LRAB Page 253
Page 253
"I'm sorry, Nagase-senpai, this wish absolutely cannot be granted."
Kuno Tachibana stepped forward, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.
"Otherwise, I would have only been in the second year of junior high school at that time, and by the time I was in the first year of high school, Mr. Kitahara would have already been teaching me for more than two years."
"What's the problem?" Sakurako Yukawa asked.
Kuno Tachibana fiddled with the ends of her hair, saying matter-of-factly:
"Of course there are problems. We are the first batch of members taught by Teacher Kitahara. I will be a veteran member of Teacher Kitahara for three years. Our status will definitely be different."
Sakurako Yukawa couldn't help but laugh, "Hehehe... Kuno-senpai thinks quite a lot, doesn't she?"
Just then, the sound of a trumpet rang out in the music room again. Sakurako Yukawa realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth to keep quiet.
As time passed, one trumpet player after another went in, until it was Kuno Tachibana's turn.
The first music classroom, which used to feel crowded, now seemed incredibly spacious.
"One year, Kuno Tachibana, trumpet, first interval."
"Please take a seat."
"Why is it okay for Kitahara-sensei to come in wearing slippers?" Kuno Tachibana asked, a question unrelated to playing the wind instruments. "We have to take off our indoor shoes to come in."
Kitahara Hakuba paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "It must be a teacher's privilege, right? Besides, these are indoor slippers."
"Can I wear indoor slippers?"
"It's best not to do that."
If that's the case, he won't be able to appreciate the girls' socked feet lightly stepping on the soundproofing material.
No, that's not it!
Seriously speaking, other students would also follow suit and wear slippers. There are a total of 98 members in the wind band, where would they find the space to fit so many pairs of slippers?
That's the correct answer!
"Ok."
Kuno Tachibana laid out the sheet music and said, feigning nonchalance,
"What if I hadn't been chosen for the solo this time, and I had begged Kitahara-sensei to let me try again?"
Kitahara Hakuma glanced at Tachibana. Her body was as slender as an immature deer, with delicate bones and firm skin, exuding a youthful and fragile beauty.
"If this is what you want, I will agree to it."
"Well, Kitahara-sensei, you really have no opinions of your own," Kuno Tachibana said with a smile.
Independent opinion?
Kitahara Hakuba has no shortage of opinions when it comes to the brass band; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to reach the national tournament.
He understood that Kuno Tachibana's so-called "opinion" was based on his conversations with the girls, and that he always used their words as the standard for implementation.
“After all, you said you would beg me while crying,” Kitahara Hakuba said with a meaningful smile.
Kuno Tachibana felt comfortable for a moment, then her little face flushed red. She raised her trumpet and muttered coquettishly:
"Bad teacher..."
""
Chapter 203, Section 202: National Audition - End (4K)
The selection process for the trumpet section is over, and now only the three oboe members remain.
Eri Kanzaki was the first to enter the first music room. The girl tossed her hair, revealing her small ears, and her legs, peeking out from under her school uniform skirt, were unusually white.
"Three years, Eri Kanzaki, oboe."
The girl's clear pupils stared straight at Kitahara Hakuba, and the voice that came from her lips was slightly indistinct.
Perhaps because he talked to Eri more in private than the other members, Kitahara Hakuba didn't gossip and had her sit down to start the audition.
Eri Kanzaki sat in a chair, and a breeze blew in, making the scarf on her chest look like a butterfly about to take flight.
"One, two, three, four—" The oboe's tone flowed slowly through the air, like dewdrops sliding across emerald leaves, delicate and pure.
Sayaka Akamatsu sat quietly to the side, her fingers deftly pressing the keys.
The oboe solo is quite difficult, but she was able to perform it perfectly.
After playing the excerpt, Eri Kanzaki lowered her oboe, tucked her black hair behind her ear, and shifted her gaze from the score to Hakuba Kitahara.
Her unhurried yet tender demeanor perfectly embodied the poise of a young lady from a secluded family.
"Yes, very good,"
Kitahara Hakuba trusted Nagase's trumpet and Kanzaki's oboe the most; just listening to them was a pleasure.
"Okay, next one."
Kanzaki Eri suddenly asked softly:
Is there anything you want to say to me?
The girl's choked response carried a hint of disappointment, and Sayaka Akamatsu wondered why she had such an expression.
