I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

It was as if he had been split in two. The rational half of him demanded that he focus on the practice at hand, while the emotional half could not get over his worry for Asuka.

My fingers still dance across the silver keys, but my heart has wandered off.

It's unclear whether the heart that was flying away prevented the body from immersing itself in practice, or whether the body that remained in place dragged down the heart that should have left.

The ensemble performance came to an abrupt end.

Takigawa's clenched hand remained raised in the air for a long time. He lowered his head, his slightly messy bangs obscuring his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression. Suddenly, his hand fell, slamming lightly onto the wooden podium with a dull thud.

It makes you instinctively hug the musical instrument tightly.

A suffocating silence spread through the classroom, seeping into the already uneasy hearts of the members, conquering every corner of their bodies, and spreading the fear known as "Taki-sensei".

"what is this?"

The familiar words and attitude made everyone feel as if they had returned to the beginning of this school year, when they first met the new instructor of the brass band here—Taki Noboru.

The consultant who has an angelic, handsome face but a devilish heart.

He rarely reprimanded students loudly, but his lukewarm tone, devoid of any sarcasm, yet filled with unbearable shame and questioning, was the most agonizing.

How long has it been since I last heard that phrase?

How long has it been since I last said those words?

Looking at the stunned faces of the students below the stage, Taki sighed helplessly in his heart. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, pursed his lips, and then moved them slightly, as if he was thinking about whether to say something.

However, he still gave up.

Perhaps this is a good opportunity to help them get rid of their so-called "young bird complex."

He glanced discreetly at Ogasawara, who was sitting inconspicuously in the crowd, and recalled the reply Ogasawara had given him not long ago.

"Please practice in your groups from now on. This kind of ensemble performance is not suitable for national competitions, let alone concerts at train stations."

There was no harsh scolding, but it was even more painful, as if all the efforts of the past six months had been negated in an instant, as if the word "give up" was so easy to say.

What's even more frustrating is that there's simply no way to refute it.

Taki left the practice room without looking back.

The classroom was quiet. No one left first, seemingly regretting not having practiced properly, or perhaps still thinking about Asuka who hadn't appeared.

“Everyone,” Ogasawara placed his bass saxophone beside his seat, stood up, and walked step by step to the podium under everyone’s gaze, “could you please hear me say a few words?”

Her voice was calm, as was her expression.

Ogasawara glanced around at the club members sitting absentmindedly in the practice room and slowly exhaled.

"Haruka-senpai," a girl sitting in the front timidly raised her hand, her eyes darting around as she looked at Ogasawara on the podium, hesitant, "Asuka-senpai... have you really quit the club...?"

"Taki-sensei, really? Did you accept your senior's application to leave the club?"

These were the words that Takigaki couldn't bring himself to ask in his silent anger.

The expectant look in her eyes softened Ogasawara's heart, and she didn't even know how to answer.

"do not know."

Of course she didn't know.

I don't know, and I don't want to know.

It wasn't that she was pretending to be indifferent out of fear of the outcome, but rather that no matter what the result was, it wouldn't change her next course of action.

Ogasawara's answer unsurprisingly sparked whispers among the crowd.

"Everyone," the whispering continued, so Ogasawara had to raise his voice, "Everyone!"

The discussion abruptly ended.

"Don't you all think we're relying on Asuka too much?"

Ogasawara's voice was like a breeze rippling across a calm lake, causing Kiyora to unconsciously tighten his grip on the oboe.

"It's understandable that everyone feels uneasy without Asuka, but—"

"Even just because she wasn't there, she carried that anxiety into her performance and affected her practice."

"I don't think a club should act like this!"

"Of course we know that, but—!"

Dissenting voices arose from the crowd, but Kaori gently silenced them by putting her index finger to her lips, signaling for quiet.

