svetikya Page 388
Page 388
Looking back, I saw it was Kuno Tachibana. She was slender, and the soft fabric of her uniform skirt outlined her thin but well-proportioned figure. There were mosquito bite marks on her knees, which were covered by white calf socks.
Unlike her usual cheerful demeanor, her expression was noticeably stiff.
Kuno Tachibana walked up to them and stopped in front of them as he spoke.
Kitahara Hakuba looked at her, puzzled, and explained:
"I just went out to take care of some things. What's wrong? Even a first-year student has things to do?"
Kuno Tachibana raised his hand to brush away the bangs on his forehead, took a shallow breath, and looked at Shinomiya Haruka standing next to him, saying:
"Shinomiya-sensei, I have something to discuss with Kitahara-sensei. Could you please excuse me for a moment?"
Having never heard her make such a request before, Shinomiya Haruka was genuinely surprised, but seeing her trembling fingers, she didn't delve too deeply into it, and a faint smile appeared on her lips as she said:
"Don't fight, okay?"
"No. Mitsuba-ya, ~Latest Chapter! Updated quickly, ?"
Shinomiya Haruka turned and went into the hotel first, leaving only Kitahara Hakuba and Kuno Tachibana behind.
"Kuno-san?" Kitahara Hakuba was still unsure what she wanted to talk about.
The girl's pale throat bobbed slightly, and through the gaps in her short black hair, her almost transparent, snow-white skin could be seen.
"Why? What have you been doing?"
Kuno Tachibana stepped forward, suddenly becoming agitated, clenching his fists and gently tapping Kitahara Hakuba's chest back and forth, saying...
"It's always like this, always like this, always like this. Why do you always like to do things on your own? Don't you have any feelings for us at all? Aren't you sad?"
Her hands gripped Kitahara Hakuma's collar tightly, and the words she uttered slowly sank into the somewhat cool air.
Laughter from other students echoed from the hotel, but sweat trickled down Kuno Tachika's forehead and cheeks.
Kitahara Hakuba let out a breath, the image of her skirt fluttering in the corridor immediately flashing through his mind, and said in a gentle tone:
"Kuno-kun, how could you eavesdrop in front of the teacher's room?"
"I wasn't eavesdropping!"
Kuno Tachibana's fingers gripped his collar tightly, her usually mischievous face now brimming with tears. "I just wanted to tell you that Makoto is willing to play the oboe properly now, and I hope you can be happy about that, but:"
But one
But instead of conveying that joy, they received something even more unacceptable.
Kitahara Hakuba's lips kept opening and closing, and he could feel Kuno Tachika's rapid breathing; it was clear she was extremely excited.
"Kirishima is very capable. I believe she will become an even better oboe than Eto."
Rather, she already is.
"But what's the point of saying all this now?"
Kuno Tachibana took a step forward, closing the distance between them in one breath. He bit his lower lip hard, trying to suppress the bitterness that welled up in his heart, but his eyes turned red uncontrollably.
The girl's knuckles turned white from gripping his collar so tightly, as if she could lock away those fragile emotions that were about to succumb.
"Why, even though everything was moving in a positive direction, why..."
Kuno Tachibana's voice was deep and husky, emanating from the depths of her heart. Her eyelids trembled slightly as she looked at him, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.
Why do I so wish I could be with you?
Tiny teardrops clung to her eyelashes, and with each sob, her frail body trembled slightly. [The latest chapters are available at [website name] (link to latest chapters).]
Kitahara Hakuba was silent for a moment, staring at the ground, before finally grinning and saying:
"Isn't Kuno-kun's favorite award the National Gold Award? That's why you joined the brass band. After going through so much, you finally won an award. You should be happy."
Tears blurred her vision, but Kuno Tachibana stubbornly refused to raise her hand to wipe them away, as if she wanted to release all the grievances in her heart.
"The feeling of winning gold is different from how I feel now. I've always thought..."
The girl's small fist gently landed on Kitahara Hakuba's chest as she cried,
"To be able to play a trumpet solo while you're serving as the conducting advisor!"
Kuno Tachibana looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears, leaving a glistening mark on her delicate skin.
Her crying wasn't hysterical; it was as if her lungs were short of air, and the words she uttered trembled slightly, like a candle flame flickering in the wind.
Kitahara Hakuba stood still, and Tachibana's trembling sobs were more beautiful than any instrument he had ever heard.
"But in the end, I still couldn't achieve it. I'm sure I can do it next year, but you said you're leaving. Even if I win the gold medal, I... I..."
Kuno Tachibana, like a small animal, let out a soft, mournful cry, lowered his head, and sobbed through gritted teeth.
"If you knew you'd win gold, you'd leave. Gold medals and all that stuff... I hate it!"
