I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 416

Kana Eto forced a smile, swallowed hard, and pondered the speech she had been working on for days.

I wanted to read it all out in one breath, but for some reason, I suddenly felt unwilling to speak.

A burning sensation rose in her throat, blurring her vision. To suppress the surging emotions, she pursed her lips and clenched her teeth.

"Seniors, we will definitely win gold again next year," Kana Eto said through gritted teeth.

With one hand on her hip, Kami Takahashi chuckled and remarked, "They wrote several pages and memorized them for so long, and all they condensed into this one sentence?"

The other members around him also laughed innocently.

In fact, they understood that saying more tear-jerking words would be useless. Starting this year, the goal of the Shenxu Brass Band has been completely changed, which is to win the gold medal at the national competition.

The photo frames kept in the cabinet are inlaid with group photos from the Hakodate Regional Tournament, the National Tournament, and the National Tournament, as well as the trophies and certificates from those tournaments.

Keeping these things constantly updated and renewed is what the minister should do, and it is the best answer given by the successor.

Instead of letting "That's it" become the main theme of the wind section.

Sakurako's voice has changed quite a bit, becoming a sweet, forced tone.

"Keep up the good work!"

"Yes! I, Kana Eto, swear! I will definitely win gold again next year!"

Facing Kana Eto's firm vow, Sakurako Yukawa pursed her lower lip. The feeling of being slowly pulled away from her "place of refuge" was truly frightening and worrying.

She wanted to appear more "senior," and even somewhat wanted to stay in the department to look after the members.

But this won't do. Everyone has to move forward, otherwise, wouldn't this be the same as the past two years? Yukawa Sakurako thought to herself with a self-deprecating smile.

"Alright, since you've explained it so concisely, let's move on to the next step!" said Takahashi Kami.

Kana Eto nodded quickly, took a cherry blossom-colored card from the pocket of her uniform jacket, and said:

"Next is the flower delivery process."

A short while later, other members came forward from outside carrying elegant bouquets, all handmade, with even the flowers made of paper.

Inside the paper flowers are cards according to each senior's color preference, with their names written on them.

Kitahara Hakuba stood aside watching. Eto Kana had once approached him, hoping he could deliver bouquets to the third-year students.

But after thinking about it, he decided to let other students do it, but still wrote some short messages on the cards.

"What does Kitahara-sensei think?"

A girl's soft voice reached his ears. Kitahara Hakuma turned his head, and the sharp ears came into view. It was Kuno Tachibana, who was dressed as Frillie.

“It was a very good experience.” Kitahara Hakuba smiled gently.

Kuno Tachibana felt a warmth in his thin chest and looked at the third-year student receiving flowers, saying, "Taibahara-sensei is quite the talker."

Kitahara Hakuma turned his head to look at her profile:

"what?"

Kuno Tachibana remained silent for a moment, his silver-white hair swaying gently with his movements, a few stray strands brushing against his cheeks.

"What a bunch of idiots! The most important people are about to leave, and they're still talking about winning gold next year. They really don't know what's good for them."

Kitahara Hakuba didn't speak. He could sense that Tachibana's tone was very indifferent, as if he were saying that these people were just indulging in self-congratulation and couldn't feel the harsh reality of next year.

“It’s not that there’s no chance,” Kitahara Hakuba blurted out instinctively.

In fact, upon calm reflection, Li Hua's words were more correct, but his heart was already biased towards these girls, and he couldn't help but refute them.

These nonsensical words made Kuno Tachibana clench her fists, but she quickly loosened them, and a sigh could be heard escaping her throat.

"From now on, what exactly does this so-called effort mean?"

"kindness?"

"That's why I hate it. It's pointless effort. All this excitement now will only turn into wishful thinking. We spend so much time encouraging and competing with each other, and we almost fall apart. We only get three days of summer vacation. As a result, we set the bar too high this year, and we won't get what we want next year. It's so stupid."

Kuno Tachibana's words reached Kitahara Hakuba's ears. He looked at Yukawa Sakurako, who was covering her mouth and beginning to cry, and whispered:

"Yes, it's really stupid, but it's everyone's choice."

Upon hearing his agreement, Kuno Tachibana's breathing slowed, and he stared at the floor in disbelief, remaining silent.

Kitahara Hyakuma put his hands in his pockets and said in a gentle tone:

"Kuno-kun, I once talked to counselors from other schools, and we had a big argument about whether to focus on winning or on the musical experience. In my mind, focusing on the musical experience is the core of playing the Kyoto, while winning is just a byproduct. I don't want everyone to put the cart before the horse."

Kuno Tachibana's full under-eye bags twitched slightly, and he clenched his fists:

"Only those who have successfully seized the counterfeit and left no regrets are qualified to say this."

Her short sentence was filled with resentment, and she felt that Kitahara Ryoma's words were very hypocritical, as if he was trying to excuse her departure.

