Let's do it again, Yukino.

Looking at Yukinoshita, who was deep in thought and did not answer immediately, Haruhi felt both ashamed and annoyed.

Don't fall silent at this crucial moment, Xiaoxue!! Give me a good rebuttal, list out all my good qualities in detail, like being tall and handsome, having a manly spirit, being gentle and understanding, etc.!!!

Hey, what's with this sudden silence...?

At that moment, Yukinoshita raised her head again, a cold smile playing on her lips: "What kind of enjoyment is it to secretly hide in a karaoke bar and sing? Can you tell me, Miura-kun?"

"!!! Was Yukinoshita there that day too?! Didn't you say at the beginning that you were the only one who saw it?"

As if her inner weakness had been discovered by a second person, Yumiko's face, which had been mocking her relentlessly, instantly darkened, and she glared fiercely at Haruhi beside Yukinoshita.

"..."

Springtime could only pretend that she knew nothing and turn her face to the side, whistling a tune that couldn't make a sound at all.

I'll just watch the battles between women; I won't get involved.

Looking at Yumiko, whose thoughts she had just revealed, Yukinoshita, who had been mocked, suddenly switched sides.

"Even though I'm stuck in a quagmire, you, Miura Yumiko, who's secretly dating a junior from the same school, aren't much better off than me."

Before Yumiko could even get angry, Haruhi's features contorted in anger.

I'm really going to turn on you! Even if it's Xiaoxue, I won't hold back and will turn on you!

"I'm not dating Kagura-kun!!! Please don't slander me!!!"

Yumiko also felt that if she continued to argue, she would still be no match for the girl in front of her.

"Consider this your way of repaying me for saving me just now, Yukinoshita. In any case, I won't reveal a single word about what happened between you and Haruhi. But please, you two, don't tell Yui and the others about it."

Although she disliked Yukinoshita, the girl had just saved her, and Yumiko couldn't bring herself to repay kindness with enmity.

She walked past, through the spring sunshine and snow.

In the instant they brushed past each other

"I've won in judging people."

Yumiko whispered in Yuki's ear.

I don't think so.

"Just you wait and see..."

After saying that, Yumiko waved her hand.

They headed towards the guild hall.

at least,

She was in a much better mood now than when she came out.

Chapter Twenty-One is gone, never to be found again...

early morning,

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

His biological clock jolted him awake from his dream, and when he opened his eyes, he found that the teacher, who was sleeping not far from him, was still dreaming. However, his two restless hands were wrapped around the handsome boy, Ayaka, next to him.

"Tsk tsk, the world is going to the dogs, morality is declining..."

While complaining, Haruhi didn't hesitate to take a picture of the two of them in their pose while they were both asleep.

After carefully saving the photos, she gently helped the two of them strike an exceptionally ambiguous pose before walking out of the hall in the still-sunny morning light.

The air in the mountains and forests is much fresher than that in the high-rise buildings of the city. The kind of morning that makes you feel refreshed and comfortable all over is a rare treat in spring.

Thinking back to last night,

That wooden clog, whose whereabouts are unknown,

I searched for a long time but couldn't find Spring Day.

Helpless

In the end, they could only sneakily carry Xiaoxue back to the girls' dormitory.

Before everyone had gotten up, spring, draped in morning dew, returned to the lakes and forests of the previous night.

As the boy rolled up his sleeves and bent over, his gaze swept over the scenery in the woods.

Well, let's look at it again a little more.

A rustling sound slowly began to echo through the woods.

Time is also quietly slipping away.

The morning, which was originally filled with dew, began to slowly dissipate as the sun rose.

The first rays of morning light filtered through the green hills and forests, and the air was filled with the cool scent of dew.

Birds perched in pairs on the branches. Although the firewood used for cooking during last night's camping trip had long since gone out, wisps of smoke still lingered above.

Hiratsuka Shizuka stood with her hands on her hips in front of the meeting hall.

