I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"Sorry to disturb your training," An Yi said, clearly unaccustomed to such club activities and startled by the situation. He had actually arrived earlier, but the continuous music coming from the classroom had forced him to wait outside. "Actually..."

“If it’s about the same thing as last time,” Kiyoyori glanced at her watch. Although there was still some time before the second round of ensemble performances, she didn’t want to waste her precious rest time on this. “As you can see, Tomoya-senpai, I’m really busy, and the competition qualifiers are about to start. It’s hard for me to find time to participate in your club. Besides, Tomoya-senpai doesn’t really need my help, does he? Instead of wasting time with me, how about writing a decent proposal and giving it to Utaha-senpai and Eriri?”

“Well, I’ve already written about that,” Anki said, taking a thick stack of bound A4 papers out of his backpack. “I wanted to show it to you first.”

Kiyotori took the proposal with a puzzled look. "Why are you showing it to me? I'm not an expert in this. Don't Utaha-senpai and Eriri have any questions?"

“This has nothing to do with Utaha-senpai or Eriri,” Aki’s words made Kiyoyori pause as he opened the cover. “This time, I sincerely want Kiyoyori to participate in my plan!”

Aki watched Kiyora's movements nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously.

Based on his previous failure, he summarized the lessons learned, and with the guidance of someone who wished to remain anonymous, An Yi seemed to have an instant epiphany and wrote the proposal for this project.

Even without showing the proposal to Kasumigaoka and Eriri first, Aki is very confident that he can get their help. But before that, he must get Kiyoyori's approval.

Kiyoshi flipped to the first page of the proposal and didn't move for a long time because she clearly saw her name on the list of production staff. It wouldn't have surprised her if her name appeared after "music production," but what was surprising was that she didn't find "music production" but instead found the three words "planning" right below it.

"Be my leading lady, Kiyora!"

P.S.: The school is finally refunding my dormitory fees! I, who am poor, am about to have a brief period of financial security!

Chapter 41 of 100: Scumbag, please explode on the spot!

This declaration, which sounded like a confession, echoed in the sparsely populated corridor and also reached the originally noisy music room. All the club members stopped talking at the same time, and even Taki, who was standing at the front, turned his gaze to the two people standing at the classroom door.

An eerie silence permeated the entire scene.

An Yi gripped the trouser legs at his knees with both hands, bowed sincerely at a ninety-degree angle, and his empty schoolbag slid to the side from his not-so-broad back.

He didn't seem to realize that he had said something that could be misunderstood.

Although Kiyoyori understood perfectly well that what the other party meant was exactly what the words literally meant, but...

“It seems that Tomoya-senpai has used this phrase to fool quite a few girls, he’s so skilled at it,” Kiyoyori said, flipping through the proposal with ease. The densely printed text made her dizzy. “For example, this one whose name is written next to mine, Kato Megumi.”

"Being fickle is not a good thing."

I really don't know why Eriri would fall for a guy whose emotional intelligence is like the Mariana Trench.

"Wait a minute!" An Yi raised her head while still bowing, awkwardly adjusting her glasses. "You clearly understand what I mean, and when have I ever been fickle?!"

"Isn't one female lead enough for you, Tomoya-senpai?" Kiyoyori pointed to the name "Kato Megumi" with his finger. "Or is it..."

A dangerous glint flashed in Kiyoyori's eyes. "So, Tomoya-senpai really does enjoy the pleasures of a harem, just like those shameless, cowardly male protagonists in visual novels?"

"I have no interest in real-life beautiful girls."

Aki straightened up, his reflective black-rimmed glasses exuding a strong otaku vibe.

"Then please tell me why two female leads are needed?"

"It's a given that we need two female leads! Without either of you, this project can't even get off the ground!" Aki seemed to be making some grand pronouncements, but to the others who didn't know the truth, it sounded more like the words of a shameless scumbag. Most of the women in the music room cast disdainful glances at Aki, who was lost in his fantasies.

