I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 254

“What is that…” Kitahara Hakuba chuckled, a smile playing on his lips.

At that moment, the door to the first music classroom opened, and Kirishima Mai walked in.

"Feel sorry."

As soon as she entered, she bowed to Kitahara Hakuba to apologize, and then bowed to Akamatsu Sayaka.

"No." Kitahara Hakuba didn't want to talk about the girl going to the restroom. "Sit down."

As Kirishima Maya sat in her chair, the clear tone of her oboe vibrated through the warm air, guided by a metronome.

Every note produced carries a captivating sense of awe, but the sound is like a template sound source, lacking its own unique characteristics.

Kitahara Hakuba stared at her expressionlessly, unconsciously tapping the table lightly with his fingertips.

"Okay, stop."

Kirishima Mai lowered her oboe, her gaze falling on the fluffy soundproof carpet on the floor.

"You still don't want to go?" Kitahara Hakuba's voice was deep and soothing, making people slow their breathing.

"..." Kirishima Mai was silent for a moment, then pursed her lips and said, "I think... I'm already pretty good as I am."

Her gaze wandered, unable to find a suitable focus; at that moment, she seemed to have been thrust into the eye of the storm.

dilemma.

Seeing an unprecedented vulnerability in the girl's eyes, Kitahara Hakuba whispered:

"Kuno-kun, you must have talked to me about something these past few days, right? What are you thinking? Can you tell me?"

Kirishima Mai pressed the oboe keys all the way down, her whole body exuding a conflicted emotion.

The girl's legs were pressed tightly together, as if anything that tried to enter would be crushed.

She was silent for a moment, then, as if she had made up her mind, she said:

"I still... don't want to change myself for anyone, and I will never look down on myself."

"so..

Kitahara Hakuba's eyelids drooped slightly, his mood a little disappointed.

But there's nothing I can do about it. Forcing her to correct her thoughts goes against my educational approach of "primarily providing support."

Even if her oboe skills are stronger and her development has reached the S level, she can only choose to give up following her own ideas.

In the mind of Kitahara Hakuba, who serves as a mentor, the order is: the member's personal wishes, the team's needs, and their abilities and potential.

Kirishima Mai's toes, hidden inside her socks, were curled up. She spat out a mouthful of saliva and said:

"I think this is fine, there's nothing I really want."

Kitahara Hakuba looked at her; the girl's gaze was like water, as if everything in the brass band was irrelevant to her.

My heart is calm and undisturbed, I am not attached to anything, only a clear and pure mind remains.

"Alright, I respect your choice."

Kitahara Hakuba let out a short sigh and said to Akamatsu Sayaka, who was standing beside him unaware of their conversation,

"Minister Akamatsu, bring in all the members who are involved in the trumpet and oboe Soli."

"it is good."

Sayaka Akamatsu quickly got up, opened the door, and called out.

A short while later, the four girls who had auditioned earlier walked in one by one and stood in the music classroom.

Kirishima Mayi got up from her chair and stood with them. Although she had no desires, she understood to some extent how arrogant it was to sit.

However, she may never have realized that her lack of desire was seen as an act of arrogance by others, even more so than Kuno Tachibana.

Kitahara Hakuba stood up, holding the Soli score for the freestyle trumpet and oboe.

"As I envisioned, everyone needs to play a duet once. For example, Kuno-kun, you need to play with all three oboes once, and the oboes also need to play with the two trumpets once each. Does anyone have any objections?"

"No," the girls answered in unison.

Kuno Tachibana's hand holding the trumpet trembled slightly, like a tender branch in the spring breeze, unable to control itself.

"Row."

Kitahara Hakuba nodded, crossed his arms, and looked at Nagase Tsukiyo and Kanzaki Eri. "Well then, let's begin."

?

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled into every corner of the campus, casting a reddish halo on the walls of the school buildings.

After the audition, Kitahara Hakuba did not ask the girls to stay and continue practicing, but let them go directly.

These people are probably preoccupied with the "audition list" to be released tomorrow, so they can't concentrate on practicing at all. They might as well let them go and rest.

Kuno Tachibana and his group arrived at Goryokaku Station. Looking at the bustling station, they could clearly see the crowds.

"All the travelers in Hakodate are staying in Goryokaku now..." She tucked her annoying hair behind her ear.

“There’s also the morning market and Mount Hakodate,” Miyako Nagasawa said.

Kuno Tachibana said dismissively:

"Well, I grew up in Hakodate and I've never seen anything fun here. The scenery is actually quite ordinary; it's just a typical seaside city."

