I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"This one……"

At that moment, another figure emerged from the house.

"Karl, has Qinglai returned home?"

The voice sounded familiar, and Asuka instinctively looked inside, where she saw the woman she had met at the music store that afternoon.

"Oh, it's you? Thank you for taking Kiyora home. Let's have dinner together?"

P.S.: I'm going back to work tomorrow, so sad.JPG. It might be a bit difficult to update daily, it mainly depends on whether I can write every day. That's all.

Chapter 74, Section 311: Fragments of the Past (Part 3)

Asuka was somewhat uneasy as she was placed on the soft sofa, holding a cup of hot milk in her hands, and for a moment she hadn't realized why she was sitting there.

“Thank you for taking Kiyoyori home,” Touko said, untying her apron and placing fruit in front of Asuka. “She always likes to run outside and play without any sense of propriety, often getting herself very dirty.”

"She is very cute."

This is not a compliment; that little kid is very likable, both in appearance and personality.

Yuanzi smiled gently, "She really is very cute."

However, Asuka was more interested in Touko herself than Kiyori. "Excuse me, are you also a musician in an orchestra?"

“Yes,” Touko moved the fruit plate closer to Asuka again, and only continued after seeing Asuka obediently eat a piece of rabbit apple. “However, I’m not a euphonium player, so I’m afraid I can’t give you any advice.”

"Which vocal part does that auntie belong to?"

"Obi."

Asuka's eyes lit up, as if a switch had been flipped, and she pestered Touko with questions about music. Touko answered every question, never expecting that the answers she had prepared for her daughter would now be used on the neighbor's child.

"Is Kiyoyori also an oboe player? She seems to know a lot about music."

At this point, Touko gave a helpless smile, "Kiyoshi doesn't like music. Her rudimentary knowledge was all forced on her by Karl."

"Why? There are such good learning opportunities."

Asuka didn't quite understand the little kid's thinking. He had excellent learning opportunities, but he didn't cherish them.

Touko sighed and patted Asuka's head without saying anything. "If Asuka wants to practice, she can come to our practice room. Kiyori will show you around later."

Asuka seemed to want to ask something more, but Touko gently changed the subject, "How long have you been learning the euphonium, Asuka?"

"I just started learning at the end of last year..."

"Really? Then keep it up! Auntie's got your support!"

"Ok!"

Kiyotomi, who had been thoroughly cleaned inside and out in the bathroom, finally ran out of the stairwell like a bird released from its cage, just in time to see Touko stroking Asuka's head.

She dashed to Touko's side like a bullet, snatched Touko's hand from Asuka's head without a word, and hugged it tightly, staring at Asuka with possessive eyes, "Mommy is mine!"

"Oh dear, oh dear." Yuanzi couldn't help but chuckle as she touched Qinglai's face; its soft texture was irresistible.

Seeing Kiyori's reaction, Asuka suddenly wanted to tease the cute little kid, "But you helped Kiyori today too."

Kiyoshi: "?"

Touko picked up the bewildered Kiyori and placed her on her lap, then unconsciously leaned down and kissed her daughter's cheek. "Kiyori, don't you like Asuka-neechan?"

Kiyoshi blinked blankly.

"Does Qinglai like his mother or his sister more?"

Kiyoshi really likes Touko, to the point that she clings to her at home all the time. But she also has a good impression of the older sister she just met today, who not only helped her fend off those bad kids, but also bought food for the kitten and herself.

He's a good person!

The only downside is that both my mother and sister love music.

Kiyoshi pouted, her bright blue eyes brimming with tears that seemed ready to spill out at any moment. She glanced at Touko, then at Asuka.

"I like them all..."

Kiyoshi buried her head in Touko's chest and acted coquettishly, relentlessly pestering Touko to pat her head as well.

"You little rascal, you're bothering your mother again while I'm not around."

Carol stood somewhat disheveled by the sofa, her shirt collar wide open and her hair still dripping wet, clearly indicating that she and Qinglai had just had a fierce battle in the bathroom.

Now it was Asuka's turn to be completely bewildered.

Touko is Kiyorae's mother, and Carol is also Kiyorae's mother.

And what about Kiyoyori's father?

Before the two adults could even explain, the imaginative girl had already conjured up a complete story in her mind.

It turns out that Kiyora, like her, was also a child abandoned by her father.

Asuka's gaze towards Kiyori instantly softened with empathy and affection.

