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

They always come back very late.

Although I'm going to learn piano, this is the important thing.

But after thinking about it carefully, Shihua felt that something was not quite right.

Shihua appears calm on the surface, but she has a lot on her mind.

However, Yuan Qianye didn't think that much about it and replied smoothly, "I feel it's too early to decide on my future path now, so my idea is not to rush. In short, I should experience different things and see different scenery. It's not too late to decide in my senior year of high school."

Senior year of high school... does that mean I'll soon have to formally decide on my life's path...?

Shihua asked others questions, but ended up overthinking things herself.

Gen Chiya took the sliced ​​bread out of the oven, and then, recalling what he had just said, he noticed Toka's thoughtful expression, which showed that she was worried about her future.

So to put her at ease, he added, "But don't worry, no matter what I plan to do in the future, my family will always be my top priority."

He extended his right thumb and pressed it against his heart.

Family...

"That's enough, sister. We can't finish it all if we make too much..."

At this moment, Rikka poked her head out again and whispered urging from the living room.

"It'll be ready soon, don't rush me." This time, Shihua was very grateful that her younger sister had stepped in to interrupt.

Yuan Qianye asked, "Are you coming with us to the shrine to pray for blessings later?"

Shihua shook her head: "I won't go. You guys have fun."

"What's your wish? I'll pray for yours too."

"Then please pray for my family and friends to have a good and healthy day."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Generally speaking.

The activities of visiting shrines or temples to pray for blessings during the New Year are basically scheduled for the first day of the lunar new year.

After all, there is such a saying in some traditional elderly people's circles.

If you don't worship the gods at the very beginning of the New Year, it is considered disrespectful, extremely offensive, and impolite to them. It will anger the gods and you will not receive their protection.

Yuan Qianye didn't think it was that bad. Since they were all gods, how could they be so petty?

Furthermore, it wouldn't matter much to him even if he didn't receive protection, since he could live a good life on his own through his own efforts.

The reason for choosing the third day of the new year for the shrine visit is not only to avoid the crowds, but also for another important reason.

[How will you get here tomorrow?] (Yuan Qianye)

Yukino: [My family will have a driver take me there.]

[Is there anything planned for Gen Chiya?]

Yukino: [Mom is taking my sister and me to a relative's house for dinner tonight. Is there something going on?]

Yuan Qianye: [It's nothing. Let's meet a little earlier tomorrow. When you arrive, don't get out of the car yet. Send me your location, and I'll come find you.]

At this point in the conversation, Yukino had actually guessed what Minamoto Chiya was thinking.

"Miss, your friends have arrived."

The driver's words made Yukino, sitting in the back seat, look up, her gaze shifting from the chat messages on her phone from the previous night to the view outside the window.

As the brother and sister approached, she opened the car door and slowly got out.

She was wearing the kimono she had ordered on Christmas Eve, which was mainly light purple and decorated with gold floral patterns. Her hair was not naturally down as usual, but was tied up with a hairpin, revealing her snow-white neck.

When Yuan Qianye approached and saw her for the first time, he was amazed. Yukino's attire today revealed a resemblance to her mother's elegant and noble air. She truly lived up to her reputation as a young lady from a wealthy family.

When the Minamoto siblings approached Yukino, they made no attempt to hide the admiration in their eyes.

As soon as Rikka came over, she suddenly leaned against Yukino: "Wow, Yukino, you're wearing a kimono! You look so beautiful!"

Gen Chiya also looked at it with an appreciative gaze: "Indeed, it's quite exquisite and suits you very well."

Yukino politely returned the greeting: "Rikka, you're cute today too, and Chiyo too... well, so-so, not bad."

Why do compliments become so perfunctory when they come to me?

Yuan Qianye couldn't help but chuckle, but didn't pay much attention to it.

He handed Yukino the gift he had bought a few days in advance: "Happy New Year, and happy birthday."

"...Happy New Year, thank you."

Yukino looked at the large paper bag he handed her. Inside, a limited edition Mr. Pan doll was wrapped in a transparent packaging bag, with a pretty bow tied at the end.

Although I had anticipated the current situation when I spoke with him last night, seeing him hand over the gift with a smile on his face was still quite a surprise.

I was still very happy.

They now have far fewer opportunities to meet each other, but their friendship of so many years has not become estranged as a result.

Furthermore, the gifts are getting larger and larger.

Mr. Pan's doll is already as big as a cushion on the sofa this year. Will there be even bigger half-body or life-size dolls next year?

It seems I really need to put a shelf in my room...

"Yukino, happy birthday."

As Yukino pondered the arrangement of her room, Rikka handed over her gift.

Her gift was packed in a small paper bag; it was an adorable hat with cat ears.

Upon seeing Rikka's gift, Yukino couldn't help but chuckle, but still sincerely thanked her: "Thank you, Rikka."

"Don't mention it!" Rikka eagerly explained the fun and secrets hidden in her gift to Yukino: "This hat is special. See the two cat ears on it? There's a mechanism inside. If you squeeze the little balls hanging down on both sides of the hat, the cat ears will sway along with them. It's very cute. Do you want to experience it now?"

