I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Qinglai froze, his mind filled with nothing but cursing.

"I just think it tastes good. Since it's already at home, it would be a waste not to drink it."

"Hmm, I thought Yukino would rather waste it."

Yang Nai didn't treat herself as a guest at all. She casually found a coffee bag in the cupboard, made herself a cup of coffee with the hot water that Qing Lai had just boiled, and sat down on the sofa with her back to Qing Lai, only showing her the back of her head.

The aroma of coffee filled the room, but Kiyotaka felt as if she were surrounded by a fear called Yukinoshita Haruno, making it hard for her to breathe.

"Waste is a shameful act."

"Um……"

The other person drawled out a long, ambiguous sound through their nose, "What are Yukino's plans for today?"

This question is usually asked when the other party is trying to impose something on you, and of course you can't answer "yes" or "no" directly.

"Is there something you need, sister?"

If we don't take the initiative at this point, we'll be in a very passive position in the ensuing conversation.

"Well, it's not really anything, but," Yang Nai said, still with her back to Kiyoshi, so Kiyoshi couldn't see her expression, "my mother asked me to come and pick you up so you can stay at home for a day."

"What if I refuse?"

Yukino then turned her head and looked at her with a complex gaze that Kiyoshi couldn't understand, a gaze that contained surprise, disappointment, and an undeniable firmness. "No, Yukino, this is what Mother said."

Kiyoyori didn't know what kind of person Yukinoshita's mistress was. He had only met her once at a banquet. She seemed to be a gentle Yamato Nadeshiko, but her words revealed her powerful aura. Carol's mother had once described her as not a simple woman.

Judging from Yukino's expression, Kiyoyori felt that she should refuse any possibility of contact with Yukino's mother, but as Yukino Yukinoshita, could she really resist the mother who raised a daughter like Yukino?

Yang and Kiyori stared at each other in silence for a moment before Kiyori looked away first, saying, "I understand."

"Okay, then pack up and get ready to go home. Your room is cleaned by the maid every day."

Yang Nai's tone became light and cheerful again, and the once-frozen air began to flow once more with her clear laughter.

This must be karma, Kiyoyori chuckled self-deprecatingly. He had been thankful that he had switched places with Yukinoshita in time when he woke up this morning, but now it was his turn to go to hell. Kiyoyori would rather face the torment from his older sister Eriri than enter the wolf's den of Yukinoshita's family.

They're both older sisters, but their skill levels are worlds apart.

Kiyoshiro quickly tidied himself up and put the "homework" left by Yukinoshita into his bag.

"Then let's set off."

Yang Nai, who was sitting on the sofa playing on her phone, immediately looked up at Kiyoyori, who was standing at the door with a reluctant expression.

“You can show this kind of expression in front of your sister, but don’t do it again when you go home. Mother and Father miss you very much.” Yang Nai stood up, walked to Qing Lai, and straightened her collar with her hand. Yang Nai, who was half a head taller than Qing Lai, cast her shadow on Qing Lai’s face. “Don’t forget everything from before just because Mother agreed to let you live out here.”

Kiyoshi froze on the spot. After a year, she saw Haruno without her cheerful mask again. Her voice was cold, not a kind reminder, but a cold warning.

Yukino didn't say anything else. She just picked up her bag and walked to the entrance. After putting on her shoes, she turned back to Kiyotaka, who was still standing at the corner, and urged her coquettishly, "What are you standing there for, Yukino? Hurry up, we're leaving."

It seemed that the coldness just now was just Kiyori's illusion, and Yukinoshita Haruno had once again transformed into a goddess who brought spring breeze and warmth.

But Kiyoyori knew very well that was the real Yukinoshita Haruno.

Chapter 13 A Weekend Where Sanity Drops Like Crazy (Part 1)

The two sat together in the back seat, both leaning against the car window. Although there was only one seat between them, they seemed like two stars separated by the Milky Way. However, one of them was so bright that its brilliance made all the surrounding stars pale in comparison, and no one paid attention to the other stars around it.

Intermittent light and shadow fell on Qinglai's face as she watched the scenery outside the car rush by. As the driver stopped at a red light, a brother and sister walked by on the street. The boy was pushing a bicycle with a large white plastic bag in the basket; a corner of the bag revealed bags of snacks inside. He stared with deadpan eyes, but his gaze towards his sister, who was skipping and jumping in front of him, was full of tenderness and doting affection. The girl walked backwards with her hands behind her back, seemingly happily talking to her brother.

Qinglai sighed almost imperceptibly.

If the Yukinoshita sisters were this harmonious, she wouldn't have to work so hard. However, there are advantages to being aloof, right? If she were too close to Haruno, Kiyori would die.

