I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 194

The moment she appeared, Kitahara Hakuba could smell a faint fragrance, unsure whether it was Eri's socks or her own scent.

But he still leaned towards the latter in his heart, because he really didn't have the weird fetish of smelling women's socks.

“I hadn’t even noticed that,” Kitahara Hakuba said.

The cool white light of the corridor fell on her long hair, and even her delicate face and slender hands and feet were tinged with a faint blush.

“Of course, I don’t think you, Kitahara-sensei, would care about these things, since there are relatively few boys here, so everyone is quite relaxed,” Nagase Tsukiyo said with a smile.

It was a smile that could melt even the light; it lingered on her soft lips and looked incredibly alluring.

Kitahara Hakuba smiled and looked at the trumpet practice section next door. Sure enough, there were several pairs of socks that had been taken off on the podium.

He was skeptical that the clothes could really dry in this weather, suggesting they might only provide a faint odor and not serve any other purpose.

"You do that too?" Kitahara Hakuba asked instinctively.

But I quickly wanted to slap myself. Is that something a teacher can ask?

Nagase Tsukiyo was clearly taken aback for a moment, and said somewhat embarrassedly:

"With you here, it's unlikely..."

"

What do you mean by "I'm here"?

"By the way, is Kitahara-sensei going back?" she suddenly asked.

Kitahara Hakuba shook his head, his gaze sweeping over her legs beneath her skirt, legs as translucent as thin ice:

"No, I need to go to the office to write a report on the school's planned conference activities in advance."

Nagase Tsukiyo blinked in confusion: "Write it in advance?"

“Yeah, just like summer and winter vacation homework, I’ll finish it before the vacation even starts,” Kitahara Hakuba said with a smile.

"Is this a report on winning the gold medal?" A slight smile appeared on Nagase Tsukiyo's lips, her full eye bags were quite beautiful.

"Writing 'Come again next year' would be too demoralizing."

Nagase Tsukiyo raised her hand to cover her mouth and laughed out loud, then unconsciously brushed her hair behind her ear, displaying the beautiful side of a young girl.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No need, I can handle these myself."

"so....

.

Nagase Tsukiyo's feelings were as uncertain as the leaves swaying outside the window at the edge of her vision.

"Actually... I want to ask Kitahara-sensei something."

"what?"

The girl's gaze fell on his slender fingers, her pale throat bobbing up and down:

"Where is Qingniao lately? Do you know? She hasn't been home lately, and many classmates say they haven't seen her taking the tram she usually takes after school."

Suddenly, a girl's scream came from the end of the corridor. Two girls opened the window, and the wind and rain lashed their uniforms with hundreds of raindrops.

The fabric of the uniform was slightly dark gray from the rain, but unfortunately, you couldn't see anything underneath.

A gentle breeze ruffled Nagase Tsukiyo's bangs, but she remained unmoved, as if waiting for Kitahara Hakuba to give her an answer.

It seems that Saito Harutori still hasn't told her about running away from home. Why did their relationship turn out like this?

He knelt down for her back then, but now he's in dire straits himself, yet he refuses to reveal a single thing to Nagase Tsukiyo.

“I’m not sure. Have you asked her yourself?” Kitahara Hakuba said.

"Well, but she doesn't seem willing to talk to me... I'm a little worried; she's been doing some strange things lately."

Nagase Tsukiyo said, pursing her lips slightly.

"That's true, Kitahara-sensei, you probably don't know either, I was just being presumptuous."

Don't worry, Saito Harukori has already done some very strange things.

And he knows it very well.

Chapter 165, Section 164: The Grand Assembly of the Entire Dao: Shen Xu is Here! (4K)

At 6:30 a.m. on the day of the All-Kingdom Tournament, Kitahara Hakuba and Shinomiya Haruka arrived at Shin-Asahi Private High School together.

The weather was no longer as gloomy as yesterday, and the chrysanthemums quietly slept among the green leaves, their delicate fragrance like the golden wings of fireflies.

Hidden deep within the foliage, the honeysuckle vines bloom luxuriantly, while two large buses painted blue are already waiting nearby.

To Kitahara Hakuba's surprise, the club members arrived earlier than usual, and none of them mentioned "sleeping in."

Although the performance was scheduled for the afternoon, it would still take time to travel from Hakodate to Sapporo, so we arranged to meet at 8:00 AM.

Before even entering the club building, you can hear the sounds of various musical instruments, and many members are practicing in their own little corners.

"They all seem very positive."

As Shinomiya Haruka listened to the intermittent sounds of musical instruments, she laughed and said...

