I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Chapter 26, Section 187: The Gods Under the Moon

"Hey……"

With his hands clasped behind his head, Kiyora stared blankly at the ceiling above him. The room was decorated in the same simple and rustic style. After the small lamp was turned off, only a sliver of moonlight leaked through the curtains and shone on the tatami mat.

The quiet room was filled with soft breathing and intermittent snoring. Perhaps everyone was exhausted from today's practice, as everyone except Kiyotsu had fallen asleep. However, Kiyotsu, troubled by his worries, couldn't find a way to fall asleep.

Kiyotomi quietly got up and left the room.

Unlike the almost completely dark room, orange nightlights hung in the hotel corridor, dimly illuminating the long corridor. The light stretched from where Kiyoyori was standing to the other end of the corridor before disappearing into the darkness.

Kiyoshi walked barefoot down the corridor in his slippers, the dull thuds on the wooden floor particularly clear in the deserted space.

After walking through the corridor and nodding to the night watchwoman, Kiyoyori left the inn and entered the forest, which was shrouded in the darkness of night.

Unlike during the day, the forest at night has a cool and mysterious feel. The moonlight shines evenly, elongating the shadows. The shadows of people and trees gradually overlap. Qinglai followed the sound of flowing water and found a stream. The stream flowed between the stones, washing away the soil covered with grass. Under the moonlight, the rushing stream was crystal clear. The small rapids brushed against the water plants, playing a unique melody of nature in the quiet forest.

Continuing upstream along the stream until the view opens up and the trees gradually thin out, a lake appears before Qinglai's eyes. The shimmering lake reflects the bright moon, and a gentle breeze blows, scattering the white-gold hues across the water.

"Click"

I accidentally stepped on a dead branch and broke it.

"who is it?"

A clear, cool voice, like the moon reflected in water, came from the lakeside. A person stood on the shore, his long black hair swaying in the wind. The bright moonlight cast a hazy glow on him. In that instant, Qinglai thought he had seen a spirit from the lake.

"it's me."

The figure turned around, the voice continuing without pause, "Who is it?"

Kiyoshi opened his mouth speechlessly, seemingly still dissatisfied with the confrontation in the bathhouse earlier. "We did exchange names, didn't we?"

Seeing Kiyori's show of weakness, Yukinoshita chuckled softly, "Tachibana-san, why are you still wandering around outside so late? Shouldn't you be able to fall into a deep sleep more easily after a long day?"

Even in the darkness, several meters away, Kiyora could see the smile on the other person's face, but it wasn't the kind that brought a warm spring breeze.

"Are you a Yuki-onna, senior? It's still summer."

"Does Tachibana-san want to be frozen into an ice cube?"

Yukino looked at Kiyori with a strange gaze, as if questioning Kiyori's peculiar hobby.

"Actually, I think it's quite cool right now..."

Under the other party's wary gaze, Kiyoyori walked to the lakeside and sat down on a rock not far from the snow. The smooth rock was lapped by shallow waves, leaving dark watermarks.

"Senior, why are you still here at this hour?"

He casually tossed his slippers onto the shore, rolled up his trousers, and put his feet into the icy lake water.

Silently watching the other person's practiced series of movements, Yukinoshita answered after a moment, "I just had an argument with Miura-san, and I spent thirty minutes making her cry."

Kiyoyori turned his head with interest, supporting his leaning body with his hands. "And then?"

"Yuihama is comforting her."

"So, you're feeling awkward, senior?"

"I just didn't expect her to cry."

Xue's expression was ordinary, but her voice carried a barely perceptible hint of guilt.

"It's really hard to imagine that senior Miura would shed tears over a few words."

In Kiyoshi's memory, Miura's image was not bad. Although he was sharp-tongued, he was surprisingly kind-hearted and cared for others in a clumsy and arrogant way.

"However, if it was Yukinoshita-senpai who said those words, then that's a different story."

Looking at that smug, irritating smile, Yukinoshita suddenly felt an urge to slap that face hard with her flip-flops from the shore.

"Is it because of that child named Tsurumi Rumi?"

"That's it."

Yukinoshita thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"That child was the trigger. To be honest, you and Miura-senpai are really like oil and water."

Can sharks survive in freshwater?

Upon hearing Yukinoshita's question, Kiyoyori laughed and slapped the water's surface with his foot, splashing water droplets. "Protecting animals, there's only one."

"So, Mr. Shark, aren't you going back to your deep sea?"

"I happened to see a beautiful mermaid in the shallow water, and I wanted to admire her a little longer."

Yukino walked to the tree, moonlight filtering through the leaves and scattering around her. "Then you'd better be careful not to get stranded."

"Thank you for reminding me."

A silent standoff gradually spread in the cool air.

"Do seniors show this much concern for children they don't even know?"

After a long silence, Kiyoyori finally asked the question that had been troubling her for a long time.

