RNP Page 135
Page 135
Kitahara Hakuba asked curiously:
"If you really don't get the full-time scholarship to go nationwide, are you going to listen to your family and seriously prepare for the University of Tokyo entrance exam?"
"Mm." Nagase Tsukiyo nodded, stroking a strand of hair at her temple.
"Why don't you try harder yourself?"
"I think we're good enough. With the Shenxu Wind Ensemble in the current state, especially with you here, I'm sure we can do it. If we lose, it just proves that I'm not good enough."
Nagase Tsukiyo casually brushed her bangs aside, holding a handful of glossy black hair in her hand.
"You are an excellent mentor. You transformed the sluggish wind band in just four months. Even though I haven't been in the wind band for a while, I can feel that the atmosphere is different now."
The advisors' influence basically dictates everything in the brass band.
Upon hearing this, Kitahara Hakuba smiled ambiguously and said:
"But in reality, after I became the instructor, the students in the wind band almost lost their holidays."
They have to come to school to practice on weekends. This summer vacation, he only plans to give the members three days off for the Meng Lan Pen Festival; the rest of the time they have to practice.
"We're already planning to go all over the country, so we can't go on without getting our heads bruised and battered," Nagase Tsukiyo chuckled softly.
At that moment, Eri Kanzaki walked over, gently lowered her eyes, and slowly said:
"How beautiful, moonlit night."
"Yes, I'm really happy to be able to be with everyone again."
Nagase Tsukiyo answered without hesitation, perhaps because she was so excited that she was sweating, with a few strands of hair sticking to her fair neck.
Her rounded breasts bounced up and down with her breathing, and even her toes, hidden in her socks, were twitching slightly.
"As for the club members, you'll have to explain that yourself, Nagase-san," Kitahara Hakuba reminded her. Thinking of this, Nagase Tsukiyo felt her heart pound with unease.
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The day before the Hakodate Fireworks Festival, the brass band, which currently has no holidays, held another general meeting.
Sakurako Yukawa is increasingly displaying the demeanor of a club president:
"Next is a very important matter! The All-Around Competition starts at the end of August, which means there is less than a month until the next competition. According to the Wind Band's arrangements, the A-team members for the All-Around Competition will be re-selected, so please be prepared!"
The excitement of winning the Hakodate regional tournament was completely extinguished by the word "selection," and everyone's face was tense.
This means that another struggle is about to unfold within the department.
Sakurako Yukawa continued:
"The second thing is that the Hakodate Port Festival Fireworks Display is coming up soon, so Kitahara-sensei said that practice for the next few days will only last until 4 p.m.!"
As soon as she announced it, excited screams erupted from the first music classroom.
"Yay!"
"Great! I can leave work early! I can go put on my kimono!"
"Taiba-sensei is quite sentimental after all!"
Kitahara Hakuba stood to one side with his arms crossed, taking in all the grateful glances from the girls.
Actually, he also wanted to see it, partly out of personal motives. Although he was studying at a university in Hokkaido, he had never seen a fireworks festival in Hakodate.
"Everyone, please be quiet!"
Sakura clapped her hands, but her face still couldn't hide her excitement.
"There's something very important next! Our wind band has a new member today!"
"Huh—?"
The members were confused. It wasn't like they hadn't had new members before, but was it really necessary to introduce them in front of everyone at this time?
Suddenly, a noise was heard.
Everyone looked behind them and saw that the door to the first music classroom had been opened.
Long, slender legs, white ankle socks, and a pleated skirt that revealed her thighs—even through her clothes, the girl's curvaceous figure was evident.
The camera panned to Nagase Tsukiyo, her brow furrowed with nervousness, yet she still stepped forward politely and bowed to the crowd.
"Hello everyone, I am Nagase Tsukiyo, a third-year student, and I play the trumpet. I look forward to working with you all in the future. Please take good care of me."
Her self-introduction was undoubtedly a bombshell, causing the team members below to start discussing it.
"Nagase-senpai? How could it be her?!"
"She left the department in April, I didn't expect her to come back so soon."
"I heard she was going to take the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo, right? Is she not going to take it?"
A sudden clap of applause came from below. Yuka Isomoto looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't. Her lips moved, but she didn't say anything and just kept clapping.
Influenced by her, applause spontaneously erupted in the classroom.
Kuno Tachibana also started clapping, which surprised Nagasawa Mia, who was standing to the side, who asked in surprise:
"Aren't you scared at all?"
