I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

"Good evening, Yukinoshita-senpai," Kiyoyori said, not hiding his amazement at seeing her. "You are even more beautiful than I imagined."

Perhaps it's because she still has European blood flowing in her veins, and that romance ingrained in her bones, that she would say such embarrassing things in such a public setting.

Hikigaya rubbed his arm with his hand.

The person being praised didn't show any shyness, and simply said, "Thank you."

It was just as bland as ever.

Yukinoshita truly lives up to its name.

Hachiman had to admire the other person's incredibly strong mental fortitude. If it were anyone else being praised so openly, and attracting the attention of many passersby, they would definitely be blushing.

For example, Yuihama.

Even though she wasn't involved, her face was so hot it could boil an egg.

Is this the kind of person who spends all his time in high society?

Hachiman couldn't help but marvel at the fact that there was another ordinary person here to share his awkwardness.

"Alright! Let's go!" Yuihama seemed to be unable to bear the sudden silence among them. She grabbed Yukinoshita's arm and half-dragged, half-pushed her toward the more lively part of the festival. "I didn't eat dinner tonight, I'm just waiting for the festival."

Yukinoshita couldn't refuse Yuihama's request, so she had no choice but to let her lead her into the crowd.

Kiyoshi and Hikigaya, who were behind the two, kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far from them.

"I thought you would wear a yukata too."

Hachiman couldn't think of anything to talk about for a moment, but the silence between the two was too strange in the bustling market. As soon as he spoke, he regretted it and wanted to pretend he hadn't said it.

Most of the women around him were wearing yukatas of various colors, and many of them were couples. This slightly abrupt or ambiguous question made Hachiman wonder if his IQ had dropped for a moment.

"I only have kimonos at home, and they're too much trouble to wear."

Kiyoshi answered indifferently, as if he hadn't noticed the other elements in the sentence at all, which made Hikigaya breathe a sigh of relief.

Kimono and yukata are not the same thing. Yukata is a simplified version of kimono, which is more convenient to wear and more affordable. A traditional kimono is unaffordable for most families. Renting one occasionally can be quite charming, but buying one is simply a pipe dream for ordinary working-class families.

Kimono is considered by Japanese women to be on par with formal attire for very important occasions, or even superior, meaning it is more expensive. Compared to ordinary yukata, kimono is also more formal and not suitable for wearing to such lively festivals.

"Little Qinglai! Little Qi! You're too slow!"

"Yes Yes……"

Hikigaya walked forward listlessly, while Kiyoyori, who seemed to have received some kind of message, raised his lips meaningfully.

P.S.: I wrote a side story today, and my typing speed improved. I love sweet little stories.

Chapter 56, Section 116: Let's enjoy the festival together!

The festival was as lively as ever, with a constant stream of tourists. The narrow road was lined with all sorts of stalls, offering a variety of snacks and classic games like goldfish scooping and ring toss. The uneven stone slabs underfoot transmitted the texture through the thin soles of my shoes, and the air was filled with the aroma of food, including takoyaki, grilled squid, and fried noodles...

Even though Kiyoyori had already eaten dinner, he couldn't resist taking out his wallet when he saw the grilled corn. However, considering that it wouldn't look very good to eat it, Kiyoyori resisted the urge to walk towards the stall.

Walking with Kiyoyori was not Hachiman, who had also been left behind, but Yukino, who had originally been following Yuihama. It seemed that although the crowd was not exactly crowded, it was still exhausting for her. Following Yuihama through the crowd had drained most of her energy, so Yukino suggested that she take a break. Considering that Yuihama had not yet had dinner, she handed over the task of accompanying her to Hachiman, who had not been very interested, while Kiyoyori took on the task of accompanying Yukino.

Perhaps this is the result that senior wanted most?

Nobody wants to be accompanied by two high-wattage third wheels when "going on a date" with someone they like.

"Senior, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Kiyotaka held a takoyaki ball in his hand to satisfy his craving. The rich sauce filled his mouth, and the small pieces of octopus wrapped in the crispy shell burst with heat between his teeth. The essence of bonito flakes was not masked at all, maintaining its original flavor.

only……

"Ughhhhh—!"

It's so hot, so hot, so hot.

Kiyoshi covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. She hadn't expected that the takoyaki, which she had deliberately left out for a while, would still be so hot. Kiyoshi licked her palate with her tongue, which was numb from the heat.

Yukino sighed, unable to bear it any longer. "Are you a child?"

He handed the unopened bottle of mineral water to Qinglai, and after watching the other person stammer a thank you, he gently raised the corners of his lips.

"You flatter me, Yukinoshita-senpai," she said, looking at the half-empty bottle of water in her hand. "I'll buy you another one later."

