I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Yoshikawa clutched the handkerchief in her hand, sobbing and unable to utter a complete sentence.

To give each other some time to cool down and space to vent, Kiyoyori and Reina left the classroom first, while Huang, who should have been outside the classroom, was nowhere to be seen.

"Since you're so good at talking, why don't you explain everything clearly?"

"I don't know how to say what you want to know."

Reina scoffed dismissively, "Then I'll give you time. When do you plan to tell me?"

"At least not now."

Kiyoshi sighed with a headache.

“I hate you, Kiyoyori,” Reina turned around and looked intently into Kiyoyori’s eyes. She had never felt that those lake-blue eyes were so unfamiliar. “It’s because you know everything, yet you choose to say nothing and do nothing, thinking that staying the way you are is best for everyone. How are you any different from Yuko-senpai? What gives you the right to decide how I feel?”

"There's no difference, because I care about you, and I care about how you see me. I can't lose you."

Kiyoshi's answer was equally earnest, even though she still couldn't give Reina the answer she wanted.

Reina turned around and looked at Kiyoyori with her long black hair, "Even if you say nice things, I will not forgive you."

After saying that, he walked quickly forward as if trying to cover something up.

Qinglai smiled wryly.

"I'll treat you to shaved ice after the selection process is over!"

Reina abruptly stopped in her tracks, and as she turned around, her hair drew a graceful arc in the air, just like the corners of her lips.

"I want a purple Argentina."

"it is good."

P.S.: Why are there still people who like stomach medicine? Don't worry, there will be plenty more in the future, hehe.

Chapter 78 (Section 138) Saying no, but really meaning it.

When the band arrived at the concert hall, Taki was already waiting there. Kiyoyori looked at the concert hall with mixed feelings and hesitated to go forward.

"We will practice here today."

While the members were looking around and exclaiming "Wow, it's huge!", Taki no Uchiha didn't forget to pour cold water on their enthusiasm.

“The official competition hall is much larger than this, so we must practice until our playing can fill the entire hall,” she clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Alright, everyone, let’s get ready. We’re on a tight schedule, so we need to make the most of every minute.”

"Yes!"

“By the way,” Takigatsu found Reina and Nakazeko in the crowd, “before we officially begin practice, we will have a second round of auditions for the trumpet solo. Please be prepared. Nakazeko and Kousaka, you two don’t need to participate in the preparations. Please prepare yourselves.”

"Yes!"

Kiyoshi stood on the stage at the very front of the hall, holding a folding chair in his arms, his gaze following Reina's back until she disappeared around the corner.

"Is it really unrelated to the past?"

Qinglai felt a nudger in his lower back with an elbow.

Align the folding chairs with the chairs in the same row to form an arc.

"No need, she already has someone else by her side."

"Huh, why does it sound a bit sour?"

My lower back was poked several times by slender fingers.

Kiyoshi caught the hand that was messing around her waist with her other hand. It was as warm as ever, with a thin layer of calluses on the fingertips. The owner of the hand was grinning and leaning close to Kiyoshi's neck, his eyes behind his glasses sparkling with undisguised mischief.

"Asuka, shouldn't you go and see Nakagaku-senpai?"

"Huh? Me? Why?"

Kiyoshi stared at Asuka speechlessly.

"nothing……"

Just then, Ogasawara, the department head, walked over and whispered in Asuka's ear:

"Asuka, leave this to me. You go and work with Kaori."

"Huh? Kaori isn't a child who needs to be watched all the time. Besides, I'm the vice-captain. It wouldn't be right for me to sneak away while everyone is busy."

Ogasawara was speechless after Asuka's evasive answer. He wanted to say a few more words of advice, but just then a member came over to ask Asuka a question, so he had to give up.

When Asuka returned, Ogasawara was no longer on stage.

"Asuka, is this how you usually dodge questions with your classmates?"

Qinglai leaned against the foot of the bed, his voice neither loud nor soft.

"Oh dear! I caught a kid slacking off!"

Asuka flashed a mischievous smile, but there was no real joy in her eyes hidden behind her glasses.

"That's a terrible excuse. They clearly don't care about that kind of thing at all."

