dmims Page 183
Page 183
This doesn't align with the main theme of Part Three, Soli, and will definitely result in a deduction of points in the competition.
Kitahara Hakuba took a deep breath, crossed his arms, and gave a sharp critique.
"Your trumpet and oboe are not well balanced in terms of force. Your basic skills are very good, but you are not good at coordinating the force with the woodwinds. Nagase-kun does it very well."
Kuno Tachibana lowered her head dejectedly, her black hair falling loosely on both sides of her face, obscuring her expression.
The excuses in her mind crumbled as Kitahara Hakuba explained. In terms of ability, Nagase Tsukiyo did a better and more outstanding job than her.
It's understandable that Kitahara-sensei would reject her outright for choosing her.
"It's not over yet."
Kitahara Hakuba continued,
"Kuno, do you remember? Kanzaki-san snapped a picture here."
Kuno Tachibana looked up; as a musician, she certainly remembered this incident.
Kitahara Hakuba rewound time and replayed Kanzaki Eri's oboe.
In the fourth segment, the oboe beats ahead of the rest.
“I remember this part, she also rushed the beat when she was talking to Nagase-senpai.”
Kuno Tachibana moved closer, completely unaware that his arm was already pressed against Kitahara Hakuma's body.
"What I didn't expect was that when I was chatting with her, she also beat me to it."
"I asked her to do it on short notice."
When Kitahara Hakuba suddenly admitted that the premature shot was intentional, Kuno Tachibana looked somewhat surprised.
Why do such a strange thing? The thought suddenly popped into her mind.
Kitahara Hakuba didn't specify why, but rather casually mentioned it:
"For a musician, the ability to handle mistakes on the spot is also crucial. I assure you I did not tell either of you in advance, and neither did Kanzaki."
Then, he continued playing the two people's handling of Kanzaki Eri's premature shot.
"Here, Nagase realized that the other person was rushing the beat, but he immediately controlled it. Without breaking the musical phrase, the vibrato and crescendo were expressed very clearly."
"You handled the rest well, but unfortunately the ending wasn't handled well; the sixteenth note was still a bit off-beat."
As Kitahara Hakuba slowly explained, Kuno Tachika suddenly realized something, his lips trembled slightly, and his face flushed.
It wasn't a shame that couldn't compare to Nagase Tsukiyo's, but rather a joy that welled up from the depths of her heart, a joy of sudden enlightenment.
It's the joy of receiving a sweet cake as compensation even if you fail.
Kuno Tachibana's small hand couldn't hold Kitahara Hakuba's arm, and she smiled as she said:
"Teacher Kitahara, you're actually secretly showing favoritism towards me, aren't you?"
Chapter 158, Section 157: This time, the alternate accounts are both winners and losers (4K)
Kitahara Hakuba looked at her, feigning ignorance, with his usual gentle smile on his face:
"As a mentor, I will not show favoritism to any member of the team."
Kuno Tachibana, however, did not believe his words at all.
If Kitahara-sensei were truly fair, would she allow Kanzaki-senpai to take photos in the same spot?
If she were a mentor or consultant, she would definitely have Eri Kanzaki take photos in different places to see how the two handled the situation differently; that would be fair.
Making a quick play in the same spot will only make Kuno Tachibana, who plays later, more vigilant in the same place and mentally formulate a plan of "how should I handle this if it were me?"
Suddenly, she realized something: Kitahara-sensei wasn't a saint who always stayed true to his principles; he also had selfish moments.
Choosing Nagase actually went against his own thoughts, but from the perspective of the brass band, his choice of Nagase was an inevitable result.
However, due to his status, he could not show obvious favoritism and could only express his selfishness in this way.
However, Kuno Tachibana did not seize this opportunity. Even though he took precautions in advance, his handling of the same situation was still not as good as Nagase Tsukiyo's.
Thinking of this, Kuno Tachibana, as if with regret, suddenly raised his hand and started scratching his hair, muttering to himself:
"What a pity! What a pity! What a pity!"
Kitahara Hakuba knew she understood, and he didn't need to explain further.
"I sincerely hope that Kuno can cheer up. In the future, there will be more people than just Nagase Tsukiyo who are better than you."
Kuno Tachibana pouted slightly, her skin burning as if on fire, and said with a flushed face:
"That's because you didn't say a word yesterday, Mr. Kitahara. You didn't even come to comfort me after the competition. Why didn't you let me think about it? Do you know how sad I was?"
The anxiety that had been building up in my chest was released, replaced by something softer, warmer, and purer.
Seeing her complaining like a sheltered young girl, Kitahara Hakuba couldn't help but laugh and say:
"I'm sorry, I thought it would have been better to leave you alone for a while."
