in2ebook Chapter 1300 alarmed the national team.
Chapter 1300 alarmed the national team.
Chapter 1300 Alarming the National Team
"That's different." Shinichi Kudo waved his hand. "Ran is a complete beginner when it comes to tennis."
Moreover, Ran Mouri is mainly enjoying the experience of playing ball with friends, and she doesn't care too much about winning or losing; it's mostly a leisure activity.
The tennis scoring system is what it is; a score of 0-30 simply means two balls weren't touched, and it doesn't prove anything.
But what if it were Makoto Kyogoku accompanying Sonoko Suzuki in her match?
"That's right, Kyogoku-kun is basically a professional athlete. Even if he doesn't know anything about tennis, he's definitely very serious about the game," Ran Mouri chimed in. "Sonoko, you're the one who's taking it so seriously! I've only been playing for a short time, why are you playing so seriously!"
"Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit! I totally agree with Makoto on that point." Sonoko Suzuki proudly waved her racket. "I can tell, Shinichi, you're trying to subtly imply that Makoto cares too much about winning and losing, right? I'm not falling for that. It just means he values me and doesn't want me to lose even when we're just playing around with friends."
Although Kyogoku Makoto was so focused on martial arts and trained all day long that the two of them could only meet a few times during holidays and usually communicated by phone and text message, the more Sonoko Suzuki talked to him, the more she could feel that behind his silence and quietness was a determination that always preferred to prove himself with actions rather than words.
She wasn't without her anxieties and sometimes felt that their long-distance relationship had a bleak future. However, after Tang Ze's persuasion, she began to realize that Kyogoku Makoto valued her far more than he said or seemed to.
So, faced with Shinichi Kudo's accusations, she could only feel a surge of smug satisfaction, eager to show off.
"Sonoko—" Ran Mouri protested, unable to stand her smugness. "Tone it down, you can't even hide your smugness anymore."
"Hmph, don't be jealous of a beautiful girl like me who's loved by everyone." Patting her slightly sweaty cheeks with her free hand, Suzuki Sonoko glanced at Kudo Shinichi, who was standing beside her handing her water. "You two are the ones who are always arguing and bickering, then making up so quickly. And you're talking about your parents? You're the same way. Be careful not to hurt your relationship with too many arguments—"
From the very beginning of their friendship, Ran Mouri and Shinichi Kudo have always been bickering and teasing each other.
Unlike their relationship, where they almost never argued and always took care of each other, Ran Mouri and Shinichi Kudo seemed to always bicker and argue over trivial matters from childhood.
Looking back now, this may have indicated long ago that their relationship was unusual. After all, people who don't value each other highly don't need to care about conflicts over small details. The closer they are, the easier it is for them to quarrel over these little things.
"No way!" Ran Mouri protested, "It's just that this guy is inherently annoying!"
"I don't agree with comparing us to Uncle Mori," Shinichi Kudo protested, finding the comparison somewhat ominous.
"Isn't that right? Aside from the time you two were on leave from school, you two would sometimes argue twice a day and then make up twice, you were always causing a ruckus." Sonoko Suzuki crossed her arms and teased, "I've only seen two exceptions. Once was in the second year of junior high, you two had a cold war and didn't speak to each other for over a week—"
The other time, this mystery fan disappeared almost completely from their lives.
Ran fell into a prolonged state of anxiety and unease, constantly worrying about the matter even when she was laughing. Although she didn't say anything, Sonoko Suzuki, who was with her day and night, could always tell.
Although it seems like this could be a turning point for the relationship to improve, who knows what the future holds if he doesn't come back?
Seriously, what on earth has Shinichi Kudo, that perpetually troublesome guy, gotten himself into this time?
"Second year of junior high? Oh, I think so." Ran Mouri's mention of it finally stirred some memories. "That time it was because—, what was it again?"
She paused, the words she was about to say caught in her throat, and stared blankly for a moment. She tried hard to recall the beginning of that argument, but she couldn't remember it at all.
On the contrary, because of the argument, she felt wronged and dissatisfied. Her heart was filled with the thought that she would never talk to him again and that she would make him regret his words. She still remembers that feeling vividly.
