I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 50

Kirishima Mai was stunned for a moment, her gaze fixed on herself, her beautiful black pupils seeming to contain all the darkness in the world.

Chapter 56. The Last Moments of Leisure Before the Music Festival

This week, thanks to the effects of the "gathering of essence" state, Kitahara Hakuba has been practicing at a high intensity, except for his lunch break.

Every afternoon after school, during ensemble practice, he would immediately switch to the "Gathering Sutras" mode.

Since all club activities on weekends have been suspended due to the approaching midterm exams, Friday will be the last time for the ensemble performance.

"Chief sockpuppet, is this part off-key?"

"There are more people playing the euphonium, but the sound is sometimes muddy. Try to make it fuller. There are already six of you, so why is the power you produce lower than that of the saxophone?"

"Saxophone, 2nd place, you seem a little distracted. What's wrong? Are you even watching my instructions?"

Unlike the last ensemble performance, everyone clearly felt that Kitahara Hakuba was being much stricter this time, with instructions falling like snowflakes onto each person's shoulders.

But the issues he raised were so insightful that it made it impossible to question Kitahara Hakuba's professionalism. It was because of this that everyone began to listen to him.

But what surprised everyone was that after being told off by Mr. Kitahara just once, the club members were able to correct their mistakes, and the ensemble's tone became even more beautiful.

In just one week, the A group of 55 people, 41 of whom were below level 10, all leveled up two or three times according to their growth potential, while the others leveled up one time, bringing Kitahara Hakuba an instant income of more than two million.

In particular, Kuno Tachibana, who has S-level growth potential, leveled up three times and is now at level 16, successfully entering the mastery level.

Not long ago, he thought, "I can't let these girls work too hard," but now, seeing them level up and his bank account balance increase, Kitahara Hakuba has changed his mind—

Physical exhaustion is nothing; you not only gained ten times the experience, but I also earned millions of dollars!

Win-win!

But Kitahara Hakuba didn't dare let them train to the point of exhaustion. If anyone couldn't take it, he would still arrange for them to rest.

Anyone who has ever practiced a musical instrument knows that if you maintain the same posture for too long, various parts of your body will ache, and it may even affect your practice the next day.

The most direct solution is to change the original 6 PM dismissal time to 5 PM, an hour earlier.

"Teacher, isn't this a bit inappropriate? Everyone has finally started practicing seriously," asked Sakurako Yukawa, who had already upgraded her clarinet to level 10.

She could clearly see that her team members' abilities were improving, which was evident in their smug expressions, and even she herself was pleased about it.

“I understand everyone’s desire to work hard, and I don’t object to you staying. It’s just that you’ve progressed too quickly and need to take some time to digest it.”

Kitahara Hakuba gripped the baton with both hands, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to explain.

"Your current absorption capacity is like a dry sponge, and you can grow significantly in the blink of an eye. Moreover, you are already able to support the scores I have rearranged, which is enough to deal with the music festival."

Sakurako Yukawa couldn't understand what he was saying and said:

"However, we are still some distance from the grand assembly... but suddenly you say we should disband sooner, this..."

The music classroom suddenly fell silent; everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

Looking back, although they had chosen to aim for a prize in the National Tournament through voting, Kitahara Hakuba's training allowed them to achieve a breakthrough in their abilities in a short period of time.

Thinking about it this way, there's still plenty of time, and winning the gold medal at the National Tournament shouldn't be a problem.

Kitahara Hakuba was silent for a moment, then a smile appeared on his lips as he said:

"I still want to know everyone's thoughts. Is your current goal still to retain the bronze medal at the All-Round Conference?"

No one responded; many people looked at each other, hoping someone would take the lead and set an example.

Saito Haruka simply held the silver-white euphonium in both hands, making no response to the gazes cast upon her by the third-year students, as if she were pondering something in her heart.

"If you still have doubts, then make your judgment at the music festival."

Seeing that they still hadn't made up their minds, Kitahara Hakuba continued,

"As for the National Tournament, let me be frank: your performance skills are not up to par. If you want to get a good ranking, you can't just play according to the score. That's just being a machine; you might as well listen to a CD. I hope you can have a concept of the score in your mind, have the ability to enhance your skills, and have the determination to cooperate with each part. But for you right now, you don't need to consider that because your skills are not up to par. Do you understand what I mean?"

His words immediately plunged the audience into an awkward silence. Many people didn't even understand what he said, and even Sakurako Yukawa started to blush.

Her original intention was to tell Kitahara Hakuba—

"We can keep trying, teacher, please don't feel sorry for us."

In her heart, there was indeed a selfish desire to encourage everyone.

However, Kitahara Hakuba bluntly told them another reality, and instead of encouragement, they were also given a cold shower.

How foolish, Yukawa.

"Teacher, you sometimes don't have a cute way of speaking. We just want to be praised by you."

One girl muttered something indignantly, which made everyone in the audience burst into laughter.

Kitahara Hakuba could vaguely make out the sound of Kuno Tachibana's throat being constricted, but he didn't point it out and said frankly:

"Everyone, today is the last day of practice. Next week, the school will not allow club activities. The doors to the music room and the section practice room will be closed. Section leaders, please remember to hand in your keys to the office. Everyone, focus on your midterm exams."

"Okay!" everyone responded in unison.

