I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

But everything around was so familiar, even the location of the vendors was exactly the same as what Qinglai had just seen.

It's hard to imagine that after such an awkward meeting in Chiba at noon, we've now come to the same place again, thousands of miles away.

Kiyotomi stood there for a moment, feeling somewhat lost in the crowd. If it were her usual self, she would have gone to find Yukinoshita without hesitation, but at this moment she felt very hesitant.

If it were just a fleeting glance on the street, she could pretend she knew nothing, pretend she didn't know Yukinoshita was here, pretend she had never been here before. But now, such pretense would be mercilessly exposed.

But what about the person currently occupying her body? Will that person also want to come looking for her? Or rather, will that person want to see her?

Kiyoshiro was momentarily at a loss as to whether he should take the initiative to find Yukino or stay where he was and wait for this sudden exchange to end.

Feeling a pang of hunger in his stomach, Kiyoyori guessed that Yukinoshita probably hadn't eaten properly. After all, how could she have any appetite after Haruno's words at noon?

Just as I was about to randomly pick a small vendor to buy something to eat, someone gently patted my shoulder.

Kiyoyori turned his head and saw a face that he couldn't quite place. It was someone he had seen at a banquet before, probably around the same age as Yukinoshita, and also from a prestigious family...

What was her name again...?

Xiangyuan?

Kiyoshi instinctively took a half step back.

The boy greeted her with a cheerful smile, "Miss Yukinoshita, I'm so sorry, I was walking a little too fast just now."

“There are too many people here, so let me hold your hand,” Xiangyuan was quite handsome. If he showed that smile to other girls, many would probably be unable to resist. But at this moment, Qinglai just wanted to give him an over-the-shoulder throw. “Ms. Yukinoshita told me that I can’t let anything happen to you.”

With just this one sentence, Kiyoshi probably guessed the whole story.

Perhaps that's why Yukinoshita hides in a place so dark you can't even see your own fingers.

"Excuse me, Mr. Xiangyuan, I have an appointment with a friend. It's just the two of us, and we're going to meet here."

It seems that Yukinoshita doesn't like this kind of occasion, and Kiyori also wants to find Yukinoshita inside his body, so this is the best reason right now.

"I will explain things to my mother."

Kiyoshi believed he had made his intentions very clear, and if the other party was sensible enough, they shouldn't bother him.

"Then I'll go with Ms. Yukinoshita? I'd also like to get to know Ms. Yukinoshita's friends."

That cheerful smile was so infuriating to Qinglai that she gripped the string holding the purse tightly, as if she could throw it at his face at any moment.

Even though he cursed the other person a thousand times in his heart, Kiyoyori still maintained a distant smile and kept his distance from Aion, considering Yukinoshita's image.

Like chewing gum stuck to the sole of a shoe that can't be shaken off, Kiyora walked in the direction he was supposed to be while absentmindedly answering the questions thrown at him by Soen.

They were mostly boring conversations, either the other person wanted to find out about Yukinoshita, or he was bragging about his "glorious" experiences, such as winning some kind of award.

Hearing it clearly made Lai feel annoyed.

A familiar figure suddenly flashed before her eyes, and Kiyotaka quickly stepped forward. Sōen, who was walking beside her, also reacted quickly and followed. Just as Kiyotaka was about to reach out and pat the figure's shoulder, the familiar dizziness struck again.

My body fell backward uncontrollably, and there was only the uneven ground and the outstretched hand.

The scenery before my eyes changed rapidly.

"senior!"

With a swift turn, just as Yuki was about to fall backward into Xiangyuan's arms, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her forcefully towards him, smoothly causing that soft body to fall into his embrace.

My heart was pounding rapidly, each beat powerfully against my chest.

Holding her junior in his arms and forced to listen to his heartbeat, Yukinoshita also felt her own heart racing. For a moment, she couldn't tell who was making that rapid beating.

A strong arm encircled her waist and shoulders. Yukinoshita was still somewhat dazed, inexplicably having switched bodies, inexplicably finding herself in the same place, and then inexplicably back in her own body—and then—

She fell into the other person's arms.

It all happened so fast that she was a little taken aback.

For a moment, she forgot to struggle.

The embrace was too warm; even through the thin layer of clothing, Yuki could feel the heat emanating from Kiyoshiro's body. His once steady and strong heartbeat showed no signs of slowing down, but instead began to pound wildly.

For a moment, she just wanted to immerse herself in this world filled with warmth and heartbeats.

For a moment, Kiyoshi just wanted to hold the person in his arms tighter, because he couldn't say it out loud, so he used this way to tell the other person that he had not betrayed them.

The soft body seemed to tremble in his arms.

Or perhaps, it is actually oneself who is trembling.

The evening breeze was a bit chilly, but at this moment, Kiyoshi felt that this mutual warmth was quite nice.

I just hope that they are the only ones here right now.

"Hello, are you the friend that Ms. Yukinoshita arranged to meet? I'm Aizono, and I'm here with Ms. Yukinoshita to visit the festival today. If you don't mind, may we join each other?"

The sudden sound shattered the delicate balance between the two and broke the precious tranquility.

Why do people always seem to pop up at times like these?

Finally free from maintaining Yukinoshita's image, Kiyoyori coldly stared at Soen:

"I mind it very much."

P.S.: It's not exactly a long-awaited treat. Back to work tomorrow; happy days always seem so short.

Chapter 17 Warm Breeze (Section 356)

“So,” Kiyoyori walked beside Yukinoshita, holding a half-eaten box of takoyaki, “you’re here because of family matters, Senpai?”