Asuka crossed her arms, a half-smile playing on her lips.

What's wrong with you lately?

Why do you ask that?

“You haven’t been coming to my house to practice lately. When I went to your house before, I ran into Aunt Aso. She said you were studying and told me to come back to see you in a while. Although she said she would tell you that I had come, you never mentioned it again.”

Asuka's expression changed upon hearing Kiyori's words, "You came to my house looking for me?"

Just as Kiyoyori was about to speak, he was bumped into by Asuka, who came straight at him.

"Well?!"

Kiyoshi, whose head was being held and pressed against the other person's chest, couldn't see Asuka's expression at all. Instead, his entire nasal cavity was filled with a familiar and reassuring scent.

"Oh my, Qinglai has grown up so much! He's become so considerate. I'm so happy!"

"No no no!"

Ignoring Kiyoshi's slightly painful cries, Asuka tightened her arms, pressing Kiyoshi's face against her as if trying to hide something, until Kiyoshi couldn't take it anymore and tried to push Asuka away. When her fingers accidentally touched the other's side, Asuka's body stiffened suddenly, but quickly relaxed, as if nothing had happened.

Kiyoshi seized the opportunity to break free from her embrace.

What just happened?

Asuka didn't answer, and Kiyoshi reached out to touch her waist, but she dodged it.

"While everyone was busy, Kiyoyori actually tried to attack his senior. I never expected Kiyoyori to grow up in such a way!"

“There are so many things to complain about that I don’t even know where to begin, but,” Kiyotaka wasn’t buying it, “Let me see your back first.”

"Wow, this is blatant harassment."

Asuka covered her lips with her hand, her eyes crinkling as if she were secretly smiling.

"Asuka!"

Kiyoshi's anxious tone made Asuka stop her joking around.

"It's okay."

"Is it Aunt Aso—?"

“No,” Asuka quickly interrupted Kiyori’s guess, “It was a few days ago when I was going down the stairs and I didn’t step properly, so I twisted my waist and hurt it.”

"Going down the stairs? At school?"

"No, it's at home."

"Isn't Asuka's house a traditional Japanese single-story house? Where would you find a staircase to go down?"

Kiyoshi walked forward in disbelief, trying to lift Asuka's clothes.

“Those stone pillars in the garden at home aren’t particularly stable, are they? Kiyoyori fell down there countless times when he was little,” Asuka said, grabbing Kiyoyori’s hand quickly. “Kiyoyori is really brave. Don’t you even know where you are? If you want to see, we can go home and you can see for yourself.”

Realizing they were still in a public place, Qinglai blushed and quickly pulled his hand away, saying, "I don't care..."

Asuka chuckled softly, "It's nothing, I was just a little tired from reading and didn't notice. It has nothing to do with that person."

Perhaps because the lighting was poor in the footwell, Kiyoyori couldn't see the expression on Asuka's face.

"Let me help you apply the medicine when we get back. This spot must be very inconvenient for you, right?"

"Hehe, Xiao Qinglai may say no, but isn't she being honest in her heart?"

"Shut up!"

……………………………………………………………

After finishing his preparations, Kiyoyori slipped out of the hall and happened to see Takigatsu, who was also out getting some fresh air.

"I really miss this place."

He took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Qinglai.

After hesitating for a moment, Kiyoyori stepped forward and stood next to Takigatsu, but there was a considerable distance between them.

"Um……"

This is where Kiyotaka first participated in an oboe competition, when she was very young.

Because it was a competition for elementary school students, most of the participants that day were parents with their children. But Kiyotsu was different. Neither of her two mothers were available that day, so she was accompanied by her teacher Chihiro and her then-boyfriend Takigaku.

Here, Qinglai won his first award; here, Qinglai took his first photo with his teacher.

Here, they made a promise to lead Sobu High School's brass band to the national competition and win the gold medal.

"It's right there."

Following the direction of Takigatsu's finger, Kiyoyori felt as if he had returned to a few years ago.

That figure is still right in front of me.

P.S.: It wasn't a waste of time, so feel free to enjoy it. The pairings were decided long ago.