I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 118

Shinomiya Haruka pressed close to him, her eyes slightly narrowed, and said with a faint smile:

"Teacher Kitahara is such a good person. You let another bad student go, so I wonder if you can let me go too?"

“Of course, I’m quite tired today,” Kitahara Hakuba said.

Shinomiya Haruka raised an eyebrow, grabbed his hand as he tried to pull it back, and said:

"No."

Kitahara Hakuba knew he couldn't escape today, but oh well, he was still young and could handle it.

"Have you finished using it?" he asked.

"I bought it on my way back."

Long-planned.

Just as Kitahara Hakuba was about to carry her indoors, Shinomiya Haruka led him back to the soundproof room where they had just been instructing them.

"Isn't this place a bit awkward?" Kitahara Hakuba was stunned. "And there's no bed here."

"So, do you dare to come? Like... on the train... or with a boxed lunch?"

Haruka Shinomiya flirtatiously blew a kiss, deliberately using her fingers to tease the hem of her skirt, slowly lifting it up to reveal her long, fair legs.

This is outrageous! How dare they provoke him!

Do you think he lacks ability?

Chapter 116, Section 115: New Appointments and Removals in the Wind Instrument Department (4K)

The following morning, Saito Haruka was not seen in the bass section's practice room.

The chair she usually sat in had disappeared as if it were perfectly natural. Yuka Isomoto sat alone in the classroom, looking around as if the classroom had suddenly been expanded by the school.

A duet of oboe and flute drifted in from outside the window; Kitahara-sensei was with Kanzaki Eri again today.

The students passing by in the corridor chattered about all sorts of meaningless things. Yuka Isomoto, holding her euphonium, had intended to practice seriously, but for some reason, she fell into an incongruous silence.

Is this what Qingniao is like?

The way she played so earnestly, the scent of her brown hair—all of it was vividly etched in my mind. But only these past few days…

It's impossible to overlap with the sunny days of that time.

From now on, she might never speak to Saito Haruka again, nor would they ever go to the dessert shop together to eat the latest cakes.

To escape this feeling, Yuka Isomoto brought her mouth close to the mouthpiece of the euphonium, driving the restless notes and using the pleasant tone to fill the emptiness in her heart.

After a while, Maki Kurosawa walked in from outside, and Yuka Isomoto stopped playing when she saw this.

In the bass section, she had no close friends except for Saito Haruka, and she wasn't very familiar with anyone else.

“Um…” Kurosawa Maki tensed up when the voice suddenly stopped.

"Um?

"Does Senior Isomoto come this early every day?" she asked nervously as she sat down to the side.

“Yes, Mr. Kitahara said it would be best if I came to practice early every day, so I arrive at school at six, run for half an hour, and then come up to practice,” said Yuka Isomoto.

"Isn't this tiring?"

Kurosawa Maki looked at her strangely, because Kitahara-sensei had never told her to do this.

Yuka Isomoto reached down and tugged at her white ankle socks, which kept slipping down, and said:

"It was very tiring at first, but I've gradually gotten used to it over the past few weeks."

"Isogen-senpai is amazing. I don't think I have that kind of patience," Kurosawa Maki said.

Yuka Isomoto blinked and smiled as she said:

"Because Kitahara-sensei told me that no matter how many talented people there are in the club, it cannot make up for the negative impact of those who do not meet the standard, so we can only give it our all."

Kurosawa Maki smiled wryly, deeply agreeing, "Kitahara-sensei can be really blunt sometimes..."

"But this is good; it gives me a sense of sudden enlightenment."

Hiroka Isomoto smiled and flipped through the sheet music on the music stand, saying...

"Can we play together now? I heard from Kitahara-sensei that he was teaching you last night."

Kurosawa Maki wouldn't refuse her senior's request, and quickly nodded:

"Ok, Ok."

She quickly arranged the sheet music, and although the instrument in her hand belonged to the school, it looked brand new thanks to her diligent maintenance.

The two tuned the instruments, and the thick, golden euphonium began to play.

The mellow mid-low frequencies that glide out from the bell are beautiful even just by fading out of the rare scale.

Yuka Isomoto led her through a basic practice piece to warm up the instruments before they began playing together.

Thanks to Mr. Kitahara's intensive practice yesterday, today's ensemble was even more fulfilling than yesterday's, with fewer mistakes and a more vibrant tone.

Only when the pause ended did Maki Kurosawa quietly exhale, trying to calm her tense emotions.