"That's one way to understand it."

Yukinoshita answered softly, noticing Kiyori's furrowed brows. Before she could speak, she seemed to have guessed what she wanted to say, "My sister didn't come this time; she stayed in Chiba."

Yukino Yukinoshita has never been the one to handle matters concerning the Yukinoshita family. Haruno has always been the one who accompanies the Yukinoshita couple. As the eldest sister and the heir, Haruno has taken on everything, allowing Yukinoshita to stay safely behind her. At the same time, Yukinoshita has also been overshadowed by Haruno's brilliance.

"That's quite rare."

Kiyoshiro thought that Yukinoshita would be more furious when she mentioned Haruno, but she didn't; she just mentioned Haruno in a very calm way.

They tacitly avoided mentioning what happened at noon, as if nothing had occurred, simply maintaining their original way of communicating. This relieved both of them, but also created a sense of distance between them.

Kiyotomi looked around, seemingly trying to find a topic of conversation. She noticed that Sōen was currently flirting with another girl wearing a yukata. "With him around, even the air here gets worse."

Making no attempt to hide his disgust, Kiyoyori turned his head to the other side, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, senpai."

It's not hard to guess what Yukinoshita was doing before the body swap. It was probably those most annoying social interactions, especially the irresistible requests from her elders. Even Kiyoshira, who was pampered by Carol, would go to meet those scions of noble families at her mother's request, let alone Yukinoshita, whose family education was even stricter.

Presumably, Yukinoshita wouldn't like such a scene either.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have escaped.

"Does Tachibana-san know?" Yukinoshita stopped and asked Kiyori softly beside her, "Why is it me who came instead of my sister?"

A sense of powerlessness welled up from beneath the snow. She thought that by leaving her parents and living alone, she could gain so-called freedom, but it was all an illusion. This was a permitted freedom, and once that permission was taken away, she would become a caged bird with shackles on her feet.

Perhaps, she never broke free from those invisible chains.

This is the tragedy of being born into such a family.

“Because I’m more suitable,” Yukinoshita said, unsure of her own feelings. She wanted to resist, but felt powerless. “Whether it’s in terms of status or age.”

When Yukino received her mother's message, she didn't know what she was going to face. Her weekend was a mess because of Haruno's words, but at this moment she received her mother's message asking her to go home. She couldn't resist, so she boarded the car that was going to this place. When she was dressed up and when she arrived at the venue and saw her peers who were about the same age as her and came from prestigious families, she understood.

Most of the people here are young masters and ladies of similar age to Yukinoshita, accompanied by their parents. Rather than a regular exchange between prestigious families, it is more like a grand matchmaking event for the children of the family.

Ironically, none of the heirs who were actually going to take control of the family were present.

They are all dispensable substitutes.

Kiyoyori's appearance here was unexpected by Yukinoshita. Just from the two mothers she had encountered when she had exchanged bodies with Kiyoyori a few times, she could tell that the two women did not seem like the kind of people who would sacrifice their daughters' happiness for their own benefit.

Moreover, Kiyoyori is an only child. Even if her ambitions lie elsewhere, what belongs to her will always belong to her.

When Yukinoshita learned that Kiyoyori had only come here for a vacation by chance, she was indeed relieved.

As for why, she didn't know.

“More suitable than my sister,” Yukino chuckled softly, whether mocking or sighing, “I never expected it to be under these circumstances.”

It seems that only now do I understand what Yang Nai meant by fate.

Kiyoshiro was at a loss for words. She thought she should comfort Yukino, but she didn't know where to begin. She thought for a long time, and the words she was supposed to say to comfort her just didn't come out right.

"With so many people, didn't you find anyone you liked, senior?"

As soon as she said it, Kiyoshi regretted it, but she didn't know why she had said something so contrary to herself.

Upon hearing this, Yukino's expression clearly changed, as if she had been offended—no, it was an offense to her.

Yukinoshita glared at Kiyoyori with a fierce look, as if she could burn a hole in him.

"Is that what Tachibana-san really thinking?"

That fierce gaze made it seem as if Yukinoshita would pounce on Kiyoyori and tear his throat apart at any moment.

“I just wanted to say,” Kiyoyori said, though he didn’t really mean it, but for some reason he couldn’t control himself, “since we have to participate, why not make ourselves happier?”

Yukinoshita looked even angrier, and her gaze toward Kiyori grew increasingly cold: "Is this the same feeling you had when you attended this banquet, Tachibana-san?"

Seeing that he had ruined what was originally a relatively harmonious atmosphere, Kiyorai was powerless to do anything about it. "I didn't..."

She did attend a similar banquet once, when she was even more naive, and she did indeed meet someone with the same mindset—that person was—

Kiyoyori, of course, wouldn't tell Yukinoshita about this. "I just... didn't want to see my senpai so unhappy..."

Yukino frowned unhappily. She was about to say something when her expression suddenly changed, and she stared blankly into the distance.

"senior?"

Following the other person's gaze, Kiyoyori saw a dignified woman whose appearance was about 70-80% similar to the Yukinoshita sisters. Kiyoyori recognized her at a glance as Lady Yukinoshita.

"Senior, that is..."

"Don't……"

Yukino instinctively reached out and grabbed Kiyori's sleeve, stopping her from going up to greet her, but then withdrew her hand, seemingly very unhappy with her subconscious action. "Sorry, I—"

Before she could finish speaking, Yukinoshita felt Kiyoshiro's warm hand grasp her wrist. The next second, a pull propelled her forward, and Kiyoshiro led her as they ran through the crowd.