruments."
Ten minutes later, Rin dashed off to the next section.
"She's very professional," Kaoru said softly.
"And strict," Tetsu replied, exhausted from ten minutes of her criticism.
Kaoru couldn't help smiling. "But I think she's treating you differently."
"Different? She practically scolded me to death."
Her words could have made anyone quit music entirely. It was like a driving school hell, each comment painfully true.
But despite the short session, Tetsu felt like he'd grasped the secret to hitting the right interval. He couldn't wait to play again.
This feeling had repeated ten minutes straight, each attempt followed by Rin's sharp critique, pointing out even more errors.
"Maybe she knows you well, so she's like that?"
"Knows me?"
"Yeah. She knows that even if you get lectured, you won't give up, and you'll work harder instead."
"True. Besides being handsome, smart, gentle, and loyal, all I've got is my effort."
Even with Rin present, Tetsu had the confidence to say it.
Probably true… maybe.
Kaoru tilted her head, unsure whether to continue the topic. "From my perspective, Rin knows that scolding you won't make you hate her, so she can be strict without fear."
"That's wrong. She doesn't care if people dislike her at all."
"Really?"
"Of course." Tetsu put the reed back in his mouth and continued practicing.
By nine o'clock, the first day of training was over.
The school was so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard. Some went to the restroom, some went home—not everyone had decided to stay for the study session.
Those who stayed were mostly talking about Rin's guidance. Some praised her skill, but most still resented her strictness. In the restroom, Tetsu even heard someone crying in the girls' bathroom.
'This is proper youth. Tears shed through hard work are better than tears from abortion,' he comforted silently.
Just then, he felt a gaze on him.
People stared at him often—classroom, street, train—but this one was different. There was no admiration, no infatuation, no desire—just resentment.
He looked into the mirror. Besides a boy who looked popular with girls, a well-built, slightly chubby-cheeked girl stood behind him.
Tamamo Konomi, holding her mouthpiece, glared at him.
He turned off the tap and moved aside.
She pressed her lips together, eyes full of mild annoyance, and washed her mouthpiece at the sink.
Tetsu, flicking water from his hands, returned to the music room, thinking he hadn't done anything wrong.
After the break, the study session began. Everyone felt a strange focus.
The scratch of pens on paper, the rustle of clothes—every sound seemed amplified.
At first, a few whispered out of curiosity, but soon everyone was absorbed in studying, speaking only to ask questions.
At Kamikawa Private School, they were a group of "study-obsessed nerds."
Except Tetsu, who, until ten o'clock, was repeatedly practicing sight-singing under Rin's supervision.
According to her, tone-deafness was just unfamiliarity. With enough practice, the minimum requirement of not going off-key could be met.
"Of course, don't expect to sing beautifully—singing is the one art where talent matters most," she said proudly, making Tetsu almost want to wring his own intelligence points in frustration.
During the study session, he became the most popular little tutor. The brass club was nine-tenths girls, and as a handsome young man, he was bound to be popular.
Plus, compared to Kaoru or Rin, he was easy to talk to and knowledgeable enough to answer questions. They had every reason to come to him.
Yet devoted as he was, he kept a strictly professional attitude, never doing anything to betray Yuki Miki.
By eleven-thirty, everyone left in pairs or groups.
"Want me to walk you home?" Tetsu asked Rin at the shoe locker.
Club training was one thing, but their relationship was decent—they were good rivals—and he didn't want anything to happen to her.
Rin eyed him suspiciously, hands pressing the collar of her shirt as she stepped back.
"Tetsu, I admit I'm beautiful enough to tempt any man, but a smart guy like you should know what can and can't be done. Think of your parents—if you went to jail for harassing a female student, they would…"
"I'm not interested in you."
"…."
"If you make the first move, I might consider it."
"…First time I've ever heard such honesty, and it's infuriating." Rin relaxed her collar. "Fine, then. Thanks."
Tetsu noted her pursed lips, shyly looking away, snow-white skin tinged pink. His conclusion:
Girls are definitely cunning creatures.
Because if Rin asked again, he couldn't be sure his "not interested" was still the truth.
Shinjuku's night was still bustling. At every intersection, young people's hair glowed in vivid colors, and office workers in suits hustled home after overtime.
"Any progress with Ritsuko Sato?" Tetsu asked softly, stepping onto a quiet alley lined with wildflowers.
Ritsuko, part of the rebel faction, was the only oboe player in the club.
Rin shook her head. "I'll try recruiting a new member—maybe there's someone else in school who can play oboe."
"But Rin, be careful. If it doesn't solve the problem, Ritsuko might get bolder and make things difficult for you."
"Oh, are you concerned for me? After today, Tetsu, you're really considerate." Rin teased him.
"I mean, instead of letting a random student make you embarrassed, I'll handle it myself."
They passed a couple embracing under a streetlamp. Tetsu kept a respectful distance.
"If you're cornered, just wear your miko outfit and wait in the club room. I'll come to help."
"Sleeping on the way is fine, but if you're dreaming, lie in bed."
"Remember, miko outfit—don't wear the wrong one."
"Your ears must be failing too," Rin rubbed her temple. "Yuki Miki should take you for a checkup, and maybe she can wear the miko outfit for you while she's at it."
"You're… really not cute."
"Not cute? That's the biggest lie ever!"
"I mean your personality!"
"My personality is perfect too!"
"…." Tetsu had nothing to say. "Maybe you should check yourself for cognitive impairment. Cognition is the mental process of understanding and acquiring knowledge, involving learning, memory, language, thought, emotion… cognitive impairment refers to…"
Under Rin's icy gaze, he decided not to press it.
Be strict with oneself, tolerant to others. He never relied on looks to get by, but had no issue if others did.
After a long, Wikipedia-inspired monologue, they reached Rin's apartment building.
"Thanks for walking me back."
"No problem. Good night."
"Good night."
Rin watched his figure disappear under the streetlights before turning to head upstairs.