I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

What about Qinglai?

She couldn't hold that umbrella for her, and neither could Takigaki.

Takigaki is her umbrella.

Qinglai was that rain.

P.S.: This weather is awful! It looks like it's clearing up today, but the forecast is full of thunderstorms. Does this mean we can't schedule training sessions in this kind of weather?

Chapter 69: Her and Her Growing Apart

"What's wrong? It's really not like you to stand up for others."

On his way home, Kiyoshi remained silent in response to Asuka.

“Not to mention getting yourself involved,” Asuka sighed. “You don’t think that by shifting everyone’s attention to yourself, Kousaka and Kaori will be safe, do you? In the end, they are the main characters in this matter. You can stop them for a while, but you can’t stop them forever.”

"I know."

Kiyoshi answered in a low voice.

Asuka could hear Kiyori's dejection in her tone.

"Is it really okay for things to be like that with Taki-sensei?"

If Kiyoyori and Reina's relationship is more like that of close friends of the same age who share the same interests but still keep some secrets, then Asuka and Kiyoyori's relationship is more like that of family members who know everything about each other without reservation.

Asuka knew all about Kiyoyori's entanglement with Takigatsu, things Reina was unaware of. She had even served as Kiyoyori's emotional dumping ground for a time, listening to the impetuous young Kiyoyori complain about the man who had taken her teacher away. But at that time, Kiyoyori had mixed feelings about Takigatsu, until—

Until the person they cared about most in their lives left.

As if overnight, Kiyoyori could no longer bring herself to talk about her teacher or Takigaki. She began to distance herself from the oboe, from music, and from Asuka.

Those were the days Asuka least wanted to look back on.

"It's okay, he knows it all along anyway."

Kiyoshi didn't care what the other members of the brass band thought about it. To those who had nothing to do with it, it was like a trending topic on the internet that would soon disappear.

"I mean, Kousaka-san."

Asuka is an observant person. From the moment Kousaka couldn't help but retaliate, and from her willingness to do so, it's not hard to guess that Kousaka admires Taki, just like Yuko admires Kaori. They are both standing up for the people they care about.

For both Kiyoyori and Kousaka, the other was an irreplaceable presence in their lives. Perhaps for Kousaka, nothing was more painful than the disapproval of his choices by someone close to him.

"Aren't you going to talk to Kousaka-san about this?"

Kiyoshi looked conflicted, but in the end, he shook his head.

"We are not ready yet."

Asuka had no right to interfere, nor was she interested in doing so; she shrugged indifferently.

"Kiyoshi, the last sentence."

Asuka stopped and stood at the top of the stairs, while Kiyoyori continued walking forward, seemingly oblivious to Asuka's words.

"Kaori is not a substitute for her."

Kiyoshi stopped abruptly and turned to look at Asuka.

The setting sun shone from behind Asuka, casting shadows on her face. Kiyoshi couldn't see her expression. Looking up at Asuka bathed in sunlight, Kiyoshi felt that even though they were only a few steps apart, Asuka was unreachable. Even though the height of summer was approaching, Kiyoshi felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

“Asuka thinks,” Kiyori began, her voice slightly hoarse, “who is more suited to a solo performance?”

"Heh," Asuka chuckled softly from her high vantage point, as if her earlier seriousness had been nothing more than Kiyori's illusion. "Is it really okay for little Kiyori to ask me that? I'm the vice-captain, you know~."

"Can't I even tell you?"

Ah, that expression is just irresistible.

but--

"Xiao Qinglai, you also said that we are going to the national competition."

Only you,

"Of course, the more skilled person should perform."

I can't tell you the truth.

"Is that so..."

As Kiyori was deep in thought with his head down, Asuka slowly walked down the stairs and passed by him.

The corners of her mouth, which had been slightly upturned, slowly fell, forming a straight line.

"How boring."

She muttered to herself.

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

As time went on, it seemed to have become a stalemate. Just as Asuka had predicted, the shock brought by Kiyori's explosive words did not last long. It was like throwing a stone into a flowing river, creating ripples, but quickly returning to normal. Perhaps it was because of Kiyori's undisguised disgust that some people believed there was nothing wrong with Kiyori's selection. The fact that he was able to obtain the qualification for a solo performance despite his mutual dislike for the advisor further demonstrated Kiyori's performance level.

One has to admire the incredible gossip and imagination of girls in this age group.

