I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"Miriamori-senpai, weren't you classmates with Yoshikawa-senpai since junior high school? You were also in the brass band club."

"Back then, I didn't know Yuko yet..." Mizore's voice was muffled, as if she were talking to herself, "Back then, the only person who would talk to me was—"

Nozomi...

When did this name start to become difficult to pronounce?

Did it begin when she left her own world?

A sour taste filled her nostrils, and Ying tugged at her pants.

"Senior Mizore?"

Kiyoshi realized that he had probably touched on the other person's sad story. Kasaki Nozomi, how could you bear to let such a senior like Mizore be sad for you?

The summer evening breeze, however, felt somewhat chilly at this moment.

"Kiyoshi, do you like the tournament?"

After a long silence, Mizore asked a question that Kiyoyori had not expected.

"Does 'competition' refer to a performance?"

"Ah."

Ying buried her face completely in her knees, her knuckles and nail beds turning white from being squeezed so hard.

"I like it."

Ying's body jolted. "Why?"

"Suddenly asking me why..."

"Everyone put in so much effort for the competition, but if the result is still unsatisfactory..."

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"There's nothing we can do about it?" Ying stood up straight and suddenly retorted loudly, "Do you know how many people are saddened by this?! Just because of a simple 'there's nothing we can do,' based on the personal preferences of those judges, I hate competitions!"

Kiyoshi was stunned for a moment, having never seen Mizore so emotional before, but then he laughed.

“Competitions are such cruel things, Mizore-senpai,” Kiyoyori reached out and placed his hand on Mizore’s fluffy head, while the other was stunned. “If the result is good, we like it; if the result is bad, we hate it. That’s why competitions are so fascinating.”

"But more importantly,"

“Competing is the best way for us to share our music with others. As long as we can stand on that stage, I have that right. Whether the result is good or bad will not affect this.”

"but……"

“If we win, we will have the right to go to a wider stage and the right to bring our music to more people. So I want to win, I want to win the gold medal. If we lose, we will start over.”

"I want to perform, I want more people to hear my music."

My music carries the hopes of others.

"That's why I will become a professional musician."

"I want the world to hear my music."

"Kiyoshi," Mizore called softly to her junior, "Do you like music?"

"I can't like you any more, senpai."

P.S.: I suddenly realized that Qinglai is quite good at flirting! The subscriptions these past two days have been incredibly rewarding, and I hope you'll continue to subscribe! Your support is my motivation for writing!

Chapter 24, Section 185: Finding It Back

“Miriamori-senpai,” Kiyoyori said, recalling Kasaki’s words, with a hint of uncertainty, “Do you like music?”

A confused expression appeared on Ying's face. Her eyes stared blankly at the hydrangeas planted by the garden, her focus shifting and blurring, making it difficult to see clearly. "I don't know..."

She didn't know whether she liked music or not, nor did she know why she should continue to stay in the wind band, which she felt so out of place in.

"What about the oboe?"

"do not know……"

She started learning because that person said no one in the department played the oboe; she stayed because that person said she wanted to win the gold medal; and she practiced playing every day because that person said she liked it.

Mingming—

All that remained between them was playing music.

But now, Kiyoshi plays the oboe, now they have won that golden trophy, now no one whispers in her ear that they like her oboe anymore.

however--

That person is long gone.

"Yeah……"

Perhaps, only in front of that senior, Nozomi Kasaki, would Mizore-senpai reveal her "love" for music.

"If there isn't one, we can just create one."

Kiyoshi leaned against the edge of the table, gazing up at the stars in the night sky. "If it's lost, it can be found again."

In Greek mythology, the dead are often depicted as stars hanging in the night sky.

Teacher, are you one of them?

Since then, she hasn't thought about her teacher for a long time.

Is she trying to find what she once lost?

"Find it...?"

Miori's timid voice interrupted Kiyoyori's thoughts.

"But it can't be found anymore."

"If we can't find it, then let's create another one."

"create……"

Mizore, who had curled up in a ball, looked up at Kiyoshi's comical movements, then tried to stretch out her body. Just as she was about to lean her head against the wooden table, she was startled by a sudden ringing of a bell.

Even Qinglai, who was sitting next to her, couldn't help but tremble.

As if she had discovered a new continent, Mizore tilted her head and looked at Kiyoyori, who had a wary expression.

"Is Kiyoyori not good at this kind of thing?"

"No, I didn't—"

"sleet!"

The sliding door leading to the small garden was suddenly pulled open, followed by hurried footsteps and the vibration of the wooden planks as they rapidly approached.

"Yuko?"

Mizore stared blankly at Yoshikawa, whose cheeks were flushed. Yoshikawa's slightly rapid breathing and anxious expression clearly indicated that he was looking for Mizore.

Yoshikawa lowered the phone he had been holding to his ear, and Mizore's phone stopped vibrating as well. The screen displaying the word "Yuko" gradually disappeared, leaving only a dark reflection.

"How did you end up here? You've been gone for so long without replying to messages. I thought you got lost somewhere."

The moment she opened her mouth, she sounded like a worried old mother. Kiyoyori suddenly felt that Mizore's previous description of Yoshikawa as "mother" was very fitting.

"Sorry, I didn't see it just now."

Yoshikawa seemed to only notice Kiyoyori sitting next to Mizore after getting closer.

"Ah, Tachibana, you're here too."

What's going on? Why that disgusted tone?

Kiyoyori squinted and smiled helplessly, "Good evening, Yoshikawa-senpai."

"Speaking of which, I did message you to ask if you'd seen Mizore, but you didn't reply?"

Kiyoshi picked up his phone in confusion, only to find an unread email in his inbox, the time of which showed it was sent just as he was taking a bath.

"Sorry, I just went to take a shower and left my phone in the changing room. I didn't notice it."

"Is that so?" Yoshikawa nodded casually. "Thank you for taking care of Mizore."

"I am."

"How is the previous child?"

It was as if the two housewives had met on their way home from grocery shopping. Yoshikawa and Kiyoyori started chatting casually, while "Yoshikawa's mother" was holding the hand of her well-behaved and quiet little daughter.

"The wound has been disinfected and bandaged, so there shouldn't be any problem."

"That's good. I never knew you were such a kind person, Tachibana."

“Who would know?” Kiyoyori smiled gently, glancing meaningfully at Mizore, who was being led by the hand by Yoshikawa and looking down at her phone. “Perhaps everyone has a side that others don’t know about.”

Yoshikawa was startled and involuntarily tightened her grip on the small hand in hers. Mizore, feeling the sudden increase in grip strength, called out the other's name in confusion, "Yuko?"

She suddenly released her grip, saying, "Who knows?"

Yoshikawa, looking somewhat flustered, dragged Mizore by the hand out of the garden. As they walked, Mizore turned back to wave to Kiyoyori, who was still smiling, and said, "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Mizore-senpai."

"Oh, right," Yoshikawa, who had been walking forward without turning his head, suddenly turned around, "You can pretend you don't know about Natsuki's matter. That guy sometimes likes to meddle in other people's business. You just need to focus on your own practice and don't need to be distracted by this."

Having said that, she left without giving Kiyoyori a chance to reply, and then took Mizore and left. Only after the sliding doors of the small garden and the hotel were closed did the place return to tranquility.

you……

Are you only talking about first grade?

It's likely that most people in the brass band have already heard about the umbrella tree incident. Even if they are completely isolated from the news, they must have heard some rumors from other sources.

But perhaps the best outcome would be for the person involved to explain everything to her.

"Asuka..."

Kiyoshi murmured the name softly.