I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"Moreover," Yang Nai smiled maliciously, "wasn't Xiao Qinglai's purpose in coming here today precisely because of me?"

Before Kiyori could object, Haruno gestured for him to enter, "Then please, both of you Yamashitas, let's go ahead. We'll discuss this further once we get to the venue."

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

Kiyoyori, who had followed Haruno to the main venue, looked around and asked, "Isn't Yukinoshita-senpai here?"

"Is Kiyori concerned about Yukino?" Haruno not only didn't answer Kiyori's question, but also deliberately kept saying things that were clearly adding fuel to the fire in Kasumigaoka.

Before Kiyoyori could give an interesting response, Haruno pouted in boredom, "Yukino would never attend these kinds of banquets, she never does. It's a real shame we won't see her."

Her voice was like the wind, yet it was sharp and painful, as if she were talking about someone else, not her own sister, and it carried a hint of sarcasm.

"Isn't Yukinoshita-senpai at home?"

Based on the previous lack of response, Kiyoyori seems to have guessed something.

"Yukino has always stayed at home."

Yang emphasized the last few words, using the exact same words as Qinglai, yet conveying completely different meanings.

Kiyoyori was referring to the small apartment where she would keep a mug that was specially made for her, while Haruno was referring to the large house that had "Yukinoshita Residence" written on it.

"Is this house arrest?" Kiyoyori frowned. Clearly, Yukinoshita's phone hadn't been lost, but rather taken away. "Is it really necessary to go to this extent?"

"What's wrong with Kiyori, little one...?" Haruno, who was walking in front, suddenly turned around and brought her face close to Kiyori's. "Are you asking about the Yukinoshita family's private affairs?"

Kiyoshi knew he had spoken out of turn, so he pursed his lips and didn't respond to Yono's words.

"This is so unlike you, getting flustered because you care?" The face that was almost identical to Yukino Yukinoshita smiled, but the completely different eyes showed no smile. "But Kiyori is an outsider after all, so I can't tell you everything about the Yukinoshita family."

After saying that, Haruno distanced herself from Kiyori. Just when Kiyori thought the topic had ended without incident, Haruno said something even more shocking.

"Of course! If Kiyori one day becomes a member of the Yukinoshita family, then that's a different story!"

Yang winked meaningfully at Kiyoyori, whose face immediately darkened at a visible speed.

As if stepping into forbidden territory, Kiyoyori's aura immediately transformed into an indescribable rage, and his gaze toward Haruno grew increasingly cold.

"Be careful what you say, Ms. Yukinoshita."

The words were almost squeezed out between his teeth.

"Don't be so nervous, it was just a joke."

Haruno recklessly teetered on the edge of Kiyori's tolerance, and in the end, it was Kasumigaoka, who had remained silent, who saved the rapidly deteriorating atmosphere between the two.

"Miss Yukinoshita, it seems someone is looking for you over there."

“Ah, thank you for reminding me, Ms. Kasumi,” Hinano, who was as clear-headed as a mirror, followed the ladder provided by Kasumi-gaoka. “Then please do your own thing for a while. We’ll talk about the specifics later.”

As if nothing had happened, Yang Nai smiled and waved to the two of them before leaving.

P.S.: Note 1: The use of the second person in Japanese is not very common. In daily life, Japanese people are more accustomed to using the third person instead. For example, the sentence "Don't you need to go back?" would be replaced with "Don't you need to go back?". In my writing, I mostly use the name directly instead of the second person (there is actually a little Easter egg regarding the issue of address). However, of course, sometimes I will use the second person to avoid the name appearing multiple times in a sentence. Kiyoyori's use of "anta" is a colloquial pronunciation of "anata," which is usually used by close peers or elders to juniors. So, it is actually not very polite for Kiyoyori to use this form of address to address Haruno. The reason for addressing her this way is simply that Kiyoyori does not want to say Haruno's name, but Haruno is used to it.

Chapter 48, Section 213: Because he's a foodie

"Shimizu-kun seems to be quite familiar with Yukinoshita-san?"

Kasumigaoka's question had no other meaning; it was clear that Kiyori didn't have any good feelings for the other person. Haruno, on the other hand, flirted with Kiyori even more. Rather than saying there was any ambiguity between the two, it was more like they were enemies.

However, compared to Kiyoyori's overly obvious dislike, Yukinoshita Haruno's dislike was much deeper, not dislike, but something else entirely.

“I wouldn’t say I’m familiar with her,” Kiyoyori refused to admit that she knew anything about Yukino. In her opinion, she had never known Yukino Yukinoshita, “we just had some family ties.”

She would rather have never had any relationship with him.

Kiyoshi cursed inwardly.

“This is the first time I’ve seen such obvious dislike from Shimizu-kun,” Kasumigaoka said, pulling Kiyori to a less crowded area to avoid other guests with wine glasses trying to get closer to them. “It’s a bit unusual. I thought Shimizu-kun could maintain his composure no matter who he was dealing with, but she’s an exception.”

Kiyoshi was taken aback by this statement that seemed to imply "I'm very interested in that woman." "It's best for Shiwa-senpai to stay away from that person. She's dangerous."

"Is Shimizu-kun jealous?"

Seeing Kiyori's bewildered and helpless expression, Kasumigaoka suddenly smiled and, without waiting for Kiyori to explain, continued to speak on her own, "Shouldn't I be saying this to Shimizu-kun? Dating someone like Yukinoshita-san is definitely not boring, but that also depends on how important you are to her, isn't it?"

