I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Yoshikawa didn't continue the topic, but instead cut straight to the point.

"I hope you won't have too much contact with our oboe player, Mizore Yoroizuka, especially by mentioning anything about Nozomi Kasaki in front of her."

"Hey, Yuko—!"

“Natsuki, shut up,” Yoshikawa didn’t even glance at Nakagawa, but stared straight at Yukinoshita. “If you can agree to this condition, I will cooperate with your next investigation.”

"reason."

Yukinoshita's answer was also concise; she could guess a little, but not enough.

“Ying is the only oboe player in our wind section who can play the oboe and plays it very well.”

Therefore, she didn't even need to run for election; she was already a participant in Group A.

"Nozomi Kasaki and Mizore have a very good relationship. No, Mizore is very dependent on Nozomi, to the point that she does whatever Nozomi does." Yoshikawa's tone was somewhat unwilling.

Therefore, if Nozomi Kasaki insists on leaving the brass band, then Mizore Yoroizuka will also...

"Nozomi didn't tell Mizore about her leaving the club."

Yukinoshita nodded, her guess largely correct. "Okay, I accept this condition."

Anyway, she didn't approach Yoroizuka because she wanted to know about the brass band.

Yoshikawa clearly showed a relaxed expression, while Nakagawa looked complicated, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say it.

"Then let me ask some other questions."

If Yukinoshita remembers correctly, Yoshikawa belongs to the trumpet club, which means he is a direct descendant of Nakajiko-senpai.

"What is Yoshikawa-kun's opinion of Nakajiko-senpai?"

"Huh?!" Yoshikawa was stunned, seemingly taken aback by the question's abrupt turn. She blushed as she recovered, "Then, of course, it's my most admired senior!"

She was so excited she almost stood up.

"She's so beautiful, and plays the trumpet so well! She's so gentle and considerate, she's practically an angel!" Yoshikawa crossed her arms, her eyes sparkling with admiration for Nakajima. "But those third-year students—"

Nakagawa, who had been observing Yukinoshita, seemed to have discovered her purpose. Before Yoshikawa could finish speaking, he suddenly grabbed her waist with his hand.

"What are you doing, Natsuki!" Yoshikawa glared at him, annoyed by the interruption, but was met with a frown from Nakagawa.

Yukino placed her hands together on the table, ignoring the little code between them; she had already gotten the answer she wanted.

"Next question, Yoshikawa-san, do you know anything about that threatening email?"

"Or to put it more directly, did Yoshikawa send that email?"

Chapter 23 Actually, I'm Pregnant

The email ousted the former head of the trumpet club, so the first suspect should be the biggest beneficiary of his departure. This quickly narrows the suspects down to the members of the trumpet club. Although the sender used a junior's tone, other seniors, including third-year students, cannot be ruled out.

The position of chief should naturally be filled by the person with the best skills among everyone. Therefore, Nakajiko Kaori, who is neither a junior nor lacks excellent skills, is the main suspect, because she is the most qualified person to succeed the previous one after the departure of the previous one.

But not Medieval Ko. Yukinoshita could even guarantee with her own personality that, as gentle as she is, she might even do something completely contrary to the truth later if the situation continues to escalate.

If there are any women who can arouse the admiration of other girls in a female-dominated brass band, there are only two types: one is the handsome type who is as cool as a boy and knows how to be considerate of others, and the other is the goddess type who is as gentle and considerate as an older sister and is also beautiful.

It is clear that Kaori Nakagawa is a typical example of the latter, so it is not surprising that she has a large number of fans in the trumpet club and even the brass club.

Therefore, since Nakazeko was the biggest beneficiary and the possibility of her "committing the crime" has been ruled out, the "culprit" must be one of her fans who admired Nakazeko and hoped that she could continue to play as the principal player.

Yoshikawa Yuko clearly fits the criteria, but Yukinoshita doesn't particularly doubt her, for some reason, perhaps it's a woman's intuition.

Yoshikawa was stunned when she heard the question. She immediately understood the purpose of the previous question. The reason she was able to react so quickly was because she had also suspected others in the same way. "How did you know about the email?"

Is it strange that I know about this while I'm investigating the brass band? Others may not be paying attention and therefore not know, but your secrecy isn't as good as we think.

Yukinoshita did not tell them about Nakajiko's request. "If you want to keep this a secret, I will certainly support you, after all, it has also caused a lot of trouble for my request. But please keep those who can't keep their mouths shut. However, this is no different from trying to cover it up."

