I play the wind instrument in Hokkaido.

Page 114

"Since Saito-kun has shown remorse, I will not pursue the matter further."

Nagase Tsukiyo tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, let out a small sigh, and said:

“Teacher Kitahara, why are you doing this? No matter how I look at it, I think you should report it, or at the very least have the Saito family apologize. That's the bare minimum you should do…”

Her tone was tinged with deep confusion, wondering if Kitahara Hakuba's punishment of merely being expelled from the club was unfair to him.

"That's what should have been done at first."

Kitahara Hakuba nodded and said gently, "But after thinking about it for a long time, I feel that this is not the best way."

"Isn't this the best approach?"

Nagase Tsukiyo tilted her head slightly in confusion, her soft hair sliding down her shoulder.

Kitahara Hakuba's breath hitched when he could faintly hear the sound of a euphonium coming from the club building.

"If it's reported, Saito will only feel more regret every time she thinks about it, and that regret will become a new burden on her shoulders, causing her pain and having no positive effect on her future life."

More than anything, I hope that when she grows up and experiences more, she won't feel pain when she looks back on this, but rather gratitude for someone named Kitahara Hakuba who gave her the opportunity and taught her the lessons of growth. As her teacher, the only thing I can do for her is to minimize the obstacles this event will bring to her life. It would be a lie to say I hope she suffers terribly, after all, my time with her is running out.

Life should still be lived steadily.

Kitahara Hakuba's resolute tone was no different from before; even if people gossiped about him, he would not abandon himself as a teacher.

His gentleness, strength, and selflessness were something that Nagase Tsukiyo greatly admired, but now she couldn't learn even a fraction of it.

Nagase Tsukiyo gazed at Kitahara Hakuba's handsome face, her breath becoming increasingly hot. For some reason, her heart was pounding whenever she saw his face.

To suppress the surging emotions within her, she took a deep breath and slowly began to speak:

"Teacher Kitahara, are you a giving personality type?"

"Ok?"

Kitahara Hakuba raised an eyebrow curiously, then gave a wry smile and shook his head slightly, saying...

"I don't think so. I can be quite selfish sometimes, but you just don't realize it."

“The fact that we can’t detect it means they won’t be stingy with us, right?” Nagase Tsukiyo said, drawing inferences from one instance to another.

She was probably much more clever than he had thought, Kitahara Hakuba said with a meaningful smile:

"Who knows? The world is so vast, and the environment we live in and the way we think about problems will definitely undergo dazzling changes."

Nagase Tsukiyo blushed slightly and said almost definitively:

"If you've always been a teacher, this is how it will be."

I don't quite understand why she would make such a assertion; even Kitahara Hakuba doesn't have that kind of confidence.

“Alright, if that’s how you see it, then as a teacher, I should be happy,” Kitahara Hakuba said.

Nagase Tsukiyo's face grew increasingly flushed, and she raised her hand to constantly brush the strands of hair from her bangs and temples, looking as if she didn't want to leave.

"Nase-san, is there anything else?"

"It's nothing... Good health."

She pursed her lips, bowed again, and turned to leave.

Kitahara Hakuba watched the girl leave, her fair thighs swaying back and forth, causing her skirt to sway slightly.

He looked away, put his headphones back on, and started playing the competition music.

"Kitahara." The ferryman suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

"director."

He had no choice but to pause playback again and take off his headphones.

"Don't let it affect you. The school thinks highly of you, and so do I."

The ferry manager touched his round, bald head and said...

“I often suffer from such rumors, just like you, but I get used to it. People like us who have outstanding looks have to bear the consequences of being slandered. Our psychological resilience is stronger than that of the average person.”

"Okay... thank you, Director."

"He must have been very handsome when he was young," Kitahara Hakuba thought.

"It's alright, keep it up." The ferryman returned to his seat.

Then, whenever Kitahara Hakuba went out of the staff office to use the restroom or buy water, he would often see students greeting him.

