I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Although it's a buffet, not many people actually come to eat. Most of the attendees are dressed in formal attire, especially women, whose waists are accentuated by the fitted designs. If they eat too much, their abdominal curves become very noticeable. Therefore, most of the people gathered here are not really there for the food, but rather to use the food to build relationships with others.

Kiyoshi knew this well, so she only took a small amount of food. No matter how careful she was, she would still be discovered by others. At this point, she had no choice but to patiently talk to them until she politely suggested that she wanted to leave, at which point they would stop.

Having finally managed to sit down at a corner table and breathe a sigh of relief, Kiyora inadvertently spotted a very familiar figure at the next table.

And the other party...

He was eating his steak with complete focus.

Chapter 38 As You Wish

Kiyoshi stared blankly at the figure for a long while, but the other person seemed completely unaware of the gaze and was just focused on cutting the steak.

To get a better look at the other person's face, Kiyoyori moved his plate aside until he saw the face bulging with steak. Only then did Kiyoyori realize that this was the person he had been thinking about.

"Senior Mizore?"

He gently patted the other person's shoulder, and Mizore, who was immersed in her own world, shrugged at the sudden interruption.

"Well?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Mizuki momentarily forgot to chew, "Kiyoshi?"

"Please swallow your food before you speak," Kiyoyori said with a hint of helplessness, looking at Mizore who was mumbling her name. He then sat down next to her. "What are you doing here, Mizore-senpai?"

"Have a meal?"

Looking at Mizore's usual expression, and recalling that she had been invited to a fireworks festival, which was also a gathering of the upper class, Kiyoyori suddenly felt that his question was a bit stupid.

"Is Kiyoyori here for that event?"

Following Mizore's gaze, Kiyoyori saw a group of wealthy young men gathered together, a stark contrast to the quiet corner where the two of them were.

I guess so...

Mizore nodded silently. "Kiyoshi looks very good today."

"Thank you, Mizore-senpai is very cute today too."

Unlike her usual school uniform at school, and unlike her usual casual clothes outside of school, Mizore was dressed up for the occasion today, looking as exquisite as a doll, even though she wasn't participating in social activities.

Mizore didn't show any extra expression in response to Kiyoshi's praise. She continued to stuff food into her mouth, then suddenly remembered something and said, "I just ran into the teacher."

Kiyoshi was startled.

“Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei,” Mizore took a sip of her carbonated drink, frowned slightly, and then, as if afraid that Kiyori hadn’t heard her clearly, added, “she’s the advisor for the Service Club.”

"Ah, I know."

Kiyoshi answered instinctively, but Mizore blinked in confusion.

Did Kiyoyori know this beforehand?

"What…?"

If you're referring to the fact that Ms. Hiratsuka is the advisor to the Service Club, then of course she knows.

Kiyoshi looked at Mizore with a puzzled expression.

"I'm a little surprised that Hiratsuka-sensei is from the Hiratsuka family."

This statement may sound like a truism at first glance, but in this context, it carries a different meaning.

"That, the Hiratsuka family...?"

"Ah."

Kiyoshi, having received an affirmative answer, felt a little nervous for some reason.

Who would have thought that a privileged young woman from a prominent family would become a high school teacher?

The Hiratsuka family and the Yukinoshita family have always had a close personal relationship, so...

Kiyoshi suddenly lost interest in the food that smelled so enticing, and even felt a wave of nausea rising in his chest.

No, no...

Mizore noticed that Kiyori's expression was rather unpleasant. "Kiyori, what's wrong?"

“No,” Kiyoyori forced an awkward smile, “I just suddenly thought of something.”

Although she kept telling herself that the truth might not be as she guessed, Kiyoyori couldn't help but think that perhaps Hiratsuka Shizuka's concern for her was only because of Haruno, and that her heartfelt words during the training camp were only because of Haruno, not out of genuine concern.

Kiyoyori had almost forgotten how he said goodbye to Mizore and how he left that suffocating venue.

She just wanted to go to the balcony for some fresh air, but she didn't expect that someone else was already there.

"Stop drinking, Yang Nai."

It was a voice so familiar that Qinglai instinctively hid.

"Instead of drinking alone here, you should go and talk to the other person directly. This is not like you at all!"

"What does Xiaojing know?"

Yang reached out and grabbed Hiratsuka Shizuka's suit collar. Her eyes were unfocused, yet held a glimmer of clarity. "Why did I end up like this... Shizuka, you know nothing..."

“Then tell me,” Hiratsuka Shizuka helped Haruno steady herself, took the almost empty bottle from her hand, and put it aside. “Tell me, Haruno, if you can’t let go of it, why are you forcing yourself?”

