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

The interface of a multi-person video call that has started in the chat group.

Hearing what Yuan Qianye said about his daily activities during these days of unexpected isolation.

Eriri and Kasumigaoka both displayed their facial expressions at the same time.

Even a cookie crumb being eaten can be seen spraying out quite a bit.

Although Eriri managed to cover herself with her hand in time, her comical posture was still completely exposed to everyone else.

The coffee in his other hand was also spilled because he couldn't hold it properly.

Seeing Shiyu quickly get up and hiss in pain, the coffee must have been freshly brewed and still warm.

Only those two reacted the most strongly; the others remained relatively calm.

Rikka exclaimed in amazement, "Touma-kun not only plays the piano, but he can also play the violin! That sounds so cool!"

As he pedaled the stationary bike, his breathing quickened, Yuan Qianye stared at his phone screen, which was fixed in front of him, and added his explanation.

"Not only the piano and violin, she plays the saxophone very well too. Last night she even gave me an impromptu fingerstyle guitar performance. You know, she's the same age as us. I really don't know how she's managed her study time all these years to be able to play so many instruments."

"The kind of person who is both talented and hardworking must be someone like Touma. It's really amazing that he can focus on what he loves and achieve success."

Saeko Busujima, who was brewing tea, did not hold back her praise.

"So, what stage are you at in your piano practice now, and what pieces do you know?"

The window scene under the snow is relatively simple.

She was unusually wearing blue light blocking glasses, so she must have just finished an online class on her computer. The view of the environment behind her also indicated that she was in her own room.

"Touma said I'm progressing quite fast, but I can't really say exactly how fast. But I have indeed learned a lot of new pieces these past few days. At first, I could only play simple variations on 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,' 'Canon,' and 'Minuet,' but now I can play 'Moonlight Sonata,' 'The Blue Danube,' 'Naked Dance,' and 'Can-Can'..."

"Can-Can?" Even Yukinoshita couldn't remain calm now: "You can play the Can-Can perfectly?"

Rikka, who had never played the piano before, didn't understand: "What's wrong with the Can-Can? Is it that difficult?"

Yukino nodded: "This piece has a fast and complex rhythm, and it's difficult to master it completely without repeated practice. In addition, this piece is very famous all over the world and is known as one of the most cheerful pieces of music. Rikka, you may not know its name, but you have definitely heard the melody of this piece in your daily life, such as when watching TV dramas or anime films."

Rikka became even more curious after hearing what she said: "Really? I'll go look it up."

The next moment, Rikka's video screen went black, but it still showed that the call was connected, so she must have switched to the background to search for the detailed video of this song.

At this moment, Chiya answered Yukino's question: "I can play the simplified version by myself, but if I want to play the full joy and richness of this piece, I still need Touma's help."

Yukino immediately understood: "You two... playing a four-handed duet?"

Upon hearing this, Eriri and Kasumigaoka, who had just wiped their mouths and skirts and were about to rejoin the conversation, suddenly fell into extreme confusion again!

Even someone who doesn't know much about the piano would know the meaning of playing four hands together.

Despite their incompatible personalities, they were surprisingly in sync at this moment, and simultaneously thought of Yuan Qianye and that strange girl sitting on the same piano bench.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, their shoulders close together, perhaps even their thighs touching. As they played the black and white keys of the piano, they also took the opportunity to playfully touch each other's hands...

Quack! No way, that kind of thing!

“Hoo… um… with her help, I can play even more pieces now, like… the Radetzky March, and the Dance of the Flowers.” Gen Chiya nodded.

As the resistance on the exercise bike increased, the soreness in his thighs became more pronounced, and he started to feel short of breath.

unreal.

Yukino Yukinoshita felt extremely unreal; her childhood friend had once again overturned her common sense and understanding.

She grew up with him since she was a child, from kindergarten to now.

She wouldn't say she knew him inside and out, but she did know most of his situation.

He comes from a single-parent family and was raised by his father alone.

Although his family was not poor, they were certainly not wealthy either, and they did not have the extra money to study piano.

Even if he listened attentively in music class and learned some music theory, it's hard to reap the rewards of playing the piano without persistent dedication and pouring time and effort into it.

According to Liuhua, he officially showed interest in the piano when the winter vacation started last year.

While frequently helping out at the family shop, I used my spare time to practice the piano.

But how much time has passed?

It hasn't even been a month, right?

According to Qianye's explanation, the results he has achieved in this short period of time have easily reached or even surpassed the level she reached during her nearly two years of intermittent piano lessons when she was a child.

Compared to swordsmanship, which Yukino was unfamiliar with, the shock she felt upon noticing Minamoto Chiyo's abnormally rapid progress in the more familiar field of piano was significantly greater.

"Playing a four-handed piano duet sounds really interesting."