A hint of sadness flashed across Yuka Isomoto's face at first, but she quickly and sincerely said:

"Yes, it's much better than yesterday."

Her words made Kurosawa Maki laugh excitedly; the fact that she had grown up made her extremely happy.

Yuka Isomoto spat out a mouthful of saliva, her right hand stroking the hem of her skirt:

"But we can't be careless. Pride will make us regress in our skills. The competition in the wind band is fierce. Never think that you are very good. Offstage, you have to be a meticulous practitioner who finds fault with everything. Onstage, you have to be a confident and fearless performer."

"Ok!"

Kurosawa Maki said with a beaming smile,

"I used to think that Isogen-senpai was only focused on practicing and rarely spoke. It seems that I still know too little. He truly lives up to his reputation as a three-year senior."

Hmm.:::

3

A dark glint flashed in Yuka Isomoto's eyes, and she shook her head listlessly as she spoke.

"Actually, I know much less than everyone else. Even these words were spoken by Qingniao to me."

"Saito-senpai?" Kurosawa Maki said, looking at her slightly chubby face. "Speaking of which, it's really hard to get used to Saito-senpai's sudden departure from the club."

"Although we didn't spend much time together, when I came to the classroom, I always felt, ah, that gentle older sister who usually looks so kind is really not here anymore. It's not that I have a very good relationship with Saito-senpai, it's just that I feel... well... it's amazing how fast things change."

Kurosawa Maki's words seemed incoherent, but Isomoto Yuka could still discern what she was trying to express.

I just can't get used to it.

"Iso Gen-senpai, by the way, where's Saito-senpai's euphonium? Didn't she give it to you? Why aren't you playing it?"

Kurosawa Maki asked, looking completely bewildered.

Saito Haruki's euphonium is very expensive. Although it was dropped a few days ago, only the paint chipped off, and the body and other parts were not affected at all.

Yuka Isomoto narrowed her eyes slightly and said:

"I left it in the instrument management room."

"Well, wouldn't it be a waste not to blow it?"

"This one will be fine for me."

"All five of our shots are no match for her one, are they?"

"I don't know, I haven't checked how much it costs."

Seeing the obvious desolation in her expression, Kurosawa Maki asked softly:

"Isogen-senpai... is it because you're reluctant to see Saito-senpai leave?"

Yuka Isomoto was speechless for a moment.

The Saito Haruka of today is no longer the taste she remembers. The value of memories varies from person to person. If Saito Haruka had remained as gentle as before, perhaps she could have honestly answered "yes".

But the balance between the two had already tipped unnoticed.

Perhaps in Saito Harutori's eyes, she must be an insignificant existence, nothing more, which is why she doesn't tell her anything.

This is not just wild speculation, because this is the closest thing to the truth to what Isomoto Yuka said, and the truth is always painful.

Seeing her increasingly complicated expression, Kurosawa Maki panicked and said:

"Isogen-senpai, could you please not leave? What will happen to the euphonium if you leave...?"

Upon hearing this, Yuka Isomoto tilted her head and gave a slightly ambiguous smile, saying:

“I never said I was going to leave the department.”

Although Saito Haruka is no longer here, Kitahara-sensei poured so much effort into her, and she will strive to repay that effort until the very end.

Kurosawa Maki breathed a sigh of relief. She felt like she was playing in a world war where the enemy was invisible, and the survival rate of the leadership was pitifully low.

It's almost my turn to step in.

That's absolutely unacceptable. She just wants to be an unsung soldier, though of course, having occasional glorious moments like Forrest Gump wouldn't be out of the question...

While she was lost in her daydream, Kitahara Hakuba had already entered through the classroom door.

"It seems you two have already played together. Sorry I'm late."

Kitahara Hakuba scratched his cheek a little embarrassedly; he often couldn't help but spend more time with Kanzaki Eri.

It's not that he's a lecherous man or likes K; it's just that Eri is too cute. Everyone likes to spend more time with cute girls to keep their mood pleasant.

"As expected of Kitahara-sensei, Kurosawa-senpai has improved a lot." Isomoto Yuka smiled as soon as she saw Kitahara Hakuba and said, "Today's ensemble will definitely be fine."

Kurosawa Maki quickly replied, "Thank you for your hard work."

Kitahara Hakuba said with a smile, "Don't forget to drink water."

"Yes!"

After saying this, Kitahara Hakuba left the bass section's practice room and went to instruct other sections.

During the lunch break, Sakurako Kawai held a brief internal meeting.