novelhk Page 58
Page 58
"I'm going upstairs now, my lovely conductor."
Damn it! This woman always tries to hook him with her sweet talk! One day, I'll take a hard line and subdue her!
Kitahara Hakuba waited expectantly at the entrance for the students to return by taxi.
A moment later, he saw Nagase Tsukiyo and Kanzaki Eri walking over.
"Kanzaki, Nagase, why are you still outside?" Kitahara Hakuba asked, as the two of them hadn't gone out to play.
Nagase Tsukiyo walked up to him and said demurely:
"Teacher Kitahara, your conducting and arrangement of the score are both excellent. Congratulations on winning the award."
"Thank you," Kitahara Hakuba said with a smile. "It's really a pity that the brass band couldn't win the award."
"You've done your best—"
Nagase Tsukiyo said, running her fingertips back and forth along her sleeve.
"The members of the brass band are actually not very enthusiastic. They have a lot of free time and few members are serious. You, Kitahara-sensei, have done a great job in making the club's atmosphere so fresh."
Kitahara Hakuba didn't really like these kinds of conversations because they were troublesome, with too much flattery and no useful information.
"Moonlit Night!"
A loud voice rang out under the moonlight, and the three of them looked toward the source. It was Saito Haruka, Yukawa Sakurako, Isomoto Yuka, and Watanabe Hama, who were traveling in the same car.
As if she hadn't expected so many familiar faces from the third year to show up, Nagase Tsukiyo's fingers gripped the shoulder strap of her backpack tightly, her face tense.
Saito Harutori strode forward, a faint smile on her face, and said:
"How did you feel about the concert under the moonlight? Since you're here, you must have some thoughts about returning to the club, right? It just so happens that Kitahara-sensei is here too..."
"—Moonlit Night, didn't you come here too?"
Eri's words echoed in her mind, like a needle piercing Nagase Tsukiyo's heart. Her delicate white throat trembled as she spoke:
"I've come to tell you that I've done what I promised, so don't think about anything else."
As soon as she finished speaking, Saito Haruka gave a stiff smile and said:
"But everyone played very well, shouldn't you be back soon, Tsukiyo? Everyone's waiting for you!"
"I already—"
“I’ve never been waiting for anyone.”
Suddenly, a cool voice broke into their conversation. Watanabe Hama, with one hand on her hip, looked at Nagase Tsukiyo and said,
"In the entire club, there are only a few people waiting, like Saito, Yukawa, and Iso Gen. Also, Saito, although you are the vice president, don't take it upon yourself to represent the entire brass band."
Chapter 66. What are you hoping for?
Hearing that blunt assertion, Saito Harutori was so shocked she almost couldn't speak, but quickly tried to salvage the situation:
"Wait a minute, Bin, why are you saying that? Wouldn't it be better for the brass band if we had more talented people?"
The wind blew the girl's bangs, and the headlights of cars driving on the street illuminated everyone's faces.
"Think what you want, but everything I said was from the heart." Watanabe glanced at her and said calmly, "That's all, goodnight."
She lit a fire and went straight into the hotel.
Sakurako Yukawa spoke first:
"Moonlight, you have a very good mind. You ranked in the top three in the April mock exams. If it were you, you would definitely have no problem."
"Yes, and besides, there's still more than six months left, isn't there?"
Saito Haruka's throat vibrated.
"Wouldn't it be better if we all got together and cheered each other on?"
Nagase Tsukiyo stood with her legs straight and began to speak:
"You're trying to force something that can't exist. I'd rather spend my time on more precious things. Why don't you understand?"
Sakurako Kawakita, aimlessly repeating the action of clenching and unclenching her fist, took a step forward and said:
"Isn't that... a bit irresponsible?"
"What responsibility?" Nagase Tsukiyo cast a sharp glance, making her pause for a second.
"Because, because it was the moonlit night that led us to the brass band..."
"So I'm going to stay with you forever?" Her voice was very stern.
Unable to find any rebuttal, Yukawa Sakurako had no choice but to shut her mouth, and the scene gradually fell into silence.
“I don’t know how you see me, but you’re giving me way too much credit.”
Nagase Tsukiyo turned to face Kitahara Hakuba and said,
"Teacher Kitahara, I'm so sorry for causing you so much trouble. I understand this isn't good for the club's atmosphere, but I genuinely want to—"
"It's nothing, it's a small matter, don't worry about it."
Faced with Nagase Tsukiyo's words, which sounded like a confession, Kitahara Hakuba interrupted her with a casual remark.
The green light at the intersection turned on, and oncoming vehicles eagerly sped forward, their cool white and warm-colored headlights flashing across the faces of the onlookers.