"Just a reminder, whatever you do, don't come. Otherwise, if the ferry manager finds out, he might think I asked him to come. I just arrived and I don't want to get scolded."

His words made the members burst into laughter.

"Teacher! What are you planning to do next week?" Kuno Tachibana asked with a smile.

"Me?" Kitahara Hakuba pondered for a moment and said, "I haven't made any plans yet. I'll rest when I don't have classes."

"Are you planning to go on a date with Shinomiya-sensei? We saw you two shopping at the mall earlier!"

As soon as she said this, Yu Shoukan, the section leader of the trumpet section next door, lost her focus and almost dropped her trumpet. Fortunately, her fellow members quickly caught it.

Kitahara Hakuba could only laugh awkwardly, never expecting Kuno Tatsuka to say such things in front of so many people.

"Although I am an adult, I have no expertise in clothing. Ms. Shinomiya is here to help me."

"Then, you and Professor Shinomiya went to the same university, but you never dated?" Yuka Isomoto asked.

Strangely enough, once his private life was discussed, the previously melancholy members suddenly became interested, their previous fatigue vanished, and their eyes shone brightly.

"No, although Shinomiya and I were in the same major in college, we rarely chatted. She also has her own social circle."

"Teacher! Did you ever have a romantic relationship when you were in school?"

"It's alright, I've received quite a few love letters, but we haven't started dating."

"Why don't you talk about it? Is it because the school is strict?"

"My family doesn't allow me to date too early, saying it will affect my studies, and they want me to date after graduation."

"Wow! Just like my house! Seriously, if I don't date now, will I end up single like Kitahara-sensei?"

"I'm not happy to hear you say that."

"Hahaha." A burst of cheerful laughter filled the music classroom.

"However, I almost got beaten up in junior high school because I was too good-looking and the school beauty had her eye on me. As a result, the thugs who liked her also started targeting me—"

Kitahara Hakuma leaned against the podium, adopting a "reminiscing about the past" posture, which immediately energized the gossip-loving club members.

Chapter 57. Finally, I don't have to bring girls home anymore.

On the first day of exam week, Kitahara Hakuba finally didn't have to get up at 5 a.m. and indulged himself by getting up at 6:30 a.m.

Without the guidance of the brass band, all music classes this week have been changed to self-study.

I put on my gray sneakers at the entrance and jogged all the way to Wulingguo.

On the street, you can see women wearing sexy yoga pants jogging slowly with their pure white teddy dogs.

She ran up to him on the leash, wanting to exchange contact information, but Kitahara Hakuba said he didn't like teddy bears.

It's not that I don't like Teddy dogs, it's just that I don't like live ones.

The sun shines brightly in Wulingdun Park, and the cherry blossoms have already fallen, their color gradually being driven away by the spreading greenery.

Unable to enjoy the cherry blossoms, Kitahara Hakuba felt a sudden sense of "being born in a flash and passing away peacefully."

Cherry blossoms bloom for only a fleeting moment, yet they leave an indelible mark on one's memory.

By the time they reached Half Moon Fortress, Kitahara Hakuma was panting heavily, large beads of sweat rolling down his fair and handsome face.

He unscrewed the sugar-free oolong tea in his hand and took a big gulp.

If he were a few years younger, he would definitely buy carbonated drinks, so that after exercising, exhaling a breath full of carbon dioxide would feel incredibly refreshing.

But he's already twenty-three, and he finds the drinks he used to find unpalatable increasingly delicious, just like a charming young woman.

—Yes, I'm talking about you, Oriental Leaf.

"Mommy, why are there so many cherry blossom trees here?" a little girl asked, tugging at her mother's sleeve.

“Because it’s pretty,” her mother said.

"Because the Hakodate Mainichi Shimbun planted thousands of Yoshino cherry trees throughout Goryokaku to commemorate the publication of its 10,000th issue," Kitahara Hakuba replied with a smile.

"Big brother, you know so much."

"Because I am a teacher."

The mother and daughter looked at him with even greater admiration.

Amidst the girl's repeated greetings of "Hello, teacher; goodbye, teacher," Kitahara Hakuma took another large gulp of oolong tea and sat up contentedly from the lawn.

I took a shower when I got home, put on a black and white striped polo shirt and white casual pants, and went out in a simple outfit.

If an ordinary person wore this, they would look like a down-on-his-luck Showa-era guy who had traveled to the Reiwa era. However, when Kitahara Hakuba wore it, it gave him a Japanese schoolgirl vibe.

The destination is Haruka Shinomiya's music store. They want to see if they can rent a soundproof room there. If all goes well, it can be used as his private tutoring space.

Walking to the music store, a sign hanging on the doorknob read, "Open for business, offering free trial playing and professional consultation."

Kitahara Hakuba pushed open the door empty-handed and went inside, only to find that there was no one at the front desk, and the occasional sound of a piano could be heard from upstairs.

He walked up the stairs and found Shinomiya Haruka standing next to an upright piano in the keyboard instrument area.

She was wearing a black top and jeans, explaining something to a girl who was playing an instrument, while her mother listened and nodded.

Kitahara Hakuba didn't dare to disturb her any longer at this time, so he went back downstairs to watch the front desk for her.

After a while, Shinomiya Haruka came down with the two of them. She didn't seem surprised to see Kitahara Hakuma at the front desk, and just smiled and said:

Why are you coming here instead of going to school?

"Exam week, none of this concerns me."