I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Ogasawara knew very well that most of the people present could not really consider entering the national tournament as their goal.

"Because there are so many people," Asuka's reason was simple and sufficient. "Is that alright, teacher?"

Takigatsu casually leaned against the piano, gesturing as if to say "go ahead."

As expected, the voting results were as follows: apart from a third-year student named Saito Aoi who boldly chose "create happy memories", most of the others chose "enter the national tournament", including Kiyoyori and Reina, since that was their goal. Similarly, there was also Huang, who did not raise his hand in either direction.

But this so-called "vote" still ended as Kiyoshi had expected.

"Although there are people who oppose it, this is a goal that we all set together. I will do my best to guide you in achieving this goal, but it is everyone who needs to put in the effort. Please don't forget that, understand?"

"Understood……"

Only a handful of people in the crowd, including Kiyoyori and Reina, gave an answer.

This is terrible...

Kiyoyori sighed; Takigatsu clearly had no intention of letting them off the hook either.

"Why is there no sound? Where is your response?"

"understood."

There were a few more people than before.

Taki smiled and clapped his hands, the crisp applause striking the hearts of everyone present.

"I'll ask you one more time, do you understand?"

"Understood!"

"Very good, then each group, please begin practicing. The piece is 'Marine Corps.' Please come back to me after you feel ready to play together."

P.S.: Taki is a great teacher. I have to say I really love Kōji's voice. His Old Saber from FGO is so cool, hehe. But did you guys notice? Yukino and Ogasawara are both voiced by Saori, and Yui and Umbrella-kun are also voiced by the same person, Nao Touyama. I love Saori's voice so much!

Chapter 07, Section 64: Becoming a Sticky Demon

"Excuse me, what is this?"

This was Taki's evaluation of the brass band's first ensemble performance that day.

Indeed, even Kiyoshi, who was mentally prepared, did not expect this outcome. It could not be called an ensemble performance; no, it was just everyone playing their own tune, chaotic and without rhythm, with messy tones and some instruments at volumes that did not match the number of people.

This so-called ensemble performance was like a resounding slap in the face to all the members of the wind band, as if the previously set goal of "advancing to the national competition" was just a joke, and the big X left with chalk was mocking everyone.

So, Taki left behind a sentence:

"If we play together again a week later and it still doesn't meet the standard, then there's no point in us participating in any more competitions."

After saying that, he strode away, leaving behind a group of angry students in the music classroom.

What are they angry about? Do they feel looked down upon?

Taki's actions almost sparked public outrage. Even those who had previously been carefree and wanted to continue living a leisurely life began to take things seriously, all for a small goal:

Slap that back.

Let that teacher, who's only good-looking on the surface, know how capable they really are.

So everyone started to practice on their own, and even gathered on weekends for individual training sessions for each vocal part.

Taki is indeed impressive. With just a few simple words, he ignited everyone's fighting spirit, simply because they were unwilling to accept defeat.

Humans are so simple and foolish. When blinded by anger, they will obediently follow other people's plans. Even if they can maintain some composure, they will still walk into obvious traps without hesitation.

But at least in terms of the outcome of this matter, it is beneficial and harmless.

Kiyoshi thought silently.

The classroom, which had never been used for vocal practice before, was now filled with the sounds of various instruments. Taki was often seen moving between different sections, and there were also many girls who were laughed at and scolded by him until they cried.

Thus, Takigawa transformed from a seemingly handsome teacher into a clingy devil.

............................................................

Are you going to school to practice today too?

It's Saturday, and Kiyotaka is still wearing her school uniform, sitting in the entryway changing her shoes, while Touko is preparing to go to the basement.

"Yes, the club has its own practice sessions."

"Looks like we can have high hopes for Soubu High this year?" Touko smiled. "It won't be easy to keep up with Taki-kun's training."

Kiyoshi shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know who he learned it from."

Touko looked away innocently. "Hmm, who did you learn it from?"

When Touko was teaching at the music academy, Taki was one of her students, and among his classmates was Kiyoyori's teacher, Chihiro.

I'm going out.

Qinglai picked up his purse and walked out the door.

Most of the cherry blossoms along the street have already fallen, leaving only a few trees that stubbornly retain traces of spring. Instead of the cherry blossoms, clusters of greenery have emerged, hinting at the approaching early summer.

Qinglai walked close to the roadside, and a bicycle passed by, bringing a cool breeze.

Surprisingly, the cherry blossom trees in front of the slope were still in full bloom, although unlike during the cherry blossom festival, the fallen petals drifted down with the wind and landed on the girl standing under the tree admiring the flowers.

