Kaguya Shinomiya and Chika Fujiwara, along with Marin Kitagawa and Saki Kawasaki, although members of the Supernatural Society, were unaware of Ye Xing's true abilities and were all stunned speechless.
Wait...
Let's not even discuss what you mean by king of instruments...
Where did you pull such a large instrument from?
Yukino Yukinoshita had always been straightforward, and since she was curious, she didn't hesitate to ask.
"How did you hide such a large instrument inside your clothes?"
"Hmph."
Ye Xing shook his head and smiled nonchalantly.
"There are even bigger things hidden inside that you haven't seen yet."
Hearing this, both Rio Futaba and Miko Yotsuya blushed.
To be honest...
It really was quite big.
Especially for Miko Yotsuya, who felt somewhat frightened upon seeing it.
She didn't dare imagine how she would possibly manage to get it in when the time came.
As Ye Xing spoke these words, most of the girls in the room blushed faintly to varying degrees.
Only Kaguya Shinomiya looked utterly bewildered, wondering if this was some kind of secret code.
She couldn't understand at all why everyone appeared so bashful.
"Next, I'll perform a festive piece for everyone - Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix."
While speaking, surrounded by complex, astonished, and confused gazes, Ye Xing raised the suona with both hands and brought it to his lips.
The blazing summer sunlight poured over the beautiful, tranquil grounds of Shuchi'in Academy.
The scenery at this elite high school was splendid, with students who had just finished their exams gathering to discuss things - it was like a perfect picture of youth.
Toot toot toot toot!
The high-pitched... no, impassioned sound of the suona abruptly shattered this tranquillity.
Toot toot toot!
Watching Ye Xing completely immersed in playing the suona, Kaguya Shinomiya and Chika Fujiwara exchanged glances, both sharing the same thought in their hearts.
'Wait...'
'You're actually serious?'
But to be fair.
This musical piece was truly beautiful.
Unlike traditional Japanese styles, it had a certain... a certain...
As Kaguya Shinomiya thought this, a remarkably peculiar image suddenly surfaced in her mind.
There was a feeling, as if after exam results were announced, Ye Xing strode forward with his head held high, looking down upon the teachers and students of Shuchi'in Academy.
And all the teachers and students of Shuchi'in Academy were bowing before him.
"No wonder it's called Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix..."
Kaguya Shinomiya nodded slightly, murmuring to herself.
"It truly is an extraordinary piece with remarkable presence."
...
After finishing the piece, Ye Xing put down the suona with great satisfaction.
"How was it?"
Chika Fujiwara wore a dazed yet adorable expression, lowering her head as she spoke with genuine sincerity.
"I admit defeat."
"Hmph, it's good that you know when to concede. In that case..."
"Eh, no, wait a moment."
Chika Fujiwara finally snapped out of her stupor from the stirring suona music, realising belatedly.
"Wasn't I supposed to be performing together with Touma-kun? When did this turn into an instrument competition?"
Instead of directly answering Chika's question, Ye Xing put on a mysteriously profound air.
"Don't ask. Just accept that as Shuchi'in Academy's student representative, you've lost in this musical instrument contest."
"Oh..."
Chika Fujiwara nodded with a blank, innocent expression.
"Alright then, I lost."
Watching Chika's reaction, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but frown slightly.
Although her own class also had this type of airheaded, somewhat silly girl, like Yui Yuigahama, and Hana Yurikawa, who was even more naturally airheaded, Yukino Yukinoshita always felt something inexplicable when looking at Chika Fujiwara.
It seemed the other girl wasn't as much of an airhead as she appeared on the surface.
Rather...
There was a dangerous feeling that required caution.
Yukino Yukinoshita didn't believe this could just be her imagination.
Could anyone who managed to enter Shuchi'in Academy be simple?
Judging by Chika Fujiwara's appearance, she didn't seem like the type of student with exceptionally outstanding grades who could enter Shuchi'in Academy as a commoner.
