I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

P.S.: Ah, another flirtatious chapter, I found it so sweet. That's right, Kiyora is just after Yukino—! You know what I mean~

Why do I have to go to work again tomorrow?!

Chapter 54, Section 219: She is not your doll

Since the last conversation with Yukinoshita ended badly, Kiyoyori has not received any messages from her, nor has he seen Nozomi Kasaki in the brass band. Everything seems to have returned to the way it was before.

Yukino Yukinoshita is not someone who gives up easily, and Kiyori is well aware of this.

As the Kanto Tournament draws near, the new semester is also approaching, and after that, the most important national tournament will take place.

They have no more time to waste.

Kiyoshi gradually put the matter of Nozomi Kasaki out of his mind until the other party suddenly appeared.

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

Immediately after the ensemble performance, Mizore was kept behind by Shinzan, while Kiyoyori returned to the section practice room alone for group practice.

As practice progressed to a certain stage, everyone gained a deeper understanding of the other members' playing styles and levels. Improving the ensemble not only requires understanding and trust between members, but also individual practice cannot be neglected. It is not possible to slack off just because it is an ensemble. This was the first lesson Takigaki taught them since he came here.

Therefore, whenever it's not during ensemble practice time, all the campaign team members will seize the time to practice their assigned parts, sometimes even more so than during the campaign itself.

As Kiyoshi walked into the oboe club classroom, he saw someone standing outside looking around. It was Kasaki Nozomi, whom he hadn't seen for quite some time.

Stopping a few steps away, Qinglai looked around but didn't see any other suspicious figures.

It was unclear what the Service Club members' plans were, but it was obvious that Kasaki had come to see Mizore this time.

Looking towards the ensemble practice room, you can see Mizore and Shinzan sitting together in the distance, seemingly talking about something. The two are very close, and Mizore nods in agreement from time to time.

He shifted his feet, blocking the door of the practice room, and then Kiyotaka slowly walked forward, saying, "Kasaki-senpai."

"Ah!" Caught off guard, Kasaki was startled by Kiyoyori's sudden voice and reflexively tried to hide something behind her back, but her slender figure couldn't completely conceal it. "Kiyoyori-san! What are you doing here...?"

After a brief moment of shock, Kasaki quickly recovered and fixed her gaze on Kiyoyori's oboe. "Ah... Kiyoyori-san is also in the oboe club, I just..."

"Kasaki-senpai, you've come here at this hour to see...?" Kasaki's expression became flustered under Kiyoyori's gaze. Her lips trembled, as if she was about to utter that name, but Kiyoyori changed the subject abruptly, "You've come to see me?"

The word "Mizore" was stuck in his throat, and Kasaki was clearly at a loss. Looking at Kiyora's smiling face, he couldn't quite bring himself to say the denial, "Ah, no, that..."

"Is it related to the request made before it was handed over to the Service Department?"

Kiyoshi deliberately emphasized the words "service department" and "entrustment," and she saw Kasaki purse his lips nervously.

She did it on purpose.

She deliberately interrupted Kisame before he could reveal his true intentions, then steered the conversation toward the topic of the commission, hoping to distract him by returning to the oboe club.

"It's not convenient to discuss the commission here," Kiyoyori said domineeringly, pretending not to notice Kasaki's hesitation. "Could we speak in private, Kasaki-senpai?"

Neither Kiyoyori's part-time job in the Service Club nor Kasaki's request to the Service Club to interfere with the return to the club were things that could not be openly discussed in the Brass Band's territory, especially in front of the Oboe Club's classroom where Mizore's return was uncertain.

"I..." Kasaki tried to see what was behind Lai, but her view was completely blocked, and she couldn't even see what was happening in the ensemble practice room. "Okay..."

Kiyoshi made an inviting gesture and led Usaki toward the storage room, which was almost deserted.

The storage room is in another teaching building, accessible via a long open-air corridor.

On the open-air corridor, Kasaki caught a glimpse of Mizore's profile as she practiced diligently, and his hands unconsciously clenched a little tighter.

"Is this Kasaki-senpai's flute?"

Kiyoshi's gaze fell on the gleaming silver metal box. The long, narrow box swayed with Umaki's steps, and the sunlight reflecting off it swayed with it.

"Well, I originally wanted to..." Kasaki glanced in Mizore's direction again and gave a wry smile.

"This time, Kasaki-senpai didn't come to the brass band to see Asuka, but to see Mizore-senpai. I suppose Yukinoshita-senpai has already told Kasaki-senpai about it, right?"

Kiyotomi walked behind Kasaki and entered the storage room after Kasaki went in, then closed the sliding door behind her back.

