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

Eriri immediately glared angrily at Kasumigaoka, only to be met with a rather smug, casual laugh.

Saeko then spoke up somewhat embarrassedly, "The marks on my arm are from when I accidentally injured myself without wearing protective gear."

"what?"

“My father came back from abroad, and during the summer vacation, Chiya came to visit my house as usual. My father insisted on dragging him to practice kendo together. When he got into it, my father didn’t care too much. He said that it was stuffy and hot to practice with protective gear in the summer and it wasn’t fun. Chiya agreed with this idea, so later the two of them took off all the protective gear and chose to wrap a few layers of cloth around the wooden swords for protection before starting to practice.”

"Even if a wooden sword is wrapped in cloth, it would still hurt if it accidentally hits you," Rikka exclaimed in surprise.

She is a girl who is very afraid of pain. If a little bit of oil splatters from the pan in the kitchen gets on the back of her hand, she will rinse it with cold water for a long time and rub it for a long time. The abdominal pain during her period every month will make her curl up in bed, pitiful and tearful, like a baby who never grows up.

Therefore, she couldn't understand Saeko's father and Chiya's actions at all.

"It hurts, but it only lasts a little while, so it's bearable." Saeko rubbed her arm, her face slightly flushed for some reason.

"Wait a minute." Kasumigaoka noticed the blind spot: "Your father and Chiya were sparring without protective gear, but you got injured, Saeko. Doesn't that mean..."

"Saeko-nee, were you accidentally injured?" Eriri blurted out.

Within a short period of time, she received a second disdainful gaze from Kasumigaoka.

Saeko shook her head with a smile: "It's not like that. I watched the battle from the sidelines and found this kind of training method very interesting, so I joined in. The injury on my arm is from when I was sparring with Chiya."

Rikka gasped, the temperature in the room rising slightly: "It feels too dangerous. Saeko-nee, you should probably wear protective gear when you practice in the future, in case you hurt any vital areas."

"Okay, I understand." Saeko smiled and agreed, knowing it was a kind gesture.

However, she did not give a direct answer, but she felt that she would definitely continue to practice kendo with Chiya without armor in the future.

After all, during sparring, she found that when she was hit by Qianye, she would feel an overwhelming sense of satisfaction welling up from the depths of her body.

This satisfaction, after experiencing significant pain, is sublimated into ultimate pleasure, causing all the pores on her body to dilate, making her feel so refreshed that she can't breathe!

This is another behavior that Saeko discovered she could enjoy after realizing she had hidden violent desires.

Furthermore, this behavior is completely harmless to others, which prevents her from feeling guilty and allows her to enjoy it without any psychological burden.

She herself possesses the same physical strength as her powerful father, being extremely resilient and having an outstanding ability to recover.

Even when sparring with someone as close as Chiya, he would hold back and not use his full strength.

Based on the above conclusions.

It allows you to subtly please yourself without causing trouble for others, and you don't have to worry about getting seriously injured.

Saeko had no reason to give up this method of practice.

Furthermore, there are indeed legitimate benefits to practicing without protective gear.

For example, because they are worried about getting hurt, they will be more cautious in their actions, and their five senses will become more acute as a result.

I feel this will greatly improve practical skills.

Although in today's security environment, there are not many opportunities for actual combat.

The conversation then shifted to the main event of today's match.

Having done her homework beforehand, Kasumigaoka expressed her concerns: "Toka-nee must be under a lot of pressure in this year's competition."

Rikka asked, puzzled, "Why do you say that?"

Kasumigaoka explained, "Before coming here, I did a quick check on the tournament's official website. Several of the participants seemed to be seeded players who had already entered the national team, and they all had experience participating in world championships and achieving results."

"It's alright, I believe in Toka's abilities." Eriri clenched her fist tightly.

"Yes, that's right. My sister has been training hard from early morning to late at night, she'll definitely win!" Rikka was equally convinced.

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.

However, the actual situation is not so optimistic.

At least Yuan Qianye, who was present with Shihua, could feel the unprecedented tension at this year's national rhythmic gymnastics competition.

This can be seen from the extremely uniform serious expressions of the instructors from various schools.

Compared to Toka, whose expression was calm and composed as she was about to go on stage, Minamoto Chiya was the one who was more nervous.

After all, he learned from Yang Nai that she might want to give up rhythmic gymnastics, and this was very likely her last appearance.

It's hard to imagine how disappointed she would be if she didn't perform well in the final competition of her beloved field after so many years and ended up leaving in disappointment.

"Toka, don't be nervous or overthink it. Just play like you usually do in training once you're on stage." Gen Chiyo's gaze shifted from the favorites to Toka, as he gave her words of encouragement.

Shihua did some simple warm-up exercises and said helplessly, "Compared to me, you seem to be the more nervous one right now. I told you to just wait for the results at home, but you insisted on coming along."

That won't do. Whether you win or lose, someone has to be there to share your feelings right after the game ends.

Yuan Qianye secretly suppressed his own thoughts and pretended to be serious, saying, "Other contestants have family members on site to help cheer them on, so you can't be left behind."