The two representatives, Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane, were the top students among Shuchi'in Academy's first years, with the former being the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya conglomerate.
So how could Chika Fujiwara also become a student representative?
This proved her family background must be extremely prominent, even among the nobility-filled Shuchi'in Academy, where she would be considered rare and outstanding.
Could a girl raised in such an environment truly be a simple-minded airhead?
Yukino simply didn't believe it.
During Ye Xing's performance, the restroom window had remained open.
The suona has one most notable advantage.
That is, once played, it's enough to capture everyone's attention.
Plus, Ye Xing's professional skills were nothing to scoff at either.
Though he hadn't played many times.
He was probably the first person in the world to have played the suona for evil spirits.
This performance of Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix directly stunned all the Shuchi'in Academy and Sobu High School students who had just finished their exams within several hundred meters.
"What was that... what instrument?"
"A tuba?"
"What tuba? I've heard it before, it's called... right, suona! It's the suona!"
"Who's playing that thing on campus?"
"Don't knock it, you have to admit it actually sounds quite good."
Sobu High School's Satan Ye Xing had brought Shuchi'in Academy a little suona shock.
Just then, Miko Yotsuya suddenly stood up and approached him, lowering her voice to say.
"The school authorities of Shuchi'in Academy did not resort to underhanded tactics."
Ye Xing nodded without the slightest hint of surprise.
"Just as I thought."
What kind of high school was Shuchi'in Academy?
Many prominent figures currently in Japan's political and business circles were graduates of this school.
This was indeed a joint examination concerning prestige.
But ultimately...
It was merely a competition between first-year students from two schools.
The news that a student from Shuchi'in Academy failed to secure first place would certainly cause quite a stir.
But that was all it would be.
Shuchi'in Academy would still be Shuchi'in Academy.
Sobu High School would still be that Sobu High School.
However, if they were to employ such despicable means for something as trivial as first place in a joint examination...
Never mind the consequences if discovered.
The Shuchi'in Academy leadership, who always held themselves in high regard and considered themselves the cradle of Japan's future talent, would never tolerate such behaviour.
Of course.
Just to be safe, Ye Xing had Miko Yotsuya dispatch Hyakume to investigate Shuchi'in Academy's movements.
If they truly resorted to any vile actions...
What awaited Shuchi'in Academy wouldn't just be the previous mockery, but Ye Xing's full-force humiliation.
"Touma-san."
After this brief suona interlude, Chika Fujiwara turned to Kazusa Touma with an extremely serious expression.
"Please compete with me!"
"Huh?"
Kazusa Touma, who had been admiring Ye Xing's suona performance, snapped back to reality upon hearing this.
She stood up and walked over to Chika Fujiwara, her expression calm as she said.
"Compete? A fight? Alright then."
"Eh? Eh!?"
Faced with Kazusa Touma's intimidating presence - feeling like she might strike at any moment, her slender, elegant eyes radiating a chill - Chika Fujiwara quickly retreated two steps, waving her hands frantically in explanation.
"No... not fighting! Piano, it's about piano!"
"Piano? A competition?"
Kazusa Touma seemed unable to connect these two concepts with the current situation. She glanced at Chika Fujiwara, slightly puzzled.
"You and me?"
Kazusa Touma never mocked others; she only spoke the truth.
In her heart, there was only one person she needed to chase in terms of piano skill.
That was her mother, Youko Touma.
Kazusa Touma couldn't remember exactly when it was.
But from very early on, she had already moved beyond the stage of comparing herself with peers.
Because no one her age had the qualifications to compete with her in piano performance level.
So when she heard that Chika Fujiwara, also a first-year like herself, wanted to compete with her in piano, she showed this astonished expression.
There was no mockery in her heart.
But this expression, when seen by Chika Fujiwara and Kaguya Shinomiya...
Carried far too heavy a scent of mockery.
There was no helping it—the two of them didn't understand Kazusa Touma, but they had witnessed Ye Xing's behaviour firsthand.
