I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Asuka laughed and fell into Kiyori's arms, wrapping her arms around Kiyori's waist and wiping her tears on Kiyori's pajamas.

Qinglai patted the other person's head in protest.

Oh well, at least it makes her laugh. It's not a loss if she makes me the butt of the joke.

"Go to sleep. How long are you going to keep laughing?"

"puff!"

"Don't smear your snot and tears all over me!"

Chapter 44 Yukinoshita is indeed a hopeless cat lover.

Do you enjoy reading light novels? I highly recommend Kasumi Shiko's "Love Metronome". I have the whole set on my bookshelf and feel free to browse through it. I'm really looking forward to the final volume. According to the author, the final chapter should be released this fall or winter.

By the way, the world of anime and manga isn't just about people like Eriri who like erotic content, as our predecessors have seen. While it's a very important part of anime and manga culture, it's not the whole story.

What knowledge do you have about music?

I found a cat cafe in Chiba last weekend, not far from Chiba Station. Has anyone been there?

I prefer more literary works, but I'm open to trying. Xia Shizi, I know, she's your rumored girlfriend, right? I've already read the book; it's indeed very well written, but I think you should still be careful. She might have ulterior motives towards you.

Thank you for your explanation, but I prefer to believe my own eyes. There's no need for you to make excuses anymore, Tachibana. To me, this just seems like you're trying too hard to hide something.

I only play the piano occasionally at home, but I'm not at your level.

The cat cafe near Chiba Station? Is it newly opened? I'll try to visit sometime. Please remember to specify the exact location and opening hours.

How's the injury on your shoulder?

"Why did you see Eriri's drawing, Senpai...? My relationship with the teacher isn't like that... Apart from liking to tease people, the teacher isn't bad at all, but if the teacher asks you to meet, it's best to refuse first."

Okay, I did help Eriri, but mostly only when she was close to her death, and apart from that one time, I never touched her work in that area.

As for the piano, I have one at home, so you can play it when no one's around. Also, please don't neglect your oboe practice. You can watch the reed-making video I recorded for you last time. Even in Chiba, you can practice making reeds as long as you have the tools. You can practice producing sounds with the finished reeds even without an oboe.

The cats there are all adorable, especially one silver shaded British Shorthair that loves to stick close to me—uh, my senior's body. If you love cats so much, why don't you get one yourself?

I'm fully recovered now, and club practice has resumed. Thank you for your concern.

……

……………………………………………………………

Kiyotomi and Yukinoshita's body swap lasted for more than a month. They communicated through their notebooks. The entire blank notebook was filled with two completely different kinds of notes, and they almost filled the whole page with scattered writing.

The other two were puzzled because the body swapping had become less frequent recently, which was both a good thing and a bad thing for them.

After maintaining this special pen pal relationship for a month, Yukinoshita developed a sense of dependence on Kiyori, while Kiyori also got into the habit of checking his notebook as soon as he opened his eyes. Although they had never met, they felt like friends, and a desire to see each other blossomed between them, but for some reason, they could never bring themselves to do it.

The unpredictable body-swapping phenomenon has become increasingly unstable. The original assumption that "sleep is the trigger" has changed at some point. They began to swap bodies without warning, and instead of counting in days, they could return to their own bodies after a few hours or even minutes.

While this didn't cause Yukinoshita too much trouble, it certainly gave Kiyoyori a headache.

This wasn't the first or second time that body swaps had occurred during practice. The worst part was that in the middle of a solo performance, Kiyoyori suddenly went to the Service Club, looking completely bewildered while holding a book. Meanwhile, Yukinoshita, who had been quietly reading a paperback, suddenly appeared during the intense ensemble practice and, unsurprisingly, cracked her voice.

As the Kyoto Prefecture Tournament progressed, such situations became more and more frequent. Kiyori was left speechless, unable to express her suffering. Faced with Reina's relentless questioning, she could only stammer and evade the questions.

Ordinary yet extraordinary days passed by in this life, and finally the day of the Kyoto Prefecture Tournament arrived.

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

"Is everything prepared?"

Touko stood in the entryway, straightening Kiyoyori's collar, then turned Kiyoyori's arm over to check if the armband was already pinned to his coat.

"no problem."

Kiyoshi stood at the door with her handbag in hand, looking over Toko's shoulder at Carol behind her.

Are you all coming today?

Carole, wearing a fitted white shirt, leaned against the wall and drank coffee. "If you're shy, we won't go."

Touko turned around and glared at her lover reproachfully, while Carol made a shrugging gesture towards Kiyoshi.

Touko then turned her head and looked at Kiyoyori gently, "Don't be nervous, just do your best. I did a little research and Kita-chū is quite strong. However, last year, Nan-chū didn't perform well, which gave Kita-chū an opportunity. We can't be careless this year either."

Kiyoshi gave an "OK" sign. Her biggest worry today wasn't her performance, but whether she would end up switching bodies with her senior during the performance. Just thinking about that possibility made Kiyoshi feel uncomfortable all over.

She kept avoiding thinking about that possibility; after all, Murphy's Law.

That's really weird.

"Then I'm off."

Kiyoshi took out his bicycle, hung the oboe on the handlebars, blew a kiss to his two mothers, and then sped off towards the place where he would meet Reina.

