I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"【Chosen Knight, please make a wish, and I will grant it】"

The faceless god spoke these words to Galahad.

I have no wishes.

A hint of doubt flashed in Galahad's eyes. The Holy Grail he held in his hands emitted a warm light, but he felt no warmth at all; all that enveloped him was endless confusion.

[You touched the Holy Grail, there must have been some reason why you chose the Grail, and the Grail chose you in return.]

The voice of the gods seemed like an echo from afar, yet it was also right before our eyes.

Speak your wish, knight, even if it's just borrowed.

Galahad hesitated for a moment,

Please protect my king, Arthur Pendragon; protect Camelot.

So he made this wish.

Yang Nai softly recited the lines written in the script, like a wisp of light gauze.

"When Kiyoyori wrote this, did he think Galahad had his own desires?"

“Even if it’s a borrowed wish,” Kiyoshi replied in the same volume amidst the cheers of the audience who were thrilled by the performance on stage, “it belongs to you the moment it’s spoken. Galahad deeply loved King Arthur, so before protecting the country, he hoped that the king could walk the right path. It was his selfish desire, his wish.”

Even though he made this wish for someone else.

Yang Nai took a deep breath, "Self-interest...?"

As if she had just realized something, she gave a relieved smile.

So, it was selfish motives after all...

She really did...

"The characters in Xiao Qinglai's works are quite charming. Maybe if she doesn't become a musician in the future, she can develop in the direction of an author~" Her melancholy only lasted for a blink of an eye before disappearing without a trace, and she returned to her usual tone the next moment.

“What a joke,” Kiyora glanced at Yuu, “No matter how much you like this character, you can never become him.”

"That's fine—"

Maybe.

Yang smiled slightly.

The unfinished sentence was like a cat's paw brushing against the fur ball, leaving a shallow scratch in Qinglai's heart.

"Does Kiyoshi believe in gods?"

Upon hearing this, Kiyora curled his lips in a mocking smile, "Since when has Yukinoshita Haruno started believing in such dubious things?"

Although inexplicable phenomena, difficult to explain even by science, were occurring around Kiyoyori and Yukino, Kiyoyori subconsciously refused to believe in the existence of gods.

That is nothing more than the spiritual sustenance of weak humans, because by blaming the things they cannot understand and the things they cannot do on the gods, they can free themselves from the self-pity of "being incompetent." It is nothing more than an excuse that humans use to escape.

Such a convenient excuse.

Yang Nai chuckled softly, "Perhaps the gods are far more wicked than humans imagine."

Ignoring Kiyoshi, Yono abandoned her and headed backstage.

Kiyoshi, left behind, crossed his arms and gently pinched the hem of his clothes with his fingers.

Did Yang Nai know something to ask that question?

Her departing figure was always so lonely, even when surrounded by many people, loneliness never left her.

This feeling, for some reason, became even stronger the moment she walked away.

P.S.: I've been working and feeling sick these past two days, and I also need to read when I get home at night, so updating has been a bit difficult. I'm also quite tired and not in a good state. I keep getting writer's block, so I might need to adjust for a while longer.

It's really cold here.

Chapter 47, Section 270: Everything Has Changed

It was as if she were isolated from the whole world. Even amidst the lively cheers, Qinglai seemed unable to hear anything. She looked at the crowd in front of her, who were boiling with excitement because of the performance, but her vision gradually blurred and her focus slowly faded. Except for the dazzling lights on the stage, everything else turned into a phantom.

The footsteps faded into the distance, and on the other side, filled with light, Kiyoshi could only see a blurry figure.

They stood at opposite ends of the road, with people coming and going and time flowing endlessly in the middle.

"Yo!"

His wandering thoughts were pulled back the moment a warm hand patted his shoulder. Kiyoyori's body jolted involuntarily, and he looked in the direction of the sound.

"Tachibana, why are you standing here alone, lost in thought?"

It was Hiratsuka Shizuka; she wondered how the other person had found her in such a dark place.

The hand on her shoulder wasn't very strong; the warmth of the palm traveled from her thin school uniform to her skin. Qinglai tried to escape, but couldn't break free.

"It should be Hiratsuka-sensei, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to sneak in a little slack."

The teacher in the white coat simply shrugged, her voice not particularly prominent amidst the noise of the crowd, "The cultural festival will be over soon, so let's take a break before things get too busy."

For some reason, Kiyoyori felt that Hiratsuka Shizuka winked at her meaningfully.