However, the girl tilted her head in confusion, her shoulder-length hair wafting a sweet fragrance:
"afraid of what?"
"Nagase-senpai plays the trumpet, do you think you can keep your top spot?"
"Why can't I save her? I don't think I'm any worse than her." Kuno Tachibana didn't think it was a big deal.
"Hard to say."
"Let me teach you. True masters are never afraid of competitors. In fact, competition is what helps me grow. Fear is something only the weak think about."
Kuno Tachibana flashed an impeccably radiant smile, a smile that perfectly showcased the girl's own cuteness.
A hint of surprise crossed Nagasawa Miya's face. It seemed that was the case. This child was small in stature, but she hadn't expected him to be so sensible. "Teacher Kitahara, please take care of me." Nagase Tsukiyo bowed deeply to Kitahara Hakuba, a standard 30-degree bow.
"I am the one who should take care of you in the future," Kitahara Hakuba said with a smile.
[New member added: Nagase Tsukiyo]
[Wind Instrument: Trumpet, LV20]
[Growth Potential: S]
[Resilience: S]
Suddenly, Nagase Tsukiyo's club member information popped up in front of me.
To Kitahara Hakuba's surprise, Nagase Tsukiyo, who hadn't been in the brass band for the past few months, had managed to advance two ranks on her own.
Moreover, they were just one step away from reaching LV21, the highest level of achievement.
Kuno Tachibana's trumpet playing is only LV18 at the moment, so there is still a slight gap between the two.
Kitahara Hakuba subconsciously looked at Kuno Tachibana, but the girl seemed completely oblivious to the danger, her face still radiating an aura of "I am the strongest."
It would be a lie to say you are not worried.
He always remembered Tachibana Kuno's qualifications: two DSs.
If she is defeated head-on, she will fall into a long period of self-doubt, during which time all her practice experience will be almost zero.
However, Kitahara Hakuba still couldn't understand what it meant to defeat someone head-on.
Audition? Or a match like the one with Yu Shou last time?
"Nase-san, this is the sheet music for the competition." Sakurako Yukawa handed over the sheet music.
"Thank you, Sakura."
Sakurako Yukawa shook her head, biting her lower lip tightly, and said:
"It's okay, it's good that you're back."
"Really, you only came back after the Hakodate tournament was over," Akamatsu Sayaka teased as she stepped forward.
Nagase Tsukiyo said, "I'm sorry."
"Moonlit night, welcome back." Yuka Isomoto bit her lower lip with a bitter expression, her brows furrowed in a knot, as if she was about to cry again.
"Well, I'm back."
Kitahara Hakuba interrupted their reunion, saying loudly:
"Everyone, starting today, Nagase will be participating in our brass band activities. Please support each other."
"Yes!"
The members responded loudly, and Nagase Tsukiyo's cheeks flushed red. Perhaps thanks to Kitahara Hakuba, she could immediately sense the difference in the brass band.
Today's practice ended at four o'clock in the afternoon. The sun was still high in the sky, and the members of the football club and other schools were playing a practice match on the playground.
Her feet made a series of thuds as she walked down the corridor, and the girl's pleated skirt swayed back and forth.
"Eri, I feel so relaxed right now," Nagase Tsukiyo said cheerfully.
Eri Kanzaki followed behind her, saying, "That's great."
Chang Shuyueye said, somewhat overjoyed:
"Teacher Kitahara's conducting is absolutely fantastic! Can you see how nimble his hands are? It's so beautiful when he moves. He must be a wonderful pianist too!"
As she listened to her praise Kitahara Hakuba, a smile appeared on Kanzaki Eri's lips:
"Yeah, beautiful."
The two walked to the sink and found a tall girl playing a trumpet.
She turned on the tap with her fair hand, and clear water flowed out.
“Amemori-kun.” Nagase Tsukiyo stepped forward.
Yu Shou glanced at her briefly before continuing to clean the mouthpiece. Then, she wrapped the trumpet with a light blue handkerchief, her touch as gentle as if she were handling a piece of jewelry.
The light blue handkerchief had darkened slightly due to absorbing water.
Seeing that she didn't give a specific reply, Nagase Tsukiyo stood aside and took out her mouthpiece to clean it.
"Did Nagase come here to ask you to hand over the band's principal position?" Amemori suddenly asked.