I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 212

Kitahara Hakuba folded the handkerchief in half. This action would seem strange to other boys, but to these two girls, it seemed extremely natural.

"for you."

His handkerchief was folded perfectly square without a single wrinkle.

"Ah."

The girls here always carry a handkerchief with them. They can use it as a head coin, a neck coin, or even to braid their hair, wrap lunch boxes, and some even fold it up to make a bag.

But Kitahara Hakuba was curious: if the handkerchief was wet, would they put it back in their pocket?

As expected, Nagase Tsukiyo put the folded handkerchief directly into her skirt pocket, which greatly surprised him.

Seeing Kitahara Hakuba staring intently at Nagase Tsukiyo, Isomoto Yuka couldn't help but ask:

"Teacher Kitahara, is this not enough?"

If that's not enough, she has more.

"Oh no, I was just curious if it was okay to put it in my pocket?" Kitahara Hakuba realized that his gaze was a bit impolite.

"this?"

Nagase Tsukiyo took out the handkerchief she had just put in her skirt pocket and patiently explained.

"My handkerchief is quite absorbent, and it's not too wet, so there's no big problem. Also, the pocket material of the skirt is quite breathable...: ...Well, as long as Kitahara-sensei knows it's okay, that's fine. Of course, if it's too wet, I definitely can't put it in."

"Sorry, I asked some silly questions."

Nagase Tsukiyo smiled quietly, raising a finger to play with her hair, unconsciously displaying a girlish charm and innocence in front of him:

"It's alright. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

“Hmm—” Yuka Isomoto, standing to the side, seemed a little sullen. She couldn’t bring herself to say “I can too.” In her mind, Tsukiyo Nagase’s knowledge was far broader than hers.

Although she knew a little bit about these handkerchiefs...

At that moment, Kitahara Hakuba's phone vibrated.

He picked it up and saw it was a message from Eri Kanzaki: "Second floor safety evacuation route, fire hydrant."

Why does this girl always seem to go to such strange places...?

"I'm going back now," Kitahara Hakuba said.

"Ah."

The two girls watched him leave, and then went into the women's restroom.

Yuka Isomoto entered one of the cubicles, unzipped her skirt, hooked her thumbs into the fabric, and then smoothly pulled it down to her knees.

"Moonlit night, are you bothered by this?"

"What do you care about?" came her clear voice from beside me.

"It's about Hui Li."

Nagase Tsukiyo was speechless upon hearing this, unsure how to respond, and simply stared blankly at the gaps between the tiles.

"Actually, I don't know what to do either, because Eri is a very stubborn child... Well, I think it's best if she can have her own ideas, which is better than before."

It's better than blindly agreeing with her and never expressing your true thoughts.

Yuka Isomoto wiped herself clean, put on her skirt, remained silent for a while, and hesitated before finally speaking, "Eri and Kitahara-sensei..."

Yu Xiangyi

Before she could finish speaking, Nagase Tsukiyo interrupted her.

"I feel that having such thoughts is very disrespectful to Kitahara-sensei."

Faced with this unexpected line, Yuka Isomoto's breathing slowed down by half a beat.

She suddenly felt very scared, afraid that this feeling would turn into what Nagase Tsukiyo called "rudeness".

"Is it done?"

"Okay, all done."

Stepping out of the cubicle, the two washed their hands in front of the mirror.

Yuka Isomoto lowered her head, watching the clear water flow and wet herself; the coldness was most intense on the web of her fingers.

"Do you have someone you like on a moonlit night?" she suddenly asked.

Nagase Tsukiyo paused for a moment, her eyelashes fluttering gently. After a fleeting hesitation, she smiled and said:

"I think I don't have anyone I like... What about you?"

The girl naturally asked, "And you?"

Yuka Isomoto carefully washed her fingers, as if trying to soothe her inner emotions. She used hand soap again and again, the white foam almost covering her hands.

"I think I have someone I like... but I don't know if this is a good thing."

"It is not good?"

As usual, Nagase Tsukiyo smiled gently and said...