His handsome face was full of gentle smiles as he spoke to Nagase Tsukiyo:
"At first I thought it was the oboe or bassoon player who had retired, which would be quite troublesome for the orchestra because it would mean fewer sheet music options."
But thankfully it's you. After all, there are many trumpeters. I have confidence in Kuno-kun's abilities after one year, and Amemori-kun after three years is also working hard. So even without Nagase-kun, the trumpet team will be perfectly fine.
Kitahara Hakuba's words nearly made Nagase Tsukiyo's heart stop beating; her pupils contracted sharply, and her head felt as if it had been hit hard.
The small electronic signboard, emitting a cheap neon glow, diligently flickers on and off even though few people are paying attention to it.
"Therefore, Nagase-kun, there is absolutely no need to worry about it. Just go your own way and study hard."
The lines spoken by Kitahara Hakuba were so light and graceful that they found it hard to believe.
“Saito, since this is Nagase’s wish, the only thing we can do is accept it. So even if she leaves the club, it won’t be a big deal for me and the brass band.”
He was smiling, but not only was Nagase Tsukiyo stunned, but Saito Harutori and the others were also dumbfounded as they stared at him.
Nagase Tsukiyo immediately tensed up, her eyes darting around in a panic, her long eyelashes trembling.
—Am I an idiot? I'm waiting to see what Kitahara-sensei will say.
What kind of response do I expect? Like, "Moonlight, you just can't do without me, come back," or something like that.
No, thinking like that makes me a complete idiot...
She had already chosen to leave the department, but now it felt like she had been abandoned.
"Well... that's all then, goodbye."
Nagase Tsukiyo had no choice but to respond in this way, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
Saito Harutori probably noticed her strange behavior and stared wide-eyed in astonishment.
She turned and left. Kitahara Hakuba glanced at the silent girls in turn, and said in his usual gentle tone:
"It's getting late, everyone should go and get some rest. We'll head back to Hakodate after lunch tomorrow."
Yuka Isomoto was the first to move. After saying "goodnight" to Hakuba Kitahara, she went inside.
Next up were Sakurako and two others.
As soon as she entered the inn, Fujisai Harutori couldn't help but squat down, burying her face in her thin palms, her trembling voice mixed with barely audible sobs:
"That's too much...that's too much..."
Sakurako, her fingers gently holding the hem of her skirt, lowered her eyes and said:
"Teacher Kitahara is not wrong; he is simply stating the facts."
"I know that's how it is..."
Saito Harutori's fragmented words continued to assault Yukawa Sakurako's eardrums.
"If only I hadn't joined the brass band in the first place, then Tsukiyo wouldn't have left me, and I wouldn't have been torn between worrying about everyone's grades. Now I'm not getting any happiness at all. What was the point of joining the brass band anyway?"
Kanzaki Eri stared expressionlessly at Saito Haruka, who was squatting on the ground. Her almost transparent skin was finally tinged with a faint crimson.
◇
Once all the staff members had returned to the hotel, Kitahara Hakuba went back to his small room in the stairwell to get his change of clothes and head to the bathhouse.
What he said to the girls outside just now was the truth.
For Kitahara Hakuba, "the brass band comes first, and personal feelings are not allowed to become a stumbling block" is the eternal operating rule of the brass band.
Rather than one side trying to persuade the other to back down while the other refuses, it would be better for him to explain the current situation of the brass band.
But that's not important now; the most important thing is to deal with the Hakodate regional conference.
When he gets back, he will need to conduct another rigorous selection process within the department, and then, based on the selection results, choose the most suitable songs for the members in the competition.
After that, it is necessary to ensure that the gold medal is won at the National Tournament, and it cannot be a worthless gold medal. Only in this way can one enter the National Tournament.
"The task is arduous and the road ahead is long, Kitahara," Kitahara Hakuba muttered softly, picking up his pajamas.
beep--
His phone rang in his pocket. He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Shinomiya Haruka.
Shinomiya Haruka: "Still busy?"
Kitahara Hakuba: "Let's go to the public bathhouse for a bath."
Haruka Shinomiya: "Come to my place, I have a private bathroom."
Kitahara Hakuba: "How could that be? What kind of male teacher goes to the girls' dormitory to shower?"
Shinomiya Haruka: "You think I'm as stupid as you? I booked a room for myself, come over here."
Kitahara Hakuba: "That's not a good idea. Your uncle is here too. I'll finish washing up before I go over."
Shinomiya Haruka: "What if I said that if you don't come over in five minutes, I'll take this outfit off?"
what?
Just as Kitahara Hakuba was wondering what was going on, she suddenly sent him a private photo.