I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 241

"Sakura, we can only go to ordinary vocational colleges... and you smell so good."

"Don't do that...:::" Yukawa Sakurako spread her hands as wide as possible to cover her face and said, "The Tokyo University of Music has already started accepting applications, right?"

Saito Harutori smiled and said, "Yes, after registering this time, I will have my first interview in November, and then there will be a practical skills exam in January."

"That's after the national tournament." Sakurako Yukawa breathed a sigh of relief, which meant the pressure on them might not be too great.

"Speaking of Eri, has she said which school she's going to?"

Both of them turned their gazes to Saito Haruka, but she simply smiled and pursed her lips:

"I don't know, she didn't tell me any of these things."

Since returning to the frontier, Kanzaki Eri hadn't spoken to her much, but the same was true for Saito Harukori; whether they spoke or not was no longer important.

Sayaka Akamatsu speculated:

"She's probably applying to a university that specializes in music. Her oboe skills are so good, it would be a shame if she didn't pursue further studies."

"I reckon it'll be either Osaka or Tokyo," said Sakurako Yukawa.

Saito Haruka maintained a smile and remained silent, but in her heart, she knew that Kanzaki Eri was not an extremely opinionated child.

She can't live for herself.

She will definitely stay with someone, just like she did with Nagase Tsukiyo, until the relationship breaks down.

Chapter 195, Section 194: It's him, not her (4K)

Mingming arrived earlier than usual today, at 6:30.

But when Kirishima Mai walked into the practice room, she realized that she was the last one to arrive.

After Kami Takahashi gave up playing the oboe and joined the saxophone section, there are now only four people in the oboe & bassoon section.

Although the wind instrument section had been recruiting new members, no one chose to join, not to mention that the instruments were expensive and difficult to learn.

Silence hung between the three of them. As the window opened, they could feel the cool morning air, and every alveolus in their lungs seemed to cheer with freshness.

"Good morning, Kirishima-senpai."

Kana Eto's voice was clear and bright. The sunlight peeked into the skirt of the girl sitting by the window in the back row. Mai Kirishima could see the green folder on the music stand with the words "Shin-Asahi High School Brass Band" engraved on it, along with musical staff and tadpole-like notes.

"Good morning, Eto-senpai, Watanabe-senpai, Kanzaki-senpai."

Kirishima Mai bowed to the three upperclassmen sitting in different corners. If they were in the same place, she would only need to bow once.

Watanabe Hama raised her head and said to her indifferently:

"Kirishima-kun, you haven't seemed to be practicing multiple solos with Kuno-kun lately. Why is that? Is it because you've completely mastered it?"

Kirishima Mai sat down in the chair with the instrument case in her hand, knocked open the silver clasp, and with a crisp sound, the oboe, perfectly preserved, came into view.

“We felt that the other interview excerpts were also quite important, so we decided to put them aside for now.”

This statement actually has no basis, but a trace of bitterness occasionally wells up in my heart, which is the unease about the increasingly blurred relationship between me and Li Hua in the future.

"so."

Watanabe Hama did not raise any further questions. Instead, he stood up, picked up the steel tubing chair, and moved it towards the center.

"All three of you come over here, let's practice our parts for a while."

As soon as she finished speaking, Kana Eto quickly got up, first moving the chair over, and then moving the music stand.

Kanzaki Eri didn't say anything, but she followed Watanabe Hama's instructions.

The four girls sat in a row, and while Watanabe was fiddling with the metronome, Kana Eto's curiosity rose to her throat.

He asked quietly:

"Kanzaki-senpai, may I ask which university you applied to?"

Kanzaki Eri tilted her head to look at her, her fingertip unconsciously pressing the piston valve, and shook her head, saying:

"do not know."

"Huh? You still don't know?"

Kanzaki Eri's gaze fell quietly on the back of her hand, her fingers gently stroking the surface of the tube as she said:

"Well, the selection process didn't go very smoothly. I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about it."

"It's okay, you don't have to say it if you don't want to..." Kana Eto awkwardly scratched her cheek. Had she stepped on a landmine?

Hama Watanabe placed the tuned metronome on the table and said:

"First, the Oboe Concerto in C major, then the Romance. Get ready."

The girls adjusted their sitting postures, ready to begin practicing.

These are the daily practice pieces that Kitahara Hakuba gave them. Because this voice part is of high quality, they directly practice highly technical and musically expressive etudes.

Because there are few people in the vocal section, it's impossible to work on the cement secretly. Even the slightest mistake will be magnified here.

Kana Eto felt this most deeply. She only had three oboes, and every time she practiced, she could feel the difference in skill level between herself and the two people next to her.

She believed she had tried her best, but to no avail, and could only calmly accept the reality that she was not strong enough.

They followed the other two double-reed management heads forward in a rush.

