I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Chapter 34, Section 92: Those Left Behind

After a moment of eye contact, Kiyoshi was the first to look away. She saw herself reflected in those icy blue pupils, a reflection that was very different from her usual self.

It left her at a loss.

Yukinoshita clutched her chest and turned back, leaving her back to Kiyora. Her slightly drooping neck revealed clear ridges, and below that, her dress was half-open, her smooth back faintly visible in the dim light. Yukinoshita sat upright, the smooth scenery extending from her exposed back to her waistline disappearing into the darkness.

A voice seemed to be tempting Qinglai, but she still adhered to her bottom line, almost harshly lashing out at her impulses.

Kiyoyori, intending to divert attention, broke the silence:

When did you establish the Service Department, senior?

"First grade, around this time."

Yukinoshita answered softly, as softly as a cloud floating in the sky, but her tone was heavy, as heavy as dark clouds about to bring a storm.

"Would there be many commissions back then? Would it require traveling around like this?"

“Not many, the Service Club isn’t well-known,” Yukinoshita recalled her first commission. Although it didn’t end well, it seemed that her decision was correct in retrospect. Her tone became slightly relaxed. “This was probably the first one that required me to travel around outside of school.”

"Perhaps there will be more in the future."

Kiyoshi smiled.

"Are you happy, Tachibana-san? You have so many requests? That must take up a lot of your time."

Yukinoshita was very aware of the high standards the person in front of her had for himself in music.

"It's nice to read stories like this once in a while."

"Take a look?" Yukinoshita seemed to have caught a hint of Taki's meaning. "Tachibana-san, you can't just look. As a member of the Service Club, you have to participate personally."

"Then, that must be a unique kind of scenery."

This person doesn't consider himself a member of the Service Department at all.

This realization annoyed Yukinoshita; they were being treated like monkeys in a zoo by Tachibana, who was like a tourist standing behind the railing with a camera.

Once she's had her fill of looking, she'll leave without a second thought.

"Why did you want to establish the Service Club, senior? Was it because you liked it?"

"This question was already explained the day you joined the club. Is Tachibana a goldfish?"

Yukinoshita replied irritably.

“That’s different, that’s not your real reason,” Kiyotaka felt the body beside her stiffen, and she finally managed to free that small tuft of hair from the zipper. “Do you like this, senpai? The feeling of saving someone.”

Kiyoshi felt the strands of black hair he held in his hands brush past his fingertips and then disappear.

“Such an arrogant thought, Tachibana-san,” Yukinoshita said to Kiyori, her back straight, towering over Kiyori who was bending down to help, like a queen looking down on all living beings. “We have no right to save anyone. Don’t put yourself on such a high pedestal, Tachibana-san.”

"This doesn't sound like something Yukinoshita-senpai would say."

“That only shows that you don’t know me well enough,” Yukinoshita said with a slight smile, as if she had just breathed a sigh of relief. “What we did was not salvation, but merely assistance, just teaching.”

"'Professor'... In my opinion, that's arrogant enough..." Kiyotori chuckled, but she didn't dislike such arrogance, because the person in front of her had the right to be so.

“Then,” Kiyori chuckled self-deprecatingly, “if you’re not here to save me, what do you want to teach me?”

Seeing the slightly narrowed pupils beneath Yukinoshita, Kiyoyori thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

It's unlikely that Hiratsuka Shizuka would forcefully drag her, who already had club activities, into the Service Club for no reason. She originally thought that this club was just a simple volunteer activity, but after spending time with the three of them, she realized that, apart from Yuihama-senpai, Hikigaya-senpai and Yukinoshita-senpai all had more or less personality flaws.

According to Yuihama, she joined voluntarily after being asked to join, and there were only two people in the club before. It is clear that Hikigaya-senpai would not have wanted to get involved in such a thing on his own initiative. In other words, he, like her, was interfered with by Hiratsuka Shizuka. Therefore, Kiyoyori, who suffered the same fate, is similar to Hikigaya in some ways.

That is--

The Service Club is not just a club, but a gathering place for problem children.

Kiyoshi was well aware of her own shortcomings, after all, she had brought them upon herself. It wasn't that she didn't want to change, but that she was afraid of change. In her current state, she had found the most comfortable state for herself, and she was afraid that everything would repeat itself.

After all, she was the one who was left behind.

"How about we start by teaching you how to use your eyes?"

Because Kiyori kept his head down, Yukinoshita mistakenly thought that he was staring straight at her chest.

No, it's not a misconception, it's just that the conversation couldn't proceed if she didn't say it that way.

Regarding Taki's request, the Service Department still couldn't figure out what to do. Should they become friends with Kiyoyori?

This was an incredibly difficult task for Yukinoshita and Hikigaya, and Yuihama, obviously, also failed to become Kiyori's friend; they only appeared to be friends.

Before becoming friends, we need to clarify the definition of "friend".

Therefore, no matter what they do, their relationship with Kiyora is always unequal.

They are currently unable to teach Qinglai anything, or rather, they haven't even figured out the direction.

Knowing he had overstepped his bounds, Kiyori readily accepted the offer and followed the ladder provided by Yukinoshita:

"That's because your beauty is so stunning that I became mesmerized without even realizing it."

"Grumpy."

Yukinoshita narrowed her eyes unhappily. "Then please, perverted Tachibana-kun, leave first. Do you want to watch me change clothes here?"

