The rain had stopped.

Cocking an ear to listen closely, one could hear the sound of rainwater dripping off the leaves to the ground; in a while, it too would be evaporated and rise up.

Coming from the sky, returning to the sky.

That's all there is to it.

But once all the futile pessimism passed, and one considered things seriously, it would be apparent that nothing it had gone through was meaningless.

Nourishing all life, regulating the climate, inspiring poets, dampening someone's clothes.

Dubian Che walked towards the Wind Instrument Club, outside the hallway windows, sunbeams over the Shinjuku District formed vertical pillars as if someone were shining flashlights from above.

Dew on the azaleas, puddles in the courtyard, the pool awaiting summer -- everything shimmered with life.

He pocketed the letter, ready to go to the music room, to tell Horikita Mai when she might meet the qualifying criteria.

[You have two new email messages]

…

[Xiaoquan Aonai conquest complete]

[Player awarded twenty thousand points]

[Ten years: Special reward of one hundred thousand points]

…

[Temporary event concluded, beginning rewards calculation]

[Xiaoquan Aonai evaluation: Rich, Handsome, Intelligent, Flirtatious, Mysterious, Gentle]

[Rich: Ten billion yen]

[Handsome · Flirtatious · Mysterious · Gentle: Charm discount coupon*1]

[Intelligent: Intelligence discount coupon*1]

◇

As he entered the music room, everyone looked at Dubian Che with peculiar expressions.

"In the next life, please let me become a Tokyo hottie!" That sentence was heard by all.

Kiyono Lin stood behind the podium, looking at the score in her hands, feeling the mood in the class, and turned to look at the approaching Dubian Che.

After giving him a glance, she turned back to everyone and said,

"Starting tomorrow, group A and the solo selections will begin, the personnel to be decided by Mr. Dubian and myself."

"Yes!" The once restless crowd responded in unison.

Not to mention the third and second graders, even the newcomers from the first year had gotten used to Kiyono Lin's commands.

In the brief time Kiyono Lin spoke, Dubian Che had walked up beside her.

"Mr. Dubian," she turned and looked at him, "thank you for making time despite your busy schedule."

This was an ironic reference to all the gossip about Dubian Che and Xiaoquan Aonai sharing their bodies in turns, going on trips together, etc.

"Please, Kiyono, how could I refuse?" he replied breezily.

What Dubian Che meant was no matter what, wasn't he always there? Also, please realize the mistake and stop it.

The two always seem to understand each other without the need for much verbal communication.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman standing together was like a carefully crafted scene from a movie.

The first-year's eyes shifted back and forth between them, probably about to make the same mistake as Ichiki Aoi and others, assuming there was something more between them.

During a free practice, Dubian Che actually talked with the Woodwind Group for the first time.

"Senior, Senior Dubian!" the petite Horikita Mai, with a long black oboe in hand.

"Hmm?"

"Did something happen recently?" she asked curiously, with wide eyes.

"No."

"Definitely something!" Horikita Mai persisted, undeterred, "You and Senior Kiyono seemed so couple-like today!"

"Couple-like?"

"Yes!" She nodded emphatically, her cuteness intensified, "It wasn't like that before the Golden Week break, and suddenly it is, so something must have happened!"

"Nothing happened."

"Senior~ Senior Dubian~"

"From my qualifying criteria, you're still missing... hmm, ten years."

"Ten years?!" Horikita Mai, startled, forgot her coquettish ploys, then clenched her white teeth, "Ten years, I'll work hard!"

"The journey of ten years begins with a single step; start practicing."

"Yes!"

To the lingering sound of Horikita Mai's oboe, Dubian Che's gaze drifted out the window, toward the direction of the staff room.

'Mr. Xiaoquan, what will you do next? I'm ready.'

The warning bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break, and both Dubian Che and Kiyono Lin headed back to class.

A few steps from class 4, they heard Kunii Shuichi's loud voice:

"In the next life, please let me become a Tokyo hottie!"

Followed by Saito Huijie's voice: "That's not right; you need to sound more distressed. In the next life, please let me become..."

"What are you guys up to?" Dubian Che looked at them.

Startled, they quickly reassured him, "Nothing, nothing! We're rehearsing for a play, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, we're preparing for the Cultural Festival."

"The Cultural Festival is in September, you're starting to prepare now?"

Kunimi Shuichi hid behind Saito Huijie and mocked loudly:

"Dubian, so you really envy Tokyo and look down on your hometown, huh? And here we thought you never cared about your background."

"I see." Dubian Che nodded, "So that's what you were talking about."

His fists clenched with cracking sounds, he stepped leisurely towards them.

"Class is starting." Kiyono Lin walked past him.

"I'll take you both down after class." Dubian Che gave them a glance.

The two sat down at their desks.

That little episode had been witnessed by Jiutiao Mei.

Even though it was nothing serious, and Kiyono Lin merely gave a typical reminder about class starting, Jiutiao Mei couldn't help but get irritated at the sight of Dubian Che's face.

Under the table, Jiutiao Mei gave him a kick.

The physics teacher walked in while Dubian Che looked forward, hooking Jiutiao Mei's leg with his foot, preventing her from retracting it.

Two seconds later, Jiutiao Mei poked his back with her pen.

Four seconds later, Kiyono Lin coughed uncomfortably, as if her throat was bothering her.

Dubian Che picked out a new notebook.

"Don't scribble on my back, Mei, my Mei!" (Dubian)

He passed it back smoothly.

"My Che, got any objections? (^_^)" (Jiutiao)

"None at all." (Dubian)

"Love you ♡" (Jiutiao)

"How timid, your name should be man." (Kiyono)

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