In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

She and her father depended on each other for survival. Now that her father was far away abroad, Yuan Qianye, considering that she was alone, invited her out early on.

Eriri actually did the same thing, but after much consideration, Saeko ultimately chose to trouble Chiya.

It wasn't just because the Yuan family had two other girls who were very close friends.

Also, she naturally felt that she was closer to Chiya Minamoto than to Eriri Sawamura.

Saeko Busujima wouldn't deceive herself about this; she saw things very clearly.

On this special New Year's Eve, she brought a three-tiered lunchbox filled with food she had prepared at home.

Black beans, dried herring roe, stir-fried anchovies, red and white fish cakes, etc.

The dishes weren't large in quantity, but they were varied and had auspicious meanings, which was a token of her goodwill.

After arriving at the Gen family's house, she naturally took the apron that Rikka had taken off and put it on.

Even though Runzi's mother tried her best to decline, saying that she was a guest, she still insisted on working together in the kitchen, and the two of them kept laughing and chatting.

Genji Sanada and Toka both returned after the bar closed.

The kitchen was small, and with Toka joining in to help, it was already a bit crowded. So, Sanada didn't bother with anything else. After greeting the guests warmly, he went to take a bath in the bathroom, something he hadn't done in a long time.

Today is his day off, but he'll have to get back to his busy work tomorrow.

At 8:30, Rikka, who was waiting in the living room, heard the door open at the entrance. She put down the tangerines she was holding, came out of the stove, and ran to greet them.

"Mom, Qianye has brought guests back!"

Saki was unusually reserved when faced with the cute girl who ran over with a curious expression as soon as she entered.

Especially after the girl shouted, the three people who peeked out from the kitchen at the same time, and the way they all looked at her, made Kazusa feel even more at a loss.

Unlike his own large garden mansion, which was deserted, this small traditional detached house was bustling with activity.

The moment you enter the house, you can smell the rich aroma of food. The sound of the range hood and the television blend together in this small space, creating a strong sense of home cooking.

Runzi's mother wiped her hands with a tissue and walked over with a gentle smile: "Welcome back, Chiya."

She looked at Kazusa, her expression becoming even more friendly: "You must be Kazusa, Yoko's daughter. I've received a lot of care from your mother in the past."

"……Hello."

Kazusa tried her best to maintain a forced smile.

Seeing this, Yuan Qianye introduced them to each other.

"Hurry up and change your shoes and come in. It must be cold outside. Qianye told me that your mother hasn't been home these days. If you don't mind, you can come to Auntie's house to play every day."

"Thank you, Auntie..."

Kazusa bowed slightly again in a polite manner.

Overall, aside from feeling a little uncomfortable at first, Kazusa gradually relaxed as the process progressed, thanks to Chiya Ayane acting as a mediator.

The person who showed the most kindness to Runzi's aunt was his mother.

The cute girl who ran to the entrance to greet him was named Takanashi Rikka, and she was his younger sister.

The one who looks somewhat similar, and also has a cowlick on her head, but appears more mature and beautiful, is named Takanashi Touka, and is his older sister.

As for the one with long, straight purple hair, Kazusa could recognize her at a glance without even needing to be introduced by Minamoto Chiyo.

After returning home from the previous Christmas Eve, she found the kendo competition that Yuan Qianye had participated in online and was attracted by his crisp and elegant movements.

He was also deeply impressed by the kendo girl who appeared in front of the camera just as many times as he did.

If I remember correctly...

"Hello, I'm Saeko Busujima, a friend of Chiya-kun and an upperclassman at school."

As she walked from the entrance to the kitchen door, Saeko Busujima greeted Kazusa Touma with a smile.

Yuan Qianye added, "He is also the head of the club I belong to."

The two exchanged a slight smile, displaying perfect understanding.

Kazusa took in the whole scene and replied curtly, "Hello, I'm Touma Kazusa."

"Nice to meet you, Touma-kun."

Runko's mother led her to the living room and sat her down, then hurriedly instructed Rikka to pour hot tea for Kazusa.

Just as Rikka agreed and was about to do so, Chiya called out to her, "Touma likes sweet drinks, so bring over some juice from home."

"Hey, but I drank it all at home during the day."

Yuan Qianye's gaze was deep and thoughtful: "That's a 2.5-liter bottle."

"Hehe..." Rikka scratched her head sheepishly.

Runko's mother didn't seem to mind and took out some banknotes from her purse: "It's okay, just have Rikka go to the nearby supermarket to buy it."

