I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 21

Students like her who buy their own musical instruments are still a minority.

Yuka Isomoto turned her head awkwardly and said with a wry smile, "I've been practicing since I enrolled in school."

"Oh, it's been more than two years."

For a moment, a hint of suspicion flashed across Kirishima Mai's eyes, because her euphonium playing was not outstanding and was far inferior to that of her peers.

Yuka Isomoto knew what she wanted to say, but hesitated to speak out of respect for their elder relationship, and could only smile shyly:

“I’m not very talented. I joined the club because I felt that my friends were all there and we were happy together.”

Just like when they chose between arts and sciences, she actually liked science, but Saito Haruko went to arts, so she went to arts too.

"I'm not particularly talented either; it's mainly because Kitahara-sensei taught me so well, and he explained things very thoroughly," Kirishima Mai said modestly.

However, Hiroka Isomoto disagreed with her previous statement:

“You must be very talented. The time that Teacher Kitahara spent teaching you was far more than the time he spent teaching me.”

Kirishima Mai suddenly realized she might have said something wrong, forced a stiff smile, and evasively put the oboe back into its case.

"Does Kirishima-senpai think the brass band is in a bad state?"

"Me? I don't know."

First-year students don't need to, and shouldn't, care about these things.

Yuka Isomoto fiddled with the SpongeBob SquarePants charm on the instrument case and said with a smile:

"The first-year students are noticeably stronger, especially that junior Kuno in the trumpet group, who vaguely resembles Nagase-san."

Kirishima Mai nodded with great admiration. She had heard Kuno Tachibana play before, and each note seemed like a carefully crafted gem, shining with a unique light in the air.

She was so energetic that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was a whale swimming freely in the ocean. Every time she leaped out of the water, she would splash up a huge wave of shimmering golden seawater.

"If judged by skill, she would definitely be the trumpet leader and first melody, but these things take three years to develop."

Kirishima Mai didn't know how to answer that question.

Is this something I can say to her? Why is this senior so naive? She's a third-year student too.

Just then, another person entered the musical instrument management room.

It's Eri Kanzaki.

As if surprised that the two were together, Eri Kanzaki's lips, which had been tightly closed, parted slightly, but she said nothing. She walked straight to the instrument cabinet and took out her oboe instrument case.

"Eri, are you going to practice now? The morning meeting is coming up soon," Yuka Isomoto reminded her.

Kanzaki Eri slowly raised her eyelids, her dark pupils seeming extremely lazy, not wanting to move at all.

"maintainance."

"Oh... I'll be going now."

"Ah."

Eri Kanzaki's slender, fair fingers were extremely nimble, and her movements in assembling and disassembling the oboe amazed even Mai Kirishima.

Applying lubricant, maintaining the keycaps, cleaning the key stems, inspecting the screws...

The technique was extremely gentle, as if treating a newborn baby.

It should belong to her, Kirishima Mai thought.

"Kanzaki-senpai really likes playing the oboe, doesn't she?" she asked with a smile.

Suddenly, Kanzaki Eri stopped wiping the pipe. The sunlight outside the window was bright, and the sunlight that seeped into the management room climbed up her fair legs.

The shouts of baseball players drifted from the playground, yet here, the world remained shrouded in a thin veil.

She lowered her head and said:

"I have never felt happy playing the oboe."

The sound leaked from the gap in Kanzaki Eri's throat, and particles of light gradually climbed up her cheeks. In this light and shadow, Kirishima Mai could even see the fine downy hairs on the girl's face.

"Huh?" Kirishima Mai exclaimed in surprise.

Eri Kanzaki placed the well-maintained oboe back into its case, her eyes gazing listlessly at her as she asked:

"Can I leave now?"

"Eh?"

Kirishima Mai spat, perhaps thinking she was about to ask something else, and then blurted out,

"Please...please."

Eri Kanzaki, like a doll that had received a "production license," walked out of the management room.

-

In the morning, Kitahara Hakuba stayed in the music classroom, starting to adapt and compose a score with the bassoon as the main melody.