You know—

Do you know how much harm your irresponsible behavior has caused to that child?

Looking at Hino like this, Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't say those words.

“Then let me ask you,” Yang Nai pushed Hiratsuka Shizuka away, staggered back to the edge of the balcony, and struggled to support herself with her hands, “if one day, your happiness becomes someone else’s misfortune, can Shizuka accept it?”

Yang Nai's voice trembled unusually, and her chaotic mind kept replaying heartbreaking images. Alcohol numbed her brain, and she even began to lose track of which side was reality.

"Yonai, you don't need to be responsible for other people's happiness."

Hiratsuka said in a deep voice.

"What if that's the person you care about most? The person you least want to see hurt in your life?"

"...Let's make a wish list, and for every wish on it, your sister will accompany you to fulfill it in the days to come."

"I have only one wish..."

"..."

"I want to see her one more time."

Yang wanted to cry, but couldn't. She shouldn't have said these things to Hiratsuka Shizuka, because it was all too absurd.

"Kiyoshi, you've been here all along?"

The sudden sound of another person's voice made the three of them straighten their backs simultaneously.

"Aunt……"

"Lady Yukinoshita".

"Mother……"

"Hmm? Haruno and Shizuka are together too?" Lady Yukinoshita frowned in displeasure at Haruno's unkempt appearance. "Why did you drink so much?"

Even though the other party was dissatisfied with Haruno, Kiyoyori and Hirazuka Shizuka still felt the reproach from their elders.

"Actually, it was Yang Nai who asked me to have a drink."

Even Hiratsuka Shizuka was at a loss for how to handle the situation. She wasn't worried about Lady Yukinoshita's questioning, but rather about how much Kiyori had overheard.

"Tachibana..."

"Jing, don't always spoil Yang Nai. She's not a child anymore."

Before anyone else could react, Lady Yukinoshita turned to Kiyoyori, who was still in a daze, and said, "Carol and we have some things to discuss. It's not far from our house. Could you please take Haruno home? I'll have the driver take you home later."

"Let me deliver it, Haruno..."

"Jing, your mother is looking for you too. Running away at the very beginning of the banquet is not very mature of you."

With such ease, Lady Yukinoshita waved to Kiyori, who was holding Haruno, who was more than half a head taller than her, and then turned and left.

Like holding a hot potato, Kiyoyori wanted to let go, but couldn't.

Perhaps because she had been drinking, Yang Nai's body temperature was very high, much higher than mine, yet she buried her face in my neck.

Kiyoshi felt his heart was numb at that moment, and his soul felt as if it had been separated from his body and was coldly watching from the sidelines.

"Ching Lai,"

"Sorry……"

A single scalding tear slid down my neck to my heart, seeping into my skin, densely covering my heart.

Chapter 39 You Still Have Me

"Good morning! Little Qinglai!"

Today was the day the Service Club members were supposed to go to the amusement park. Kiyoyori arrived at the agreed meeting point early and stood by the roadside, lost in thought.

Winter has arrived before we knew it, but the scenes of sweating it out in the summer seem to still be vivid in my mind. The cold wind is biting, as if constantly reminding Qinglai that the day of parting is approaching.

But even in the depths of winter, there are still smiles as bright as the warm sun.

For example, Yuihama walked towards Kiyoyori.

Taking a deep breath and putting aside her worries, Kiyoyori put on her usual smiling expression again. "Good morning, Yuihama-senpai," she paused slightly at the other's carefully chosen appearance, "Yuihama-senpai looks beautiful today too."

Unlike Kiyoyori, who is sensitive to cold, Yuihama, like most high school girls who love beauty, will not hesitate to show off her fair legs even in the cold winter, even when she is outside of school.

Perhaps because she had known Kiyori for a long time, Yuihama had developed a resistance to such straightforward praise and was no longer as shy as before. "Kiyori too!"

Looking at his watch, Kiyoyori said in a low voice, "Then it's just Yukinoshita-senpai, Hachiman-senpai, and Isshiki..."

"Ah!" Yuihama seemed to suddenly remember something, and scratched her cheek with her finger somewhat embarrassedly. "Actually... I mentioned this to Yumiko and the others without thinking, so..."

Following Yuihama's gaze, Kiyoyori saw Miura and Hayama and others walking towards them, including Isshiki, who seemed to have met them on the way.

Kiyotomi was speechless for a moment. Under Yuihama's slightly apologetic gaze, she still couldn't say anything. She simply greeted the seniors politely, and then drifted to the edge of the group, idly playing with the white mist formed in the cold air by her hot breath, waiting to set off.

"Tachibana-san," someone gently tapped his shoulder, the sensation disappearing before Kiyoyori could even savor it, "Good morning."