aircannonsinc Page 357
Page 357
"The overall level of wind instrument playing in the Hakodate area is still very poor, so even if there is one more spot, it won't make a difference."
It's true that even if Shenxu wins gold, it has nothing to do with the Hakodate region, as the overall level of that region is still poor.
The bus traveled along the highway, its wheels making a low hum as they rubbed against the ground, while the nearby fields were bathed in golden sunlight.
I got off the train in Aomori City. It's similar to Hakodate in that there aren't many tall buildings.
Kitahara Hakuba gave them half an hour to eat, after which they had to gather immediately and continue their journey.
They disappeared into the streets quickly, as if they were tourists.
Everyone in the club knows that Yuka Isomoto is from Aomori City, and they will almost always go up to her and ask, "Which restaurant here is good?"
As a result, she herself couldn't explain it, leading many people to doubt whether she had ever lived there.
“My registered residence is in Aomori, that’s true, but I’ve always gone to school in my hometown. I’ve never come here except to buy some daily necessities,” Yuka Isomoto said, quite frustrated.
It's only a 20-minute drive from here to her hometown, but she doesn't have time to go back.
Suzuki Yoshie glanced around absentmindedly:
"But you should know a little about food, right? I know which restaurants in Hakodate are good."
"My family says we should eat at home."
"So strict!"
While they were talking, a girl stood next to Kitahara Hakuba.
He turned his head and saw that it was Huili.
The girl didn't say anything, but Kitahara Hakuba already knew her intentions.
I hope we can have dinner together.
Come to think of it, I haven't spoken a single word to Eri today. On the ferry, I didn't even offer her a word of comfort.
Saito Haruka, who was standing to the side, did not say anything. She looked around and found Nagase Tsukiyo standing aside watching.
The moment their eyes met, Nagase Tsukiyo felt a sudden jolt, averted his gaze, and walked alone toward a sushi restaurant on the side of the street.
At that moment, Yuka Isomoto's previously dejected face suddenly brightened, and she said with a smile:
"But I know a ramen shop! Everyone should try it! Kitahara-sensei, come along too!"
"I also can."
In Kitahara Hakuba's opinion, Sapporo ramen in Hokkaido is the best. The broth is made from pork bones, chicken bones, and vegetables, and the toppings are plentiful. The noodles are medium-thick curly noodles, which have a satisfying texture.
Especially in winter, a sip of it warms you up.
Kitahara Hakuba and the executives of the brass band followed Isomoto Yuka to a ramen shop she had mentioned.
The result was a very narrow shop that could only seat six people, and the walls were somewhat dark, giving off a "you'll definitely poop if you eat this" vibe.
Nowadays, most ramen orders are placed through the store's machine, but this place still prioritizes "shouting orders."
"Welcome to Waka Ramen!"
Listening to the shopkeeper's calls, Suzuki Yoshie muttered to herself:
"Yuka has really good taste."
Sakurako tugged at her hand, signaling her not to say those things.
"right here!"
Ignoring their murmurs, Yuka Isomoto puffed out her chest and said, as if encouraging herself, "They also serve Hakodate ramen here. I love the chicken bone and dried fish broth the most! It's super delicious!"
While the group was still undecided, Kitahara Hakuba was the first to enter the store and find a seat.
Seeing him go in, the other girls, who hadn't planned to go in, also went in.
When choosing ramen, Kitahara Hakuba smiled and said:
"I trust Isomoto's taste."
Yuka Isomoto blushed; her initial concern was whether Kitahara-sensei would like it.
But on second thought, he certainly wouldn't deny his own preferences.
“Then I’ll choose this one too.”
"Me too."
"You guys need to be opinionated when it comes to eating ramen; everyone's taste is different."
Seeing that they were all ordering according to Kitahara-sensei's taste, Akamatsu Sayaka immediately put on a ramen master's air and said,
"Master, since your shop is called Wakayama, then give me a bowl of Wakayama ramen, with extra green onions. I'll savor your soy sauce broth base; that's the essence."
Even when the busy worker was only two meters away, he was still shouting loudly:
"Sorry, young lady, my name is Waka, and I don't know much about Wakayama Ramen. Would you like to try something else?"
"Forget it then, I'm the same as them."
Soon, the ramen was served, but since there were no seats, Kitahara Hakuba simply ate it standing up.
Hui Li chose the same flavor as him, which reminded him of something Hui Li had once told him: "I will try my best to become like you."
She seems to have really been doing that all along.
Chapter 271, Part 270: Goodbye, Aomori (4K)
"The broth is so oily, it feels like licking the fat off a whale's back."
