Each Person’s Uneasiness
(It is evening. The band finishes their practice in the music room.)
Everyone Great work!
Kojiro Bye-bye, Sensei!
Ijeong We will leave it t’ya tomorrow too!
Sensei Alright, do be careful on your way back.
Reito Mochizuki, let’s go.
Aoto Right.
Mitsuyuki Reito, are you working part-time at Kuttsuriya today?
Reito Yeah. Well, we’ll be off first. See you tomorrow!
Akane Right, go give it yer all.
Osei Ahh, I’m starvingg. I could eat a horse.
Soshu What’re you saying. Let’s stop lazing around and leave right away. We’ve got our math homework to submit tomorrow. And I’m sure you haven’t even completed that, anyway.
Osei Guh!? Geez, don’t remind me of stuff like that~. You’re making me even hungrier than before.
Soshu Seriously…
Hibiku Oh…? You aren’t leaving, Kuramoto-kun?
Takara Ahh…yup. I figured I should stay behind to practice.
Takara So I’ve already bought onigiri and yakisoba bread from the school store. I’ll just eat this and do my best.
Soshu I see. Be sure not to overexert yourself.
Takara Yup, thanks.
Seriya (…Seriously, Takara sure is admirable. Perhaps I shall join him to practice, if it’s just for a while.)
Seriya …Taka—
(Yasuhito approaches him.)
Yasuhito Seriya-senpai.
Yasuhito Will you be able to study in time?
Seriya …Are you a mind-reader?
Yasuhito …I’d use those powers in far more beneficial ways if I had them, you know. Well, it’s all up to you so this is none of my business though.
Seriya Huh…!?
Seriya Don’t tell me, Yassuu, that you’re…! Are you worrying about me?
Yasuhito Excuse me…?
Seriya What, that’s so cute of you!
Yasuhito Sigh, I shouldn’t have told him anything…
(Someone is practicing on the rooftop.)
♪~~~♪~~~
♪~~♪~~~
(Takara is practicing in the music room.)
Takara ♪~~♪~~~
(The doors to the room slide open.)
Clatter clatter—
Sensei Kuramoto-kun?
Takara Sensei… Oh? Is it already time for school to close?
Sensei No, not yet. I was just hoping to have a chat with you.
Sensei You sure are passionate. Recently, you’ve been coming far earlier than when morning practice is supposed to start, too.
Takara Ahaha… I’m terrible, after all. I’ve got to practice way more than the others.
Takara I thought about it after participating in the Chunichi Contest.
Takara About how good the other schools’ performances were, when I’d listened to them from the stage wings.
Takara About how it won’t do, if I continue being like this.
Sensei …It does make one feel uneasy, doesn’t it. To see how good everyone around you is.
Takara Eh…
Sensei I was afraid of standing onstage during competitions myself, back when I’d first started. …The other schools’ performances that I could hear from the stage wings had sounded super good.
Sensei I won’t be able to play in that manner…was what I’d thought. Often.
Takara So you’d felt the same way too, when you’d just started out.
Sensei Takara-kun, that’s…something that I’d continued to feel even as a second and a third-year, you know.
Takara Eh? It was…!?
Sensei Yes. …As a first-year, I couldn’t help being so scared because I was terrible, and even after becoming a second-year, I still felt as if I had a long way to go…
Sensei When I’d become a third year, I kept wondering if my juniors would be able to improve even more…had I been even better…
Takara ……
Sensei You know, you aren’t terrible in any way, Kuramoto-kun. You’re able to perform properly, within two months of starting the tuba.
Sensei Even if you’ve made a mistake while performing, you’re able to resume your playing afterwards. You’ll most certainly get better, with that strength in you.
Takara ……Yes!
(The school bell rings.)
Ding dong ding dong
School Announcement Everyone, it’s almost time for school to close for the day—
Takara Ah…
Sensei Let’s go home, shall we.
Takara Yes. Ah, I’ll go get Minato!
Sensei Eh? Iizuka-kun?
Takara Yes, he said that he’ll be practicing as well… He’s on the roof alone right now, so I’ll go get him!
♪~~~~♪~~~
(Minato recalls his conversation with Junta.)
Junta Minato, leave it to Kuri. ……You and I’ve both still got a long way to go.
Minato How come! I’ve been reading the scores, properly…or trying my best to.
Minato I’ll play the new piece properly too.
Minato (It’s wrong to play according to the score, too.)
Minato (How come…)
Minato (It’s fun playing with everyone. Our sound spreads far and beyond, with lots of sparkling colours—)
Minato (But—)
(He recalls Junta’s words.)
Junta …… Hey, has nothing crossed your mind at all after participating in the Chunichi Contest?
Junta You can’t have not had any thoughts after listening to the other schools perform, right?
Minato (The other schools…)
Minato (Why must our performance…be compared to the other schools’…why—)
(The door to the rooftop opens violently.)
Bang!
(Takara joins him.)
Takara Minato, let’s leave! Keep your trumpet, hurry…!
Minato Mm?
Takara C’mon, the school’s closing in five minutes…! Let’s go home together, Minato!
(The vice-principal is talking to Sensei in the staff room.)
Vice-Principal Seriously. The band’s always waiting until the last minute… Listen up, Sensei!
Sensei Y-Yes…!
Vice-Principal …I’ve been hearing that the band members have been sleeping during lessons of late.
Vice-Principal I won’t be impressed if they get so eager about practicing that they neglect the most important part of their studies, you know.
Vice-Principal Club activities may be important, but the main role of a student is to study after all! It’ll be fine as long as they don’t fail their end-of-terms, though…seriously.
Sensei …I’ll be sure to talk to the students about this. My apologies.
Vice-Principal …Whew. Well, I’ll be counting on you to, then.
Ushio The band sure is lively huh~. Good work, Sensei.
Sensei Ahaha……
Ushio By the way, about that thing with Masuda-sensei… Any progress since then?
To be continued…
~ Next: Chapter 6, Page 20 ~
BAND NOTEBOOK.
PREVIEW
Aoto: …Please come again.
Reito: Sensei. We’ll work hard for the prefectural preliminaries…and for the Hokuriku qualifiers after that, so.
Stamff's Wind Boys! Translations! 