"… hehe."

Twenty-six-year-old Miyazaki Mieko, giving a knowing look to an embarrassed Xiaoquan Aonai, as if she had already seen through these young people.

"Look at how smug you are, disgusting!" Akiko handed over a neatly folded skirt to Miyazaki Mieko and angrily picked up a summer shirt herself.

"There's one advantage of being with Dubian," Miyazaki Mieko said.

"I told you, I'm not with him for any benefits!" Xiaoquan Aonai protested.

"What benefits?" Akiko ignored Xiaoquan Aonai and asked directly.

"He's the son-in-law of the Jiutiao family, Jiutiao Meijie has agreed to Aonai's matter, which means: in the future, whenever you encounter any trouble in life, you can easily resolve it just by saying a word. For instance, making mistakes at school or needing an accomplished doctor when a family member is sick."

Akiko nodded in agreement.

"That's just the basics," Miyazaki Mieko continued, "If Aonai weren't gentle and had a more daring personality, she could even start bullying people now, like making the principal fire Fujiki Akiko."

"Hey! I'm a good teacher! Why fire me? If anyone should be fired, it's you, the school doctor who's good for nothing but her chest!"

"Having a chest is enough."

"Ah—"

"It must have sucked up my nourishment; I should absolutely have been the biggest!"

"… whimper."

"Hurry and help me sort out the clothes! We're going to be late!" Xiaoquan Aonai told the two who started to frolic.

"Okay, Mrs. Dubian, please don't fire me," Akiko said in a pitiful tone.

"Ah, seriously!" Xiaoquan Aonai didn't know whether to rebut 'Mrs. Dubian' or 'firing' first.

The three of them laughed and scurried to school.

The Wind Instrument Club had already moved their instruments, and each member was excitedly chatting in the vehicle.

"Sorry, teacher is late. Has everyone arrived?" Xiaoquan Aonai asked.

"Everyone's here," replied Ayane Kumi, the leader of the Wind Instrument Club.

"Then let's set off."

"Great!"

"Karuizawa, here I come—"

"We're heading for a training camp, not a trip, Horikita Mai."

"Sorry, Ayane."

The coach, branded with the Goda school emblem, slowly pulled out of the school heading to the Karuizawa highlands at 1000 meters above sea level.

At three in the afternoon, they arrived at the "Yuturu Hotel."

The luxurious accommodations, cool weather, and beautiful natural scenery had this group of high schoolers chattering nonstop.

"Wow, tatami suites with a TV!"

"Not a communal sleeping arrangement! I'm so touched!"

"Quick, look! You can see the mountain from the window!"

"Is it Mount Asama? I've heard it's an active volcano, sometimes you can even see the fire spouting out!"

"That's amazing!"

"Everyone!" Ayane Kumi clapped her hands together, silencing everyone,"You all saw the failure of the baseball team, right?"

"We even went to Hyogo Prefecture to support them in such hot weather, and they still lost."

"Yeah!"

"Not having Mr. Dubian around really makes a difference."

"We don't have Mr. Dubian this year either," Ayane Kumi's words made everyone quiet down again.

She continued: "We're not here to travel; we're here to train. If we don't make it to the national competition, think about what others will say? 'They went to a tourist spot for training, they didn't train seriously at all'?"

"The Wind Instrument Club can't be like the baseball team; we are the strongest! Let's do our best!"

"Let's do our best!" everyone echoed in unison.

"Great! Now let's pack up our luggage, meet downstairs at three-thirty, and head straight to the music hall to practice!"

"Yes!"

Xiaoquan Aonai and the two others didn't stay in villas.

Being teachers, they had to stay with the students—Xiaoquan Aonai used this reason to decline Dubian Che's suggestion of renting a villa.

This year's Wind Instrument Club, due to the principal's wishful thinking—not hiring a specialized music teacher for fear of hindering Kiyono Lin—still had no conductor.

As an advisor, Xiaoquan Aonai had no idea about wind music.

This year's Wind Instrument Club was relying on occasional advice from Kiyono Lin and the rigorous training schedule.

"Teacher, you and Akiko, go have fun; I'll take care of them," Ayane Kumi said to Xiaoquan Aonai who had followed them to the music hall.

"I'm an advisor, the school entrusted you to me; how can I go have fun alone? Ayane, you said it yourself, we are here to train, not to travel."

"Thank you, teacher! We will definitely advance to nationals!"

"Yes, I believe in you."

Xiaoquan Aonai sat in the audience seats of the music hall, chatting with her friends who had already started playing while keeping an eye on the Wind Instrument Club's training.

She wanted to travel around Karuizawa.

Perhaps then, at some street corner, a café, a treelined path, she might encounter Dubian.

But as an advisor to the Wind Instrument Club, even if it meant just sitting dumbly here, she had to stay.

I am at the music hall, are you coming?—Xiaoquan Aonai opened Dubian Che's Line several times, wanting to ask him this question.

The Wind Instrument Club continued training until ten o'clock at night.

Originally tired bodies suddenly livened up, ready to wander around, only to find Karuizawa shrouded in darkness.

"What's going on?! It's only the start of the day by Tokyo standards!"

"There you have it, the whispers of a wandering ghost in Shinjuku at midnight!"

"I'm not a wandering ghost! And I only heard about it, I've never been out shopping that late!"

"I'm so envious of Hanaoka, Ichiki, and Yuzao; they got to come and have fun earlier!"

"Ichiki... Eh? What's wrong? Was there a problem with the training?"

"I want to go back to Tokyo."

"Don't be so gloomy; the real training hasn't even started yet! Cheer up!"

Despite their fatigue, everyone returned to their dorms in reasonably good spirits.

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