LRAB Page 12
Page 12
He raised his hand to look at his watch; his lunch break was about to end.
"Each section will go to their respective practice room after school this afternoon. I hope everyone will be there. If there are any special circumstances, please remember to report to Minister Yukawa. Dismissed."
◇
At the elevated walkway.
"Well, even though Mr. Kitahara is handsome, he's too willful. I finally understand what the old saying 'a new broom sweeps clean' means."
"Thinking about it differently, it's actually pretty good. We get to go on a parade, and I wonder what kind of uniform we'll wear, and how cute it will be! I can't wait!"
"But I have plans after school~~"
"Why don't you just say you're not feeling well?"
“It works!” The two girls smiled at each other.
"But speaking of which, Saito-senpai doesn't look too well today."
"What can be done? After all, nothing is more painful for her than Nagase's withdrawal. I would believe it even if you said they slept together."
"You can't believe that."
A sudden sound came from behind, startling the two second-year girls. They turned around and saw Saito Haruka standing with her hands behind her back.
Her smile was like a ripe, sweet fig, paired with a strong, fiery liquor that would burn your tongue; it was a dizzyingly delicious taste in your mouth.
"Ah... Saito, the department head..."
"Don't say things carelessly."
Saito Harutori gave a special instruction, a bitter smile appearing on her face, looking somewhat annoyed.
"Alright, lunch break is almost over, let's go."
"Thank you for your hard work."
The two girls lowered their heads nervously and fled as if running away.
Saito Harutori narrowed her eyes slightly, then turned her head to look at the girl who was walking slowly from the club building with her head down.
Sunlight streamed through the glass, making her face glow.
"Yuxiang, what's wrong with you today? You haven't said a word and have been spacing out the whole time?"
Yuka Isomoto stopped in her tracks, her shadow on the tiles trembled, and she hugged her trembling arm with one hand, saying:
"I...it's all my fault, Nagase really quit the club."
The voice she forced out of her vocal cords sounded so aggrieved.
Saito Haruka's breathing slowed slightly, and her long, brown hair, draped over her shoulders, traced a smooth arc.
She strode forward, reached out and grasped Isomoto Yuka's wrist, her tone revealing unease:
"Yuxiang, please don't do this..."
Yuka Isomoto's slender shoulders trembled, and her forehead unconsciously rested on Haruka Saito's shoulder.
Her brown hair contrasted beautifully with her rosy cheeks, and a choked sob escaped her throat.
"That's why... I don't want to go to any national tournament... I don't have that ability... Being with Tsukiyo would only make me look useless."
Saito Haruka hesitated for a moment, then suddenly slipped her hands under Isomoto Yuka's armpits and gently stroked her bony back.
"I've sent Yueye several messages, but she just reads them without replying. It's so cruel of me..."
"How could this be...?"
Saito Harutori stroked her back slowly but firmly, as if afraid she would run away, and whispered with her eyes lowered.
"Tsukiyo and I have known each other since kindergarten. Time flies, it's been almost thirteen years. Yuuka, you've only known each other for two years, right?"
".......Um."
Yuka Isomoto's voice trembled involuntarily. Even though it had only been two years, she cherished this relationship very much.
Saito Haruka's left hand traced down the girl's shoulder blade, while her right hand explored down her spine, one stroke at a time, her eyes fixed on the cherry blossom tree swaying in the wind outside the window.
"What should I do now? I really want to play with Tsukiyo... I feel like I can't go on living without her."
“I can’t live on… What is this…” Yuka Isomoto gently moved her cheek, the sound of skin rubbing against the girl’s uniform reaching her ears.
Suddenly, Saito Haruka grasped Isomoto Yuka's arms with both hands, their foreheads touching as they gazed at each other's faces so close together.
The girl's large, dark eyes sparkled, like the sea at night in Yuka Isomoto's eyes.
She parted her cherry-colored lips and said:
“If you don’t apologize in person, Yuka, and Nagase ignores me, then it will all be your fault.”
Yuka Isomoto's breath suddenly stopped; she felt as if a pair of sweet poisonous hands were shaking her heart.
A window in the elevated corridor let in fresh air, which began to feel cool despite the scorching heat.
Something must be wrong; Sunny Bird is an angel.
