I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

She should have offered her most heartfelt blessings at that wedding.

"Kiyori, why do you dislike Taki-sensei?"

Huang Qian, as always, was straightforward and didn't hesitate to rub salt into Qing Lai's bleeding wound.

"Because, Mr. Taki's wife is—"

"My oboe teacher."

P.S.: Kumiko, as expected of you. Another busy day, and as soon as I got home and relaxed, I suddenly felt so tired. Why is it only Tuesday...? I want to sleep in!!

Chapter 38, Section 199: The Wall of the Heart

As a result, Kiyoyori and Oumae didn't get to enjoy the fireworks together that night. Instead, Reina smiled all night, which was more dazzling than the colorful fireworks. They say smiles are contagious, but Reina's bright mood only highlighted Kiyoyori and Oumae's bad mood.

Huang Qian remained silent towards Reina, as if he hadn't heard anything, continuing to play the role of a close friend who would be happy for Reina, while Kiyoyori...

Reina no longer talks to Kiyoyori about Takigaki.

Perhaps this can be considered Reina's gentleness, but I don't know why there's a hint of loneliness in it.

"what--"

Kiyoyori held the handheld firework called "Starry Sky" that Kawashima had handed him upside down in his hand, staring blankly as the sparks lit up and went out in the dimly lit corner, the smell of gunpowder slowly spreading until the last spark fell from the sky.

"Hey!"

"Waaah!"

Startled by the sudden sound behind him, Kiyoyori's hand holding the fireworks trembled, and the unburnt fireworks fell to the ground, extinguishing the flames immediately.

"Tachibana, I never expected someone as mature as you to be so timid!"

The mocking words and familiar tone behind him made Kiyoshi guess the identity of the person who came.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, are you a child?"

Kiyoshi took a deep breath, silently calming his rapidly beating heart, but still stubbornly tried to salvage some of his long-shattered pride, saying, "Anyone would be scared if they weren't prepared."

"I can't."

Taking the opportunity to sit next to Kiyori, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked proud and self-satisfied.

"That's called being single by choice, Hiratsuka-sensei."

"Huh? You dare say that again?!"

A strong arm instantly gripped his neck, reducing the distance between them to zero. Kiyoyori's upper body was pulled into Hiratsuka Shizuka's arms, but this was not a pleasant experience. Besides feeling the assault of a mature woman's body, the overwhelming sense of suffocation was even more unbearable.

"Tachibana~, what did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly~."

The tone was so gentle it was almost terrifying. Through his blurred vision, Kiyotaka saw a smile that resembled an angel—no, a devil among angels. His cold eyes held only the murderous intent to say, "If you dare say that again, I'll kill you."

"Yes, I'm sorry..."

A wise person knows when to yield, and Kiyoshi immediately apologized sincerely, patting her arm, whose muscles were so taut that she could feel them even through her long sleeves, as she admitted defeat.

Hiratsuka Shizuka did not release Kiyori, but slightly reduced her strength, controlling the distance between her arm and neck just right so that the other could breathe smoothly but could not escape.

The half-reclining posture was tiring. Kiyoyori couldn't escape Hiratsuka Shizuka's control, but he didn't want to lean his weight on her. So he had to support himself on the ground with one hand, trying his best to maintain a delicate distance from Hiratsuka Shizuka in the small space.

"Tachibana, you," Hiratsuka Shizuka's deep voice, which had dropped her playful expression, was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in Kiyori's heart, "you've never considered yourself a member of the Service Club until now, have you?"

Feeling the body in her arms suddenly stiffen, Hiratsuka Shizuka turned to look at the child she had held firmly in her arms, only to see a stubborn back of the head, and a body and hands that were trembling slightly from maintaining an awkward posture for so long.

“It was Hiratsuka-sensei who insisted that I participate in the Service Club activities,” Kiyori did not deny it, but she knew that in front of Hiratsuka Shizuka, there was no need for her to pretend. That would only make her behavior look more like a clown performing a one-woman show. “I can do well in the brass band club. There is no need for me to join the Service Club.”

"Although it is called the Service Club on the surface, it is actually a gathering place for problem children with personality defects. Whether it is the Yukinoshita-senpai who is admired by everyone or the Hachiman-senpai, they are just people who are not sociable and have been picked out by you."

"So, you're indirectly admitting that you also have personality flaws and are not a sociable person?"

Kiyoshi clenched his fist, and his body trembled even more noticeably.

"There's nothing to deny, it's just a fact. But I don't dislike my current state. Keeping a certain distance from crowds means no one gets hurt."

"Will you be safe from harm?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka made a move to pull her arms closer, but was immediately rejected by Kiyoyori. "Tachibana, didn't you think that those who want to get close to you will be hurt by your prickly appearance?"

A figure with flowing long hair suddenly flashed through her mind. Qinglai felt a pang of guilt for not being there.

“Your fear of others getting hurt is just a lie you use to deceive people. You’re just afraid of getting hurt yourself,” Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed. “I originally thought you and Hachiman were complete opposites. He was able to achieve his goals by hurting himself because he didn’t care about himself, while you care too much about yourself and want to isolate yourself from harm by closing yourself off.”

