I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

She remained firmly gripping the railing with both hands, her already tall figure leaning slightly outwards, creating a terrifying sense of precariousness.

No wonder Kaori was so nervous just now; even Ogasawara couldn't help but get nervous watching her move.

Perhaps their gazes were too intense, or the hints too obvious, Asuka withdrew her slightly dangerous movement and landed safely on the ground again. "I just wanted to get some fresh air, don't be so nervous."

As always, his tone was somewhat eccentric, but Ogasawara sensed in it an intention to avoid delving deeper into the topic.

The fleeting emotion that flashed behind the other person's glasses seemed like a warning.

Kaori didn't pursue the matter any further. "Asuka, today..."

She stopped mid-sentence.

Is it really okay to ask so bluntly?

A brief silence fell as different thoughts lingered among the three individuals.

"Aunt Aso submitted Asuka's resignation application to the principal." It was Ogasawara who finished this sentence, having not spoken from the beginning. Kaori looked at Asuka, whose expression was momentarily dazed, and then at Haruka beside her, who seemed the same as usual, yet somehow different.

"is that true?"

An unnatural look lingered on Asuka's face for only a second. She took a deep breath and looked away. "Is that all you're asking?"

Changing the subject is Asuka's forte.

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask."

"Eh~ Are you going to put aside important practice for such a small thing? There's more to work on than just the national competition right now."

Asuka shook her head, feigning distress, as if expressing regret for the two's "losing the watermelon for a sesame seed" behavior.

"Asuka."

Ogasawara, however, wasn't having any of it. She stepped forward and crossed the invisible line.

"This is important."

Asuka's seemingly natural fake smile vanished, her flat lips giving off an unsettling vibe. Then, she flashed an even more relaxed smile, her eyes slightly lowered. "Don't worry, I won't cause any trouble for anyone."

These were undoubtedly her true feelings, without any exaggerated tone or exaggerated expressions; they were Asuka's naked true feelings.

I won't cause any trouble for anyone.

Therefore,

Please don't interfere too much in my affairs.

It wasn't that no one helped her.

Ogasawara then understood.

Asuka herself refused all help, which is why she became so "perfect," so that she could rightfully refuse help from others.

Asuka's excellence is beyond doubt.

From the very beginning, what she asked for was not help.

A thousand words were stuck in his throat. At this moment, Ogasawara felt like a patient suffering from aphasia. He had simulated the words a million times in his mind, but at the moment he was about to speak, he was stopped by fragmented sobs.

"Asuka, if there's anything we can do to help with this..."

Kaori's gentle voice rang in their ears, interrupting the silent standoff between Ogasawara and Asuka.

“No problem!” Asuka quickly interrupted Kaori, her voice easily drowning out Kaori’s careful words. “I’ve already said I won’t cause any trouble for anyone, so it’s fine.”

She kept repeating "No problem," seemingly trying to convince her friend or perhaps hypnotizing herself.

There won't be any problems.

At worst, I'll just have to give up on the euphonium.

Didn't we already know about this...?

It's just a matter of time.

Asuka brushed her hair aside and gave a heartbreaking, bitter smile when the two of them couldn't see her.

I'm sorry, Kiyoyori...

I think this is the end for me.

"Really?" It was Ogasawara who broke the silence again, looking somewhat different from usual. "Are you sure it's okay?"

Repeated questioning made Asuka's already wavering thoughts even more shaky.

She forced a smile again, "I told you there wouldn't be any problems!"

Seemingly wanting to leave this place as soon as possible, Asuka finally took a step towards the sliding door.

As she passed between Ogasawara and Kaori, a familiar fragrance brushed past her nose, but she couldn't hold onto it and could only let it dissipate.

The shadow of the eaves instantly enveloped Asuka, blurring her face. Something flashed by in her eyes.

She turned around, revealing a playful smile, and put her finger to her lips:

"So,"

Please be quiet.

The sliding door was closed without hesitation.

The world was ruthlessly divided.

P.S.: I've already started writing the New Year's Day bonus chapter, but it's gotten longer than I expected... I might post it interspersed with the main story later? Mainly because I've been stuck on the main story lately, so I'm making a slight change.

Chapter 63, Section 287: The Crybaby Saxophone

For almost a whole week after that, Asuka didn't show up at the brass band club again.

Even so, the brass band continued their training for the national competition and the station building concert in an orderly manner, at least on the surface.

