I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

The wind stole the last bit of warmth from their clasped hands, and Kiyoshi felt a fine stinging pain in his fingertips.

The last trace of warmth remained on their palms as they touched.

“Actually, I should have known a long time ago,” Kasumigaoka raised her head slightly, a little light falling on her face, revealing her snow-white skin, “Back a year ago.”

"One year ago...?"

“Well, a year ago,” Kasumigaoka casually rubbed her cheek with her other hand, “once, Shimizu-kun suddenly came to our school, right? He said he was looking for someone.”

"Looking for someone...?"

Kiyoyori stared blankly at Kasumigaoka.

"Yeah, we were looking for a girl whose name contained the character 'snow'. We must have gone to the wrong school back then, right? But I bet Shimizu-kun has found her by now, hasn't he?"

"That person is Yukino Yukinoshita, right?"

Kiyoshi was stunned. She had no recollection of this incident and even subconsciously loosened her grip, causing their hands to suddenly separate.

The cold wind took away the last warmth from my palm.

Don't you remember?

Kiyoshi hesitated, but in the end, she just shook her head helplessly.

Like an abandoned kitten, Kiyoyori stood in the cold wind, head bowed, eyes full of confusion.

Kasumigaoka, who had intended to harden her heart, couldn't help but feel a tremor in her heart upon seeing this scene. It was as if someone was pricking her heart with a needle, not intensely, but persistently and unbearably.

I had already made up my mind.

In the end, Kasumigaoka couldn't help but walk up to Kiyori and pull her into his arms.

"Don't make that face, I'm so done with you..."

Kasumigaoka gently patted Kiyori's shoulder and back, keeping the cold wind at bay.

Once again enveloped in warmth, Kiyoshi's hands felt even heavier; she couldn't embrace the other person, or even touch them anymore.

She didn't want to be someone's prison again.

"I think I understand Tanaka's thoughts a little better now."

Kasumigaoka didn't need Kiyori's response and simply continued speaking.

"Because I know I can no longer walk side by side with you, even if I have to leave, I only want you to see the most perfect back view."

"It's a pity that Tanaka couldn't do it, and it seems that I couldn't either."

"But it's okay."

"At least I know you'll be watching my back. Even if you don't chase after me, it's okay. I'll always be somewhere you can see me."

"So don't worry, I won't suddenly disappear."

Kasumigaoka couldn't see Kiyori's face, but she could feel his breathing suddenly become heavier.

"Ah, I originally intended to save it for when we said goodbye, but I didn't expect it to all be leaked now."

Kasumigaoka teased in a deliberately relaxed tone, "If I had known that Shimizu-kun had completely forgotten about that incident, I should have put in a little more effort back then."

If I do this, will you belong to me?

Kasumigaoka was never a theist, but at this moment, she sincerely wished she could start over.

But there are no "what ifs" in the world, and she could only grit her teeth and continue down this path. Regret has never been Kasumigaoka Utaha's habit.

One day, the wound will heal, won't it?

So, Kiyoyori, can the wound on your body, left by someone who hurt you, be healed by the person named Yukino Yukinoshita?

They stood silently in the cold wind for a long time before Kiyoyori finally took Kasumigaoka home.

Goodbye, Kiyoyori.

Goodbye, Shiwa-senpai.

That night, Kiyotaka had a dream in which she was searching for something.

It's the same; it's something that doesn't exist in this world at all.

Chapter 55 New Year

The anime convention was held as scheduled, and Aki's game made it to the convention at the last minute. All the members were present as promised, except for Eriri.

Throughout the process, Kiyose tried her best to focus on selling, but she still couldn't avoid exchanging glances with Kasumigaoka.

Kasumigaoka was no different from usual, but Kiyose didn't know how to describe his feelings at that moment.

Kiyose spent the day with mixed feelings, declined the invitation to the dinner party, and naturally did not notice that others were acting strangely, and left as if he were escaping.

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

Time flies, and the New Year seems to have arrived in the blink of an eye.

Tatami mats were also set up in the Tachibana family's living room, and Kiyose was hiding on one of them, catching up on some sleep.

Lately, she's been having a lot of dreams. Unlike her previous dreams, which she would forget after waking up, these dreams always leave a trace. It's as if she's watching someone else's life through the dream, and that person is herself. What's even more surprising is that the person in her dreams seems to overlap with the person in reality in some way.

