I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

The girl's imposing gaze stunned the third-year student. To regain her composure, she could only shout at the girl again:

"What are you looking at! If you want to play the flute, find a secluded place to play it. Don't stay here and pollute our ears."

Then she glared fiercely at the few silent club members playing cards diagonally in front of her. Under the threat of her gaze, the club members had no choice but to join in the verbal attacks against the girl.

"Exactly, if you want to practice, find somewhere else to practice. Don't stay here; it's an eyesore."

"No matter how much you practice, you'll never be able to participate in the major competition!"

"Didn't you say you were leaving the department? Why aren't you leaving yet? Hurry up and leave!"

The girl gripped the flute tightly, gritted her teeth, and her slightly ferocious expression seemed out of place on her otherwise handsome face. Her chest heaved violently, as if she were enduring something. She trembled and was about to retaliate when there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Excuse me, may I borrow a trash can here?"

Standing at the door was Yukinoshita, who had somehow produced an empty milk carton. She shook the carton in her hand, pretending to be troubled, but her cold voice sent chills down one's spine.

"Huh? You come here to throw away the trash?" Although somewhat displeased, the third-year student still granted Yukinoshita's request upon seeing the pitiful-looking beautiful girl standing at the door. "Come in, the trash can is over there."

She pointed to the corner near the window.

That milk carton...

Kasaki Nozomi recognized the package; it was a return gift she had prepared for Mizore after she gave her milk at noon. She hadn't drunk it yet and had placed it on the windowsill in the corridor before practice, intending to give it to her when she got home.

Did this girl do it on purpose? Did she deliberately barge in at this time to interrupt me?

"The technology for creating junk files is getting more and more advanced lately."

A girl with delicate, doll-like features tossed a milk carton into the trash can and said:

"Listen, they've just learned to shout and yell."

Chapter 09 Not all efforts will yield the desired results.

"The technology for garbage disposal is getting more and more advanced these days. Listen, they've just learned to shout and yell."

Yukino smiled and said to the senior students, "After bending down to throw the milk carton into the trash can, I straightened up and glanced at Kasaki, who was standing to the side."

Their eyes met for less than a second, but Umaki understood the meaning in the other's eyes.

"Excuse me, seniors."

Yukino nodded slightly, and without waiting for anyone else to react, she gracefully walked out the door. Ignoring the curses that followed, Kasaki picked up his backpack and went out as well.

"that!"

On the open-air corridor connecting the two teaching buildings, the summer evening breeze lifted the hems of their skirts.

"Thank you for earlier."

Umbrella Tree smiled coolly at the snow beneath her tilted head. She turned her back and pinched the end of her hair with the hand holding the flute. The silver flute reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight.

"You're welcome. I just can't stand those people who are so arrogant and have no opinions of their own."

Yukino turned around to face Kasaki, the two of them at a distance that was neither too close nor too far. The sunlight shifted, casting Kasaki's smile, which was closer to the school building, into shadow, leaving only a small section of his flute exposed to the sunlight.

"Thank you," Kasaki simply said, "Yukinoshita-kun."

Yukino raised an eyebrow slightly; Kasaki Nozomi was more sensitive than she had imagined.

“Actually, I saw you this morning,” Kasaki Fubuki said, tugging at the hem of her skirt. “Right here. If you had just asked around, you would have known what Yukinoshita was doing here.”

"The Service Club, Yukinoshita-san is really amazing..."

There was no sarcasm in her tone, only sincere praise. In a society where most people are only concerned with satisfying their own selfish desires, it is truly admirable that there are still people who aim to "change the world." Kasaki Nozomi really admires them.

Ultimately, her actions were merely to satisfy her own selfish desires. She imposed her regret and ambition for not winning the gold medal in junior high school on others, and even incited their emotions. What is this if not selfishness?

Just standing next to this person made her feel so worthless.

"There's nothing amazing about it, I just want to do what I want to do."

Yukinoshita answered in this way.

Changing the world sounds like a delusion, a delusion belonging to Yukino Yukinoshita. But she is different from others. She will not let her delusion remain just a delusion. She will take action and has the ability to make it a reality. That is her idea.

Whether it's self-satisfaction or wishful thinking, Yukino Yukinoshita doesn't care about other people's opinions.

"It's good to be so determined to do what you want to do..." Kasaki lowered his head.

"Isn't Kasaki-kun also very determined? To advance to the national tournament? Isn't that your goal?"

"Ha ha……"

Kasaki forced a smile, his hands gripping the backpack strap so tightly his knuckles turned white. "But that's just... just wishful thinking. You saw it, Yukino-san, right? With that kind of skill, it's impossible to enter the national tournament."

"Doing nothing is indeed impossible; even I, a layman, can tell that."

Yukinoshita nodded. The brass band here was far inferior to Tachibana Kiyoyori's school. The most fatal flaw was that the members here did not share a common goal. Some were working hard, while others were indifferent. It was only a matter of time before such a team, no, such a gang, would breed conflict.

"right……"

Umbrella Tree grinned, giving a slightly embarrassed smile.

"That's a really ugly smile, Kasaki-kun."

Kasaki's smile froze on her face for a moment, her lips slowly drooping as she lowered her head and stared at the tip of her horn. Darkness engulfed Kasaki Nozomi.

