I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Mizore, as if struck by a sudden thought, turned deathly pale, her already bloodless face turning ashen. "Nozomi..."

"Because of this sudden incident, Yukino's request shifted from preventing members from leaving the club to preventing the sender from further escalating the situation. And as you can imagine," Haruno said, her gaze falling on Kiyoyori, who was frowning, "the internal conflicts within the brass band have worsened again because of this email. The upperclassmen have gone from ignoring the lowerclassmen to feeling extremely disgusted with them, especially those who have already identified with those roles."

"The trumpet club and... flute club will be the first to be affected."

Mizore's expression grew increasingly grim. Haruno's implication was not subtle; everything was telling her that, without her knowledge, in places she didn't know, Nozomi had experienced far worse things. She was oblivious to these things, completely unaware of them. Nozomi was being hurt, yet she was still blaming Nozomi.

"Nozomi..."

Ying curled herself into a small ball, twitching slightly.

"That's enough, Haruno, let's stop here."

Kiyoshi didn't know what Haruno meant, but she could tell that Haruno wasn't saying these things to her, but rather to Mizore. She could ask Haruno another time, but she couldn't bear to see Mizore in such pain any longer.

“Kiyori really cares about Mizore-chan, doesn’t she~?” Haruno said, drawing out the last syllable of her voice and winking playfully. “It’s so jealous~.”

Kiyoshi pursed his lips and said nothing more.

"Because of a certain person's request, Yukino chose to prioritize handling email-related requests. Everything was proceeding smoothly according to the sender's calculations, but due to someone's excessive sympathy, the situation eventually spiraled out of their control," Yukino chuckled, her cold gaze contrasting with her words. "So even though Yukino found the sender, because the request couldn't be exposed, she had to resort to a shady method."

“I see,” Kasumigaoka reacted quickly, guessing the ending immediately. “Because of the promise to protect the sender’s privacy, in order to punish the sender and protect them at the same time, Kasaki and the others became the victims.”

Mizore's body trembled slightly, as if some warmth was transmitted through the thin yukata to Kiyoyori's back.

“Perhaps it’s not appropriate to call them sacrifices,” Kiyoyori paused before speaking. “Leaving the club was a choice they had already made. Yukinoshita-senpai can only be said to have taken advantage of that, at least to avoid getting hurt.”

But this person is not the one hiding behind Kiyoyori at this moment.

Kiyoyori didn't know how to bring it up. Perhaps in her opinion, Nozomi Kasaki didn't deserve Mizore Yoroizuka's efforts for her, but it was her private matter and Kiyoyori had no right to interfere.

Whether as Tachibana Kiyoyori himself or as a member of the Service Club.

P.S.: I must have lost my mind to go out for a meal in this torrential rain... I'll be back to work tomorrow. If there are any night shifts or updates that will be canceled, I'll let you know in the group chat. Anyway, I'll try my best to keep updating every day.

Chapter 51, Section 216: Perhaps we will just drift apart like this.

"Anyway, that's all in the past, there's no point in dwelling on it," Yang shrugged nonchalantly. "I only told Kiyori about it to satisfy your curiosity," she smiled like a cat that had just stolen some cream. "So? Kiyori, are you satisfied with this story?"

Before Kiyoyori could answer, Kasumigaoka interrupted her, saying, "There's nothing wrong with clinging to the past. Denying the past is denying the present. Our experiences have shaped who we are today, so we should still cling to what we should cling to."

Both Yono and Kasumigaoka turned their gazes toward Kiyoyori.

"What does Xiao Qinglai think?"

What does Shimizu-kun think?

Chiang Lai: "..."

She couldn't let go of the past, yet she had to keep moving forward. Kiyotaka couldn't deny any point of view, but she also couldn't do anything about it. She was like someone being pulled in two completely opposite directions, wanting to move forward on one hand, but hesitating and looking back on the other. Her past had long been buried by thick dust, and her future was no longer what she had once hoped for.

