I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 63

"Sorry, we'll leave right away."

"Wait a moment, Minister Chuan."

"Ok?"

"Notice: There will be another general meeting after school this afternoon. Everyone must attend."

Chapter 71. Welcome to the Shenxu Wind Instrument Club

The temperature in Hakodate in June is quite pleasant.

After school in the afternoon, the entrance to the music classroom was piled high with shoes, and the tables needed to be moved outside when meetings were scheduled.

Unlike the previous noisy atmosphere, Kitahara Hakuba was waiting in the classroom early this time, so the members who were seated did not dare to speak too loudly.

Kanzaki Eri also arrived, but she sat motionless as usual and didn't say anything about leaving the club to Kitahara Hakuba.

“Teacher Kitahara, everyone is here,” said Sakurako Yukawa, her long, thin braid reaching her waist quite noticeable.

Her snow-white legs were visible beneath the brown skirt, and the elastic band of her white ankle socks left indentations on her tender calves.

Kitahara Hakuba nodded. Although he had just experienced a music festival, a strange sense of tension was now floating in the music classroom.

Almost all members knew what the meeting was about today, and that it was related to the Hakodate branch meeting, the general meeting of the entire department, and future goals.

—"If you still have any doubts, then make your judgment at the music festival."

Kitahara Hakuba scanned the somewhat immature faces of the club members one by one, and said gently:

"Our Hokkaido Music Festival has come to an end. Everyone probably has a deeper impression of the whole event now. It's time to look to the future."

After saying that, he let out a soft sigh and brushed his bangs back from his forehead.

"Let me start with myself. Needless to say, the Hakodate Regional Tournament is a given. I believe that the Shin-Asahi Brass Band is strong enough to win the gold medal at the National Tournament. Right now, we are working hard to stand on the highest stage and win the gold medal at the National Tournament and even the National Tournament. This is the only thing I, as the team leader, can do for you."

Perhaps influenced by Kitahara Hakuba's speech, the members' attitudes became more sincere, and everyone quietly straightened their posture.

A faint sense of commotion began to rise in the air, and some people even started coughing to mask their excitement and unease.

At this moment, Kawai Sakurako raised her slender arm high.

“Minister,” Kitahara Hakuba said.

Sakurako Yukawa stood up facing her club members, as if challenging someone, her clear, dark eyes gleaming with intellectual brilliance.

"I know everyone is under pressure. This year's brass band is different from previous years. We have Mr. Kitahara here. Of course, I can't force everyone to do things they don't want to do..."

She paused here, bit her lip, and continued, slightly agitated.

"But playing wind instruments isn't a one-person job! If everyone doesn't work together towards the same goal, one person's efforts will be wasted because of others! If this kind of thing happens again, it would be such a waste of everyone's short high school life! I really don't want to see that happen! Therefore, as the club president, I will take the lead and strive for the gold medal at the national competition!"

Sakurako Yukawa's face turned bright red from talking so much, and those who knew her showed expressions of surprise.

"Sakura..."

Saito Haruka was quite surprised; she had never expected that Kawawa Sakurako would be the first to express her opinion.

Rather than stirring up a buzz within the department, she's actually better suited to doing small-scale tasks, like quietly registering instrument maintenance cards.

As for her comments about "one person's efforts being wasted because of others" and "similar things," she was undoubtedly referring to Nagase Tsukiyo's departure from the club.

Even Yuka Isomoto noticed it, and her expression turned somber.

Sakurako Yukawa was slightly out of breath when Hakuba Kitahara, who was beside her, smiled and said, "Thank you, Minister Yukawa."

“No…” Her voice suddenly lowered, and a trace of melancholy flashed deep in her eyes, “I just wanted to fulfill some of my duties as a minister.”

"Is there anything else to say?" Kitahara Hakuba asked.

"Gone."

“Minister Saito.” Kitahara Hakuba looked at Saito Harutori, who was still caught up in what had just been said.

"Uh, yes!"

"Is there anything you'd like to say to everyone?"

"..."

Saito Harukori lowered her eyes in embarrassment, but as the vice-minister, she had no choice but to stand up and speak.

"I agree with Sakurako's statement. I hope everyone can do the same as us and help the brass band move smoothly toward its goal. Kitahara-sensei, that's all I have to say."

“Hmm.” Kitahara Hakuba nodded and said, “Then, as is customary, please raise your hand if you think the goal should be to win the national championship gold medal.”

With the advisors and executives of the wind instrument club having made their opinions clear, all the club members raised their hands.

Kanzaki Eri seemed a little flustered at this moment. She had just submitted her application to leave the club, and if she didn't raise her hand now, she would become the focus of attention.

Her hands moved nervously up and down in front of her chest. She didn't want to spoil the fun, but she also didn't want to raise her hand. These two conflicting thoughts kept pulling at each other in her mind.

In the end, she chose to raise her hand, and Kitahara Hakuba saw all of this.

In just over half a month, the Shenxu Wind Ensemble's goal suddenly went from securing bronze at the provincial competition to gold at the national competition, which seemed unrealistic.

But it was precisely because it was unrealistic that Kitahara Hakuba became even more determined to move forward.