Yukinoshita isn't a gossip, nor is she aware of the "current events" that are popular among students. Although she doesn't know if the brass band has kept things confidential, it's not unreasonable to remind them in this way.

"Yoshikawa-kun, you haven't answered my question yet."

"Even though Yuko is a fan of Kaori-senpai, she wouldn't do something so brainless—"

Yoshikawa interrupted Nakagawa and answered seriously, "It wasn't me. I'm also very curious about who would send such an unhelpful email."

“Is that so…” Yukinoshita lowered her eyes, seemingly considering the truthfulness of Yoshikawa’s words. “Then please tell me some information about people who admire Nakamori-senpai, especially the trumpet club.”

Seeing Yoshikawa's hesitant expression, Nakagawa interrupted again, "Kaori-senpai definitely wouldn't want to find the sender... Even if you did find that person, what then? Publicly announce their name? That would not only have an indelible impact on the brass band, but also on that person..."

Nakagawa glanced at Yoshikawa, who was looking down, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt, as if she were enduring something very painful. "I can't tell you. Kaori-senpai already instructed us not to spread this around."

Yoshikawa sniffed, looked up, and saw that her eyes were red. Nakagawa was stunned when he saw this.

“Out of respect for Kaori-senpai, I will not reveal anything about it. If Yukinoshita-san wants to know, please investigate by other means.” Yoshikawa stared at Yukinoshita, her eyes glistening with tears. The way she looked at Yukinoshita seemed to be entrusting her with something very important. “If it is Yukinoshita-san, she should be able to get the answer she wants.”

After saying that, Yoshikawa seemed to have reached her limit and rushed out of the classroom with her lunchbox. Nakagawa didn't even have time to say goodbye to Yukinoshita and hurriedly chased after her.

Yukinoshita picked up the tea that had already cooled down and took a sip.

Yoshikawa meant more than just what she said, but what exactly did she mean? Did she want her to investigate and find the sender? Why?

She had too many questions, and now she was more interested in knowing Kiyoshi's opinion on the matter.

At least she now knew that Yoshikawa Yuko wasn't the sender, which was a small gain.

What to do? She suddenly had a slight hope that she could switch bodies with Kiyoyori tomorrow.

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

After the last class, Yukinoshita picked up her bag and headed to the faculty office of the brass band on the top floor.

"Sorry to bother you."

Yukino knocked twice on the door and heard a response from inside.

"Please come in."

Pulling open the sliding door, only one teacher was sitting in the large office. Her long hair was tied up with a pen and placed behind her head. A white earphone wire hung from one ear, while the other earphone was placed on the table. Her face was slightly round, and she wore metal-framed glasses on the bridge of her nose. She had a somewhat simple and honest look when she smiled.

"Is there anything I can help you with, classmate?"

"Hello, I'm Yukino Yukinoshita from Class J, Grade 1. Are you Ms. Rikako Matsumoto?"

“Ah, it’s me,” Matsumoto-sensei said, taking off his headphones. The sound of wind instruments could still be heard in the quiet office. “Yukinoshita-san…? You’re the Yukinoshita-san that Hiratsuka-sensei mentioned before? The Service Club member?”

"Yes."

She bowed slightly to Mr. Matsumoto under the snow.

“Don’t be so formal,” Ms. Matsumoto, who seemed to be about the same age as Shizuka Hiratsuka, waved her hand. “You must be tired, Yukinoshita. Please sit down. Is there anything you want to ask?”

Yukinoshita then walked a little closer, but she noticed something unusual. Matsumoto-sensei was clearly still very young, but she was wearing loose-fitting clothes that didn't suit her age, including her pants. Even her shoes were the most comfortable flat shoes, and there was no trace of makeup on her face; she looked slightly pale.

Even the incredibly charming and protective teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka, wouldn't dress like this to come to school.

Seemingly sensing Yukinoshita's probing gaze, Ms. Matsumoto revealed her gentle smile once more:

Actually, I'm pregnant.

She stroked her still-flat stomach, "It's only a little over two months, but my morning sickness is quite severe, so..."

"I'm sorry, Yukinoshita-san saw me looking so unkempt."

“No…” Looking at the teacher in front of her, Yukinoshita seemed a little unable to speak.

Chapter 24 The drunken old man was like a limp shrimp.

“So, what brings you here, Yukinoshita? I’ve already heard from Hiratsuka-sensei about the brass band members asking you for help,” Matsumoto-sensei said, sounding a little dejected. “It’s my fault for not supervising them properly… Ah, Yukinoshita, would you like some water? I have some clean disposable cups here.”