Kitahara Hakuba hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said:
"No, Kanzaki-san has done a very good job. I'm very happy to see that you've put so much time into the oboe."
An unusual joy shone from Kanzaki Eri's eyes, and her seemingly happy expression always reminded Kitahara Hakuba of a cat having its belly rubbed.
"Um"
Just a simple sentence was enough to reveal the obvious difference in her mood.
Eri Kanzaki stood up, took the sheet music and oboe and went out.
Akamatsu Sayaka followed them out, and then brought another girl back in.
"Eto-san." Before she could speak, Kitahara Hakuba spoke up first.
"Yes, um."
Kana Eto stood nervously beside the chair, the smooth curve of her calves against her white socks coming into view.
They didn't start preparing until he told them to sit down.
As the metronome started, Kana Eto began her oboe performance.
Kitahara Hakuma's gaze remained fixed on the selection list, letting her voice, like a babbling brook, flow into his ears.
She has grown a lot, but Eto is not the only one who has grown.
Kitahara Hakuba really appreciated her courage to take on solo performances, but from a playing perspective, she was still somewhat lacking compared to Kanzaki Eri.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work."
As Kitahara Hakuba finished speaking, Eto Kana released the reed from her mouth and subconsciously took a deep breath.
"Is the heater on?" she wondered, feeling the air on her thighs was rather warm.
"It really surprises me that you're the only one participating in the trumpet and oboe solo this time."
Kitahara Hakuba spoke calmly, but a hint of disappointment was clearly noticeable in his voice.
Kana Eto's face tightened as she said:
"Yes, I always think that I have to try it, otherwise I won't be able to forgive myself when I think about it later."
Hearing her words, Kitahara Hakuba's lips pursed slightly. He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the ninety-odd names:
"I might prefer Eto's personality. Minister Yukawa was right, you're quite suitable to be a minister."
Completely unprepared for Kitahara-sensei's words, Kana Eto's face instantly showed a look of surprise.
Perhaps it was because his tone was too gentle that I didn't feel nervous at all, and even my breathing became lighter.
A trembling mist filled the girl's eyes, and she responded with a heavy nasal tone:
"Ok!"
Kitahara Hakuba smiled gently at her: "Thank you for your hard work."
Kana Eto stood up, bowed deeply to him, and walked out of the first music classroom.
Then, Sayaka Akamatsu called out a few times at the door and returned to say:
"Teacher Kitahara, they said that Kirishima is in the restroom and Yukawa is waiting for her."
Kitahara Hakuba frowned. Could this be what their old homeroom teacher used to say—"prone to urination and defecation close to class"...?
Or is it because of nervousness?
Sayaka Akamatsu sat on a chair to the side, but her posture was strange. Even though she was wearing a skirt, she sat with her legs spread apart, facing the back of the chair.
Although the pleated skirt can cover a girl's private parts when it hangs down, this posture always reminds Kitahara Hakuba of the word "horse riding".
"Kanzaki-san's oboe playing is absolutely amazing." Akamatsu Sayaka quickly started a conversation during a break between the two.
Kitahara Hakuba looked at Akamatsu. Her legs were different from those of Kanzaki and the others; they had a very obvious fitness feel, especially the muscle lines in her thighs were very obvious.
"Can you tell what's so impressive about it?" Kitahara Hakuba asked.
Sayaka Akamatsu scratched her cheek somewhat awkwardly and said, "I can only say it's a feeling."
"What does it feel like?"
"I have this feeling... Kanzaki-san's oboe playing, is it a little sticky? Wet?"
"Sticky? Wet?" Kitahara Hakuba was surprised by her metaphor; it sounded rather obscene.
Sayaka Akamatsu herself was in a difficult position to prove, and tilted her head dejectedly, saying:
"Hmm, to put it another way? Maybe it's more like a love song? It's much more emotional than before, making the listener feel very comfortable—a 'love song'?"
After a while, Kitahara Hakuba couldn't help but sigh in his heart, realizing that music indeed takes on different forms in different people's ears.
"Yes, now I feel like Kanzaki-san is exaggerating a lot of emotions."
Sayaka Akamatsu nodded, then raised her finger and made meaningless circles in the air.
"Like some philosophical movies... and those kinds of movies that say things like 'Don't underestimate the bond between us!', it suddenly feels really strong."