I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 426

Now everything has come to fruition, but words linger on my lips, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Kitahara Hakuba let out a deep breath. Although they probably wanted to see him moved to tears, he held back.

"Thank you everyone. This bouquet moves me even more than when I won the national gold medal. It feels like all my hard work this year has paid off. It's wonderful."

A moment after he finished speaking, applause broke out in the classroom again, and every now and then you could hear girls complaining, "It didn't work well!"

To avoid making Tenkai and the others feel guilty, and also to adjust his own mood, Kitahara Hakuba said directly:

"Today is the retirement ceremony for the third-year students, and I also have a gift to give to them."

He winked at the boys, and they immediately left the first music classroom to carry the gifts.

After a while, boxes of all sizes were stacked several layers high on several tables, leaving the members speechless with astonishment.

"What are these?" Sakurako Yukawa asked, staring at the "gift wall" in front of her.

She had expected that Kitahara-sensei would give her something like a diary, pen, classic book, or snack bag, or at most some affordable cosmetics.

Because that's how it was when I graduated from junior high school.

But to everyone's surprise, what he sent was...

"Laptop computers and tablets?" This was the only one that Yukawa Sakurako could think of, because she didn't know the specific models.

Oh, she does recognize the brand of this tablet—an apple with a bite taken out of it. It's very expensive; her current phone is this one, given to her by her mother when she was a retired worker.

Kitahara Hakuba said with a smile:

"Yes, I'm not very good at picking things that everyone likes, since everyone has different tastes, so I thought I'd keep it simple. When you all go to university, or some of you will choose to go straight into the workforce, you'll definitely need something useful. So I'm giving each of you a laptop and a tablet computer, hoping you can study and work well."

Chapter 317, Section 316: As Minister, the Final Choice

After the bass section's daily practice session concluded, the camera shifted to the oboe section, where a few figures were always sparsely scattered among the seats.

The girls moved so gently, as if afraid of disturbing the air.

The instrument cases on the table were all new. Unlike the other instruments, the bassoons and oboes belonged to the students themselves, so their cases were not like old, public ones and were extremely well-maintained.

"It's so quiet here."

The camera pans across the faces of each girl in "Kami Takahashi". Except for "Kana Eto", who comes to greet them, the other girls are all sitting in their seats.

This book is being released online for the first time.

"Kana Eto" said with a smile, "Because we don't talk unless it's necessary, except when we're practicing."

It wasn't that Kana Eto didn't want to talk to everyone, but rather that the atmosphere within that vocal section was like that, and changing the atmosphere required immense courage and cooperation.

"It's so realistic. Every time we pass by the bassoon and oboe sections, the atmosphere inside is like a funeral," a member muttered.

"Was it Watanabe-senpai who set the rules?" Takahashi Kami asked.

Watanabe Hama raised her head and said calmly:

"No, this should be an unwritten rule in the voice parts, and I was only vaguely aware of it."

How many unwritten rules are there in the brass band?

“I see,” said Kami Takahashi, glancing at the other two oboes.

Kirishima Mai, who played for one year, and Kanzaki Eri, who played for three years, have very similar personalities. They are both the type who don't talk much, but no one dares to underestimate them.

However, with Kuno Tachibana by her side, the atmosphere doesn't seem too somber.

"We're currently filming a documentary about pleasing Kitahara-sensei. Watanabe-senpai, is there anything you'd like to say?" Takahashi Kami asked.

"Watanabe Hama" blinked, put down the seemingly heavy bassoon in her hand, pondered for a moment, and said:

"I don't have anything to say, I can't find anything to complain about."

"I'm not asking you to complain, but rather, I want to say something to Kitahara-sensei?"

"Do I really need to come up with words of praise for Kitahara-sensei? My vocabulary is too stiff; even if I did, it wouldn't have a good effect."

“But wouldn’t it be even worse if Watanabe-senpai were left out?” Kuno Tachibana said from the side.

Watanabe Hama's gaze fell directly on the junior student, and he rested his chin on his hand, pondering:

"I see. So, what should the team leader say?"

She stood up and faced the camera, her calm tone unchanged from any other day:

"I'm actually quite envious that some students are so cared for by Kitahara-sensei, but I hope that Kitahara-sensei can treat every club member equally. That's all."

"Well--"

At the edge of the frame, "Eri Kanzaki" finally raised her head, her face full of melancholy, yet she was still incredibly cute.

Kitahara Hakuba crossed his arms and glanced indifferently at Watanabe Hama sitting in her seat. He did not sense a trace of regret or fear from the girl.

Most of the members remained silent, though they already understood the unspoken agreement in their hearts.

Although Mr. Kitahara said he would treat everyone equally, everyone at the school knew that he was giving special treatment to Eri Kanzaki.