Seeing that Kitahara Roma didn't speak, Kuno Tachika gently bit his lower lip, somewhat regretting that his tone wasn't as cheerful as usual when he spoke to him.

If I act cute and affectionate with him, I might leave a good impression on him, and one day he might not want to leave me and come back to continue his vocational education.

But how could I possibly let loose like this now?

Chapter 310, Page 309. I Don't Want to Talk

There were no rules about who would present the bouquets; it was all done spontaneously by first- and second-year students who wanted to give bouquets to their admired seniors.

This is actually a subtle competition of popularity; the bouquets with the names of popular third-year seniors will be fought over by several club members.

Conversely, the three-year-older colleague, whose popularity has waned, often finds himself in the awkward situation of not receiving any gifts.

Kana Eto had considered this long ago. She let the members compete for the popular name bouquets, while the remaining members delivered the less popular name bouquets in order.

The atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious. Some of the younger generation who gave flowers were moved to tears, and even the third-year female students who were easily moved to tears couldn't help but cover their mouths.

Kitahara Hakuba stood there watching. He wasn't surprised that many juniors wanted to give Saito Harutori flowers.

However, the two people who were very close to her, Tsukiyo and Eri, were completely different. The flowers were sent by first-year students who seemed to have little interaction with her, and after thanking each other, they did not say anything more.

Kitahara Hakuba understood to some extent that the two beautiful girls did indeed give people a different feeling; they were the type that could be appreciated with the naked eye, but would still make people feel restrained once they came into contact with them.

Unlike Saito Haruka, who appears kind and gentle, like a sexy older sister next door.

“Minister Yukawa.” Kana Eto handed her a handmade microphone.

Sakurako felt the bouquet in her hands was heavy. She took the paper microphone, which served no purpose other than being more noticeable, and said:

"After today, we three students will be retiring completely. This year has been tough and tiring, but everyone has worked hard to get through it. I need to thank everyone."

After she finished speaking, she bowed deeply to the club members. Some of the younger girls who liked her very much burst into tears, crying out, "Aww, Yukawa-sama!"

"Sister Yingzi"

"

"Don't worry, Minister Yukawa, we'll definitely make the brass band even better."

"They all cried so quickly!"

Some people secretly glanced at their companions with schadenfreude, only to find that the other person's eyes were slightly red. Their playful mood vanished instantly, but they still managed to force a wry smile.

Nagase Tsukiyo smiled faintly; she liked this harmonious atmosphere.

"What are you writing under the moonlight?" Kanzaki Eri asked from beside her.

"Hmm?" Nagase Tsukiyo turned his head to look at her and noticed that Eri was holding a business card in her hand.

Eri was probably asking what Kitahara-sensei had written on her name card.

"Hmm, me?"

Nagase Tsukiyo was initially unwilling to share with anyone, but she didn't want to refuse Eri, fearing that the friendship she had painstakingly mended would be wounded again.

She picked up the card from the bouquet, gazed at the neat handwriting in black ink, and softly read it aloud:

"You are a very talented and sensitive girl. I wish you all the best in becoming the person you dream of being. That's all."

Eri Kanzaki's pupils were deep, like a tranquil lake, and her slightly parted lips were as pink as cherry blossoms.

"kindness."

Gone?

Nagase Tsukiyo gazed at Eri's porcelain-white face, which, despite its doll-like stiffness, revealed a naive innocence that seemed oblivious to the world's ways.

Why won't you tell me even though I've already told you? Do you think you can keep quiet just because I don't ask?

At the same time, a sense of regret, equal in weight to confusion, struck Nagase Tsukiyo. She instinctively clenched the card, feeling foolish for sharing his message with Eri.

It would be great if Eri had said it too, but she has absolutely no intention of doing so.

Was it because Kitahara-sensei's message to her was better? Or was she unhappy because hers was shorter?

Suspicion kept popping into my mind when someone gently tapped my shoulder. I turned around and saw it was Hama Watanabe.

Her trademark is always a serious expression on her face.

"Moonlit Night, what does that mean?"

Without any hesitation, Watanabe Hama handed her his card, which contained a message written to her by Kitahara-sensei.

Nagase Tsukiyo took the card, on which was written:

"Your sincerity impressed me. Uncarved jade may be simple, but it would be even better if it had more delicate patterns. Keep it up."

"Does Kitahara-sensei want me to date so I can gain more experience?"

"Hmm." Nagase Tsukiyo smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "That's probably not what I meant."

Hama Watanabe said calmly:

"Can you teach me?"

Chapter 310, Page 309: I Don't Want to Talk >>

Nagase Tsukiyo pondered for a moment, then stroked her chin and said:

"Teacher Kitahara probably meant that he hopes you will be more careful about yourself and others in the future."

"Why? Is being cunning a good thing?" Watanabe asked, puzzled.

Nagase Tsukiyo's face showed a troubled smile, unsure how to explain.