bookbashuk Page 395
Page 395
Both of these trumpeters are squatting down.
Kuno Tachibana's gaze fell directly on Kitahara Hakuba, then he stood up, letting out an inappropriate groan:
"Anything is fine to eat."
"Why do you seem a bit out of sorts?"
Nagasawa Miya frowned slightly, looking at Kirishima Mai with a serious expression, and said...
"Mai? You two are fighting again?"
Kirishima Mai blinked, then shook her head and said, "No, Tachibana and I get along very well."
Mia Nagasawa crossed her arms and asked, puzzled:
"So what about Li Hua? Logically speaking, now that Zhenyi has won the national gold medal and is willing to play the oboe seriously, she should be stomping her feet with joy, right?"
"Didn't you sleep well?" Goto Yu asked softly.
"You're not still thinking about that, are you?" Nagasawa Miya sighed helplessly, rubbing her forehead.
In her eyes, it's normal to be rejected when you confess your feelings, especially when the person you confessed to is someone who's been targeted by many senior female students.
Kuno Tachibana pursed his lips, intending to smile, but the forced smile appeared particularly stiff:
"I'm just a little reluctant to part with my senior from three years ago, after all, we've spent so much time together."
Miyako Nagasawa sighed deeply and said in a clear and calm tone:
"I thought something was wrong, you're completely unlike yourself."
Kuno Tachibana's hands were tied behind her back, and the hem of her skirt, which covered her hips, swayed slightly.
"Although I sometimes have conflicts with my senior classmates, I still feel sad when we part ways. Maybe this is what they mean by 'a beating is a sign of affection'?"
"I can't feel any love from you for your seniors at all," Nagasawa Miya said.
Just as she said that, Kitahara Hakuba, who was chatting with the third-year students, walked straight over amidst the disappointed looks of the upperclassmen.
Kuno Tachibana stared intently at his face, as if suppressing her inner emotions, her small face tense.
"What do you want to eat? It's on me," Kitahara Hakuba said with a smile.
Misaki Nagasawa raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Huh? Will it work?"
"Of course you can, it's really not good to always be with the third-year students."
Kitahara Hakuba raised his hand, scratching his cheek somewhat awkwardly, and said, "Of course, if you feel too uncomfortable eating with the teacher, I won't force you."
"You know perfectly well that we enjoy eating with you, yet you still say such hypocritical things." Kuno Tachibana suddenly bit his lower lip, as if complaining.
"Lihua!"
Nagasawa Miya glared at her. As a friend since they entered the school, she already knew what kind of tone this girl used when she joked.
But this statement was not at all joking; it was practically a shot at Kitahara-sensei.
Tachibana has always admired Kitahara-sensei, but Nagasawa Miyako was truly surprised by what he said today.
Kirishima Mai's gaze shifted between Kitahara Hakuba's wry smile and Kuno Tatsuka's sorrowful expression, then she raised her hand in a gesture of sympathy:
"Teacher Kitahara, can we go to the fish and vegetable center?"
That's where you can eat seafood and sashimi, similar to the seafood market in Hakodate. The ingredients are all from the local market, emphasizing freshness and good value for money.
“Of course.” Kitahara Hakuba’s tone was relatively mild, indicating that he was not angry at Kuno Tachibana’s words.
"Can I have some king crab?" Kurosawa Maki asked, raising her arm high. Kitahara Hakuba looked at her and smiled, "Anything you want to eat is fine."
"I've been wanting to eat rainbow lobster for ages!" Kurosawa Maki exclaimed excitedly. "Tachibana! Let's have a contest to see who can eat the most!"
Kuno Tachibana gave a dry laugh: "There shouldn't be rainbow lobsters in Aomori, those things are in Okinawa."
“Nagasawa-kun, call the other first-year students,” Kitahara Hakuba said.
"Okay." Nagasawa Miya took out her phone.
Although Kuno Tachibana is more skilled, he believes that in two years, the position of brass band captain will undoubtedly belong to Nagasawa Mimasaka.
Li Hua could only serve as the orchestra's principal player.
The number of first-year students is even smaller than that of third-year students, with just over thirty people, of whom fewer than ten are members of the A-level editorial department.
Unlike the carnal pleasure he felt from the third-year students, these were all seemingly innocent and energetic young girls.
On the way to the fish and vegetable center, Kuno Tachibana walked beside Kirishima Mai the whole time, without saying a word to Kitahara Hakuba.
Kitahara Hakuba didn't pay much attention; perhaps Tachibana needed time to process what happened yesterday.