The scorching sun baked the earth. Even though it was still early morning, the air was thick with the feeling of midsummer. Qinglai took off his suit jacket and tied it around his waist. The cool breeze carried away the sweat, but it couldn't dispel the endless heat.

Kiyotaka sped along under the shade of the trees, dappled sunlight filtering through the branches and falling on her face. The cicadas' chirping faded and then returned, making one sigh with admiration.

It's summer!

"Chiang Lai!"

Reina waited for Kiyora at the intersection as always, with her coat in the front iron basket and a small trumpet on her back.

"Good morning, Reina. It's so hot."

"Okay, let's get some shaved ice when we get back after the competition."

“Sure,” Kiyoyori stopped beside Reina and brushed the long hair that was covering her neck with his hand. “Aren’t you hot?”

"It's hot." Rena was clearly sweating too; her white shirt was somewhat transparent in the sunlight, revealing glimpses of her underwear.

"Wow... black lace, is that the ultimate lingerie? You're really serious."

"Pervert." Reina retorted to Kiyoshi without any hint of embarrassment, and then pedaled her bicycle a short distance ahead.

Kiyoshi chuckled and immediately followed.

Are you nervous?

"Ah."

Tension in another sense.

“We’re going to the whole country,” Rena said, looking ahead with seriousness and focus. “We can’t stop here.”

"Of course, I don't want to come back and not even feel like eating shaved ice."

The two stopped the car at the red light.

Reina extended her right hand, which was clenched into a fist, towards Kiyoshi, who understood and touched it with his left hand.

We're here, for the final competition of junior high school.

Chapter 45 Where Love Begins

Under the blazing sun, a large crowd gathered outside the venue. Most of the participating schools were dressed in their school uniforms, sailor suits, and various colored suits, standing in clusters like colorful flowers in a flower field. The commanders, all dressed in formal attire, stood out conspicuously among the students.

The venue was bustling with noise, mostly students carrying musical instruments and parents in casual clothes. Kiyotaka glanced around casually and spotted her mother's dazzling blonde hair in the distance. The moment she appeared beside her, Touko's mother was surrounded by a group of students in white suits.

"Is that the capital?"

Reina walked up to Kiyoyori and asked softly.

“Yes,” Kiyora nodded expressionlessly, “I invited Touko’s mother to teach the students in the brass band when I went to Kyoto before, and she also gave them special instruction on woodwind instruments.”

Seeing his mother surrounded by students, Kiyora felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Reina nudged Kiyori teasingly, "Jealous?"

"Speak up."

One day, she will stand at the same level as her mother.

"North Central! Assemble!"

Kiyoshi shrugged, preparing to go to the assembly point, when she saw Touko's smiling gaze accurately locate her and Reina's positions, giving them a thumbs-up without any attempt to hide it. This immediately drew all eyes that were on Touko to Kitaka's location.

Reina bowed calmly in Touko's direction, while Kiyoyori felt unusually hot, but still returned the gesture to the two mothers despite their probing gazes before following the group into the venue.

……………………………………………………………

Sitting on a folding chair, Kiyotaka took out his best reed, soaked it in warm water, and then carefully checked the condition of the oboe. Only after confirming that everything was in order did he begin to tune it. At the conductor's command, Kiyotaka's oboe sounded first, and as the woodwinds and brass instruments gradually joined in, ripples spread across the water on the platform.

"Go, North Central High School!"

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

Following the main group, the students filed in. The conductor took his place on the platform, and Kiyorai also sat down in her own seat. As the principal, she sat in the oboe section closest to the center.

The conductor turned around and bowed to the judges and audience. Qinglai took a deep breath, cleared his mind of all distractions, turned the sheet music to the designated piece, and then placed his hands naturally on the keys.

All eyes were fixed on the baton.

The conductor's baton swung in a graceful arc through the air, and just as Kiyoyori was fully focused on blowing air into the oboe, the surrounding environment suddenly shifted.

"Huh?!"

What Qinglai heard was not the familiar sound of wind instruments, but a documentary about felines coming from the television in front of him.

"I—#￥%@#!"

After a moment of stunned silence, Kiyoshi immediately sprang up from the soft sofa.

This is home under the snow, not a tense competition venue.

Kiyoyori paced anxiously in circles, clearly fearing that his worst nightmare had come true. Thankfully, he hadn't messed up during his solo. Kiyoyori glanced impatiently at the clock. If time was running at the same pace on both sides, the other side's selected piece should be nearing its end, while his own selection, the "Orfeo Overture to Hell," began with an oboe section, and the solo was arranged both before and after. If…

Kiyoshi nervously tried to pick up the water glass on the coffee table, but before he could even touch the mug, the scenery in front of him changed again.

The clarinet's playful notes echoed in my ears, like a cheerful girl playing on the grassland.

But Kiyoshi's mind went completely blank.

solo?

She glanced at the conductor subconsciously, and their eyes met. In the next second, Qinglai immediately calmed down, and the long oboe note immediately followed the clarinet, not as cute as the clarinet, but with a slightly melancholic tone.

Music always has this magic. Qinglai felt as if she were on a vast grassland, with the wind gently brushing her cheeks, sometimes soft and sometimes strong. She wanted to dance with the wind and explore those moving stories with the music.