I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Joining the group is the most honest confession.

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Chapter 99, Section 337: Flower Buds in Winter

When Kiyoyori hurriedly arrived at the perfect spot agreed upon to help Hobe confess his feelings, there were many travelers wearing yukatas there.

The path is flanked by lush bamboo groves, and two rows of dim lights adorn this secluded path. Ahead lies an endless expanse of lights, and above is the starry sky. An evening breeze rustles through the bamboo leaves, scattering the whispers of travelers, and the rustling sound is like a lament.

Most of the travelers were in pairs, but Qinglai stood alone in the middle of the road, watching people come and go around him.

The evening breeze seemed a bit chilly, and wearing only a thin school uniform, Qinglai quickened her pace.

The passersby seemed to be backing away, the wind in their ears grew stronger, their breathing quickened, and their eyes searched blankly for the person who should be there. Only when everything around them quieted down, so quiet that they could only hear their own breathing and heartbeat, did Qinglai finally see the slender figure standing in the middle of the road.

Kiyotomi stopped a short distance behind Yukinoshita, organizing her thoughts in her mind, unsure how to properly ask the question.

She was bewildered when she received Hachiman's call. She knew nothing about what had happened there. The only information she could glean from Hachiman's call was that Yukino Yukinoshita seemed to need comforting.

A feeling of being wronged suddenly welled up in my heart.

She also needs comfort, but for some reason, she always ends up comforting others today.

The only one who saw through this was Yang Nai.

With his mind in turmoil, Kiyoyori failed to hear Yukina's call as she turned around.

"Tachibana-san?"

Kiyoyori didn't come to his senses until someone patted him on the shoulder. "Yukinoshita-senpai."

"What are you doing here, Tachibana-san?"

Several answers flashed through his mind, but Qinglai subconsciously concealed the truth, "The competition is over, and I was just thinking, should I come and take a look?"

Fortunately, Kiyoyori has a remarkable talent for lying.

Although this is terrible.

"I didn't expect it to be over already."

Kiyoshi calmed his breathing, making sure he hadn't given anything away.

“Yes,” Yukinoshita’s eyes flickered unnaturally, “It’s definitely over.”

Kiyoshi wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about the situation, but unexpectedly, the other party asked him about the competition first.

"How's the national competition?"

Yukinoshita couldn't read a trace of emotion about the tournament's outcome on Kiyoyori's face. This junior was unusually calm, as usual, yet somewhat different from usual.

"It's a bronze medal."

Kiyoshiro forced a helpless smile, which made Yukinoshita feel a little uncomfortable. The one who should be feeling disappointed was Yukinoshita, who was trying her best to win the gold medal, but instead, she seemed to be comforting herself, who seemed to be indifferent to everything.

"Yeah……"

Yukinoshita was a little awkward. She didn't know how to comfort Kiyoshiro at this moment. This junior who seemed to not need comforting was also a little disappointed. Even though she was not a member of the brass band, she hoped that the brass band could be reborn from the ashes, just like them.

"Does the senior care a lot about the performance of the brass band?"

The two continued down this seemingly endless road, and for a moment, it seemed as if they were the only beings left in the world.

“I think Tachibana-san already knows about this,” Yukinoshita paused, her cool voice echoing softly, “about the first request I accepted.”

Kiyoyori paused for a moment, but Yukinoshita continued walking forward.

“If Kasaki and the others played the role of the ‘mastermind’ in the club withdrawal incident, then I am the ‘accomplice’,” Yukinoshita turned around and looked at Kiyori calmly. “Of course, I’m not blaming Kasaki and the others. They did nothing wrong…”

"'Rather than wallowing in despair, it's better to preserve the most beautiful moment in your memory.' I don't know why, but this sentence always comes to mind. The more I try to prove it wrong, the more I find it to be true."

"Today too..."

Yukinoshita gave a self-deprecating smile. "Hiratsuka-sensei told me that I planted a seed in the hearts of Kasaki-kun and the others, but it seems that I can't see those brilliant flowers."

“No, those flowers undoubtedly exist,” Kiyoyori stepped forward. “At least, the seed in Kasaki-senpai’s heart has already blossomed.”

Perhaps the mimosa plant in Mizore's heart also bloomed along with it.

