A week of intense practice had passed, yet Watanabe Tetsu still hadn't seen a single "rebel" join the Human Observation Club's activities.
The club bulletin board showed no announcements of new wind ensemble recruits either.
It seemed Rin Kiyono's plan was not going smoothly. Despite her exceptional guidance skills, her blunt way of speaking and strict methods were increasingly met with resistance from the wind ensemble members.
Watanabe Tetsu moved the oboe away from his lips and flipped the sheet music to the next page. Before practicing the next long note, he asked Kaoru Hayami a question.
"Senpai Hayami, can I ask you something?"
"Hm?" Kaoru replied gently, her hand busy writing on the sheet music.
"Why are some people refusing to practice?"
Kaoru looked at him in mild surprise. "Kiyono didn't tell you?"
"Nope." Tetsu recalled a break earlier that week. "But the bass section told me… though I wasn't really paying attention at the time."
"You really have a terrible personality, Watanabe," Kaoru said with a light laugh.
"I'm loyal in my focus. If I'm not interested, I just ignore it," Tetsu explained.
"I meant ignoring what others are saying," Kaoru clarified.
"Oh…" Tetsu had no defense. He couldn't exactly say he had been distracted by Rin Kiyono's long hair.
He admitted he wasn't always forthright like Kiyono, who had a habit of speaking the truth. But even she wouldn't answer every question honestly.
"Sorry," he said sincerely.
"Not to me, but to the bass section," Kaoru said gently. Then she explained the situation to him.
The reason was simple: the members refusing to practice felt humiliated being guided by a junior like Rin Kiyono.
Paradoxically, after seeing her exceptional skills, their pride only intensified.
Human jealousy. Plus, the wind ensemble itself was weak. If they qualified for the Kanto High School Competition under her guidance, the results would officially count for Kamikawa Private Academy—but within the school, would they belong to the wind ensemble or the Human Observation Club?
"There really are all kinds of people in this world," Tetsu sighed. "Some would rather sink into laziness than accept help from someone younger—or someone they dislike. You see this everywhere."
"Shh." Kaoru put a finger to her lips. "Some current and former members are still in contact. Don't spread bad rumors."
"Don't worry, I understand," Tetsu nodded.
He was someone who sought strength and didn't mind learning from those weaker or unlikeable—but imposing his values on others wasn't part of his code.
Not from nobility, just simple pragmatism: "Others' affairs don't concern me."
Outside, raindrops tapped against the window. The rainy season in Tokyo lingered, sticky with heat and humidity.
Tetsu put the reed back in his mouth, exhaled, and the oboe struggled to hit the correct pitch.
The wind ensemble's situation was tricky—Rin Kiyono in her miko outfit had unlocked a whole new level of possibility.
He thought of the photography expert at the mall.
Before the 6 PM dismissal, Rin Kiyono announced that each section would perform its first full ensemble that evening.
The bass section ate dinner in the practice room.
Asako Hanada and Mai Ashita brought their own bento, Aoi Ichiki bought sandwiches and juice from a convenience store, and the others had assorted rice balls.
"Looks like our basic training is up to standard! Yay!" Aoi cheered, holding a sandwich.
"Or maybe the regular performance is coming up, so we just have to ensemble," Asako replied, picking up tamagoyaki with her chopsticks.
"N-No way…"
"Given Kiyono's personality, what do you expect?" said a tuba player.
Recalling Rin Kiyono's strictness, Aoi sighed, "Well… as long as we get to ensemble, I'm fine. I was so sick of endless basic training. What about you, Mai-senpai?"
"…Fine."
Aoi had grown used to Mai's cool detachment and continued, "Everyone's been working so hard! During the ensemble, we'll definitely surprise Kiyono-senpai! Can't wait!"
"Mhm~" Asako nodded cutely.
After the break, Tetsu returned to the music room and noticed many rearranging seats.
Woodwinds were up front, brass behind, percussion in the corner—everyone positioned to see the conductor.
Tetsu wouldn't participate in the ensemble.
As a novice, he couldn't even reliably sustain a long note, let alone follow sheet music—the oboe was unforgiving.
Normally, he'd continue practicing in the training room. But this was the first full ensemble after Rin Kiyono's guidance and long hours of basic practice.
He wanted to listen from the sidelines.
With July approaching, without major progress, the Kamikawa Wind Ensemble could almost give up on the Kanto High School Competition.
At seven, Rin Kiyono entered the music room precisely on time.
She placed her documents on the table and surveyed everyone. "Start tuning. Niwa, you first."
"Yes," said Sai Niwa, the clarinet lead.
After her note, the other instruments tuned accordingly. Without oboes, the clarinets handled the tuning.
Once the basic tuning ended, Rin lifted her baton.
"One, two, one-two-three-four." Her cool voice fell, and the percussion kicked off immediately.
The rhythm rose, brass followed with grandeur, then woodwinds. Everyone moved in sync with the baton, performing their roles.
The music radiated youthful energy. Tetsu imagined a line of honor guards.
Unbelievable! They had improved so much in such a short time!
The ensemble members, like Tetsu, discussed their performance excitedly.
"Sounds great!"
"Smooth, feels like an actual performance now!"
"Wow! No discord this time!"
"If we put our minds to it, we can do it," Tetsu thought.
But Rin Kiyono showed no sign of satisfaction at the conductor's podium.
"Saxophones."
"Is the lady about to praise us…?" a saxophone player asked with a smile.
"Who played out of tune just now?" Rin's gaze was icy.
"Huh?"
"Step forward." She commanded.
The room fell silent. Even distant train sounds from Yotsuya Station seemed loud. Tetsu's breath caught.
'My leader, shouldn't you give some praise first? Whips AND candy? Never heard of that.' he thought wryly.