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Chapter 289, 288. Gold Award, the most annoying one (4K) >>
His mouth felt as if all the moisture had been drained, his tongue pressed heavily against the bottom of his mouth, and Kitahara Hakuba's breathing became heavy.
I want to stand on the stage of the wind instrument with my friends, I want to create lasting memories of my three years of high school, I want to achieve good results in the competition, and I want to win the gold medal.
In Kitahara Hakuba's mind, Kuno Tachibana's purpose in joining the brass band was not as complicated as that of other girls; it was the simplest, without any burdens.
From beginning to end, all she wanted was to win the gold medal, even at the cost of competing against the third-year students.
But now that she's actually said "I hate the gold medal the most," it really shocked Kitahara Hakuba.
I don't know how to react.
A glistening sadness welled up in Kuno Tachibana's eyes and streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed, saying:
"But if this is truly the choice you made yourself, how could I... how could I..."
She seemed unwilling to utter those last few words, biting her cherry-colored lower lip tightly and painfully hunching her shoulders.
Kitahara Hakuba raised his hand and stroked her head, speaking in a gentle, comforting tone:
"Lihua is a good kid. When I first started vocational education, I felt much more at ease because you were always on my side. Don't cry, you're even more adorable when you're strong."
"How can you be cute at a time like this?"
Kuno Tachibana felt the heat radiating from above and instinctively reached out to hug him, her fingers trembling as she gripped the hem of his shirt, wrinkling the gray fabric. "I'm not reconciled... I... I'm so unwilling to accept this! Why can't I play the trumpet better? Why am I so weak? I really want to play a solo for Kitahara-sensei at the national tournament!"
1
Kitahara Hakuba smiled with satisfaction, stroking her head gently as he spoke softly:
"Thank you, Lihua."
Since they were in front of a hotel, Kitahara Hakuba didn't dare to comfort Kuno Tatsuka for too long, and quickly pushed her away, saying:
"We just won gold at the National Games, and everyone is very happy. Don't tell the other members about this. I'll announce it later."
Kuno Tachibana finally raised his sleeve to wipe his eyes, his voice trembling completely unlike his usual self.
"Do we really have no chance? Didn't the Shin-Asahi Brass Band give you even a single happy memory? Everyone finally believes that hard work pays off, and that's what you, Kitahara-sensei, wanted to see, right? Don't you really feel any reluctance at all?"
The girl's question chilled Kitahara Hakuba to the bone. After a long silence, he said:
“I enjoyed my time in the Shenxu Wind Ensemble, but as I told you last time, I don’t want to see you looking so downcast.”
These words seemed to be a reminder to Kuno Tachibana, causing her to fall silent for a moment. Finally, she relaxed her lips, and a soft sob escaped from between her tightly clenched teeth.
"I see."
Kuno Tachibana's gaze began to dart violently again, but after speaking, he turned and jogged into the hotel.
Kitahara Hakuba subconsciously looked up and saw several people crammed into a window that was only slightly ajar, peeking out like earthworms.
It seems this place isn't private enough; it's too ostentatious.
Kitahara Hakuba sighed helplessly and walked into the hotel, where he found Shinomiya Haruka standing to the side carrying a bag of pineapples.
Judging from his expression, he wasn't very happy.
"I didn't touch anywhere else," he explained instinctively.
However, Shinomiya Haruka gave him a wary look and said softly, "That's not what I care about."
"What's that?" Kitahara Hakuba asked, feigning nonchalance.
Shiko suddenly lowered her eyebrows, and a sigh escaped her lips:
"I was just thinking, is it too cruel for everyone if I let you leave?"
“There’s nothing cruel about it,” Kitahara Hakuba said with a smile. “It was my own decision, and it has nothing to do with you.”
"Your words sound a little infuriating, for some reason?" Shinomiya Haruka narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Women's hearts are so hard to understand."
"These pineapples are your punishment; you have to eat them all tonight."
"It will feel astringent on the tip of your tongue."
"Whose tongue feels any better?"
The pink strip of paper swayed gently in the breeze from the air conditioner vent.
A few stars are scattered across the clear autumn night sky. The light pollution here isn't too bad, so it's quite interesting to see a sea of stars.
"Lihua, do you want to eat?"
Nagasawa Miya, who had just cut the papaya into pieces, walked over. She had just finished showering, and her hair was still wet, but she simply let it fall loose over her shoulders.
The white towel around her neck kept absorbing the water stains from her hair.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." Nagasawa Miya's tone became very gentle. "I heard about it. It's alright. You're still young, and you'll have plenty of opportunities in the future."
The sound of her swallowing was like a groan when emotions are being stifled.
Nagasawa Mia said in a cheerful tone, "I've always thought that Tachibana is very capable and also very cute."
"Yu-chan, what happened?" Kuno Tachibana turned around and asked Goto Yu, who was silently watching the drama unfold.
Goto Yu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Everyone says you confessed to Kitahara-sensei and were rejected."