chsdbacks Page 89
Page 89
Because each copper plectrum weighs two kilograms, and both hands weigh four kilograms, and freestyle requires him to maintain the rhythm for a long time, his arms would ache as if he had been given anesthesia after practicing for a while.
"Phew, that sounded great just now. Remember, percussion isn't about brute force, but about paying attention to making the same sound and memorizing the pitch of each position. Let's do it again."
"Yes." The members barely had the energy to shout it out.
The percussion section uses the most complex instruments, including the marimba, xylophone, timpani, glockenspiel, bass drum, snare drum, slingshot, wind chimes, triangle, taiko drum, and fubuki.
They even used scene props:
whip.
This requires the collaboration of many people to create complex rhythms, resulting in the percussion section having almost as many members as the clarinet section.
There are eight people.
Yuten Ume, the section leader who had never experienced such "torture," gently tapped his head with the marimba's mallets and said:
"Taihara-sensei, I'm so tired!"
Kitahara Hakuba picked up the water bottle on the table, unscrewed it, took a sip, and watched as the Marimba above her head upgraded from Lv11 to LV12.
"Ten-minute break," he continued. "By the way, have you never experienced anything like this before?"
Yutian Yumai kept swinging her legs under her skirt and said:
"No, the previous advisors taught us some relatively easy pieces, but Mr. Kitahara was an exception."
"The previous consultant, were you referring to Mr. Otaki?"
"Do you know Kitahara-sensei?" Yuten Ume asked curiously.
Kitahara Hakuba shook his head and said:
"From my own perspective, he is currently the instructor and consultant for the brass section of Asahikawa Private High School, and he is quite famous in the brass music circle in Hokkaido."
"But don't worry, teacher. I think your teaching is much better than his. He just talks sweet words all day long and makes everyone in the department think he's on top of him."
Yutian Yumai unscrewed the green tea bottle and took a big gulp.
"Oh my, who can stand this! I know my own limitations, this isn't Tokyo where geniuses are everywhere."
After she finished speaking, she picked up the drumsticks and struck the timpani of the nearby Tianhai Cang, producing a soft, rhythmic sound.
"Open his eyes wide and look! This is Hokkaido! Kokoro!"
"You told him that?" Kitahara Hakuba asked in surprise.
"No, I wouldn't dare. I'm not as brave as Kuno-senpai; I'm rather timid." She chuckled.
"Mr. Otaki is very irresponsible."
Tianhai Cang interjected,
"He quit during the summer vacation, leaving everyone behind. The entire brass section was like a headless fly, running around aimlessly."
The final results at the national tournament were also poor.
“Even if he were here, we wouldn’t be any better off,” Yu Tianyu Mai stated the truth without any shame.
No one in the percussion club answered, but the silence itself was enough to make the statement ambiguous.
"If I saw him at the All-Knowing Tournament, I wouldn't even know whether I should say hello," the girl playing the triangle said with a wry smile.
"We don't need to say goodbye. They left without a word back then, and they expect us to even look at them?" You Tianyu said defiantly.
"But after all, they were our former teachers..."
"It's up to you. Anyway, this is what I think: if you don't treat this kind of person coldly, he will feel that you are always thinking about him and that you can't live without him."
"Um..." The girl was speechless.
Kitahara Hakuba clapped his hands and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll practice for another twenty minutes and then I'll go to the other vocal parts."
"Talk! We haven't even had a ten-minute break yet!"
"That's enough. You guys don't seem very tired right now."
"Cunning! This is the first time Mr. Kitahara has broken his promise!"
Despite saying that, Yuten Yumai still picked up the drumsticks, and the percussion club was ready again.
"Does the wind band's practice now end at 5 PM every day?"
At the shoe-changing area of the school building, Nagase Tsukiyo opened the cabinet, took out a pair of brown loafers, and placed them on the tiled floor, where the heels made a "click" sound.
"Ah."
Eri Kanzaki, carrying her schoolbag in both hands, watched as she bent down to put on her shoes.
Nagase Tsukiyo lifted her foot and walked outside. The quiet twilight shone on Hakodate City, turning every bump on the ground a honey red.
The moon in the sky resembles a barely noticeable kiss mark.
"You've been promoted to Section B." She walked straight towards the school gate, her pace much slower than usual.
Eri Kanzaki raised her eyes and looked at her long, flowing black hair. A cool breeze made her skirt flutter gently, and even the air around her felt peaceful and gentle.
Like a rich cheesecake, the intense flavor spreads and melts on the tongue, with a subtle aroma of lemon and liqueur.
“Yes.” Kanzaki Eri nodded.