At that moment, a passenger nearby spoke in fluent Kansai dialect:

"I really don't know what's so fun about Hakodate. The autumn scenery of Goryokaku is awful, and the night view is just so-so too."

It's all thanks to internet celebrities hyping it up.

"Kuno Tachibana glared fiercely at the adults.

Although he kept saying "Hakodate is so boring," he still felt a little annoyed when he heard outsiders criticizing his hometown.

"Did Kitahara-sensei say anything during this solo performance?" Nagasawa Miyako asked.

Just then, a tram pulled in, and Kuno Tachibana walked in while looking for a seat, but there were none available, so he had to stand to the side.

"No, he kept his mouth shut until he made the announcement."

Goto Yu stood beside her and asked curiously:

"So, will the two of you be able to perform solos this time?"

Kuno Tachibana glanced at Kirishima Mai, reached out and gently tugged at her pleated skirt, and said with a smile:

"Mai, you can become a soloist?"

"I don't know," Kirishima Mai said after a moment of silence. "I don't have much confidence. Don't pull it."

"This statement is much more rigorous than the last one."

Kuno Tachibana, holding the instrument case in her right hand and gripping the ring in her left, said, "But Nagase-senpai and Kanzaki-senpai played so well this time, it's really hard to keep up."

"It's not that bad, is it? We can't tell who's bragging from outside," Nagasawa Miya said.

"After all, you weren't there, so you can't appreciate the details."

Kuno Tachibana gazed out the window; the roadside trees receded to the right in a predictable pattern, and a fleeting light flickered in her eyes.

"I thought that since I hadn't played with Kanzaki-senpai many times, it would be a bit difficult for me to perform well, but I didn't expect her ability to perform on the spot to be so strong."

"Hmm?" Nagasawa Mia looked at Kirishima Mai with confusion and said, "What about Nagase-senpai? Could she also be 'too strong'?"

Kirishima Mai's gaze fell on the GG inside the carriage; the king crab meat from the Hakodate Morning Market was crystal clear.

"Very strong."

"Phew, thank goodness we didn't have a euphonium solo." Kurosawa Maki breathed a huge sigh of relief, as if every cloud has a silver lining.

Kuno Tachibana raised an eyebrow, smiled meaningfully, and said:

"Ma Gui, are you sure you can get into Section A this time?"

Kurosawa Maki proudly puffed out her chest, which was a size larger than Tachibana's, and said with a proud pout:

"It's possible. This isn't just something I said offhand. I saw Kitahara-sensei drawing something on the selection list when I was inside. It's highly likely he was drawing a scroll for me!"

But hers was only slightly larger than a tablet, not very big.

"Really?" Nagasawa Miya didn't believe it at all.

Saito-senpai and Iso-gen-senpai definitely secured the two spots for the euphonium. She never imagined that Kitahara-sensei would give up one of them and choose Kurosawa Maki instead.

"Really! I promise it's true!"

Kurosawa Maki's voice rose slightly, and she spoke faster, as if eager to pour out the thoughts in her mind.

"Moreover, after the audition, Mr. Kitahara specifically told me that I would definitely be able to stand on the stage of the competition again!"

However, Kuno Tachibana burst out laughing and said mercilessly:

"Teacher Kitahara didn't tell you a specific time either. It might be next year, or it might be the year after next."

Hearing her words, Kurosawa Maki's eyes showed a hint of grievance, and her voice trembled slightly, as if she was trying to defend herself while also trying to control her emotions:

"No, no, I wouldn't."

"It's okay, it's okay. What's there to be afraid of if you don't get elected? I'll treat you to crepes." Nagasawa Miya said, stroking her hair as if to comfort her.

"true and false?"

"But you have to follow my and Yu's tastes and eat cheese and lettuce crepes. I won't buy you anything else."

Goto Yu's eyes flashed, and he gave a thumbs up, saying:

"Cheese with lettuce, it's delicious, you should try it."

“Actually, I prefer the tiramisu chocolate kind…” Kurosawa Maki pouted.

Kuno Tachibana gently nudged her side with his elbow and said with a smile:

"That's going to be incredibly hot for girls. Be careful with the competition uniforms we just made this year; you won't be able to fit into them in a few days. If you ask to have them remade, you'll definitely be laughed at."

"No, I exercise every day."

"Playing the wind... is that considered exercise?" Goto Yu asked.

"Teacher Kitahara said that you need to use your abdominal muscles when playing, and we often play in the same posture, so it's a kind of exercise, right?"