I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

“Nakaseko-senpai,” he called out to Nakaseko, who was about to head to the bathroom, “please tell me your size, senpai. I’ll go buy you some disposable underwear and clothes.”

"Huh? You don't need to be like that..."

"If we don't go buy it, you might have to come out of the bathroom naked later."

A blush crept onto Nakazeko's face. "...Then I'll leave it to Yukinoshita-san."

After stuffing his school uniform into the washing machine, Qinglai grabbed his umbrella and hurriedly left again.

The rain seemed to be falling harder than before. Raindrops hit the umbrellas, making loud thuds, and cars occasionally sped past on the road, splashing water everywhere.

The heavy rain washed away the filth of the world, but it also made people feel suffocated by the oppressive atmosphere.

Thank you for your patronage.

Kiyoshi walked out of the convenience store carrying two white plastic bags. One bag contained clothes he had bought for Nakaseko, and the other contained their dinner for the day.

The rain was getting heavier and the wind was getting fiercer.

My hand, gripping the umbrella tightly, was sore and numb, and the umbrella surface groaned as if it couldn't bear the strain.

Kiyoshi braved the strong wind to return to his apartment. Fortunately, the distance between the apartment and the convenience store was not far, and he only got his shoes wet.

When they returned to the apartment, Nakaseko was still in the bathroom. Kiyoyori first took out all the ingredients and placed them on the stove in the kitchen, then poured hot water into the guest water cups and made two cups of ginger tea.

Opening the bathroom door, the shower room was still steaming, and the washing machine was still dutifully running.

"Senior, I put the clothes in the basket outside."

"Okay, thank you, Yukinoshita-san."

Kiyoshi closed the door, returned to the kitchen, and began preparing dinner.

Peel the potatoes, then dice both the potatoes and carrots, along with the onions...

Kiyoyori... I'm sorry, please don't blame him...

"Snap—"

"Yukinoshita-san!"

As soon as Nakaseko stepped out of the restroom, she saw Kiyotori chopping vegetables with a blank look in her eyes. Afraid that Kiyotori might accidentally cut her hand, she immediately called out to her and rushed to Kiyotori's side, grabbing her wrist.

The blade still landed on the cutting board, but it didn't cut the finger.

"How can you be distracted while cooking?" Nakazeko took the knife from Kiyoyori's hand. "You're making curry, right? Leave it to me. Yukinoshita, you should go take a shower too."

Compared to the steaming Nakajiko, Kiyoyori was indeed ice-cold, both in body and mind.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, senior,” Kiyora said without hesitation. She handed the ginger tea, which was no longer too hot to drink, to Nakaseko, who was wearing a hoodie and shorts. “Drink this to warm yourself up.”

"Thank you, Yukinoshita-san."

Zhong Shigu took the mug with both hands and held it in her palms. However, the wide sleeves of her hoodie slipped down to her elbows with her movements, revealing her injured skin underneath.

A large bruise appeared on the outside of his forearm. Zhong Shigu immediately pulled his sleeve up with his hand, "I accidentally bumped into it during the day."

She used her other hand to tidy her hair behind her ear. "Alright, Yukinoshita, go take a shower. I've already prepared the hot water for you."

Kiyoshi glanced at her arm, then silently walked into the bathroom.

After confirming that the other party had entered the bathroom, Zhongshigu pulled up his sleeve again. The bruise had spread from his forearm to his elbow and was still throbbing slightly.

This is probably a case of reaping what you sow.

She forced a bitter smile.

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

Although there was one more person in the house, the atmosphere didn't feel lively at all.

Nakashiko's cooking skills are superb, almost on par with Kiyotsugu's. The curry flavor is very rich, and the starch from the potato chunks is almost completely incorporated into the curry, adding a slightly sticky texture. A touch of spiciness hits Kiyotsugu's taste buds, making it very tempting.

"Is it tasty?"

Nakaseko held the spoon, looking expectantly at Kiyora, whose cheeks were bulging. Kiyora couldn't speak, so she could only nod, but the bright look in her eyes clearly pleased Nakaseko.

"That's good."

Zhong Shigu then used a spoon to scoop up some rice and put it in his mouth.

After a moment of silence, the only sound in the air was the chewing of the two people.

"Thank you, Yukinoshita-san. Without you, I would be homeless today."

The wind and rain lashed against the windows, the howling wind rattled them, and the sky had completely darkened. Only the streetlights downstairs stood firm in the rain.

Kiyoshi paused. What did that mean?

Nakajiko lowered her head a little shyly, twirling the end of her hair with her left index finger. "Actually... my parents are both away on business today..."

Qinglai stuffed the rice spoon into his mouth, almost forgetting to chew.

"Then, I forgot my keys..."

A blush rose on Senior Zhongshigu's cheeks, and he glanced away, his large, pure white hoodie collar open, revealing glimpses of his delicate collarbone.

Kiyoshi instinctively swallowed the food in his mouth.

It seems she unwittingly brought home a huge problem...

“So,” Nakazeko rubbed the silver spoon handle with both hands, her ears turning red, “Yukinoshita-san, could I stay here for the night?”

Recalling the shock of not finding the house key while rummaging through his schoolbag, followed by the earlier message from his mother, Nakashiko was making such an impolite request to a junior for the first time.

in fact--

Kiyoshiro glanced quickly at the apartment under the snow.

Actually, Yukino's house is quite big...

"Uh..." Kiyoshi quickly shut his mouth when he realized his voice was unusually hoarse.

After a moment, she continued, "If you don't mind sleeping on the floor, senior..."

