stonecrandall Page 169
Page 169
"Yes!"
"Second grade, Sunflower Junxia."
"Yes!"
"First year, Kuno Tachibana."
"Yes!"
Suddenly, a girl's choked voice came from the trumpet section. Komatsu Tamari, who was selected for the A section last time, was not selected because of Nagase Tsukiyo's return.
Hearing the girl beside him cry what sounded more like a moan, Nagase Tsukiyo lowered his eyes slightly, his face not showing any joy.
"Above the trumpet part, the next one is the trombone part one."
Some members of the trombone and French horn sections were replaced, but the staffing quotas for the two sections remained unchanged.
With the announcement of the A-section brass instrument lineup, many indistinct sounds began to emerge in the concert hall.
Some of the girls who were rejected knelt down and cried, while others sat there blankly, as if they hadn't quite come to their senses.
However, everyone refrained from celebrating; to offer congratulations here would be a tremendous humiliation for the members who lost the election.
Kitahara Hakuba ignored the ripples that were beginning to stir below and continued speaking:
"Next up is the clarinet competition lineup."
"Third grade, Sakurako Yukawa."
"Yes!"
"Third grade, Ashida Nanami."
"Yes!"
"There were many students in the third grade clarinet A class. After reading out the names of several third-year and second-year students, Kitahara Hakuba finally read out the names of the first-year students."
"First year, Goto Yu."
"Yes!"
"First year, Nagasawa Miyabi."
"Yes!"
The moment she heard her name, Nagasawa Miya straightened up, and Goto Yu chuckled and gently patted her back.
Putting it in the last spot is really scary.
"After the clarinet, the next instruments are the oboe and bassoon."
"Third grade, bassoon, Watanabe Hama."
"Yes!"
"Third year, oboe, Eri Kanzaki."
"Yes."
"First grade, oboe, Kirishima Mai."
"Yes."
"The above are the oboe and bassoon, and next is the saxophone section." Kitahara Hakuba's incredibly natural words left Eto Kana momentarily confused. She felt her head was spinning, and the hand holding the oboe felt incredibly cold.
Editor A was not selected... not selected...
An indescribable feeling solidified in her chest like a huge stone, and Kana Eto's fingernails pressed tightly against the tube, even turning white.
Kirishima Mayi glanced at her, unsure of what to say.
Judging from everyone's reaction, her failure to be selected didn't seem to surprise anyone...
Only Takahashi Kami looked over with a somewhat somber expression, feeling saddened by her friend's defeat.
However, just a few seconds later, her saxophone was unsurprisingly rejected.
Although I had mentally prepared myself for this, I still hoped to get into the A-level editor, which now seems like an absurd fantasy.
Afterwards, all the slots for the woodwind and percussion sections were read out. Everyone had entered Section A based on their genuine talent, and no one raised any objections.
Kitahara Hakuba took a deep breath and looked intently at the diverse group of club members below, saying:
"The above is the A-level lineup for the All-Round Tournament. Next, we will announce the solo lineups for the theme song and the freestyle song."
Chapter 149, Section 148: Training Camp: There Was Absolutely No Favoritism (4K)
The solo pieces for the theme and free melody include Soli for piccolo, flute, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, and oboe.
Unsurprisingly, the soloists who participated in the Hakodate regional competition last time also made it into the top A section of the entire region.
The concert hall fell silent again, an almost piercing silence that weighed heavily on the members who were expected to perform as soloists, each staring intently at Kitahara Hakuba's lips.
"Theme piece, Piccolo, Yoshie Suzuki."
"Yes!"
The first one called was Suzuki Yoshie, the section leader. The girl responded loudly, but she still swallowed nervously. A piccolo girl next to her lowered her head in regret.
"Next up is Freestyle, flute, third grade, Hiraishi Meiko."
"Yes!"
"Clarinet, third grade, Sakurako Yukawa."
"Yes!"
"Bassoon, third grade, Watanabe Hama."
"Yes!"