"Why?" Nagase Tsukiyo's voice was extremely calm, revealing no emotion.
“Hmm…” Kanzaki Eri was silent for a while before finally speaking, “Because Tsukiyo isn’t here.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her brown leather shoes stopped, revealing those beautiful, slender legs. They always amazed Kanzaki Eri.
"Just because of that?"
Nagase Tsukiyo gripped the shoulder strap of her schoolbag tightly, turned around to face her, and said...
"Eri, tell me honestly, did you join the brass band because you liked playing the instruments or because of me?"
Kanzaki Eri picked at her nails, her gaze shifting warily to the side. After hesitating for a long time, she finally replied:
"Moonlit night."
"Why didn't you say so back then?" Nagase Tsukiyo asked, frowning.
"Because the moonlit night looks so happy..."
"So what are you going to do next? You're currently Editor B, and now you're going to leave the department? Are you going to end up like me... um!"
Nagase Tsukiyo said, as if she were being sulky.
"You need to have your own opinions! Don't always try to cater to other people's feelings! You need to help the brass band and Mr. Kitahara now!"
She regretted it as soon as she said it; hadn't she just given Eri more of her own ideas?
However, Eri Kanzaki immediately looked away, her cheeks slightly flushed, and shook her head, saying:
"Yes, because I'm very happy when I'm with Kitahara-sensei..."
Chapter 97, Section 96. What was the purpose of this?
The diffused sunset shone on Eri Kanzaki's white hair clip, and the shadows extending from the school building swallowed her figure.
Looking at Eri who said those words, Nagase Tsukiyo subconsciously swallowed, an indescribable emotion welling up in her chest.
She wasn't sure if it was anger or jealousy; it was hard to put into words. But Nagase Tsukiyo vaguely understood Saito Haruka's feelings to some extent—"Favoritism and possessiveness always coexist in emotions."
Ultimately, Nagase Tsukiyo didn't consider herself an idol-like girl with extreme charm, so she didn't think she had any ability to keep Kanzaki Eri's attention on her.
The thought of Kanzaki Eri and Kitahara Hakuba playing together made Nagase Tsukiyo feel a little lonely.
But she had already left the brass band, so she had no right to complain anymore.
If you want more freedom, you should be prepared to accept the drawbacks that come with it.
But... why do I feel like I'm the one who's been abandoned?
Nagase Tsukiyo's heart clenched as if it were being gripped tightly, and she exhaled a deep breath to dispel the unease.
She looked at the girl in front of her, whose bangs were neatly swept above her eyes, further accentuating the slender curve of her neck.
It's not that she favors her playmates; Eri has been adorable since she was little.
"That's great. Eri and Kitahara-sensei get along so well. He's a very good teacher."
Eri Kanzaki raised her hand to stroke her sideburns, quietly looking at the ground:
"Yes, if Kitahara-sensei were in the brass band, I could stay here without worry."
"Does Eri think that I made you feel no sense of security at all when I was in the brass section? That it was all my fault that you were unhappy playing the oboe?"
Nagase Tsukiyo's tone, so different from before, stunned both of them; neither seemed to have expected her to say such a thing.
Under Eri Kanzaki's somewhat bewildered gaze, her eyelids trembled slightly, her face was bloodless, and the hem of her dress was rippled with the sunlight.
That's not what I meant, it's just...
Nagase Tsukiyo wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything to say, so she lowered her head and clutched her schoolbag tightly.
"Sorry, Eri, I'll head back now."
She left as if fleeing, leaving only Eri Kanzaki standing there.
>
Kitahara Hakuba returned to his rented room, retrieved the preserved lobster meat, and then took a ride to Shinomiya Haruka's music store.
Her shop was as deserted as ever; in fact, it would be abnormal for a musical instrument shop to be bustling in this small city.
"Where did you buy the lobster meat?"
When Shinomiya saw him coming, he flipped the "Open for Business" sign over and immediately closed the shop.
"I bought it at the morning market, but I guess it can't be eaten raw now," Kitahara Hakuba said with some regret.
He certainly wouldn't dare say, "This was given to me by my female student."
Shinomiya Haruka took the transparent, fresh-locking box. The lobster meat inside was crystal clear, and judging from the quantity, it was a whole large lobster, more than enough for three people.
"You're so rich now? You didn't spend all your prize money on this, did you?" Shinomiya Haruka looked at him with some puzzlement, as if advising him to spend the money elsewhere.
A smile appeared on Kitahara Hakuba's face. He reached out and embraced her soft, rounded body, gently squeezing it as he said:
"Since it's for Yaobao, it has to be good."