Saeko Busujima had been listening quietly from the beginning, but now that she saw Yukino lost in thought, she slowly and deliberately chose to speak.

"But Chiya-kun, you were able to keep up with the Tokyo Metropolitan Piano Competition Youth Group Champion and play with her. I feel like you're really amazing."

Saeko hadn't heard about the honors Touma Kazusa had received from anyone.

She found out about it online after she met Kazusa once on New Year's Eve.

"Phew... I'm still far from good enough. We play some difficult pieces together, and she takes care of me more, especially taking charge of the difficult parts."

Chiya's words gave Saeko Busujima more to speculate about and understand about Touma Kazusa, whom she had met once before.

She wouldn't gossip about others behind their backs, but it's okay for her to think about it in her heart.

The fact that she was so attentive to Qianye suggests that this piano prodigy was rather awkward on New Year's Eve, probably because there were other unfamiliar people present.

That's what they call a cold exterior but warm interior personality...

"Qianye, how much longer until your quarantine ends?"

Kasumigaoka already found it unbearable to know that Minamoto Chiya had been spending time alone with another girl her age during this period, let alone now that she knew about their intimate interactions.

This feeling of inner suffocation and helplessness is quite frustrating, as if it brought her back to the time when her work was told it was about to be canceled.

"Several people in this quarantined neighborhood have indeed been sent to the hospital with the flu during this period, but everything is normal on my end, so it should be over in about another week."

"I see... Actually, I've mostly finished writing the new volume of my novel. There are only some minor details left to work on and polish. If you have some free time, I'd like you to take a look and see if there's anything lacking."

"Sure, just send me the novel document later. I'll get back to you after I've read it. But let me make it clear beforehand that my skills are definitely not as professional as your editor's, so my opinion is just for reference. Don't have too high expectations."

"It's okay. I just want to hear my fans' general impressions of the new volume. After all, different perspectives may lead to things that the author and editor might not have noticed or that could be improved."

"I understand."

Kasumigaoka's original idea was to find some time later for the two of them to have a one-on-one video chat to discuss the specific content of the new volume of the novel.

But since Yuan Qianye had already said that he would wait for her to finish reading it before contacting her, she couldn't say anything more.

If you're actively asking for help, then deliberately demanding additional conditions just makes you seem presumptuous.

Kasumigaoka doesn't want to leave a bad impression of being tactless and lacking tact in the hearts of the people she likes.

Anyway, things are fine as they are now.

As long as the time Qianye spends alone with that piano girl is reduced, the goal has been achieved.

Besides, there's only about a week left.

Just be patient and it will pass.

"I'm back!" Rikka reappeared on the screen: "Yukino, you were right! I did hear that song before. The moment the intro started, I immediately thought, 'Ah, so that's what it is!'"

Yukino smiled at this, but her smile seemed somewhat forced, given that she was preoccupied with something on her mind.

However, in the narrow window on the phone screen, it is indeed not very noticeable unless you look closely.

After getting to know the others better and chatting about some trivial matters, Rikka got down to business.

"By the way, Chiya, I've registered you at school too. But just like Yukino, our school has also started online learning. We'll have to wait for further notice when we can resume normal in-person learning."

It's not just Kawalan Junior High School; in fact, schools throughout Tokyo have adopted this strategy.

Being able to avoid going to school is definitely good news for Rikka!

It saves commuting time, allows for more time alone, and eliminates the need to face the stern, cold, and disapproving expressions of teachers after poor exam results!

Is there anything happier than this?!

However, while some are happy, others are sad.

Take Eriri for example. She's a homebody, and it's not entirely true that she loves going to school.

But seeing her childhood friend at school changes everything.

Now that the school, where the two of them could legitimately meet every day, is closed, she is heartbroken but can only silently grieve and try to comfort herself.

It's okay, I can always use the excuse of wanting to play with Rikka to go and bother the Minamoto family whenever I have time.

Alternatively, you could find some other reason to invite Rikka and have her bring Chiya to her house.

Oh, right!

Thinking of this, Eriri suddenly remembered something: "Chiya, I suddenly remembered something. My dad said that thanks to you, he made a lot of money in the stock market. He said that when you have time, he would like to invite your whole family out for dinner."

Praise Dad, and here's the reason!

My dad's feet have been getting smellier lately, which is a bit annoying and makes people want to stay away from him, but they can still come in handy in a pinch!

Yukino grew increasingly suspicious and uncertain.

When did this guy get involved with stocks?

Gen Chiya carefully reviewed his memories and found that it seemed there really was such a thing.

When he visited the Sawamura family, Mr. Sawamura was watching a financial news program and brought up the topic on his own initiative, since he was idling around.

Seeing that he was interested, I shared a few more of my thoughts.

At the time, Mr. Sawamura seemed quite dismissive, but I never expected that he would eventually listen to my advice and buy other stocks instead.