The music hall in Karuizawa was hosting a student training camp for the first time.

Learning that Goda was last year's national competition gold medalist, and with Dubian Che not caring about the rent, everything was no problem.

The only request was to allow tourists to be free spectators.

This was good for the Wind Instrument Club, and Dubian Che had agreed without communication—as the deputy head, he felt it was important to have some decision-making power over the subordinate departments.

On the way back to the villa, he received a call from Xiaoquan Aonai.

"Dubian!" After the excitement, there was still a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Mr. Xiaoquan." Dubian Che was cycling in the woods, and apart from birds and squirrels, there was no one else, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

The call went quiet, but there was not a hint of awkwardness, just silent warmth, being conveyed from Tokyo to Karuizawa—across these 126 kilometers.

"I miss you." It was a good while before Xiaoquan Aonai spoke her second sentence.

"I like you," Dubian Che said.

An excited laugh came from the other end, followed by the sound of her body falling onto the bed.

"Shouldn't you say 'I miss you too'?" Xiaoquan Aonai grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest.

"I like you."

Another bout of laughter.

"Uh-huh, I like you too," she said cheerfully.

"I like you."

She laughed out loud again, and there was the sound of feet kicking the blankets.

"Is this a recording?"

"Uh-huh, I like you."

"Stop it!"

Dubian Che laughed along, "Miss Aonai, please have lots of fun in Karuizawa this time. Akiko and Teacher Miyuki are coming too, let them join in, I'll rent a villa for you all."

"They're already packing."

"Aren't you packing?"

"I—" Xiaoquan Aonai drew out her words in a girlish way, "later!"

"Don't bother packing." Dubian Che enticed, "It's very convenient to buy clothes in Karuizawa, there's Ginza and the outlets."

"Not packing… what should I do in this time?"

"Of course, chat with me."

"What will we chat about?"

"Well—shall I tell the teacher about the fun places in Karuizawa?"

"Sure~" Xiaoquan Aonai sat up, hugging the pillow, leaning back against the headboard, "You tell me."

"A few days ago, in the morning fog and not wanting to wet my trouser cuffs, I rode a horse to buy dorayaki. From a distance, I saw someone crouching there. When I rode closer, the person ran away. I noticed they had been looking at Mountain Lilies. I tied the horse nearby and went to get the dorayaki. When I returned, the horse had eaten someone's Mountain Lilies, and I was so startled that I almost ran all the way back to Tokyo on horseback."

"Did they cause you trouble after?" Xiaoquan Aonai suppressed a laugh.

"The fog was thick, we didn't see each other clearly, only knew the other must be a person."

"Pfft! Haha!" She laughed for a good while before catching her breath and saying, "That doesn't sound like something fun in Karuizawa?"

"Is Karuizawa fun for you, Miss Aonai, without me?"

"It is fun."

"I have to hang up, my phone is running out of power."

"That's a lie, how can a phone run out of power."

"Then it's because there's no signal in the mountains."

"Karuizawa is in the mountains, but as a holiday spot for the wealthy, how can there be no signal? Mr. Dubian, if you keep lying to the teacher, the teacher will get angry."

"Not good, my phone was snatched!"

"Who snatched it?" Xiaoquan Aonai asked with a teacher's tone that sees through all the students' little actions.

"Squirrels."

"Are there squirrels in Karuizawa?"

"Of course. Let's switch to video, and I'll film it for you."

"Sure~"

After they watched the squirrels running around in the treetops and chatted for a good while, they hung up the phone.

"Aonai," Akiko walked into Xiaoquan Aonai's bedroom with two hats in her hands, "help me choose which one to bring?"

"Try them on." Xiaoquan Aonai said.

Akiko tried them on one by one, and Xiaoquan Aonai suggested she bring the baseball cap style.

"Aren't you packed yet?" Miyazaki Miyuki walked in with her arms crossed, holding a heavy load.

"It's just the choice of sun hats, now it's also settled," Akiko replied.

"And you, Aonai?" Miyazaki Miyuki glanced at the open but empty suitcase, "It's almost time to leave, what have you been doing?"

"Ah!" Xiaoquan Aonai quickly tossed aside the pillow, slid off the bed, and threw clothes from the wardrobe onto the bed, "Miyuki, Akiko, help me out!"

"I can't deal with you," sighed Akiko, sitting on the bed to fold clothes.

"Were you on the phone with the young man?" Miyuki Miyuki was responsible for packing the folded clothes into the suitcase.

"...Yes."

"Sigh~~" Akiko made an exasperated face, "One person falls in love, and the three of us suffer."

"Don't be angry, Dubian said he's renting a villa for the three of us." Xiaoquan Aonai picked up a white, blue-butterfly-patterned long dress and held it up in front of her, "Does this look good?"

"Very pretty, our Aonai is the prettiest," Akiko said.

Xiaoquan Aonai tossed the long dress onto the bed and continued to look for clothes she liked.

"Sometimes, I really envy Aonai," said Miyazaki Miyuki, "Not to mention their mutual affection, the young man is so wealthy, young, romantic, good-looking, and has a great physique."

"What's there to envy about not seeing each other for half a month?" Akiko folded a skirt on her knee.

"How often are there half months when they can't see each other? Even for an ordinary couple, what does it matter if they see each other every day? Will they bring you flowers every day? Be nice to you? Aonai likes Dubian, and they don't need to cook or do housework when they're together, just enjoy life."

"It's not for those reasons that I'm with Dubian, it's because I really like him!" Xiaoquan Aonai emphasized.

"Don't you like his looks?" Miyazaki Miyuki asked.

"....."

"Don't you like it when he brings you roses every day?"

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