As if passing through Siberia in winter, Kiyoyori could hear the howling wind in his ears.

She stood up, her legs slightly numb from kneeling for so long, and the temporary low blood pressure caused by the change in position made her close her eyes. Only after the darkness in front of her passed did Kiyoyori leave the room under the snow.

By the time Kiyoyori and Yukinoshita ate, the omelet rice had gone cold, and the egg had solidified back to its original state, completely losing the soul of the omelet rice.

As if that conversation had never happened, Kiyoyori and Yukinoshita acted as usual in front of Yuihama.

In the end, Yui Hama chose a burgundy dress and changed her makeup to a more mature look. Since it wouldn't be appropriate to pair it with sandals, Yukino even lent Yui Hama high heels, making her look like Cinderella heading to a ball.

Yukino changed out of her previous white dress and chose a more vibrant violet gown.

It seems to be designed to match Kiyori's outfit.

P.S.: Is it because the recent plot hasn't been very interesting? Well, everyone's been waiting for more episodes to accumulate, so I can only update slowly. I'll start updating once a month next month, then the pressure will be lighter.

Chapter 35, Section 93: Two Worlds Far Apart

As the night steadily approached ten o'clock, Kiyoshi received a call from Touko, but she didn't ask any questions, only telling him not to come home too late.

Should she be grateful that she finished today's assignment during the day? Otherwise, having not even gotten to the main point of the commission by now, they probably wouldn't need to sleep tonight.

When the three arrived at the hotel, Hachiman was already waiting in the lobby.

The floor was covered in a soft carpet, and a faint fragrance filled the air. A crystal chandelier hanging overhead emitted a bright light, and the soft sound of a piano playing drifted through the air. The gentlemen and ladies in the hall were all well-mannered and elegant, and foreigners occasionally passed by.

This was nothing surprising to Kiyoshiro and Yukinoshita, who lived in high society, but for Yuihama, an ordinary high school girl, it was a world she had never been in before. She had vaguely sensed this from when she was choosing a dress at Yukinoshita's house. She and Yukinoshita were not from the same world. And Kiyoshiro, who could face such a situation with the same composure as Yukinoshita, was not an ordinary citizen either.

Perhaps Yuihama had this feeling long ago, but back then she had Hikigaya by her side.

Hachiman, who is in the same world as her.

Although Yuihama makes no secret of her feelings for Yukinoshita and Kiyori, she still feels uncontrollably saddened when the gap between her and the other two is laid bare so bluntly.

Yuihama gripped Kiyori's arm tightly, almost digging her nails into Kiyori's flesh.

It hurts……

However, Kiyoshi wouldn't be so oblivious as to voice her true feelings. She could sense Yuihama's unease, probably because she was out of her familiar territory and felt a little unreal.

"Yuigahama-senpai, have you sent a message to Hikigaya-senpai?"

At times like these, you need to find someone who makes her feel grounded and secure. Unfortunately, neither Kiyori nor Yukinoshita are such a person.

"Okay." Yui took out her phone; the message showed as read.

"Is that the one over there?"

Yukino gestured in a direction with her chin. Today she had to admit how true the saying "clothes make the man" really is. Even Hachiman could look so different in a suit. Although it couldn't hide his hopeless, dead-fish-like eyes, he wasn't bad-looking. With a little dressing up, he could at least be considered somewhat "handsome," though only slightly.

Yuihama excitedly let go of Kiyoyori's arm when she saw Hikigaya and ran over like a bird returning to its nest. However, she still remembered some of the ladylike principles that Kiyoyori and Yukinoshita had instilled in her on the way, so she did not act too recklessly.

Yuihama felt satisfied by Hikigaya's expression of surprise, which made his eyes almost pop out.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Yuihama couldn't suppress the smile that appeared on her lips, and her excited tone completely destroyed the mature woman aura she had just created.

"Perhaps we should tell Yuihama to talk less."

Yukinoshita held Kiyori's hand, and the two were very close.

"Such a demand is so inhumane."

The beautiful woman beside Kiyotomi smiled helplessly; perhaps this was the charm of Yuihama.

"This is the first time she's worn clothes like this! But who exactly is Xiaoxue?!"

Yuihama excitedly described Yukinoshita's wardrobe, which seemed out of place for an ordinary high school girl, to Hikigaya.

"Isn't that an exaggeration? I just happen to have clothes like that."

Although I understand that Yukino doesn't want to flaunt her identity, this reason is just too strange, isn't it?

"Most people wouldn't own clothes like that, right? Speaking of which, where can you buy those kinds of clothes? Like, at Simeonle?"

It seems that after meeting Hachiman, Yuihama put aside her previous nervousness, and having another kindred spirit by her side made her feel much more at ease.

"Simengle? This is the first time I've heard of this brand."

Yukinoshita looked puzzled.

"Alright," Kiyoyori couldn't help but interrupt their conversation, "Shall we go upstairs first?"

She gestured to the adults who were looking over.

Just then, the elevator arrived.

This is a completely transparent sightseeing elevator. As the numbers on the display screen jump up one by one, the four of them are positioned higher and higher. Through the transparent glass, they can look out over the entire Tokyo Bay, the lights of ships sailing by, the taillights of the endless stream of cars, and the dazzling lights of skyscrapers. The night here is just beginning.