The Tachibana family's dining table is always very lively. Unlike Asuka, who usually eats at home with Aso and adheres to the principle of "not talking while eating," Kiyoyori and Carol are like water and fire, able to argue about anything, but of course, it's the kind of argument that comes from a close relationship.

Asuka envies this kind of parent-child relationship.

After dinner, Kiyoshi kept his promise and took Asuka to visit the private practice room in the basement.

This was the first time Asuka had ever seen such a professional practice room. Even at Makoto's music store, she had never seen such thick walls. Kiyoshi explained that these were soundproofing panels.

The Tachibana family's practice room wasn't just for Touko to practice playing instruments; it also had two cubicles. One of them contained a number of electronic musical instruments, while the other housed recording and monitoring equipment. The sound cards that filled the entire tabletop were so numerous that Asuka was dazzled by them.

How much will this cost...?

Asuka glanced at Kiyosuke, who was jumping around in the practice room, touching and bumping into things, and suddenly realized that she might have met a rich kid.

What Asuka envied most was the variety of wind instruments displayed in the practice room. Although not all instruments were available, they still created a rather spectacular sight.

"These all belong to Aunt Yuanzi?"

"No, Mommy bought it."

Kiyoshi seemed to quickly lose interest in the practice room and wanted to drag Asuka out to play, but Asuka took out her euphonium and looked like she was about to start practicing.

Kiyoshi had no choice but to sit down with her. Sometimes she would sit on the small stool and swing her feet, and sometimes she would run to Asuka's side to watch her movements carefully.

Is music really that fun?

Why are Mom and my sister so obsessed with it?

“It’s not just for fun,” Asuka said seriously, “it’s something I like.”

"like……"

What is it?

"Being able to play a beautiful tune can be very rewarding at times."

In this way, it seems I can get closer to my father.

“What’s the big deal?” Qinglai pouted. “I can brag about it too.”

Perhaps it was this arrogance that aroused Asuka's competitive spirit. She took off the mouthpiece and handed it to Kiyoyori, saying, "Then try blowing it."

"Humph."

Kiyoshi imitated Asuka's actions, blowing air into Asaka's mouth.

All that could be heard was a soft breath and Qinglai's flushed little face.

P.S.: Doesn't the scene where no sound came out at the end seem familiar? Qinglai, the sweet girl, continues to be adorable.

Chapter 75, Section 312: Fragments of the Past (Part Four)

"Pfft..."

"No laughing!"

Kiyoshi blushed and tried to cover Asuka's mouth, but Asuka was three years older than Kiyoshi, and it was a time when children grow up and develop. No matter how Kiyoshi tried to cover her mouth, Asuka always had a chance to fight back.

The two immediately started making a ruckus in the practice room.

Asuka hadn't smiled this happily in a long time. At school, she focused more on her studies, and at home, besides studying and reading, her only pleasure was playing the erhu.

She has many "friends," but she doesn't go out with them or show such a blatant smile in front of them.

For some reason, Tachibana Kiyoyori possesses such magic.

The two seemed to have lost track of time, and when Asuka returned home and didn't see her, he hurriedly went to his neighbor's house.

Asuka avoided Aso's gaze and timidly walked to her mother's side. She didn't bring her euphonium; she was afraid that if her mother found out that she had secretly gone to the music school to learn to play while she was away, she would be so angry that she would take away her only passion.

"I'm so sorry to trouble you, but my Asuka is still not sensible enough."

Aso didn't show any unusual look when facing Carol and Touko. "This is a greeting gift, please accept it."

“Please don’t say that, Mrs. Tanaka,” Touko said, taking the box of sushi. “We should thank Asuka, thanks to her for bringing our Kiyoyori home.”

Speaking of Kiyoyori, Asuka didn't see the little bean sprout anywhere.

"Huff, huff—!"

Kiyoshi dragged the euphonium box, which was far too heavy for her, to the entrance. The leather box was dragged along the floor by the strap. Asuka's eyes showed a heartache that she couldn't hide, but she secretly shook her head at Kiyoshi, hoping that the little bean with good intentions but bad behavior would be more considerate of people's feelings.

"Asuka!" After spending more than an hour together, their relationship had improved even more. "Look, I've put—"

Kiyoshi wiped the sweat from his face with his clothes and then saw Asuka across from him, shaking her head and blinking wildly.

"?"

At this moment, Touko turned around and said, "No, Kiyora, don't just take out any musical instruments from home."

As she spoke, she put her index finger to her lips and winked at Kiyoshi.