I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

Chapter 57, Section 117: Just One Step Away

Kiyotaka took several colorful rings from the shopkeeper, stood where he had been standing before, spread his legs slightly apart, stepped forward with his right foot, held the remaining rings in one hand, and raised the other hand in front of his chest as if to throw.

She first tentatively swung her wrist, seemingly trying to get a feel for it, before taking a deep breath and steadily throwing the ring in a spinning motion. The red ring traced a beautiful arc in the air, gradually descending after reaching the apex of the parabola before landing perfectly.

It landed on the long-haired black Japanese doll sitting behind the target crystal ball.

That's the grand prize, and because of its placement, this Japanese doll should theoretically be the least likely to be won.

With a long face, the shopkeeper took off the Japanese doll dressed in an exquisite kimono and handed it to Yukinoshita, asking her to keep it for Kiyori.

"This was originally a Girls' Day gift for my daughter, but my daughter thought the doll was too scary, so she took it out. I really didn't expect that someone could be trapped in it just by having it there."

Yukino looked at the smiling, empty-eyed doll. Its black pupils gleamed eerily under the streetlights, and its face, half-hidden in the shadows, looked somewhat frightening.

It certainly didn't seem like something a little girl would like, but as soon as Yukinoshita picked it up, she noticed the doll's unusual weight. She could also hear mechanical sounds when she shook it slightly. She recalled the hand-held doll and various drifting bottles that she had seen in Kiyoshiro's room that required manual assembly.

The other person should like these fun little toys.

"I heard this thing is quite expensive, but the little girl still prefers Barbie dolls and the like. These kinds of dolls just gather dust at home."

The boss kept rambling on and on, while Yukino could only nod perfunctorily.

She looked at Qinglai's pursed lips and serious expression as if facing a formidable enemy, but unexpectedly detected a hint of childishness in him.

Unfortunately, Kiyoshi seemed to have used up all his good luck on the doll he managed to snag. The rest of the rings either flew off somewhere without touching the crystal ball, or hit the smooth surface of the crystal ball and bounced away.

Now she only has one left.

"call."

Kiyoyori let out a sigh of relief, his final shot.

For some reason, Kiyora also couldn't catch the crystal ball. Was it because of his dissatisfaction with the title of "game black hole," which, while true, he didn't want to accept? Or...?

Does she also want to be the one who stylishly snags the gifts others want?

He wanted to become the person she had always been following.

Qinglai clenched the ring in his hand.

Perhaps, she simply...

"Chiang Lai!"

"Wow--"

Kiyoshi's hand trembled, and the last ring toss ring flew lightly out of his hand, even spinning in the air before unexpectedly landing on the crystal ball.

Does this work too?

Kiyoshi awkwardly withdrew his hand, not feeling very satisfied with the dramatic ending. Instead, his heart, which had been startled by the shouts of others, was pounding wildly in his chest.

"Pretty impressive!"

Asuka stepped forward, patted Kiyori on the shoulder, and glanced at the crystal ball in her hand. "We've been playing with this for ages and haven't managed to win."

"As expected of me."

Qinglai nodded smugly.

"Oh dear, the sun is going to rise in the west tomorrow."

Asuka shook her head and smiled in the direction of Nakazeko and Ogasawara who were traveling with her.

"Ah, good evening, Tachibana-san and Yukinoshita-san."

Nakajiko Asa smiled amicably at Yukinoshita, who was standing not far away. Ogasawara followed her gaze and saw Yukinoshita wearing a kimono.

Good evening, seniors.

“Yukinoshita-san,” Ogasawara said, a hint of surprise in his voice, “it’s been a long time, ever since then…”

Since then...?

It seems like it happened last time too...?

"Haruka! Do you want some fried noodles?" Asuka interrupted Ogasawara. "I can't eat a whole serving by myself, can you share it with me?"

Noticing there was another person present who wasn't involved, Ogasawara immediately followed up on Asuka's suggestion, saying, "I've already had dinner, why don't you and Kaori share it?"

Actually, I'm not that hungry.

"Eh? Let's go get some grilled corn!" Asuka let Kiyora go, hooked her arm around one of her friends, and headed towards a grilled corn stall not far away. "We won't disturb your date! Have fun!"

