I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Kato Hazuki followed behind Kiyori, looking around, while Kawashima just covered her mouth and chuckled secretly.

"Didn't Taki-sensei send a group message yesterday?"

"Oh, that makes sense!" Hazuki tapped her head. "I was too excited yesterday and didn't even check the messages carefully."

"Yeah, I didn't sleep well last night."

Huang Qian scratched his head sheepishly.

"Has Kumiko-chan never participated in a training camp before?"

"Hmm, I didn't participate in any training camps in middle school. I don't think my school ever held any such camps..."

Huang Qian glanced at Lina.

"Beizhong only practices at school."

"Eh~? We do have a training camp every year, and it's always here."

"As expected of the young lady's composure!"

Hazuki and Huang's reactions made Kawashima unusually shy.

"We've arrived."

Qinglai was the first to step out of the elevator with his bag.

"Wow, this elevator is huge!"

"Because we need to move musical instruments, we can't do anything smaller."

As we passed through the first room, a magnificent performance emanated from within, powerful and resonant. The sound of the brass pipes seemed to penetrate even the thick soundproofing, and the floor beneath our feet vibrated in response.

"That's amazing..."

"It's a professional orchestra."

Many members of the wind instrument section were also standing next to this room, some even pressing their ears against the wall without regard for their image.

"I wonder when we'll be able to reach this level..."

Someone sighed.

“That’s why we’re here,” Rena’s cool voice vibrated along with the music, “first and foremost, we need to get into the whole country.”

“Ah,” Kiyoyori gripped the briefcase tightly.

Let's make it to the national tournament together.

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

Turn on the coffee machine, take out some coffee beans, place the mug under the outlet, and the sound of the machine running will soon echo in the empty room. As the brown coffee slowly flows out, its unique aroma will gradually fill the room.

When did you start getting used to drinking coffee?

Yukinoshita picked up the silver can that was originally filled with coffee beans.

Kiyoshiro brought it because she likes to drink coffee and she comes to tutoring every week. Yukinoshita even bought a more suitable mug for this purpose.

The bitter and sour tastes stimulated her taste buds at the same time. She didn't add creamer or sugar, but simply savored the pure coffee. Through the clear brown color, she could see Mr. Pan at the bottom of the cup.

Mr. Pan...?

Yukinoshita paused, picked up the mug in her hand, and then saw the pattern on it and the note covered with transparent tape, which read—Tachibana Kiyoyori.

After hesitating for a moment while holding the cup, I finally decided not to pour out the coffee.

We can't waste such good coffee.

She tried to convince herself not to care about the fact that she had taken the wrong mug.

Anyway, the cups are always washed and disinfected after each use.

She consoled herself with a sense of resignation.

I don't know why, but apart from feeling embarrassed when I realized I had made such a basic mistake as taking the wrong cup, I didn't feel any more disgust.

Is it because this is Mr. Pan's merchandise?

Or is it because...

"Ding--"

The toaster made a timely sound, interrupting Yukinoshita's thoughts. The golden-brown bread was ejected from the machine, and the milky aroma instantly overwhelmed the already mild fragrance of coffee. Steam floated on the bread. Yukinoshita used tongs to take the bread out and placed it on a pure white plate.

She then fried herself an egg and a few slices of bacon, making herself a simple sandwich.

While sitting at the dining table, Yukinoshita received a message from Hiratsuka Shizuka.

Hiratsuka-sensei:

We will meet at Chiba Station at 1:30 PM. Please bring a change of clothes, as we will be participating in a three-day, two-night Service Club training camp. This camp will be credited towards your academic credits for the next semester as part of extracurricular activities.

P.S.: Oh well, I might have grabbed the wrong cup.

I'm taking my driving test the day after tomorrow, and a typhoon is making landfall tomorrow night. Is this some kind of joke? Is God trying to prevent me from getting my driver's license? By the way, my subscription numbers were so high yesterday... I wish I could see that every day. I must be dreaming.

Chapter 15, Section 176: Is she the object of affection? Or a rival?

Hiratsuka Shizuka's messages always came unexpectedly, just like how she never remembered to knock before entering. Yukinoshita guessed that this was probably some kind of summer volunteer activity, similar to the brass band's training camp, only in a different format. Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't tell her the specific location of the training camp, nor did she know the details of the activity. After finishing her meal, Yukinoshita calmly began packing her luggage.

The request regarding Kasaki Nozomi was temporarily put on hold due to the brass band's training camp. After testing her at the pool, Kasaki herself was clearly unaware of the specific reason why Asuka refused her return, and Yukinoshita did not assign Tachibana Kiyoyori the task of finding out the reason.

Perhaps we can wait a little longer.

She wasn't sure what she was waiting for. Kasaki's request was to gain Asuka's approval and return to the brass band. She didn't aspire to join Group A; she just wanted to help Asuka. Naturally, the sooner the request was completed, the better. However, Yukinoshita unexpectedly didn't want this matter to affect Kiyoyori.

Meanwhile, Kiyoyori's sensitivity to last year's events exceeded her expectations, yet Yukinoshita found herself with no intention of stopping him from continuing his search for the truth. It was as if it were only natural for him to know, and she even—

They even hope that Kiyora can find the truth.

why?

Yukinoshita was completely baffled. Hiding that matter was a promise she made with the other third-year students, and now she wanted to break that promise, just because of Tachibana Kiyori?

Who exactly are you?

It was as if something was about to break free from its restraints and surge forth, only to retract at the last moment.

Tachibana Kiyori asked her if they had met before.

She also wanted to ask Tachibana Kiyori,

Did they ever know each other?

"Om-"

The phone next to me suddenly vibrated, tracing an arc across the table.

It was a call from Yuihama.

"Hey, Yuihama-san?"

"Ah, Yuki," Yuihama's usual energetic voice came from the other end of the phone, with a slightly noisy background, sounding like it was outdoors, "I just received a letter from Hiratsuka-sensei saying that the Service Club is going on a training camp!"

Her voice was filled with barely concealed excitement, and Yukinoshita could almost picture Yuihama suppressing her excitement yet unable to contain her heartfelt joy.

"Xiaoxue, do you know where we're going? What kind of activity is it? Do you all live together?"

Yuihama on the other end of the phone seemed about to jump up.

"Are you a primary school student?" The high-pitched voice, unable to contain its joy, gave Yukino a headache. "I think 'living together' means the literal meaning of a training camp. As for the location and specific activities, I haven't been told yet."

Yui smiled shyly, brimming with excitement. "Will Hachiman be going too?"

"Hachiman-kun...?"

Speaking of which, later yesterday, Yuihama made a special phone call to check on Hikigaya and received the reply, "His fever has subsided, he's much better, thank you for your concern."

"Even if he himself is unwilling to participate, he will definitely be there in the afternoon."

Yukinoshita knew Hiratsuka Shizuka's character very well. How could this conscientious teacher leave a shut-in whose refusal was obvious to everyone to waste his time and not participate in club activities?

Perhaps the messages that Hachiman received were completely different from those of them.

"Really!"

Yuihama squinted her eyes happily, but soon she pouted unhappily, "It's such a pity that Kiyori is going to the brass band's training camp. I can't be with her."

Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita was taken aback. "Their goal this year is the national competition, so it's only right that they put in this much effort."

While she continued chatting with Yuihama about what clothes to bring and what to wear when they met in the afternoon, and about increasingly whimsical topics such as what they ate for breakfast and whether there would be a barbecue for dinner, she was also thinking about Hiratsuka Shizuka's intention in holding the training camp at this time.

Although Hiratsuka Shizuka agreed to let Kiyori be a ghost member, Kiyori did not miss many of the Service Club's main activities, and the training camp was obviously one of them. However, Yukinoshita couldn't bear to let Kiyori participate in the Service Club's club activities while attending the intense training.

Clearly, if things continue like this, Tachibana is very likely to die young.

Soon, Hiratsuka Shizuka's next message arrived.

The training camp was held at a well-known resort in Chiba.

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

"it is good."

With Taki's fist clenched, the playing ended cleanly and crisply.

The members, who had already performed the ensemble several times, wiped their sweat with towels hanging around their necks without any regard for their image. Even though the air conditioner above them was blowing cold air continuously, and even though they had hung their sweatshirt jackets on the back of their chairs, they still couldn't stop the surging heat.

Perhaps the sounds of the performance next door had infected the members, as everyone put in a lot of effort to practice, from group ensembles to public performances of each section, and even down to individual performances.

Taki's ears are like an eagle's eyes; no one can escape his surveillance.

Various water bottles were placed next to each stool leg, and everyone replenished their water intake during the break when Takigaki called a pause.

Taki clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention to him.

“Next, we will begin group practice,” he said, clasping his hands together and looking around at the students who were listening attentively. “As before at school, Mr. Hashimoto will be in charge of the percussion, and we will continue to practice in this classroom. I will be in charge of the brass.”

"Then... what about the wooden pipe?"

The clarinetist sitting in the center raised his hand.