"Thank you for your hard work, teacher."

Pretend you haven't noticed anything and look away.

"Speaking of which," after a moment of silence, Hiratsuka Shizuka casually brought it up, "I haven't seen Sagami yet."

Kiyoshi clenched his fist in his pocket, his lips twitched slightly, but he only gave a soft reply with his nose, the meaning of which was unclear.

"Um……"

Hearing Hiratsuka Shizuka sigh beside him, Kiyori turned and left before the other could say anything.

"I suddenly remembered something, so I'll have to take my leave now, teacher."

He left the auditorium almost in a panic.

The air outside was fresher than Qinglai had imagined, but the faint smell of cooking fires pulled her back to reality from her reverie.

This is not good.

Even though he had decided to cut ties with that woman, he was still so easily swayed by her, just like before, always being led by the nose by her.

I took a deep breath at the doorway and then slowly exhaled.

The cultural festival is also coming to an end, which means that Yukinoshita and the others' busy work will also come to a close. This matter, which seems to have started with a certain request, will also end today. Kiyoshiro does not know whether Yukinoshita has completed her request, nor does he know whether Yukinoshita has achieved her goal.

So, who actually completed whose request?

Qinglai unconsciously started walking towards the teaching building, passing by bustling shops without stopping.

When Kiyoyori came to his senses, he found himself on the top floor of the teaching building, which was also where the brass band was located.

They were probably still busy with the cultural festival, because the area was quiet and there wasn't even a sound of footsteps.

Walking into the preparation room where the instruments were stored, Kiyotaka pushed open the door, but instead of picking up his own oboe from the shelf, he turned around and squatted down in the area where the euphoniums were stored, hesitantly reaching out his hand.

Using someone's personal belongings without their permission is extremely impolite, and today Kiyoyori seems unable to control himself and wants to break his own rules of etiquette.

Perhaps she was provoked by Asuka, she didn't know.

Before opening that familiar box, Kiyoyori sent Asuka a message on his phone.

"Could I borrow the euphonium for a while?"

She stood there staring at her phone, and after what seemed like an eternity, Asuka on the other end did not reply.

Maybe they're busy.

Taking a deep breath, Kiyotaka disregarded everything and took out the silver euphonium that Asuka treasured, then carried it towards the open-air corridor.

This wasn't Kiyotsugu's first time playing this euphonium. When they were little, the two of them always shared this instrument to study the sheet music. It wasn't until Kiyotsugu officially started learning the oboe that these days of secretly learning on their own stopped. In the years that followed, the two of them did exchange instruments, but as their love for the instruments they learned deepened, they lost interest in each other's instruments.

As the sliding door leading to the open-air corridor was opened, sunlight shone on Qinglai, and the silver euphonium gleamed, shining as always, just like its owner.

Kiyoshi held the euphonium steadily, brought his lips close to the mouthpiece, but suddenly paused just before they touched.

They are not children anymore.

After hesitating for a moment, Kiyotaka pressed her lips to the glass. The cool metallic touch traveled through her lips and spread throughout her body. She could almost feel Asuka's scent.

Kiyoyori flexed his fingers, took a deep breath, and a familiar melody appeared in his ears, but it was intermittent. He didn't know what he remembered, but Kiyoyori's breathing became disordered, and his fingers trembled slightly. The music, which could not continue, came to an abrupt end.

It has become so unfamiliar...

"That sounds awful."

A muffled voice came from the corner of the corridor, making no attempt to hide its disdain.

Kiyoshi raised his head and looked towards that corner.

It was a figure huddled in a dark corner, hugging her knees. The person had her face buried in her knees, and as if sensing Qinglai's gaze, she awkwardly pulled her exposed feet back.

The man was still holding a piece of paper in his hand.

"Sagami-senpai."

Upon accurately calling out the other person's name, the person trembled slightly. Qinglai was somewhat surprised by the other person's appearance, yet it was also quite reasonable.

Without asking any further questions, Kiyoyori simply held his euphonium and quietly watched Sagami, who was hiding himself.

"That sounds awful..."

Sagami repeated something in a low voice, though it was unclear who he was speaking to.

Kiyoshi chuckled lightly, "Of course, the euphonium isn't my specialty."

She hadn't played the euphonium in a very, very long time.

"If someone like me could play perfect music on the horn, it would be a disservice to those who practice so hard."

Kiyoshi leaned back against the wall, relaxed, but held the euphonium tightly in his hands.

"Then why do you still blow it?"