69novels Page 221
Page 221
"Minister Yuchuan, there must be some other things you want to say, right?" he reminded him.
A hint of unease flashed across Sakura's face, but then she remembered something more important and quickly said:
"Quiet down, everyone! There's something very, very important to announce!"
The members immediately stopped making noise and turned their attention to her.
Sakurako Yukawa said with a solemn expression:
"After a meeting and discussion among the brass band officers and Mr. Kitahara, it has been decided that the national auditions will be held on September 7th! Please be prepared!"
Her words immediately turned the originally joyful atmosphere heavy.
"So... there are less than ten days left until the auditions for the national competition?"
"The auditions are about to start again."
, 1
Sakurako Yukawa, feeling the weight of the clarinet in her hands, said in a calm tone:
"This audition is our last one this year, representing the highest level of the Shinshu High School brass band. The previous two auditions were somewhat unexpected, but I hope everyone will take this final audition seriously."
Leave no regrets.
The national convention is in October, and for some of them, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
For other first and second year students, they should also consider whether they can reach such a level in the future.
The club members all sat upright, staring at Yukawa Sakurako. Her serious expression lasted only a few seconds before Akamatsu Sayaka whispered in her ear:
"And there's also the cultural festival."
"Oh, right, right! Everyone, pay attention! There's still the cultural festival to attend to!"
Sakurako Yukawa's carefully maintained solemn expression immediately crumbled, and she raised her hands, smiling awkwardly as she said...
"After this audition, the song performance for the cultural festival will be handed over to the other members. Members in Group A need to focus on practicing the competition pieces. Of course, we won't force everyone to practice during the cultural festival. Mr. Kitahara can guarantee that."
Kitahara Hakuba nodded in agreement. He knew that the reason why Yukawa and the others wanted to bring forward the audition was because they didn't want him to be too busy with the arrangement of the cultural festival songs.
"That's settled then! Now, each section, return to your respective practice rooms!"
"Yes!"
After the reunion came to an end, Kitahara Hakuba was the first to leave the music classroom, and Saito Harutori was quickly surrounded by the club members who were about to leave.
"Saito-senpai, it's so good to see you back. Will we still be able to get drinks from now on?"
"Hmm, that might not be available now."
"Saito-senpai, what university do you want to apply to? Will joining the brass band affect your studies?"
"This...should I tell you? Hmm...it'll be a secret~~"
"That's great! Your performance at the national championships will definitely be even better this time you're back."
"No, as long as Kitahara-sensei is there, the grades won't be bad."
Nagase Tsukiyo sat in her original position, gently rubbing her fingernails with her fingertips, watching Saito Harukori chatting and laughing with her club members.
"Nase-senpai, aren't you leaving yet?" Kuno Tachika asked, tucking the sheet music under his arm.
"Ah, um." Nagase Tsukiyo realized what was happening and took the sheet music off the music stand.
"Saito-senpai is just as popular as before."
Kuno Tachibana narrowed her eyes slightly. She didn't have much affection for Saito. The previous trumpet selection alone was enough to make her bite her a hundred times in her dreams.
"Hmm." Nagase Tsukiyo didn't open her mouth; she just made the sound with her throat.
Kuno Tachibana felt a moment of satisfaction, then leaned forward with a smug look on his face, his shoulder-length hair and the coin on his chest drooping down.
"Nase-senpai, did you and Saito-senpai have a fight?"
"Huh? No, nothing."
Kuno Tachibana's lips curled into a smile, a strange sense of joy welling up inside him. He whispered in Nagase Tsukiyo's ear:
"Really? Actually... I've always thought Nagase-senpai was better than Saito-senpai, because no matter if you're happy or sad, scared or not, you just wear all your emotions on your face."
Nagase Tsukiyo glanced sideways in surprise. The blue coin on the girl's chest caught her eye, as did that cherry-colored mouth that looked like a little devil.
“But Saito-senpai is different from you.”
A harmless smile appeared on Kuno Tachibana's face.
"She always has a smile on her face, making it impossible to know what she's thinking. She's like that no matter who she's talking to, it's really..."
"Disgusting."
Nagase Tsukiyo stared intently at Kuno Tachibana, her hands gripping the edge of her skirt.
Li Hua is right. Haruto never tells others her true thoughts. Although Eri is the same, she doesn't give people a suffocating feeling like Haruto does.
"How about I become Nagase-senpai's confidant?"
