I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 195

"I'm sorry, that's just how it is when you have a lot of fat, there's really nothing you can do about it."

Akamatsu Sayaka's gaze fell on her flat chest, and she winked and said:

"Oh, this competition uniform fits you well, Kuno-senpai."

Kuno Tachibana's facial muscles twitched, and he subconsciously puffed out his chest, pretending not to care as he said:

"Boring. Speaking of which, Captain Akamatsu didn't play the trombone very well at the Hakodate tournament. I hope he can do better this time." Haha, Sakurako, I got scolded by my junior who plays the trumpet.

Akamatsu Sayaka laughed loudly, but she knew perfectly well that Kuno Tachibana was actually more talented and had a better grasp of music theory than her.

This statement is not false.

If this doesn't satisfy you...

Sayaka Akamatsu's lips drew close to Tachibana Kuno's ear, and she spoke almost breathlessly.

"Senior, I'm leaving this to you to handle~~~"

Who would want to deal with you...?

"

Kuno Tachibana got goosebumps all over his body, and after saying that, he turned around to find Kirishima Mai and the others.

"It seems this child isn't as stubborn as I thought."

"Stubborn?" Sakurako Yukawa looked at Sayaka Akamatsu, who had said those words, with some confusion.

"It's a feeling that no one can do without me," she said with a smile.

"Sakurako Ugawa once had the same concern. In her mind, people with exceptional talent are unwilling to fall behind and may harbor a lot of hostility towards others."

Fortunately, Tachibana Kuno is not that kind of person.

"Ah! I've told you so many times to be careful when moving the marimba! I reminded you several times during the Hakodate Conference!"

Suddenly, a crashing sound and a girl's scream came from behind, startling Sakurako Yukawa, who quickly turned around.

Fortunately, it was just a minor bump on the piano leg, nothing serious.

The musical instruments were loaded onto the truck one by one, each instrument case bearing a unique mark.

Kitahara Hakuba wore a white undershirt, and because of the hot weather, he rolled up the cuffs to his elbows, revealing his muscular arms.

Before boarding the bus, the more than ninety members of the brass band formed a circle. Sakurako, surrounded by them, took a deep breath and shouted:

"Shenxu High School, Fight!"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" the members shouted, raising their arms.

"Vice Minister, didn't we say last time that we were going to change the cheering lines?"

"After thinking about it, we decided that a simpler approach would be better!"

"It's just laziness!"

"I feel that shouting 'woof woof woof' like that gives me a sense of unstoppable momentum."

"Are we like gorillas in the Amazon rainforest, clinging to vines and flying around aimlessly? We certainly have the guts to forge ahead."

"Haha 1"

"Alright, get on the bus!"

As Sakurako Yukawa shouted, the club members, who had been laughing heartily, began to board the bus one by one.

The air conditioning on the bus was very strong, and the team members, who were wearing long sleeves, felt very comfortable.

Nagase Tsukiyo looked out the window; the vehicle hadn't started moving yet.

Through the glass, she could see the varying expressions on the faces of the members on another bus.

Some people clenched their fists and pressed them against their foreheads, others had vacant eyes, and still others kept talking to distract themselves.

It's not just that car, it's the same here.

Since getting on the bus, they have been talking constantly, but very quietly.

"This year might be the last time."

"Let's not talk about such discouraging things... Didn't Kitahara-sensei say yesterday that we've achieved a very high level of completion?"

"I don't know why, but I feel like I'm confronting my inner demons."

VN~,

The conversation of the third-year students came from behind, and Nagase Tsukiyo's gaze fell on Kanzaki Eri beside him.

She was staring intently at the front wheels of the bus, seemingly watching to see when it would start moving.

"Eri, are you nervous?"

Eri Kanzaki's eyes flickered slightly, her innocent gaze captivating.

"nervous."

The light from outside the car window deftly filtered through the girl's long eyelashes, casting shadows within her brown eyes.

Nagase Tsukiyo's loafers rubbed against the car floor, making a sound like a mournful wail.

When Eri Kanzaki participated in competitions before, she didn't feel nervous at all; it was just like going to a regular practice session.