Kiyoyori waved to Asuka.

"This is for you, senior."

Kiyoshi handed the crystal ball to Yukinoshita, and then took the decent-looking doll from her.

"Thank you."

"Did something really happen between you and Asuka and the others, Senpai?"

Kiyoshi did not release the crystal ball immediately, and remained holding it with one hand.

“That was a long time ago,” Yukinoshita said, having no intention of telling Kiyoyori. “There seems to be some kind of mechanism inside this Japanese doll.”

"Really?" Kiyotaka released the crystal ball, picked up the slightly heavy doll, and looked at it. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"There might not be anything worth looking forward to inside. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment when the expectation is not met."

The snow beneath the snow carries a hidden meaning.

"That's hard to say."

Yukino sighed helplessly and said nothing more.

The atmosphere returned to its previous lukewarm state, with neither of them speaking first, and they simply continued walking along the street.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and the endless lights resembled a winding dragon; the road seemed to have no end.

"How about we take a break?"

Kiyoshiro kept a close eye on Yukinoshita's condition, not only because of her poor stamina, but also because of the wooden clogs on her feet. Yukinoshita doesn't often attend such celebrations, and she's rarely seen at family banquets in the past, so she probably doesn't wear wooden clogs often. The clogs on her feet looked brand new, and they must be very uncomfortable.

Even with tabi socks, walking for such a long time can be quite tiring.

"Ah."

Yukino nodded, and the two walked to a bench by the river and sat down.

"Would you like some water, senior? I'll go buy you a bottle."

Qinglai was still thinking about the bottle of mineral water he owed earlier.

"Thank you for your help."

Yukinoshita tucked her toes in and frowned slightly.

She watched as Qinglai's figure gradually disappeared into the crowd and lights.

The wind by the river was stronger and cooler than on the street. The wind rippled across the water, and the leaves on the leaves beside the chair rustled.

This is a roadside without lights, separated from the bright and bustling street by only a line, or even a step, but this line is the Milky Way that some people can never cross.

She's on the other side.

but me,

On this side.

P.S.: Actually, the inner thoughts of the two people in these two chapters are alluding to each other, but the pronoun "she" is not referring to the other person.

I can't concentrate on my book, it's so frustrating, and I'm about to go to work.

Chapter 58, Section 118: This is the real battlefield.

Kiyoshi stood in front of the vending machine, tossing the last of her coins into it. Just as she was about to press the button for the mineral water,

"Shimizu-kun?"

Qinglai turned his head in response.

"Senior Shiyu?"

Kasumigaoka, like most of the women on the street, was dressed in a well-fitting yukata. The long yukata wrapped her perfect figure, but did not hide her sharpness at all. The black yukata fell to her fair ankles, forming a sharp contrast with her bare feet. Her pomegranate red eyes were filled with doubt.

"I remember you rejected me today."

"Ah, that's..."

In fact, Kiyoyori received an invitation from Kasumigaoka early this morning. At that time, she had not yet received a message from Yuihama. Because she did not know how to spend time alone with her, Kiyoyori declined Kasumigaoka on the grounds that the selection was approaching. She had no plans to attend the festival and then put the matter out of her mind. She really did not expect that the two of them would meet in such a crowded place.

Kiyoshi looked embarrassed. "Actually, it was more like a club activity."

"Service Department?"

Kasumigaoka squinted.

“Hmm,” Kiyotaka turned around, using the act of buying mineral water to cover up his unease, “It seems that the two seniors in the club had some kind of conflict before. It’s been a while since things have eased up a bit, so let’s take this festival as an opportunity to let the seniors reconcile.”

"Di."

Qinglai pressed the button, and the mineral water quickly fell into the dispensing slot through the channel in the vending machine.

"When did Shimizu-kun become interested in this kind of thing?"

Bending down to hold the cool mineral water in her hand, Qinglai straightened up and slowly turned around.

"I suppose I can be considered one of them too."

Not wanting to continue the topic, Kiyoyori abruptly changed the subject, asking, "Is Shiwa-senpai alone?"

"If I said I was alone, would Shimizu-kun invite me to come with him?"

Kiyoshi opened his mouth speechlessly, then gave an awkward smile, "Please stop teasing me, Shiwa-senpai."