I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

“In the second cabinet up there.” Qinglai’s voice was a little hoarse, with a heavy, grainy quality and an indescribable magnetism.

Kasumigaoka considerately refrained from asking further questions, instead taking out a medical kit and, with what could not be described as skillful technique, disinfecting Kiyoyori.

As soon as the white alcohol swab touched the wound, Kiyoyori's hand trembled involuntarily. Kasumigaoka immediately raised his hand, afraid that his clumsiness would worsen the pain.

"fine."

With Kiyoyori's permission, Kasumigaoka continued her actions. She heard a muffled groan in her ear; it was Kiyoyori enduring the pain. His trembling breaths made her hands, which were disinfecting the cotton ball, tremble as well. The cotton ball turned from white to blood red, and then from blood red to pale red.

More and more cotton balls filled the trash can, and Kiyoyori's wound stopped bleeding. Kasumigaoka finally wrapped gauze around Kiyoyori's fingertip and secured it with tape.

Kiyoyori's body was right in front of him. Kasumigaoka hesitated for a long time before withdrawing his hand that wanted to hug the back of the figure.

"I'll tidy up here. Shimizu-kun, you should go and rest for a bit."

"I'm so sorry, Shiyu-senpai, I've troubled you..."

Kiyoshi did not insist any further and simply left the kitchen.

The broken mug was a gift that Asuka had given to Kiyoyori.

It's as if it foreshadows the breakdown of their relationship, something that can only be swept into a dustpan and thrown into the trash can.

"Shimizu-kun," Kiyoyori said, feeling a pair of hands gently placed on his knees. "If you want someone to talk to, I'm right here."

Qinglai propped himself up on his elbows, covered his eyes with his hands, and silently shook his head.

"Then," Kiyotaka felt a soothing pat on his back as he was gently enveloped in a warm embrace, "if you want to cry, then cry it out."

P.S.: I finally got my computer back. The new computer I wanted is out of stock, so I'll get it when it's available. It's a Huawei recommended by a friend in the group. Ever since I switched to a Huawei phone, I'm practically becoming a Huawei myself. But my salary card, which finally had a little bit of money, is going to be empty again. That's upsetting.

Actually, I wanted a starry sky projector myself; I thought it would be quite interesting to use it to daydream at night. However, I haven't looked into it. After all, once I see it, I'll be tempted to buy it. But I'll pass and hug my empty wallet.

Chapter 78, Section 316: The Most Familiar Stranger

It was quiet all around, except for the suppressed sobs.

Kasumigaoka gently stroked Kiyori's nape, feeling the warmth in her palm and her slightly trembling body. Kiyori was kneeling on the ground, on a soft blanket, and didn't seem to be in obvious pain, but she felt a spasmodic pain in her chest, which gradually intensified with the disordered sobs around her neck.

She didn't know what had happened to Qinglai, and had no intention of asking now, so she could only offer silent comfort.

The person in his arms seemed to calm down a little. "I'm sorry, Shiyu-senpai, for showing you such a terrible side of yourself."

"It's okay, I don't mind."

Rather, she hoped that Kiyoyori could show such a true side of himself in front of her.

"I'm sorry, I got your clothes dirty."

Kasumigaoka then noticed a tear stain on her shoulder. "I told you it's okay."

Kiyoshi's eyes were a little red, and the barely noticeable tear stains only made her already delicate face look even more pitiful. Her eyelashes, still wet with tears, and her slightly downcast eyes made people want to pity her.

Kasumigaoka pinched his palm, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, and finally just gently patted Kiyori's knee.

"It's getting late, I should head back."

“Senpai Utaha,” Kiyori reached out and grabbed Kasumigaoka’s wrist, “What exactly is ‘liking’…?”

“I used to think that ‘liking’ meant suppressing it, but when she left, I realized that you should hold on to what you like. But I was wrong again,” Kiyoyori said, releasing Kasumigaoka’s wrist and laughing self-deprecatingly. “I started to learn to keep my distance from others. If you don’t get close, you won’t get hurt. That’s probably the only thing I learned from that person.”

“But even so,” Kiyoyori clutched his chest, feeling the pain more intense than ever before, “it felt like my heart was being ripped out. She was so cruel…”

"Is liking someone a constraint? Have I, after all, become the cage imprisoning Asuka...?"

Asuka? Kasumigaoka knows that name.

Just as the students of Soubu High School know about Kasumigaoka Utaha, the school goddess of Toyonosaki, there are also rumors about Tanaka Asuka in Toyonosaki. Both are beautiful girls with long black hair and have consistently ranked first in the school. Thanks to Soubu High School's outstanding performance in the brass band competition this year, it is hard for Kasumigaoka not to know about her.

More importantly, Tanaka Asuka is Kiyori's childhood friend, and is more like an older sister than Sawamura Eriri, who is the real older sister.

Based on this alone, Kasumigaoka couldn't possibly ignore it.

Moreover, it's not like they haven't had some interaction.

Similarly, thanks to the gossip-loving classmates, anyone who pays a little attention to the Soubu High School brass band knows that this highly talented euphonium player and pillar of the brass band has not appeared in the brass band for a long time.

Rumors of his withdrawal from the team and the competition have been circulating.

