I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"Also, the anime convention is coming up soon, but Eriri hasn't given me her drawing yet. If this continues, we'll fall behind schedule!"

"Ugh! I don't know what to do!"

From just a few paragraphs, Kiyoyori could almost picture Aki anxiously pacing around.

Although she knew that Eriri was notorious for delaying her work, she would not normally be so reckless as to go so far as to lose contact with Eriri this time, which was unprecedented.

Kiyoyori frowned and sent a message to Aki:

"I'll try contacting her later; I might know where she is."

"Aki-senpai, don't rush. You should finish the rest of the work first. If only the illustrations are left, there should still be time."

On the other side, Aki hesitated for a moment between typing and deleting the message before finally sending it:

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you, Kiyoshi."

Kiyoshi didn't understand the game development process, nor did he understand Aki's anxiety. However, Kiyoshi was more worried about Eriri's situation than Aki.

Suddenly, the table was kicked. Kiyotaka looked up and saw Reina in the front seat turning her head and winking at her. Before Kiyotaka could react to what the other person meant, a shadow fell over her head.

Hiratsuka Shizumasa was standing next to her desk.

"Tachibana, tell me what I just said."

The focus in the classroom suddenly shifted to Qinglai and the cell phone in her hand that she hadn't had time to put back in the drawer.

Chiang Lai: "..."

Looking at Reina again, she only saw her beautiful back.

Kiyoshi smiled somewhat awkwardly.

Come to my office after class.

Hiratsuka Shizuka issued the ultimatum without giving any room for argument, and then casually left Kiyori's table.

"……Yes."

………………

After class, Kiyoyori followed Hiratsuka Shizuka to the teachers' office.

She had expected Hiratsuka Shizuka to give her a good talking-to, but to her surprise, what Hiratsuka Shizuka was going to say had nothing to do with playing on her phone in class.

"You've worked hard these past few days, Tachibana," Hiratsuka Shizuka said, letting Kiyori sit opposite her. "The Christmas event jointly organized by the two schools was a great success."

“…Thank you for the compliment,” Kiyotaka said somewhat awkwardly as he sat on the soft sofa. “If we’re talking about who’s had the hardest time, it should be the student council.”

"Yes, Yukinoshita is indeed taking things too seriously."

The sudden silence made Kiyoyori uneasy. She didn't know what Hiratsuka Shizuka wanted to say, as the other woman hadn't contacted her for a long time since their previous conversation.

Kiyoshi's intuition told her that the next topic might not be what she wanted to hear, but she had nowhere to escape under Hiratsuka Shizuka's gaze.

"I've heard that the Yukinoshita family wants to meet with your family."

really……

Qinglai clasped his hands together, his fingers unconsciously clenching tightly.

"I roughly know what the two families are planning. After all, no one in this industry is absolutely clean. What do you think, Tachibana? As someone who grew up in this environment, you should understand something, right?"

Kiyoshi lowered his head and did not answer.

"But today I don't want to discuss matters between aristocratic families with you. I just want to talk to you about Yang Nai, as your teacher."

Hiratsuka Shizuka calmly looked at Kiyori, a cigarette in her pocket.

"Me and her—"

"'There's nothing to talk about,' is that really the case?" Hiratsuka Shizuka interrupted. "Do you really dislike Haruno, Tachibana?"

Hate.

The answer that should have been so firm and concise was now lingering on Kiyoyori's lips.

She seemed unable to pronounce words clearly.

"Is your feeling towards Yang Nai merely dislike?"

What are your thoughts on the Yukinoshita sisters?

Under Hiratsuka Shizuka's repeated questioning, Kiyori pursed his lips.

"I……"

Kiyoshi was unable to provide an answer.

"You and I both know what the Yukino family is planning, and of course Haruno knows it too."

"But you don't want things to happen the way they want, do you? But why are you always silent, Tachibana?"

"If you always run away, nothing will change."

"If you want to start something anew, you have to end what's past."

"If you keep running away, no one will come looking for you anymore."

"Go and explain it to her."

Chapter 51 Paintings

As Kiyoyori walked out of the office, Hiratsuka Shizuka's words kept echoing in his ears. His finger hovered over the dial pad, and after hesitating for a long time, he exited the "Woman with a Wicked Temperament" interface and instead opened the phone number labeled "Eriri".