Kuno Tachibana, her voice slightly choked with tears, said in a coquettish tone:
"It's awful, I almost cried. I was so sure you'd come to comfort me, I was really waiting for you." "There's no need to cry now, is there?"
Kitahara Hakuba didn't want her to cry right now.
After all, this is her home. If she really cried, her mother would think that she had done something to her.
Kuno Tachibana pouted and used the fingerless hand of the teddy bear to pat Kitahara Hakuba's arm:
"Bad teacher! Bad!"
.
He used to say he would always be his most loyal soldier, but now he calls him a bad teacher.
"Remember, these are all your guesses. I haven't biased anything. Don't tell anyone."
Kitahara Hakuba grabbed the teddy bear's "hand," then raised his fingers to pinch Kuno Tatsuka's elastic little mouth, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
"This is a little secret between Kitahara Hakuba and you. Can you promise not to tell?"
Kuno Tachibana's heart was pounding, her eyes trembling with emotion as she looked at him, her delicate body shaking with excitement.
Her lips felt hot as he pinched them, as if the hottest blood was flowing out.
"Ah."
She made a sound in her throat and nodded, her face flushed.
Does Nagase-senpai know about this incident of taking the picture too quickly?
She must have known.
However, Kuno Tachibana reacted too slowly and was blinded by Kitahara-sensei's favoritism due to his temporary setback.
In this matter, the one who should be sad is not her, but Nagase Tsukiyo, who was not chosen.
Because Kuno Tachibana now knows that Kitahara Hakuba actually favors himself more.
As for Nagase Tsukiyo, it was the brass band that chose her, not Kitahara Hakuba.
No wonder Nagase Tsukiyo didn't seem happy after she got a solo performance; she didn't even smile.
Both of these smaller accounts are both winners and losers this time.
Kitahara Hakuba had no idea that a storm of thoughts was brewing within the girl's heart, and he released her hand, saying:
"Can you promise me that you'll practice hard from now on?"
Hirokuno Tachibana's neck was stained red, and for the first time, she was a little embarrassed to look at Kitahara Hakuba's face:
"It should be possible..."
Her voice was so weak that even she felt ashamed when she heard it.
Hearing her voice, which was as faint as a whisper, Kitahara Hakuba raised his voice and said:
"Why are you speaking so softly today? Where did your usual assertiveness when you confronted the older female students go?"
"Teacher Kitahara, you're not one of those troublemaking upperclassmen..." Kuno Tachibana said, her hands clasped between her legs, as if trying to defend herself.
Seeing the girl's appearance, Kitahara Hakuba calmly said:
"You absolutely have to succeed, because everyone and I like you a lot. We like your hard work and strength, we like how you strive forward, we like how you dare to challenge those above you. It's because you have so many strengths that you feel unwilling to give up, right? From the time you entered school until now, you've been working so hard—"
Kitahara Hakuba said a lot of encouraging words, but Kuno Tachibana's brain would selectively piece them together in her mind.
All I heard was "I like you very much".
My chest feels itchy, and I suddenly feel like crying.
Kuno Tachibana looked at Kitahara Hakuba in front of her. Her parents had told her that as a girl, she should maintain a clear distance from the opposite sex.
Her heart was in turmoil, but her hands betrayed her heart, involuntarily reaching out to hug his waist.
"Teacher Kitahara, you're such a kind person..."
Kuno Tachibana buried her face in his right shoulder, rubbing against him like a cat, and said, "It's so good to have met you. Even if I'm not the one doing the solo this time, I still want to give you the gold medal with everyone else."
Kitahara Hakuba was initially startled, but quickly calmed down. Unlike Isomoto Yuka and Saito Haruka who stepped forward to hug him, their fullness made his heart race, so he became so stiff that he dared not make any movement, for fear of losing his composure.
Kuno Tachibana, on the other hand, is completely different.
Because she was so small and her body was too frail.
When Kuno Tachibana came up to him, Kitahara Hakuba coaxed her like a younger sister, saying:
"The All-School Tournament is coming up soon. Even if it's not a solo performance, I hope you can cheer up, because for the next few years, Kuno, you will definitely be the leader of Shin-Asahi High School."
Kuno Tachibana took a deep breath. Although she was an extrovert, she never got close to men.
But the man beside her was so charming that she couldn't help but want to get closer.
She raised her flushed face, her eyes shining brightly and resolutely, and said:
"My alternate account will become... the number one in Kitahara Hakuba's and Kitahara-sensei's hearts. Until then, I, Kuno Tachika, will not give up."
Kitahara Hakuba, seemingly pleased, patted her hair again.
[Member: Tachibana Kuno]
[Instrument played: Trumpet Lv21]