Because in her heart, the competition might not be important.

This time, however, the girl's face showed the same worry as everyone else's.

"I'm nervous, too."

Nagase Tsukiyo looked down at her outstretched hands; the three lines on them were of different lengths.

"But I'm really looking forward to this competition."

Kanzaki Eri glanced at her sideways; her small lips, illuminated by the light, looked as soft and moist as cherry blossoms.

"I really wish... I could compete my whole life..."

"

The girl's soft words reached Nagase Tsukiyo's ears, and she asked with great curiosity:

"Does Eri really enjoy competitions?"

Eri Kanzaki's mouth opened and closed slightly, but she didn't speak; instead, she let out a faint moan from her throat.

A ray of light suddenly flashed into Nagase Tsukiyo's eyes. The bus next to her had already started moving, and the front mirror was reflecting the dazzling sunlight.

An unnatural silence hung heavy between them, and Nagase Tsukiyo instinctively gripped her arm tightly.

Hui Li couldn't possibly like playing games.

The reason she said she hoped to compete for the rest of her life was that she hoped to experience the time before competitions for the rest of her life.

And this time only becomes dazzling when it is carefully framed by someone.

"Is it because of Kitahara-sensei?"

These words burned deep within Nagase Tsukiyo's heart, billowing black smoke, and the indescribable emotions nearly scorched her body.

The bus was moving along the road, and the sounds inside the bus were gradually drowned out by the sound of the car's engine.

After a three-hour journey, we finally arrived in Sapporo.

The bus first stopped at a parking lot, and Kitahara Hakuba arranged for the members to have lunch before boarding the bus again to head to the International Exchange Center.

We arrived at our destination at 12:30 pm.

Kitahara Hakuba stepped off the car, and the sunlight, carrying a wave of heat, hit him in the face. Everywhere he looked, there were students wearing long-sleeved uniforms.

The morning performance has ended.

"There are so many people," said Shinomiya Haruka.

"The Hokkaido branch is relatively small."

Kitahara Hakuba looked back and saw that the members of Shin-Asahi High School seemed like strangers who had wandered into a foreign land. Suddenly, they all shrank back and didn't know what to do after getting off the bus.

Especially the first-year students, who seemed to be defending themselves, had already huddled together.

"That...that's Donghai Affiliated High School, right?"

"It really is true, their bugle call was in the morning, they should have already finished blowing it."

The members of the Shin-Asahi High School brass band all turned their gazes to see a group of students from Tokai University Affiliated Sapporo High School gathered together.

His face was full of joyful smiles.

They wore red jackets, white-lined uniforms, and black trousers.

His meticulous demeanor exuded a unique and imposing aura.

The thought of competing with these top schools' wind bands for a spot made the members of the wind band tremble.

"As expected of a top school, even their uniforms have an elite feel to them..." Nagasawa Miya couldn't help but sigh.

Goto Yu nodded in agreement.

Kuno Tachibana, however, dismissively curled his lip and said:

"What elites? They're just a bunch of fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen-year-old kids. Anyway, I think our Shenxu Private High School uniform is the prettiest. Can they wave their skirts like I do?"

As she spoke, she twirled her skirt, but unfortunately, the skirt was too long, and the girl's dance didn't look very graceful.

However, Kirishima Mai was somewhat envious of the uniforms at Tokai High School. She preferred the long-sleeved, long-trousered uniform type to the skirt.

Mia Nagasawa said, somewhat puzzled:

"Speaking of which, Mingming from Donghai High School has been winning gold medals all along, so how can he still participate in the competition? Shouldn't the system be tightened up on him?"

"The 'three-exit system' was abolished back in 13, and strong schools can continue to participate in competitions without any restrictions."

Kuno Tachibana's gaze fell upon the spirited students of the Tokai Affiliated School.

"That's why we keep saying that Tokai University Affiliated School has taken up one of the spots from Hokkaido to go to the national tournament, and the other schools can only compete for the remaining one."

At this moment, Yukawa Sakurako raised her hand and made a megaphone shape, shouting loudly:

"There are a lot of people here, so please don't wander around! Follow Mr. Shinomiya to the practice room!"