I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"But I still hope you can say what you need to say soon, Shimizu-kun."

This familiar feeling of déjà vu...

Yukinoshita suddenly felt her body heat, which had just subsided, rising again.

"I'll be busy with the competition lately, so I might not have time."

"Okay, then let's make time again sometime~".

The addition of a cute emoticon at the end of the sentence brought the nerve-wracking conversation to a close.

However, the young lady on the other side was already on the verge of exploding:

"Why don't you reply to my messages even though I've read them?!"

"We were just practicing."

"Practicing while you're sick? Are you trying to ruin your brain?!"

The girl whose nickname is "Older Sister" has a profile picture of a snow-covered figure that is difficult to describe. If she could, she wouldn't want to open the chat window with this person.

"Forget it! You should rest and stop going to practice all the time. Oh, by the way, I accidentally told Kasumigaoka Utaha about your situation. If she keeps bothering you, just pretend you didn't see it!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha?

Yukinoshita flipped back to the chat window with Kasumi Utako, realizing that it must be the same person.

"Did you hear me!"

The news about "my older sister" came like a machine gun, making Xuexia's fingers go numb.

"Ok."

"Hmph, you're smart to know what's good for you. Get some rest, I'll come see you this weekend."

She could only pray that she would be back in her body by the weekend.

Yukino Yukinoshita is not good at interpersonal relationships. Suddenly being forced to face such complicated interpersonal relationships is more troublesome than dealing with her annoying older sister at home. If she could just ignore them without any scruples, it would be the easiest thing to do. But this is not her life, and she has no right to make choices for the life of the owner of this body.

According to Yukinoshita's understanding, the original owner, Tachibana Kiyoyori, was a third-year junior high school student at Daikichiyama Kita Junior High School. She was about to face the entrance exams for higher education. She was an outstanding student and also very talented in music. She had several trophies displayed on the top shelf of her bookshelf, and there were even handwritten sheet music in her drawer. Yukinoshita hummed a little and thought that it was very likely that the original owner had composed the music herself.

She pulled out a piece of white paper, wrote down several names on it, and marked the relationship between each name and Qinglai next to it. She marked the ones she didn't know with a question mark, but that was not enough.

……………………………………………………………

The passengers on the tram were few and far between, some staring blankly at the scenery rushing past the window, others looking down at their phones. At this moment, Yukinoshita was holding "Love Metronome," which she had taken from Kiyoyori's bookshelf, but she couldn't concentrate on reading a single word. The printed characters seemed like dancing characters, mocking Yukinoshita's flawed behavior.

I almost left my oboe behind when I went out. Touko gave me a very strange look for a long time, as if to say:

"What's wrong with you today? You never even forget your oboe when you're playing yourself!"

Yukinoshita hadn't felt so helpless in a long time. She was an unattainable beauty in the eyes of the boys at school, and a thorn in the side of the girls. But she was exceptionally capable and seemed to be able to do anything, so she could do whatever she wanted. She never expected to be in such a sorry state.

The journey to the school went relatively smoothly, but she got lost in the huge campus. If a classmate who seemed to know her hadn't stopped her, she might have wandered around the campus for much longer.

"Qinglai! You're at school? Have you had lunch yet?"

The newcomer had beautiful, smooth black hair and was holding a golden trumpet. She appeared to be a member of Kiyoyori's club.

Good afternoon. I've already had lunch.

The black-haired girl immediately frowned and looked at Yukinoshita with an expression as if she were looking at an alien, but after a moment she didn't ask any further questions.

"Have you been to the music room? It seems like Mr. Endo wants to talk to you about your solo performance."

"not yet."

"Okay, then you can go find him later. I'm going back to the classroom now."

The girl tried to leave after she finished speaking, but in a moment of urgency, Yukinoshita had no choice but to grab her wrist.

"Where...is my music room?"

The girl's expression instantly became more complicated. She pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, a hint of worry, helplessness, and doubt flashing in her eyes.

"Have you lost your mind?"

But she didn't leave. Instead, she took Yukinoshita's hand and led her toward the music room.

Yukinoshita instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but the other person held it even tighter.

