I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Trembling, Yukino unconsciously murmured the name.

"Ching Lai..."

"Where are you……"

I'm here! I'm here!

Kiyoshi desperately tried to hold his lover's hand, but could only miss it time and time again.

"Ching Lai..."

"Chiang Lai?"

"Chiang Lai!"

"Yukino——!!"

Kiyoshi suddenly sat up, his chest heaving violently.

"Kiyoshi, you're having a nightmare."

Kumiko knelt by the bed, looking at Kiyoshi with a worried expression.

"Kumiko...?"

The glaring light suddenly illuminated the entire room. Kiyoshi squinted uncomfortably, shielding his eyes with his hand. His pajamas were soaked with cold sweat and clung stickily to his body, but Kiyoshi didn't care.

"Kiyoshi, are you alright?"

Kumiko sat on the edge of the bed with a cup of warm water and gently patted Kiyoshi's bent back.

After a long pause, Kiyotaka seemed to regain her composure. She took the water and whispered her thanks, "Thank you..."

Kumiko said nothing; she simply sat quietly on the edge of the bed.

"Sorry to disturb your rest."

Since Kumiko was staying overnight, Kiyoyori took out the mattress and blankets that he had aired out earlier and settled her in his room. They had been like this before, but compared to tonight, nothing happened between them.

Kumiko shook her head. "I'm the one who should apologize. I even lost my temper with Kiyori today."

“This has nothing to do with you, it’s my own problem,” Kiyoyori sighed, covering half of his face with his hand. The image of Yukino lying on the ground, convulsing in pain, kept replaying in his mind. “It’s just a nightmare, don’t worry too much.”

However, this nightmare was too real, so real that Kiyoshi was still shaken.

She desperately wanted to call Yukino right now to check if she was alright, but her remaining rationality told her that calling now would only disturb Yukino's rest.

"Didn't Kiyori mention this to Yukinoshita-senpai?"

The heart-wrenching cries just now made Kumiko immediately realize who the protagonist of the nightmare was.

Staring blankly at the water glass, Qinglai shook his head. "It's nothing serious."

This was Kiyori's private matter, and Kumiko couldn't say much about it. Besides, her own life was a mess, and she had no energy to care about Kiyori.

"Go to sleep, Kumiko. You have class tomorrow."

Yes, we still have to go to class tomorrow. No matter what happens, the world will keep turning.

Qinglai successfully suffered from insomnia. Just like the previous few nights, as soon as he closed his eyes, he could see that scene, which was terrifying.

Neither of them slept well. In the middle of the night, Kiyoshi heard Kumiko sobbing indistinctly, as if she had also had a bad dream. He could also vaguely hear Reina's name.

By the time the room returned to silence, it was already dawn.

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

Upon opening her phone, Kiyoyori saw a "Good morning" message from Yukino. As if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart, Kiyoyori slowly let out a sigh of relief.

Good morning, Yukino.

The reassuring voice on the other end of the phone successfully soothed Qinglai's worries that had lasted all night.

"Good morning, Kiyotsuya," a soft, sleepy voice said, melting Kiyotsuya's heart. "Did you get a good rest yesterday?"

"I can't sleep because I miss Yukino so much."

This can't really be called lying, can it? Kiyoyori gave a wry smile.

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone, and Qinglai knew she was shy.

As always, he's really bad at handling straight shots.

"Fool……"

The soft curses sounded like coquettishness to Qinglai.

"Yukino,"

I miss you so much.

"Ok?"

"It's nothing, I'm going to class."

"Ah."

P.S.: Still sweet. Sigh, I think I used up all my luck pulling for the Dragon Girl in one pull last night. Today I almost got the Butterfly Mom in the Taiwan server's Princess Connect Re:Dive, my heart almost stopped... So tired. I have to be at work by 7 AM tomorrow. Goodbye, sleep!

Chapter 206 Extra - Qixi Festival 3

"Senior Xiaoqing."

"Senior Qing!"

Ririka called out helplessly to Kiyoshi, who was staring out the window in a daze, but he seemed not to hear her at all.

Lately, her senior seems to be spacing out a lot. Whenever she's not practicing, she'll be staring intently at a classroom in the building across the street. As a qualified CP fan who was almost blinded by her direct senior and his girlfriend's lovey-dovey moments, Ririka naturally knows that Kiyora is looking at the Service Club's classroom. However, the person she's looking for went to university in Tokyo this spring.