Liuhua took the money, saluted, and said yes, then dashed off to the entrance.

"...!"

Kazusa was not good with words to begin with, and at this moment she was even less able to get a word in edgewise.

She does like sweets, but not to the point where she can't eat or drink anything that isn't sweet.

Why is this big idiot acting so spoiled just because he's a guest?

My first impression was completely ruined!

Kazusa didn't know what to do, so in the end she could only secretly nudge Minamoto Chiya's calf with her toe. After he looked over, she pursed her lips, puffed out her cheeks, and shook her head desperately.

Gen Chiya understood and called Rikka back: "Don't go. I just came back from outside. It's very cold outside. You'll catch a cold if you get chilled."

Rikka turned back: "But didn't Touma want to drink juice?"

"Tea is fine too, go and brew some."

"okay."

Rikka happily put the money back in her pocket, then went to the kitchen where Junko's mother tapped her on the head.

After some polite greetings, Kazusa finally sat down at the tatami table, accompanied by Chiyo Minamoto.

She was quite curious about the device that allowed her to stick her legs inside to keep warm, and Yuan Qianye noticed her quietly lifting the tablecloth to look inside.

Shihua brought the freshly rolled dough and filling to the stove and explained, "I've prepared it as you said, but there's not enough space in the kitchen, so I can only do it here."

Upon hearing this, Gen Chiya took off his shirt and handed it to Rikka, then volunteered by rolling up his sleeves: "Then leave the rest to me, Toka, you go and do your thing."

Toka's gaze subtly shifted downwards from Chiya's face.

After he took off his coat, his solid chest was even more evident under his shirt.

Has this guy gotten a bit more muscular?

"Are you alright by yourself? We'll start boiling water to steam the tempura after we finish frying it."

"No problem, there aren't many of them."

At this moment, Kazusa, who was standing nearby, also spoke up: "I can help too."

Yuan Qianye looked at her suspiciously: "Your hand is insured, so it's not that you can't..."

His calf, which was under the stove, was lightly kicked again, forcing him to stop talking.

Kazusa continued, "It's perfectly fine to help with some preparations."

"Oh, I see... then I'll trouble you all. Thank you, Touma-san."

Shihua glanced at the two of them thoughtfully before returning to the kitchen to continue her work.

Minamoto Chiya, along with Kazusa who wanted to show off her strengths, washed their hands and sat back down by the stove.

Rikka originally wanted to help, but was refused by Minamoto Chiya.

This girl is such a troublemaker. Before, when everyone was sitting in a circle making dumplings, she quietly slipped a coin into one of the dumplings.

Unaware of the situation, Shihua ate it later and almost broke her teeth.

That night, Liuhua's cries for help echoed for two kilometers around, causing great distress to those who heard them, and the scene was particularly tragic.

"If you're not cold, take off your coat like me, it'll be inconvenient to work later."

"Ah."

Kazusa followed Chiya's instructions, took off her coat, and handed it to him to hang up.

Rikka stared at Kazusa, especially at her chest, for a while.

Then he suddenly asked Kazusa her exact age, and learned that she was the same age as him.

Rikka fell silent, but the thought of Eriri and Yukino inexplicably made her feel much better.

She's an optimist and good at comforting herself. Just like with her studies, as long as she's not at the bottom, everything is fine.

"So what should I do next?"

"Of course, we start by wrapping the filling in the dough." Yuan Qianye took the dough, filled it with the filling with a spoon, and pinched it a few times. A perfectly made soup dumpling appeared in the center of his palm.

"Oh, so we're going to make little steamed buns." Kazusa seemed a little slow to realize, but her hands moved quickly, mimicking Gen Chiyo's movements quite well. In no time, her little steamed buns were placed next to the one that Gen Chiyo had just said she had wrapped.

She blushed slightly upon seeing the comparison.

Yuan Qianye's was small and exquisite, but hers... it's not that it was poorly made, but it's just that it's a completely different breed from Yuan Qianye's.

Yuan Qianye held her work in her palm and examined it closely. There was too much filling inside, and the skin was so thin that it was almost transparent. If she were to steam it, the filling would probably all leak out.

"That's great. You carried me for ten months, and I'm the one who was born." Yuan Qianye teased her a little.

Kazusa remained expressionless, but still retrieved her first failed attempt and got a new dough to try again.

Sure enough, she made significant progress starting with the second one.

The third one that was wrapped looked quite presentable.

For someone who never cooks, Kazusa's hands seem almost too skillful.