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

The Yukinoshita residence wasn't as big as Kiyori had imagined. Although he remembered Yukinoshita's mother wearing a kimono, the Yukinoshita residence wasn't a traditional Japanese-style square house. Like the Tachibana family's house, it was a duplex villa with a garden. It wasn't outrageously large, but it fit the general public's imagination of a wealthy person.

"Let's go inside, Yukino."

Yang walked in front, with Qinglai following behind her, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, a pair of wooden clogs and a pair of black men's leather shoes were placed in the entryway. Yang Nai placed her high heels neatly on the edge of the steps before taking out her slippers and walking inside. Qing Lai followed her example and put the leather shoes away, successfully finding the pair of slippers with panda prints in the shoe cabinet.

Kiyoshi took a deep breath and then exhaled gently to calm his unruly heart before slowly walking towards the living room.

"Yukino, welcome home."

It's a mature and steady female voice, not deep, but with an irresistible aura that can't be ignored.

“I’m back,” Kiyotaka said, suppressing his heart pounding in his throat as if one wrong step would plunge him into an endless abyss. “Mother.”

The last two words were particularly agonizing for Kiyoyori. In her mind, the role of "mother" belonged exclusively to Tachibana Toko. She was gentle and generous, and although she could be a little cunning at times, she always smiled softly and embraced her like water. No matter if she made a mistake or fell down, she would stand by her side, comforting her but not helping her. She was a gentle yet strict mother.

Kiyoshiro's strict approach was also different from that of Yukinoshita's mother. The relationship between Yukinoshita and her mother was more like a spear and a shield, seemingly always ready to fight. Kiyoshiro had never seen such a confrontational family atmosphere before.

"sit."

Yuki pointed to the long sofa next to her, while she herself was sitting on a single sofa. Her kimono was almost wrinkle-free, clinging straight to her body, and even her hair, which was tied up, was in its proper place.

The sentence was still in an imperative tone, leaving Kiyoyori no room to refuse, and he could only obediently sit down near Yukimura.

The other party clearly wanted to talk to her about something, which was why she stayed. At this moment, Yang Nai was sitting on the other end of the sofa further away from Riyuki's mother, looking at a tablet computer with a serious expression, as if she was dealing with some business and had no energy to pay attention to this side.

"Okay, I heard you started a club at school, it's called... the Service Club, right?"

"You've already investigated thoroughly, so why use such an uncertain tone?" Kiyoshi couldn't figure out what the other party was planning, so he remained silent.

As if she had anticipated Kiyoyori's reaction, Yuki's mother didn't mind. "You recently took on a commission?"

"Is Yukino really capable of handling this request?"

Upon hearing this, Kiyoshi's pupils contracted sharply, and he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

The tone was as if questioning a subordinate:

Do you think you have this ability?

Although Kiyoyori wanted to argue that whether or not the request was accepted had absolutely nothing to do with the difference in their abilities—they were forced to accept it anyway—the way the other person asked the question was like adding a fuse to a powder keg.

The already heavy atmosphere seemed to freeze solid the moment the sharp question was uttered. The icy air made Kiyotsuki feel a sharp pain in her lungs with every breath, and the ice crystals in the air were like blades, piercing Kiyotsuki's skin, penetrating her pleura, severing the nerves at the lower edge of her ribs, and stabbing straight into her heart. Then her blood began to freeze, freezing all the blood vessels in her body.

Kiyori and Yuki's mother looked at each other in silence. Yuki's mother was waiting for Kiyori's answer, but Kiyori didn't know how to respond for a moment. Hina, who was beside them, seemed to be from another world and didn't hear them. Her hand paused for only a moment, and then returned to normal in the next second before Kiyori could even notice.

How will you know if you don't try?

Kiyoshi pressed her right hand against her left, covering her trembling left hand with a calm surface. Her counterattack was very weak, like being stung by a mosquito, painless and insignificant.

In stark contrast to Kiyoyori's tense demeanor, Yuki-mother maintained a calm and composed expression. A standard smile played on her lips, a genuine smile, yet Kiyoyori couldn't glean any emotion from it—joy? satisfaction? mockery? Nothing at all, like an empty void. Kiyoyori was utterly unable to fathom the woman's thoughts.

Even though the air conditioning was on indoors and a cool breeze was blowing slowly out from the ceiling, Qinglai's back was already covered in a thin layer of sweat, and her palms were damp, but she couldn't feel any warmth.

Those few seconds of silence felt like hours to Kiyoshi. Yukino's mother gave her a look of disappointment, as if to say, "What a naive idea!" "Yukino, you need to know that not everything in this world has the opportunity or possibility to be tried."

She implicitly condemned Kiyori, or rather, Yukino Yukinoshita's overestimation of her abilities ignited Kiyori's competitive spirit. Kiyori realized she was using reverse psychology, yet simultaneously seemed genuinely doubtful of their abilities—this was what greatly displeased him. Knowing his next words would directly step into a trap she had laid, Kiyori still jumped in without hesitation.