Their gazes began to sweep over the young girls from top to bottom.
Of course, it's not about looking at the girls' bodies, but about their playing.
Apart from Kuno and Kirishima, there were no particularly outstanding students among the first-year students. Most of the first-year students in Class A were considered average.
Of course, all of this is from Kitahara Hakuba's perspective.
From an outsider's perspective, these first-year students are members of the brass band's A-grade class who received nine A grades from the judges; their abilities would be considered outstanding even by the standards of other schools.
The fish and vegetable center in Aomori is not large, and the number of customers is not high.
Along the green-paved aisle, display cases of seafood products and various dishes are lined up in a row.
The styrofoam boxes were lined with ice, and fish and shellfish that are not commonly found in supermarkets were displayed directly on them for sale.
"Eat sashimi?"
"I don't like eating sashimi!"
"Are you really from Japan? You don't even eat sashimi?"
"Squid and egg rice bowl? I've never seen anything like that before."
"Are all of these raw? I'm a cooked food enthusiast!"
The first-year students began excitedly discussing what to eat. Kitahara Hakuba looked at Kuno Tatsuka beside him and spoke up:
"Kuno-kun, what would you like to eat?"
Kuno Tachibana, however, slightly pursed his lips and said, "Taiba-sensei can eat whatever he likes."
Seeing her like this, Kitahara Hakuba gave a bitter smile and said in a low voice:
Actually, I still hope you can be a little more affectionate.
A complex emotion flashed across Kuno Tachibana's face in an instant. It would be a lie to say that she didn't want to leave a good impression on him. If possible, she hoped that she would always be seen as cute in his eyes.
That's probably what he meant to express.
Realizing this, Kuno Tachibana, though upset, composed herself and pouted coquettishly, saying:
"I want to eat Italian-style boiled red sea bream."
As long as he wants it this way, I'm still willing to do it.
"This stuff is only really good when it's grilled with salt, right?" Kurosawa Maki reminded him from the side.
She had never felt that acting cute could be so uncomfortable.
Other passersby felt their hearts melt when they heard Li Hua's coquettish manner.
“Okay, then let’s eat this.” Kitahara Hakuba lowered his eyelids and said with a gentle smile.
Kurosawa Maki said somewhat embarrassedly, "Huh? Kitahara-sensei, what about my King Crab?"
“You can order, I told you, eat as much as you want, just don’t waste any,” Kitahara Hakuba said.
"Yay! Mia, take me shopping!"
Why should I go with you?
"Because you look fierce and shrewd! Just like my mom! You'll definitely be able to walk around the market with your head held high!"
"It doesn't make me happy at all."
Chapter 294, Section 293: Burying the Truth in My Heart (4K)
After having dinner in Aomori City, the group boarded the Tsugaru ferry.
The deep blue sea reflected a heavy metallic sheen, and the waves, parted by the ferry, created silvery-white foam. (Note: The last line appears to be an unrelated advertisement and has been omitted from the translation.)
"The wind feels so refreshing!" Kurosawa Maki gripped the railing with both hands and leaned her upper body out.
Kuno Tachibana's fingers toyed with his hair, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
"Ma Gui, have you never watched the news since you were a child?"
"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Kurosawa Maki looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"While shouting like that is great, this is a blind spot for surveillance cameras. With your posture, it's easy for me to grab your legs and throw you into the sea to feed the fish."
Kurosawa Maki leaned back, gripping the railing with both hands, her arms outstretched.
"I've heard that fish don't really like eating human flesh."
"But some fish are very sensitive to blood. They'll bite you, find it doesn't taste good, and swim away. Then other fish will come over, bite you, find it doesn't taste good, and swim away too."
"Most of them bled to death, right?"
That's pretty much the idea.
It was unclear why they suddenly started talking about this, but Nagasawa Miya's heart was in her throat as she slowly walked over to Kirishima Mai's side.
This oboe girl has a pretty face and vaguely resembles Nagase-senpai from three years ago. Her personality is also somewhat similar to Kanzaki-senpai's.
"Mai, did Tachibana say anything to you?"
Kirishima Mai turned her head to the side, her delicate skin bathed in the sunlight streaming down from the sky, giving her a white halo around her.
A white headphone wire peeked out from between the girl's black hair, crookedly extending into the pocket of her uniform top.
It's quite strange that in this era where almost everyone uses Bluetooth headphones, Zhenyi is still using wired headphones.
"No," Kirishima Mai replied softly.
Miyako Nagasawa was silent for a moment, then asked, "What are you listening to?"