I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

P.S.: What could be more tragic than accidentally discovering that a mobile game you previously quit has suddenly collaborated with your favorite comic, excitedly redownloading the game only to find that the character you wanted to pull for had expired the day before...? So I deleted the game again. Yes, the game's name was "The King is Not Happy." So sad.

Today is the last day of July. Thank you all for your support this month~ I will work hard next month too~ Life is really tough.

Chapter 13, Section 174: Something must have been taken away.

"I..." His eyes were filled with confusion, and his brain, which seemed to have rusted, could not form a complete sentence.

"Yukinoshita-senpai?"

After a moment, Kiyoshi managed to regain a sliver of rationality from his chaotic thoughts.

Just now, the two of them switched bodies again without warning, and then...

For some reason, she fainted.

"I never realized that Tachibana-san had the talent to be the Princess and the Pea."

This is clearly a joke about fainting earlier.

"Perhaps it's because Yukinoshita-senpai's body is suited to be the Princess and the Pea."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kiyoyori saw Yukinoshita making a dangerous expression on her face. Helplessly, she raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.

Yukinoshita hummed softly and handed the bottle of ice water she had been carrying on her back to Kiyoyori. "Have some."

"Thank you."

The cool mineral water relieved the burning sensation in my throat. "Just now, Kambara, Akira."

Kiyoshi paused for a moment before remembering the person's name.

"Kamihara-san has already left."

Yukinoshita sat next to Kiyori, hugging her knees with her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees, and squinting her eyes slightly, as if she was troubled by something.

A cool breeze swept by, carrying the unique scent of the pool, scattering the noisy voices. Leaves swayed and fell overhead. The girl before me was as beautiful as a painting. It seemed that no other sound could be heard except for her slow and rhythmic breathing.

It was clearly her own face, but Kiyotaka saw Yukinoshita instead, and for a moment she forgot to swallow the mineral water in her mouth.

"photo."

"photo?"

Yukinoshita turned her head, covering her stray hairs with her hand, her eyes flashing with an ambiguous light, "You saw that photo of Kanbara-san."

The reason she didn't use a question was because she knew for certain that Tachibana Kiyori had seen the photo. The body swap happened when she asked to see the photo again, and the next second, the person in front of her became Kasaki Nozomi, who was crying.

Qinglai paused, placing the bottled water on the lawn. "Is there a problem with that photo?"

"Is Tachibana-san still going to play dumb?"

A sense of oppression, like a cold wave, swept over Kiyoyori.

"Since you can call out Kambara-san's name, you must have met her on some occasion."

"We only met at a banquet, we're not familiar with each other."

Kiyoshiro's voice was calm and composed. Although she was not lying, a simple deduction would clarify the relationship between Yukinoshita and Shinbara.

Yukinoshita squinted, clearly not believing it was that simple.

"That photo," a photo that Yukinoshita is so persistent about is obviously not just a simple picture, and, the perspective of the photo, "does it have anything to do with last year's brass band?"

Even while maintaining a calm facial expression, Yukinoshita was still shocked by the other party's keen observation skills.

“Senpai Kambara doesn’t often appear at parties for celebrities. Rumor has it that she’s an introverted and shy person, almost completely different from who she is now,” Kiyoyori said, while observing Yukino’s expression. “I’ve had some interaction with her because she mentioned that she also studied wind instruments.”

"Does the senior know what musical instrument she plays?"

Yukinoshita did not answer, but silently stared at the face in front of her that was both too familiar and too unfamiliar.

"small."

Snowflakes' fingers twitched slightly.

"Just like Kaori-senpai."

Kiyoshiro did not miss the sudden contraction of Yuki's pupils.

The incident that happened in the brass band last year was undoubtedly a truth concealed by the people in front of us and several current management members of the brass band. This is why Asuka and the others are familiar with Yukinoshita, especially Kaori. Their thanks to Yukinoshita were not because of the request that everyone knew about, but because of the incident hidden behind the large number of people leaving the band.

【enemy.】

Akira Kambara used these words to describe herself.

This matter must be related to her. This is also why two people who never attend banquets and would otherwise have no interaction became acquainted.

"Senior Yukinoshita, if we continue investigating in this direction, I'll probably find out the truth soon. Why don't you help me save this time?"

“No matter how much you flaunt your keen sense of smell, I won’t tell you,” Yukinoshita suddenly relaxed as if she had figured something out. “If you want to know, then please continue your investigation yourself, Mr. Shark.”