"Since we all share the same goal, I, as an advisor, will naturally give it my all. I hereby announce that, starting today, we will aim for the National Conference Gold Award."

Kitahara Hakuba spread his hands and said,

"Welcome to the Shenxu Wind Ensemble, students."

A burst of applause erupted from the group of first-year students in the classroom, and soon it spread like wildfire, becoming a continuous chorus of applause.

[Mission issued: Lead the Shin-Asahi Brass Band to win gold at the Hokkaido Hakodate Regional Tournament and then proceed to the National Tournament]

[Mission Reward: 100 million yen, host's all musical instruments level 30]

Kitahara Hakuba signaled for a halt, and the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the atmosphere suddenly tightened like a taut string.

"Now that we've set a goal, let's move on to the second issue. The A-section members of the Hokkaido Music Festival will not be retained, and the A-section members of the Hakodate area festival will be re-selected through auditions. After the brass band members and I have finalized the repertoire, we will select one measure from each section for auditions as soon as possible."

No one spoke up or offered any rebuttal. In fact, everyone here was around fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen years old. If the goal was truly to win the national championship, then naturally, they should adhere to the principle of merit above all else. No one wanted to embarrass themselves or act like a spoiled brat here.

Kitahara Hakuba continued in a gentle tone:

"Don't be discouraged if you're not selected for Group A. If you grow quickly before the Hakodate Regional Tournament, you can temporarily replace the members of Group A who aren't working hard enough. Also, although members of Group B can't go to the national tournament, they can still participate in the All-Dojo Tournament."

"Teacher, may I ask you a question?" A white arm reached out, and the girl's tone was very gentle.

Kitahara Hakuba looked over and saw that it was Amemori Kan, whose single ponytail hairstyle looked very capable.

She is clearly very tall, but when she sits down, her height is about the same as other girls.

"Yu Shou, my classmate."

"How can one be considered to have grown rapidly?"

"It's very simple, I'll make the decision."

Kitahara Hakuba's words were beyond reproach.

Changes in one's own strength should be reflected through his evaluation.

This fact immediately caused some members to look bitter. Before, they might have been able to exchange a few sarcastic remarks in private, but now they didn't even have the right to do so.

Miya Nagasawa, sitting in the audience, couldn't help but gasp. She could now somewhat understand what Tachibana Kuno had said—

"In the brass section, everyone is essentially a competitor, and there's no room for camaraderie during auditions."

She glanced at Goto Yu beside her, and suddenly felt a pang of concern. What if a situation really arose where it was either him or her?

“Teacher, I have another question!” Yu Shoukan said.

"explain."

Yu Shoukan said with a stern face:

"What if you believe you have the strength to take first place?"

"Wow--?"

Kuno Tachibana, who had initially thought he was outside the firing range, was instantly filled with rage upon hearing this, clenching his small fist and saying...

"I considered her a friend, and she actually wanted to kick me out?"

Chapter 72. He clearly said he would be with me.

The afternoon departmental meeting ended as Kitahara Hakuba had hoped, but a meeting of executives was still needed to decide on the theme song and the freestyle song.

The minister, deputy minister, and the leaders of the nine vocal parts were all kept by Kitahara Hakuba.

He connected the laptop to the speakers.

"I asked everyone to stay behind to discuss the song selection. Have you all looked into this year's theme song beforehand?" Kitahara Hakuba said, standing in front of the blackboard.

“I’ve heard them all,” said Yu Shoukan, the head of the trumpet section. She was overjoyed to learn that she could challenge for the first place at any time.

Sakurako winked at her, then whispered:

"Yes, I've heard of some of it, but I don't know much about it."

Kitahara Hakuba wrote four pieces of music on the blackboard in a long, flowing style:

"These are four songs: 'Raise the Flag of Courage,' 'When the Wind Shines,' 'Fairy Tale,' and 'Pioneering Spirit.' Each song is a little over three minutes long. Let's listen to them first."

He clapped his hands, and tiny specks of chalk dust drifted to the window, shimmering like golden sand.

Soon, sounds began to come from the speakers.

After listening to all four songs, Kitahara Hakuba looked at the nine girls in front of him and said:

"So, what are your thoughts?"

However, everyone looked very troubled. Putting aside whether they could understand what was being said, the very act of "choosing" was already making some people uncomfortable.

Saito Haruka asked, "What do you think, Kitahara-sensei?"

"I actually had some difficult choices in my mind. The first piece was 'Raise the Flag of Courage,' a classic 2/2 time march. As far as I can remember, it's the first time in recent years that a piece has returned to 2/2 time. It demands a high level of rhythm and overall coordination from the performer. The second piece was 'Pioneering Spirit,' which requires a high level of technique, especially the solo part, and also features challenging leaps in intervals, making it a worthwhile challenge."

He said a lot, which immediately made the girls look embarrassed. But thinking about it, it made sense. Since it was a piece for the national competition, it couldn't be anything easy.

"I think the biggest strength of the Shenxu Wind Ensemble is the oboe and bassoon. Perhaps choosing a piece that allows these two woodwind instruments to shine would be better?"

Saito Haruka stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment, then continued.

"Of course, I think we also need to take into account the selection of freestyle pieces. We may need to balance the two and then select the piece that best suits us."