bookbashuk Page 117
Page 117
"Teacher Kitahara, you actually have a key?"
"Ah."
"Are you really boyfriend and girlfriend?" Kuno Tachika recalled seeing the two of them holding hands on the street.
"Yes, come in."
He opened the door of the music store, led the two men up the stairs, past a section of gleaming brass instruments, and into a soundproof room.
"Please sit for a while." Kitahara Hakuba put down his notebook and went out to buy them water.
Shinomiya's shop has them; he can take them freely.
Kitahara Hakuba took a can of coffee from the cabinet, and the moment he closed it, Kuno Tachibana appeared beside him.
"Teacher Kitahara is already living here?" she asked curiously.
"No, it's still in the same old place."
"The usual place? That sounds a bit odd," Kuno Tachibana said with a smile.
Kitahara Hakuba then realized that only a few wealthy young ladies knew his home address, and he had never told anyone else.
"What would you like to drink?"
I'll drink whatever the teacher drinks.
Kuno Tatsuka slightly bent one leg, made a cat-paw gesture with both hands, and gently "scratched" Kitahara Hakuba's arm as he spoke.
"Sometimes when I see Kitahara-sensei drinking coffee, I always wonder what it tastes like. Please let me try Kitahara-sensei's flavor."
Kitahara Hakuba smiled and said:
Do you usually like to drink coffee?
"I believe that if Kitahara-sensei likes it, I should be able to like it too."
Kuno Tachibana stopped his cat punch, jumped closer to him with his left foot, and stared at the coffee drink in his hand.
Kitahara Hakuba said reflexively:
"What is this nonsense?"
Kuno Tachibana's gaze followed the words on the can, and she tossed her hair, revealing her small ear, and said:
"I don't know, maybe it's what adults often call 'love me, love my dog'. Oh, a rich, milky coffee blend, the words 'full of milk' make me feel reassured."
"Then give it a try. What about Kurosawa?" Kitahara Hakuba took out a can and handed it to her.
Kuno Tachibana took the can and smiled meaningfully, saying, "I thought Kitahara-sensei liked to drink that kind of black coffee; mature men all drink this."
“If you drink that, you might not be able to sleep tonight,” Kitahara Hakuba said. “Drink this now.”
As he spoke, he took out a bottle of NFC mango drink.
Kuno Tachibana's large eyes darted around, and he touched the cold surface of the jar with both hands, saying:
"Teacher Kitahara, what exactly caused Vice-Captain Saito to leave the club?"
"Didn't she say she wanted to apply to the University of Tokyo?"
Kuno Tachibana tapped nimbly on the can with his ten fingers, asking in confusion:
"But what's strange is that she chose this time of year to say she wanted to take the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo. It just doesn't seem right."
The time period she mentioned clearly refers to the period when rumors about Kitahara Hakuba and Isomoto Yuka were circulating.
If possible, Kitahara Hyakuma would rather Kuno Tachika use her cleverness on this matter.
“We can’t fathom what rich people are thinking. Besides, I’ve seen Saito’s academic record. It’s pretty good for his grade, but he still can’t get into the University of Tokyo.”
"Hmm...that seems to be true."
Kuno Tachibana's fingernails were stuck upside down, but instead of coming up immediately, they fell down with a "smack."
"Ming, Kitahara-sensei, please help me open this, I feel like my fingernails are about to crack."
Kitahara Hakuba extended his right hand without hesitation and quickly opened it.
"Wow, that's powerful."
Kuno Tachibana smiled, but after taking a sip, his smile turned into a wry one.
"It's not sweet at all, even though it was said to be full of milk!"
"It's already very sweet."
"I won't drink it, give it to the teacher," Kuno Tachibana said.
Kitahara Hakuba said dejectedly, "How could I drink what you've already drunk?"
Kuno Tachibana grinned mischievously and said, "Why not? I'm not sick. Kitahara-sensei, are you discriminating against me?"
"It has nothing to do with discrimination, it's just unhygienic."
"Then I'll find you a cup."
"Neither."
Kitahara Hakuba preferred that she just throw it away rather than drink it himself.
