I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

This reminded her of a summer night, of the goddess who raised her bow and arrow in the moonlight.

"Shimizu-kun?" Kasumigaoka patted the spot next to him. "The breeze here is very pleasant."

Kiyoyori didn't sit down next to Kasumigaoka. Instead, he found another rock nearby, took off his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs, and dipped his toes into the lake.

The bone-chilling cold made Qinglai instinctively pull her foot back. The temperature of her body surface was carried away by the water flow, and the gentle touch that brushed against her skin was transmitted to her cerebral cortex. She looked down at her feet submerged in the water, which became somewhat blurry due to the refraction of the water.

For a moment, no one spoke; only the sound of the wind, carrying the whispers of nature, blew from afar to our ears.

Kiyoshi was unusually hunched over, staring blankly ahead, as if there were figures or sounds of laughter and joy.

"Shimizu-kun, don't you have anything to say?"

Kiyoyori heard Kasumigaoka's words from not far away and turned her head, only to see Kasumigaoka's profile, who was also staring ahead. She licked her lips, unsure of where to begin.

"Shimizu-kun, you should really keep an eye on that child," Kasumigaoka said, smoothing her wind-blown hair. "Even though you're not in the same school, you still care about each other, don't you?"

"That child?"

Kiyoyori paused for a moment before following Kasumigaoka's gaze to see the blurry golden figure on the other side of the lake.

"Eiriri...?"

“You sisters are quite alike in some ways,” Kasumigaoka chuckled. “Given her personality, even if she had the strongest trump card, she wouldn’t be able to keep Aki by her side.”

"Is Shiha-senpai concerned about Eriri?"

"I saw through Sawamura's loser nature."

"He's timid and hesitant when it comes to love, afraid to face his true feelings, pretending he doesn't care about anything, but then he hides away and cries when he loses the other person," Kasumigaoka's sigh reached Kiyoyori's ears. She turned her head and looked at Kiyoyori with a complicated expression. "People like that are destined to get hurt."

She seemed to be implying something.

“Aki-kun probably had feelings for Sawamura-kun, but she pushed him away,” Kasumigaoka said, looking at the voices that were a mix of laughter and anger, “which is why he’s in this predicament now, surrounded by enemies.”

"If only she had been more proactive back then, she'll definitely regret it later."

“Because that’s just her personality,” Kasumigaoka turned to Kiyori again. “Does Shimizu-kun understand what I mean?”

The lake water was a bit cool, and the wind was also a bit cool. They took away not only the warmth from Qinglai's skin, but also the warmth from her heart.

Her blood seemed to have frozen, and she was having trouble breathing.

"Then, what does Utaha-senpai think Eriri should do?"

“Of course, I’ll bravely and frankly tell Aki-kun my feelings,” Kasumigaoka’s answer wasn’t surprising, since she’s the type to take the initiative. “Tell him how I feel, tell him I don’t want him to leave.”

Eriri and Aki have a historical issue that has created a rift between them.

It is said that bystanders see things more clearly than those involved. Both of them are concerned, but they pretend not to care.

"What if she doesn't understand her own feelings?"

Rather than Kasumigaoka believing that Eriri simply loves Aki, Kiyoyori feels that it's Eriri's long-standing possessiveness towards Aki.

"Then let's at least take action first. We can figure out the feelings later. At least, the desire to keep the other person here is not wrong, is it?"

Kiyoshi couldn't tell anymore; they seemed to be talking about Eriri, but it also seemed like they weren't.

However, Kasumigaoka probably didn't know what happened at the restaurant at noon, and Kiyoyori never told her anything about Yukinoshita.

"But what if you don't have the courage to admit it and be honest about everything?"

If you don't get it, you won't lose it. If you choose not to expose everything, can everything remain the same?

Isn't someone who only knows how to escape the situation the one least qualified to stand on the opposite side of that person?

“In that case,” Kasumigaoka took a deep breath, “it’s Shimizu-kun’s turn to take the stage, isn’t it?”

"Go and cry with Sawamura-kun. At least let her know that even though she has lost Aki-kun, she is not alone."

Kiyoyori's gaze upon Kasumigaoka seemed to say:

You are not alone.

"Is this how you give up?"

"The moment you couldn't muster the courage, wasn't that already giving up for Sawamura-kun?" Kasumigaoka hugged her knees, resting her cheeks on them, her pomegranate-red eyes seemingly possessing a penetrating power. "She was the one who handed Aki-kun over to someone else, so what's there to complain about?"

"Don't you feel resentful? If it were Utaha-senpai."

Kiyoyori realized something was wrong after asking the question, while Kasumigaoka had already turned his face away.

“Of course I’m not reconciled,” Kasumigaoka replied softly. Although Kiyoyori couldn’t see her expression, he could see her pale nail beds. “The thought of Shimizu-kun being taken away by someone else makes me so angry I want to go crazy.”

After a brief silence, Kasumigaoka changed the subject.

“But there’s nothing we can do. After all, Shimizu-kun had already fallen for someone else back then,” Kasumigaoka’s voice was so soft it was almost imperceptible. “However, at least I know a little bit about it.”

