Chapter 162: The World Beyond the Second Round (2)

For now, these are just Shimizu's speculations.

To confirm this, we need to further confirm with Haruka Sakurai and clarify some key issues.

Therefore, Shimizumi must now solve the abnormality in her inner world first.

[Countdown to World Collapse: 48:15]

As time passed, the night grew darker and darker, and the night wind blew through the treetops, making a rustling sound.

Shimizu followed Hoshino Akiko into the castle-like villa.

This was Shimizu's first time seeing an upper-society dinner party.

Under the gentle cover of night, the palace hall is shining, the exterior is spotless white, and the exquisite carvings are faintly visible in the moonlight.

Looking up, there is a dazzling crystal chandelier hanging from the top of the hall, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day. It extends upward to the ceiling and is decorated with colorful flower baskets and balloons.

The guests were dressed in gorgeous gowns, chatting and laughing, or drinking.

In such a scene, Hoshino Akiko waved to Shimizu Miki at a long table with light meals and drinks in a corner of the hall.

"See you, hurry up, be sure to eat more, these are free."

Are you here for the buffet?

Sure enough, Hoshino Akiko has always been so unreliable.

Qing Shuijian dodged her hand that was stretched out to touch his head, and was about to say that he was not a child, but immediately remembered that he was indeed just an elementary school student.

While drinking his drink, Shimizu began to observe the people and decorations in the hall again.

Judging from the current situation, this dinner should be held to arrange a marriage between the Sakurai family and the Miura family.

But Shimizu didn't see anyone from the Miura family, not even Sakurai Haruka himself...

Time is passing by every second. In order to solve the anomaly, we must first figure out where the anomaly is.

Amemiya Iori was originally bound by her childhood sweetheart, but what about Sakurai Haruka?

Judging from the current timeline, her mother is no longer with us. If the root of the problem is related to her mother, then no matter how hard Shimizu tries, she will not be able to change matters of life and death and bring people back to life.

But everything has a solution. Since Qing Shuijian has come here, it means there must be a solution...

At this moment, Shimizu saw a particularly eye-catching figure among the crowd of people dressed in their best clothes - Sakurai Shio!

The dress that Sakurai Shio wore was a light pink color that was almost white, so it was quite eye-catching.

The bright colors create a cheerful atmosphere, and the light and flowing skirt reminds people of a lively girl.

The lace decorated on her chest makes her look mature. Although the skirt is long overall, the material is very thin and light, so it does not look heavy and floats as the body sways.

In addition, her golden hair was braided into a beautiful wreath, and Qingshuijian suddenly thought of a princess sleeping in bed.

It is rare that he hallucinates Sakurai Shio as Sakurai Haruka, which confuses Shimizu Mi.

Judging from her appearance, Sakurai Shio at this time period is undoubtedly a little more immature than the older sister that Shimizu knew, but one can already glimpse some maturity in her.

Perhaps because the gaze was too intense, Sakurai Shio also noticed Shimizu Mi, then she smiled and walked over here.

"Hello, I don't think I've seen you before. Are you here for the dinner too?"

"..."

If this memory is true, could it be that I have also met Sakurai Shio?
Shimizu Michi briefly introduced himself, and then Sakurai Shio extended her hand to him.

"My name is Sakurai Shio, let's get to know each other."

Shimizu hesitated for a moment and then held her hand, causing Sakurai Shio's cheeks to turn slightly red.

"what happened?"

"Oh, no, nothing..."

She shook her hands over her chest to show that she was fine, then claimed that she was hungry.

"Oh, I'm so hungry."

Sakurai Shio said as she searched for snacks on the table next to her.

"do you want to eat?"

Although he was not very hungry, before Qingshuijian could answer, a dessert empire appeared before his eyes. Standing in the center of the country was a palace built of cream bread.

The food here is different from the food sold by students at the cultural festival stalls. The cream bread is piled with fruits and fresh cream, which looks very beautiful.

But, at the end of the day, it’s still bread. No matter how beautifully it is presented, bread is still bread.

"Hey!"

Sakurai Shio made a noise that was not like that of a girl, cut the cream bun in half, and placed them on two paper plates.

She tore the bread open with her hands again... My previous impression that she looked like a princess with the flower crown on her head disappeared instantly.

So, why say again?
Shimizu recalled that a similar scene had happened at a cultural festival before.

Although he doesn't care, could it be that using hands to share food is a habit that Sakurai Shio has developed since childhood?