“I’m not the kind of person who only lends a helping hand to close friends and family,” Yukinoshita said, stroking the rough bark of the tree. “Besides, haven’t all the requests I’ve received so far been from strangers?”

"That's because the senior didn't have many friends to begin with, right?"

Yukinoshita was not angered by those words. "Even if it's Tachibana-san, I will help you."

Am I a friend of your senior?

Kiyoshi smiled, his eyes crinkling.

"of course not."

"It's obvious."

Kiyoshi pulled her feet back, placing her wet feet on the stone. She hugged her knees, the wind carrying away the warmth of her water-drenched toes, and she involuntarily curled her toes. "Even someone like me would be helped...?"

"What benefit would doing this bring to the senior?"

You can't get anything out of it, can you?

"You're not the kind of person who gets caught up in small achievements, are you?"

Why bother doing these thankless and exhausting things?

"It's wrong to expect something from something," Yukinoshita's cool voice carried an unexpected warmth. "We are not the ones who will gain."

Is this some new riddle?

Kiyoshi made a gesture of surrender. She couldn't understand the thoughts of the person in front of her. Since she couldn't get anything from the commission, why should she give so much to someone she had just met?

"Tachibana-san, don't you understand? Perhaps by the time you do understand, you'll have already gained something."

"Senior, do you really believe you can change the world?"

"Why not?"

Yukino looked at her junior sitting on a large rock not far away, laughing out loud. In the junior's blue eyes, it seemed as if a deep, turbulent ocean was hidden.

Is there a problem?

His tone was confident, as if everything was perfectly natural.

"No,"

Qinglai shook his head.

Looking at the snow standing under the tree, though the two were only a thin line apart, she seemed like a hunting goddess emerging from a hidden forest, holding a bow and arrow. She raised her hand and aimed the bow and arrow at the mortal sitting on the riverbank, who was staring in a daze.

The arrow sliced ​​through the air, pierced the skin, and penetrated the flesh.

"I just feel,"

"The moonlight is so bright tonight."

P.S.: Actually, I quite like the suggestive dialogue between Kiyori and Yukino. I wonder if anyone has noticed the titles I use when writing? It should be easy to spot by comparing the main text and the side stories.

I've realized that what my mom calls "discussion" isn't discussion at all; it's notification... Tonight, she's arranged everything perfectly again... I guess I'll just have to do some practice problems in the countryside.

Chapter 27, Section 188: Their World

It was early morning, and the morning sun had already spread across the earth, but it was blocked by the heavy curtains, with only a few rays penetrating in.

The only sounds in the quiet room were the sounds of breathing, but when Huang Qian opened his eyes, the bed beside him had already been neatly folded and placed in the corner. Qing Lai was no longer in the room, and what had also disappeared was the leather case of Qing Lai's oboe, which had been placed with the instruments of the others.

Quietly leaving the room, Huang Qian carried her gleaming golden euphonium out of the hotel.

It was still early, and both inside and outside the hotel were quiet and peaceful. There were few people walking on the paths, and only nature was playing its music. She carried a heavy euphonium, but walked with light steps. The smooth brass tube shone even brighter in the sunlight, and Huang Qian's face was clearly reflected on the tube wall, sometimes lengthening and sometimes shortening with her steps.

Walking on the gentle slope, the scenery on both sides gradually opened up. The hotel was already behind them and gradually shrank. The path under their feet changed from a quiet path to a wide road. Huang Qian walked in the middle of the road, looking down at his white sneakers, which were covered with specks of yellow dust.

The melodious sound of the pipes came from not far away. It was a familiar sound, coming from the same instrument as her own, but the timbre was completely different. The smooth sound of the pipes was like a cool breeze brushing her face, blowing her fluffy short hair. It was cool but desolate, and her eyes suddenly felt dry, as if something was welling up from her heart.

It's Asuka-senpai.

That person seemed to be the perfect senior.

Beautiful music.

This is a piece that Huang Qian had never heard before, and it was not included in any of the CDs of famous musicians she collected.

What a beautiful piece of music this is.

As if enveloped by warm water, flowing through her limbs and bones, it seemed as if an unseen force was gently pushing her forward, causing her to involuntarily take steps. She followed the sound, the pipe music so gentle, like a whisper in her ear, yet so sorrowful, as if something was within reach, yet unattainable.

The colorful sunlight streamed down on the person standing in the center of the open space. The sunlight wasn't harsh, but rather gentle. Beside the person's slightly swaying back, a corner of a silver musical instrument peeked out, reflecting all the sunlight falling upon it; it was undoubtedly cherished. Green sweatpants, a white T-shirt, and long black hair loosely tied up fell to the person's shoulders with the soft melody, then slipped down to hang around their waist. That unattainable figure was now within reach in the distance.

"Asuka...senpai..."

Huang Qian couldn't help but sigh, but she couldn't utter a word other than that person's name, as if her own name was the best compliment.

Like a muse fallen to earth, even a swaying silhouette is dazzling enough to hold anyone's gaze.