It was the right decision for Takahashi Kami to give up the oboe and leave; otherwise, she would never have been able to get into the A section of the Shin-Asahi Concert Club.

Nearly half an hour later, the two rounds of practice were over.

Kana Eto's fingers moved over the densely written sheet music, which contained the words of admonition she received from Kitahara-sensei and Hama Watanabe during club practice.

I received the most guidance from Mr. Kitahara, and many of the marks were left over from spring to summer, but they have faded somewhat now.

She subconsciously glanced at the sheet music of Kirishima Mai beside her and found that it also had markings, but compared to hers, it was as simple as it could be.

"Kirishima-senpai's talent is truly amazing... I feel like I'll never be able to match her in my entire life," Kana Eto couldn't help but say with a wry smile.

She didn't have the same level of awareness as her junior, Kuno. After all, awareness is based on one's own strength. Without strength, it's not awareness, it's self-delusion, it's refusing to admit defeat.

Kirishima Mai, seemingly unaware of what was going on, tilted her head, her eyes clear and bright, and said calmly:

"No, I don't want to play the oboe for the rest of my life."

Completely unprepared for her words, Kana Eto could only stare at the gently swaying bangs that obscured the girl's vision.

"Who dares to say for a lifetime? What we should do now is to do our own work well and achieve good results at the national conference." Watanabe used a cleaning cloth to pass through the body of the bassoon tube to remove the moisture inside.

She appears stern and unsmiling, but her handling of musical instruments is extremely gentle.

"But Kirishima is really smart. She's ranked first in her grade all year and still practices the oboe in her spare time." Kana Eto sighed, as if to say, "I really envy geniuses."

"No, I just don't have many entertainment activities, so I have time," Kirishima Mai said calmly.

"Mai, don't you like playing the wind instrument?" Kanzaki Eri suddenly asked.

The others snapped out of their daze and all eyes fell on her, especially Watanabe Hama, whose face showed a hint of surprise, and she blurted out instinctively:

"He took the initiative to speak..."

Kirishima Mayi looked at the cute girl with a white hair clip in her hair and blinked, saying:

"good."

"good?"

Kana Eto seemed somewhat taken aback by what she said, and then excitedly added,

"I love competitions. It's an opportunity to have hundreds or thousands of people appreciate my performance. I might only have a few such opportunities in my lifetime!"

You only get a few chances in your lifetime...

Unconsciously, Kirishima Mai pressed the piston valve all the way down, as if she had become the target of everyone's criticism.

Her idea would be considered heretical within the brass band.

Kanzaki Eri nodded expressionlessly, holding the oboe that gleamed with a black sheen in her hand. She took a breath and murmured in a groan-like voice:

"I think it would be better if everyone went all out at the national conference."

.

To Kirishima Mai, her words implied, "You can do whatever you want at the All-Kyoto Tournament, but at the National Tournament, you'd better show me your true strength."

Watanabe Hama nodded and said:

"I feel the same way. The schools in the national tournament are all very strong. We have to field Shenxu's strongest lineup because we're all part of a team."

overall......

The first thing that flashed through Kirishima May's mind was what Kuno Tachibana had said to her that day in the elevated corridor, as if he were pleading, "I wish you will stay in the B section of the Shin-Asahi Brass Band forever, and even if you get into the A section, you will never get a solo position and will never be able to climb up."

This statement is undoubtedly her true word.

Kirishima Mai's feelings were quite complicated at first, but now that I think about it, it's actually quite endearing that Tachibana was still able to wish her well in getting into the A-section.

"Does Kanzaki-senpai like playing multiple solos?" she asked.

Eri Kanzaki was silent for a moment, then shook her head, her hair turned to the side, and said softly:

"do not like."

"Senior, you're too blunt..." Kana Eto said with a wry smile, "Although I knew it would be like this all along."

"But Eri Kanzaki lowered her head, touching the smooth tube, her small, soft lips slightly pursed in a smile."

"If it makes him happy, I'm happy."

Not only was Kana Eto stunned, but even "Iceberg" Hama Watanabe was dumbfounded.

Because the "she" that Kanzaki Eri was referring to wasn't "Kanojo," but "he" that was "Kare."

Kana Eto gasped in shock. Even though she had never dated a man before, she knew this was love!

But when this happened to Kanzaki-senpai, an indescribable sense of wonder welled up inside me.

That incredibly cute, quiet girl! She's in love! If word gets out, the entire Shenxu High School will probably be in an uproar!

"That's great... There's someone I can fight for." Kana Eto suppressed her inner shock and asked, "Who...who is it? Which handsome guy is he from?"

"That's strange. I don't think the boys at Shin-Asahi High School are good enough for Kanzaki-kun." Watanabe Hama was only surprised for a moment before regaining her usual composure.

Eri Kanzaki suppressed her smile and didn't answer, but instead said to Mai Kirishima: