I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Taki smiled gently. "Please don't rush. Next, I will introduce the teacher in charge of woodwind training for this training camp."

Looking at the other person's smile, Kiyoyori suddenly had a bad feeling.

It can't be...

Taki reached out his hand towards the corner of the room, and only then did everyone notice another person in the practice room.

She was a gentle-looking woman, dressed in an elegant long dress. Her long, wavy hair swayed slowly and rhythmically with her graceful steps. Her exquisite makeup and undeniably beautiful appearance caused all the members of the wind instrument section to gasp in amazement.

Of course, Kiyoshi gasped.

Then, a hushed murmur spread among the students, all praising the new teacher's beauty, and—

They guessed that the other person was Taki's girlfriend.

"This is Ms. Johor Bahru. She will be in charge of the woodwind training from now on. Ms. Johor Bahru is an excellent and professional instructor with profound knowledge of woodwinds. Please ask her for more advice if you are playing woodwinds."

"Oh dear, even if you praise me like this, you won't get anything in return."

The intimate (?) conversation made the "guessing of the other person" seem even more real.

How can one best describe this feeling of "being the only one sober while everyone else is drunk"?

Kiyoshi could almost feel the muscles in his face twitching.

If anyone asks about Reina.

Her words...

Among a group of members with pink-bubble-like girlish hearts, Reina's eyes have become as rich in DHA as Hikigaya's.

P.S.: I have an exam tomorrow, so I'm taking a break today. And also... to all you card-showing-off friends, please have mercy on me... I'm feeling a bit down, please.

Chapter 16, Section 177: The Caged Bird

Shinzan greeted the enthusiastic members with a beaming smile. Her gentle, dignified aura, reminiscent of a Japanese nadeko, instantly won everyone's favor. Even the fatigue from the previous practice seemed to vanish, especially among the woodwind members, whose eyes practically sparkled with excitement.

"Please be quiet."

Taki raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"Now, woodwind players, please follow Mr. Shinzan to the practice room on the right. Brass players, please follow me," Taki nodded to the two teachers. "Lunch is at 12:00. After lunch, there will be an hour of rest. Please adjust your mindset. We are not here for a vacation. There are more intense practice sessions and competitions waiting for us."

"Yes!"

Kiyoshi followed the group toward the door of the practice room. Since the oboe was at the front of the entire orchestra, he naturally became the last person to leave the classroom.

"Ching Lai."

Someone called her from behind. She turned around and saw Shinzan walking out with them. Mizore, who was standing next to Kiyoyori, glanced in their direction and then quickened her pace to walk out.

"Teacher Xinshan".

Kiyoshi bowed slightly to the other party, his facial expression remaining calm and normal.

"It's been a long time."

Seemingly oblivious to Qinglai's coldness, Xinshan maintained his slightly upturned lips.

Kiyoshi looked away, but inadvertently noticed the ring on Shinzan's finger.

"It's been a long time. I never expected that Mr. Taki would ask Mr. Niiyama to be his woodwind instructor."

Unexpected, yet also quite reasonable.

Kiyoshi had assumed that Taki would ask Touko's mother, who seemed to have nothing important to do lately, to be his woodwind instructor, but he didn't expect that he would choose Niiyama Satomi, who had studied flute.

“I didn’t expect it either,” Shinzan raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Kiyoyori’s address. “I thought he would go to Professor Touko.”

Taki, Niizan, Hashimoto, and even the late Chihiro were all students of Touko. Niizan, who was once the principal flutist, was naturally one of Touko's most outstanding students.

Niiyama, Hashimoto, and Chihiro were all members of the Sobu High School brass band.

"if--"

Johor Bahru stopped her abruptly, asking, "Wouldn't Ching Lai be happier if it were a teacher?"

Kiyoshi pretended not to understand her pause and joked, "Just let me go."

Xinshan lightly covered her lips, her eyebrows curving upwards.

……………………………………………………………

"Uh--"

Sitting at the dining table, Qinglai moved his neck with a pained expression.

"Is Qinglai alright?"

"Yeah, it's nothing."