"How can I laugh? Looking at people like that, I just feel so stupid for trying so hard, so stupid for trying so hard to persevere..."

Umaki gripped the flute tightly, then quickly released it, as if afraid of breaking her beloved partner; her hand trembled.

"All dreams start from scratch. If you don't work hard, they will never come true. No matter how absurd your fantasy is, if you don't try to make it happen, it will always remain just a fantasy."

Language is inadequate, and Yukinoshita does not expect to liberate Kasaki Nozomi from her self-imposed predicament with just a few words.

"But not all efforts end in success!"

Umbrella Tree grabbed the hem of her skirt and shouted down into the snow.

"No matter how hard some people try, there is a limit, and this limit cannot be overcome by effort alone!"

It's talent...

Umbrella Tree twitched its shoulders, and drop by drop, the gray-white ground turned dark.

"Not everyone can achieve their goals just by working hard, like Yukinoshita-san!"

No matter how hard she tried, Kasaki Nozomi could never become the person she wanted to be. Their last competition in middle school ended in defeat. She had tried so hard, but why did she end up with nothing? She had made a vow to win the national gold medal in high school, but why could she only be a human standing on the ground, looking up at the bluebird with wings that flew freely?

"I can't hold on any longer..."

The shadows of the teaching building encroached on a third of the corridor. Kasaki Nozomi stood in the deepest part of the shadows, gazing at Yukino Yukinoshita, who was still bathed in sunlight. She was so dazzling that even though she was within reach, she was still out of reach.

"If we fail this time, we can try again next time." Since this year's third graders can't do it, then we'll wait for the next year's first graders.

It's easy to say these words, but very difficult to do them, for everyone, even Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Haha—" Umbrella Tree suddenly burst out laughing, throwing her backpack to the ground and covering her face with her hands. "Hahahaha—"

"Hahaha……"

Kasaki bent over, her laughter turning into sobs as she cried out in anguish, "We don't have that many second chances. Every time we use one, it's one less. We're a brass band, not a club where one person can lead the whole group to the top just because they play well. Unlike Yukinoshita, you only need to take care of yourself!"

Darkness was about to encroach on half of the corridor, and the toes beneath the snow had already touched it. It was like a ball of fire, burning out in silence.

"So you're just going to quit like this?"

Yukinoshita watched as Kasaki wiped away her tears in the distance and asked.

“I told you, I can’t hold on any longer in a place like this.”

Umbrella sniffed hard, her nasal passages blocked from crying giving her words a cute nasal tone.

"If you quit now, you'll lose the opportunity for the next two years. Since you have the ability to enter the competition group, the brass band will be yours after this year's third-year students leave. Even so, are you still going to give up?"

In Yukinoshita's view, resigning now would be handing over future performance opportunities to others. Since Kasaki is so obsessed with the National Tournament, why not take a longer-term view?

“It’s impossible here… The reason why Soubu High’s brass band has fallen to this state is not only because of the members, but also because of the problems with the management of the advisors. If the root cause cannot be addressed, the brass band will never change.”

Umbrella shook his head and said self-deprecatingly, "It seems I'm destined to never win the gold medal."

Yukinoshita clenched her fists, her shoulders trembling slightly. She took a deep breath, her gaze sharpening as she looked at Kasaki. She took a step back and stood back in the sunlight. "Then it seems there's nothing more to say between Kasaki and me."

"Thank you, Yukinoshita-san, thank you so much."

Yukino turned around, leaving Umaki behind, and walked straight towards another teaching building.

"I don't think I've done anything that deserves to be thanked."

"Farewell, Kasaki-kun."

Chapter 10 A Gentle Request?

When Yukino stepped out of the teaching building, the sunset had already enveloped the entire Chiba district. The crimson sun was near the horizon, still dutifully shining on the earth, but not blindingly.

"Yukinoshita-kun".

A gentle voice called out to Yukino Shino, who was about to leave the school. She turned around and saw a senior she had never seen before, with short black hair and a beauty mark on the corner of her left eye.

"You are……?"

“Ah—” Nakazeko was clearly surprised that the other party did not recognize her, but she quickly put away her surprised expression. “I am Nakazeko Kaori, whom I met yesterday. I am a second-year student and belong to the trumpet club of the brass band.

Yukinoshita subtly raised an eyebrow. "Senior Chūseko, is there anything I can help you with?"

“Actually,” Nakazeko approached Yukinoshita, “I just happened to overhear your conversation with Nozomi…”

Yukinoshita nodded knowingly. "Tanaka-senpai said that if I need to know about the first-year students, I can go to Kasaki-kun."

"Huh? Asuka said that?"

Nakazeko was surprised; clearly, she was well aware of Asuka's absolutely neutral stance.

"Is there anything you'd like to say, senior?"

"Ah, um..." Nakazeko answered hesitantly, as if she was struggling with something. Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed together, and after a moment she continued, "Actually, there's something I'd like to ask Yukinoshita-san. It's not convenient to talk about it here, could we go somewhere else?"

Nakajiko looked pleadingly at the snow beneath.

Yukino looked around but didn't see any other students. Logically, most students should have already left the campus by now, but she still respected her senior's idea.

"Is it about the commission?"