I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 49

"It's about the brass band's approach to competitions, which is either 'gold medal supremacy' or 'strength supremacy'."

Kitahara Hakuba explained patiently,

"The 'Gold Award First' principle mainly caters to the preferences of the competition judges and is about pursuing the competition results. Therefore, it often results in talented members who do not fit the 'playing style' being unable to perform. The 'Merit First' principle is much simpler: whoever is the best gets to perform."

He gave another classic example: an advisor from Kitauji High School once didn't send out the stronger contestants, but instead sent out members who could satisfy the judges' preferences.

"And what about you, teacher? What's your style?" Goto Yu asked curiously.

Her question immediately drew the attention of the other two girls.

"I'm not interested in the results of the competition; my students are my greatest asset."

Kitahara Hakuba's long, slender fingers, veins bulging, brushed aside his bangs, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

"What I pursue is the pride of helping others achieve their goals. Your growth is more important to me than a gold medal."

Chapter 55. Can you accompany me to the toilet from now on?

For Kitahara Hakuba, everything he said was from the heart; his students were truly his treasure.

However, the three girls didn't see it that way.

"Teacher Kitahara is so handsome! LOVE!" Kuno Tachibana was the first to express his joy.

Her impassioned shout made Nagasawa and Goto blush with embarrassment. It wasn't that they hadn't heard their teacher say things like, "The students are the focus of my attention."

However, Kitahara Hakuba is handsome and refined, highly skilled in musical instruments, and has such a gentle personality. Compared to the pot-bellied, balding teacher, it's hard not to be attracted to him.

"However, the national tournament stage is also very meaningful for Kitahara-sensei! I want to create value for my teacher!" Kuno Tachibana said, clenching his fist.

Kitahara Hakuba couldn't help but smile and said:

"Thank you, but your constant talk about doing it for the teacher only gives me more trouble."

"Could it be that you, teacher, are tempted?" Kuno Tachibana swayed his body casually.

For some reason, her words had a style reminiscent of Haruka Shinomiya, leaving Hakuba Kitahara momentarily speechless.

“Hey, that’s very rude of you,” said Miyako Nagasawa.

"Hey, can't you wait for Kitahara-sensei's reply before interrupting?"

"What? Why do I have to wait? Besides, you can tell that Kitahara-sensei is very troubled, right?"

Mia Nagasawa crossed her arms and said with a serious expression,

"What are you doing here? As the first trumpet player, aren't you practicing? You're just chatting. Yu and I need to start practicing the clarinet. Get out of here if you have nothing else to do,"

"Alright, alright, Kitahara-sensei, I'll be going now. Call me if you need anything."

How could anything be wrong?

Kuno Tachibana walked out of the music classroom with the fruit tea, leaving the three of them behind.

Kitahara Hakuba wanted to try the "Gathering Meridians State," which he could only practice for half an hour during his lunch break. In the "Gathering Meridians State," one training session was equivalent to ten training sessions.

[Activate "Scripture Gathering Status"]

[You have activated "Experience Gathering Mode". During this period, one training session is equivalent to ten training sessions in experience points.]

[Location: Shenxu High School First Music Classroom]

[Characters: Kitahara Hakuba, Nagasawa Mimasa, Goto Yu]

[Note: Only with complete immersion can the "gathering of essence" state be effective; external interruptions will break the effect.]

Kitahara Hakuba quickly understood. When he was a student, he was so engrossed in his homework that if he was interrupted and had to continue, he would lose his train of thought.

Not to mention the past, it was the same at Shinomiya Haruka's house some time ago. I was so seduced by her body that I didn't even know where to change the musical score.

However, it's quite harsh to be interrupted and then it's over. It seems like we need to find something like a separate room to ensure the situation continues.

—Or what? Bring these two teenage girls home? And secretly train them with Yuka Isomoto? Thinking about it, the four of them would be quite lively, and they could even play mahjong.

However, this idea was immediately thwarted by Kitahara Hakuba.

The last time Yuka Isomoto came to his house, she often practiced until very late, and the euphonium was very loud. Since there was no soundproofing in the house, the neighbors knocked on the door to complain.

If this happens again, it's unlikely that the person knocking on the door will be a neighbor offering kind advice, but rather a policeman who can crack a tongue.

Another aspect is that the house was small to begin with, and with four people crammed together, it could cause a huge misunderstanding if just one person squatted down.

It seems I'll have to rent a separate room from now on. Shinomiya Haruka's family owns a musical instrument shop, so they should have a dedicated soundproof room.

Kitahara Hakuba rolled up his shirt sleeves, and Nagasawa Miyabi and Goto Yu both stood up with their clarinets in hand.

Our practice sessions with them still focused primarily on the details of the etudes.