For someone in his profession, arranging musical scores is not difficult; the difficulty lies in considering the balance of the entire wind section's range while arranging them.

The workload is huge, and it's unlikely that it can be finished today.

"Teacher Kitahara, are you busy?"

During the first break, Saito Haruka arrived at the activity room.

Her slender legs peeking out from under the pleated skirt, along with her white indoor shoes, were quite eye-catching.

"What's the matter?" Kitahara Hakuba beckoned her in.

Saito Haruka took off her shoes and stepped onto the wooden floor.

The girl's perfectly slender waist and the pleated skirt that swayed gently with her steps made it seem as if she were walking on a heavenly road, even a short distance.

"This is the list of participants in the Hokkaido Music Festival procession, a total of sixty-six people."

Saito Harutori handed over a report that listed the participants, the estimated cost of the uniforms, and the replenishment of new musical instruments.

Clothing is available in two forms: wholesale purchase and rental. A set of uniforms costs approximately nine thousand yen.

Sixty-six people, almost six hundred thousand yen.

"Put it here."

"After you sign, I will submit it to the student council."

"No need, I'll give it directly to the head of the teaching department."

"so......."

At this moment, Kitahara Hakuba suddenly frowned and said:

"Why isn't Kanzaki-kun on this list?"

“Eri…” Saito Harutori said, “She doesn’t like walking around in the street while playing music.”

"alright."

Anyway, he doesn't care about the journey, as long as she doesn't miss the seated position, everything is negotiable.

"Then I won't disturb you any longer, teacher. I'll be going now."

"Wait a minute," Kitahara Hakuba asked, feigning confusion, "Do you know what happened to Isomoto-kun yesterday?"

Saito Haruka covered her small, alluring lips with her hand, and said with slightly widened eyes:

"What's wrong? What's wrong with Yuka?"

Her surprise appeared so natural that it was impossible to tell whether it was genuine or not.

"No, she just came to practice very early today," Kitahara Hakuba said.

Saito Harutori lowered her eyes slightly and said softly:

"Yuxiang is such a good girl."

Chapter 25, Section 25: A sense of anxiety suddenly arose.

A few minutes later, Kitahara Hakuba appeared in the office.

Because of his upright posture and handsome face, many female teachers were staring at him with infatuated expressions.

But with the ferry manager in charge, no one dared to do anything out of line.

"Director of the ferry crossing."

Kitahara Hakuba's gaze quickly fell upon a smooth egg.

"What's wrong, Kitahara? What's the matter?" On Watari Eiji's table was a mug filled with coffee.

"It's about the Hokkaido Music Festival for the brass band." He said, glancing at the other teachers' desks in the office; there was no coffee.

Ferryman Eiji took the report, examined it carefully, and after a while said:

"The uniform rental is cheaper, so let's rent it. If the members want to, they can buy it themselves. The school will cover the bus, new musical instruments, and accommodation fees."

Kitahara Hakuba wanted the school to pay more, but then he realized he wasn't qualified.

Moreover, the later expenses are the biggest part; compared to that, the cost of the uniform is relatively small.

Just as Kitahara Hakuba nodded in agreement, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind.

"Uncle!"

Kitahara Hakuba turned his head and found Shinomiya Haruka standing at the door.

She wore a white cotton blouse and a black pleated skirt, with black stockings covering her legs. Her alluring lips were glistening, and she exuded youthful energy.

The contrast hit Kitahara Hakuba hard, and what bothered him most was that he actually liked this type.

"Hey! What brings you here?" Watari Eishi grinned happily.

"I came here to see you!"

A faint smile appeared on Shinomiya Haruka's face. Suddenly, her gaze fell on Kitahara Hakuma, and she covered her mouth, feigning surprise, and said...

"Wow, Uncle, you have such a handsome guy at your school, why don't you introduce him to me!"

Ferryman Eiji said with a smile:

"You're so pretty, why doesn't anyone pursue you?"