Subconsciously, they assumed Kazusa Touma was looking down on Shuchi'in Academy, just like Ye Xing.
"That's right, you and me!"
Seeing Kazusa Touma like this, Chika Fujiwara also felt somewhat unconvinced.
Every person has a competitive spirit, and she was no exception.
Moreover, Chika Fujiwara's piano skills were far beyond those of an ordinary amateur.
She was a master whom the school had invited to perform solo at Shuchi'in Academy's freshman assembly.
At the very least, within Shuchi'in Academy, where the children of nobility gathered, Chika Fujiwara's piano playing was undisputedly the best.
Kazusa Touma didn't directly answer Chika Fujiwara's question, instead turning to Ye Xing and speaking softly.
"Shall I compete with her?"
Ye Xing said indifferently, "Go ahead. If she's so eager to lose, how can we refuse?"
"Alright then, I'll follow your suggestion."
Seeing Kazusa Touma agree, Chika took a deep breath, calming her mind to its most stable state, and slowly placed her ten fingers on the black and white keys.
With her extremely graceful playing posture, melodious piano music drifted out through the common room window.
Nearby students from both Shuchi'in Academy and Sobu High School could hear this faint yet delightful piano music.
"Is that... Fujiwara-san playing?"
"Fujiwara-san's piano playing remains so beautiful."
"As expected of the great-granddaughter of a former prime minister - not only is she adorable, but she plays piano wonderfully too."
"This piano music... it's good, but..."
"But what?"
"I kind of want to keep listening to that suona piece."
"Well... actually, I haven't had enough either."
Although Chika Fujiwara's piano performance was of a high standard and quite pleasant to the ear, it clearly wasn't on the same level as the famous piece that Ye Xing had just played on the suona.
Not only were their skill levels not on the same tier, but even their choice of pieces was vastly different.
Chika Fujiwara had chosen a piano piece with relatively low technical difficulty - one she was most confident with.
How could such an ordinary piece possibly compare with Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix?
Not even close.
After Chika Fujiwara finished playing, she immediately turned to look at Kazusa Touma, trying to find reactions like approval, surprise, or admiration in the other's eyes.
Unfortunately.
Kazusa Touma's eyes showed no ripples, as calm as ever.
This made Chika Fujiwara feel utterly miserable.
Was her performance only worth this in the other's eyes?
This was actually a misunderstanding on Chika Fujiwara's part.
Kazusa Touma's upbringing was completely different from hers.
In Kazusa Touma's mind, playing the piano was nothing worthy of praise.
It was as normal as eating or drinking.
Would you look at someone drinking a glass of water in front of you with an admiring gaze?
Impossible.
Kazusa Touma simply walked silently to the piano and sat down, placing her slender, pale fingers on the black-and-white keys.
Without a word, as always, she began her performance.
And from the moment the first note sounded, Chika Fujiwara realised...
She had lost.
Their piano skills...
Were as far apart as heaven and earth, completely on different levels.
This went beyond obvious aspects like the difficulty of the piece or the fluency of the performance.
To put it simply.
Kazusa Touma's music simply sounded better than Chika Fujiwara's.
It was a complete, thorough crushing in every aspect.
The members of the Supernatural Society were seeing Kazusa Touma play the piano for the first time, and they couldn't help but show looks of surprise.
That aloof Touma-san, who always seemed to keep others at a distance...
Actually had such high attainments in piano!?
Ye Xing was naturally not at all surprised by this.
Kazusa Touma could not possibly lose to Chika Fujiwara.
If one were to use studying as an analogy...
Kazusa Touma possessed both Kaguya Shinomiya's talent and Miyuki Shirogane's focus and perseverance.
Top-tier talent, coupled with unimaginable, day-after-day effort.
This was the source of Kazusa Touma's strength.
"It's over."
After finishing the piece, Kazusa Touma merely uttered two words faintly before rising from the piano.