As she got excited, she took the hat out of the paper bag and tried to put it directly on Yukino's head.

It was a light but firm chop from Chiya that calmed her down a bit: "Yukino's hair was finally combed, what if you mess it up again?"

"That's true... Yukino, when you get home, try wearing it and see, it's a lot of fun, remember to take a video and send it to me!"

"Alright, alright, it's almost time. We should go and meet up with the others."

Seeing that the enthusiastic Rikka had been persuaded to go back, Yukino breathed a sigh of relief and was very grateful to her childhood friend for getting her out of the predicament.

While she does like cats and enjoys collecting related trinkets, it's absurd for her to wear a cat-ear hat and act cute outdoors while dressed in a formal kimono, attracting stares from passersby, especially with him watching right in front of her...

This was indeed too shameful for her.

It was obviously inconvenient to carry things to the shrine, so Yukino put the gifts the two had given her in her car.

She carried only a small cloth bag, containing her phone and wallet, and went with the brother and sister to meet up with the others.

Rikka showed particular enthusiasm for today's shrine visit from the very beginning, so naturally she was in charge of arranging the day's activities.

She always showed a friendly attitude to everyone, and of course, she invited others besides Yukino and Eriri that day.

Standing at the pre-arranged location, Eriri, Saeko Busujima, and Utaha Kasumigaoka appeared one after another in less than ten minutes.

Eriri and Rikka followed the same style. Today, she wore light-colored overalls, a small white crossbody bag, and a matching beret. Her hair was also unusually loose, no longer in pigtails, but draped over her shoulders, with a few small pink bows delicately adorning the ends.

Just like Yukino, she had dressed up carefully before going out today.

Eriri is already petite, but her outfit today makes her look even cuter.

As soon as she met up with Chiyo and the others, she happily came up to Yukino and praised her for looking exceptionally beautiful today. She and Rikka then held hands and took a selfie under a cherry blossom tree on a scenic street.

During this time, she repeatedly suggested to Rikka that they adjust their positions together while holding her phone. As she wished, she managed to take many excellent photos of Chiya appearing in the corners of the selfies!

Saeko Busujima walked over from the train station shortly after Eriri. Today she was wearing a long gray trench coat, a light brown scarf, and high-top flat boots. She looked both cool and sharp, with the air of a sophisticated urban businesswoman.

Just as she was about to apologize, she saw that almost everyone had arrived.

A taxi pulled up to the side of the road, the door opened, and Kasumigaoka Utaha looked around before heading straight for Minamoto Chiya after spotting him.

Kasumigaoka Utaha from JC still maintains her precocious JK (high school girl) style of dress.

She wore a warm-colored sweater as an inner layer, and a black blazer on top. The skirt was still very short, only reaching the middle of her thighs, and her slender legs were tightly covered by black pantyhose.

She watched as Yuan Qianye walked over with a smile, but after greeting everyone else around him first, she finally exchanged New Year's greetings with him.

All right.

At this point, everyone who had agreed to meet today has gathered.

Although some of them don't get along, it was Rokka who organized this operation today, and it's the beginning of the new year, so they should at least give them some face.

Actually, Rikka had invited Touma and Kazusa to go out together today.

On New Year's Eve, she, who was the younger sister of Minamoto Chiyo, easily became acquainted with Touma Kazusa. She took the initiative and easily exchanged contact information with Kazusa.

When she extended the invitation, Kazusa was seriously considering whether or not to go.

But after seeing the messages Rikka sent next and learning that there were not only a few of them that day, but also several other girls she didn't know, she immediately stopped thinking about it.

I declined, citing my need to practice piano for a future piano competition.

Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of others, especially male passersby, Minamoto Chiya led five girls, each with a distinct style but all dazzling enough, up the steps to the shrine.

"Tenko-sama Shrine..." Saeko Busujima looked at the promotional stone tablets on both sides of the road and softly uttered the name of the shrine.

Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled faintly, glancing at Minamoto Chiya as she spoke: "Oh~ it's the Matchmaking Shrine. Many people come here to pray for love or marriage. I wonder if it's effective."

Before Chiyo could answer, Yukino, whose steps were elegant even in wooden clogs, chimed in: "A connection doesn't necessarily mean a marriage. According to theological culture, a connection is when people meet, get to know each other, help and support one another. A connection is also when people interact with all things in nature, such as loving animals and protecting the environment."

Everyone else who heard it felt they had learned something.

Kasumigaoka instinctively felt a tightness in her chest.

After the game ended in a draw that night, the resolute determination between her and Yukino to determine who was superior seemed to have naturally continued to this day.

So much so that even if she tries to flirt with simple, subtle intentions, Yukino can easily detect it and immediately intercept and shoot it down.

However, Kasumigaoka was quite magnanimous. She had anticipated this situation and simply smiled, not intending to argue with Yukino over such a trivial matter.

After passing through the torii gate, you officially enter the shrine.