I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

They walked quickly, but they didn't forget to look back along the way to see Lai and Isshiki clearly. The two seemed to be exchanging something in hushed tones.

Kiyotomi wasn't interested in what they were talking about. She simply put away her smile and stood quietly by the kitchen counter, while Isshiki beside her was still waving at the two boys.

While maintaining a sweet smile, Isshiki said something completely out of character, "I didn't expect Kiyora to be this type. I thought you would definitely agree to not participate and take all the work upon yourself. Anyway, it would definitely be faster and better if you did it all by yourself than if the four of us did it together, right?"

Although she had never been in the same group as Kiyori before, Isshiki had been observing Kiyori all along. Just from Kiyori's skillful and relaxed movements, as well as the expressions of the other members in her group while eating, she could tell that Kiyori's cooking skills were definitely not bad.

Kiyoshiro raised an eyebrow, looking at Isshiki with interest for the first time. "What makes you think that way?"

"Kiyori is the kind of person who seems easy to get along with, but is actually hard to approach, right?" Isshiki continued to communicate with Kiyori in a sweet voice. "At first, I thought Kiyori was like me, but later I realized that Kiyori was just maintaining his own etiquette, nothing more."

"So for someone like Tachibana, teamwork must be the thing she hates the most, right?"

Isshiki's voice turned cold, almost the complete opposite of her usual demeanor.

“Unfortunately,” Kiyoyori replied in a similarly flat tone, “I am not the same kind of person as Isshiki. Teamwork is the most important part of wind instrument playing, and I enjoy the spiritual resonance that such teamwork brings.”

Watching the two boys carrying ingredients back from the other side of the classroom, Kiyora cooperatively brought his lips close to Isshiki's ear and whispered:

"On the contrary, isn't Isshiki the one who dislikes this kind of hypocritical interpersonal interaction?"

"Aren't you tired of always wearing a mask that doesn't belong to you?"

Kiyoshiro could feel Isshiki's body stiffen for a moment, but she quickly smiled, waved to the two boys, and responded to Kiyoshiro in a very cold voice:

"Tachibana-san is a much more interesting person than I imagined."

“Really? That’s very kind of you,” Kiyoyori said, pulling away from Isshiki and reaching out to organize the kitchen utensils they needed. “However, I think Isshiki is a more boring person than I imagined.”

Isshiki turned and glared at Kiyoyori, who returned the gaze with a gentle yet indifferent look.

As the two boys placed the ingredients on the table, Isshiki flashed a bright smile, as did Kiyoshiro.

"Nice to meet you, Kiyoshi!"

"Nice to meet you, Isshiki-kun."

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

After class, Kiyotori parted ways with Isshiki. The home economics class she had studied with Isshiki was the most tiring class she had ever taken. It wasn't that Isshiki's cooking skills were bad; Kiyotori had long expected that Isshiki, who was so popular with boys, couldn't possibly not be a good cook. It was just that the sense of déjà vu, which was similar to Haruno, and the sense of difference between them made Kiyotori feel a strange feeling when she was with Isshiki.

It's said that you shouldn't think about someone too much, especially if that person is someone you deliberately ignored or didn't reply to in the morning.

Unsurprisingly, I received another message from Yang Nai, still asking if I was free on the weekend. However, this time it wasn't a negotiation but a more forceful demand.

Kiyoshi stopped in her tracks, still hesitant about whether to accept the invitation, because she wasn't sure what the other party wanted to do.

Just then, his phone started vibrating. This time, Kiyoyori could see clearly that it was Haruno calling.

As soon as the call was answered, Yang Nai on the other end went straight to the point without even the usual greetings.

"Come to the address I sent you at 1:30 on Saturday."

A seemingly random sentence had already laid the groundwork for the formation of the Qinglai Saturday.

This time, Kiyoyori said without hesitation, "I refuse."

"It's related to Yukino."

"Even so, Xiao Qinglai still refuses to come?"

P.S.: The author is so engrossed in studying that he's exhausted.

Chapter 346, Part 08: The Show Begins

Kiyotori arrived at the location designated by Yono as agreed. It was a department store with good business. Even standing at the entrance, Kiyotori could see customers coming and going, mostly in pairs. Perhaps because it was the weekend, there were also quite a few people dressed as students.

Looking at his phone, he saw that there were still ten minutes left before the agreed time with the other party, and Kiyora suddenly felt an urge to turn around and leave.

Perhaps she should agree to go on the hot spring trip organized by Tomoya-senpai with Utaha-senpai.

That way, perhaps I won't have to be bothered by these things anymore.

Before Kiyoyori could put this idea into practice, his phone vibrated again, displaying a message from Yono with only a few simple words:

"Look ahead."

Kiyoshi subconsciously looked up and forward, and the figure of Yono waving at her while leaning against the wall appeared in the center of her field of vision. She was wearing a khaki trench coat and tight-fitting cropped jeans, revealing a section of her fair calves and ankles.

"Is it pretty, little Qinglai?"

Yang deliberately moved closer to Qinglai.

Kiyoshi simply withdrew his gaze and took a step to the side without any attempt to hide it. "Good afternoon."

Yukino wasn't angry. "Good afternoon! It seems that Kiyora really cares about Yukino, huh?"