"In this proposal, I've written a hidden route!" Aki snatched the heavy proposal, quickly flipped to a certain page, and pointed to the words "Yuri" in bold. "A hidden story will be unlocked in this route. Although there's no specific script yet, in this route, players will experience a completely different story, and this story will revolve around two girls!"

At the height of her excitement, Aki clenched her fist and grabbed a handful of air. "You reminded me, Kiyoyori! What I saw that day wasn't just Kato, but also your encounter with Kato! In the last brilliant season of cherry blossoms, a gentle breeze blew up cherry blossom petals, and a girl's beret fluttered in the wind—that was the catalyst for their meeting! On that spring day when cherry blossoms were dancing, her encounter with her, their lives intertwined!"

Aki grabbed Kiyora's hand. "Please become my, no, Kato Megumi's, heroine! And then, become the heroine of our game!"

"Tomoya-senpai..."

"I'm here!"

Even through the glasses, Kiyoshi could see the other person's sparkling eyes.

"You'd be good at opening a matchmaking agency in the future..."

"Huh...?"

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

Finally, unable to resist Aki's eager gaze, Kiyoyori carried the heavy proposal home and promised to respond in the next few days.

"what……"

Kiyoshi sighed, staring at the proposal in front of him, unsure of what to do.

"Shimizu-kun, the phone's ringing~."

"Shimizu-kun, the phone's ringing~."

"drop."

Kiyoshi answered the phone quickly. The embarrassing ringtone was actually provided by Kasumigaoka herself, or rather, she was forced to use it. Kasumigaoka had recorded this line when she learned that Kiyoshi had created custom ringtones for people she knew.

God knows how long Asuka mocked that ringtone.

"You answered the phone very quickly, Shimizu-kun."

Kasumigaoka's voice on the other end of the phone was very cheerful.

"Isn't this exactly what Senior Shiyu wanted to achieve?"

"See through it but don't say it out loud."

Kasumigaoka knew that Kiyoyori couldn't stand the ringing of the phone for too long, so she deliberately recorded such a ringtone so that she could hear Kiyoyori answer the phone in a shorter amount of time.

Did Aki-kun come to see you today?

"Senpai Shiwa really does know something, doesn't she?" Kiyora's thoughts raced. She didn't believe Aki could come up with a solution so quickly; he must have received guidance from some "expert," perhaps...

"I thought Shiwa-senpai didn't want to participate in this project."

"Hmm..." Kasumigaoka said in a long, nasal tone, which sounded rather cute. "I was reluctant at first, but... seeing how hard Aki-kun is trying, I wanted to help him out, since I owe him a favor before."

"Could it be that Utaha-senpai also likes Tomoya-senpai..." A complex and strange feeling welled up in Kiyoyori's heart. Was he lamenting Eriri's ill-fated love? Was he feeling sorry that Utaha-senpai liked someone who was completely oblivious to her feelings? Or...?

"Oh dear, Kiyori-kun, you'd better think carefully before you speak, or are you trying to imply something with this sentence?"

Kiyoyori sensed a dangerous aura from the other party's sudden change in address.

"Um, no... I'm sorry..."

"Kiyori-kun should know very well who I am in love with, right?"

"Ah..." Kiyoyori hurriedly changed the subject to prevent the other person from saying it out loud, "So, Utaha-senpai already anticipated Tomoya-senpai's actions? That means you're tacitly agreeing to participate in his project?"

Kasumigaoka didn't pursue the matter further and followed the ladder Kiyori had given her.

"Although I gave him some advice, it doesn't mean I have to participate. Whether I participate or not depends on the quality of Aki-kun's proposal and the creators he gathers."

"As far as I know, Eriri is the first choice to be Tomoya-senpai's illustrator."

I just don't know if Eriri will accept.

"Then it seems I can look forward to it."

