I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Kiyoshi took a deep breath and said, "Then I'll be frank."

"Okay, please go ahead!"

"What exactly happened in the brass band last year?"

"Huh?" Asuka, who had prepared an answer long ago, was unusually taken aback, seemingly not expecting Kiyori's question to be different from what she had imagined. "Why did you suddenly think of asking this?"

Asuka's smile faded, and her expression turned serious. "Isn't Kiyori usually the least interested in this kind of thing?"

If asking about Nozomi Kasaki could be explained by the "coercion" from the Service Club, then asking about what happened in the Brass Band last year could only stem from Kiyoshi's own curiosity. It's not that there's anything wrong with Kiyoshi being curious, it's just that caring about such things is a bit unlike her usual personality.

Asuka interlaced her fingers with mixed feelings. Had Kiyori changed?

This was a fact that was both heartwarming and painful for her.

"I'm just a little concerned."

Kiyoshi's answer was as expected, but he was just stating the facts. Rather than answering "why he refused Kasaki Nozomi's return," Asuka was more unwilling to answer "what exactly happened last year." The truth behind the concealment was that it was a decision she and several others, including Yukino Yukinoshita, made together, and only Yukinoshita and Kaori truly knew the whole story.

"I thought Kiyora was going to ask about something related to Nozomi."

Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow. "This was the question I was planning to ask next."

Originally, Kiyoyori only intended to ask this one question.

Bringing up last year's events was just a spur-of-the-moment decision for Kiyoyori, perhaps partly driven by curiosity, but it was also a small scheme. The silence from Yukinoshita and the other members of the brass band who knew about it showed their reluctance to discuss last year's events; they must have decided to keep it a secret together. Therefore, they couldn't reveal it without the consent of others, so Kiyoyori had no hope for Asuka's answer.

The purpose of asking this question was simply to make Asuka subconsciously compare the two questions and arrive at a better answer regarding Nozomi Kasaki.

“I didn’t realize Kiyori was a bit greedy,” Asuka said, twirling the paper cup in front of her with her finger. “I’ll only answer one question for you.”

“I thought these two questions were actually one,” Kiyoyori said, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound. “Looks like I was wrong.”

"Does Xiaoqing think that I rejected Ximei's return because of what happened last year?"

“Last year, Kasaki-senpai left with a group of members, which directly led to many second and third-year students in the club having some resentment towards her this year. They were afraid of affecting the atmosphere in the club, so they refused Kasaki-senpai’s return for this reason,” Kiyotori paused, “At least that’s what I thought before.”

Asuka's expression became somewhat subtle; she gave a smile that appeared to be bitter. "Although these are all true,"

But that's not really my opinion.

Asuka didn't say those words out loud.

“The general direction is correct, right?” Asuka picked up a paper cup, slowly took a sip of water, and moved her throat slightly as if she had swallowed something else as well. “There are indeed quite a few people who have complaints about Nozomi, but that doesn’t change the fact that Nozomi herself has good skills. If she were to return to the flute club, she would probably play even better than she does now.”

"Why then?"

As Yukinoshita had previously stated, Asuka's rejection of Kasaki was not due to what happened last year, and Asuka didn't seem like the type to have personal grudges against others, so Kiyoyori couldn't understand it at all.

"Does Kiyora really want to know?"

Asuka's earnest gaze made Kiyoshi hesitate for a moment.

Please tell me.

"What kind of person does Kiyora think Mizore is as your direct senior?"

"what?"

Kiyoshi didn't quite grasp the shift in the topic, but she quickly realized that the whole thing might be related to Mizore-senpai.

"You answer this question first, both for yourself and for our band."

“Senior Mizore… is an irreplaceable existence.”

For the band, the oboe section with both Mizore and Kiyoyori is definitely more stable than one with only one person, and for Kiyoyori, Mizore is a rare peer who can rival him.

“That’s right, Mizore is irreplaceable. But Nozomi is not.”

This statement was so cruel that Kiyoyori could never possibly convey it to Nakagawa.

"What kind of relationship does Kiyori have with Mizore?"

Kiyoshi frowned. She was about to answer when she suddenly remembered her first meeting with Kasaki Nozomi and Mizore-senpai's reaction, which seemed like physical discomfort.

Her heart sank.

Asuka didn't finish her sentence, but she knew Kiyori already knew the answer.

She stood up and walked to Kiyoshi's side, patting his head reassuringly.

"Just tell Natsuki, 'Asuka-senpai just won't tell me no matter what,' that's all."

"Let's go eat."

P.S.: The author is also unhappy today. :(

Chapter 34, Section 195: I Want to Help Her

Even after Asuka left, Kiyori remained seated in her original spot, clutching the empty paper cup in her hand until it was deformed, but Kiyori didn't notice.

There was a strange feeling stuck in his heart, but Kiyoshi couldn't explain it.

Judging from their previous unexpected encounter and reaction, Mizore undoubtedly harbored some aversion to Kasaki Haru. However, as Kiyoyori gradually came to understand this taciturn and somewhat emotionally detached senior, he discovered that such emotional fluctuations were also a product of caring too much.

Could it be that love turned into hate?