Only Kanzaki Eri has ever spent the early morning in a room with a female student, coaching her on solo performances. There is no one else like her.

But no one was angry about it. If Kitahara-sensei focused all his energy on one girl, they would definitely be unhappy.

But their abilities have genuinely improved, so what else is there to say?

"Is this something I can say? Actually, it is. Everyone's strength is different, and they do need to be trained properly. Yes, that's how it is."

Kana Eto spoke haltingly and incoherently.

"That's not how it is. I think I was being very tactful."

"Watanabe Hama" gently shook her head and said...

"I am not asking Kitahara-sensei to take care of every student, but I hope that he can give equal care to members whose strengths are not too different."

As soon as she said those words, Kitahara Hakuba knew what Watanabe Hama meant.

To put it simply, Watanabe Hama wanted him to take better care of Kirishima Mai in the past, instead of focusing most of his energy on Kanzaki Eri, thus wasting Kirishima Mai's talent.

It's normal for her to think that way, because from her perspective, everything seems too simple, and she doesn't know Kirishima Mai's true thoughts about the match.

If Kirishima Mai were willing, Kitahara Hakuba would have already led her on a charge; Watanabe Hama wouldn't have needed to remind her.

Kanzaki Eri frowned slightly, looking somewhat displeased. Her gaze unconsciously drifted towards Kirishima Mai, as if hoping she would say something.

"No, it's not one."

"Kirishima Mai" did not meet "Eri's" gaze, and spoke with lowered eyes,

"Watanabe-senpai, it's my own wish that this happens. I don't want to play in the match."

Her tone was so sincere that Watanabe Hama had no choice but to confront the truth of her words, and said expressionlessly:

"Really? I see. People who play the oboe are really strange."

"Watanabe-senpai" and "Eto Kana" gave an awkward, low, bitter laugh, feeling that she was actually quite normal.

Kanzaki Eri's tense shoulders gradually relaxed, her legs, which had been pressed together, loosened slightly, and a smile appeared on her lips as she looked at Kirishima Mai.

"What does Kanzaki-senpai want to say?" "Takahashi Kami" turned the camera towards her.

In the blink of an eye, gasps of surprise could be heard coming from the first music classroom.

Eri was so beautiful and lovely; her fair skin seemed to have a faint glow, without even the slightest blemish.

Her clear eyes were like the clear, bright pupils of autumn water.

Her nose was straight and delicate, her lips were as pink as cherry blossoms, and her facial features were as exquisite as a doll sculpted by a craftsman. Every part of her face was just right.

It wasn't that they were shocked; despite spending so much time together in the brass band, they had never had the chance to meet Kanzaki Eri face-to-face.

Most of the time, it's just side profiles or back views; opportunities to see her face directly are extremely rare, let alone to the point where you can clearly see her long eyelashes.

Just like some people who have been in school for years but never have the chance to chat up close with someone they admire or observe the perfect details of her face.

Years later, I forgot everything, and only her subtle and blurry silhouette remained in my mind.

Kanzaki-senpai is so cute!

"Wow, she's so cute, such an incredibly low-power girl!"

"So cute!"

"She has a completely different flavor from Nagase-senpai and Saito-senpai."

A low murmur of discussion filled the first music classroom, occasionally punctuated by a few suppressed gasps of surprise. Even the boys couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Kansaki-senpai is so cute," Matsuoka Nobuyuki muttered from the corner.

"I should have confessed to her last time."

Tenkai Sou clenched one fist and slammed it heavily against the wall.

"With so many beautiful upperclassmen over the past three years, how could I possibly forget Kanzaki-senpai the only one!"

Matsuoka Osamu gave him a disdainful look:

"Come on, it's not like Kanzaki-senpai would agree to your confession."

"Kanzaki-senpai seems to be a girl who lacks a sense of security. If I just use the knowledge I have for Mu and pretend to be like 'I will protect you,' she will definitely fall in love with me."

"What are you talking about, you guy who's lost ten times in a row when it comes to confessing your love? Besides, you've never succeeded in a real fight, so there's absolutely no credibility coming from you."

"This shows that I will only lose to my own soulmate, and I will win every battle against other girls."

"A girl named Huang Ge Mu? I already told you not to fill in your own name when playing Huang Ge Mu."

"By the way, what was the password for the file you sent me yesterday? And why do I keep getting an extraction error? And why didn't you just send me the game directly? Extracting it is too much trouble—"

"Matsugang-kun, Tenkai-kun—"

At that moment, Kana Eto, who was standing to the side, called out softly, raising a thumb to her lips and saying,

"Please be quiet."

Both of them shut their mouths at the same time.

Perhaps because she had suffered three years of brutal suppression from her senior, Kana Eto's advice sounded especially gentle at this moment.

"I think I've fallen in love with Eto-kun," Amami So said.