I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"If I remember correctly, Kawasaki-senpai's younger brother calls Hikigaya-senpai 'older brother'?"

Kiyoyori overheard this when Hachiman was on the phone with his younger sister Komachi in the activity room, although it's a bit unfair to Hachiman-senpai...

She glanced at Hikigaya, whose murderous gaze indeed pierced through Yukinoshita and struck Kiyori directly.

[Tachibana! You bastard!]

[Sorry, Hachiman-senpai, I'll have to trouble you a little.]

Kiyoshi winked at the other person.

Hachiman turned his head away irritably, but didn't directly refute him. Taking advantage of Kawasaki's stunned moment, he asked, "Let's put this aside for now. Kawasaki, why are you going to go through all this trouble, going beyond the timeline and lying about your age, to work here?"

Needless to say, it's all about the money, but what Hikigaya really wants to know is why the money is needed.

"Nothing...it's just for the money." Kawasaki didn't hide it; in fact, it was a purpose that anyone with eyes could see.

“But, if you just want pocket money, you don’t have to go to this extent, do you?” Yui’s initially assertive tone softened under Kawasaki’s gaze. “You see, sometimes Hachiman and I want to earn some pocket money ourselves… Besides, if you don’t bring up the issue… no one will—”

"Don't compare me to that kind of person!" Kawasaki glared fiercely at Yuihama, then glanced at Hachiman with disgust. "How could someone who treats his own future like a joke possibly understand me?"

"You and Yukinoshita wouldn't understand me. I'm not like you, spending money on fun!"

Although Kawasaki's eyes were fierce and cold, strongly conveying the message "don't get in my way," a hint of crimson appeared at the corner of her eyes, and her wide eyes and slightly tilted head seemed to be a stubborn attempt to prevent tears from falling.

Isn't the goal to make money for fun?

Kiyoshi lowered his head and looked at the coaster in his hand.

Coupled with the other party's undisguised resentment towards the rich, Kiyoyori had a rough idea of ​​Kawasaki's purpose. Since it wasn't for fun, it was probably for academic reasons. Once they entered the second year, all students would inevitably have to consider their future education.

However, Kawasaki is right. Yukinoshita and Kiyoyori, who grew up in affluent families, would not understand the troubles of ordinary families. Just like Kawasaki, Yuihama, and even Hikigaya, they could not understand the environment that Kiyoyori and Yukinoshita had to face.

They belong to different social classes, as if they are separated by an entire world.

"But if you can speak up, maybe everyone can help you, right? And having someone to talk to will make you feel more relaxed, won't it?"

"Huh? Help? To put your mind at ease?" Kawasaki glanced disdainfully at the worried Yuihama. "So, can you give me money? Or, can you provide something my parents can't afford?"

Yuihama was speechless after being confronted by Kawasaki, so of course they couldn't just give Kawasaki money directly.

"Please stop now, Kawasaki-san. If you keep arguing..."

Unable to contain herself any longer, Yukinoshita spoke. Her voice was like a biting winter wind, piercing through her thick coat, cutting into her skin, and reaching her very bones. The unfinished words, leaving much to the imagination, made her statement even more terrifying.

Even Kawasaki stopped in her tracks, but then clicked her tongue and turned her attention to Yukinoshita.

"I heard your father is a member of parliament in Chiba, right? You and Spencer next to you are both well-off. How could people like you possibly understand my situation..."

Kawasaki lowered her head, as if talking to herself, as if she had given up on something. Her expression was worse than crying. Although she stubbornly raised the corners of her mouth, her tightly furrowed brows showed only unspeakable bitterness.

"Clang clang."

It was the sound of a glass tipping over. Sparkling water spilled from the rim, tiny bubbles burst, and the glass rolled off the bar counter onto the soft carpet with a dull thud.

"Under the snow..."

Yukinoshita bit her lip tightly, her fingers clenched together. The blood on her nails faded, and her already pale skin turned an unhealthy white. She stared blankly at the table, her lifeless eyes seeming to see something else through the empty wooden surface.

