I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Kiyoyori still hadn't received a reply from Asuka after the two had played the piece in its entirety, which made her somewhat uneasy.

"What's wrong with Qinglai? He keeps looking at his phone."

Ying put down her water glass and delicately covered her lips with a tissue, obscuring most of her small face, revealing only her doe-like, wet, pomegranate-colored eyes.

Kiyoshi's heart softened. She shook her phone and softened her voice, "I'm waiting for Asuka's message, but she hasn't replied yet."

"Perhaps Asuka-senpai is busy?"

Kiyoshi forced a smile.

Mizore didn't take it seriously, "Then, Kiyoyori can just go find Asuka-senpai."

If she learned anything from that misunderstanding with Nozomi, it was not to hide her feelings, not to run away, and not to draw conclusions about others based on her own assumptions. However, this is not as easy as it sounds.

Even if she couldn't do that yet, she could at least tell Kiyoshi.

That's what Mizore thought, so she told Kiyoyori the same thing.

Since you care so much, then go find her.

Kiyoshi licked his lips. "That's true."

When did I become so timid and hesitant?

Kiyotaro placed the oboe on the desk and strode away from the oboe section, heading towards the equally sparsely populated bass section.

The bass section was unusually quiet today. Usually, you could hear them practicing, but today there was only silence. The atmosphere in the classroom was also unusually cold, and everyone's face was filled with unease. The silence was chilling.

Kiyoshi's knock on the door broke the tense atmosphere.

"Tachibana-san?!"

Kiyoyori then realized that Ogasawara and Kaori were both there, but the person who should have been there was nowhere to be found.

After a pause, Kiyoyori finally spoke:

Where's Asuka?

The unease on their faces deepened, and even Kaori, who always wore a gentle smile, lowered her head. Kiyori's heart sank further and further with their silence.

Where's Asuka?

Her voice trembled slightly; Kiyoshi was unaware that she could produce such a hoarse voice.

Asuka took the day off today.

The person who answered was Ogasawara.

“According to Huang Qian,” Ogasawara’s eyes flashed with a complex mix of restraint and heartache, “Aunt Tanaka came to the school today.”

Without needing to be explicitly stated, Ogasawara discerned her suspicions from the fleeting look of fear and disbelief on Kiyoyori's face.

"Could it be..."

It felt as if a hand had seized Kiyoyori's heart and was squeezing it hard. Every breath was accompanied by intense pain. Kiyoyori looked at Ogasawara almost pleadingly, hoping to get a negative answer from her.

The other person painfully looked away.

In that instant, Qinglai felt as if she were being swallowed by some unseen tide. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed Huang Qian's collar, and almost lifted her up.

"What's going on?!"

"what happened?!"

As if he couldn't see the other person's painful struggle, Kiyoshi clenched his fist tighter and tighter.

"Is this why you hesitated to speak at noon?!"

Qinglai roared angrily, his face flushed red, as did Huang Qian, who was panting for breath.

Perhaps because they had never seen Tachibana Kiyori so emotional, everyone froze in place for a moment. The first to react was Kawashima, who was the smallest in stature. She hurriedly stood on tiptoe to grab Kiyori's arm, trying to rescue Kōzen from Kiyori's grasp.

However, her small hands were no match for Qinglai, who had been training for many years.

"Cough...cough...! Kiyoyori, calm down—"

Huang Qian painfully patted Qing Lai's taut forearm with her hand. In her hazy state, she seemed to see tears welling up in Qing Lai's eyes.

How could that be? Why would Tachibana Kiyori cry over something like this?

She would suddenly recall that morning, the quiet girl weeping.

Perhaps, her tears were only shed for that senior...

Huang Qian lowered his struggling hands.

Ignoring everyone else's attempts to stop him, Kiyoyori's mind was completely occupied with Asuka.

How is she now? Why is Aunt Aso at school? Was Asuka beaten? Was she locked up by Aunt Aso?

Why was she so oblivious, completely ignoring all of Asuka's abnormalities? Why couldn't she be braver, only daring to stay outside the boundaries set by Asuka?

Now, she is truly isolated from Asuka's world.

Guilt and fear surged into my heart at the same time.

There is no outlet for venting.

Qinglai grabbed Huang Qian.

Like a cowardly man who deceives himself.