"Small trumpet, third grade, Nagase Tsukiyo."
Suddenly, an even more heated discussion erupted from the audience. Kitahara Hakuba looked up from the list and gazed at the trumpet section, which was at the center of the controversy.
Kuno Tachibana's face was expressionless; he simply sat motionless in his seat, as if he hadn't yet reacted.
Nagase Tsukiyo's face showed hesitation, her long eyelashes shimmering with an unpredictable light within her eyes, revealing her desire to take care of Kuno Tachibana's feelings.
Seeing this, Kitahara Hakuba repeated:
“Nase-kun, you heard me right, give me an answer.”
Nagase Tsukiyo squeezed the trumpet in her hand and said:
"Yes!"
"As expected of Nagase-senpai."
"...That's such a pity, I think Kuno's performance was also very good."
"It must be very difficult for Kitahara-sensei to choose between the two of them."
"Huh? It's just a solo performance, right? You've already made it into the A-level class, is it really that important?"
The whispers that rose and fell all pointed to the choice of the trumpet soloist.
Kuno Tachibana looked at his face reflected on the small golden surface. What did it look like? Childish? Resentful? Or angry?
The heat rising from her feet gripped the organs pounding in her chest.
Facing Nagase Tsukiyo, Kuno Tachibana felt pressured in terms of playing, but she never thought she would lose.
Even now, the lingering sound of Kitahara-sensei saying her name still lingers deep in her eardrums.
She couldn't accept this fact, and couldn't be as carefree as Kirishima Mai, saying that it didn't matter who played the oboe solo.
Kuno Tachibana exuded a piercing aura, and silence descended upon the trumpet section.
Her dissatisfaction, though unspoken due to Mr. Kitahara's decision, permeated the concert hall.
Yushou glanced sideways at Kuno Tachibana, the girl who had once pulled her down from above, was now also suffering from this feeling.
But she felt no joy at all; instead, she was overwhelmed with a deep sense of empathy and sadness.
Kitahara Hakuba let out a short sigh and continued:
"Oboe, third year, Eri Kanzaki."
"Yes."
Eri Kanzaki's delicate voice rang out from the right side, surprising everyone to varying degrees. After all, Mai Kirishima's strength had been tested in the tournament and was evident to all.
Kuno Tachibana felt a chill run down her spine. She subconsciously looked up at the oboe section. Kirishima Mai sat upright in her seat, showing no sign of sadness, as if she had known this outcome all along.
Looking at her like this, Kuno Tachika felt a dull ache in his stomach.
The phrase "I will win," which Mai Kirishima once said to her, now sounds really annoying.
"These are the soloists selected for the National Tournament. The number of spots is slightly different from the last Hakodate Regional Tournament. I know some of you are not happy about this, but make good adjustments. There will be opportunities in the future. Members who are selected should not have any regrets and should do their best."
"Yes."
Kitahara Hakuba clapped his hands and said calmly:
"Members of Group A, please stay. Members of Group B will be led by Ms. Shinomiya. She is a very good teacher, so please cherish this opportunity. Practice will end at 4 PM. Please pack up and go home. Please persevere until the end."
"Yes."
"Also, from now on, members of Group A and Group B need to practice separately. You can see the practice schedule I distributed some time ago. Unless it is specifically stated that it is 'all', it means that you need to act separately."
"Yes."
"Okay, let's get started."
The unsuccessful members all stood up, looking dejected, and left the concert hall with their chairs and music stands.
Shinomiya Haruka couldn't help but glance at Kitahara Hakuba, whose face showed no sign of disappointment at anyone's elimination.
Even she herself was moved by the genuine emotions that the girls showed when their names were called.
I'm happy for the girls who were selected, and sad for the members who weren't.
The concert hall, which originally housed more than ninety people, now only has fifty-five.
Nearly half of the people disappeared without a trace. Most of those who remained were third-year students, and all the soloists were also third-year students, making the second-year students seem rather awkward.
The number of people born in the first year is even rarer.