Both Chika Fujiwara and Kaguya Shinomiya were left speechless.
They had lost.
Completely and utterly lost.
Chika Fujiwara represented the highest standard of piano playing among the students at Shuchi'in Academy.
Kaguya Shinomiya had originally thought that even if her friend lost, it wouldn't be by too embarrassing a margin.
But now she realised how mistaken her initial assumption had been.
Kazusa Touma and Chika Fujiwara were not even in the same league.
It was simply a crushing defeat!
Still.
Kaguya Shinomiya thought to herself that even losing at the piano wasn't a big deal.
After all, special skills were just that – a student's primary duty ultimately lay in their academic results.
The final dignity of Shuchi'in Academy would be defended by her, as the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya conglomerate!
...
Several hours later, in the Shuchi'in Academy hall.
The teachers and students of Sobu High School, along with all the Shuchi'in students who had taken the exam, were seated here, awaiting the exam results.
Most of the Shuchi'in students were looking at Shizuka Hiratsuka and Ye Xing sitting there with extremely mocking, gleeful eyes, whispering amongst themselves.
"Only a few minutes left until the humiliation begins."
"There's no need to be so pleased - we're from Shuchi'in Academy. Victory is only natural."
"Indeed. Going to mock them now would make it seem like we actually consider them rivals. Unnecessary."
"They were never in the same league to begin with. This joint exam was probably just arranged by the school to lift our spirits."
"Student Kaguya Shinomiya could never lose to mere students from Sobu High School."
Listening to the taunts from the Shuchi'in Academy students, Shizuka Hiratsuka gritted her teeth and muttered resentfully.
"These people are so arrogant. Are they really suggesting our Sobu High School is inferior to their Shuchi'in Academy?"
To Shizuka's surprise, Ye Xing, sitting beside her, actually nodded and replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Of course we are. What did you expect?"
"Eh?"
Shizuka blinked in confusion.
"But this morning you said..."
Ye Xing waved his hand dismissively.
"Ah, I was just showing off. You didn't actually believe me, did you?"
Before Shizuka could respond, Ye Xing continued calmly.
"I wasn't lying when I said Sobu High has the most outstanding student - that would be me - and the most excellent teacher - that would be you."
Then his tone shifted.
"But Shuchi'in Academy's greatest advantage has never been these visible qualities."
"Then what is it...?"
Ye Xing smiled faintly.
"Connections."
"Shuchi'in Academy's foundation is the deepest among all high schools in Japan."
"Any student who enters Shuchi'in Academy and successfully graduates will find fellow alumni seniors in whatever path they choose - whether it's business, politics, or any other field."
"Plus, most Shuchi'in students come from wealthy or influential families. The friendships formed during three years of studying alongside such people become valuable assets for their future careers."
"These kinds of connections can't be bought with mere money."
Shizuka clearly understood this reasoning and nodded in agreement.
Then she couldn't help asking curiously.
"If you knew all these advantages of choosing Shuchi'in Academy, why did you come to Sobu High in the first place?"
"I don't need those things."
Ye Xing replied casually, then turned to look at Shizuka beside him, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Besides, if I hadn't enrolled at Sobu High, I wouldn't have met such a beautiful homeroom teacher, let alone had the chance to tease her in the office."
Hearing this, Shizuka's face flushed bright red as she gritted her teeth.
"You little... Making jokes about your teacher again, are you? Take this..."
Just as Shizuka was mid-sentence, she noticed the middle-aged female teacher from Shuchi'in Academy wearing gold-rimmed glasses slowly stepping onto the stage.
"Next, I'll announce the rankings for this joint examination."
The large conference hall immediately fell completely silent.
Under the gaze of all students from both Shuchi'in Academy and Sobu High School, the female teacher took a deep breath, her expression becoming quite complicated as she slowly spoke.
"For this joint examination, first place goes to..."
"Sobu High School, Class 1-A, Student Ye Xing."