Shinichi Kudo opened his mouth, then quickly closed it again, looking away: "Yeah, because of what—"
'
Okay, he actually does remember.
That time, he was participating in a club activity after school when he encountered an accident. The criminal, who was being chased by the police, became desperate and rushed into the gymnasium to kidnap a hostage, which resulted in the temporary closure of the field where they were playing football.
Those inside couldn't get out, and those outside couldn't get in. When Ran Mouri, who was waiting for him to come home from school, arrived, she found the place surrounded by police cars and was frantic. She waited for two hours before he finally came out.
After living in fear for so long, she rushed up to check on his safety, only to be met with an excited Shinichi Kudo.
He completely failed to notice Ran's anxiety, and kept talking about how he deduced the real reason for the arrest from the details and the prisoner's performance, and how he successfully persuaded the prisoner to release the prisoner. This caused Ran's anxiety and worry to turn into anger, and she couldn't help but argue with him.
He felt wronged at the time. His reasoning was perfect, and he successfully rescued the hostages. He felt good about himself, like a triumphant general, and happily showed his success to Ran Mouri. Unexpectedly, he didn't receive any praise, but instead, she said things like "That was dangerous" and "Do you know how worried I was?" Of course, he was also very unhappy.
The two of them remained in a cold war for several days, which was their most serious argument ever.
Although he later tried to be more mindful of his methods, and Xiaolan began to believe in his abilities, this matter—
"You've forgotten all that?" Sonoko Suzuki looked around suspiciously. "Then how did you two make up?"
"We made up—" Ran Mouri turned her head, trying hard to recall, and slowly remembered some scenes, "Oh, it seems that, more than a week after we had a fight, we were walking home together after school that day—"
"Stop for a second." Sonoko Suzuki raised her hand, interrupting her reminiscence. "What do you mean by 'walking home together'? Didn't you two have a fight? If you had a fight, why would you walk home together?"
Sonoko Suzuki now goes home in the same direction as the two of them; that was after she started attending Teitan High School.
During their junior high school years, since the school was located roughly at the midpoint of the line connecting the three of their homes, Sonoko Suzuki would generally not walk with Ran Mouri after school unless she specifically wanted to go out with her.
However, having witnessed so many details of their interactions since childhood, she knew very well that when Ran Mouri said they were going home together, it wasn't just about walking side by side. They would definitely walk shoulder to shoulder, head to head, with no more than two fists' width between them.
This is usually quite normal, but the problem is, wasn't she asking about the argument?
"What else?" Ran Mouri seemed not to understand what she was asking. "Our houses are in the same direction."
"I mean, oh well, never mind." Sonoko Suzuki slapped her forehead helplessly. "You continue."
"Oh, it was that day, we were walking home together, crossing the riverbank. I didn't want to talk to him, and he didn't look at me either, and then at that moment, we heard singing coming from the riverbank—"
As she spoke, her expression softened unconsciously, as if her thoughts had returned to that spring afternoon when cherry blossoms were fluttering in the breeze.
Upon hearing this, Shinichi Kudo, who had awkwardly turned his head away, turned back and scrutinized Ran Mouri's expression.
"It's a beautiful song, hmm, although I can't quite recall the melody now. As I listened, I couldn't help but smile. It's the kind of voice that can gradually reach into your heart—" Ran Mouri's smile returned. "It's strange, I can't remember it at all. It should be a famous song."
She couldn't quite remember the specific melody, the singing voice, or even the reason for the argument.
But she still remembers the joy she felt when, after relaxing because of the song, she instinctively turned her head and wanted to share the moment with the people around her as she recognized the source of the music.
And the smiling face that the other person also turned towards her.
Recalling this point, Ran Mouri turned to look at Shinichi Kudo again, and once again found the familiar expression on his face.
This is it! The first thing I wanted to do was share this small joy with the other person—a look of surprise and delight.
