I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Just as Yukinoshita was applying shower gel to Yui's body, preparing to begin the actual washing, Kiyoyori turned around to turn off the tap.

An anomaly has occurred.

Or rather, this was a premeditated scheme that had been planned long ago.

Taking advantage of the slippery shower gel, the dumpling escaped from Yukinoshita's grasp with such speed that Izumi and Yukinoshita only saw its afterimage.

It was just a fat cat, but its running speed was surprisingly fast.

"what--!"

P.S.: Tuanzi was such a dedicated helper! I remember the first time I bathed my cat, it was like this. My pajamas were almost ruined. After bathing her, I had to wash myself again, and then drying her was a real headache. She's terrified of hair dryers, so I could only use the lowest setting and held her while drying her for almost an hour. A nightmare! From then on, she always went to the pet store for baths.

Chapter 46, Section 106: It's definitely not a problem with my parenting.

"Here you go, senior."

Kiyoshi handed the towel to Yukinoshita.

The two had just escaped from a hellish "parent-child activity" where they didn't even know who they were bathing, until they finally got out of there after putting the restless little devil into the drying box.

Yukishita dried her wet hair with a dry towel.

"Thank you."

Both of them were a mess. Their light-colored uniforms were now dark from the water and clung to their bodies, even their wide trousers were dripping wet. Compared to Kiyori, who was relatively clean, Yukino looked much more disheveled. Yui had jumped on her, her shower cap had been pulled off, and her hair had been messed up. The usually dignified Yukino Yukino was nowhere to be seen.

However, Yukinoshita didn't seem to blame Yui.

Kiyoshi glanced at the dumpling lying listlessly in the incubator, which was gazing longingly through the glass at where the two of them were.

Is this what it means to be favored and therefore fearless...?

Recalling the chaotic bathing scene just now, Kiyora and Yukinoshita were chased around by the dango that was running around everywhere in the bathroom, while Izumi, who was watching the show from outside with the door closed, was laughing happily.

Even after all that, Yukinoshita's gaze towards Yuiko remained as warm as a spring breeze.

This is probably what they mean by "the unattainable is always the most alluring."

Because pets are generally not allowed in luxury apartments.

"What kind of food does the senior like to eat? Japanese food or Western food?"

Kiyoshi leaned against the wall outside the changing room, scrolling through his phone, comparing reviews of various restaurants in the building. The dazzling array of comments made Kiyoshi dizzy.

"Japanese food."

Seemingly having already guessed the true nature of Kiyoyori's invitation to dinner, Yukinoshita no longer stood on ceremony.

"How about the sushi?" Kiyotaka stopped his finger at a shop with an antique-style decor, but it seemed to be a conveyor belt sushi restaurant.

"can."

"Is conveyor belt sushi okay?"

Compared to traditional sushi restaurants, conveyor belt sushi restaurants are generally cheaper. While that doesn't mean they're not delicious, they still fall short of the elaborate, performance-like atmosphere of traditional sushi restaurants.

"no problem."

Yukinoshita walked out of the dressing room with her bag on her back. Because her hair was slightly damp, she didn't tie it into pigtails like she did when she came. Instead, she let it hang down to her waist as usual.

Compared to the playfulness of pigtails, this looks more mature.

The nearest elevator is in the rest area in the middle of the cat and dog show. Since the sushi restaurant they're looking for is on the floor above, the two of them have to go through the cat show area again. Although Yukinoshita won't have to endure the pain of weaving through an overly enthusiastic pack of dogs again, Kiyoyori might have to endure the frustration of waiting for Yukinoshita to be so attracted by the cats that she can't take another step.

Kiyoshi isn't the type to be obsessed with cats. The reason she keeps a cat at home is simply because her two mothers are busy with work and are afraid that Kiyoshi will feel lonely if she's always left alone at home. It's just that Dango is so cute that Kiyoshi seems to really like cats. After all, most girls can't resist such a fluffy little cutie rubbing against your ankle while acting cute and looking at you with those innocent and pitiful eyes.

But why did the little angel grow into a little devil...?

Kiyoyori sighed helplessly as he looked at the snow that was once again buried by the cats.

When will we be able to eat?

Perhaps Kiyoshiro's prayers worked, or perhaps Yukinoshita's catnip stamina had reached its limit for the day, because no groups of cats swarmed over them along the way.

Having just escaped the fluffy ocean, the two encountered unexpected people in the rest area.

"Hachiman-senpai?"

"Hmm? Tachibana, and Yukinoshita?"

The combination before him was both unbelievable and yet perfectly reasonable to Hachiman; he could roughly guess why the two of them were here.

"I didn't expect to run into you here, Hachiman."

Yukinoshita's greeting was as indifferent as ever, but Hikigaya keenly noticed the different degrees of dishevelment on the faces of the two people who were usually very particular about their appearance.

But he chose to pretend he didn't see it.

"Yes, we participate every year."

"Them?"

Kiyoshi asked a question, sounding puzzled.

"Komachi is here too?" Yukinoshita wasn't surprised by this.

"Hey! Yukino-neechan," Komachi popped out from behind Hikigaya, holding a chubby cat in her arms. "It's been a long time, Kiyori-neechan."

"Hmm? Komachi, you know Tachibana?"

Hikigaya has no memory of his sister meeting Tachibana.