"Yes, my younger brother, who is hailed as a kendo genius and a rising star in the piano field, came to cheer me on. I was truly flattered and felt no pressure at all."

"..."

Yuan Qianye didn't know how to reply. When he turned his head and saw Toka giving him a mischievous smile, he breathed a sigh of relief and realized that she was just teasing him.

It's okay to joke around; it just shows that she's maintaining a good mindset.

He feigned helplessness and replied, "Then shall I leave now?"

"Since you're already here, why leave? Stay here."

At this moment, the accompanying instructor called Shihua over, as she wanted to give her a final reminder of the things she needed to pay attention to during the competition.

"Then I'll head over first. We'll go home together after the competition." Shihua walked towards the teacher.

"Shika!" Yuan Qianye suddenly called out to her.

"Huh?" Shihua turned around, puzzled.

Yuan Qianye's expression was unusually gentle: "As long as you have no regrets, that's good. Good luck."

Shihua looked at him and nodded gently, then smiled slightly and said, "Yes, I understand."

Now comes the moment of expectant waiting.

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.

Chiyo naturally knew about rhythmic gymnastics, a sport that Toka loved.

Rhythmic gymnastics is judged by scores given by professional judges.

The key to scoring lies in three main areas: body movements, choreography, and artistic expression.

The ten flowers are ranked lower today.

After the competition officially started, several highly anticipated seeded players took to the court ahead of her.

Their movements were so graceful, their bodies so light, and the movements were so perfect, all in accordance with the form of dance.

Even Minamoto Chiya, who was wholeheartedly devoted to Toka, couldn't help but inwardly marvel at how impressive it was, while also feeling increasingly nervous.

He had originally thought that if a contestant made a mistake today, such as dropping the equipment or gripping it incorrectly, and was penalized by the judges, Shihua would have a greater chance of winning a certain event.

This cannot be blamed on his dark psychology; it is simply human nature.

Compared to complete strangers, people will subconsciously support their closer family and friends. In world-class competitions, they will naturally support their own country's athletes.

But unfortunately, at least for Gen Chiya.

The players who took the stage today all performed quite well, without making any technical mistakes.

In other words, today's competition was entirely a head-to-head test of individual professional skills.

[How much longer until the older sister appears?]

A message from Rikka.

At this moment, Yuan Qianye, who was restless, had no interest in chatting and casually replied, "Soon."

Finally, it was Toka's turn to appear, and all eyes were on her.

Yuan Qianye's hands, clasped tightly together, began to sweat slightly. His heart rate soared, causing him to tremble involuntarily. He had never felt this panicked, not even when he had defeated 47 people in the Jade Dragon Flag competition.

As the music began to play in the venue, she held an art ribbon, rotating and contracting it, her slow, graceful movements resembling a noble swan leisurely playing on a lake.

As the music suddenly pitched up, she transformed into a phoenix soaring through the sky, her front foot propelling her onto the art strip and flying high into the air. After several thrilling flips, she stood tall, facing the audience with a smile.

The raised ribbon, like a conscious bird, landed steadily in her palm.

Undoubtedly a perfect blend of art and skill, the audience erupted in applause!

Yuan Qianye stood up, held his breath, and clapped his hands with extra force.

He was on tenterhooks, feeling like each day was an eternity.

But for the ten players on the field, the schedule is tight and their individual performance time is already short, so every second is precious.

Kneeling back, spiral wave, waltz step...

The training movements, ingrained in my bones day after day, require no extra thoughts. I simply follow my instincts and let the sweat from my daily, tedious practice flow freely in this moment.

A little over a minute later, Shihua's first appearance on stage ended, and as she bowed, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause that rivaled that of any of the previous contestants!

After she stepped down from the stage, the school's female teachers and teammates happily hugged her.

Finally, she came to stand in front of Gen Chiya.

Shika blinked incredulously, as if she had misread it, and raised her hand to brush his bangs aside. The glistening substance her fingertips touched was indeed sweat.

She smiled wryly: "How come you're still sweating?"

There were many people watching the game, but the air conditioning was also very strong.

It's normal for her to sweat slightly after a match on stage, but for Yuan Qianye to have such a reaction while just watching from the sidelines is really exaggerated.

"Perhaps it's because the siblings are so close and empathetic," Yuan Qianye joked.

He took out a tissue from his pocket, ignoring his own needs, and instead thoughtfully wiped the fine sweat from Shihua's forehead.

Shika noticed the gazes of those around her, especially the ambiguous looks from her teammates who knew the general situation of her family, and an unnatural blush appeared on her cheeks.

She quickly took the tissue from Qianye's hand and wiped herself, then said in a relaxed tone, "You're like this in the first match of my competition, you'll be so nervous in the next two."

In this national competition, individual competitors can choose up to three events from hoop, ball, bat, and ribbon to participate in simultaneously.

Shihua directly selected three items. The one she just performed was ribbon exercise, and the ball exercise and hoop exercise will be held later.

In other words, she will need to play two more games.