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

"Oh?" Eriri's words piqued Yukino's interest: "Is it math or English?"

"It's painting!"

As Eriri answered sweetly, Minamoto Chiya, who was standing to the side, showed a knowing expression.

As expected, the general course of history has not deviated.

She was also responsible for designing and drawing the promotional posters for the drama club's previous performances.

While her exquisite drawing skills may not be comparable to those of professionals, they are certainly among the best in the elementary school art circle.

"Eri's drawings are already very good, and she'll definitely become even better with professional training!"

Keep it up, Little Study Girl #2!

Now that Eriri Sawamura is also a character that can be bound to, Chiya Minamoto naturally hopes that she can become even more outstanding.

His encouragement made Eriri's little face turn rosy!

I made up my mind to work hard to improve my drawing skills so as not to disappoint him!

Time passed by uneventfully.

As per the promise I made to Yukinoshita.

On Christmas Eve this year, Gen Chiya has to visit Yukinoshita's house.

He didn't know why Yang Nai made such a request as a way of repaying her for her help back then.

However, it doesn't seem to matter much, since it's just a brief appearance and won't take up much time.

Chiya Minamoto's father was a bartender, meaning he worked in the service industry.

As is well known, the service industry operates in the opposite way to most people's daily lives.

While others are busy at work and have no time to spend, they are leisurely; while others are on holiday and want to celebrate, they become busy.

Minamoto Sanada left home early on Christmas Day at noon.

Yuan Qianye had no intention of troubling him in the first place, and even fearing that he would worry, she simply said that the friend she was visiting tonight lived nearby, and it would only take two or three minutes to get there and back.

But in reality, Yukino's house is quite far away; the map shows that it would take more than half an hour to drive there directly.

Since Chiya couldn't afford a taxi, she decided to leave early to take the tram.

However, having known his plans beforehand, before Yukino could even say anything, Eriri immediately jumped out and offered other opinions.

So, around 6 p.m. that evening, a car pulled up in front of Yuan Qianye's house.

Eriri, sitting in the back, smiled happily and took the initiative to get out of the car to invite him to get in with her.

Eriri's father was driving, and her mother was in the passenger seat.

Both parents seemed approachable.

Eriri probably also told them about how Minamoto Chiya had helped her at school.

Therefore, they were all exceptionally enthusiastic towards Yuan Qianye.

They kept telling him that he could come to Eriri's house to play when he was on vacation. They said that if it was inconvenient for him to come back and forth, they would pick him up and drop him off, just like they were doing now. They also said that if he had a good time, he could stay at their place for a few nights.

It's a drive of more than half an hour.

After watching the two of them walk into the Yukinoshita house, the Sawamura couple left, saying they would come to pick them up later.

Yukinoshita was waiting for them at the door early in the morning.

She is quite different at home than at school.

The crispness around her had dissipated considerably, giving her a gentler appearance.

"Sorry to bother you."

Yuan Qianye handed over the gift box.

Those were snacks given to him by his father's shop during holidays, as a kind of employee benefit. Now they're perfect as a gift when he visits.

Yukino Yukinoshita didn't expect Chiya Minamoto's visit to be so formal, but she still accepted the gift box he offered and thanked him softly.

"Ah, this isn't..."

Yuan Qianye took back the other bag he was carrying.

There were other members of the Yukinoshita family present, so he couldn't explain too much and instead greeted them politely.

The family under the snow welcomed the two visiting children.

After that, Yukino took the two of them back to her room.

Only the three of them remained.

Yuan Qianye took out two large red apples wrapped in ribbons and small boxes from the bag.

Perfect, one for each of the two little study enthusiasts.

When it comes to Christmas Eve, one naturally has to eat "peace apples".

Although Chiyo herself is quite indifferent to this kind of festival custom.

However, seeing Eriri's delighted expression and Yukino's gentle smile, he still felt that following festival traditions once in a while was quite nice.

…………

018: To be friends for life

The Yukinoshita family home is a typical Japanese house.

The courtyard emphasizes the harmonious coexistence of nature and artifice. The stones, trees and ponds are carefully arranged, making it look simple yet full of Zen.

The home's layout is simple yet sophisticated, using light wood tones as a base to create a sense of tranquility and peace.

Yukino's room is located at the innermost part of the house, far away from the reception room we just passed. The conversations of the other guests there don't reach here, so it's very quiet.