"I'm sorry," Kiyoyori said softly, looking at Kyouzen who was coughing painfully while covering his mouth. "It was my rudeness."

She stared intently at her palm, which trembled slightly.

"Kiyoshi, are you alright?"

Kaori stepped forward and patted Kiyori's shoulder reassuringly.

Despite the soft palms and the soothing pats, Kiyoshi felt as if each pat was a chisel striking his heart, causing blood to splatter.

The pain was so intense it made me numb.

P.S.: I have exams next week! Work is so busy, I just want to sleep in! Getting up in winter is so painful.

Chapter 57, Section 280: The Last Embrace

Kiyoshi, who left the bass section, did not return to the oboe section. Her desire to see Asuka was so urgent that she put everything else out of her mind. The little things that Asuka had done wrong when they were together a few days ago were now hitting Kiyoshi like a tidal wave. It was the guilt that she had deliberately ignored, and the regret for retreating because of cowardice.

She thought this was giving Asuka space; they grew up together, but never demanded to know everything about each other. They were like fellow travelers, meeting by chance at a crossroads, so—

These were expected.

Kiyoshi didn't expect that this day might come sooner than she imagined.

It happened so fast that she didn't even have time to prepare.

Soon Asuka will graduate from Soubu High School. She may go to a faraway city. She may only leave Kiyoyori with a phone number. She may refuse everything related to the past.

Including the euphonium.

Kiyoshi forced herself to face this almost unavoidable problem, as if she were torturing herself. It was a problem that she and Asuka could not avoid. Kiyoshi had always known that Asuka might not follow in her footsteps and pursue a career in music.

It's not that I don't love you, it's that I love you too deeply.

Neither the music nor the man who never appeared in Asuka's life.

Whether it's Asuka herself or Aso.

The wind howled across Qinglai's face, and all she could hear was the whistling wind and her rapid breathing. Her legs ran mechanically forward, her lungs, which were being squeezed to the extreme, felt as if they were being scorched by fire. Every breath was accompanied by an unbearable stinging pain. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, and her blood, filled with fear, was pumped to every corner of her body.

My vision gradually blurred, but the tears dried in the wind as they fell.

What blinded her, preventing her from seeing the path forward?

The school building gradually receded into the distance, and what appeared beside Kiyoyori were rows of houses receding into the distance. The house numbers flashed past her eyes, none of them belonging to Tanaka.

Childhood fears suddenly surged back into my mind.

Although it was a misunderstanding, it was deeply etched in Kiyoyori's memory.

【Qinglai, I overheard my mother on the phone today.】

【What?】

"My mom and I..." The girl with glasses glanced away hesitantly. "It seems like we're moving."

【move place……?】

That was an almost incredulous tone.

It seems like we're moving to **, and Mom's been sent there to do %@＃

The girl's words seemed to have been manipulated by some software, causing the meeting footage to become distorted and blurry.

What did Asuka say after that? Kiyoshi suddenly couldn't remember. She only knew that she was stunned for a long time and didn't even notice that Asuka had left. When she rushed to the Tanaka residence, she learned from Aso that it wasn't them who were moving, but Aso's colleague.

This memory, sealed away for a long time, has been unearthed once again.

Kiyoyori stopped, panting, when the familiar Japanese-style bungalow came into view. The house number, bearing the name "Tanaka," was embedded in the wall, bearing the marks of time.

When he relaxed his strength, Qinglai almost thought his legs were weak and he fell on the road.

Her chest heaved rapidly as Qinglai gasped for breath. The slightly cool air carried away the heat from her vigorous running. Her heart pounded, as if suspended in mid-air, tugging at every nerve in her body.

I walked up and rang the doorbell. Qinglai stood quietly at the door waiting.

The modern walkie-talkie was somewhat out of place with the traditional Japanese bungalow. A static tone slowly emanated from the loudspeaker until the voice indicating that the call had been answered came through.

After a brief silence, a familiar voice came from the other end of the walkie-talkie.

"Hello. Who is this?"

The woman's voice was steady and gentle, seemingly possessing a soothing magic.

That was Tanaka Aso on a normal day.

"Aunt Aso? It's me, Kiyorai."

The other person's voice sounded normal, and Kiyoyori tried his best to steady his slightly disordered breathing as he greeted Aso.