"—" Suzuki Sonoko looked at the shy smiles that appeared on her and Kudo Shinichi's faces almost simultaneously, narrowed her eyes mischievously, and deliberately moved closer to interrupt their unspoken atmosphere, "You can't remember the reason for the argument, and you can't remember the song either—what do you remember? It's hard to guess."
"Sonoko—!"
Ran Mouri, embarrassed, picked up her tennis racket and chased after her. Shinichi Kudo, equally embarrassed, coughed and turned his head, only to unexpectedly see a car that looked strangely familiar outside the net.
Is that... the Cullinan?
"You want me to contact Domoto Kazuki?" Haga Kyosuke raised an eyebrow upon hearing this request. "That's not appropriate."
It's not that it's impossible. Given Haga Kyosuke's reputation and standing, if he's determined to get involved, Domoto Ikki and Domoto Gen will have to give him face, even if they're unhappy about it.
However, everyone knew the true purpose of this concert. It was a scheme orchestrated by Domoto Kazuki using his savings, connections, and resources. He wouldn't normally make such an outrageous choice if he wasn't aiming for a complete falling out.
"What's inappropriate about it? It's a fact that Yamane Shion isn't familiar enough with Stradivarius right now, and it's also a fact that you are familiar enough with Stradivarius now," Tang Ze said frankly. "You don't need to really disrupt their order; you can just use the guise of guidance to make contact with them. You can guide Shira Renshi, so of course you can guide her too."
Compared to the group of performers, Yosuke Haga is not much older, so it might be a bit strange for him to act as a teacher. However, in terms of seniority in the music industry, he would be more than qualified to take a teaching position at Domoto's music academy.
Stradivarius is indeed a good pretext in this regard, and wanting to learn about another Siqin and compare the differences between the two is an even more compelling reason for a part-time composer like Kyosuke Haga.
"And I don't think Mr. Domoto will object," Tang Ze added, quite cheekily. "For his concert, aside from the truly irreplaceable core members, isn't there a substitute for every position? If Kawabe Kanade falls, there's Yamane Shion; if Akiba Reiko falls, he has Chigusa Lala as a backup. Now that things have come to this, he can't very well say that Stradivari won't also have an accident, can he? Besides you acting as a go-between and borrowing Shitara Renki's instrument, he doesn't have a chance to find a second Sqin as a substitute. He can't very well refuse such a high-profile substitute, can he?"
Feeling that Tang Ze's words were nothing short of a curse and a harbinger of crime, Yuga Kyosuke said, "Don't overthink it. Domoto Ichiki was willing to replace Yamane Shion for Stradivarius, so for another insured violin, even if you directly said you knew about the bombing and came to watch the fun, he couldn't refuse you. This performance is too important to him." Asai Narumi patted Yuga Kyosuke on the shoulder, "Anyway, it doesn't matter who's in charge of the direction position. Having an expert like you is better than just letting laymen listen to rehearsals and previews."
He said it but didn't say it out loud. However, when it was afternoon and he followed Asai Narumi into Teitan Elementary School, Haga Kyosuke's expression still couldn't hide his subtle strangeness.
Could it be that their long lobbying this morning was actually aimed at lowering his expectations and getting him to agree to guide this matter?
Strange as it may be, when the topic turned to music, Kyosuke Haga didn't seem to be giving any perfunctory answers.
So when the agreed time arrived, Akiba Reiko, who was hurrying into the music classroom, couldn't help but stop in her tracks when she saw the person standing inside.
After thinking for a moment, she even took two steps back to make sure she hadn't gone to the wrong place before going back into the room.
Reiko Akiba first looked at Ran Mouri, who was sitting awkwardly by the piano and seemed to not know how to press the keys, then looked at the children who were lined up in two neat rows in front of the blackboard, and then carefully examined Hibiki Haga and Narumi Asai with a somewhat embarrassed smile, and asked sincerely.
"Is this really a school-level competition? Or is it some kind of international vocal competition, and they're using the school-level competition as an excuse to secretly practice?"
A small school-level choir competition has attracted the attention of two of the country's top musical talents. She wondered what kind of benefactor Teitan Elementary School had encountered in the years since she graduated, which propelled it to become a prestigious academy. Why such a grand spectacle?
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