Kiyose has recently been reading books about parallel worlds, and she thinks she's probably gone mad.

The TV was still playing a lively New Year's special program. Although it was a special program, it was much the same as in previous years. Perhaps the purpose of this program was to make the empty house seem more lively.

The Tachibana family home is much more lively this year than in previous years. Eriri's family has agreed to come here for the New Year, so Touko and Carol are currently preparing dinner in the kitchen.

Kiyose's usual laziness was aroused by the tatami mat. She just wanted to cast aside all her worries and fall into a deep sleep, without bizarre dreams or anyone in her dreams that would bother her.

Eriri's arrival did indeed allow Kiyose to temporarily forget his troubles. The last time they met was at the hospital, and now Eriri was as lively and energetic as ever.

Eriri is in good condition and in a good mood, seemingly even better than before she got sick.

It's obvious that this is related to Aki Tomoya.

"Tomoya said he wants to continue making games, and asked me to ask Kiyose what you think."

After dinner, Eriri pulled Kiyose away from the adults' table, and the two returned to Kiyose's room. Eriri sat on Kiyose's bed as if they were old friends, holding Dango in her arms.

"What about Eriri? Is she planning to continue?"

"Mmm..."

"You'll be in third grade next year, right? You can't afford not to think about it carefully."

"Wasn't that woman from Kasumigaoka this year also like that?"

"But Senior Shiyu always ranks first in her grade in every exam, and she even got a guaranteed admission."

Eriri couldn't refute Kiyose's words. In terms of academic performance alone, she really couldn't compare to Kasumigaoka. Eriri's grades were at best at a level where she didn't have to worry, and naturally, she couldn't reach the level of Kasumigaoka.

Weren't we talking about Kiyose?

Realizing that the topic had been changed, Eriri threw a cushion at Kiyose in annoyance.

"I probably won't participate next year, Eriri, that's my answer to Tomoya-senpai."

This answer is not surprising.

“That woman from Kasumigaoka probably won’t participate anymore,” Eriri said, lying down with Yui in her arms. “After all, you’re not planning to participate either.”

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Kiyose remained silent for a while, unsure how to respond.

"Shall we go to the New Year's shrine together tomorrow?"

“This…” Kiyose was about to agree, but at that moment he received a message from Yukinoshita.

He came to invite her to go to the shrine for New Year's worship tomorrow.

"Let's wait a couple of days, there will definitely be a lot of people tomorrow."

"That's true."

Eriri also doesn't like to be in crowds.

While Eriri and Yui were playing around, Kiyose sent Yukinoshita a reply saying yes.

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

"Here! Here!"

Kiyose spotted Yuihama waving at her from afar. Standing beside her were Yukinoshita and Hikigaya. None of the three were wearing kimonos, yet they still stood out in the crowd. The two ladies seemed unfazed by the cold, showing off their thighs, while Hikigaya and Kiyose were completely covered up.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, seniors."

Actually, Kiyose came with her two mothers, but they separated from her after learning that Kiyose had plans with friends.

"We just arrived too."

Yukinoshita replied gently, "Let's go, there will probably be a lot of people here later."

She wasn't good at handling those kinds of situations.

As Yukinoshita said, even though they arrived at the shrine early in the morning, they were still shocked by the huge crowds. Although it wasn't quite shoulder-to-shoulder, the shrine at this time was comparable to a tourist attraction during peak season.

As in previous years, they first went to worship and then drew lots.

Kiyose held the fortune slip that read "Slightly auspicious," intending to find a tree branch to hang it up.

"senior?"

Standing in front of the tree was Yukinoshita. Hearing Kiyose's voice, she subconsciously closed her fortune slip.

"Tachibana-san, how did the fortune slip go?"

"It's neither good nor bad," Kiyose said, not wanting to elaborate. "It's just a minor setback."

"Really? Then it seems we're about the same."

The two folded the fortune slips into strips of paper and hung them on the tree branches one after the other.

"Should the fortune slip be hung in a higher place, senior?"

Perhaps because we arrived late, all the good spots in the trees were already taken.

"It's fine as it is."

Yukino looked at the paper slips hanging on the branches, lost in thought.