Kuno Tachibana's seductive words rang in Nagase Tsukiyo's ears, making her heart skip a beat.
Looking at the mistake on the beautiful-legged girl's face, Kuno Tachibana sat down again, leaned forward, tilted his head, and smiled, saying:
"If I said that, how would you respond?"
Nagase Tsukiyo unconsciously gripped her trumpet tighter and mustered her courage to ask:
"Kuno-senpai, you don't dislike me?"
"Why? Nagase-senpai didn't do anything bad to me. If I hate you just because I lost the solo, then I should be the one who hates you."
Kuno Tachibana's words were powerful and well-reasoned, stirring up an indescribable emotion in Nagase Tsukiyo's heart.
No wonder Kitahara-sensei likes her more.
"Kuno-senpai, it's been a long time." At that moment, Saito Harutori walked over, radiating an alluring kindness.
Some of the club members who hadn't left yet turned their gazes toward them; everyone knew that the stubborn Kuno Tachibana and Saito Haruka didn't get along.
Kuno Tachibana stood up, his gaze shifting back and forth between Nagase and Saito's faces:
"It's been a long time since I've seen Saito-senpai. Your euphonium must be quite lonely in the instrument management room. Oh dear, but don't worry, Iso-gen-senpai has been taking good care of it."
Saito Harutori's gaze remained fixed on Kuno Tachibana, and she said with an extremely delicate, high-pitched laugh:
"I heard about the audition for the All-Kingdom Tournament. It's very much like your style."
"People always have to strive for improvement, right, Nagase-senpai?"
Caught off guard by the question, Nagase Tsukiyo looked up and said:
"Yeah, but actually I'm not that different from Kuno-kun."
"Well said, I definitely prefer the honest senior." Kuno Tachibana's lips curled into a smile.
"I also think I'm a very frank senior."
Saito Harutori smiled broadly, one hand gripping her wrist.
"From now on, you can call me Senior Haruno, and I'll call you Tachibana, okay?"
Kuno Tachibana raised an eyebrow and pressed his finger heavily on the trumpet in his hand, saying:
"I think the title 'Saito-senpai' is already very nice, and it shows more respect for a senior."
Some of the club members around were stunned, never expecting to hear the words "respect for seniors" from Tachibana Kuno's mouth.
This young girl has always "respected strength," and her seniors are nothing in her eyes.
At that moment, Yu Shou stood at the door of the music classroom and called out:
"Nase, Kuno, why aren't you two here yet? Let's start voice part practice!"
"Okay!" the two replied in unison.
"Then I'll be going now. Nagase-senpai, would you like to catch up with Saito-senpai?" Kuno Tachibana asked, feigning innocence.
Saito Harutori said, "I won't disturb your practice. I'm going to the bass section too."
She left the music classroom after she finished speaking.
"Did you two have an argument or a fight?" Kuno Tachibana confirmed his inner judgment.
Nagase Tsukiyo involuntarily lowered her eyes and gripped her trumpet tightly as she spoke:
"Let's hurry back to the voice class; everyone else is waiting."
"Yes~~~"
>
The bass part practice room.
"Beep~~ Beep beep beep~~ Beep~~~ Beep beep beep~~~"
Kurosawa Maki sang the notes of the euphonium with her mouth, because Saito Haruki hadn't arrived yet, and the part practice couldn't begin.
The so-called inability to start doesn't mean it's truly impossible to start; it just means that everyone in the bass section still chooses to practice together. Otherwise, starting without one person feels like being isolated.
Sometimes I get questioned: "Why didn't you notify me about part practice?"
In short, these are all long-standing consensuses, and for them, it's simply a matter of following them.
"Isogen-senpai, isn't Saito-senpai coming over yet?"
"We've waited so long..."
"Shall we begin?"
The other sections had already begun practicing, and the sounds of various brass and woodwind instruments filled the air, making some members of the bass section impatient.
Yuka Isomoto felt a bit hot. She didn't tell Haruka Saito that she should hurry up and come to practice. In her heart, she hoped that Haruka Saito would take the initiative to come and join the practice.
This way, she could give Saito a way out and allow their relationship to gradually improve.
But Saito hasn't come yet. Does she want me to go and find her?
Just as Yuka Isomoto was torn between her personal feelings and her vocal group, a silver light flashed across the edge of her vision.
"Sorry, I searched for the instrument in the music room for a long time, only to find that it had been moved."