Turning around, Kasumigaoka sat down next to Kiyori. "To be honest, the reason I went on this business trip wasn't just because of my novel, but also to visit the university there."

She felt Qinglai beside her suddenly tremble.

“I got accepted into Waseda University through the guaranteed admission program, but I also have the idea of ​​challenging my limits,” Kasumigaoka sighed, seeing the slightly puzzled look in Kiyoyori’s eyes. “I’ll probably continue down the path of being a writer. If I choose the guaranteed admission, I can wait for you in Tokyo. If I choose to take the challenge…”

"That school..."

"In Osaka."

Qinglai's already wounded heart felt as if salt had been rubbed into it again, causing him to be speechless with pain.

"Which side do you think I should choose, Kiyoshi?"

"..." Kiyoyori tried his best to ignore the little voice in his heart that was shouting for the other party to choose the school through the guaranteed admission program. "Of course, we should choose whichever school best meets Utaha-senpai's wishes."

Kasumigaoka just smiled and didn't continue the topic. "What about Tanaka-san? She's the same age as me, right?"

Kiyoyori then understood Kasumigaoka's intention: "She is different from Utaha-senpai."

"What's different?"

"Utaha-senpai bravely pursued her dreams, but Asuka's was just—!"

Forced by Aunt Aso's tyranny.

"How did Kiyori know? Did Tanaka-kun tell you himself?"

“How could she possibly tell me this…” Kiyoyori scoffed. “It’s Utaha-senpai who knows about Asuka. Why would she know about Asuka?”

"As the top student in the same grade at the neighboring school, we naturally need to understand the strength of our opponents."

Actually, it was Asuka who approached Kasumigaoka, and the topic of their conversation was not about further education, but about Kiyoyori.

However, Kasumigaoka had promised the other party that he would not reveal this to Kiyoyori.

"The other person is someone who has the ability to get into the University of Tokyo, so we can't afford to be careless."

Kiyoshi frowned. Although she didn't believe it completely, she couldn't find any loopholes.

"I see... She's going to apply to Tokyo University..."

Recalling Asuka's words, Kiyoyori's heart ached unbearably. "I guess I really can't catch up with her. I've become the one who's holding her back."

“I don’t think so,” Kasumigaoka didn’t know Asuka, but she could understand her choice. “Has Kiyoyori ever thought about it? Is the person who’s being bound really just Tanaka-kun?”

"Is the person being chased really just Tanaka-kun?"

"What do you mean...?" Kiyoyori didn't understand what Kasumigaoka meant. "Asuka is perfect, she's special!"

"Is that the real Tanaka Asuka, or the Asuka Kiyoyori imagined?" Kasumigaoka calmly looked at Kiyoyori who had stood up, watching his gaze gradually widen. "Perhaps for Tanaka-kun, Kiyoyori is the more special one."

"Wake up, Kiyoshi, the one running ahead of the other is you."

I unconsciously recalled my conversation with Tanaka back then.

"Are you really going to abandon Shimizu-kun?"

"No, I am the one who was abandoned, and I can no longer pretend to be the person Kiyora idealized, and continue to bind her."

"Why not just explain it to her? Why do all this unnecessary stuff?"

Kasumigaoka didn't understand. She didn't understand why Tanaka had come to her about this matter, or even why he had chosen to stay away from Kiyoyori.

“No, I can’t do it if I’m with her,” Asuka leaned back, her eyes slightly moist. “I’m destined not to walk the same path as Kiyori. Parting is only a matter of time.”

"Is he just being stubborn? I didn't expect Tanaka-kun to have such a tsundere side."

"As expected," Asuka smiled, "I'll leave Kiyori to you."

She really wanted to force a perfect impression on Kiyora, didn't she?

"If Shimizu-kun feels pain, then it must be..."

"Perhaps it's because people who like each other are keeping their distance from each other against their will."

P.S.: The knife is only temporary, and I've been building up to it for quite a while, so it's about time the knife came. Didn't someone say they liked knives before?

Chapter 79, Section 317: Hypocrisy

"Huh? You want me to go and persuade Asuka-senpai to come back?!"

Huang Qian looked at Nakagawa, who was standing in front of her with his hands clasped together, in surprise. She never expected that she would be called out by her senior in the middle of practice for this reason. "But, if Asuka-senpai comes back, then Natsuki-senpai will..."

“I’m fine! This was originally Asuka-senpai’s place,” Nakagawa said with a dejected look. “I can have another year, but Asuka-senpai… this is her last year.”

"But instead of asking me to persuade Asuka-senpai, you should go to Kiyoyori..."

Huang Qian believed that he did not have the same deep bond as Kiyoyori and Asuka, and that he was just an ordinary junior to them.

"Haven't you heard, Huangqian-chan? Tachibana-san is taking the day off today."

"Huh? Is that so?"

I didn't hear Reina mention it during dinner.

"Besides, didn't Asuka-senpai invite Kyouma-chan to her house for tutoring today? This is a golden opportunity!"

Uncomfortably looking away from Nakagawa's enlarged face, Huang Qian looked troubled. "But..."

"Please, Oumae-chan, everyone wants Asuka-senpai to come back, including me," Nakagawa grasped Oumae's hand, "This is the National Tournament..."

National competition...

Yes, they're aiming for the gold medal.

This is an agreement.