"Hmm~" Kuno Tachibana said in a coquettish tone, "It's such a waste to throw it away."
“I told you beforehand, don’t try to be cute, it won’t work,” Kitahara Hakuba said bluntly.
Kuno Tachibana: "Hmph, then I'll drink it myself."
Watching her gulp down several mouthfuls, Kitahara Hakuba wondered, "Is this something she can drink?"
Back in the practice room, he found that Kurosawa Maki had already placed the sheet music on the music stand and was waiting for him with the euphonium in her arms.
"Ms. This is a drink for you, Kitahara-sensei." Kuno Tachibana handed her the mango juice.
"Thank you, Kitahara-sensei."
Kitahara Hakuba closed the door and said, "It's alright, let's get ready and start."
When Kurosawa Maki saw that the door was closed, she didn't even dare to drink water and hugged the euphonium tightly.
Check the condition of the instrument before tuning it.
Under the bright white lights, Maki Kurosawa's tukulele shimmered with a pale golden light.
Next, she would have to face Kitahara Hakuba's exact same rhetoric as that afternoon.
This won't work, that won't work, this pitch is wrong, and that ending note is too long.
Every few sections, they had to pause to deal with the problem, while Kuno Tachibana watched on his phone, taking off his shoes and sprawling on the sofa.
He kept kicking his legs.
Kurosawa Maki blushed as she was being criticized, but she still followed Kitahara Hakuba's instructions and corrected her mistakes one by one.
However, her euphonium growth value is B. After more than three hours of guidance and triggering the "Gathering Time" event, she has leveled up twice and reached LV11.
She's only one grade behind Yuka Isomoto. Kitahara Hakuba should spend another two or three days helping her master all the details of the competition piece.
I estimate I can reach level 14.
As the pause ended, Kitahara Hakuba raised his hand and clenched it into a fist.
"Stop—"
Kuno Tachibana gently swung his legs and clapped his hands, saying:
"The progress is very fast; so many problems have been corrected in just a few hours."
Kurosawa Maki was initially surprised by how smoothly things went, and she was even a little dazed, saying:
"I...I think I've gotten stronger?"
Kitahara Hakuba rolled up his sleeves and said:
"You'll know whether you've gotten better or not later when I send you the recording of tonight's performance. When you have free time, listen to the score and see where you need to make changes and what points to pay attention to."
He had barely finished speaking when the practice room door was opened, and it was Shinomiya Haruka.
She wore a black dress, her already slender waist accentuated by the cinched waist, making her look like a charming black rose.
Shinomiya Haruka's gaze instantly caught the three of them. She walked straight in, not speaking to Kitahara Hakuba first, and went directly to Kuno Tachika.
"Little Sister Lihua!" She smiled slightly and reached out her hand.
"Sister Yao!" Kuno Tachibana smiled and raised her hand, and the two clapped their hands together.
Kitahara Hakuba, standing to the side, stared blankly. When did these two become so close? Shinomiya hadn't been teaching at the school for very long, had she?
“There’s a new girl,” Shinomiya Haruka said bluntly. “It’s another euphonium.”
Kurosawa Maki's eyes widened slightly. Was she referring to herself as the "new girl" she was talking about?
However, the euphonium was indeed hers.
"Is it fun?" Kitahara Hakuba asked.
"There wasn't much fun. We just chatted at a friend's house, mostly about trivial things from the past."
Shinomiya Haruka naturally took his arm, but quickly pulled it back, feigning innocence as she said,
"It doesn't seem appropriate to do these things in front of your students. I'm sorry, I almost couldn't resist."
Kitahara Hakuba pinched his nose, unsure whether he was embarrassed or shy.
Kuno Tachibana turned to Kurosawa Maki and said, "Let's go back first."
"Hmm." She nodded.
The two girls took their things and left without any hesitation, leaving only Shinomiya Haruka and Kitahara Hakuba in the shop.
Shinomiya Haruka placed her soft little hand into his palm, then smiled charmingly and said:
"Teacher Kitahara, did you think about your bad student today?"
"You know you're bad, don't you?"
Kitahara Hakuba squeezed his hand down, the rounded feel spreading across his palm.
“Say these things in front of my students.”