Picking up a metal spoon, they put the thick curry mixed with plump rice into their mouths. Although it was just a very simple Chinese meal, it was a delicacy for all the members of the wind band who had been practicing hard all morning.

"good to eat."

With her cheeks puffed out, Ying devoured the food on her plate like a little hamster.

“Of course,” Kiyotaka swallowed the beef chunks in his mouth. “To ensure my mother’s nutrition and health, the chef’s selection was also personally approved by her.”

"Is this place owned by the Kiyotani family?"

Ying did not show any surprise.

"Hmm," Kiyora replied vaguely, suddenly realizing he had let something slip, "Well, sort of..."

However, for Mizore, this topic didn't seem as appealing as the curry on her plate.

Why was only Little Green from the bass section assigned to the woodwind section?

The group of bassists were sitting at the next table, but Asuka, the only third-year student, was not sitting at the table.

Kawashima rested her chin on her hand dejectedly, "Midori also wants to fight alongside everyone in the bass section!"

But clearly, the others in the brass band were much more interested in the new teacher's teaching methods, and Hazuki brought her face close to Kawashima's.

"Hey, what's that new teacher, Mr. Shinzan, like?"

Her excited expression contrasted sharply with Kawashima's sighs and lamentations.

"Mr. Niizan is definitely a professional on par with Mr. Taki," Kawashima's assessment was very objective, "both in terms of professional skills and how to torture people..."

Recalling the endless loop of hell that morning, Kawashima felt a dull ache in his fingers, and his body could even reflexively play a certain measure.

"Huh?!"

Many people looked surprised.

"You can't tell at all!"

"Isn't Taki-sensei one too...?"

Huang Qian recalled his first impression of Takigawa when he first met him, which he thought was that he was gentle and refined. It turned out that it was all an illusion.

"Teacher Johor Bahru made us practice the same section dozens of times while she was laughing..."

"That's really terrible..."

"I'm fine," Kawashima said, fiddling with his fingers. "Especially the oboe solo. Kiyoyori was made to practice it countless times by Mr. Niizan. We can almost play it together now."

"Waaah..."

Hazuki gasped in surprise, unable to bear it any longer.

“I heard that both of you teachers are alumni of music academy,” Kawashima said, stacking the empty plates together. “You’re truly professionals. Midori, I’m sure that after this training camp, we’ll be able to play even better music together!”

"Yes, let's cheer each other on this afternoon too."

Huang Qian stood up, stretched, and said, "I'm going out now."

She placed the plate on the iron table in the corner and saw the highlight disappear as she passed the trumpet section. In her dazed state, she almost spilled curry on her white T-shirt.

Ugh, it's best not to say anything at this time.

Today, Reina was so distracted that she even played the wrong note during practice, and was pointed out by Taki-sensei without any mercy.

That's so tragic.

We have half an hour of rest time left, where should we go?

Wandering in the corridor, Huang Qian walked to the practice room where the music had previously amazed them. The door to the practice room was not closed, and she could clearly hear the sound of pipes coming from inside, melodious yet somewhat familiar.

This is a SOLI.

She peeked into the practice room and saw two women playing instruments by the window. One of them was clearly Ms. Shinzan, who was in charge of the woodwind group this time.

Teacher in Johor Bahru?

Standing next to Shinzan was a woman he had met once before outside the venue of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament. Huang later learned from Reina that she was Kiyoyori's mother, Tachibana Toko, who is now a very famous oboe player.

This piece of music...

"It feels a bit unfamiliar; I haven't played this piece in a long time."

Johor Bahru held a long flute that gleamed with silver light in his hand.

"Still can't let go, Satomi?" Touko put down her oboe. "Playing this piece with this feeling will only turn you into a caged bird."

"But, teacher."

"I am not a bird."

P.S.: Second day of being lazy, then I practiced my driving test (Part 4). I passed Part 3 today!! Now it's all about Part 2 and Part 4 the day after tomorrow!

Chapter 17 of Section 178: It Cracked

As promised, Yukinoshita arrived at Chiba Station with a change of clothes and saw Hiratsuka Shizuka leaning against the train. She had one hand on the door, wore a plain baseball cap, dark sunglasses, and was dressed in sportswear, looking like she was about to go hiking.