"I thought most people were sleeping in."

Kitahara Hakuba looked at the two buses parked at the school and said, "For them, the National Tournament is the real start."

"Are you nervous?" Shinomiya Haruka asked.

“A little bit.” Kitahara Hakuba replied with a smile.

“That’s strange. I thought you would say the goal is the national gold medal.”

"I am nervous, but I don't think my goal will change because of this."

Kitahara Hakuba, carrying a bag containing a tuxedo, walked towards the club building with Shinomiya Haruka.

Today, the members of the brass band are wearing two different uniforms: one is the uniform of Shin-Asahi Private High School, and the other is a uniform specifically for formal competitions.

Compared to school uniforms, the competition uniforms have long sleeves and long skirts, and all the girls wear white calf socks.

Along the way, Kitahara Hakuba could hear many girls complaining about their competition uniforms, saying that the weather was already hot.

And it has to be covered up so tightly.

"When we move the instruments later, we must not put them anywhere. We need to put them in the area marked with an 'H'. Otherwise, if there are too many people, it will be difficult to figure out whose instruments they are. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble."

As you walk up the stairs, you can hear Sakurako Yukawa talking to the instrument manager, Takuya Terashima, at the entrance of the instrument management room.

Kana Eto and Kami Takahashi were also there. The members of Section B, like before, were required to perform logistical work.

"Good morning, Kitahara-sensei, Shinomiya-sensei." Yukawa Sakurako bowed and greeted them as soon as they arrived.

Kitahara Hakuba smiled and said, "Are all the instruments alright?"

Terashima Takuya's left thumb trembled as he said, "Yes! Everything's been neatly arranged!"

"Let's start moving things. It will take some time to get to Sapporo, so like last time, let everyone catch up on sleep on the bus."

"Yes!"

Watching Kitahara Hakuba and Shinomiya Haruka walk away towards the First Music Room, Eto Kana took a deep breath and said:

"Finally, it's time to go all out... Although I'm not a member of the A-section, I was still so nervous yesterday that I couldn't sleep."

"Everyone should be the same."

Sakurako Kawawa posted a message in the group chat saying "moving musical instruments," and said with a smile,

"Although Mr. Kitahara gave everyone some time to calm down yesterday, I still feel so nervous that my chest feels tight, and my heart is beating very fast in the middle of the night."

The brass band competition is held only once a year, with no second chances, unlike auditions where you can still ask Mr. Kitahara for a place even after it's over.

All those months of practice, day and night, were just so I could play that twelve-minute piece on stage.

"When I woke up this morning, my eyes were bloodshot."

Kami Takahashi raised her hands, pulling her eyelids as far as possible, so that the ratio of the whites of her eyes to her pupils could be clearly seen.

"did you see it?"

“I saw it…” Kana Eto laughed.

Before long, many members arrived at the music room and began to move things around.

"Minister Yukawa, what are the brass band's plans for the cultural festival?"

Kuno Tachibana stood beside her, holding a black musical instrument case, and asked, his slender arms, which were usually bare, were now covered by long brown sleeves.

"A cultural festival..."

Sakurako Yukawa smiled slightly, but her eyebrows furrowed awkwardly.

"Right now, I'm just focused on making the All-Do Tournament a success. Aren't you nervous, Kuno-senpai?"

"I was nervous, but after thinking about it, I figured I was strong enough, so I wasn't so nervous anymore."

Kuno Tachibana spoke with great confidence. Influenced by this girl, even Yukawa Sakurako felt that victory in this competition was within her grasp, and the unease that was originally hidden in her heart was gradually melting away.

"I've always felt that we'll definitely make it to the national finals this year."

Kuno Tachibana looked at the club members coming and going, his tone suddenly becoming low, yet full of strength.

"Because of Kitahara-sensei's presence, and...: This time, the trumpet solo is not my turn."

After a while, for some reason, Yukawa Sakura felt a sudden flutter in her chest.

Zhi Lihua.

Kuno Tachibana raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile playing on his lips: "Oh? I didn't agree to Minister Kawa calling me Tachibana directly."

Yukawa Sakurako smiled and said:

"You can also call me Sakura-senpai."

"How dare you! Instead of doing chores, you're here showing affection?" Before Kuno Tachibana could reply, Akamatsu Sayaka appeared behind the two of them and said.

Kuno Tachibana stepped to the side, pouted her lower lip, raised her hand to fan her cheek, and said:

"Minister Akamatsu is too hot. Please don't get so close to me."