"Of course, Kiyora-neechan did visit brother in the hospital back then, but you were sleeping at the time."

Komachi's smiling face seemed strangely familiar to Kiyoyori.

"Thank you so much to the two brothers who always take care of my family!"

"Wait a minute? When did Tachibana come to the hospital?"

Although he knew that the person who helped at the car accident scene was Qinglai, judging from her usual attitude, she didn't seem like the type to make a special trip to the hospital to visit him.

"Yes, I was asked to do it."

Kiyoshiro casually interrupted the topic, stealing a glance at Yukinoshita, who stood silently beside her, her expression indifferent, her head bowed, seemingly lost in thought.

Visiting Hachiman in the hospital was not Kiyoyori's own initiative; she only went because Haruno asked (or threatened) her. Fortunately, Hachiman was resting when she arrived, and only her younger sister Komachi was taking care of him. However, Kiyoyori sensed something was wrong from the strange excitement in Komachi's eyes, so she only paid a quick visit and left.

"Have you two eaten yet? Why don't you join me?"

Kiyoshi casually turned the page on the previous topic, noting that it was lunchtime and using this topic to shift the focus didn't seem abrupt.

Komachi first glanced at the two seniors who seemed to be on a date, then looked at Hikigaya who was clearly about to refuse. "My brother and I have already eaten, so we won't disturb you two sisters' meal. If you haven't made a reservation yet, Komachi highly recommends the conveyor belt sushi upstairs. It's cheap and delicious."

"It seems my judgment was pretty good."

Kiyoshi smiled.

"Then we'll take our leave now. Hikigaya-senpai, Komachi, have a nice afternoon."

"Goodbye."

Just as Kiyoshiro was about to leave with Yukinoshita, he saw a dog charging straight towards them from a short distance away. Yukinoshita immediately pulled back her forward-leaning leg and took a step back in fear, while Kiyoshiro stepped forward to protect Yukinoshita behind her.

However, that dog looked very familiar...

"Sabre!"

As a pink-haired girl in a cool tracksuit appeared in everyone's sight, the dachshund named "Sabre" happily found its target and pounced, knocking its former savior Hachiman to the ground.

P.S.: I'm back! I was so tired yesterday, I fell asleep as soon as I got home. The checkup went smoothly, and I should be able to schedule surgery this year if all goes well. I'll try to update more today!

Chapter 47, Section 107: Escaping is shameful, but effective.

Yuihama squeezed out of the crowd, panting. Compared to the morning rush hour, there were far fewer tourists now. She clasped her hands together in apology to the people around her while anxiously searching for her beloved dog.

She saw from afar that Sabre seemed to have bumped into someone, and a feeling of apology welled up inside her, but this apology became more complicated after she saw the person's face clearly.

"Yuigahama-san?"

The first to call out her name was Yukinoshita, who had been hiding behind Kiyori. Since the dog was still not far away, Yukinoshita only peeked out slightly and greeted Yuihama.

Yukinoshita's tone was filled with surprise. She wasn't surprised to run into him here, but rather that they hadn't seen each other for quite some time. Even at school, not only were they not in the same class, but Yui hadn't attended any club activities for a long time either.

These are things that Kiyoyori, who has been practicing in the brass band recently, is unaware of.

"Yah hello, Xiaoxue..."

Yuihama seemed a little embarrassed, especially after seeing Kiyoyori. She awkwardly hid the leash behind her back, then realized her self-deceptive action and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Kiyori's here too?" Yuihama didn't immediately look at Hikigaya, who was being affectionately petted by his dog. Instead, she noticed the intimate distance between Kiyori and Yukinoshita, and lowered her head slightly. "Is Kiyori on a date with Yukinoshita? Hehe... I didn't expect to run into you two here..."

"No, Yukinoshita-senpai and I just bumped into each other by chance. We're about to have a meal together now. Would Yuihama-senpai like to join us?"

Kiyoshi didn't need to explain, but she sensed something unusual in Yuihama's tone and the strangeness among the three members of the Service Club.

"Mmm," Yuihama immediately waved her hand, revealing her usual silly smile, "I've already eaten, so I won't bother Kiyora and Yuki."

As if to cover something up, Yuihama picked up Sabre and said, "I'm sorry, Hitachi, Sabre has caused you trouble."

"Hmm," Hachiman sat up and wiped his face, which was wet from Sabre's licking, with his sleeve. "It's nothing..."

Seeing Hachiman prepare to stand up, Yuihama naturally reached out her hand, but then seemed to suddenly remember something and pulled her hand back, hugging Sabre tightly in her arms.

She lowered her head and took a step back. "I...I have something to do, I'll be going now..."

Before anyone could answer, Yuihama disappeared from sight with her dog in her arms.

Kiyoshi glanced silently at Yuihama, who appeared and disappeared like the wind, then looked at the relatively silent Hikigaya and Yukinoshita. Even the most oblivious person could tell that something had probably happened between the three of them.

The atmosphere among the four was slightly awkward. Hikigaya and Yukinoshita clearly did not want to explain further, and Kiyoyori could not ask directly in front of Komachi.

"Hmm! Kiyora-neechan and Yukino-neechan, you'd better hurry up and go eat. That restaurant is surprisingly popular; you might not be able to get a table if you're not careful!"

Komachi thoughtfully took the initiative to change the subject.