Kiyoshi was unable to answer the question, nor could she give anyone the answer they wanted; she simply remained silent, responding with silence.

The once quiet surroundings suddenly became lively, with crowds surging in. Footsteps, conversations, and laughter came like a tide, and people all looked towards the sky that a certain finger pointed to, full of anticipation.

“Heh,” Yang Nai chuckled coldly, a stark contrast to his previous cheerful demeanor, “How cowardly you are, Kiyorai.”

Her almost inaudible sarcasm dissipated in the evening breeze, covered by the suddenly rising fireworks.

Colorful fireworks slowly rose into the sky, exploding into dazzling flowers in the dark night sky. They streaked across the night like shooting stars, then disappeared in a flash. Fireworks continued to rise, and people's cheers rose and fell with them. The loud rumbling sound filled the air, as if one had been isolated in a world with only oneself, unable to hear any other sounds.

Qinglai, however, had no time to appreciate it.

The colorful lights illuminated Yang Nai's profile, her expression flickering with the light from the fireworks. The evening breeze ruffled her short hair, her delicate face, and the slightly mocking corners of her mouth, casting long shadows.

The same applies to time.

Kiyoyori sometimes wonders why she and Haruno ended up like this.

There seemed to be an invisible hand pushing them closer together, yet also pushing them further apart, until they went their separate ways, until there was no place for Yang Nai in her future.

Perhaps they are destined to go in two completely opposite directions, like fireworks rising to their highest point in the night sky. At the moment of their most dazzling display, all the sparks will go their own way.

The first wave of fireworks ended, and a faint smell of gunpowder lingered in the air.

“I should probably head back too,” Yang Nai stood up, surprisingly not bothering Kiyoshi any further. “If Kiyoshi is worried about Yukino, he might as well give her a call.”

"The senior didn't even reply to the emails I sent earlier."

The implication is that they are accusing the Yukino family of controlling Yukino.

Yang Nai suddenly smiled, as if she had thought of something interesting, "This time it won't happen."

After saying that, she looked meaningfully at Kiyora, then at Mizore, and finally fixed her gaze on Kasumigaoka. However, Haruno didn't say anything more, just waved and left gracefully.

Mizore, who was overwhelmed by a barrage of information, also missed out on the fireworks display. She maintained a self-defensive, almost withdrawn posture from the very beginning and refused to let go of Kiyori's clothes.

“Hey, Mr. B,” Kasumigaoka deliberately used the name she had used when talking to Kiyoyori earlier, “could you please take off Shimizu-kun’s clothes?”

Ying seemed not to hear anything, and even pulled the small piece of fabric even tighter.

This clearly provoked Kasumigaoka's dissatisfaction once again.

"It's Yoroizuka..."

Kiyoshi corrected him in a low voice, but unsurprisingly, he was glared at by Kasumigaoka.

“Well then, Yorozuka,” Kasumigaoka sighed, making a reluctant compromise, “instead of isolating yourself here complaining and blaming yourself, why don’t you go find your classmate A…”

"Umbrella Tree".

“Kasaki-san, please explain clearly,” Kasumigaoka obediently changed his form of address following Kiyori’s reminder. “Now you also understand that Kasaki-san’s withdrawal from the club was not only due to her own subjective factors, but also because the environment of the brass band at that time was an important factor that could not be ignored.”

Under Kiyori's gaze, Kasumigaoka chose to use the gentlest words possible, "Unlike Yorozuka, Kasaki is someone with a wide social circle."

However, this statement stepped right into Ying's minefield.

Feeling a tremor behind him, Kiyotaka whispered, "Shiwa-senpai!"

"Hoo—" Kasumigaoka let out a breath as if she could no longer bear it, and glared at Kiyori, who was standing in a protective posture. "Shimizu-kun, you really are—how much do you want to spoil her? If you can't even accept this fact, then don't talk about reconciling with Kasaki-san. It would be more realistic to just let them never see each other again!"