At least, Shimizumi couldn't see any trace of a young lady in her.

However, speaking of it, the conditions of Sakurai Shio's family did not seem to be that good before. Judging from Sakurai Haruka's previous memories, that old Japanese-style room seemed to be their home, and the Aikido dojo in their home seemed to have problems in its management.

According to Shimizu Miki, many young people in Japanese society are now interested in the two-dimensional world, and fewer and fewer people are willing to take the initiative to learn traditional martial arts such as Aikido. Therefore, it is an inevitable trend that traditional dojos like these will gradually decline.

While Shimizu was thinking about these things, Sakurai Shio picked up the bread and started chewing it.

"Delicious! The whipped cream is super delicious!"

Just like during the cultural festival, Sakurai Shio had a happy look on her face while eating... From the timeline point of view, this period of time should be before the cultural festival, but Shimizu Mi felt inexplicably nostalgic.

Seeing how Sakurai Shio eats it, the cream bread really does look more and more delicious.

Although I know what bread tastes like, it is still easy to stimulate my appetite in this atmosphere.

Even the snow-white cream sparkled under the light, looking juicy and delicious.

Seeing that Shimizu believed this, he decided to take the bread from Sakurai Shio and try it.

Well... isn't this just ordinary bread...

Although it tasted better than the one at the cultural festival, Shimizu felt as if he had been deceived by the expression of this bad woman again.

My mouth is so dry, maybe the bread has been on the table for too long... I should have tasted it as soon as possible.

Never mind, at least the fresh cream is delicious. Shimizu moved his mouth, and Sakurai Shio, who had been watching, giggled.

"Your expression is so funny."

"What can I do? This is just bread..."

Shimizu's mouth was still filled with something that was hard and absorbent, and he couldn't tell whether it was a sponge or an eraser, so he chewed it a few times while telling Sakurai Shio this with his eyes.

I finally swallowed the last bite and survived.

Just as Qingshuijian reached out to the table to take a drink, the crystal chandelier that was originally emitting white light dimmed, and then reflected colorful lights.

"The dinner is about to end..."

In the shining sight, Sakurai Shio's smile seemed to be suddenly shrouded in a shadow.

In order to hear her lowered voice, Qing Shuijian naturally moved his face closer to her.

Sakurai Shio took a step away from him with light steps, then grabbed the skirt of her uniform, stepped back with her right foot, bent her knees slightly, and bent down.

"There will be a dance party later. Can I invite you to dance?" Sakurai Shio bowed gracefully to Shimizu Mi, and the small crown on her head shook.

This look made Qing Shuijian stunned on the spot.

No, I was stunned.

Her expression, which should have been solemn, was now so red that it could be seen even in the dark.

Shimizu was stunned for a moment, but finally rejected her. After all, now was not the time to dance, he had to hurry and find Sakurai Haruka.

"Sorry, I have other things to do. Now is not the time to dance."

"Yes, really? I'm so sorry to bother you..."

Sakurai Shio had an expression that was hard to tell whether it was trouble or shyness, and it even looked like she was about to cry at any moment.

She kept adjusting her bangs and combing the blonde hair around her ears to hide her uneasiness, her eyes wandering and her mind restless.

Seeing that look, Qing Shuijian had no idea how to respond.

The original intention of this dinner was to make a marriage contract, and as one of the parties involved, Sakurai Shio naturally understood the meaning of it.

At such a young age, he was arranged to have a future partner, and even the road ahead was paved for him... All this time, Shimizu Mi never seemed to have thought about how Sakurai Shio would feel.

Qing Shui was speechless and sighed deeply.

I couldn't even bear to watch myself anymore - about my next behavior.

Qingshuijian let out a breath again, took a few steps away from the table where the food was placed, and turned sideways.

Sakurai Shio looked at him, puzzled.

“…Give me your hand.”

Shimizu Mi gently extended his right hand towards Sakurai Shio.

Sakurai Shio was stunned for a moment, then immediately laughed. She gently covered the corners of her mouth, as if teasing Shimizu, and raised her eyes and asked:
"Don't you have other important things to do?"

"Didn't you start it first..."

But, I'm really embarrassed. I should have known better than to do this...

Regret and self-blame surged into his heart, and the hand that was reaching out to Sakurai Shio quickly dropped.

However, before the hand dropped, Sakurai Shio grabbed it tightly.

"Let's go!"

