I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

The senior members took turns going up to the stage to introduce the instruments, but Kiyora walked to the edge of the crowd with little interest to look at the commemorative photos of the wind band from previous years.

The Soubu High School's brass band seemed to have had its glory days; many awards were covered in dust, and an entire wall was covered with photos. Kiyoyori stopped in front of one of the photos and, unsurprisingly, found the person from his memories in it.

The young woman in the photo seems no different from the person in my memory. She is not tall, has a baby face, and always smiles happily. It seems that as long as you stand next to her, you can feel all the warmth in the world.

But she's gone, leaving behind only a few people who deeply miss her.

Qinglai wiped the dust off her teacher's face with her fingers. In the photo, she was unusually not smiling, but rather looking a little sullen, probably because the certificate in her hand was a silver award instead of a gold award.

It turns out that teachers were once people who couldn't hide their true feelings.

Qinglai clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, forcing back the tears welling up in his eyes.

Isn't it strange? The teacher clearly graduated from Kitauji High School, but this photo, which should have been hanging in Kitauji High School, is now in Soubu High School, as if everything she knew in Kitauji has been moved to Chiba.

If it's not that I'm the only one sober while everyone else is drunk, then it's that everyone else is sober while I'm the only one unwilling to wake up.

Teacher, please tell me how I can forgive you and forgive myself.

"Hey! Young lady! Have you gotten lost on the road of life?"

A tap was patted on the shoulder, and Qinglai knew who it was without turning around.

“Yes,” Kiyoshi turned around and, sure enough, saw Asuka and the little girl Kawashima, who was being held in the arms of the tall Kiyoshi. “She got lost without even realizing it.”

"Hmph, do you need your older sister to guide you?" Asuka poked Kiyori's nose with her finger. "Join the bass club, girl! You'll find your place here!"

Asuka extended the invitation, half-jokingly.

Kiyoshi winked "cooperatively," "Okay, so if I join the bass section, will I be assigned a girlfriend? I think you're pretty good, senpai, how about you be my partner?"

Kiyoyori didn't deliberately control her voice, and her words instantly attracted the attention of most people, including Reina. Among them, the sharpest gaze came from the current head of the trumpet club—Nakazeko Kaori.

Oh my~?

Qinglai couldn't help but smile.

Asuka immediately hugged Kawashima, who looked like a doll, in an exaggerated way, "But I already have Midorikawa!"

"Yeah……"

Kiyoshi sighed with feigned regret, then turned his gaze to Huang Qian, who was standing to the side watching the show. Seeing her rather restrained look and the way she kept glancing towards the trombone section, it was clear that she didn't want to continue playing the euphonium in high school. A plan suddenly came to mind.

Kiyoshi sighed, then casually pointed with his hand, "Then you're all set."

"Huh?" Huang Qian gestured with his finger, looking confused, and then saw Qing Lai nod.

What's going on? Tachibana is actually giving up the oboe and joining the bass section?

"Haha... I'm not a member of the bass section..." Huang Qian awkwardly took a step back, turned around and planned to walk towards the trombone section, "I want to try the trombone, hehe..."

"Hmm? Isn't Huang Qian the one who plays the euphonium? I think I'm not mistaken."

Qinglai tilted his head, looking completely harmless.

what--!

So that's where you were waiting for me!

Huang Qian gasped, but before she could run away, Asuka grabbed her with her long arm. "Little classmate, it seems we have a lot to talk about."

"Do not--!"

Kiyoyori watched with amusement as Asuka dragged away Huang Qian, who was acting as Er Kang's assistant from the Asahi Trombone Club. At the same time, Reina from the Trumpet Club also kept her eyes on this farce.

Kiyoyori gave Reina a wink, indicating that the mission was perfectly accomplished. Reina then held up her trumpet to her mouth, covering the corners of her mouth that were turned up.

The minister, who had been standing to the side, couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Is this student also joining the bass section?"

Ogasawara remembered this girl; she was the one he met at the dessert shop. She seemed to be very close to Asuka. It wouldn't be surprising if the two of them met while studying euphonium.

Before Qinglai could answer, someone else answered for her, "No, she plays the oboe."

"Huh?! An oboe!" Ogasawara exclaimed in surprise.

A girl sitting in a corner away from the crowd looked up and glanced in their direction.

It's understandable that Ogasawara was surprised, because very few people choose the oboe, and even if they do, most are probably beginners.

“You can rest assured about her abilities,” Asuka said with a hint of pride. “After all, she’s been learning since she was little.”

Kiyotaro shrugged noncommittally. "I do play the oboe. May I ask where the oboe part is located? Is there an audition process?"

"As for the oboe, it's over there," Ogasawara pointed to an inconspicuous corner of the classroom, "because there's only one person playing the oboe right now, so it's not needed—"

The high-pitched yet gentle sound of the trumpet pierced everyone's eardrums, and the entire classroom suddenly fell silent, with everyone turning their gaze to the person who was playing such a beautiful trumpet.

Reina brushed a strand of hair behind her neck. "Is this alright?"

She put the trumpet back on the table, completely unconcerned about the surprised looks from others.

“Then I will go there myself.” Kiyoyori nodded to Ogasawara.

The area where the oboe was played was probably the quietest in the entire classroom. A petite girl was huddled on a narrow stool, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the classroom in the opposite teaching building. She seemed completely unaware of Kiyoshi's approach. Kiyoshi also looked towards that classroom. Apart from something that looked like a fish tank, there was nothing special about it.