In contrast, the three main characters who once again became the center of attention, Nakazeko became someone everyone sympathized with, Reina became someone everyone despised, and Takigaki instantly lost the prestige he had built up since the start of the school year. Faced with the doubts and speculations of his club members, Takigaki simply remained silent, which, in the eyes of those club members who were full of "sense of justice," seemed more like an admission of his "sins."

For a time, let alone preparing for the competition, even the most basic ensemble performance couldn't meet the requirements.

Day after day, it was just group practice.

Gradually, those who were not satisfied with just attacking the "dirty" relationship between Reina and Taki began to demand that Reina resign from the solo performance and hand over the qualification to Nakazeko. Such calls continued to grow, not only from those "righteous people" but also from those who hoped that the orchestra could unite as soon as possible to face the competition, even though they knew that Reina had not done anything wrong.

……………………………………………………………

"Shh-"

The classroom door opened, and Reina walked out. Kiyoyori was standing by the window in the corridor waiting. Without exchanging a single glance, Reina left.

Kiyoshi sighed and walked into the classroom with the words "Bilateral Discussion" written on it.

"Hey, Tachibana."

Sitting in the empty classroom was Shizuka Hiratsuka, the homeroom teacher of Class J, Grade 1.

"Sit here."

She pointed to the spot in front of her.

"Hiratsuka-sensei."

Kiyoshi bowed slightly and then sat down in the designated spot. Across from him, Hiratsuka Shizuka was flipping through several sheets of paper, which were the results of a recent comprehensive test.

"Your grades are still as stable as before," Hiratsuka Shizuka tapped the paper with her hand. "I heard from Yukinoshita that she's been tutoring you?"

“Yes.” Kiyoyori nodded.

“Hmm, you don’t need to be too hard on yourself. You need to relax a bit,” Hiratsuka Shizuka put the report card aside and stared at Kiyoyori. Her sharp gaze made Kiyoyori feel like he had nowhere to escape. “Do you have any plans for your future? What’s your ideal job, or which university do you want to go to? With your grades, getting into your desired school shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

It was as if Kiyoyori already knew the answer before even asking.

"I will become a professional oboe player."

It's not that I want to become, it's that I will become.

"Hmm, exactly the same answer as Kousaka."

A seemingly casual remark made Qinglai clench his clasped hands even tighter.

"It's so good to be young."

Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled knowingly.

P.S.: "She" is Chihiro. Reina doesn't know this; even friends don't tell each other everything. The full truth about the teacher will have to wait until later.

Chapter 70, Section 130: I hate it the most.

"I've heard about what happened in the brass band recently."

Hiratsuka Shizuka took out a lighter from her pocket, rubbed it for a moment, and then put it back in her pocket.

Kiyoshi did not respond.

"Although there have been some minor setbacks, at least it's starting to look promising. You're much luckier than last year's kids."

"Last year?" Kiyoyori looked up. "Last year again? What happened last year? And is it related to the Service Department?"

"Ah, don't worry about it so much. After all, it's all in the past. Isn't what's more important now what's next?"

“If this situation continues, the wind band will have no future.”

Although Taki's arrival brought a glimmer of hope to the previously chaotic brass band, this hard-won dam was merely an empty shell. The seeds of doubt already buried deep in the members' hearts would grow wildly once exposed to the light, until they destroyed the entire dam. Kiyora still harbored some resentment towards Taki; if he hadn't been so honest…

"Hahahahaha!"

Kiyoyori looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka, who suddenly burst into laughter, with a puzzled expression. She didn't understand what was so funny.

“Ah, no,” Hiratsuka Shizuka wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes with her fingers, “I was just thinking that even though this year is completely the opposite of last year, you still say the exact same things.”

Hiratsuka Shizuka would always inadvertently bring up "last year," just like the third-year students in the brass band and Yukinoshita, she was unwilling to tell Kiyoyori the truth in detail.

"Tachibana, you won't know if a road has a future until you reach its end, because new opportunities will always emerge."

"Your path hasn't even begun, so why be in such a hurry to make a judgment about it?"

"These things aren't very obvious—"

Hiratsuka Shizuka interrupted Kiyori, "Life isn't made up of constants."

Qinglai opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

“Everything changes. For example, if you tell people from last year what happened this year, they will think it’s ridiculous. But that’s how these coincidences happen,” Hiratsuka Shizuka said, holding a cigarette between her lips without lighting it. “Tachibana, you will meet many, many people on this road, get to know them, and then part ways. No one will stay with you forever, and you can’t stay with one person forever either.”

"The more you try to hold on to something, the easier it is to slip through your fingers."