The current main members of the Service Department are currently...

He was standing at the door of the oboe department classroom, carrying a lunchbox, and waving to her with a smile.

Left with no other choice, Ririka reached out and shook her stunned senior, "Senior Kiyoshi, Senior Ayaha is here!"

"Ah..." Kiyorai finally snapped out of his daze, "Sorry..."

She turned her head and saw Aya, who wasn't staying in her own club room and had to travel all the way here to visit.

"Yah hello~" Aya deliberately made a cute face, "Good afternoon, Kiyora~!"

"Don't call me that," Kiyoyori said with a helpless half-moon look in his eyes. "Why are you here instead of staying in the Service Club?"

Although there's still some time before she has to retire from the club in her third year, Ayaha is already basically living her post-retirement life.

"Komachi and Taishi are in the activity room, how could I possibly bother them?" Iori spread her hands helplessly, then casually moved a chair to the table where Kiyori and Ririka were sitting, and squeezed into the small table with a forceful manner.

"Hey……"

Before Kiyoyori could protest, his lunchbox was moved aside.

This self-absorbed attitude reminded her of someone.

Oh no, just thinking about what that person said is making my blood pressure spike again.

"Wow, is this a croquette made by Kiyotaka herself? I'll take it~."

"Snapped!"

Kiyoyori slammed his chopsticks against Aya's, "Don't just snatch food from other people's bowls without permission! And what are you even here for?!"

"Hey, how indifferent! Eating one won't make me lose a piece of meat!"

"Don't talk like her!"

Seeing her seniors arguing over a croquette, Ririka took a bite of miso with peace of mind.

It's so good that Senior Qing can cheer up again.

The two's playful fight ended with Iroha snatching half a croquette.

“I heard that someone has been very depressed ever since Yukino-senpai graduated, to the point that he can’t eat or sleep,” Iroha said with a worried expression. “So I came here to help Kiyori solve this problem of not being able to finish his meals.”

As Aya spoke, she observed Kiyori's expression. Although her words were somewhat exaggerated, the dark circles under Kiyori's eyes, which even concealer could not hide, indicated that Kiyori's recent condition was indeed not optimistic.

Of course, Iori wouldn't tell Kiyoyori that she came here specifically to "scout out the enemy" because she received a message from Yukino this morning.

"Now that you've finished helping out, can you go back?"

Kiyoshi closed the bento box lid and gestured for Aya to leave quickly.

"Kiyoshi, do you know what day it is today?"

Seeing Kiyotaro's undisguised impatience, as if to say, "What other troubles do you have? Just say it all at once," Aya shook her head in exasperation. "Today is Tanabata!"

"This isn't a holiday in Japan, is it...?"

The implication was that it had nothing to do with me.

Besides, if she's separated from her lover, who can she spend Qixi Festival with?

Suddenly remembering something, Kiyotaka moved his stool to the side and looked at Aya with a wary expression. "I'm a married man."

Feeling offended, Aya immediately retorted, "I'd rather spend the holiday with Ririka than with Kiyora!"

Ririka: ...Huh? Why are you suddenly bringing me into this?

“What I mean is,” Iori said absentmindedly as she texted Kiyoshi, “aren’t you planning to give Yukino-senpai any surprises? After all, it’s a once-a-year holiday. Wouldn’t a loving couple like you seize the opportunity to LOVELOVE? You’re in a long-distance relationship, though.”

"For couples who are in a good relationship, every day can be Valentine's Day."

These words, spoken in an extremely cold tone, drew extreme astonishment from the other two people present.

"Wait a minute, Kiyoshi, you haven't been switched, have you?" Aya put down her phone in surprise and used the back of her hand to check Kiyoshi's forehead temperature. "Have you lost your mind? Tell me! Where did you take my Kiyoshi!"

"Did Senior Qing eat something bad?!"

Qinglai looked at the two of them speechlessly, but in the end, he didn't explain anything.

The table suddenly shook. Caiyu picked up her phone, glanced at the new message, and gave a triumphant smile. "Oh well, I've achieved my goal anyway. Bye~."

Like a gust of wind, it arrives suddenly and leaves just as suddenly.