Kiyoshi pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, trying to sort out some clues from the complicated relationship. It was clear that Nozomi Kasaki herself seemed to be completely unaware of Mizore's reaction to her, and also seemed unaware of what kind of existence she was to Mizore. Judging from the information Kasaki gave, Mizore herself might also have some feelings or misunderstandings about Kasaki. The information between the two was completely unequal, but the only thing that could be confirmed was that they could not get along in the same space.

Mizore Yoroizuka is irreplaceable, but Nozomi Kasaki is not.

The cruelty of these words chilled even Kiyoyori, who was usually detached from such matters.

It's summer, even though.

The sounds of a lively crowd came from outside, and even the aroma of barbecue wafted into the inn on the evening breeze. Kiyoyori belatedly realized his hunger and followed the pervasive fragrance to find the group. Kiyoyori spotted Asuka chatting and laughing with Kaori and the others, as if nothing had happened.

Putting his worries aside, Kiyoyori found Mizore happily eating in the corner.

“Mizore-senpai,” Kiyoyori walked up to Mizore’s side and then noticed that there was another person sitting next to her, Yoshikawa Yuko. “Yoshikawa-senpai, Kaori-senpai is over there.”

“Of course I know Kaori-senpai is there,” Yoshikawa turned to Mizore with a patient and gentle expression, then pointed to the seat opposite Mizore, “This is the seat Mizore saved for you, come and sit down.”

There were many grilled items on the table, mainly seafood and meat, as well as an unopened can of Coke.

“Ying said you like to eat these, so I got you a little extra.”

Seemingly in agreement with Yoshikawa's words, Mizore nodded silently, her cheeks puffed out, and she was holding a roasted corn in her hand.

"Thank you, seniors."

Yoshikawa glanced at Kiyori, then at Mizore beside him, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. "Tachibana..."

"Ok?"

With his chopsticks raised in mid-air, Kiyoyori maintained the posture of preparing to put the food in his mouth, patiently waiting for Yoshikawa.

"Ah, no, you eat first," Yoshikawa said, picking up his Coke and taking a swig as if to cover up his mistake. "It's nothing serious."

He paused in his hand movements, then pretended not to have noticed anything. Qinglai simply nodded and put the oyster in his mouth.

But this meal didn't seem to be going smoothly. Kiyoyori first received a rather informative answer from Asuka, then Yoshikawa hesitated to speak, and then—

"Tachibana."

The quiet meal was interrupted once again. This time, the person who came over to talk to Kiyoyori was Nakagawa, who had made the request earlier.

Seemingly realizing that he had arrived at an inopportune time, Nakagawa hesitated and stopped. "I'm sorry, I'd better not disturb your meal any longer."

Silently chewing his food, Kiyoyori slowly wiped the cumin powder from his lips with a tissue. "Please wait for me, Nakagawa-senpai."

"Xia Ji?"

"Yuko?"

What are you doing here?

The two of them said the same thing at the same time, and their tacit understanding amazed Kiyoshi and Mizore, who were watching from the sidelines.

Yoshikawa turned his head away with a disdainful look and continued to eat the vegetables in front of him in a sullen manner, while Nakagawa seemed to have suddenly encountered something interesting, and stopped walking away instead, and sat down in the seat opposite Yoshikawa.

"It's really strange that Yuko didn't bother Kaori-senpai at all. Instead, she sat in the place furthest away from Kaori-senpai while eating."

They were positioned almost at the edge of the crowd. In the center of the area was a bonfire that had already been lit, and not far from the bonfire was the barbecue area, which was the most crowded area. Compared to that, this place was indescribably deserted.

Looking at Asuka and Kaori from a distance in the corner, they seemed to have finished their meal and had even started dancing around the campfire with the other members.

It’s not lively.

In contrast, the corner where the four were located was so quiet that you could almost hear them chewing.

"Xia Jicai, what brings you here?"

Surprisingly, Yoshikawa didn't argue with the other party; he simply asked casually.

"I've come to see Tachibana about something."

Nakagawa, acting as if they were old friends, hooked his arm around Kiyoyori's neck, his cheerful smile like the bonfire radiating light and heat not far away.

Looking for Tachibana?

Yoshikawa squinted and focused his gaze on Kiyori, who nodded calmly.

"Xia Ji, you rascal, you wouldn't be going to..."

Yoshikawa immediately realized what was happening. She glared fiercely at Nakagawa, but seemed to be wary of Mizore beside her, so she didn't finish her sentence.

Dropping his playful expression, Nakagawa nodded with a serious face. "Yuko, I want to help her. Even though everyone has opinions about her, I believe she's not that kind of person, and—"

"Hmph, Tachibana, you don't need to pay attention to this kind of person's request. It will only distract you from your training."

Upon hearing this, Kiyoshi sighed silently; it was too late.

However, Yoshikawa was clearly also in the know, and—

Kiyoshi glanced at Mizore, whose expression remained unchanged. The other seemed to be completely oblivious to the quarrel between the two friends, and also seemed to have no idea what was hidden in their words.

“I have no objection to Natsuki wanting to help her, but you can’t impose your ideas on Tachibana. She has no obligation to help you with anything.”

"Is it really okay for Yuko to say that?"

Seeing that their argument was about to escalate to another level, Kiyoshi interrupted them.