"senior."

The girl remained unmoved.

"I am Kiyoyori Tachibana, a first-year student, and I would like to join the oboe club."

The girl turned her head and looked at Qinglai with innocent eyes. Then she tilted her head silently, and her soft, long hair slipped from her shoulders and fell against her fair, almost translucent cheeks. She was a slender girl.

Kiyoyori smiled kindly. She noticed the oboe placed to one side, took out a small box containing reeds from her pocket, and asked, "May I borrow your oboe, senior?"

The girl nodded and hugged her knees even tighter.

Since he didn't bring any warm water, Kiyoyori could only put the whistle in his mouth. Unexpectedly, the girl, who had been motionless, silently took out a bottle of water at a suitable temperature from her backpack and handed it to Kiyoyori.

"Thank you."

Wait until Qinglai puts the whistle in his mouth.

A melodious yet sorrowful pipe sound rose from this corner; it was not as soaring as the trumpet, but seemed to be expressing its own sorrow and longing through its notes.

She stands here, in this place where she once lived, but as she grew up, there was no trace of her here. She stands here, only able to remember her in this way, a memory that cannot even be mentioned by name. She stands here, gazing at her from afar across the insurmountable Milky Way of time.

The classroom fell silent again. Everyone seemed to be infected by Qinglai's sadness and stopped what they were doing.

"That's amazing..."

Ogasawara covered her mouth with her hand, while Asuka wore a complicated expression.

"Kaizuka Mizore".

The girl sitting on the bench suddenly broke the eerie silence; her voice, though silent, was picked up by the wind and carried to everyone's ears.

"Tachibana Kiyori, nice to meet you, Yorozuka-senpai."

P.S.: Because the loquats were so delicious, I accidentally got home late. Today was another unlucky day. I was stuck in the arena until I was about to explode. Since I didn't have enough resources to pull for Princess Connect, I played with the accounts I bought before, and unexpectedly, both accounts got the rare items. Does Princess Connect have something against me? Are there any veterans on the second server who can help me out? I'm crying my eyes out.

Thank you so much for your support! Your support is my motivation. Although I only wrote one chapter tonight, I'll work harder tonight! Doctor X is so good.JPG

Chapter 05, Section 62: When a Straight Line Becomes a Curve

"What's wrong today?"

On the way home, Asuka and Kiyori walked side by side, and she glanced at Kiyori with a puzzled look.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Of course it's your playing."

Of all the people present at the time, Asuka probably knew Kiyori the most, both in terms of her playing skills and Kiyori's personal life. She even knew some secrets that Reina didn't know.

The oboe solo was taken from an original piece composed by Kiyoyori's teacher. Originally, it was a light and cheerful piece, but after her teacher passed away, Kiyoyori rewrote it with a more sorrowful melody. However, she did not remove the teacher's boundless hope for her students' future, which was present in the original piece. She transformed the teacher's joyful farewell to her students into a final goodbye as the students, burdened with heavy expectations, resolutely embarked on their own journeys.

This was a birthday gift from Kiyoyori's teacher, and also Kiyoyori's way of remembering her teacher.

Therefore, whenever Kiyoyori plays this piece, it is always accompanied by even more complex emotions: longing for his beloved teacher, yearning for the future, recalling the joy he shared with his teacher yet unable to forget the pain of his teacher's passing. And today, Asuka, besides being filled with sorrow and bitterness, cannot hear any hope for the future in the music; it's as if—

— Erasing away all other emotions with an eraser, leaving only a blank space.

"Ah..." Qinglai nodded knowingly, "I saw the teacher's photo in the activity room today, and it made me a little..."

Asuka frowned. She knew that Kiyoyori's teacher was a graduate of Sobu High School, but she was dissatisfied with Kiyoyori's ambiguity. However, she wisely refrained from pressing him further.

"Really? Then you'll have to work hard as a teacher too."

"Ah."

Kiyoshi was momentarily lost in thought.

She shouldn't have played that piece today, especially not in front of Asuka. Reina might point out her shortcomings, but she wouldn't be as sensitive as Asuka.

"Hmm—!" On the empty street, Asuka stretched lazily without caring about her image.

"Hey, watch your step..."

Kiyoshi, unable to bear watching any longer, helped her straighten her clothes, tucking the shirt that was sticking out from under her skirt back in. Asuka paused, slowly lowered her arms, and looked expressionlessly at Kiyoshi who was helping her straighten her shirt.

"Ok?"

Kiyoshi, sensing that something was off, looked up and saw Asuka's teasing gaze.

"Xiao Qinglai is such a virtuous wife and loving mother. I wonder who will be so lucky in the future~."

Kiyoshi immediately withdrew his hand, "Anyway, it wasn't you."

"Oh dear!" Asuka hooked her arm around Kiyori's neck and pulled him toward her. "How sad~."

"That's the question we should be asking. What's your relationship with that medieval senior?"

Kiyoshi struggled to free his head from Asuka's arms, but Asuka pulled him even tighter, her soft touch pressed against his face.

This feeling of wanting to escape yet being irresistibly drawn in and sinking into it...

"Isn't Kaori cute? But Kiyora, you'd better not fall for her."

"Who would know how!"

Qinglai doesn't like to expose himself in the center of a crowd. Approaching someone who is clearly the center of the crowd will only cause unnecessary trouble.