I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"I'll be bringing Shimizu-kun over this evening. Could you please book an extra room for us, along with dinner? That's all."

Completely ignoring the doubts and protests on the other end of the phone, Kasumigaoka hung up the phone very decisively.

If Kiyoyori wasn't mistaken, the person shouting "Kasumigaoka Utaha" on the other end of the phone must be her older sister, Eriri.

Actually, these two people have a very good relationship?

But what's more important right now is—

"Is Shiwa-senpai taking me to the hot springs? But didn't you just say something came up—"

"It's all been taken care of."

From the moment I saw Shimizu sitting here looking dejected.

Kasumigaoka would certainly not tell Kiyori this, because she knew that for Kiyori, this would be more of a burden than a source of gratitude.

"However, I was completely unprepared, with no idea about luggage or budget for the trip—"

Kiyoshi was somewhat troubled and wanted to refuse. Given her current depressed state, going on vacation with others would probably only spoil their mood. Besides, this was a trip for Aki's game club, and it seemed a bit too shameless for a ghost member like her to participate.

"Can't we just buy the clothes over there? If Shimizu-kun has any expenses, I'll cover them for now."

Kasumigaoka is acting like a generous boss right now.

"This isn't a good idea."

"Would Shimizu-kun possibly renege on his debt?"

"That's not true..."

"Then it's settled."

Kasumigaoka made the decision without giving Kiyoyori a chance to object. She even booked train tickets for the two of them very quickly. From here to the station and then to the departure, Kasumigaoka kept the timing very precise, making it impossible for Kiyoyori to escape.

Just as Kiyoyori was surprised by the other party's speed, Kasumigaoka had already grabbed Kiyoyori's wrist.

Unlike being restrained by Haruno, Kasumigaoka's strength was very light, and it seemed that she could break free at any moment. But at this moment, Kiyori only wanted to run away with him to a place where no one could find her.

"Let's take a trip on a whim, Shimizu-kun."

If she were the first person I met.

She'll probably fall for the person in front of her.

P.S.: The author is running out of ideas...

Chapter 12, Section 350: Don't corrupt my sister!

When Kiyoyori sat in the rapidly moving train carriage, she was still in a daze. However, Kasumigaoka, who was sitting opposite her, seemed to have no reaction to this and even took out his laptop and started typing.

The rhythmic sound of keyboard typing echoed in Qinglai's ears, fading into the distance, until a telephone ring interrupted her reverie.

"Shimizu-kun, the phone is ringing."

Kasumigaoka reminded him without looking up.

"Ah, oh..."

Seeing how hurriedly the other person answered the phone, Kasumigaoka paused in his typing.

It's not that I haven't seen Kiyora different from her usual self, but I've never seen her so out of sorts. If I'm not mistaken, her unusual behavior must be related to something she has to do over the weekend.

While Kiyoyori was on the phone, Kasumigaoka took out his phone and sent a message.

"Mother?"

"Eri just called and said you're going to the hot springs with her this weekend?"

"Um……"

Kiyori hesitated a bit in her reply because she had completely forgotten to inform Touko about the matter. The incident happened suddenly, and her two mothers had not been home for the past few days, so Kiyori had completely put the matter out of her mind.

"Honestly, you child, how could you go out to play without telling us?" Yuanzi, like all mothers in the world, had barely said a few words before starting to list Qinglai's recent "naughty" deeds.

Holding the phone, Kiyoshi could only vaguely agree with Touko, knowing she was in the wrong, and dared not reply to her retort.

"It's good that Eriri still knew to call and ask," which meant the "lesson" was over. "You left suddenly this time without being prepared. If you need money anywhere, ask your sister. Just remember to pay back all the money you owe Eriri when you come back."

"Oh, I see."

As Touko listened to Kiyoshi's obedient reply on the other end of the phone, she sighed helplessly.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Even just through a phone call, Touko keenly sensed Kiyori's current mood.

"Since you've decided to go out and have fun, leave all your worries behind and enjoy yourself!" Touko commanded Kiyori. "But when you come back, you'll still have to face those unpleasant things!"

"Yes, thank you, Mom."

Kiyoyori spoke quietly to Touko, while Kasumigaoka typed rapidly on her phone. Seeing Kiyoyori's hard-won smile, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and her typing subconsciously slowed down.

Hey! Why are you typing but not replying?

The other person in the LINE chat was clearly very impatient, sending messages like a machine gun, making Kasumigaoka's hands go numb.

"What exactly happened with Qinglai?!"