Qinglai opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

She didn't want to intrude on Mizore's inner world for no reason. It would be unfair to force someone's heart open out of mere curiosity, because she couldn't give them the same secrets, nor did she want to bear their secrets. She had no interest in that.

"I...I don't know anything..."

A faint, tearful voice sounded behind Kiyoyori.

"I didn't know that Ximei had gone through all of this..."

School bullying was something Mizore never imagined would happen to someone like her. She lived in her own world, and no one wanted to approach her. Only Nozomi came with light, but Mizore never thought that the person who radiated warmth and light had once been trapped in darkness.

In a place she doesn't know.

"I still...I still..."

She even resented Nozomi, resenting that she didn't tell her anything, resenting that she distanced herself from her, and resenting that she abandoned her.

Because Nozomi can have the whole sky, while Mizore only has one Nozomi.

Nozomi's sudden departure was like a spark that ignited all the unease in Mizore's heart. It burned silently and completely engulfed her. From then on, the sun that illuminated the dark world was gone, and even the last ray of light disappeared.

She has already seen the sunlight, so how can she return to the darkness?

Mizore loathed this terrible version of herself. She knew perfectly well that Nozomi could never be just Nozomi to her alone, yet she still wanted to keep her by her side.

Has this version of herself already become a burden to Nozomi?

"I am not... qualified..."

Perhaps the best outcome is for us to stay apart like this.

P.S.: Countdown to the end of Volume 3. I'm asking for votes and donations today, something I haven't done in a while, you know what I mean!

Chapter 52 Dark Corner (Section 217)

Seeing Mizore trapped in her inescapable self-loathing, Kiyoyori couldn't bring herself to voice the thoughts she'd gleaned from Kasaki. For some reason, Kiyoyori simply didn't say it, even though she knew it would alleviate Mizore's emotions to some extent.

She didn't want to bother you because she felt it was unnecessary, so she left without saying goodbye.

Because she knows that if she speaks up, you will leave with her.

Because she likes your oboe.

But these words seemed to be stuck in his throat, turning into an indescribable sigh.

These words might make Mizore-senpai feel even more guilty, because Kasaki-senpai is so "understanding," yet she misunderstood him. Perhaps in Kasaki's eyes, Mizore was the one who abandoned her.

Qinglai made excuses for himself.

I don't want to hurt Senior Mizore.

So that's fine.

But is this true?

Kiyoshi didn't have the courage to ask himself that question.

The fireworks display ended in silence. The second wave of fireworks was like a grand mockery. The bustling crowd set off the desolate grassy slope. They sat so close, yet seemed to be a thousand miles apart. Her encounter with him was as brilliant as blooming fireworks, yet it vanished at its most beautiful moment.

Mizore was taken away by her parents. Before saying goodbye, she mechanically waved to Kiyoyori, her already expressionless face becoming even more indifferent.

Perhaps out of guilt for ruining the "date," Kiyoyori gentlemanly escorted Kasumigaoka home before leaving. Kasumigaoka didn't tease Kiyoyori any further, probably noticing her strange mood. He simply accompanied her on the last stretch of the road before she went home, without any conversation or eye contact, only the faint warmth of her hand brushing past her countless times.

When Kiyoyori got home, he received a message from Haruno, which contained only a short sentence:

"Please keep an eye out for that girl named Yuihama, Kiyora."

Without the frivolous symbols she usually uses, and with an unpretentious and distant form of address, it's not hard to see that Haruno doesn't seem to be satisfied with Yuihama.

Although he was puzzled as to why the other party would send such a message, Kiyoyori did not ask about it again.

It's not hard to guess that Haruno probably encountered Yuihama and Hikigaya on a date after saying goodbye to them, but Kiyoyori wasn't interested in what kind of conversation took place between them.

Disappointed, I exited the chat interface with Yang Nai, only to immediately receive an unexpected message.