“I don’t know what happened to you yesterday, or why you’ve been hiding something from me, but I know it’s important to you. I’ll wait until you’re willing to tell me, but I don’t want that day to be too far off, and I don’t want it to affect your playing. That would be very irresponsible, do you understand, Kiyora?”

Yukino suddenly realized who this girl was.

“Lina,” she saw the girl turn around and tilt her head slightly, “thank you…”

Lina suddenly smiled, a smile that seemed to melt even the ice and snow. "Do we need to say all this? Why not prove it with your actions?"

But that's even more difficult...

Yukinoshita followed Reina with a wry smile.

After storing the instruments, Yukino followed Reina back to the classroom. Many classmates surrounded her to inquire about her health, but Yukino dealt with them all with perfect manners. However, it was clear from this that the girl's school life was vastly different from her own.

The third-year middle school curriculum was not difficult for Yukinoshita, so she could only continue to improve her interpersonal relationship guessing diagram. Through the teacher's questions and the exchanges with her classmates, she had memorized almost all the names of the people in the class.

The only confirmed relationship is with Reina Takasaka, who is Kiyoyori's close friend, seemingly a confidante. However, the other students are more of nodding acquaintances. The way they look at her is not that of friends, but rather the kind of look one has for someone they admire. It's a relationship of wanting to get close yet remaining far apart.

Tachibana Kiyoyori is an excellent person, without a doubt, but she is not arrogant and seems very approachable. That's why she is different from Yukino Yukinoshita. There are no malicious eyes around her. She treats her classmates gently, but at the same time maintains a distance that is neither too close nor too far from everyone. Apart from her unusual closeness with Reina Takasaka, Tachibana Kiyoyori is more like an audience member standing in front of a big screen.

In Qinglai's desk was a sketchbook filled with drawings of all the classmates' various expressions. She would even add notes next to the expressions to indicate what had happened, clearly enjoying herself. There were also a few landscape sketches, showing her solid drawing skills.

……………………………………………………………

The most agonizing moment has finally arrived.

Yukinoshita walked towards the music classroom without showing any outward signs of her inner turmoil, but in reality, every cell in her body was resisting her as she went up. However, she had no choice but to go back, and retreating was not her style. The more impossible something seemed, the more fulfilling it was to exceed expectations.

The piece being performed is the "Orfeo in Hell Overture," though it is more widely known as the "Heaven and Hell Overture." Even if you don't know the title, you'll quickly recognize it when you hear the last movement: "Oh, so this is the 'Heaven and Hell Overture.'"

The entire piece, after being edited, has a fast and bright rhythm, but the oboe solo immediately followed by the clarinet solo is a very unsightly arrangement that can easily go wrong if not handled carefully.

Yukino sat awkwardly on the far side, facing the conductor, but for some reason, the moment her hands took the oboe, her drum-like heartbeat gradually calmed down, and her hands naturally returned to where they should be.

After the tuning was completed smoothly, Yukinoshita turned to the sheet music and found the "SOLO" section in bold capital letters. Kiyori even carefully marked where to breathe and what the mood should be.

The movement progresses quickly, and we've already reached the clarinet's bright, light, and slightly playful solo. Next up is her part!

Yukinoshita covered her teeth with her lips, held the whistle in her mouth, and blew air:

"Bah—!"

Chapter 05 A Strange World and the Most Familiar Strangers

"Yukinoshita-san?"

"Hmm?" Kiyotaka withdrew her gaze from the black-haired senior and turned to the two seniors who had already taken their seats in front of her. "May I ask what your request is?"

“Well, Saito-senpai spoke first, “Does Yukinoshita-san know anything about the high school brass band competition?”

"I have some understanding of it."

Kiyoshi was well aware that the high school's brass band competition was not far from the junior high school's; to be precise, the regional competition was just over a month away.

Saito-senpai opened his mouth, but in the end he sighed, "There's only a little over a month until the competition, but there's absolutely no competitive atmosphere in the club. Forget about the competition, they don't even want to practice normally..."

Kiyoshi frowned. "So, you two seniors want me to help the brass band create a sense of urgency to motivate the members to train?"