"When I called Aunt Touko just now, she didn't even know that Kiyoyori was going out to stay overnight. This is not like Kiyoyori at all!"

Did you actually get the answer?

"Kasumigaoka Utaha!!!"

The string of exclamation marks clearly demonstrated the other party's urgency. Kasumigaoka, who was originally planning to send out the edited explanation, immediately had the idea of ​​teasing the other party.

She deleted that paragraph word by word and retyped it: Send the message.

"Has Sawamura-kun been waiting for my reply all this time?"

The other side finally stopped for a moment, but Kasumigaoka could even imagine Eriri's contorted expression as she held her phone. Sure enough, what awaited her next was an even greater barrage of messages than before.

"Huh? What are you being so narcissistic about? Who's been holding their phone waiting for your message all this time?!"

"If Kiyoyori weren't with you, I wouldn't even bother asking you!"

"And another thing! What was with the tone you used on the phone just now! I'm not your servant!"

"What a useless woman! We couldn't get a single piece of information out of Kiyoyori!"

Kasumigaoka smiled as Eriri bombarded her phone with messages, the constant vibrations on the table even attracting Kiyori's attention. Only then did she slowly reply with a single sentence:

"No matter what you say, Sawamura-kun, I'm the one with Shimizu-kun right now."

Kasumigaoka could imagine how furious Eriri would be after seeing those words.

Sure enough, as soon as Kasumigaoka answered Eriri's call, he felt like thousands of bees were buzzing in his ears.

"You shameless wicked woman! Stay away from Kiyoyori! Don't corrupt my sister!"

"If you speak so loudly, someone might hear you."

Kasumigaoka's reminder immediately silenced Eriri on the other end. Fortunately, Kiyoyori was focused on chatting with Touko and didn't notice at all.

With a helpless sigh, she said, "Since you're so worried about Shimizu-kun, why don't you ask her yourself?"

Eriri remained silent.

Eriri remained silent, and so did Kasumigaoka. She knew that Eriri was not good at expressing her emotions and always used words to cover up her feelings because of shyness or other reasons.

She wanted to deceive others, but even more so, she wanted to deceive herself.

The sisters are surprisingly similar in their dishonesty when it comes to feelings.

Eriri abruptly hung up the phone, leaving only a soft "thank you" that was barely audible.

Soon, Kiyoyori received a call from Eriri.

"Eiri Riri?"

"...I'm sorry, did I interrupt your call with Aunt Touko?" Eriri asked cautiously, because when she called, Kiyoshi's phone showed that it was busy, but just as she was about to hang up, the call was answered.

"No," Kiyoyori replied patiently, a little unaccustomed to Eriri's tone. "Mom has something to do too."

"Yeah……"

The two fell silent simultaneously, an unexpected silence that made Kasumigaoka, who was sitting to the side, feel awkward.

“Oh right! That woman from Kasumigaoka must have told you that Tomoya’s game is in its later stages, right? That guy finally remembered to treat us properly,” Eriri rambled on about what had happened these past few days. Although it sounded like she was complaining, Kiyoyori felt that Eriri was happier than ever. “The scenery here is beautiful! The hot spring hotel is also very nice. In this respect, Kasumigaoka Utaha has good taste, so I’ll reluctantly admit it!”

"Kiyoshi should have come out and relaxed a long time ago. If he keeps locking himself at home to practice, he might turn into an oboe one day."

Although Eriri kept talking about her own things, Kiyoyori knew that she was showing concern for him in her own way.

"By the way, how are things going between Eriri and Tomoya-senpai?"

Eriri, who was talking non-stop, suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

Why bring him up at a time like this! You've definitely been led astray by that wicked woman!

Before Qinglai could react, the call was already disconnected.

"...Huh?"

P.S.: Just a heads-up, there'll be some sweet moments coming up soon, hmm. Also, I'm going to a busier department next month, and I also have to prepare for exams. Lighting incense for myself in advance.

Chapter 13, Section 351: The Hidden Feelings

After getting off the bus, Kiyoyori was taken by Kasumigaoka to a maple forest, which looked like a wildfire from above, swaying in the wind.

"So beautiful..."

My heart is filled with the breath of nature; this place is brimming with the taste of freedom.

After passing through the maple forest, the two arrived at a lake. Kasumigaoka didn't mind at all and immediately found a rock by the lake to sit down, closing her notebook and placing it on her lap.

The lakeside breeze ruffled her long black hair, causing Qinglai, who was standing beside her, to lose his composure.