The girl wore a white lace mini-skirt, and white stockings outlined her slender legs. She lightly touched the ground with one foot and held a cherry blossom in her hand. A gentle breeze blew by, lifting the hem of her dress and the edge of her skirt.

The girl covered her ears with her hands, but unexpectedly, her white hat was blown into the air by the wind.

"what……"

Qinglai involuntarily strode forward, stood on tiptoe, and reached out to catch the white beret before it hit the ground, which still had a few pink petals clinging to it.

Gently brush away the petals and hand the hat back to its owner.

Only then did she see the girl's true face. It wasn't as stunning as the other beautiful girls she knew, but it had a face that inexplicably made people's hearts flutter.

"Um, can I have my hat back...?" the girl asked, trying to take it back by the side of the hat, but the person who helped her had tightened their grip on the brim.

Kiyoshi suddenly came to his senses, let go of her hand, and said, "I'm sorry."

"Thank you." The girl put the hat back on.

"You're welcome."

Kiyoyori took a step back and said, "Farewell."

The girl placed her hand in front of her chest and waved it gently.

The brief first encounter was like a cherry blossom that vanishes in an instant.

............................................................

The day of the assessment finally arrived.

After a week of grueling training by Taki, most members of the brass band experienced a significant improvement in their playing skills.

"I don't believe he can find fault this time."

These were the words most often spoken by the members. The Soubu High School Brass Band, which had never been so united, felt the charm of cooperation and ensemble playing at this moment, even if it was for an extremely childish reason.

The moment the powerful sounds of brass and percussion instruments rang out, what appeared before everyone was like a well-trained army. Although the sound of woodwinds was not as penetrating as that of brass, it added a touch of vitality, like warm sunshine shining on soldiers who were sweating profusely.

Kiyoshi could feel the vibrations throughout the room, and he could feel the vibrations within his own heart.

At this moment, she was willing to believe that they could enter the national competition. Even though it was just the simplest game, "Marine Corps," she inexplicably felt this confidence.

The moment Takigaki clenched his fist, the music abruptly stopped.

Everyone's eyes were sparkling; this was the joy of playing in an ensemble. The success of an orchestra is never the success of one or a few soloists, but the result of everyone's hard work. And now, the members of the Zongwu High School Wind Ensemble tasted the sweetness of playing in an ensemble for the first time.

As if awaiting judgment in their mouths, everyone stared silently at the pensive teacher.

"Hmm—" Takigaki drawled, making everyone's hearts leap into their throats, "While there are indeed many areas that need further improvement if we're nitpicking, but—"

"It passed."

The team members all made a victory gesture without prior agreement.

"In any case, the most important thing is that you are all now in a 'ensemble'."

“Well then,” Taki took out a training schedule he had prepared beforehand, “our next goal is the Sun Festival in two weeks. At that time, the brass bands of various famous schools will participate in the parade. Although we don’t have much time, we can still make good use of our spare time and have plenty of time for training.”

Qinglai looked at the schedule, which was almost completely filled with practice sessions, from regular club activities to weekend rest time. She could clearly hear gasps coming from the members in the rows behind her.

"But with such a short time, can we really manage...?"

The crowd was unusually quiet.

"Do you all think you can't do it?" Takigatsu asked with a smile as he glanced at the crowd. "But I believe you can do it. After all, our goal is the national competition."

His face wore a slightly provocative yet reassuring smile, conveying his determination to everyone present.

He was serious.

"Can everyone do it?"

The question was also asked in a calm voice.

"can!"

This time, the response was neat and loud.

At this moment, the brass band of Soubu High School is beginning to leap towards the direction of transformation.

“Very good,” Taki smiled with satisfaction, clasping his hands together. “Now, bring your instruments, change into your sportswear, and everyone assemble on the playground in fifteen minutes.”

P.S.: On my way home after dinner today, I ran into a little kid. He glanced at me, then suddenly ran up to his mother in terror, grabbing her hand and crying repeatedly, "Mommy, I don't want to be sold!" Me: ......? Do I look like a child trafficker?? What's wrong with kids these days? Their imaginations are wilder than mine as a writer! It made me laugh and cry. It suddenly reminded me of many years ago when I was in high school. I was walking down the street with a male classmate when a little girl came towards us, calling me "Auntie" and him "Brother." What the hell?! I'm younger than her, okay?!

Chapter 08, Section 65: When the wound has healed perfectly, it will no longer hurt.

Although it was nearing evening, the scorching sun was still relentlessly blazing down on the group of members who usually only stayed indoors and only went out for shopping and sightseeing. Just standing under the sun with their instruments, most of the girls already looked like they had run out of energy.