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

Yang grabbed Kiyora, who was about to turn and leave, and said, "Don't rush, let's go inside first?"

Seeing Yang Nai's smiling expression, Kiyoyori tried to pull his wrist away, but failed to free his hand from the other's grasp.

Where does this woman get such strength?!

Kiyoyori tried to pull his wrist twice but failed. He was met with Haruno's cheerful smile, so he could only force an awkward smile and walk into the department store in this position that was not exactly painful but definitely uncomfortable.

The department store was even more bustling than expected on the weekend, but their happiness at that moment felt more like Qinglai's torment.

Kiyoyori already knew that going out with a beauty like Haruno would attract a lot of attention. It wasn't that she minded being overshadowed by Haruno, but the occasional intimate gestures between them drew curious or knowing glances from others, which made Kiyoyori feel like she was being pricked by those gazes.

"Can't you just let go of my hand?"

There are many ways to express intimacy, and holding hands is one of them. The way you hold hands can reveal different relationships between two people. The most common way is to hold hands, or you can hold hands tightly with all ten fingers, or even just hold hands with one finger for a slightly shy gesture.

But rather than saying that Yang was holding Qinglai's hand, it's more like a concerned parent holding the wrist of a naughty child to prevent them from running around.

Although the two were holding hands, there was enough space between them for another person to squeeze in. From an outsider's perspective, they looked like two people in a punishment game who were forced to hold hands and go on a date.

"If Kiyorai promises not to run away~"

Kiyoshi felt the hand on his wrist tighten even more.

I promise you.

Having come this far, it seems a bit too late to turn around and run away now.

"You should have said so earlier!"

Yang readily agreed and stepped back to a safe distance between them, while Kiyoshi silently rubbed his wrist, which had been gripped somewhat numb, with his other hand.

Kiyotomi followed Haruno into a coffee shop that didn't seem to have high average prices. She watched Haruno talk to the waiter and felt a little puzzled, but she didn't show it. Kiyotomi just silently followed Haruno, keeping a certain distance.

Like most shops in department stores, this cafe is not very large and the decor is just average. Kiyotaka didn't see anything about it that would attract Haruno to make a special trip here on the weekend.

As far as she knew, Yang Nai's time was very precious.

Of course, Kiyoyori didn't think he had enough influence to make Yono specifically set aside time for him.

According to this idea, the only possibility is that someone else chose this cafe, and it is very likely that it was Yukino Yukinoshita, while Haruno came here to observe.

This guy's sister complex is hopeless.

As Yono and Kiyotaka settled into an inconspicuous corner that offered a panoramic view of the entire café, Kiyotaka silently clicked his tongue in disdain.

Seeing the person in front of him holding the menu with great interest, Qinglai took a sip of lemonade.

Besides them, there were only a few other couples in the restaurant, and none of them were people Qinglai knew, which meant that the target had not yet appeared.

"What would you like to eat, Kiyoyori?" Yang Nai spread the menu out in front of Kiyoyori, as if the two of them were really just there for lunch. "I heard from others that the hamburger patties here are pretty good. Kiyoyori likes them, doesn't he?"

Kiyoshi glanced at the picture of Yono's finger; it did look pretty good.

"'other people'?"

Yang Nai picked up the glass with a smile that hadn't changed, "As expected of Kiyora."

But she didn't seem to have any intention of hiding it, "The person who recommended this place was Hayato-kun; he has pretty good taste."

Does "Hayato" refer to Hayato Hayama?

It's not surprising that Haruno knows Yukino because her father is the legal counsel for the Yukinoshita Group.

Based on Qinglai's previous observations and the clearly marked prices on the menu, this is indeed a coffee shop that offers good value for money, especially for students who do not have their own income.

However, for people like Yang Nai and Qing Lai who have frequented high-class places since childhood, it is much less impressive.

In other words, if Xiang Yang recommended that Ye Shan appear here, then he is definitely not alone, because choosing this place must have taken into account the spending power of his companions.

Only Yukinoshita could disturb Haruno.

In other words, this was most likely a meeting between Hayama and the members of the Service Club, and the topic of discussion was likely the election for student council president. However, since Kiyoyori did not receive any such news, it was most likely a private meeting.

Taking all these factors into consideration, the people who will be present later are most likely to be Hayama, Yukinoshita, and either Hikigaya or Yuihama.

Kiyoyori is more inclined to believe it is Hikigaya.

"Little Qinglai?"

Yang Nai tapped the table lightly with his index finger, bringing Kiyoyori back to his senses. The waiter next to them had been standing by the table for a long time, seemingly waiting for Kiyoyori to take his order.

"This one will do."

In places where a higher level of taste cannot be pursued, Qinglai is not picky.

"Okay, then let's do it this way!"

Yang Nai seemed to have already ordered, and with a smile, handed the menu back to the waiter before turning to Kiyoyori and saying:

"Don't worry, Xiao Qinglai, the next 'dishes' shouldn't be boring for you."

Kiyoshi swirled the glass, but the lemon inside remained in place.

"I know."

She knew it from the moment she received the call.

P.S.: Sorry, I took my elderly relative to the hospital for an IV drip today and just got home. I've been busy during the day and haven't been getting much rest at night lately, so I'm really exhausted.