Seeing that Ms. Matsumoto was about to stand up to get a paper cup, Yukinoshita instinctively stopped her, "No need, teacher, I'm not very thirsty."

She quickly glanced at Matsumoto-sensei's abdomen.

“Well, it’s not necessary to pay attention to that yet,” Matsumoto-sensei smiled awkwardly, noticing Yukinoshita’s gaze. She still bent down and took out a paper cup that was under the computer tower on another table. “Everyone has been so kind to me, and so have the members of the brass band.”

She then picked up the kettle and added steaming hot water to the paper cup. The heat immediately spread to the outside of the cup, making it too hot to hold. Ms. Matsumoto held the rim of the cup with her five fingers, lifted it, and placed it in front of Yukinoshita. Wisps of steam rose from the rim of the cup, ascended into the air, and then disappeared.

"Actually, I can roughly guess why Yukinoshita is here." Matsumoto-sensei turned on her phone and stopped the music, making the already quiet office even quieter.

“In my opinion, the brass band is like this glass of water,” Mr. Matsumoto said, not looking at Yukino, but tidying up the messy desk. “When they were most enthusiastic, I was unable to grasp it. Their enthusiasm was so energetic, but I couldn’t keep up with their pace, even though I was supposed to be an advisor.”

"But it's best to drink water when the temperature is just right."

“That’s what I thought at the time too. Being too impetuous isn’t suitable for playing music. So I wanted to wait for them to calm down, but I didn’t expect that in the process, the hot water had turned into cold water. Even though I can hold the cup now, they no longer have that drive to work hard.” Matsumoto-sensei took a breath, pretending to be relaxed. “I guess it’s still because my own abilities are insufficient.”

Matsumoto-sensei forced a smile, "Those children weren't always like that. If I could..."

“Teacher,” Yukinoshita suddenly interrupted Matsumoto-sensei, “since you keep regretting it, why not start over this time? Aren’t the first-year students this year also very enthusiastic?”

“But…” Matsumoto-sensei subconsciously touched her lower abdomen with her hand.

"Pregnancy is not a disease, and it certainly needs to be taken seriously, but isn't it a bit counterproductive to focus too much attention on it? Moderate exercise is also beneficial for childbirth."

While it may seem unreasonable to ask a pregnant woman to do something difficult, there are some things that only a counselor can do.

Mr. Matsumoto hesitated for a moment, then gave a seemingly gentle smile. “What Yukinoshita said makes sense. I’ll go find the department head now and have her notify all departments to prepare for ensemble practice.”

"Yukinoshita-san, go to the practice room first. The key is on the table." She pushed the chair aside and walked out with heavy steps.

Yukino looked at her retreating figure with a puzzled expression.

The teacher wasn't worried about her pregnancy, but something else entirely. She was unconsciously avoiding practice, or rather, the students in the brass section.

Yukinoshita wasn't sure if Matsumoto-sensei already knew about the email, but as the advisor of the brass band, it might be a bit much if he didn't even know.

She picked up the key and opened the sliding door to the practice room. Contrary to what Yukinoshita had imagined, the air was not filled with particles of all sizes, and the classroom was not dark and stuffy. On the contrary, the desks and chairs in the classroom were neatly arranged, the shadows overlapped, the sunlight was bright, and the cool breeze blowing in from the window took away the summer heat and brought a refreshing coolness.

I had known before that Soubu High School's brass band had once had a glorious era, but when I saw a whole page of graduation photos and trophies of various colors, I couldn't help but sigh. But these trophies were covered with a thick layer of dust, and even the smiles in the group photos of the brass band members from previous years had faded.

It turns out that many years ago, the wind band also won a national gold medal, but that has all become a thing of the past.

The footsteps grew closer and closer. As the sliding door was forcefully pulled open by the person at the front, the members of Group A, who were participating in the competition, filed in one after another, carrying their instruments. Some of them walked in laughing and joking, while others walked in with cold faces, seemingly complaining about the sudden ensemble performance. Some of them ignored Yukinoshita as if she didn't exist, while others cast strange glances at her. However, the second-year students, led by Asuka, who had interacted with her before, gave Yukinoshita a gentle smile.

There were a total of fifty-five participants, with third-year students making up almost half of them, a handful of outstanding second-year students, and the only first-year student—oboe Mizore.

Ms. Matsumoto, who was at the very back, stood on the podium with a slightly nervous expression, clasped her hands together, and said, "Then let's begin. Also, regarding the trumpet solo, please—"

The teacher's gaze fell on Nakazeko, who was sitting upright in his chair, but Nakazeko never looked at Matsumoto-sensei.

"Over here, over here!"