I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Asuka blinked, seemingly puzzled by Kiyori's question. "Is Kiyori nervous?"

Kiyoshi fiddled with the towel in his hand. "I wouldn't say."

"Really? I think Kiyoyori will definitely be fine."

"Thank you so much for your kind words."

Kiyoshi turned around and hung the towel back on the rack.

How could she not be nervous? Just seeing Takigatsu, just having him as the person conducting the audition, made her heart pound as if it would jump out of her throat. She didn't like Takigatsu, but she hoped to gain his professional recognition, because she could no longer get the recognition she wanted, because he, like her, deeply missed the same person.

That's going too far, isn't it?

She forcefully smoothed out the wrinkles in the towel.

……………………………………………………………

"Good morning."

As soon as they entered Soubu High School, they began to encounter members of the brass band one after another.

"Asuka-senpai!"

Catching up from behind were Huang Qian, Kato, and Kawashima, all belonging to the bass section.

"Um!" Kawashima stood next to the already tall Asuka, appearing even smaller. "I'm so sorry! Asuka-senpai! I shouldn't have—"

"What the heck!" Asuka interrupted Kawashima loudly, her face showing an exaggerated expression. "You're so serious! Whatever, Kawashima, you'd better do your best in today's audition. After all, you're a rare double bass player in our brass band!"

"I will do my best!"

"Very good, very good," Asuka smiled and patted Kawashima's soft head. "Kimae and Kato, keep up the good work!"

"Ah, yes!"

Like a primary school student suddenly called on by the teacher, Huang Qian reflexively straightened up. She glanced at Qing Lai with a wandering look, then looked away as if she had done something guilty.

Chiyorai:?

Without giving Kiyoyori a chance to ask questions, Huang Qian grabbed Kato and Kawashima and ran into the teaching building, disappearing in an instant, leaving Kiyoyori and Asuka completely bewildered.

"Kiyoshi, aren't you satisfied with just you and Mizore in the oboe club? So you've set your sights on our bass club? I thought Yukinoshita from the service club was enough."

What are you talking about...?

P.S.: It will take Qinglai quite some time to truly let go of his obsession with teachers. He has gradually come up with the idea, but putting it into practice is not so simple.

Chapter 63, Section 123: Precisely Stepping on a Landmine

"We are about to begin this selection process. The practice room will serve as the assessment venue. Only one member is allowed to enter for the assessment at a time. Other members who have not yet had their turn, please wait in your respective sections. The next member to be assessed will be informed by the member who has finished the previous assessment."

Taki stood in front of the podium in the practice room. The practice room, which was originally filled with chairs and music stands, had been cleared out under Ogasawara's direction, leaving only two tables and chairs for the two teachers to use, as well as a chair and a shelf placed in the center not far from the tables and chairs.

All the members were scattered in the open space, following Taki's orders.

"This assessment may take a lot of time. We will try our best to finish the assessment of all members today and give the final list of participants in the competition in a few days."

As Taki said this, the members of the brass band underground all took a deep breath in unison. Some of the girls even nervously crossed their arms over their chests, as if they were praying for something.

"Of course, including the list of soloists, we will give every contestant who believes they are qualified to perform a solo an opportunity. There are a total of 55 eligible contestants for this competition, which means that there will definitely be a few students among you who will not be selected."

Are you all nervous?

Taki's words immediately elicited responses from several girls, who said in trembling voices that they were nervous.

"I think so too, but I believe every student has done their best, after all, our goal is the national competition. It's okay, so please show everyone your strongest strength today."

Nakazeko glanced at Asuka, who was listening intently to Takigatsu's speech. Asuka seemed completely unaware of her gaze, while her junior, Yoshikawa Yuko, standing beside her, quietly cheered her on. Nakazeko forced a smile but focused her attention on Reina, who was standing diagonally in front of her.

“Thank you all so much for taking the time out of your rest days,” Taki said, spreading his hands. “But this is also a choice you all made yourselves. We will take the first step toward the National Tournament here. Please show me your best performance and let’s move closer to this goal together.”

"So,"

He clasped his hands together and made fists.

Let's begin.

"The first part to start is the trumpet part."

“Zhongshigu, let’s start with you.”

Zhong Shigu stepped forward with his trumpet, took a deep breath, and

"Yes!"

……………………………………………………………

Kiyoshi followed the crowd back to the empty oboe department. Mizore was sitting in the seat closest to the window, staring blankly at the window of the opposite teaching building.

"Senior Mizore?"

Ying turned her head, and Chao Qinglai tilted his head in response, as if to greet her.

Is there anything on the other side?