Anyway, there's no rush, is there?

Kiyoyuki dialed Eriri's number with a sense of self-abandonment, trying to comfort himself with this self-deception.

The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. Kiyorai took the phone away from his ear in confusion, and opened his LINE chat with Eriri while still on the call.

Previously sent messages did not show as read.

It's as if they've vanished into thin air.

The call was automatically disconnected because the other end didn't answer for a long time, so Kiyoyori had no choice but to call Eriri's mother.

Having confirmed that Eriri was at a villa in the suburbs, Kiyorae rushed there after school. When she opened the villa's door with her spare key, she saw a sickly Eriri passing by.

"Kiyo...?"

Eriri was wrapped in a heavy blanket, wearing cotton slippers, her hair was messy, and her glasses had slipped off her nose, making her look rather comical. She stared at Kiyoshi in surprise, and neither of them spoke until Eriri sneezed, breaking the silence.

"How is this going?"

Unable to bear watching any longer, Kiyoshi strode forward and tightly wrapped the blanket around Eriri's thin figure. Looking at Eriri's pale face with an unnatural flush, Kiyoshi pursed his lips with a pang of heartache.

"Hmm..." Eriri was already smaller than Kiyori, and at this moment she looked more like she was being held in Kiyori's arms. "Why did Kiyori come here?"

Her voice had a distinct nasal tone, and after she finished speaking, she couldn't help but sniffle.

"Of course I'm worried about you!"

Kiyoshi half-forced Eriri into the room and made her lie obediently on the bed. "I'll go get you something to eat."

Not entirely reassured, she tucked the blanket into every possible drafty corner, saying, "You're going to lie here!"

Seeing Kiyora's fierce expression, Eriri swallowed the words she was about to use to tease her for acting like a worried old mother, and said, "Ugh."

After lying obediently on the bed for a while, Eriri looked at the scattered drawing papers not far away and felt a little down.

Just then, the door opened, and Kiyotaka walked in carrying a pot of porridge. The aroma quickly filled the entire room, and Eriri couldn't help but swallow.

"Eat."

When Kiyoshi helped Eriri sit up, he didn't forget to drape a warm coat over her shoulders.

Eriri looked at Kiyoshi through the steam, seemingly waiting for him to say something, but after a long while, all she got in return was a single sentence from Kiyoshi:

"Is it not tasty?"

Eriri shook her head, burying her face almost in the casserole. Steam rose from her face, warmed her tongue and hands, a stark contrast to the howling wind outside the window.

Suddenly, I felt an urge to cry.

Kiyoshi didn't ask anything, even though she saw the scattered drawings on the floor as soon as she entered. She knew that Eriri would only treat discarded drafts this way, and it wasn't hard to see the creases on the papers.

If Eriri doesn't intend to say anything, Kiyoshi won't ask. There are other people who will naturally do the job of urging her to finish her manuscript. Kiyoshi is more worried about Eriri's health.

"Kiyoshi isn't going to ask anything?"

After Eriri finished her meal, she hesitated before speaking.

"If Eriri is willing to talk, I'm willing to listen."

Kiyoshi's voice was so gentle that it made you want to confide in her.

Perhaps it's a habit she developed from a young age, but Eriri doesn't have many friends. The only person she can confide in without reservation is her younger sister, Kiyori, especially when it comes to things related to anime and Aki.

"I always feel like I can't paint anymore."

Eriri curled herself up into a ball, hugging her knees tightly with her arms, and resting her forehead on Kiyori's shoulder.

"why?"

Kiyoshi felt the head resting on his shoulder slowly shake.

"do not know."

"Then why did you come here?"

This villa used to be a vacation home for the Spencer family, as well as Eriri's family and Kiyoshi's family, because it was far from the city and had a beautiful view. However, Kiyoshi's family rarely came here.

Looking at the scenery outside the window, Qinglai suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

"The game's production is nearing completion, everyone is working hard, and I also want to draw something that will surprise everyone, something that will make Tomoya..."

Being able to praise oneself.

but……

When did it begin that Tomoya's eyes no longer only held her?

"I just want Tomoya to notice me more, so I'm going to draw my best picture! But, but—"

"I can't draw anymore..."