"Huh? What is it?" Yukinoshita seemed to snap out of her daze as she responded to Hikigaya's call. "Ah, I'm sorry."

Yukino quickly returned to her usual self. Although she was usually cold, she now seemed to have left herself in the Eight Cold Hells. She casually pulled out a tissue to wipe the table.

Today, Kawasaki seems to have stepped on every single landmine of every girl in the room...

Seeing Yui Hama slam her fist on the table and stand up, looking extremely angry, Hikigaya couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

“Yuihama-senpai,” Kiyoyori called out at the right moment, stopping Yuihama’s next move, which was likely to attract everyone’s attention, “Let’s call it a day, it’s getting late.”

Kiyoyori's voice was gentle and calm, yet it left no room for argument: "Is this alright, Yukinoshita-senpai?"

“Alright,” Yukinoshita paused for a moment, “Don’t be nervous, Yuihama-san. I just accidentally knocked over the cup. It’s nothing serious. Please don’t worry about it.”

It was as if nothing had happened, but in this warm environment, a cold wind blew towards them.

Yukinoshita placed a few bills on the bar without even looking at the bill, got up and left. Yuihama immediately followed, while Hikigaya deliberately lagged behind, only to see Kiyoyori still sitting in his seat despite having already said he was leaving.

Not far away, Yukinoshita and Yuihama stopped, seemingly waiting for Kiyoyori.

"I have something else to attend to, so please, seniors, head back first."

Qinglai drank the Perilla in his cup in one gulp.

Yukinoshita nodded and left with Yuihama, but Hikigaya, who had taken one step, sat back down next to Kiyori.

P.S.: First of all, thank you to the reader for such a long comment. I'm very happy that someone left such a thoughtful message, but I'm still a little disappointed that the characters aren't very well-developed. So, I have something I want to share with everyone. Due to space limitations in the author's notes, I'll talk about some things in the announcement section, mainly about the already completed first volume, including some things I hope you'll discover, but it seems you haven't noticed them yet. Of course, there will also be some related spoilers. Interested readers can go there.

Chapter 38, Section 97: She actually had an affair with another man behind my back?!

"Aren't you going home yet, Hachiman-senpai?"

Kiyoshi glanced at Hikigaya, who was sitting in his seat and had downed a bottle of Peryl.

"It's not safe to be alone."

Kiyoshi chuckled lightly, "How elegant."

Kiyoyori asked Kawasaki for a black pen, flipped the coaster over, and hastily wrote a line of words. Although he did not deliberately cover the contents with his hand, Hachiman still consciously turned his head away and did not peek.

“Kawasaki-senpai, please allow me to say a few words,” Kiyoyori capped the pen and handed it back to Kawasaki, who was standing behind the bar. Just as Kawasaki grasped the other end of the pen, Kiyoyori used the pen to pull him closer. “Please don’t be complacent with the partial information you have and use it as a weapon to hurt others. An unsuitable weapon will only cause you greater harm.”

"Just like you said, we won't understand your suffering, and you won't understand our pain."

Kiyoyori's sharp gaze pierced Kawasaki like a sword blade.

"Language is a sharp blade; it's best to think things through before speaking."

Kawasaki abruptly pulled the pen back, and Kiyoyori released his grip. "Could you please pour me a Sherry?"

Upon hearing Kiyoyori's words, both Hikigaya and Kawasaki displayed complex expressions.

"Minors are not allowed to drink alcohol."

Kawasaki made no move.

“Of course it’s not for me to drink,” Kiyoshi placed the cash on the table. “Could you please give it to the gentleman at the table by the window, whose back is to us? Consider it my treat for him.”

Kawasaki and Hikigaya looked in the direction Kiyoyori had described. There sat two women and one man. The conversation between the three did not seem very pleasant. From this angle, they could see that the two women did not look relaxed, while one of them was clearly suppressing his displeasure.

After placing the wine glass on the tray, Kawasaki Tsuyoshi intended to walk in that direction.

“Oh, right,” Kiyoyori called to Kawasaki, “please give this to him and remind him to make sure he reads the contents.”