“I’ve always thought Asuka was better than me,” Ogasawara said, crossing her arms and gripping her elbows tightly. “So I’ve always thought it would be best if Asuka became the club president…”

She always thought so, and always wanted to escape her responsibilities, but that was all wrong.

"Everyone relies on her because Asuka seems to be omnipotent and can do everything perfectly."

But this is not the case.

"Because I feel Asuka is special, that's enough..."

This is nothing but running away.

"But, Asuka—"

"Not special."

Ogasawara's words were like a breeze across a calm lake, creating ripples.

"It was just our wishful thinking that made her a special person."

One-sided wishful thinking...

"Because she never showed her weakness, we were happy to impose our expectations on her. But Asuka is just an ordinary high school student like us."

ordinary……

"We can't put any more burden on Asuka's shoulders. This time, it's our turn to support Asuka!"

The burden...

"It's not about helping, it's about supporting her so that she can come back here anytime."

Ogasawara lowered his head in a lack of confidence, his fingers entwined.

"Of course, given what happened last year, you might think that the other upperclassmen besides Asuka are not very reliable, but even so, I still hope you can help me with this favor..."

"Please help me, everyone."

Ogasawara bent down, feeling uneasy in the silence.

"Please don't underestimate us!" It was Yoshikawa Yuko who broke the silence once again. "Even if you didn't say that, we would still follow you."

"We're serious!"

"Whether it's the national competition, or—"

I still support you.

Everyone is serious.

P.S.: How did I suddenly get featured...? I didn't even apply! Did the editor suddenly discover they had a nobody author under their command? I'll try to update daily for the next few days... I'm shocked!

Chapter 66 Intrusion (Section 303)

You're daydreaming.

A pen suddenly appeared in my line of sight and tapped the notebook lightly.

"Feel sorry."

He apologized instinctively, and Kiyoshi adjusted his glasses as if to cover up his apology. The next second, he met Yukinoshita's scrutinizing gaze. He silently picked up his mug, and the cold tea slid down his esophagus.

"If you continue to daydream, I suggest you go home first."

Taking the mug from Kiyoyori, Yukinoshita stood up calmly. "The tea's gone cold."

By the way, she is currently in Yukinoshita's apartment, receiving tutoring from this senior as usual. An hour has passed since the tutoring started, but she has only written down a few words in her notebook and has no recollection of what Yukinoshita just taught her.

Watching the other person slowly walk towards the kitchen, Kiyora took off his glasses, covered his face with his hand, and sighed deeply, "I'm sorry."

"Tachibana-san's apology is of no use to me."

Yukinoshita placed the mug in front of Kiyoyori, white steam rising from it. "Tachibana-san, don't waste our time."

"I really am wasting my time..."

Kiyoshi placed his hand on the mug, the heat of the black tea spreading from the porcelain cup to his palm. The temperature was just right, yet it felt as if he were holding a fire in his hand.

“I don’t know what to do, maybe I should do nothing,” the steam blurred his glasses, making Kiyotaka’s vision blurry, “but I can’t do it.”

She is Asuka...

Realizing that the other person wasn't talking about tutoring, Yukinoshita paused in her book-turning, looked up at Kiyoyori, whose eyes were obscured by her blurry glasses, and Yukinoshita could only see her downcast eyes from the side, and the dejection emanating from every corner of her body, like a homeless stray cat soaked in the rain, her ears drooping, looking pitiful as if she had been abandoned.

Secretly rubbing her fingers together, resisting the urge to reach out and stroke the other person's hair, Yukinoshita raised her teacup and took a small sip.

"Then let's do something."

Instead of wallowing in self-pity here.

"What can I do? There's nothing I can do."

Does she intend to force Asuka not to leave? That's not something she can control.

"Is Tachibana admitting her incompetence?"

"Maybe so, she doesn't need me."

"Tachibana-san, you don't need to come up with such a lame excuse."

"No, that's the truth."

“You’re running away from the facts, and that doesn’t solve anything.”

"I did not run away!"

"You know you have it."