Because that perfect senior said something like "I won't cause any trouble for anyone," everyone unanimously chose to believe him.

She will come back.

It's just not the right time yet.

Anxiety lingered in everyone's heart, but most people preferred to believe that Asuka would not disappoint them.

Because of her special nature.

One day, Asuka's long absence and the rapidly spreading alarming news shattered the carefully crafted tranquility.

For some reason, rumors that Asuka had applied to leave the club and that her application had been accepted by the principal's assistant swept through the entire brass band. The false tranquility was shattered like a fragile mask being smashed by sharp claws, revealing the panic that had nowhere to go beneath.

The pebble that fell into the lake created ripples, which only lasted for a moment before igniting a monstrous wave.

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

Upon arriving at the brass band club, the oppressive atmosphere in the classroom made Ogasawara feel somewhat suffocated.

Almost everyone wore varying degrees of unease. The classroom was filled with barely audible whispers. When Ogasawara entered, the club members all cast expectant glances toward the door, only to look away dejectedly.

Ogasawara knew they were just looking forward to Asuka's return and didn't mean anything else, but she still felt a vague unease.

Unsurprisingly, she was asked about Asuka, but since they weren't in the same class, she could only give a vague answer. It wasn't that she hadn't thought about talking to Asuka again, but she felt that doing so wouldn't yield any results.

Asuka doesn't need seemingly caring help.

Involuntarily, I looked toward Kiyoyori, who should have been sitting in the front corner of the band, but found that the seat was empty. Only Mizore Yoroizuka was sitting there in the oboe club, and the person talking to her was Nozomi Kasaki from the flute club.

Seemingly noticing Ogasawara's gaze, Mizore turned her head and surprisingly quickly discovered her thoughts. Mizore then pointed her finger at the ground.

Ogasawara was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

The brass band club is on the top floor of this building, and it's club activity time now. If Tachibana isn't in the brass band club at this time, then she can only be in the service club.

But she did not receive a leave request from the other party today.

Maybe they'll be back soon.

Without looking in that direction again, Ogasawara dealt with the overly "enthusiastic" questions from his club members while looking for an opportunity to leave the music classroom.

Upon arriving at the storage room where musical instruments were kept, Ogasawara breathed a sigh of relief as she found it empty. The unique scent of the storage room filled the air, bringing her a moment of peace.

The instruments were arranged from smallest to largest from top to bottom, with her larger baritone saxophone placed next to the euphonium.

Like Asuka, she also bought her own bass saxophone.

Unlike the large instruments, most of the smaller instruments were purchased by the members themselves beforehand, while instruments that are difficult to move, such as tubas, were mostly used from those that the school had previously stored away.

The number of instruments a school's brass band has can indirectly indicate the club's past status, and Soubu High School's brass band clearly had its glory days.

However, compared to the years when the instruments here were left to gather dust, this year they have finally found owners who are willing to cherish them.

Bending down to take out the saxophone, I inadvertently discovered the sheet music placed at the very back of the shelf.

Because the storage room was not well-lit, and the sheet music clip was black, blending perfectly with the dark corner, it would have been difficult to notice if I hadn't made a slightly large movement while taking out the instrument, causing it to fall out.

Sheet music has different meanings for each member of the wind instrument group. Like the instrument itself, it is an indispensable partner for playing. It is not that they cannot play without sheet music. On the contrary, the sheet music itself is already in their hearts.

Rather than saying that sheet music is an essential tool for playing, it is more like a driving force to motivate oneself to move forward.

Surely no one's sheet music is completely blank. Whether it's notes next to the summary, words of encouragement to oneself, or encouragement from friends, they might even paste photos on the sheet music.

No one would not want to enter the national competition.

This goal has now been achieved.

The gold medal is their next goal.

A voice urged her to open the sheet music. Familiar handwriting came into view, and the entire page was filled with dense markings in colored pens, a testament to her meticulous attention to detail. Among the meticulous markings, one sentence was highlighted in red, standing out prominently and impossible to ignore—

"Advance to the National Competition!"

One can imagine how forcefully this sentence was written. Gently stroking it through the plastic sleeve, Ogasawara's nose tingled with emotion.

She never knew that Asuka had also longed to enter the national tournament.

They've done it, but she's disappeared.

It's not hard to guess why Asuka would leave her sheet music in such a dark corner; she probably didn't want Aunt Aso to see it.