Looking at Hikigaya and Totsuka, who were the last to arrive at the boys' dormitory,

After counting the number of people, Hiratsuka, who seemed to be someone, frowned and looked at Hikigaya.

"Was there anyone else in the dorm before you came? Where's Kasuga?"

"I didn't see it. Caijia and I were the last to come out."

Still recalling the ambiguous moment with Ayaka when he first woke up, Hikigaya, not fully awake yet, didn't think much of it and shook his head slightly at Hiratsuka Shizuka.

He indeed saw no sign of spring.

"What about you guys, Hayama?"

"Neither Xiang-kun nor I saw her." Ye-shan, who was standing at the front of the line, also shook his head, but then added uncertainly, "However, before dawn, I heard someone open a door and go out. It should have been Qing-kun."

"What a troublesome guy!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed, clutching her forehead in exasperation.

Breakfast time was almost over, and the event schedule was about to begin, but Haruhi left her phone in the dorm, so we couldn't contact her at all.

Among the girls, especially Yumiko, upon hearing this, the light in her beautiful eyes immediately focused on Yukino, who was standing calmly at the back of the crowd.

"Aren't you worried about that guy?"

Yumiko looked at Yukinoshita with a hint of mockery and couldn't help but say something.

The girl seemed to have forgotten that just yesterday, she and Yukinoshita had a hostile, confrontational attitude, as if it were a fight to the death.

However, in just one night, the haughty queen seemed to have a much better relationship with Minister Yuki.

"This has nothing to do with Miura-kun."

Yukinoshita crossed her arms and answered calmly. She could probably understand what Haruhi was up to, so she wasn't worried.

"It's true that it has nothing to do with me, but I'm a little curious, how did you get back yesterday, Yukinoshita? Without this."

Yumiko took out a clean pair of wooden clogs from somewhere and handed them to Yukinoshita.

"Without this, even Yukinoshita wouldn't have been able to walk back barefoot from the depths of the forest. So please thank me properly; I found it for you on my way back last night."

As if she had done some great deed, Yumiko's smug smile caught Yukinoshita's eye.

"you----"

Yukinoshita held the wooden clogs she had left behind yesterday, which Yumiko had found. For a moment, the girl stared blankly, speechless.

If that's the case, wouldn't that idiot be...?

Oh no.

"Yukinoshita, you should know where that guy is, right? Can you help bring him back?"

On this side,

Hiratsuka Shizuka could only place her last hopeful gaze on the head of the Service Club.

Now she can't send all her staff out.

……

And on the other side,

Springtime, which seemed to be just a step away from being completely submerged in the lake, was leaning against a nearby tree.

His whole body aches and he's too tired to move anymore.

"I'll never let Xiaoxue wear slippers or clogs again, they're so easy to slip off! Damn it, she's just asking for trouble!!!"

Although the sun had risen long ago, Chunri hadn't been able to accurately calculate the exact time because she had left her phone in her dorm room.

The boy half-closed his eyes, enjoying the sunlight.

He planned to rest for a bit to regain his strength before heading back to meet up with Hiratsuka and the others. He figured if he delayed any longer, they would get worried...

Not long after he closed his eyes,

Cool water dripped one after another onto my spring face.

The icy chill instantly jolted the exhausted boy awake from his slumber. When he looked up, he saw Xiaoxue standing in front of him, holding a mineral water bottle that had just been filled with a tiny bit of liquid.

"Are you awake?"

"Wake up! Wake up!"

Upon regaining consciousness, Chunri immediately leaned against a tree and slowly stood up. As she took the water bottle from Xiaoxue, she hurriedly nodded and said...

"Now that you're awake, let's go back. Hiratsuka-sensei is still waiting for you."

"But Xiaoxue, your shoes."

As he drank water in the spring, the liquid flowed into his mouth and slid down his throat, and he glanced hesitantly into the depths of the forest.

"If you can't find it, then forget it..."

Yukinoshita replied with a subtle expression. She was worried that if she told this guy the whole truth, he would lose his mind and immediately run over to have a real-life PK show with Yumiko, regardless of gender.