Students who weren't in the brass band didn't react much; they just expressed surprise—

"Teacher Kitahara is here!"

That's all.

Compared to them, the members of the wind band were as excited as if it were New Year's Day, spreading the news far and wide.

"Great news! Kitahara-sensei is back!"

"real or fake?"

"It's true! I saw it with my own eyes! Just like before!"

"Waaah, you scared me to death! I'm really not coming back."

"Honestly, I don't feel safe if Kitahara-sensei isn't around."

The girls in the brass band were overjoyed at Kitahara Hakuba's return, but Saito Haruka, who was lying on her desk in the classroom, remained motionless as if she were fast asleep.

The teachers who understood knew that Kitahara Hakuba went downstairs to buy coffee, while the teachers who didn't understand thought that Kitahara Hakuba had become a star during this time, with a bunch of girls surrounding him and escorting him into the staff office.

This drew envious looks from the teachers; for them, being surrounded by students was an immense honor.

This is much happier than being praised by your boss.

Kitahara Hakuba had just returned to the staff office when he saw Kanzaki Eri standing obediently in front of his desk, her gaze fixed on his laptop screen.

"Kanzaki-kun?" He stepped forward.

When Kanzaki Eri saw him approaching, a relieved expression appeared on her face, and a slight smile curved her lips as she said:

“That’s great.”

"Ah, um." Kitahara Hakuba nodded and sat down in the chair. "Have you been practicing diligently lately?"

Eri Kanzaki stared intently at him and nodded gently.

It was break time, and there were too many teachers in the staff office. Just in case, he couldn't act too intimately with Kanzaki Eri.

Eri Kanzaki reached into her skirt pocket and took out a brown wooden box with reeds.

"This is for Kitahara-sensei."

Looking at what she handed him, Kitahara Hakuba said somewhat awkwardly:

"No need, I have my own reed."

Kanzaki Eri gently stroked the surface of the wooden box with her thumb and whispered:

"Because Kitahara-sensei said he would come back and keep his promise, I'm very happy and wanted to give this to you."

"Woolen cloth..

Her voice was as muffled as usual, but her expression was very serious.

The girl's excessive cuteness aroused jealousy in an older female teacher standing next to Kitahara Hakuba, who clenched her fists in envy.

He said it almost through gritted teeth:

"Kitahara! Take it! Take it for me!"

It seems like if you don't accept it, you'll immediately get punched by the older auntie.

Kitahara Hakuba had no choice but to accept the wooden box containing the reeds and say:

Do you have any other reeds?

Seeing that he accepted it, Eri Kanzaki smiled faintly, blinked, and raised one hand, saying:

"There are five left. I'll give five to Mr. Kitahara."

In other words, she originally had ten reeds.

"Thank you." Kitahara Hakuba knocked open the wooden box, revealing five reeds neatly arranged inside.

For oboe players, each reed has different characteristics such as tone, pitch, and resistance, and different reeds are needed for different occasions.

However, Kitahara Hakuba doesn't have an oboe yet, so he's not in a hurry to use one.

Seeing that he was staring intently, Kanzaki Eri pursed her lips slightly.

"Bye-Bye."

"See you."

As soon as Kanzaki Eri left, the older female teacher next to her kicked her foot, and her chair slid over.

"Kitahara, what did you send?"

"The reed used to play the oboe."

Is it expensive?

"It depends on whether you make it yourself or buy it; buying it might be more expensive," Kitahara Hakuba said.

"Sigh, I've taught Huili for three years, and she won't even talk to me, let alone give me a gift."

The older female teacher said, quite dejectedly,

"You only taught her for a few months, and she already gave you gifts, and it wasn't even a major subject."

Hehehe.

"No, no, I didn't mean to mock you for not being a major subject. I just think you're very capable."

The older female teacher quickly smiled and explained,

"Being handsome definitely has its advantages."

"I don't think so. If that were the case, Kanzaki-san would have chatted with Director Watari."

"Ok?"