She has transparent wings hidden on her back, secrets hidden there, and flowers and the moon held in her heart.
If not, how could she be so gentle, free, and beautiful, calling her "Yuxiang" in a sweet, clear voice, and naturally taking her hand?
"If you don't know what to do, let's play some music together!"
She studied in a village south of Aomori City from childhood to adulthood; the school had only five students, including the teacher.
Through diligent self-study, I was admitted to Hakodate, a city I considered a big city.
In order to come to this big city, she pestered her family to buy her a dress worth 30,000 yen in advance, and also bought her a set of popular brand cosmetics.
She didn't want to appear unsophisticated compared to the girls from Hakodate, but then she realized that the idea itself was unsophisticated enough.
On the day of the opening ceremony, the private high school was so big that she ran around the school and almost cried.
For Yuka Isomoto, the appearance of Haruka Saito was nothing short of a miracle.
"But Yuka is special to me too—"
Saito Harutori spoke softly in a melodious voice, tilting her head like a little bird, gazing at her with pleading, pitiful eyes.
"So, let's be friends for life, okay?"
Her face was so close it was almost a kiss, and Yuka Isomoto was so nervous she broke out in a cold sweat, unsure of where to look.
“I will definitely beg Tsukiyo to come back,” Yuka Isomoto said breathlessly.
Saito Harukori said with a laugh, her voice trembling with a hint of tears:
"Ah."
Chapter 14.14. Go outside and pick a leaf.
After school in the afternoon, Kitahara Hakuba arrived at the clarinet section's practice room.
The clarinet section is considered a large section within the wind section, with a total of twelve members. The section leader is Sakurako Yukawa, the head of the wind section.
The clarinets held by the members were mostly Yamaha's entry-level products, instruments purchased with funds from the school.
Even for such an entry-level product, the price has reached around 100,000 yen.
Kitahara Hakuba stood outside the corridor window for a while and watched. The highest level was Yukawa Sakurako, who was level 8. Most of the others were level 5 or 6, and there were two first-year students who were level 1. They seemed to be new members who knew nothing about the club.
To his disappointment, there wasn't a single S, and while A was rare, it wasn't nonexistent.
[Character: Goto Yu]
[Musical Instrument: Clarinet LV1]
[Growth: A]
[Stress Resistance: C]
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[Character: Misaki Nagasawa]
[Musical Instrument: Clarinet LV1]
[Growth Rating: A-]
[Resilience: A]
These two level 1 players have even higher growth potential than the club president, Sakurako Yukawa, and have a lot of room for development.
When Kitahara Hakuba walked into the classroom with the sheet music, Kawai Sakurako was the first to stand up, and the other members also looked up.
"Teacher Kitahara—"
"Ah."
All eyes in the classroom were on him. Kitahara Hakuba frowned, and as if suddenly realizing something, his gentle eyes swept around the classroom.
“It seems there are still two people missing,” Kitahara Hakuba said.
Why are there only ten people?
"Ah... um, Mizuno Kaze and Harumi Nozomi didn't come in the second year. They said they were feeling... mentally unwell, which led to physical discomfort."
Sakurako Yukawa, who said those words, was almost unable to hold back her embarrassment.
"I think these two are members of Unit A, right?"
"Yes."
“I see…” Kitahara Hakuba fell into deep thought, then suddenly relaxed his lips, his slender fingers turning the pages of the sheet music as he said, “Everyone, don’t force yourselves. If you feel uncomfortable, be sure to speak up.”
Many students suffer from mental illness, which is rarely reflected in their appearance and is very easy to misjudge.
This situation has become so common in recent years that phrases like "You look very energetic, don't think about slacking off, go to class!" have been banned in the education sector, with most teachers unwilling to take the risk.
Kitahara Hakuba naturally didn't want to make a mistake.
Moreover, if they really don't want to play, he has plenty of time in the future to transfer these members from Unit A to Unit B.
"Minister Yuchuan, please distribute these. Everyone should try to learn the first section first. I'll use this time to go and check out the other parts. After we go around, we'll start sight-singing practice. That shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
Kitahara Hakuba's words contained a hint of provocation, which caused some of the club members to purse their lips in a strange way.
Sakurako Kawa took the sheet music, which contained the clarinet melody of "RYDEED".