From her room window, she could see carefully planted plum trees in the courtyard, as well as red koi swimming happily in the pond.

Adding to the beauty, it was also snowing lightly at that moment, making it an absolutely breathtaking scene of wind, flowers, snow, and moonlight.

Eriri leaned out the window and admired the house. It was a typical detached house, but because her father was from the United States, the overall architectural style was Western.

Although the area is large and there is a courtyard, it is just ordinary due to lack of maintenance, and it is far from being as high-end, elegant and classy as Yukinoshita's house.

At this moment, Yuan Qianye was sitting calmly drinking tea at the small tea table in the center of the room.

On a physical level, this was his first time entering Yukino's boudoir.

But the visual aspect is different; it went in and out several times.

However, he has his principles, and he only occasionally opens the system map to peek at what Little Study Girl Number One is doing when he's bored or feels concerned.

The main principle is to stop when you should stop, and never look at things you shouldn't.

"There's still a while before dinner, let me go peel some apples for you first."

"Huh? Should we cut it off now?"

Eriri nervously hugged the apple that Chiya Minamoto had given her.

This was the first gift that the boy she admired and liked had given her. If she could, she would like to take it home and not just eat it!

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but laugh: "Don't worry, Eriri, I have apples at home, I won't peel yours."

Hearing her say that, Eriri realized that she had misunderstood and became embarrassed belatedly.

However, seeing that Yuan Qianye was still sipping his tea with a completely nonchalant expression, seemingly unaware of her behavior, she felt a slight sense of relief for some reason.

Yukino returned shortly after leaving with an apple shaped like a rabbit. Accompanying her into the room were Haruno and Mrs. Yukinoshita, whom they had only briefly met at the entrance.

"Mom, this is the Yuan-kun I told you about, the one who always outperforms my sister in academics and is extremely outstanding."

"I see. I've often heard about you from Haruno and Yukino. You really are a handsome kid. Thank you for taking such good care of my Yukino all this time."

Mrs. Yukinoshita's slight nod as she spoke prompted Chisato Gen to quickly return the gesture.

Yukino sighed silently, while Haruno was smiling very happily.

At this moment, Yuan Qianli seemed to understand why this entertainer had invited him to be a guest.

Damn, if you can't win in lane, you call on the jungler, right?

Mrs. Yukinoshita is very cultured, and her words are always measured and appropriate.

If we say that when facing the Yukinoshita sisters, Minamoto Chiya could use his psychological age advantage to launch a devastating attack on them from all aspects.

Then, against Mrs. Yukinoshita, his advantage disappears, and he even becomes slightly disadvantaged.

After all, strictly speaking, he is a few years younger than this lady in both his past and present lives, and his experiences and the people he has met are probably not as rich as hers.

However, Yuan Qianye is not stupid. Since a direct confrontation is too stressful, can't he take a roundabout approach?

After several conversations, Mrs. Yukinoshita became very interested in the precocious speech of the little boy in front of her, which was beyond his age.

She had initially been skeptical of her eldest daughter's high praise, but the more they talked, the more alarmed she became. She began to subtly and unintentionally steer the conversation deeper into the complexities, trying to truly uncover the truth behind Yuan Qianye.

But Yuan Qianye wasn't buying it at all. Seeing that her performance was close enough to impress the other party, she stopped in time, subtly revealing her greatest advantage that left no room for doubt.

—I'm just a third-grade student!

"Mom, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

"He is indeed a very precocious child. He is very sensible and polite, and acts with great poise. I am quite curious about how his parents raised him."

"According to Yukino, his parents divorced a long time ago, and he has always lived with his father."

"From a single-parent family, that's understandable... What's his family background like?"

"Yukino didn't mention this to me, but I've seen the specific style of her house from the outside. It's a typical small detached house without a yard."

Oh, by the way, he makes his own lunchbox every day to take to school, and unlike Yukino, he doesn't attend any tutoring classes.

"A very intelligent child, and his character is also commendable..."

Unbeknownst to Chiya, Lady Yukinoshita and Haruno, who had already left, were still discussing his affairs.

He was being stared at intently by Eriri, who was sitting very close to him, with starry eyes: "Chiya, you're amazing! I didn't understand a lot of what you were saying to Aunt Yukinoshita just now!"

Yuan Qianye chuckled: "Does not understanding mean you're so great?"