"The one who should be careful is Shimizu-kun. He might accidentally get trapped by that person."

Kasumigaoka whispered in Kiyori's ear, her gentle breath making Kiyori shrink back.

"I'd love to get as far away from that woman as possible..."

As he spoke, Kiyoyori moved to the side, avoiding Kasumigaoka's overly intimate actions.

Kasumigaoka, however, did not give her a chance to escape. "Why is Shimizu-kun hiding so far away? Didn't you consider the consequences if I found out when you wrote that sentence?"

Kiyoshi stood frozen, too stiff to move. "That was just a temporary measure..."

“But almost everyone in this venue should know about our relationship by now~,” Kasumigaoka continued to whisper maliciously in Kiyoyori’s ear, “Shimizu-kun should be able to feel the gazes directed at us, right? If we don’t make a show of it, some kind of messy rumors might start circulating again.”

Qinglai kept a straight face, but did not show any obvious refusal.

Perhaps Kasumigaoka, as a high school student, is just an ordinary person in the eyes of these celebrities, but as a well-known light novelist, Kasumigaoka can be said to have a certain influence and profit in this field. People who want to develop in this field will all have their eyes on this rough gem, and among them, there will inevitably be some people with ulterior motives.

The name Spencer effectively deterred many people from having ulterior motives.

"Speaking of which, Ms. Yukinoshita said earlier that Mr. Shimizu came to see her specifically?"

“Um… I have something I want to ask her,” Kiyotaka said in a low voice, seemingly dissatisfied with his show of weakness, “It’s related to the request I just mentioned.”

But there's no further connection. Through Kasumigaoka's analysis, Kiyoyori has basically determined that this request is not closely related to what happened in the brass band last year. As for the "Yokozaki Mizore" that Haruno proposed back then, it now seems more like she had already deduced the truth and then used it to shake Kiyoyori's trump card.

How does that woman know everything?!

Qinglai gritted his teeth in anger.

This feeling of defeat, constantly being mocked by the opponent's strength, reminded Kiyoyori of his dark past.

"last year?"

Kasumigaoka squinted, as if recalling something.

Something seemed to flash through her mind: her first meeting with Shimizu-kun was at that hotel in Kyoto, wasn't it...?

But...it seems like something's wrong...

"Senior Shiyu? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Kasumigaoka said, a fleeting sense of unease crossing her mind, perhaps she was just being too sensitive. "Speaking of which, why was Shimizu-kun in Kyoto that day?"

At that time, the unified examination was approaching, but Kiyoyori did not study properly at home. Instead, he went to Kyoto alone, got soaked in the snow, and almost caught a cold. At that time, Kasumigaoka was so focused on confessing his love to Kiyoyori that he overlooked this point.

"What, that day?"

"When we first met."

Kasumigaoka's smile, which had been assuming the other person had forgotten, immediately turned dangerous.

"We didn't first meet in..." Chiba.

Kiyoshi couldn't bring herself to say it, as if something was holding her back. The images she recalled were also blurry. A voice hypnotically told her that their meeting in Kyoto was their first encounter.

"Kiyori-kun, you haven't forgotten, have you?"

Instinctively sensing the danger, Kiyoyori temporarily put aside his strange thoughts and hurriedly explained, "I remember, I remember! Of course I remember!"

As she spoke, she backed away, trying to distance herself from the person in front of her who looked like he was about to emit black smoke. "It was snowing heavily that day, and the trams were all out of service. It was Shiyu-senpai who took me in."

Then their relationship underwent a dramatic transformation.

Of course, Kiyoshi deliberately omitted this part, which would likely lead to even more intense questioning.

"So why was Shimizu-kun in Kyoto back then? He even made a special trip from the Kanto region, especially while he was preparing for his exams."

Kiyotomi paused for a moment, speechless, "Why did you suddenly think of asking about this, Shiyu-senpai?"

Why did we go to Kyoto? Of course, it was because of Haruno's coercion.

Wait a moment……

Even so, why go to Kyoto? Clearly…

They all live in Chiba.

This sudden question sent a shiver down Qinglai's spine.

"Shimizu-kun? Are you alright?"

Sensing Kiyori's unusual behavior, Kasumigaoka gave up asking further questions. More than the answer, she was worried about Kiyori's strange state.

"No...nothing..."

"Really? Shall we go over there and rest for a bit?"

Not far away was a flat and open lawn, which was very quiet, unlike the lively banquet.

I just didn't expect that there were other guests already on the lawn.

"Chiang Lai?"

The man, holding a cardboard box in one hand and eating something with his mouth bulging, greeted Qinglai, who was still in a daze, with a blank expression.

"Senior Mizore...?"

Unexpected yet perfectly logical.

"Senior Mizore is also attending the fireworks display?"

Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka, with her exceptional memory, also remembered this person she had met once before. If she remembered correctly, this should be Kiyoyori's direct senior in the oboe club...

So, is that student B?

Kasumigaoka slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

"Yes, because there are lots of delicious foods."

P.S.: I'm sure you've all heard about what's been happening lately, so let's lay low for a while. Although I'm a nobody and I've flopped, I still cut out all the sweet moments from the extra chapters. Because I was in a rush to revise them, there might be some awkward phrasing. Please see yesterday's announcement for details. The uncut version is available in the group. If you want to see it, please join the group. If there are similar situations in the future, I will still put the uncut version in the group. Please understand.