“However,” Yukinoshita changed the subject, “continuing to investigate is pointless now. It’s something that has already happened, a fact that has been established, and a past that cannot be changed. What you’re doing is just reopening old wounds.”

After a moment of confrontation, Kiyoyori lowered his head. "Of course it has meaning..."

Kiyoshi couldn't quite put her finger on what it meant, but her intuition told her that there was something else about this incident that hadn't been discovered yet, something that was connected to her.

She placed her palm over her chest. Beneath her skin, there was a pulse that did not belong to her. Yet, for some reason, Kiyoshi could also feel that beneath her skin, in that endlessly beating heart, there was a hollow left after something had been gouged out. Only a cold wind passed through that hollow, making a "whooshing" sound like weeping.

Something must have been taken away.

Just like—

Qinglai's eyes darkened.

Like that person whose name is unknown and whose face is not visible.

What took it away from me?

"Tachibana-san?"

Yukinoshita glanced at Kiyori, who exuded an indescribable sadness, with a puzzled look. It was as if Kiyori's body was somehow sensing its owner's emotions. Yukinoshita suddenly felt a pang of sorrow well up from her heart, flooding her entire heart and filling every corner of her lungs. This sadness filled her entire body, yet it flowed into an unfillable black hole, leaving only an empty shell. She wanted to fill that black hole with something, but it was all in vain.

What was here has been taken away.

It's like an empty room, beautifully decorated, but no one lives in it. Over time, everything inside gets covered in dust, and time swallows everything up, turning it into nothing. No matter what you put in, it can never be the same as it was before.

Just like—

He frowned under the snow, a sharp pain shooting through his nerves.

Just like that nameless, unpredictable figure.

What took it away from me?

They must have lost something, something that nothing can make up for; they must have lost something, something that they can't find no matter how they search along the path they came from.

because--

They could no longer find their way back.

"Yukinoshita-senpai,"

"Have we known each other before?"

P.S.: Does this chapter remind you a bit of the previous stomach medicine chapter? I think it's alright, is it tasty? Actually, it's made with caramelized razor blades.

Chapter 14, Section 175: The Old Man's Intentions Are Not in the Wine

The two-day holiday quickly came to an end. According to the schedule drawn up by Taki, they were about to go to an off-campus facility for a week-long training camp. At that time, more professional teachers would come to train the members of the brass band in groups. This training camp did not distinguish between the competition group and the reserve group. Everyone had to train, but the pressure on the competition group would be greater.

Because only members of the brass band could participate in the training camp, the service club's request had to be suspended. Yukinoshita didn't give Kiyori any further requests regarding the request, as if nothing had happened.

Wow—how magnificent!

Getting off the swaying, drowsy bus, I saw a towering building in front of me. Inside the gate, there were many staff members carrying musical instruments, and in the parking lot not far away, there were several buses with different orchestras' names printed on them.

Hazuki skipped along, holding Kawashima's hand; both of them seemed to be full of energy.

"It seems there are other bands staying here as well."

Reina looked around but didn't see the person she was looking for.

"It seems so."

This wasn't Kiyoshi's first time here; in fact, it would be strange if he hadn't. This is a training ground for the band, built with investment from Carroll. Carroll has been involved in everything from site selection and design to construction.

This is a wedding anniversary gift from Carol to Touko.

Wealthy adults are just different.

Kiyoshi remembers that the dinner he gave to his two mothers that year was the first one he had ever made himself.

It tastes terrible.

This is a training base ostensibly providing practice space for bands in need, but in reality, it combines vacation and practice. Not far from this building is a natural park with mountains, forests, lakes, and springs, as well as a guesthouse located in the natural park. The air is fresh, the surroundings are quiet, and it is especially suitable for a vacation away from the city and fast pace.

My mother's true intentions were not what they seemed.

Kiyoyori secretly mocked Carol's ulterior motives before following Reina and the others into the facility.

The facilities maintain a simple and elegant style, without excessive decoration. The purpose of each room is clearly marked, and sturdy soundproofing materials can be seen when you peek through any door.

This place is not only a practice space for bands, but also for other more mainstream bands, and even a recording studio.

This place is paradise for music lovers, of course, before training even begins.

"That's amazing..."

Huang Qian suddenly found himself at a loss for words, unable to say anything other than "amazing".

"We should be on the third floor."

The first floor is mostly small cubicles, which are more suitable for orchestras with only a few people, or teams that do recording or broadcasting work. After it officially opened, Kiyoyori came here a few times with Touko.

"Kiyoshi seems to know this place very well."