Kiyoyori noticed that Mizore seemed to enjoy staring blankly at the window opposite.

"Pufferfish".

"Pufferfish?"

“Hmm,” Mizore curled up her knees, her blue indoor shoes falling to the ground. She hugged her legs with both hands and rested her chin on her knees. “There’s a biology classroom across the street that raises pufferfish.”

"Is Mizore-senpai taking care of those pufferfish?"

Ying nodded.

"Should we go check it out now? We're the last voice in the series anyway."

For various reasons, the oboe section has always been small in number. Although the woodwind section is not as advantageous as the brass section in terms of either volume or number of members, it is precisely because of the oboe's outstanding tone that it attracts Kiyoshi.

"it is good."

Passing by many vocal sections, apart from a few sections whose members would soon be selected and who mostly stayed in their respective classrooms, most people were seizing every opportunity to practice and consolidate their skills. There weren't many people as leisurely as the two oboists who were also going to see pufferfish.

The sounds of various musical instruments playing their respective timbres drift from the window, rising and falling in waves, but the most captivating is Reina's trumpet playing in the open-air corridor.

Instead of waiting in the classroom with her seniors, she practiced alone. She had memorized the sheet music and could press the correct notes without thinking. The trumpet's tone was ethereal and melodious, as if she were a person standing on the ground looking at the moon, imagining herself soaring in space and dancing with the moon and stars.

"Is it really okay if we don't wait inside?"

When the song ended, Kiyora and Mizore stood quietly at the door, waiting.

"You can see it right here."

Reina lowered the trumpet from her lips and stared at the practice room with its doors tightly closed at the end of the school building corridor.

"Kaori-senpai, you've been inside for a long time."

Before the first contestant even left the house, the time had already exceeded Kiyoyori's original expectations, and even Reina's face showed a worried expression.

"After all, he's Taki-sensei."

Qinglai, however, remained calm.

"Yes." Reina nodded. "We're out."

Kiyoshi followed Reina's gaze and happened to see Nakaseko push open the door and walk out of the classroom. Her expression was serious, and she did not linger. She walked towards the trumpet club's classroom, but unexpectedly, she only glanced at the door, briefly responded to the concern from her juniors, and left the classroom again. Then she walked firmly towards the open-air corridor.

She opened the door.

“Kousaka-san,” Nakazeko said, standing at the door without coming in, “you are next.”

Reina showed a moment of surprise, but quickly regained her composure. She bowed to Nakashiko and said, "Okay, I'll go right away."

He then nodded to Qinglai and strode towards the practice room.

“Middle Ages Predecessor”.

"Kaori-senpai."

Kiyoshi and Mizore also bowed to Nakashiko.

"You two should keep up the good work too."

Nakajiko and the other person gave each other a thumbs-up, and then led Yoshikawa, who had followed her out, back to the trumpet club.

"Kaori-senpai seems very uneasy."

Mizore's sudden voice surprised Kiyoyori.

"Speaking of which, it seems like everyone really likes Senior Nakajiko."

Kiyoyori noticed that everyone in the brass band, except for her, seemed to address Nakaseko-senpai directly by her first name.

“Yes,” Mizore nodded vigorously, “Kaori-senpai is very kind.”

She didn't say much, but Kiyoshi intuitively felt that it was related to what happened in the brass band last year. This matter was not only related to the brass band, but also involved the service club. However, the key members who controlled the brass band and the service club, which only had Yukinoshita last year, chose to remain silent about it.

interesting.

Ying walked straight to the biology classroom, took out her key as if she knew the way well, opened the door, and then walked to the fish tank where several pufferfish were kept.

Unlike the music classroom, the biology classroom is filled with more biology-related items, such as specimens of various insects, and display cases showcasing a number of laboratory equipment.

Sunlight shines through the glass aquarium and refracts in the water. Pufferfish swim in the small tub, confined to an invisible little world. They frequently bump into the walls, but eventually, they get used to this little world.

Mizore seemed to really like pufferfish, but Kiyoyori didn't seem to have much interest in them.

The window displaying the pufferfish faces the flute club classroom, and next to it is the practice room where the election is taking place. Through the window, Kiyoyori can see Reina with her back straight.

"There are so many people in the flute section, it's almost as many as the brass section. They're both woodwind instruments, but the difference is huge."

Kiyoshi sighed softly.

Upon hearing this, Yingjia clenched the edge of the table, her face turning pale.

P.S.: I suddenly realized that the style of the extra chapters has become a bit silly, with Kiyori and Kumiko being relentlessly persecuted hhhh. Kiyori truly deserves to be called a gaming black hole.