"Huh?"

Seeing Kiyori blinking in confusion, Kasumigaoka smiled gently.

That is something that happened without you even realizing it, but you already had a little crush on me.

So at least—

"Shiwa-senpai," Kiyoyori suddenly felt her heart race. She didn't know if she had the courage to say these words to Yukinoshita, but at least she couldn't go on like this any longer. "I—"

"Shh!"

Feeling the soft touch on his lips, Kiyoshi subconsciously swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

"I'm not ready yet."

"So, please give me some more time, Shimizu-kun."

Before Kiyoyori was an enlarged image of Kasumigaoka's slightly bitter smile.

And that familiar yet unfamiliar fragrance.

P.S.: Work, exams, studying, exams, work, exams, exams, exams xN, endless work. Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!

Chapter 14, Section 352: The Mentioned Past Events

"Kiyoshi, thank you for coming to this Blessing Software event," Aki, who happened to be sitting opposite Kiyoshi at the table, raised a glass of soda to her. "This is the first time our club has gathered together so neatly!"

This made Kiyoshi a little embarrassed, because she was the one who missed the most sessions.

“Tomoya-senpai, I’m the one who should be thanking you,” Kiyoyori said, lightly clinking his glass against the other person’s. “I’ve caused everyone trouble because of my situation.”

He joined the club on a whim but failed to provide any real help; all he did was come here to freeload...

"No! You've been a huge help!" Aki pushed up his glasses, the reflective lenses unable to hide his almost unrestrained smile. "Thanks to Kiyorai's words earlier, I had a burst of inspiration! And the songs you gave me last time would be great as background music in the game! If it weren't for the National Tournament—"

"Ahem!" Eriri, sitting next to Kiyora, deliberately interrupted Aki's incessant chatter. "Although most people here know Kiyora, shouldn't you introduce him, Tomoya?"

She was referring to Michiru Hyoudou, who is currently primarily responsible for the game's theme songs.

Kiyoshi noticed the purple-haired girl sitting next to Aki as soon as he sat down. Her gaze wasn't abrupt, but it had a kind of inquisitiveness that seemed to want to expose Kiyoshi completely. It was just simple curiosity.

This caused Kiyora, who was only wearing a thin yukata, to subconsciously tighten her belt.

“Oh, right!” Aki pointed to the person next to him, “This is my cousin, Michiru Hyodo, who is currently in charge of the game’s theme song and other music.”

Upon hearing the word "cousin," Kiyoshi couldn't help but glance at Eriri.

Why are you looking at me like that!

Unsurprisingly, I was scolded.

"……nothing."

Aki then pointed to Kiyoyori, "This is Tachibana Kiyoyori. She's not from our school; she belongs to the brass band at the General Affairs High School. The music that Michiru listened to several times before was composed by her."

“Hello, I’m Allen’s cousin. We’re childhood friends, born in the same hospital! But we haven’t seen each other much these past few years,” Bingtang was clearly a cheerful person with a straightforward smile, and her words were even more direct. “You’re Tachibana Kiyori? I’ve often heard Allen mention you.”

The other party seemed to have misunderstood something, and Kiyoyori also keenly sensed something.

She glanced at Eriri again, almost unconsciously.

"So why do you always look this way?"

Eriri poked Kiyori's waist with her chopsticks without any mercy.

"No, it feels like it was all pre-arranged..."

Something like green plums falling from the sky.

Kiyoshi muttered to himself in a low voice.

"Hello, I am Tachibana, specializing in oboe and wind instruments. I only know a little about popular music. Please give me your guidance, senior."

"How modest! You can't tell from those few pieces that you 'only know the basics'," Hyodo said, his eyes still fixed on Kiyori's face. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"Huh?"

Upon hearing this, Kiyoyori clearly sensed a very dangerous aura emanating from the other side of the person sitting next to him, which undoubtedly came from Kasumigaoka.

"Shimizu-kun?"

Qinglai involuntarily straightened her back because she could feel two hands touching her lower back at the same time.

To be precise, they were brought up.

There was also Eriri, who looked gloomy.

"Senior Bingtang must be mistaken. I don't think we've ever met."

Kiyoshi's smile was somewhat forced, because if he didn't distance himself from the situation now, he probably wouldn't be able to have dinner tonight.

"Kiyoshi used to play in a band, right?"

Kato, who had been eating in silence, suddenly spoke up, startling everyone.

"You really are elusive!" Compared to those who were more familiar with Kato, Hyodo was clearly a little surprised. "By the way! I saw you at a live show a long time ago, right? You looked very young back then."

Kiyoshi's hand holding the bowl froze, and Eriri's expression changed accordingly.

Sensing that something was wrong, Kasumigaoka stopped what he was doing.

"I remember the lead singer back then was also a student at Soubu High School, right?" Hyodou pressed his chopsticks against his forehead, frowning as he thought. "I remember she was a very pretty older sister. Tachibana, you were their keyboardist back then, right? What was your name again...?"