"You're already a senior in high school, it's normal to have a crush! Who is it? Can you tell me?"

"Well..."

Yuka Isomoto washed her hands more vigorously. Suddenly, she felt like a bad child. Wasn't her whole conversation designed to get Tsukiyo Nagasawa to ask her questions?

Actually, I don't know if it's liking or caring...

Yuka Isomoto's words stunned Tsukiyo Nagase, because she couldn't distinguish between "like" and "care."

What exactly are the differences?

"So, there's someone you care about?"

“Probably,” Yuka Isomoto said. “Can you guarantee you won’t tell anyone else?”

Nagase Tsukiyo blinked her round eyes and nodded, saying:

"I promise I won't tell anyone."

Yuka Isomoto did not turn her gaze to her, but instead lowered her head, using all her strength to suppress her increasingly violently beating heart.

She raised her hand and wrote his name on the glass, the water, wrapped in tiny bubbles, flowing down from the end of his strokes.

As Nagase Tsukiyo looked at the words she had written, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his palm.

"Is this... real?"

Yuka Isomoto's face flushed red, but a faint, girlish smile appeared on her face as she seemed lost in memories of the past, saying:

"Yes, but I don't think you, Moonlit Night, would understand. Only after getting to know him can you know the source of his charm."

Nagase Tsukiyo lowered her eyes slightly, her expression one of unease, while her mind conjured up unspeakable words: "Between him and me, there's even more to it than meets the eye."

But this was just a little secret they had agreed upon, and Nagase Tsukiyo couldn't tell anyone, even though the secret was no longer valid.

"This... will you tell anyone else?" Yuka Isomoto looked in the mirror in front of her and met the gaze of the long-haired girl.

Nagase Tsukiyo, feigning composure, took a handkerchief from her skirt pocket and used it to wipe her hands.

She said that again, almost as if to say, "You must tell other people who know the truth..."

Just then, Nagase Tsukiyo, who was muttering to herself, suddenly remembered that her handkerchief had been wet by the person in the glass.

"Let's use them together."

Yuka Isomoto suddenly pulled out her handkerchief, on which was sewn a message: "Whether it's tears or sweat, I'll accept it all!"

"Thank you."

"Where is the moonlit night? Is there anyone you care about?"

Nagase Tsukiyo answered quickly this time, a sweet smile on her face:

"No, I'm only thinking about winning gold medals nationwide."

>

The evacuation safety passage on the second floor.

The sunlight outside the window was as straight as if drawn with a ruler, and the boundary between the shadow and the setting sun was clearly visible.

Kitahara Hakuba was puzzled. He suspected that this place was simply a space used by Kanzaki Eri to provide for "punishment".

Because the area was sparsely populated, she cleverly hid in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras.

"Kanzaki-san... what's wrong?"

Spending time with a cute girl is a joyous occasion, but for Kitahara Hakuba, the negative effects might be a little too severe, so it's best to be careful.

“Teacher Kitahara… you big liar.” The girl looked up at him and complained softly.

Kitahara Hakuba's lips curled into a grin:

"Where did the teacher lie to you?"

“Hmm…” Kanzaki Eri muttered, her eyes lowered, “He’s a womanizer.”

"What do you mean...?"

Eri Kanzaki let out the pent-up frustration that had been building up all day, and said softly:

"I wanted you to bring just me, but you brought so many people."

Kitahara Hakuba's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he chuckled wryly and said:

"Kanzaki-san, don't you think it's more lively with more people? Everyone is working hard in this tournament, we can't just bring you alone, otherwise the others will be unhappy."

However, Eri Kanzaki's hands remained clasped in front of her, completely unconcerned, and she whispered:

"But I can't be happy like this."

Kitahara Hakuba felt a chill run down his spine, and with a forced laugh, said, "How about I book you a private room?"

“No, that’s no longer needed.” Kanzaki Eri stared at him expressionlessly.

"Then what do you want?"

Kanzaki Eri spread her slender arms, stood obediently in place, and said to Kitahara Hakuba: