NABC Page 588
Page 588
“But it would be such a waste to keep a teacher like this in Shenxu. Why not go to Tokyo?” Kuno’s mother asked, spreading Minako’s smear on the toast.
"He's leaving after he finishes teaching this year." Kuno Tachibana stopped patting his legs.
"So fast? What's the school's reaction? Aren't they going to try to keep them? Talented teachers are crucial, and I think it would be better to keep them."
"Dad, you're worrying too much."
"What do you mean by 'too much concern'? To be honest, Mr. Kitahara is just a 23-year-old young man. In terms of social experience, he is no match for me. If I were him, I would definitely stay at Shin-Asahi. It's a well-funded private school, and the competition in Tokyo is too fierce. Establishing a foothold and dominating in Hokkaido is the right choice."
“That’s your idea.” Kuno Tachibana finished his milk in one gulp after saying that. “I’m done eating.”
Kuno's mother sighed and said with great regret:
"Since Mr. Kitahara takes such good care of Tachibana, shouldn't we give him a gift?"
"What gift? Don't give it to me."
Kuno Tachibana picked up his schoolbag, took out a camel-colored scarf from it, put it on, and muttered under his breath, "He's already taken so much advantage of us, and he's still giving us a free gift."
He's always been so good to him, why does he still need her to deliver gifts?
I'd be lucky if I didn't get angry when I didn't receive his Christmas present.
"Lihua." Kuno's mother, thinking her daughter was going through a rebellious phase, frowned slightly and said, "You must respect your teachers."
"I am being respectful, but I can't explain it to you. I'm going out. The first book I read has been published." Kuno Tachibana slung his backpack over his shoulder.
Kuno's father suddenly said, "Wait, why are you dressed like this?"
"What is this?"
"It's so cold, why are you only wearing these socks?"
"I like dressing like this."
"What do you like? If your legs aren't kept warm, they're prone to varicose veins. Hurry up and come upstairs to change them for me."
"So what? Some of the older girls at my school only wear short socks."
"If others don't value their lives, do you too? If others eat shit, do you eat shit too?"
Kuno Tachibana sighed silently, went upstairs to change into a pair of thick black thermal tights. She wasn't very tall to begin with, and now it looked like she was wearing pants under her skirt.
"Yes, that's more like it."
"But this is so outdated!"
Who's watching you?
"Oh!" Kuno Tachibana's face flushed red, and she snorted softly as she walked out.
Once outside, the edge of the pleated skirt lightly brushed against the surface of the pantyhose, making an almost inaudible rubbing sound.
Thermal tights immediately proved effective, preventing any chill from penetrating.
Having tasted the sweetness of pantyhose, Kuno Tachika immediately changed her mind. Before, all she had felt was the biting cold wind blowing straight in from under her skirt.
From now on, she will wear thermal tights every winter, and she won't bother thinking about anything else.
As they passed by Salia on the street, Kirishima Mai, who had received advance notice, was already waiting in front of the store. The store was empty, with only two or three customers.
Good morning, Lihua.
"Good morning."
Kirishima Mai's gaze lingered on her scarf and the stockings under her skirt for a while.
"They don't match at all, do they?"
Chapter 406, Section 405: The Scarf Before Christmas (4) >>
Kuno Tachibana tugged at the scarf around her neck; it was indeed much uglier than Mai's gray scarf.
"No." Kirishima Mai shook her head, her voice as soft as the first gentle snow. "I think Tachibana looks good in any scarf."
"Hey, it's a good thing you're a girl, Makoto. If a boy said something like that, I would probably find him disgusting."
Kuno Tachibana buried his mouth in his scarf and exhaled a breath of warm air, which warmed his entire face.
Kirishima Mai simply smiled.
The two walked along the snow-white street. The snow was not deep, not even covering their heels, but it felt like they needed to expend more energy to walk.
"Won't Mai get cold wearing long stockings?" Kuno Tachika noticed that she had the same thoughts as her father.
"It's alright." Kirishima Mai held the shoulder strap of her backpack with one hand and put the other hand in her pocket.
Kuno Tachibana savored the taste of milk in his mouth and began to speak:
"Senior Jiang Teng said in the student council group that there will be a party on Christmas night, and then we will play Santa Claus games."
"What is that?" Despite her extensive knowledge, Kirishima Mai's understanding of entertainment was quite limited.
Kuno Tachibana explained the rules of the game to her and added a "Christmas Thief" variation.
"I understand," Kirishima Mai nodded and said, "Can I use connections this time?"
The girl said she wanted to cheat with a serious face, which stunned Kuno Tachibana for a moment. In her heart, Mai was always that simple girl who followed the rules.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to play?"
Kirishima Mai was silent for a moment, then nodded and said:
"Well, it's not that I don't want to give a gift, it's just that I don't want to give a gift to someone I don't even know. I don't really like this kind of game."
"Mai is so innocent," Kuno Tachibana said with a smile after glancing at her.
"Hmm:" Kirishima Mai listened to the faint sound of the snow under her feet, "Is it alright?"
Kirishima Mai looked up at the gloomy sky, exhaled a puff of white mist, and said:
"I guess the only thing I can think of giving it to is Li Hua."
After listening to her words, Kuno Tachibana paused for a moment, then couldn't help but swallow.
If we're talking about who to give Christmas gifts to, Kuno Tachibana's number one choice would undoubtedly be Kitahara Hakuba.
Exchanging gifts with good friends is a good idea, but if she had to choose between love and friendship, Kuno Tachibana would still choose love without hesitation.
"Okay, but I won't give my gift to you, Zhenyi."
Kuno Tachibana stated bluntly, "I'm going to use connections too, and I'll just hand it over to Kitahara-sensei."
“It’s alright,” Kirishima Mai gently shook her head and said, “I don’t care what gift I received, I just don’t want my gift to be given to someone else.”
"Makoto, you're quite serious."
"You can't say that, I just don't want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings," Kirishima Mai said, looking down at the toes of her loafers.
"Is Tachibana one too?"
"No, I just don't want Kitahara-sensei to receive gifts from other girls, especially those from the third-year upperclassmen. From some perspectives, I really dislike them."
Kuno Tachibana's light tone and casual conversation always made Kirishima Mai feel comfortable.
"Lihua is so cute." She smiled gently.
"I think it's kind of stupid of you to say that."
Kuno Tachibana responded with a soft laugh, "But it's so good to have Mai. I can tell you any secret I have, and I don't have to keep them buried in my heart anymore."
After a moment of silence, Kirishima Mai spoke in a serious and solemn tone:
"I'm going to fall in love with Kitahara-sensei and declare war on Tachibana."
"kindness?"
Kuno Tachibana turned his head in surprise to look at her. His serious little face now looked a little comical. "Are you serious?"
Less than five seconds later, Kirishima Mai couldn't hold back anymore and covered her mouth to burst out laughing:
"I was just kidding, it won't happen."
"So annoying." Kuno Tachibana snorted and gently bumped her with his schoolbag.
As Kirishima Mai laughed, she bumped her shoulder back, the girl's pleated skirt swaying with her movements, revealing a glimpse of skin between the skirt and stockings.
After finishing his music class this morning, Kitahara Hakuba returned to the staff office.
Next week is exam week, so he'll have some free time again. After exam week, he'll have to study for another week before winter break.
Kitahara Hakuba sat in his seat and took out his phone to check the calendar.
After the winter break ends, I need to complete the Christmas Dream Festival activities first, and then the next day I will accompany Yuka Isomoto and others back to Aomori to pick apples.
Now there is another problem: this matter has not been told to Shinomiya Haruka at all. Kitahara Hakuba raised his hand to his forehead and said that it was simple, but how to explain it was a difficult matter.
He took out his phone, went to the window, and gently touched the succulent leaves planted by Mr. Nakata with his fingers, while calling Haruka Shinomiya.
A short while later, the call was connected.
"What's wrong?" came the voice of Shinomiya Haruka from the other end.
Kitahara Hakuba didn't get to the point so quickly. He squatted down, stared at the succulent, and asked, "What are you doing? Can you come to practice this afternoon?"
"The instrument maintenance at the White Lily School will be fine this afternoon," said Shinomiya Haruka.
"Oh, so you still need maintenance even if you're closing down?"
"The contract stated that even if I go to Tokyo in the future, I should ask someone here to help me with the work."
"Thank you for your hard work."
"what you want to say?"
"miss you."
"Seriously."
"Well, it's like this, I might go to Aomori for a few days after Christmas. Oh, of course, it's not just me, other students are going too, to pick apples."
What on earth was he saying? Kitahara Hakuba couldn't help but slap himself.
A helpless sigh came from the other end of the phone:
"Okay."
"Mistake? That's it?"