Little Lian and Kazuki were playing on the lawn.

It was just a bare lawn with some dragonflies, and that was enough to keep them happy for a while.

Dubian Che and his two friends sat at an outdoor table by the lawn.

Most of the other customers came in pairs, chatting about trivial matters in a sweet and relaxed atmosphere.

The three of them did the same.

"Is the Wind Instrument Club's first competition starting in a couple of days?" Dubian Che asked Kiyono Lin.

Kiyono Lin nodded, speaking in her calm and pleasant voice, "August 5, the second session in the afternoon."

"How far can we go this year?"

"Our level just barely qualifies us to advance to the nationals."

"Barely meaning... a slight mistake could disqualify us?"

"Yep."

Jiutiao Meijie, lazy and languid, yawned.

Affected by the yawn, both Dubian Che and Kiyono Lin felt a bit lethargic too, so the discussion about the Wind Music competition ended there.

Looking at Little Lian and Kazuki squatting on the lawn, absorbed in whatever they were studying, Dubian Che gazed out, lost in thought.

Was Mayi Asuka coaching the Wind Instrument Club practice? Were the windowsills of the music classroom filled with PET bottles like last year?

In a few days, the Koshien tournament would begin.

Before the tournament started at Koshien, unable to leave Tokyo, what would Xiaoquan Aonai do to pass the time?

With such hot weather, what were his parents doing? Were they sleeping under the fan or passing the time watching TV?

Suddenly, both his body and mind felt lazy.

'If I could do a few problems right now in this state, it would certainly be a great exercise of will.'

Dubian Che opened a red question bank from Tokyo University in his mind and started working on the mathematics problem.

[Parabola C: Y=... l,m are two lines passing through the origin and tangential to the parabola.]

[First question: On the parabola there is a point A, its distance from lines l and m are respectively ... Find the coordinates of A.]

"Dubian."

"A (2,2). What's up?"

"What A (2,2)?" Jiutiao Meijie asked.

"The very first question from Tokyo University's 2018 entrance exam."

"That simple linear programming problem? Tackling that won't be of any help," Kiyono Lin said with a light smile. "I'll give you a problem about Markov chains."

"I said it's the first question, and I plan to tackle them one by one."

"Linear programming, Markov chains, how tough could they be?" Jiutiao Meijie interrupted. "Let's walk in the forest, I'm falling asleep sitting here."

"I agree," said Kiyono Lin. "Being bored is bearable, but the surrounding stares and the lies make it intolerable."

"I get the stares, but what are the lies about?"

"On the left, that couple claims to love only each other, that's false; the woman on the right who says it's her first time here, also false; that man behind us bragging about winning money on horse betting, false; over there..."

"Stop." Dubian Che stood up, "Let's take a walk."

The two beautiful girls got up; he took his baseball jacket from Jiutiao Meijie's chair and put it on.

"Aren't you hot?" Kiyono Lin asked curiously.

Dubian Che thought about it, then took it off and draped it over his arm.

"People who are easily influenced are the least promising," Jiutiao Meijie said, hugging her elbows.

Dubian Che looked at the jacket in his hand and then at the two of them: "Just kill me already."

"Being promising or not isn't important, who do you listen to?" Jiutiao Meijie asked smilingly.

"What's the point of wearing a jacket in August?" Dubian Che counter-asked.

Jiutiao Meijie snorted and then haughtily said, "Miss permits you to listen to Kiyono Lin this time."

"Mr. Dubian, can you turn into a dog?" Kiyono Lin asked curiously again.

"I'd rather be a dinosaur and stomp both of you venomous women flat with every step."

Seeing the pitiful look on Dubian Che's face, the two ladies laughed merrily.

The three of them stepped onto the lawn, preparing to take Little Lian with them.

"Lian, are you leaving?" Kazuki asked Little Lian.

Little Lian looked at Dubian Che.

After thinking for two seconds, Dubian Che asked Kazuki, "Miss Kazuki, did you come out to play alone?"

"Of course!" Kazuki puffed out her little chest proudly, "I come here every year, there's no place I haven't been."

"Knowing that Little Lian and Miss Kazuki, who are so familiar with Karuizawa, are together makes me feel at ease," he said, then turned to Little Lian, "Do you want to play with Kazuki? Dare to stay here?"

"...Yes!" Little Lian clenched her little fists.

"Very brave," Dubian Che ruffled her head, "Brother and sister will be walking in that forest, you play here, and we'll come to fetch you later."

"Little Lian is here in Karuizawa for the first time," Jiutiao Meijie glanced at him.

"When we were in Misezawa Village, Little Lian would run all over the hillsides by herself, she knows what to do and what not to do."

"Lian," Kiyono Lin warned, "if you want to come find us, or need anything else, remember to use your mobile phone."

"Don't worry!" Kazuki took Little Lian's hand, as if swearing to protect her, "I know this place better than they do!"

Leaving Little Lian to play with Kazuki, Dubian Che, Kiyono Lin, and Jiutiao Meijie went for a walk into the forest together.

"I can't believe you're comfortable leaving Little Lian alone," Jiutiao Meijie said.

"That girl in the princess dress plays out here alone every day, why can't Little Lian? I trust her," Dubian Che said.

"If something happens, don't come crying to me to send someone to find her."

"Then I'll definitely come crying to you. Please, Great Lady Meijie, and oh, Great Lady Lin, too."

As they walked deeper into the forest, the trees became thicker and the branches covered the sky.

The space between the trees was so dense, leaving only a narrow path, it felt as if the sky were carving out a road.

Deep in the forest stood a pointed, wooden chapel.

The huge triangular roof, stretching down to the ground on both sides, resembled a fairy house from a fairy tale.

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