A girl whispered, "So arrogant…"
"They've improved so much already."
"Maybe she's just used to teaching, always proving we're not as good as her."
Under Rin Kiyono's icy stare, the saxophone section went utterly silent.
"Start from measure seven," she said, flipping the sheet music. "Saxophones, play one by one for me."
"Eek—" many sucked in their breath. Those chatting moments ago went silent, though their glare grew sharper.
"Miyaen, you first…"
Before she finished, a girl from the sax section raised her hand meekly.
Rin glanced at her. "Kitahara, do not practice anything else until you can play in tune."
"…Yes."
"Trombones."
The trombone section held their breath.
Tetsu noticed Tamamo Konomi's unwavering gaze as she watched Rin intently.
"Measure 162, raise the volume sharply, and make it cleaner."
"…Yes." The trombone section exhaled in relief. Being addressed as a group was luckier than being singled out.
Konomi placed her trombone down and marked Rin's instructions in red.
"Ichiki."
"Yes!" Aoi straightened immediately.
"Can you avoid holding Ashita back?" Rin ignored their camaraderie. "If next practice remains like this, Ashita may have to play solo."
Aoi's face went pale; her body trembled.
Rin repeated this for the remaining eight sections, excluding oboes and bassoons.
The cheerful atmosphere vanished, leaving the night cold and damp. Even observing Group B went silent.
By nine, ensemble practice ended, and the day's study session was canceled.
Rin locked the Human Observation Club room and told Tetsu waiting outside, "No need to see me off today."
"Alright."
They changed shoes and sat on the platform bench waiting for the train.
"Is this really okay?"
"What?"
"You're not an official advisor. If you're too strict, it will cause resentment. People might dislike you."
Tetsu left unsaid: with so many ensemble members, some would gossip, quickly ruining Rin's school image, bringing ignorance and criticism.
"I don't care."
"Rin," Tetsu said, looking at the lit vending machine, "maintaining basic social relations makes things easier."
"Power works too."
Tetsu smiled wryly. "You're stubborn."
"I call it persistence."
"You learning from me now?" Tetsu turned.
Rin laughed, flipping her windswept hair. "You're not the only one secretly learning from others. Whether it counts as a strength is another matter."
"You're amazing," Tetsu said, meeting her eyes.
"Slow to notice, but my depth rivals the Mariana Trench. I forgive your dullness."
"I meant your ability to avoid lying, not caring about social relations." Tetsu glanced at the vending machine again.
"That's my greatest strength. I like myself," Rin said bluntly, without hesitation.
The cheap, bright vending machine light attracted moths and nameless insects alike.
Human interactions rarely reach genuine closeness. Even with those you dislike, polite smiles appear, like rice balls heated unevenly—hot outside, cold inside.
Tetsu truly admired Rin. Living like her would be painfully difficult for most.
He didn't try to persuade her, because
"I like that about you too."
"Oh? Finally in love with me? I've only used twelve methods so far."
"…I mean I appreciate your character," Tetsu said, annoyed.
"You're hard to handle," Rin sighed. "Sometimes giving in to human instinct makes you cuter."
"I never knew human instinct meant falling in love with you."
The train clanged into the station, bringing a cool breeze.
"Rin-senpai."
"Hm?"
"You owe me a miko outfit."
"Stop joking."
"I might never be able to stop lying in this lifetime… but I can protect the only person who never lies."
"Mm, is the transformation code 666 or 444 this time?" Rin's tone was playful.
"This time it's real, so I won't tell you," Tetsu said with a grin.
"No lie?" Rin was surprised.
She frowned. "Watanabe, you might need a psychiatric checkup. My sanatorium can take you in for free."
"I'll wait until I'm old," Tetsu said as the train doors closed behind him.
The train carried him into darkness.
'Use Intelligence Exchange Ticket to gain 1 intelligence point.'
[Intelligence Exchange Ticket used, 30,000 points deducted]
Tetsu used the discounted intelligence ticket from Miki Yuki's login gift pack. Normally worth 100,000 points, it only cost 30,000.
[Please select a specialty]
Philosophy: Logic, Religion, Ethics
Literature: Classical Chinese, Sign Language, Sango, Slovenian
Science: Nuclear Physics, Energy Chemistry, Astronomy, Space Science & Technology, Disaster Prevention & Mitigation
Engineering: Vehicle Engineering, Welding Technology & Engineering, AI, Underground Urban Space Engineering
Medicine: Maternal & Child Health, Acupuncture, Tuina, Herbal Cultivation & Identification
Agriculture: Pesticides, Fertilizers, Horticulture, Aquaculture
Military: …
The train car resembled a virus-infected computer, popping endless menus. Closing his eyes didn't help; Tetsu nearly passed out.
This dumb system was not intelligent at all!
He quickly minimized the windows.
After shaking off the dizziness, he forgot most of what he had seen.
Finally, he found [Oboe] in a long subdirectory.
By then, the train had reached his stop. Tetsu opened his umbrella and headed home.
He decided it was the perfect time to check his character panel.
Character: Watanabe Tetsu
Intelligence: 8 (Music: Oboe)
Charm: 10 (Smile: Beautiful & Gentle)
Stamina: 5
Items: Intelligence Exchange Ticket ×1, Charm Exchange Ticket ×2 (≥10 points 70%, <10 points 30%)
Skills: Encyclopedic Memory, Master-Level Free Fighting, Self-Discipline
Points: 254,000
Money: ¥121,056,652
Event Reward: 5,000 points, Master-Level Piano Purchase Permission
Login: Miki Yuki · Day 38
Self-discipline?
Tetsu was happier than when he gained 100 million yen. This was a skill he had trained himself and the first recognized by the system.