Kasumigaoka chuckled softly, seemingly quite certain that Eriri would participate in the project.

"If I can work with Eri Kashiwagi, it's not that I can't find the time to participate in this project." Unlike Eriri's tsundere attitude, Kasumigaoka doesn't deliberately hide her admiration for Eri Kashiwagi in front of Kiyoyori, but it's only for Eri Kashiwagi.

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Eriri remain two incompatible beings, like water and fire.

"It seems I have no choice but to agree?"

Kiyoshi smiled wryly as he flipped through the proposal in his hand. Although the proposal was still full of flaws, every word seemed to urge Kiyoshi to continue reading.

The sound of pages turning came through the phone, and after a moment, Kasumigaoka chuckled and said:

"Admit it, Shimizu-kun, you're very interested in this plan."

P.S.: Kiyoyori is a total yuri fan. She's also a fan of Yukino and Yuihama. Right now, she's just curious about Yukino... But joining is just to introduce that part of the story, or more accurately, the story about Eriri and her senior. I won't go into too much detail about how to join the game club.

Chapter 42, Section 101: An Unexpected Encounter?

"It should be this way..."

At this moment, Kiyotaka was standing on the first floor of the department store, holding a map of the activity area in his hand. Pedestrians came and went around him, mostly families with children. The noise made Kiyotaka, who usually preferred quiet, rub his ears uncomfortably.

A sharp pain shot through my shoulder; it was the little guy in my bag causing trouble.

"Alright, alright, don't be afraid."

Because of the cat carrier, Qinglai could only pat the carrier symbolically, but Tuanzi didn't listen. It paced back and forth in the cramped carrier, looking very restless, meowing in a soft, babyish voice, but its cries were drowned out by the noise of people around it. It moved its little paws restlessly and even rubbed its face against the soft plastic netting. Its heart-wrenching cries made Qinglai feel sorry for it.

Today, the annual cat and dog show is being held here. Every year at this time, hundreds or even thousands of cats and dogs participate in the show, attracting many enthusiasts to come and watch. But this is not Qinglai's purpose.

A few days ago, Yuanzi accidentally obtained a voucher for this cat and dog show, which allowed her to give her cat a free full-body wash, haircut, blow-dry, and massage. With the mindset of not wasting it, Yuanzi specially dispatched Qinglai, who just wanted to stay at home because it was too hot in the summer, to complete this arduous task.

Dogs are mostly seen as enemies by cats, and they are the targets of a dog's barking at any outsider who has invaded its "territory".

Navigating the dog exhibit is no easy task. Large dogs are mostly unconcerned about arguing with smaller animals, while the more argumentative small dogs will attack any enemy that comes into their sight.

To avoid crushing Tuanzi in the crowded streets, Kiyoshi had to carry the cat carrier to his chest as he moved forward. However, the barking of dogs on both sides not only annoyed Kiyoshi but also made Tuanzi, who was huddled in the cat carrier, tremble with fear.

"Excuse me, could you please let me pass?"

Kiyoshi, carefully protecting the dumpling as she moved forward, kept apologizing to the people around him.

"what!"

Bumped by the crowd behind him, Kiyora stumbled and collided with the person in front of him, who seemed to be startled and let out a short, high-pitched scream.

"I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

Kiyoshi immediately took a step back and hurriedly apologized to the girl with twin ponytails in front of him, but the face she turned around with really surprised Kiyoshi.

"Yukinoshita-senpai?"

The person in front of her seemed very nervous, lacking the ease she displayed at school. Yukinoshita shrank back slightly, crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive posture.

"Tachibana-san?"

Yukino took a small step back, but accidentally bumped into the iron cage on the ground. The small Pomeranian inside immediately let out an impolite growl at the uninvited guest.

Yukinoshita, who was being targeted by the Pomeranian, immediately moved closer to Kiyoyori. Kiyoyori could even imagine the state of the dumpling he was holding from Yukinoshita's actions and expressions.