"But no matter which method you use, it will be impossible to achieve your desired goal."

“Your walls are too thick,” Ru Feng’s sigh faded into the moonlit night. “Even if the teacher were sitting next to you in this intimate way, all I could feel was your aloofness.”

Kiyoshi didn't know what to say, he just struggled to support his body, "In that case, please don't worry about me, teacher. Just let me fend for myself."

"There is no teacher in this world who will give up on a student!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka abruptly pulled away Kiyori's arm that was supporting her body with her other hand. Her body, now without support, lost its balance and fell heavily into Hiratsuka Shizuka's arms.

This time, Kiyoyori did not struggle.

She trembled all over, gripping Hiratsuka Shizuka's arm tightly with one hand.

"Why isn't there..."

I was abandoned.

I've been abandoned!

Whether it's the teacher or Yang Nai.

I was abandoned...

"Waaah..."

Letting out a whimper like a wounded little animal, Kiyoyori buried his face in Hiratsuka Shizuka's arms.

Reaching out, Shizuka patted Kiyori's head soothingly. She stopped restraining Kiyori with her arms and simply gently encircled the silently weeping child.

"You should also start to trust the people around you, not just those close to you, but also those who want to be close to you."

"Let's start with the teacher. You can trust me and rely on me wholeheartedly."

"At least this much, your teacher can assure you."

P.S.: Jing is such a wonderful teacher. I've been staring at the computer all day; my eyes are tired. I don't want to write anything today; I'm exhausted.

Chapter 39 of 200: A Sister Complex is Terrifying

The Service Club left the next morning. Kiyoyori didn't even have time to say goodbye to his seniors. He simply sent Yukinoshita a brief email with the information he had received from Asuka, but has yet to receive a reply.

"Is it because you don't have time to watch it?"

Even though it had been a long time since the message was sent, Kiyotaka waited for a response from day to night, but the message display showed no "read" status or any message from the other party.

Sitting in the garden, staring blankly at her phone for a long time, Kiyoyori kept her finger on the contacts in her phonebook without clicking. Perhaps her mind was disturbed by what Hiratsuka Shizuka had said last night, and her conflicted feelings were getting worse.

Never mind, I'll just focus on finishing my assigned tasks.

As soon as Kiyoshi exited the interface, a phone call came in. Before he could even see who was calling, the call was disconnected because Kiyoshi had gone back.

Oops……

This time, just as Kiyoyori was about to click on the app with the little red dot, he unexpectedly answered a call that had just come in. Seeing the call screen and the name of the person in the contact, Kiyoyori suddenly felt a little bad.

"Huh? Why did Xiaoqinglai answer the phone so quickly today? Did she miss me?"

The voice, always so irritating, was clearly transmitted to Qinglai's ears through the player, its provocative tone tugging at Qinglai's throbbing nerves.

"How can I help you?"

Explaining to someone like Yukino Yukinoshita is pointless; the more hastily you try to explain, the easier it is for her to seize on your weaknesses and subject you to humiliating and unforgiving teasing.

"Hmm, that's so cold. We haven't talked on the phone in so long~."

"I'm hanging up."

"Ah, wait a minute~", without a trace of panic, Haruno continued to speak slowly and deliberately, as if she knew Kiyoyori wouldn't hang up on her. "Yukino said that the Service Club's training camp and the Brass Band's training camp are coinciding this time."

Kiyoshiro narrowed his eyes. "I didn't realize that Yukinoshita-senpai would tell you something like this."

Kiyoshi didn't believe any nonsense like "Yukino told me." Judging from how the two sisters interacted last time, it was already clear that their relationship wasn't good. Someone with a senior's personality would probably dislike Haruno interfering in her affairs.

"Being able to answer any question is also one of that child's strengths."

"That's only true for you, isn't it?"

Like two foxes who don't trust each other, they cunningly use various methods to lure each other into their traps. Kiyoyori defends against Haruno's attacks while implying that Yukino's "honesty" is only the result of being forced by the other.

But Haruno remained calm and even chuckled, "Is it because Yukino is hiding something from Kiyori that's making you unhappy? Or are you jealous because you found out that Yukino is only honest with me?"

A cunning question.

Answering either question will be taken as an admission of the other, and even if you deny the other person's speculation, it will only be seen as being arrogant if you combine it with what Kiyora said earlier. Abruptly changing the subject will only be seen as being guilty.

I've been tricked by this guy again!

Kiyoshi was speechless after being choked by the other party, so he could only vent his anger on his phone, which was starting to get hot.

"Huh? Why aren't you saying anything? Did I guess right?"

Kiyoshi could even see a face with a malicious smile appear in front of her, but the face that looked so much like Yukino Yukinoshita prevented her from feeling any more anger.

"Hmm~, let me guess what could be causing Kiyotsuki so much trouble?"

Kiyoyori remained silent despite the other party's feigned doubt, only his slightly heavy breathing could be heard.

"Like what happened in the brass band club last year or something?"

The breathing on the other end of the phone suddenly stopped, and Yang Nai knew that she had guessed correctly. After all, given Kiyoyori's personality of having no interest in "things that have nothing to do with me", this was probably the only thing that could make her so attached to it.

after all--