Yukinoshita nodded. She couldn't quite empathize with the joy of participating in the festival. In her opinion, it was crowded and noisy, the food wasn't delicious and was often dusty, and the prices were outrageously expensive. But everyone here had a smile on their face.

"Does Tachibana-san often participate in festivals and similar events?"

She asked softly.

“I used to come here quite often when I was a child, but I haven’t been here as often in recent years,” Kiyotaka walked beside Yukina, looking at the stalls that evoked childhood memories. Seeing the children squatting in front of the vendors was like seeing her younger self. “I used to find it lively when I was a child, but I found it noisy in recent years.”

[Qinglai, come and try this! It's delicious!]

"Does Qinglai want that toy? The teacher will give it to you."

Why is it that no matter where I go, I can always find memories related to you?

"now what?"

"Now I think it's not so bad." Kiyoyori threw the empty cardboard box into the trash can. "What about you, Senpai? Don't you ever participate?"

“When I was little,” Yukinoshita said with an unexpected look of nostalgia, but then her expression suddenly turned serious as if she had remembered something, “with my older sister…”

But everything has changed.

Yukinoshita stood a few steps away from Kiyoyori, seemingly within reach yet unreachable.

She is not Yang Nai.

She is not Chihiro.

They were just people left behind by them.

The flow of people passed between the two, as if traversing a long galaxy.

Kiyoshiro suddenly stepped forward, reached out and grabbed Yukinoshita's wrist, then pulled her sharply towards him. Without any preparation, Yukinoshita stumbled and staggered a few steps toward Kiyoshiro until Kiyoshiro's other hand held her shoulder, stopping her from falling forward.

What exactly do you want to do?

Yukinoshita glared at Kiyoyori, which reminded her of the unpleasant memories of being teased by Haruno.

"Let's go enjoy the festival together."

Kiyotomi stared straight at Yukinoshita, wondering why she had inexplicably decided to go to the festival with this unfamiliar senior.

"Since Yuihama-senpai and Hikigaya-senpai have abandoned us, let's just ignore them."

Yes, since they've abandoned us, we might as well just ignore them.

Since the person is gone, why remain stagnant?

"Tachibana-san...?"

Yukinoshita was unable to say anything more.

"it is good……"

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

"Oh no, another failure."

Kiyoshi shook the torn net in his hand with a slightly frustrated look, then looked at his plastic bowl containing only a lone red goldfish.

Did the shop owner do something online? She only managed to get one after five tries; that's just not how it works.

In stark contrast to Kiyoshiro was Xuexia, who was squatting beside her. Her profile was serious and delicate. She was intently watching the goldfish swimming in the water, her hands moving quickly and precisely. The small plastic bowl in her hand could barely hold the goldfish.

The shop owner looked like he was about to cry...

"senior……?"

Unmoved by the snow.

"You don't keep goldfish at home, do you? There's no point in catching so many."

The other party remained unresponsive.

Because there were children queuing behind them, if Yukinoshita were to catch all the goldfish by herself, the children behind her would probably not be able to play. Kiyoshi could only look around, hoping to find something to distract her.

"Ah, the ring toss stall next door seems to have Mr. Pan's crystal ball, a special edition for the festival!"

"Where!"

Yukinoshita immediately put down the plastic bowl she was holding.

"So fast!"

Yukinoshita's smooth movements of getting up, paying, and leaving left Kiyoshiro with no time to react. Her wooden clogs made a quick, crisp sound as they hit the ground. By the time Kiyoshiro finished paying and left the goldfish scooping stall, Yukinoshita next door had already started playing ring toss.

Just how much do you like Mr. Pan?

Kiyoshi recalled seeing the astonishing number of Mr. Pan's surroundings in the room under Yukinoshita when the two bodies were swapped.

However, this time Lady Luck did not seem to be on Yukino's side. No matter how meticulously she calculated, the colorful ring toss always managed to deviate slightly, and once it even bounced off when she was about to succeed.

However, this was not enough for Yukino to declare her defeat.

Even Qinglai, who was watching from the side, felt an itch to try it himself.

"Senior, why don't I give it a try?"

Qinglai rubbed his hands together.

"Isn't Tachibana-san a complete gaming idiot?"

Throughout the trip, Qinglai was practically giving money to the shopkeepers.

Chiyorai:......

Senior, you see through it but don't say it.

P.S.: When I was checking for typos just now, I saw "吃相" (chīxiāng, eating manners) being typed as "吃翔" (chīxiáng, eating excrement). What's wrong with my input method? Does it have some kind of problem with Qing Lai?

Also, the super sweet and saccharine story is already on its way and will be released in July. It's called "Side Story - Us". Some lucky friends in the group saw a small clip yesterday. I almost got diabetes from writing it.