Kiyoyori generously handed the coaster with writing on it to Kawasaki. Although it wasn't intentional, Kawasaki clearly saw the few elegant, cursive English words on the coaster.

STAY BACK.

There was also Kiyoshi's signature, written in her rarely used middle name.

Although she didn't want to speculate on the other person's meaning, Kawasaki, who had crammed on various wine trivia and stories for this job, quickly found relevant stories about sherry and connected them with this warning-like statement...

As Kiyoyori requested, Kawasaki delivered it to the man.

"This drink was bought for you by the lady sitting at the bar."

Kawasaki did not lower her voice, ensuring that the two women in front of the man could clearly hear what she said. All three of them looked towards the bar at the same time.

Only two people sat at the bar, both dressed in suits. They didn't look in their direction, only showing their backs to the three of them. There was an empty seat between them, and they didn't exchange any words, as if they had just happened to sit together. One of them was clearly a woman, with her long black hair neatly tied back, revealing a section of her neck.

That's not...?

Kasumigaoka looked at the somewhat familiar figure with a puzzled expression, but couldn't be sure, since in her memory, the person shouldn't be the kind of person who would still be wandering around a bar so late at night.

Just as everyone's attention was focused on the bar, Kawasaki bent down, whispered something in the man's ear, and then conveniently turned and left. The man, who had been told to check the bottom of the coaster, frowned in confusion, picked up his glass, and took a look at the coaster.

His previous complacency vanished completely. Before he could even feel smug about receiving a gift from an unknown woman, he was immediately overwhelmed by unease. It seemed he had messed with someone he shouldn't have, and the "sunshine in a bottle" in front of him wasn't meant for him.

Without even having time to politely taste the sherry in front of him, the man clutched the coaster tightly in his hand, hurriedly said goodbye to the two still bewildered women in front of him, and left the bar via the path furthest from the bar without daring to look at them.

"Is this your 'other thing'?"

Hikigaya glanced at the retreating figure of the man who had hurriedly left.

“Well, sort of,” Kiyotaka nodded. “And I can hitch a ride with him.”

Hachiman glanced at the time.

Indeed, even the last tram has stopped running by now.

"Huh? A rideshare?"

Before Hachiman could react, he saw the two ladies who had been sitting by the window walking gracefully toward them. The one in front was a woman with long black hair, who looked accusatory and approached them step by step in her high heels.

There's no wind here, so why is her hair floating in mid-air? Could she be the reincarnation of Kushina?

The sophisticated beauty following behind her wore a mischievous smile, glancing between the long-haired beauty in front of her who looked like she was about to erupt like a volcano, and then switching her gaze back and forth between Hikigaya and Kiyoyori.

"Shimizu-kun!"

Kasumigaoka stomped her heels so hard that even the plush carpet couldn't withstand the pressure, letting out a dull, painful groan.

Good evening, Shiyu-senpai.

Kiyori turned around, and Asakagaoka smiled. "And Ms. Machida, thank you so much for your help earlier."

"It's alright, it's alright."

Machida waved his hand.

Although she had heard a lot about Kiyori from Kasumigaoka before, this was her first time talking to Kiyori face to face. Based on her years of experience, she could tell that the girl in front of her was not as simple as she appeared.

This time, Shi Jiang has really set her sights on someone extraordinary.

The man from earlier was the general manager of a major film company and a confidant of a powerful family—in short, someone they couldn't afford to offend. Yet, he was scared away by just a few words…

Machida narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at Kiyoyori, whose eyes were brimming with tears as Kasumigaoka pinched his cheeks, but who only offered a token resistance.

Could it be that Shi-chan has already won her over?

"Shimizu-kun, you're actually having a date with a guy at a bar this late at night?!" Although Kasumigaoka was momentarily distracted by his smile, it couldn't erase the sin of his secret rendezvous. "Shimizu-kun's taste is terrible. Does he want to make his eyes look like they're rich in DHA? I suggest you eat more fish instead."

Hikigaya, who had been innocently shot, shrank back, now deeply regretting why he hadn't left with Yukinoshita and Yui.