She held Shimizumi's hand and walked towards the center of the hall, avoiding the crowd.

……

When he first walked into this magnificent palace-like hall, Qingshuijian felt as if he was in a different space, but as time passed, the scene gradually began to take on a dance atmosphere.

By hanging up the black curtains, turning off the lights and turning on the spotlights, it feels like you are in a scene from a TV drama.

The boys at the scene basically wore evening gowns, and the girls also wore dresses.

Although most of them are employees from various companies and partners, there are also many people like Akiko Hoshino who bring their children to participate.

In such an environment, many people who meet for the first time quickly become friends.

Regardless of whether it was a dinner or a dance, the actual feeling of Shimizu was more like a party, but it was very lively.

"I can not dance……"

Shimizu Ken, who was brought to the center of the hall by Sakurai Shio without permission, made a statement in advance.

"Just dance casually, and dance to the atmosphere."

Sakurai Shio put one hand on her waist and shook her index finger with the other hand and said.

There's no difference between this explanation and no explanation... I really lost to her.

Sakurai Shio became excited and taught Shimizu Jian with idol-style movements and gestures, but he was still confused and finally let out a loud sigh.

Be mentally prepared and wait quietly for the music to start.

Then the lights dimmed again.

Classic background music tracks flow out.

Spotlights moved around and light shone down from the ceiling.

The people under the lights were not to be outdone and swayed their bodies to the music.

Shimizu Mi had no way of blending in smoothly and could only use the movements of his feet and head to express the rhythm like a metronome.

At this moment, the free hand was pulled.

Sakurai Shio smiled at him shyly, and for a moment, Shimizu suddenly had a feeling that he didn't know how to describe... Perhaps it was because of the constant activities just now that his heart beat faster for some reason.

He subconsciously glanced around a few times, fortunately no one was paying attention to this side, only Sakurai Shio was staring at him.

Shimizumi gently placed his free hand on her shoulder, and Sakurai Shio also put his hand around his shoulder.

Because I didn't know how to dance, I just followed Sakurai Shio's steps. When she moved forward, Shimizu Mi would move backward; when she moved to the side, Shimizu Mi would follow her.

The part that was in contact with Sakurai Shio gradually became hot, and Shimizu even felt that breathing became a little difficult.

It was more painful than I had imagined, mainly mentally… Shimizu couldn’t help but mutter something to justify his actions.

The song currently playing is a light-hearted pop song.

The classification of this kind of music is quite detailed. Shimizu Mi didn't know what to call it, but at least it was not the kind of slow-paced lyrical music played when men and women danced with their faces close together.

Shimizu followed what Sakurai Shio taught her, took her hand and swung it gently, and her body turned in a circle, following the dance steps without falling.

Amid the music and glare, and pushed by the crowd, the dance steps were clumsy and far from excellent.

But it doesn't matter how clumsy it is.

Because no one cares whether others are dancing or standing there stupidly, and no one will be looking at this side.

The lights were not illuminating a specific person, but moved around in rhythm. Shimizu couldn't even see Sakurai Shio's expression.

Only her smile and her hands held together could be seen clearly.

While enjoying the brief moment, in order to avoid bumping into people, Shimizu Mi would sometimes put her arms around Sakurai Shio's shoulders, sometimes turn around and dodge, and then continue dancing together.

Taking brisk steps, Sakurai Shio danced lightly, the sound of her footsteps overlapping with the heavy bass of the dance music in her ears.

No matter how casual the dance steps are, watching from the sidelines is completely different from actually dancing, and it is much more tiring than you imagine.

The extremely tired Shimizu Ken met Sakurai Shio's eyes.

Then she smiled happily.

"Your expression is really interesting!"

In an instant, the indescribable feeling became even stronger and almost broke through Qingmizu's chest.

It was as if his heart had lost its rhythm and was speeding up inexplicably, causing Qing Shuijian to feel palpitations again and again. He had a strange feeling all over his body, and he always felt as if he was about to get into bad luck...

Just at this moment, as if to confirm his inner uneasiness, Qingshui Jian seemed to hear some noise.

He was startled by the thunder-like sound outside the castle. His heart trembled and he suddenly focused his attention. He found that the movement had not disappeared, but was approaching the castle from far away.

Qing Shuijian quickly raised his head and looked through the semicircular carved wooden window in the direction where the noise came from.

When Qing Shuijian saw something outside, his eyes suddenly widened and his pupils shrank into needle-like shapes.

(End of this chapter)