I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"Let's go, Kiyoshi, let's practice. The basement should be usable, right?"

Asuka, acting as if they were old friends, headed towards the practice room, but Yukinoshita glanced at Kiyori subtly. Seeing Kiyori nod slightly, she replied, "Mm."

Minimizing conversation is one of the strategies Yukinoshita employs.

In terms of exposure risk, Yukinoshita is much more likely to be exposed than Kiyori. Putting aside the difficulty of impersonating Kiyori, who is very different from her own personality, just having Tanaka Asuka by her side, who knows Kiyori very well, is enough to make her suffer. On the other hand, there is practically no one present who has a close relationship with Yukinoshita, and Yukinoshita herself is not a talkative person, so she is very easy to impersonate.

Yukinoshita made an inviting gesture, deliberately letting Nakazeko and Yuihama walk in front of her, thus intentionally falling behind and walking with Kiyori.

"What should we do now?"

Forcing herself to calm down, Yukinoshita lowered her voice and spoke to Kiyoyori.

Kiyoshi frowned, completely at a loss for what to do next. She began to despair and think about how to destroy all her reeds when no one was looking.

"I do not know either."

Kiyoshi squeezed out the answer between his teeth, trying to calm his heart, which was pounding wildly with nervousness. Kiyoshi's mind was like a mixture of flour and water.

There is no reason to refuse to practice playing the instrument; in fact, a firm refusal at this time would give the impression that Kiyori Tachibana has a problem with someone present.

Am I left with no choice but to rely on my muscle memory?

Wait, Kiyora suddenly remembered that he had put the container where he stored the reeds in his room.

Kiyoshiro touched Yukinoshita seemingly casually with his hand. "After you assemble it, just blow it. If you can't make a sound, just say the reed is no longer usable. If Asuka asks about the reeds in the store, just say you can't find them."

Hearing her own voice whispering in her ear, Yukinoshita shrank back uncomfortably. "I understand."

The three people in front had already entered the practice room. When Kiyoyori and Yukinoshita walked in, Nakazeko and Asuka were already ready.

"You're so slow, Kiyotsuya," Asuka patted the stool next to her. "I've already assembled the oboe for you, and I've even soaked the reed in warm water for you."

Kiyoshi glanced at the whistle, which was gradually softening as it was soaked in warm water, and wished he could knock Yukinoshita unconscious right now.

Yukinoshita, standing beside her, also paused. Although she had never played the oboe before, she somehow had some knowledge about it in her mind, such as: the reed must be kept moist to function properly.

In other words, if Yukinoshita can't play the oboe with Kiyoyori's body now, it can't be said to be a problem with the oboe's hardware, but rather a problem with the player.

The key issue is that neither of them is sure if they can play the oboe under the snow.

Under Yuigahama's eager gaze, Yukinoshita sat down next to Asuka and attached the damp reed to the oboe.

Strangely, as she held the oboe, a familiar feeling suddenly welled up inside her, and her hands naturally rested on the silver keys.

"How about we play the 'Orfeo in Hell Overture'?" Asuka suggested with a smile.

Nakashiko paused slightly. "Okay, is it alright, Tachibana-san?"

This piece held a different meaning for the people present. Yukinoshita's fingers, resting on the silver keys, smoothly pressed out a section of the score, as if she were the real Tachibana Kiyori, the one who had aimed to become a professional musician since childhood.

Yukinoshita, suddenly feeling relieved, nodded.

"Let's begin then, let's start right from the climax."

That is, the most well-known segment.

Kiyoshi watched Yukinoshita's every move with bated breath, his hands tightly clasped behind his back, trying to keep his face expressionless. Kiyoshi felt his face was about to freeze.

The notes flowed smoothly from the three instruments: the trumpet's soaring notes, the euphonium's steady melody, and the oboe's melodious tune. They blended together as if by divine intervention, even though they had never played together before. The different parts blended perfectly.

This greatly surprised Kiyoshi, who was prepared to hear a disastrous performance. If everyone's attention hadn't been focused on the performance, Kiyoshi's out-of-control expression would probably have already revealed his true colors.

Is it because of her muscle memory?

If the accuracy and fluency of a performance can be explained by muscle memory, then what about the emotions contained within it?

It doesn't sound like someone playing this for the first time. To play such music, one must not only have talent in this area, but also have years of practice.

She even praised it better than she actually was...

Kiyoshi was startled when he realized this.

How is this possible...?

A certain emotion was growing wildly in her heart.

When the song ended, Yuihama immediately clapped enthusiastically.

"That was amazing!" She clapped until her hands hurt. "I suddenly want to hear the brass band play! Ah, it's such a pity I missed it yesterday!"

Zhong Shigu smiled and said, "There will be another chance next time."

"That's right! We'll be participating in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament in August, so everyone from the Service Club is welcome to come and cheer us on!"

Asuka winked playfully at Yuihama.

"How is it, Yukinoshita-san? This year's brass band is quite different from previous years."

Nakazeko smiled and looked at Kiyoyori. They had both experienced the brass band incident last year and knew the impact it had on everyone in the brass band. Although it ended that way, after all the suffering, they had found hope, and she wanted to share the joy that hope brought with Yukinoshita.

Only then did he realize that he was still playing the role of Kiyori, Yukino Yukinoshita, and suddenly came to his senses.

"It seems that this year's competition will be different from previous years."