"And you, Tachibana-san, has the flower in your heart bloomed yet?"

The girl stood gracefully before him, as if he could touch her purity with just a reach of his hand, but Kiyoshi was afraid that his hand would contaminate her with dust.

In my ears, I could almost hear the sound of flowers blooming.

"It's probably still winter."

Pinch the petals with your hands and roughly stop it.

Yukino chuckled softly and exhaled slowly, "If winter has come, can spring be far behind?"

"Then let's wait and see in the spring?"

"Tachibana-san is not a bad seed."

"Then let's pray that my gardener has unparalleled horticultural skills."

The two of them laughed at the same time.

The atmosphere became more relaxed, the night wind was no longer cold, and with the warmth of another person beside you, it seemed natural to find a reason to huddle together for warmth.

Their steps were slightly unsteady, their leather shoes making a jumbled sound on the paving stones, but it didn't stop them from walking side by side.

After a long day of tension, Kiyoshi suddenly felt an urge to cry.

I don't know when I became such a crybaby.

Kiyoshi thought to himself with a touch of self-mockery.

"If—" Yukinoshita suddenly spoke up, "If Tobe's confession is rejected, but he wants to continue his relationship with Ebina, what do you think he should do?"

With just one simple sentence, Kiyoyori knew the outcome of tonight's request. In fact, the outcome was already predetermined the moment Ebina walked into the Service Department and uttered a bunch of nonsensical words.

"If it were me..." Two faces flashed through my mind quickly. "Before confessing, I should do this kind of risk assessment. If I still want to stay by the other person's side, then I should start from scratch."

"Leave everything behind and start anew."

Unfortunately, sometimes such opportunities simply don't exist.

Once a rift develops in a relationship between people, it is something that is difficult to repair even in a lifetime.

"So, if Tachibana knew that Tobe would be rejected after his confession, and knew that he didn't want their relationship to be ruined, then before the relationship was actually damaged..."

What action would you take?

Kiyoshi blinked. "Do nothing."

"Just watching?"

"Even if something is done, will it change anything?"

It's just maintaining a thin, illusory facade.

"You really are..."

Completely different from Hachiman Hikigaya.

P.S.: The couple I've been shipping lately is so sweet, there's not a drop of blood in it. I've already paid for my Switch, and I'm eagerly waiting for it to arrive. Tomorrow morning I'll try my luck with the Huawei MateBook 14; hopefully I can snag one!! I can't stand my current computer anymore!!

Chapter 100 A Willful Delegation (Section 338)

Kiyoshi found it hard to describe his feelings at that moment; it was a familiar kind of restlessness, and also, jealousy.

As if a fire were burning in his heart, Qinglai licked his lips awkwardly. "Why do you say that?"

"Because Hikigaya did the exact opposite of Tachibana."

Yukinoshita clenched her fists behind her back, seemingly very dissatisfied. She frowned and turned all her unspeakable words into a sigh that was barely audible.

"Completely opposite behavior?" Kiyoyori pondered Hikigaya's style of doing things and his seemingly indifferent attitude towards him, then scoffed, "Hikigaya-senpai wouldn't do something as self-destructive as confessing before Tobe-senpai and then being rejected, just to stop Tobe-senpai from confessing, would he?"

The silent attitude of Yukinoshita has already confirmed Kiyoyori's guess.

Kiyoyori was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh, "They actually did it... What can they gain from doing that?"

It's just a thin, unbroken barrier, maintaining the illusion that nothing has happened, masked only by a hypocritical smile.

What's so good about it?

However, at least he got what he longed for most in his heart.

How I wish that gaze could...

Kiyoshi shifted his gaze to the bamboo grove beside him.

"Is this funny?" Yukinoshita seemed unable to understand Kiyori's reaction. "Why is Tachibana-san laughing?"

There's nothing funny about this.

Yukino only realized today that Hachiman's method of not letting anyone get hurt was to make him bear the hurt that should have been borne by others, and then he would act as if he didn't care at all.

That way, no one will be saddened by caring about him.

Thus, a world in which only Hachiman Hikigaya was injured was created.

This is not funny at all.

Tachibana Kiyori smiled.

Because she is the complete opposite of Hachiman Hikigaya.