stonecrandall Page 280
Page 280
"Ah, right—"
Both of them paused for a moment, seemingly remembering something, and immediately spoke:
"happyicecrea?"
These words suddenly froze the air; all three people's expressions were stiff, as if time had stopped.
Sakurako Yuukawa: "Huh?"
Akamatsu Sayaka: "Huh?"
The two seemed unsure how to respond, their mouths moving unconsciously like goldfish at a temple fair.
Kitahara Hakuba felt embarrassed.
Wait a minute? How could I act so childishly in front of my students?
"Oh, oh oh oh!" Sayaka Akamatsu was the first to react, winking at Sakurako Yukawa and saying with a smile, "Sakurako, remember to buy ice cream for Kitahara-sensei."
A hint of mistake flashed across Sakura's face, then, as if in regret, she cupped her cheeks with her hands and said, as if reading aloud:
Hey, Minister, your acting is terrible, stop talking!
Kitahara Hakuba was filled with regret, a sheepish smile spreading across his face:
"It's nothing, I was just joking. I just see people talking about these things all the time. By the way, what were you trying to say?"
Chapter 220, Section 219: His Absence Leaves a Young Girl in Vacuum (4K) >>
Sakurako Yukawa didn't think that Kitahara-sensei's words were silly or childish. Her mistake just now wasn't to belittle him, but rather to express her surprise that he actually understood this.
"Oh, the cultural festival is the day after tomorrow. Can we add the saxophone part to the A section?" Sakurako Yukawa asked worriedly.
As mentioned before, if it doesn't meet his standards, A-edition saxophone doesn't need to participate in this cultural festival.
Kitahara Hakuba paused for a moment, then, seeing the "Oh no!" look on his face, Akamatsu Sayaka couldn't help but retort:
Faced with her bluntness, Kitahara Hakuba raised his hand to brush away the bangs on his forehead, and smiled wryly:
"It seems so."
Sakurako clasped her hands in front of her chest and quickly asked, "So, does that mean you allow them to participate?"
"In fact, I allowed them to participate from the beginning; I just said that to put some pressure on them."
Kitahara Hakuba forced a gentle smile and said,
"The wind instrument competition has been held for three years, and the cultural festival has also been held for three years. The joy in each of these years is unique to oneself. This feeling will not be ranked higher or lower because of the attention given to the two or comparisons with others. Everyone has the right to feel the joy in their own heart."
His words struck the two of them as if by an invisible electric current, freezing them in place.
An incredulous light shone in Sakurako's eyes. She had long known that being with Kitahara-sensei always made her realize her own immaturity.
I wanted to say something, but the surprise he brought silenced my words, so I could only bow deeply and leave the music classroom.
"Going so fast."
Before Kitahara Hakuba could even speak, he could only tell Akamatsu Sayaka, who was left behind, "Remember to report the door of this classroom. If you can't replace it with a new one, at least fix it first."
"Okay, okay."
Akamatsu Sayaka hadn't quite recovered from his words yet. After a while, she finally shifted her gaze to Kitahara Hakuba, who had already begun flipping through the cultural festival's score.
"I feel like: Mr. Kitahara, you're a bit different as a teacher?"
"Different? How are they different?" Kitahara Hakuba couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Too young? Or too arrogant towards everyone?"
Sayaka Akamatsu shook her head; the skin of her neck, exposed from her collar, had an almost transparent, lustrous sheen.
"Being with you feels like I'm learning something new every time I breathe."
"Didn't the other teachers broaden your horizons and give you opportunities to learn and grow?"
"They have both, but they are more academic in nature. However, being with Professor Kitahara always gives me a feeling of being full of both spirit and knowledge."
This was the first time Kitahara Hakuba had heard a student describe him like this, and he smiled and said:
"You overestimate me. I'm just an ordinary mentor."
Sayaka Akamatsu rested her elbows on the table, propped her chin on her hands, and looked at him, saying:
"For a music teacher, it's already terrifying to be able to say that there's no difference in quality between a 'cultural festival' and a 'wind instrument competition'!"
Normally, every teacher hopes that the subjects they teach and the clubs they participate in will achieve good results.
Kitahara Hakuba smiled faintly and turned to the first page of the score for the cultural festival.
Actually, the saxophone section also played a big part; their individual progress was quite rapid.
After a while, the members arrived one after another in the first music classroom. Excluding some students who did not plan to perform on stage, there were a total of seventy-two people.
The saxophone members of section A were initially practicing their competition pieces intensively in the practice room when Sakurako Yukawa came over and called them to participate in the cultural festival ensemble.
They all thought the three-braided minister was just teasing them, and they were all skeptical.
But when they arrived at the music classroom and saw that Ms. Kitahara hadn't said anything when she saw them, they realized that they could really participate in the cultural festival performance.
“Each section, take your seats according to the intervals determined by your own cultural festival,” Kitahara Hakuba said.
Before the ensemble practice began, the area below was chaotic, with the air filled with the scent of girls' stockings.
"Senior Amemori, your mechanical pencil looks like the same model as Kitahara-sensei's?"