Kiyoyori was simply expressing his thoughts, but he didn't expect that it would also resonate with Nakajiko's feelings.

“Yes,” Nakazeko said with an expectant look, “It will definitely be different, thanks to Yukinoshita-san!”

Before Kiyoyori could even begin to question those words, Asuka's next sentence plunged her into an icy abyss.

"Xiao Qinglai seems to be in a great mood today. Could it be that something good has happened to her?"

Asuka poked Yukinoshita's arm with her finger, but Yukinoshita responded with a cold expression, though a faint smile played on her lips.

Everyone seemed to be laughing, but Kiyoshi couldn't manage a smile.

P.S.: Actually, it's quite obvious. This is related to what I didn't write in the first volume and the story that happened on Yukino's side after the body swap.

I don't even dare to look at my current posts anymore; fewer and fewer people are watching them. I'm so sad. My workplace called today; barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll be officially starting work in July. I'm already getting nervous...

Chapter 27, Section 85: What is the next line after "able to cook"?

The phenomenon of body swapping was like a minor interlude, and time passed smoothly...

The workday didn't arrive smoothly.

Not long after that day, their bodies were switched back, and they made a pact via LINE to keep the secret until everything was clear. This meant that they had to play each other's roles during their body swaps. Due to the uncertainty of the timing and duration of the body swaps, for example, they swapped bodies again very quickly that very night. At that time, Kiyori was practicing, while Yukinoshita...

Taking a shower...

The exchange took only about ten minutes, but it felt like ten centuries to the two of them.

In particular, Kiyoyori nervously made the phone call afterward, and the two of them stood in silence on the phone for nearly three minutes. Kiyoyori didn't want to experience that Siberian cold wind that seemed to blow from the other end of the phone a second time.

To prevent such a situation from occurring during exams, band practice, or even competitions, the two decided to tutor each other during their spare time.

Yukinoshita would teach Kiyoyori second- or even third-year courses ahead of time. Similarly, Kiyoyori would teach Yukinoshita how to play the oboe, not through Kiyoyori's muscle memory, but by having Yukinoshita learn the oboe herself.

Thus began the tumultuous days for the two, where they had to fulfill their mission, deal with the body swap, and attend extracurricular tutoring.

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

"Hey there, little Qinglai!"

Yui greeted the person carrying a lunchbox. The Service Club members had decided to meet at noon to discuss matters related to Kawasaki Taishi's request, which also took into account Kiyoyori's after-school practice.

"Good afternoon, Yuihama Tomo—senpai."

I couldn't help but change my address halfway through, and no matter how many times I looked at that face, I couldn't easily call him "senior".

Good afternoon, Tachibana-kun.

He deliberately emphasized the last part of the address to remind the other person, and unsurprisingly, he received an unpleasant glare.

Good afternoon, Yukinoshita-senpai.

The two sat opposite each other in a huff, refusing to look at each other, and the atmosphere in the classroom became tense at a visible speed.

"Huh...? Did something happen between Yuki and Kiyora?"

"nothing."

Two voices rang out at the same time, but the coldness in one of them forced Yuihama to swallow back the words she was about to say.

"Shall we eat then...?"

Yuihama gestured to the two boys next to her with her eyes, and Hikigaya and Totsuka immediately opened their bento boxes. The aroma that filled the classroom effectively eased the conflict between Kiyori and Yukinoshita.

Kiyotomi opened the lunchbox she had brought. From the cooking to the plating, everything was exquisite, making her feel a guilty sense of guilt, as if she were eating a work of art. But then she looked at the bento box opposite her...

Because I didn't sleep well last night, I overslept this morning and hastily finished this bento. I usually just eat it myself, but I never expected that such a poorly made bento would end up in Yukinoshita-senpai's mouth. This must be the first time she has tasted her cooking...

Qinglai suffered a major defeat.

Yukinoshita was clearly still sulking because of the sudden body swap last night. Although it wasn't Kiyori's fault objectively, subjectively, Yukinoshita was indeed taken advantage of by Kiyori.

They're all girls, what's wrong with just glancing at her? Besides, none of them have her figure.

Kiyoshi took a bite of his bento box, feeling annoyed.

Whoever marries this senior will be incredibly lucky. She's elegant in public, a good cook in the kitchen, and a perfect bedmate—cough!

Kiyoshi covered her lips with her hand, turned her head and coughed muffledly, her beautiful face flushed red, even her ears were tinged with a blush.

"Xiaoxue? What's wrong?" Yuihama looked at Kiyoyori with concern. "Did you swallow something that went down your trachea? Do you want some water?"

"No...cough cough, it's nothing..."

Having calmed down, Kiyoshi turned her head with feigned composure and immediately saw the undisguised look of disgust in the eyes of the person opposite her. To make matters worse, that "don't tell anyone we know each other when we go out" expression was actually made by her own face.

Before the two boys could also focus their attention on Kiyori, who was losing control using Yukinoshita's body, Yukinoshita spoke first:

“I think that rather than having someone else forcefully intervene and offer advice, it would be better to let Kawasaki-san,” Yukinoshita paused, as something kicked the front of her calf, “change his mind himself.”

Hikigaya paused in his eating, his gaze shifting between Kiyora and Yukinoshita.

"So, Tachibana, do you have any ideas?"

Are you familiar with animal therapy?

Kiyoyori seemed to know what the other party wanted to say.