I'm sorry, Yukinoshita-senpai.

God help me, please don't let my body be switched back tomorrow...

Nakazeko clasped her hands together in front of her chest and gave Kiyoyori a bright smile. "Thank you, Yukinoshita-kun!"

"No, you're welcome..."

Qinglai turned his head away, embarrassed.

Sigh, we can't just let her live in the rain.

"In exchange, please tell me everything you know later."

Chapter 32 A Person So Gentle as to Be Incurable

"What does Yukinoshita-san want to know?"

After clearing away the dishes, Kiyoyori made two cups of coffee and invited Nakaseko to sit on the sofa.

"Let's start by talking about the bruises on the hands of our predecessor, Medieval Ko."

Upon hearing this, Nakashiko awkwardly withdrew her hands from her knees, and gripped her mug tightly with both hands.

"I just accidentally bumped my desk today, nothing else."

She wasn't lying; she really did bump her head on the corner of the table. However, Zhong Shigu didn't think she needed to explain the circumstances under which she bumped it. Some things were best left to her alone; telling others would only cause them more worry.

Kiyoyori sighed. "Is that so? Then why don't I tell you what I've guessed first, and then you can fill in the details?"

Zhong Shigu frowned. Talking to this junior was always so stressful, especially now. Those eyes looking at her seemed to have seen through everything.

Just like Asuka...

“Let’s start with that email,” Kiyoyori said, taking a sip of his coffee. “You should drink it while it’s hot, it’s delicious.”

Nakajiko mechanically raised her arm and took a sip of coffee. Apart from the scalding heat, she could only taste the endless bitterness. "It seems I'm not very good at appreciating coffee."

"Your appearance reflects your heart, senior."

Kiyoshi said lightly, ignoring the other person's momentary surprised expression, and continued the previous topic, "Regarding the sender's identity, I found it strange from the beginning. If it was just to expose someone's improper behavior, why use a photo that would include so many irrelevant people? Even if the face was deliberately blurred, the school uniform would quickly identify the source. If she wanted to avoid unnecessary risks, she shouldn't have chosen such a photo."

"Perhaps it's just a coincidence..."

Kiyoshi shook his head. "Assuming the sender is the one who took the photo, then the girl in the photo is just an innocent person who was dragged into this mess. In other words, the only one truly related to the incident is Miyamoto Taku. So, senpai, your behavior doesn't make sense."

Zhongshigu brought the mug to his lips, his lips trembling slightly, but in the end he simply put the mug back on his knees.

"You're willing to use yourself as bait to protect the sender, and you're even willing to abandon the brass band that you claim you're protecting. Is she really worth it? If she's just someone who admires you, a junior who's blinded by anger, why doesn't the senior take the principal position as she wishes?"

"If your explanation is that taking the chief position would make the intention of that email too obvious, causing a lot of unnecessary trouble not only to your direct juniors but also to you, then that would contradict your actions today."

Kiyoyori stared intently at Nakashiko's expression, but unfortunately, apart from that initial moment of wavering, the other party maintained his usual gentle expression.

“From the very first time we discussed this incident, you’ve been misleading my thinking and emphasizing your desire to protect the brass band. This is just a pretext to cover up your own purpose. Senpai, you knew who sent the email from the beginning, didn’t you? Your protection of her isn’t just out of concern for your juniors,” Kiyoyori placed the mug on the coffee table. “Actually, Nakaseko-senpai, you’re not as gentle as we thought.”

Nakashiko pursed his lips, his pupils narrowing slightly as he looked at Kiyori.

“You can’t be perfect. You have your own selfish motives, which is why you’re protecting that person,” Kiyotaka leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice, “You know things that we don’t, and you feel guilty? Regretful? Painful about what you know?”

Zhongshigu raised his hand and took a big gulp of coffee.

“The girl in that photo is the sender. You don’t want the fact that she’s being bullied to be made public, so you’re trying your best to prevent others from finding the sender. Let me guess, how were you able to guess the sender’s identity so quickly?”

Qinglai interlaced his fingers on his knees, gently rubbing them with his thumbs.

"Where were you at the scene of that photo? Did you see it, or did you take the photo? She is someone you know, someone she admires and trusts. So you just need to confront her directly."

Zhongshigu opened her mouth, but she still didn't say anything.

“It wasn’t you. You didn’t do anything,” Kiyorai saw her senior’s chest heaving violently, and she knew she had guessed right. “That’s why you used such methods to protect her, making yourself a target in the open, letting her hide behind you, using this one-sided way to protect her. Senior, did you really consider that girl’s feelings? Did you really know what she wanted to do?”

Kiyoyori had always thought that Nakaseko had guessed the sender's true intentions, but now it seems that she should know nothing about the sender's thoughts.

Nakashiko put down her mug and buried her face in her hands. "She wants to make herself the enemy of the entire brass band, using that to unite the band! And then this will end with her apology and leaving the band!" Her emotions intensified. "Why should we exchange the departure of a child who loves music so much for a false peace? I won't allow it, I won't allow it!"

"This was her own choice."

"Then why this way? Why use your own photo? If it's revealed that she's the sender, a simple comparison will show that the girl being bullied in the photo is her. In that case..." Nakajiko suppressed a sob, "She's an introverted and timid child. I thought that even if I didn't do anything, someone else would do something for her, but she didn't even dare to do anything for herself, which is why she's been bullied all this time, so—"

“So you resorted to such an extreme approach this time,” Kiyoyori interrupted Nakazeko, “thinking that you could protect her in this way.”