I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"I'm the one who should apologize."

Zhong Shigu quickly waved his hand, and the two fell silent for a moment.

"Didn't Nakashiko-senpai, Akira, Tanaka-senpai, and Ogasawara-senpai go with her?"

“Asuka and I live in opposite directions. Haruka went home first because of some family matters,” Nakazeko’s voice was like a warm evening breeze. “Yukinoshita’s house is actually quite close to mine.”

She winked playfully.

Kiyoyori maintained a faint smile on his face, but he didn't understand what Nakajiko really meant.

“I’m really grateful for what happened before,” Nakazeko said as she walked side by side with Kiyoyori, the cool high heels and wooden clogs making completely different sounds on the ground. “That child has changed a lot recently, and it seems she’s even joined the choir. It’s all thanks to Yukinoshita.”

It's the same old story again.

The two walked past the streetlights, Qinglai's eyes shifting between light and shadow.

That child?

"I just did what I was supposed to do."

Although the specifics are unclear, given Yukinoshita's dislike of meddling in other people's business, there must be some reason why she interacted with them. The only explanation is probably the Service Club.

"Yukinoshita-san is just as she always is."

Zhongshigu smiled brightly.

Looking at the other person's smile, Kiyoyori said, almost as if possessed:

“Senior Zhongshi Gu is the one who hasn’t changed at all.”

P.S.: How can I cure this habit of spacing out while reading, and then starting to play on my phone? I only managed to read two pages after finishing my writing this afternoon. I'm hopeless!

Chapter 60: Ordinary Daily Life

Kiyoyori and Nakazeko walked home in silence. Kiyoyori wanted to find out something from the other, but didn't know how to start. She was interested in what had happened to them last year, Nakazeko's attitude towards Asuka, and this gentle senior who was very popular among the brass band members.

A light drizzle started falling from the sky, even though the weather forecast said today would most likely be a sunny day.

They were still some distance from their home when the weather turned against them. The light drizzle gradually turned into large raindrops, and the downpour came suddenly, giving them no chance to catch their breath.

Raindrops pelted the two of them, striking the ground and splashing up small water droplets, turning the pattering rain into a rumbling noise.

Kiyoyori, wearing wooden clogs, stumbled and staggered along with Nakaseko, who was also having difficulty running, to take shelter under a not-so-spacious roof. Although it blocked the rain falling from above, it still couldn't stop the raindrops blown by the wind.

Kiyora sighed, patting the water droplets that hadn't yet seeped into her yukata. The already slightly heavy yukata, now soaked through, hung even more cumbersomely on her body. "Twenty percent rainfall, this is really..."

Standing next to Kiyoyori, Nakazeko was taking out a handkerchief from his small bag when he overheard Kiyoyori's mutterings and suddenly chuckled.

This barely suppressed smile drew Kiyoyori's attention. "Middle Ages Ko-senpai?"

"Ah, I'm sorry," Nakazeko said with a smile, handing a tissue to Kiyoyori. "I was just thinking about this time last year."

Qinglai thanked him softly and took a tissue to wipe his rain-soaked face and neck.

“It was raining just as hard that day,” Nakajiko said, looking up at the gray sky where countless transparent raindrops fell and the pitch blackness was indistinct. “'Today the precipitation rate is eighty percent. Don’t people bring umbrellas on days like this?'”

Kiyori didn't understand what she was saying, but Nakaseko didn't seem to care and just continued talking to herself:

"After what happened last year, I've always felt that as long as everyone gets along peacefully and practices together, that's enough. National tournaments and all that..." Nakashiko chuckled self-deprecatingly, "To be honest, I haven't even thought about it..."

“But this year’s advisor is Taki-sensei, and it seems, it’s like,” her voice trembled slightly, “that all of this could come true.”

"Taki-sensei is an excellent consultant."

Even if Kiyora dislikes the other party, this is an undeniable fact.

"So, Yukinoshita-san thinks so too? This year's brass band has been completely transformed, no, reborn from the ashes, which is why I..."

“Asuka scolded me today when I went to the shrine,” Nakazeko said, looking at the rain that showed no signs of letting up, “because I made a wish that the selection would go smoothly.”

"Isn't it a waste to use this kind of thing to make wishes to the gods?"

Because this is not something that requires making a wish to a god, nor is it something that can be achieved by making a wish to a god.

Nakazeko suddenly laughed, "I really do think that Yukinoshita and Asuka are quite similar sometimes."

Kiyoshiro frowned. In her opinion, Yukinoshita-senpai and Asuka were completely different people.

I don't think so.

“You said exactly the same thing to her, ‘Making a wish to the gods is such a waste, something you can do through your own efforts.’”

"I want to work hard, I want to play better, I want to go to the national competition, I want to..." prove it to her...

Nakashiko lowered her head, her short hair, wet with rain, clung to her cheeks, preventing Kiyoshi from seeing her expression.

"I'm already in third grade..."

"Isn't Senior Medieval Kou the head of the trumpet club?"

"This year's freshmen are all very talented..."

She clenched her fists, leaned against the dirty warehouse door, and said nothing more.

It was raining heavily outside the eaves. There wasn't a single dry patch on the exposed dark ground. Raindrops fell from the sky, splashing into small water droplets and making loud, noisy noises that made it impossible to hear the sound of the rain falling outside.

The world under the eaves was peaceful. On the dry ground, there were only two wet footprints and raindrops. Rain dripped from the hem of their soaked summer clothes, making small watermarks and faint sounds. It was so quiet that you could hear your own heartbeat.