"Have you ever eaten whale oil?"
"No, but I often watch animal videos, and I always feel that fat should look like this."
"What kind of animal video are you watching? I think this soup is very rich. You really can't judge a book by its cover. Akamatsu Sayaka and the others are all eating ramen. Surprisingly, everyone is in unison and doesn't disturb Kitahara-sensei and Kanzaki Eri."
In their eyes, Kitahara-sensei was taking the opportunity to discuss with Eri what had happened on the ferry.
Sakurako Yukawa did not want to get involved.
As the department head, she understood that although Mr. Kitahara said "everything is up to you to decide," he would still intervene if problems arose.
This is why the brass band has been able to get to where it is today.
Although it sounds demoralizing, Sakurako Yukawa felt that her ability to lighten the mood as the club president was far inferior to that of Mr. Kitahara, and everyone preferred to chat with him.
There's a type where no matter how much she talks to the parties involved, the outcome won't change in the slightest; it will only increase her emotional exhaustion.
Perhaps they all wish they could stay out of this.
Having openly acknowledged this in her heart, Yukawa Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had come to terms with it.
"Can you finish it?" Kitahara Hakuba gazed at Eri's profile, her face as white and flawless as the first snow.
The girl's portion of ramen was the same as his.
Kanzaki Eri kept skimming the oil off the surface of the soup with her spoon, and said in a low voice:
"No."
Kitahara Hakuba took out a small plate, intending to pick out the noodles she would leave behind.
Is it unhappiness? Or incomprehension?
As he lifted the noodles with his chopsticks, you could feel the weight of the noodles hanging from the wooden chopsticks. Taking a slurp, the noodles were very chewy.
Kanzaki Eri first tucked her long hair behind her earlobe, a gesture that girls often make when eating noodles, giving Kitahara Hakuba a unique experience.
Even though she had already made that movement, she still didn't use her chopsticks to pick up the noodles. Instead, her shoulders slumped, her voice trembled slightly, and her tone sounded very pathetic.
"The moonlit night is very sad, I..."
Like Eri, whom Kitahara Hakuba knew, she was a woman of few words, yet she could discern a person's thoughts from their brief remarks.
Nagase Tsukiyo's hysterical words on the deck made Kanzaki Eri realize that she was sad and even resentful.
"Value Partner"
Kitahara Hakuba's tone was low and soothing, each word like a carefully crafted flower, carrying a delicate care and tenderness.
"No matter who we blame, we can't completely convince ourselves, nor can we save ourselves, because no one is responsible for your life, not even me."
These words pierced straight to her heart.
He put it rather subtly, but Kanzaki Eri could fully understand that her "blame" for Nagase Tsukiyo was not firm at all, and she couldn't even convince herself otherwise.
At the same time, Nagase Tsukiyo, who was not yet fully versed in social situations, had no ability or obligation to try to understand her feelings. There was no clear victim or perpetrator between the two of them.
Kitahara Hakuba took a sip of the thick soup. He knew that interfering in the difficult matters between the girls out of a sense of responsibility would be a headache, so he could only deal with them calmly and by letting things take their course.
Kanzaki Eri didn't seem to be in the mood for eating noodles at all; she just kept sipping the soup from her spoon.
On the deck, the regret that had struck Nagase Tsukiyo was also assailed her with the same intensity.
"Half of the sadness on a moonlit night is my own fault."
If I had dared to speak up back then, like I do now, and told her that I didn't like the oboe or the wind section, then perhaps everything would have been completely different.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Kitahara Hakuba didn't get anxious at all; instead, he calmly continued eating his ramen.
He kept eating, while Kawai Sakura and the others would occasionally glance at him, seemingly curious about how far he had gone.
After finishing the noodles, with some soup remaining, Kitahara Hakuba wiped his lips with a tissue and said casually:
“Huili, it’s a good thing that you’re both angry with each other. It means that you both care about each other.”
His words caused Kanzaki Eri to slump her shoulders. Kitahara Hakuba could not know what kind of emotion was reflected in the girl's eyes at that moment.
"Is it still edible?" Kitahara Hakuba asked, looking at the seemingly unchanged ramen in her bowl.
He understood to some extent how much people don't want to eat when they're feeling down; even the most delicious food tastes bland.
Eri Kanzaki let out a slight groan, then shook her head.
Kitahara Hakuba didn't waste any time, pouring Eri's noodles and soup into several small plates:
"Isomoto-kun, there's still some left here, do you want some?"
This action stunned Sakurako and the others, who quickly said, "No need, no need."