This should have been the job of an advisor; to let an unrelated person get involved in such a matter would be seen as meddling, and she had no right to do so. Kiyoyori glanced at Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was leaning against the table, and didn't understand why she had accepted such a request.

“No, this request is a bit too much…” Ogasawara-senpai hurriedly explained, leaning forward and waving her hand quickly, but then she leaned back in her chair and exchanged a glance with Saito-senpai.

"Actually, it's about the selection process..."

Ogasawara-senpai hesitated before speaking, glancing nervously at the girl with her head down by the door.

"Haruka, since this junior student isn't keen on taking on this request, let's not trouble outsiders—"

The black-haired senior wearing red-rimmed glasses suddenly spoke up.

Kiyoshi stared into her eyes and interrupted her directly: "You came seeking help, and you're the ones who suddenly changed your minds. I haven't heard the real request, nor have I made a choice to refuse. How could you possibly know what I'm thinking? Are you just here to have fun in the Service Department? If so, please leave."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. This was the first time that Qinglai had spoken in such a tone to the person in front of him who looked and sounded exactly like his childhood friend.

"Asuka..." Ogasawara-senpai pleaded as he called out the other person's name.

Kiyoshi was startled.

"Actually, we came here to ask about the matter of a large number of first-year students in the brass band who are planning to leave the club."

Saito-senpai composed herself, interlacing her fingers and gently biting her lip.

"Appreciate further details."

“The brass band at Soubu High School has actually been in decline for a long time. The upperclassmen in the band now don’t take participating in the competition seriously at all. They don’t practice at all during club activities every day; they just chat and play games. But there are quite a few juniors among this year’s first-year students who want to participate in the club properly, and some even aim for the national competition,” Saito-senpai licked his lips. “The whole thing started with the Tokyo Metropolitan Competition qualifiers. To be precise, there wasn’t even a qualifier…”

At this point, both seniors showed wry smiles.

"The club tacitly allowed senior students to participate in the competition, so the first-year students had no chance at all, which was fine. But the third-year students were unwilling to practice at all and instead mocked the first-year students who were working hard to participate in the competition. This led to the outbreak of conflict between the senior students and the first-year students in the club."

Qinglai listened, his brows furrowing more and more.

Such things weren't uncommon at Kita-Chung as well, but they primarily prioritized merit. Although some seniors who didn't make the cut would privately cause trouble for the juniors, Kiyoyori always let her abilities speak for themselves. If the seniors protested, she would shatter their protests and their so-called "senior dignity." Over time, the club members also realized that the oboe's principal was not someone to mess with.

"The club's advisors couldn't do anything about the upperclassmen, so one of the first-year students offered to leave the club and tried to persuade other students who were also being bullied by the upperclassmen to leave as well. They were all good kids who wanted to work hard, but... but!"

As she spoke, Ogasawara-senpai began to cry. She covered her face with her hands and continued, her voice trembling with sobs:

"If I had just persevered a little longer, until I was a third-year student and left the club, why did I have to leave..."

Kiyoyori couldn't criticize these students who chose to drop out of the club. In such a repressive environment, it would be difficult to continue pursuing their dreams, and they might even be assimilated. On one hand, their dreams were shattered, and on the other hand, they were being bullied by their seniors. It would be unreasonable to simply call this stubborn behavior "the pride and self-respect of dream chasers".

Kiyoshi placed both hands on the table, his right fingertips lightly tapping the surface as he carefully considered whether he should accept the commission.

Her unintentional movement drew the attention of Asuka-senpai.

Saito-senpai patted Ogasawara-senpai on the back reassuringly. "Our request is for you to persuade the first-year students who want to drop out of the club. Are you willing to do that, Yukinoshita-kun?"

Kiyoyori closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment:

"Please allow me to refuse."

A cool, clear voice echoed in the quiet classroom, and Qinglai's answer drew surprised glances from all the seniors present.

Ogasawara-senpai lifted her face from her hands in surprise, looking at the serious Kiyori with tears streaming down her face. Asuka-senpai, who was standing at the door, then smiled knowingly.