But why is it raining in whose heart too?

The noise drowned out the sound of the person crying.

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

Life continues on its orderly course, never looking back, just like walking on a one-way street, passively pushing those unwilling to move forward into an unknown future.

The excitement brought by the county festival quickly subsided in the brass band. Putting aside their playful mood, the members unanimously threw themselves into endless practice. There was group practice between different sections, and individual practice between members of different sections. Everyone seemed to have found their own secret practice space, all striving for the same goal. At this moment, they were comrades-in-arms and enemies.

Those who are not good enough will be eliminated, just like the survival of the fittest in the ruthless nature, which has been the case from ancient times to the present.

No one wants to be eliminated. Whether you enter Group A as the representative of the All-Wu High School to enter the competition, or you are a soloist who is the focus of everyone's attention in the competition, someone will always win the championship, and someone will always disappear into the crowd.

Reina remained as diligent as ever, and Nakaseko-senpai also showed no signs of slacking off.

It seems like nothing has changed, yet it also seems like everything has changed.

The oboe club, consisting of only two people, seemed to be no different from usual. Kiyoyori and Mizore would still take time to make reeds on this special day. On this day of the week, the oboe club was always the quietest place on the entire floor.

Unlike Kiyori, who was determined to win the solo performance, Mizore seemed to have no particular desire for the solo and didn't care much about the audition. She would only smile at Kiyori on rare occasions, and she would sincerely encourage Kiyori, but she herself was not interested in anything. However, her tone was still perfect, like an emotionless machine.

Unlike the calm and collected oboe section, the bass section seems to be facing a silent storm.

Recently, Kiyori has often seen Asuka practicing alone outside, as if she can't stand the bass part. She even runs to Kiyori's house more often after dinner, and the two of them stay in the basement for several hours at a time. Sometimes they even stay overnight at Tachibana's residence.

Even so, Aunt Aso has not yet voiced any disapproval, because...

Kiyoshi glanced at Asuka, who was sleeping soundly on her bed, then went to the desk and put their homework into their respective school bags, along with their scores from the most recent third-grade standardized test.

As expected of Asuka, her overall scores firmly placed her within the University of Tokyo's admission range.

Seeing the dark circles under Asuka's eyes, Kiyoshi could do nothing.

The helpless sigh disappeared into the last glimmer of light from the incandescent bulb.

P.S.: Why does my senior call Kiyoshi "Shimizu-kun"? I seem to remember mentioning that Kiyoshi's online name is actually "Shimizu-kun," or maybe I forgot to write it down. Anyway, since the two of them met online, my senior habitually calls Kiyoshi "Shimizu-kun," but sometimes she just calls him by his name.

Chapter 61, Section 121: For Whom Does It Play?

The sweltering weather always makes people feel listless. The dazzling sunlight makes people dizzy, and the surging heat penetrates from every direction. The cicadas chirp intermittently, and the sticky sweat clings to the white sweatshirt on the skin. Occasionally a cool breeze passes through, but it cannot take away the heat of midsummer.

After leaving the sports field, Kiyotaka took advantage of the physical education teacher's inattention and hid under the shade of a tree not far away. She lay down on a wooden chair that had absorbed a lot of heat, the stored heat of which seemed to burn her back.

"It's so hot..."

Kiyoshi covered his eyes with his arm to block out the dappled sunlight filtering through the green leaves, and gently lifted the hem of his short-sleeved shirt to reveal a glimpse of his toned abdomen beneath.

"I was wondering where you ran off to slack off."

Reina covered her face with her hand as she walked towards Kiyoyori.

"Excuse me."

She nudged Kiyoyori, who was sprawled on the bench like a lump of flesh, eliciting a huffy expression from him after being disturbed. Reina lifted Kiyoyori's head, then sat down and casually placed his head on her lap.

"If I give you a lap pillow, don't make that face."

Kiyoshi felt Reina's body temperature emanating from under his sweatpants, and after thinking for a moment, he decided not to say what was on his mind.

For the sake of the lap pillow.

"How was the festival?"

Kiyoshi comfortably put his hand down, then placed Reina's hand over his eyes to help block the sunlight.

"Um--"

Through the gap between Reina's fingers, Kiyoyori could vaguely see the corners of her lips curling up. Realizing that he was being "spyed on," Reina clenched her fingers, and Kiyoyori's vision was instantly plunged into darkness.

Kiyoshi grinned, deliberately trying to tease Reina by looking at her expression. Reina, however, used one hand to firmly hold Kiyoshi's eyes closed, and then used the other hand to hold Kiyoshi's head still as it moved.

"Something interesting seems to have happened between you two."

Before Kiyoshi even left the house that day, he received a LINE message from Reina. It contained several photos, including selfies of her in various casual clothes standing in front of a full-length mirror. Some were her usual pantsuits, and some were dresses that Kiyoshi had never seen her wear before. Although he was a little jealous, Kiyoshi still dutifully helped Reina choose clothes.

"What did you wear to your date with Huang Qian?"

It seemed that Kiyoyori's words had angered Reina. Reina released her hand, and the glaring sunlight made Kiyoyori unable to open her eyes. The next second, she felt her nose being pinched.

"Lina..."

She begged for mercy in a muffled voice.

“Is there a problem with that white dress?” Reina gently pulled away from Kiyoyori’s nose, brushing a strand of hair from her neck as if to cover her face.

Kiyotomi suppressed a laugh. "No, won't I get stung badly by mosquitoes if I wear that outfit up the mountain?"