Kasaki watched Kiyoshi's actions silently, then quietly moved closer to the window.

"So what is Kasaki-senpai planning to do?"

"I……"

Kasaki couldn't explain why, but the aura of her junior made her unconsciously show weakness. She tried to muster up her courage to speak her mind, but she inadvertently met Kiyoshi's deep eyes, and the words she hadn't yet uttered became stuck in her throat once again.

It turns out she already knew she was there to see Mizore, but why...?

"Kasaki-senpai is also carrying a flute. Could it be that he wants to invite Mizore-senpai to play a duet together again?"

Umaki's hands hung at his sides, trembling slightly.

Kiyoshi approached Umaki step by step, and Umaki retreated step by step until his back touched the windowsill.

“I want to explain things to Ying… I never knew she knew anything about that matter…”

"Now is not the most appropriate time."

"When would be the most suitable time?!"

Even the gentle, umbrella-like wood blushed.

Kiyoshi slammed one hand hard against the wall beside Umaki, making a dull thud.

Their eyes met, and those blue eyes, like a silent, deep sea, suddenly made Umaki breathless.

"You've already missed the best time."

Missing out isn't a mistake, it's just that it's over. Even if Kasaki's departure without saying goodbye was well-intentioned, it was still just her arrogance.

Staying in the brass band to participate in the competition and continuing to play the oboe in the brass band is the best choice for Mizore Yoroizuka.

Yes, for Nozomi Kasaki.

Because she deeply loved the oboe played by Mizore.

"Although it sounds strange for me to say this,"

"Senior Kasaki, please consider Senior Mizore's feelings. You left without a word, and then approached her again without saying a word. What do you expect Senior Mizore to do? Or do you simply not care about Senior Mizore's feelings?"

"I……"

Umbrella frowned in annoyance; she had acted too impulsively.

"She needs more time."

"Please, Kasaki-senpai, put away your unnecessary thoughtfulness."

"Perhaps Senior Mizore doesn't need it,"

"She is not your doll."

……………………………………………………………

"Chiang Lai?"

"...Nozomi?"

Something made a cracking sound.

P.S.: Don't panic, Umbrella Brother and Mizore will make up soon!

Chapter 55, Section 220: Are you leaving too?

"I'm sorry, Yorozuka-san, for taking so long."

By the time Ying put away the sheet music, the seat next to her was already empty, but she didn't seem to realize how quickly time had passed.

"will not."

Ying shook her head, then bowed slightly to Xinshan while holding her oboe and sheet music before leaving the practice room.

As I passed by the classrooms of other sections, I could hear the sounds of different measures being played, but the oboe section was unusually quiet. This was not like Kiyotaka's style, and besides, today was not a day for making reeds.

"Chiang Lai?"

When Ying entered the classroom, she didn't see the people who should have been sitting inside. The practice room was empty except for the last table by the window, where the two people's equipment was still in the same place as when they left. Even the leather box hadn't been opened.

Qinglai never returned.

This conclusion can be easily deduced.

Kiyoshi's oboe is also not here; he probably went to practice somewhere else.

With this in mind, Ying sat down on the wooden chair, placed the oboe on the table, and took out her water glass to sip her fluids.

My eyes unconsciously drifted to the biology classroom in the opposite teaching building. The water tank placed by the window shimmered in the sunlight, making me feel sleepy.

Summer afternoons always make people feel sleepy.

I wanted to bury my head in my arms and have a good sleep, but now was not the time to relax. If Kiyoshi came back and saw me slacking off, I would probably get a lecture again.

A smile curved at the corners of her mouth.

Ying suddenly stopped drinking water, her eyes widening as she stared blankly at a corner of the opposite teaching building.

She saw two all-too-familiar figures gradually approaching, even overlapping each other. They were so close, a distance she had never experienced before.

"Chiang Lai?"

Mizore saw Kiyoshi leaning against the wall with one hand, encircling another person in front of him, his lips opening and closing as if he were saying something.

"...Nozomi?"

Mizore saw that the person being held in Kiyoshi's arms was Nozomi, who was blushing as if she was shy.

Something made a cracking sound.

The water cup slipped from my hand, rolled a few times on the classroom floor, and water gushed out of the rim, making the water wet and darkening the surrounding area.

……………………………………………………………

Ever since Kiyotomi's sudden visit was interrupted by Kiyotomi, Kiyotomi has been out of contact and she has not been seen since. During this time, Kiyotomi received a "complaint call" from Yukinoshita, who questioned why Kiyotomi was interfering with their plans. Yukinoshita's sharp tongue has been growing stronger, and she almost incisively and bluntly criticized Kiyotomi's selfishness. Kiyotomi could not help but criticize the other party's flawed plan.