For example, check if the intervals are out of tune or if the rhythm is consistent. Try your best to correct every imperfection and gradually play the etude perfectly.

The clarinet's tone filled the music classroom, and Kitahara Hakuba picked out one imperfection after another and corrected them.

Actually, it's just the three etudes he sent last time, but you need to practice them tirelessly, ten times, hundreds of times, until you know them by heart.

This time, after only two rounds of playing, nearly twenty minutes in total, the system displayed an interface showing that both players had leveled up simultaneously.

[Level Up]

[Character: Nagasawa Miyabi lv+1, currently lv4]

[Character: Goto Yu lv+1, currently lv4]

[Member Promotion Bonus: 60,000 yen]

Before they could even feel joy, Kitahara Hakuba was surprised to find that after only twenty minutes of blowing, they were already panting heavily.

"Bear with it, because time is limited, and you must concentrate on each practice session," Kitahara Hakuba comforted him. "Your progress is very obvious."

Nagasawa Miya frowned, raised her hand to rub her shoulder, and said with a tired expression:

"I don't know what's wrong... I've only been standing for about twenty minutes, but my whole body feels so sore... and my mouth too."

"I...I also feel a little short of breath."

Goto Yu's body couldn't take it anymore and he sat down in the chair, looking as if his spine had been removed.

Kitahara Hakuba initially thought it was because they lacked stamina, but he found that his ankles also quickly became sore.

He suspected it was a problem with the "gathering of essences" state, and soon discovered the problem.

The "Gathering of Scriptures" state allows learners to gain ten times the experience value from one, but physically they have to endure the fatigue of "ten" times the effort.

In other words, their bodies actually experienced twenty rounds of intense playing.

Kitahara Hakuba dared not let them continue; if they fell asleep in class that afternoon from exhaustion, he would be held responsible.

After all, the midterm exams are just around the corner.

"Let's leave it at that for lunch." He observed the two people's expressions with concern, but fortunately they only looked slightly tired.

"We'll be going now, goodbye teacher."

The two greeted each other and then left the music classroom.

Kitahara Hakuba scratched his head in annoyance, thinking that this ability was probably only suitable for temporary bursts of speed, or for people like Isomoto Yuka who were desperately trying to climb the ladder.

Let's see if it can evolve in the future; it would be best if the effect of physical fatigue could be removed.

◇

After a mental storm, strawberry milk is indispensable for students who use their brains a lot.

Kirishima Mai thought so too. She had a lot of strawberry milk in her refrigerator. Not to mention drinking it when she was using her brain, it also tasted quite nice at other times.

Since it was lunch break, there were almost no people in the corridor.

She walked down the stairs to the vending machine and slowly pressed the button for strawberry milk.

She remembered that Kitahara-sensei always drank coffee, I think it was this Suntory sugar-free black coffee.

No sugar...

No, and it's said to be very bitter.

Holding a strawberry milk and sitting on a wooden chair, Kirishima Mai had just taken a sip when she noticed someone sitting down next to her.

She turned her head and saw the small white hair clip. The girl's sideburns and ears were so beautiful that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a meticulously crafted doll.

It's Eri Kanzaki, holding a sandwich in her left hand and a carton of strawberry milk in her right.

"Kanzaki-senpai," Kirishima Mai spoke up. She didn't actually want to talk, but it would be impolite not to.

Eri Kanzaki tilted her head slightly, her black hair falling onto her shoulder with the movement.

She didn't speak, as if she was pondering what to say.

An eerie silence built a transparent wall between the two of them. Suddenly, Kanzaki Eri reached into her skirt pocket and took out a milk candy.

"for you."

"Uh, thank you." Kirishima Mai accepted the milk candy with some confusion; it was a regular milk candy sold in stores.

She wanted to put it in her pocket, but instead opened it and put it in her mouth.

Hard, the type she dislikes the most.

Actually, she didn't really like milk candy, because it would soften and stick to her teeth, and for a long time she could only dissolve it with saliva.

"Kirishima, why do you play the clarinet?" Kanzaki Eri asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps between the branches and leaves, and the rays of light were so dazzling on the girl's white hair clip that Kirishima Mai couldn't help but squint.

"...Why?" Kirishima Mai pondered for a moment, the gradually dissolving milk candy having a slightly sweet taste in her mouth. "Because I'm happy when I play the clarinet."

Eri Kanzaki's tone was as light as the wind:

"that's it?"

"Well, it's more accurate to say that besides being happy, there's no other purpose," Kirishima Mai said.

Kanzaki Eri remained silent, only looking down at her cherry-colored knees, a strand of hair brushing against her nose.

"what happened?"

"Kirishima, will you accompany me to the toilet from now on?"

"...Huh? Me? In the toilet?"