"Nothing in this world can be achieved on the first try. There is no such thing as a person who never fails."

Kiyoyori took a small breath and answered calmly and confidently. Haruno, standing beside him, stopped what she was doing and turned her head slightly towards Kiyoyori.

"The ability to get back up after a failure is not something everyone possesses. That's what makes people different."

And I am at least certain that I possess this indomitable spirit.

"Haven't you considered the possibility that your lack of ability might lead to countless failures?"

Snow Mother pressed closer and closer.

Kiyoshi was silent for a moment, then said, “Then I can only accept the reality of my inadequacy.”

Kiyoyori suddenly remembered Yukinoshita mentioning Kasaki Nozomi in her notes. Yukinoshita made no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction with this person's attitude of accepting so-called "fate" and choosing to give up, but Kiyoyori could understand it.

"But I will give it my all before I give up. It's not my style to declare defeat without doing anything."

After saying those cool words, Kiyoyori left the living room with a confident and elegant air. Before leaving, he didn't forget to say goodbye to Yuki's mother and Haruno, "Then I'll go and rest first."

Kiyoshi hurriedly climbed the stairs, wanting to escape the place that was almost suffocating her.

"Yukino...?" Yukino's surprise at Kiyori's two sentences was evident on her face. She stared in astonishment in the direction Kiyori had left, then immediately frowned.

Snow Mother, however, opened her paper fan to cover the corners of her slightly raised lips. "It seems there are some advantages to living away from home. What do you think, Yang Nai?"

"I..." Seemingly completely unable to understand what her sister had just said, Yukino was a little speechless. "Yukino seems a little different than before."

Xue Mu closed her folding fan, bent down to pick up the cooled black tea from the coffee table, covered half her face with her wide sleeves, and took a sip of the now-cold tea. "Isn't this quite good? It's just a pity to waste such good black tea."

Yang Nai reluctantly picked up the black tea in front of him and took a sip. The icy tea dripped down his esophagus, freezing everything in its path.

Chapter 14 A Weekend Where Sanity Drops Like Crazy (Part Two)

After leaving the living room, Kiyotaka didn't know which room Yukinoshita was in. With no other option, she opened each door on the second floor one by one until she found a room filled with panda plush toys. Only then did she feel safe enough to go inside.

The room's furnishings weren't much different from the apartment in Yukinoshita, following a simple and elegant style. Aside from a life-sized panda plushie that didn't quite match the style, there wasn't much to complain about. The room had a TV, a computer, and several cat-themed DVDs.

Just how much does this person love cats? Or is it that any feline is her absolute favorite?

Even the mousepad features that panda. Kiyoshiro reasonably suspects that Yukinoshita may have already collected all the related merchandise.

After placing his schoolbag on the desk, Qinglai threw himself onto the soft mattress and covered his eyes with his hands.

Oh dear, this has gone too far. I just said something that was too subjective. If it were in front of strangers, there might still be a chance to salvage the situation, but the people I spoke to were Yukinoshita's mother and sister. If this backfires, I'm completely finished.

When role-playing, it's best to avoid saying anything subjective, because Kiyoshiro doesn't really know what kind of person Yukinoshita is, or whether she would have the same views or say similar things.

If not, she might be close to being exposed.

But how could a normal person doubt the possibility that the soul inside their daughter's or sister's body is not their own?

Kiyoshi tried to comfort himself, but couldn't help but sigh.

Deciding to stop worrying about it, Kiyoyori left the room with the mindset of a visitor. To her surprise, there was a piano in Yukinoshita's house, which looked like it was frequently used.

It had been a long time since she had played the piano, and she didn't know if her skills had deteriorated. Kiyotaka chose the violin as her second instrument. She had only learned the piano for the purpose of composing, but after she started playing it, she discovered its unique charm. For a while, she often spent time in front of the piano and even neglected her oboe.

Kiyotomi patted the leather stool, adjusted the distance, and sat down. She first tested the tone briefly, and after confirming that it was correct, she closed her eyes. The musical notes appeared in her mind, and black lines strung them together into a score, flowing through her mind like a stream. Her hands moved involuntarily, and smooth notes flowed out from the crack in the door that was not closed tightly. Kiyotomi's slender fingers danced on the black and white keys, the rhythm sometimes speeding up, but then becoming calm and melancholic in the next second.

Kiyoshi closed his eyes and immersed himself in the music, like a small boat floating on the water, rising and falling with the waves.

Following the music to the piano room, Yono stopped at the door. She didn't go in to disturb her, but just stood at the door watching Kiyoyori, who was completely absorbed in the music.

Yukino is acting strangely today, especially the way she's playing the piano. No matter how you look at it, she looks a lot like that little girl...