Kuno Tachibana glanced to the side and saw that Amemori, who was marking the sheet music with "Listen carefully to the bass!", was using the same mechanical pencil as him.
Yu Shouqing unconsciously tightened his grip on the mechanical pencil in his hand, his tone softening slightly:
"kindness."
Kuno Tachibana, however, was unimpressed. Leaning slightly forward, he looked past Amemori and addressed Nagase Tsukiyo, who was sitting in the first rank:
"What do you think, Nagase-senpai? Amemori-senpai even bought the same mechanical pencil as Kitahara-sensei."
Nagase Tsukiyo raised her hand to examine a strand of black hair, and smiled as she said:
"It seems that I have the same taste as Yu Shou. I've used this mechanical pencil before, and it's very easy to use."
Rain Guardian glanced at Nagase Tsukiyo, who was making a friendly gesture, and nodded slightly.
Kuno Tachibana took a shallow breath, straightened his back boredly, and said:
"Nase-senpai is such a kind person."
"Are you ready?" Kitahara Hakuba asked from the stage as all the members took their seats.
All members: "Yes!"
The tuning of the wind section was still done by Eri Kanzaki's oboe.
The girl's bangs swayed gently, like reeds by a stream, and like the tone of an oboe—natural and refreshing.
The songs for the cultural festival are less difficult than those for the competition, and Kitahara Hakuba is also much more forgiving.
Just before the lunch break ended, rehearsals for the cultural festival songs came to a brief close.
"Because the cultural festival is approaching, I discussed it with the minister, and we've been practicing the festival songs all day."
Kitahara Hakuba closed the score; the surface of the light blue document folder contained musical notes with the words "Shin-Asahi High School Brass Band" printed on them.
"There's one more thing I want to tell everyone. I'll be in Tokyo this Friday and the weekend and won't be in Hakodate. I hope that while I'm away, everyone can continue to practice according to the orchestra's principal's arrangements."
As soon as he said that, the girls exchanged uneasy glances, their underlying unease puzzling Kitahara Hakuba.
"Teacher Kitahara, what are you going to Tokyo for? Is it for a vacation, to visit relatives, or something else?" Kuno Tachibana asked, his voice clear as he held the trumpet in both hands.
The other girls cast grateful glances at Kuno Tachibana, then immediately looked at Kitahara Hakuba.
There was once a very popular question within the department: "Why is Kitahara-sensei, who is so strong, staying with Shin-Akatsu?"
Combined with this trip to Tokyo, many members have already begun to consider finding a new job.
Kitahara Hakuba knew what these girls were worried about, and said bluntly:
"Don't worry, I'm just going to Tokyo to attend a teachers' seminar. Don't spread outrageous rumors that Kitahara Hakuba is going to transfer to a high school in Tokyo."
The girls felt relieved after hearing his explanation in person.
However, for them, the thought that Kitahara-sensei would be gone for three days made them feel that the brass band club would be missing something very important.
"It's like going out without underwear," Takahashi Kami patted Eto Kana's shoulder and chuckled softly.
"Who's talking nonsense?"
Chapter 221, Section 220: Excuse me, I'm a Muggle-made (4K)
On the day of the cultural festival, Kitahara Hakuba arrived earlier than usual. |′Hakuba·Shuyuan? ]?Latest,%-New￥Chapter?.Section′×UpdatedD1>?|Fast>ˉ¨
Although the ferry manager only told him to "take a walk around just in case," people should always have their own opinions and ideas.
He wasn't the only teacher maintaining order at the school; other teachers of other subjects also took on this role.
There are many more things to be responsible for: venue management, order maintenance, emergency response, communication and collaboration, and finally, enjoying the event.
The students at Shenxu only need to focus on having a great time at the cultural festival, while the teachers have to consider many other things.
As a newcomer, Kitahara Hakuba was assigned to the school building with the most students, which was also the venue for the cultural festival.
The choir activity was in the afternoon, and Kitahara Hakuba hung his "Kami Asahi Stage Manager" badge around his neck, thinking that he still had to make time to go.
The students arrived as early as seven o'clock in the morning.
The once simple and clean Shin-hsu High School was transformed into an exceptionally vibrant venue for the cultural festival, with ingenious decorations adorning the hallways and classrooms.
The club building has long been covered with all sorts of banners, in all sorts of colors, just like the locksmith and toilet unclogging banners on utility poles.
Compared to other clubs, the brass band's simple banner celebrating their national debut has not yet been taken down, because this is already the best publicity for Shenxu.
Kitahara Hakuba walked out of the staff office and went first to several home economics classrooms in the school building.
The school has a clear rule that if a class is preparing food, the food must not be cooked in the classroom; it must all be prepared in the home economics classroom and then delivered by the students.
As soon as you enter the corridor of the home economics classroom, you can see students carrying ingredients back and forth.
To distinguish them, each food package has a class mark on it. Kitahara Hakuba noticed that the coffee packages from Class 1-A were piled up all over the table, indicating that they were very confident in their class's activities. "Kitahara-sensei!"
While Kitahara Hakuba was inspecting the circuit power strip, an excited voice reached his ears.