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

"Uh-huh!"

Eriri smiled shyly as she faced her childhood friend, whom she hadn't had a proper face-to-face conversation in a while.

"Go play with Rikka for a while." After finishing his conversation with Eriri, he turned to Kasumigaoka and said, "Utaha, let's go upstairs. There's something I want to tell you."

Kasumigaoka took a tissue to wipe her hands and stood up with some concern: "Is there something wrong with the original text of the novel that I revised?"

"It's not really a problem, just some of my personal opinions. Ornate language can be a good thing for some articles, but I don't think it's necessarily the case for mystery novels..."

"I see, now that you mention it, it does seem true..."

The two talked as they went up to the second floor.

Eriri stared blankly at the backs of the two as they left together.

She gained money during her month-long retreat, but at the same time felt that she had missed out on something much more important.

…………

Volume 1: 126: Xue La A Nai's Off-Field Assistance (6500) (45/51)

"Eri, I'm sorry to have asked you to come with me to buy groceries."

"Hmm, it's nothing."

"Now that you're willing to come and visit me, you must have finished the work you were supposed to be doing, right?"

"Ah."

"What was that amount of money you said you could make on this deal?"

Two million.

"Wow, that's amazing! You've become a little rich woman in an instant!"

"Hehe, is that so..."

“…Eri, you’ve made so much money, so be happy. No matter how hard it was, the work is over now.”

"..."

Try to be a little happier. I've already done my best to keep from crying.

In the supermarket.

Rikka Takanashi seemed to be in a good mood as she pushed the shopping cart.

As for Eriri Sawamura, she learned that Kasumigaoka Utaha had been staying at the Minamoto residence for the past few days.

She knows that she says goodnight to him every night before going to bed, and that she sees him the first thing she sees when she wakes up every morning...

Just thinking about this situation is quite unsettling; it feels like there's some color on your head, even though there isn't.

A sense of loss lingered in my heart, and I couldn't muster the energy to do anything.

As for the two million that just came in... to be honest, I don't feel anything about it at all now.

It wasn't like this before. Back in elementary school, she, Chiya, and Yukino were so happy together...

But now... how did it turn out like this?

I only relaxed my guard for a moment, and that woman in black stockings shamelessly came up to me! She even moved in! Doesn't she know she'll cause trouble for others?!

Shameless! A philanderer! Unscrupulous!

Rikka looked at her friend's ever-changing expression and understood everything perfectly, but she was caught in the middle and had a dilemma.

When she first integrated into the Yuan family with her mother and sister, everything in the new environment seemed so unfamiliar and made her feel uncomfortable.

During that time, besides Chiya Minamoto taking the initiative to approach her gently and get along with her, eliminating the barriers in her heart, Eriri, who was equally friendly, also took the initiative to approach her and become her friend.

Rikka cherished this friendship, but now, as time goes by, she feels that Kasumigaoka Utaha is also very good.

She was just as kind to me, gentle and considerate. These past few days, she's been helping take care of Chiyo at home, and she gets along very well with Black Wings. She even keeps me company when I'm being a bit silly. She can even perfectly pick up on some classic lines from anime after I say them. It feels really great.

This has resulted in her no longer being able to stand firmly on Eriri's side as she did before, completely adhering to her own will.

Only lovers need to be loyal and exclusive to each other, but there shouldn't be such a rule between friends, right?

Rikka felt that it was best to keep this to herself and not let Eriri find out.

She was already quite shaken when she saw Shiyu in her pajamas at home; if Shiyu then realized her own feelings of "betrayal"...

That scene always feels very cruel.

"Eri, have you thought about how you're going to spend this money?" Rikka didn't want Eriri to keep thinking about Utaha and getting caught up in the matter, so she changed the subject to try and distract her.

This tactic had some effect.

"Well... I was originally planning to treat everyone to a meal, or just wait until winter break and stay at a hot spring hotel for a few nights."

"real!?"

"But the timing seems a bit awkward. Our school starts winter break on the 27th of this month. I was planning to invite you as soon as the break started, but Qianye is currently busy writing his novel. It will be in January next year. By then, everyone will definitely need to go to pray for blessings and visit their relatives for the New Year."

"Then let's wait until the busy New Year period is over. Anyway, the winter vacation is half a month long, so there will always be time for us to get together."

"Well... that's the only way."

However, the thought that Kasumigaoka might have to continue living at the Minamoto family's house until the novel is completely finished made Eriri's chest ache.

I miss Yukino... Why aren't you in the country? If you were, you're so smart, you read so many books all day, and you have such high literary skills, you could definitely replace that stinky woman in black stockings!

"Rikka, we didn't explain it clearly at your house just now. Why did Chiya suddenly decide to write a novel and participate in that competition out of the blue?"

"It wasn't exactly sudden. Looking back now, it seems he'd had this idea for a while. I think it started last month when I noticed he was frequently going to bookstores and buying all sorts of literature books..."

Rikka was lost in memories.

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.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Yuan Qianye was sitting in front of his computer at home, engrossed in writing.

A few days ago, he finished reading several award-winning mystery novels he bought at the bookstore.

To be honest, my impression after watching it was just so-so.

Although the plot was well done, the tricks and puzzles didn't feel quite amazing and were a bit lacking.

After that, he carefully read the official evaluation given online, explaining why he was able to win the award.

He made up his mind and began writing formally the day before yesterday.

Judging from the novels that have won the Edogawa Rampo Prize in recent years, the judges have shown a greater preference for orthodox mystery novels.

What is the "orthodox" school?

The orthodox school is a branch of detective fiction that emphasizes "solving the mystery" as its core and pursues logically rigorous trick designs.

Examples include murders committed in locked rooms, alibis, and dismemberment methods.

The text provides clues and emphasizes a fair competition between the reader and the detective.

The main theme is puzzles above all else, and logic reigns supreme.

Of the five mystery novels he purchased, all of which won awards in the last three years, they were classic mystery novels.

Knowing this, the next step is naturally to cater to their preferences.

Yuan Qianye is not stubborn; he knows what his purpose is and will naturally act accordingly.

He flipped through the famous detective novels he had read and found three that he thought were suitable.

They spent an entire night outlining their respective plot outlines and the core tricks and schemes behind the crimes.

After writing it down and comparing it with his own work, he already had the answer in his heart.

But he still asked Kasumigaoka to take a look and select the one she thought was the most stunning.

If Kasumigaoka's previous unconditional trust in Minamoto no Chiya was simply due to a fondness for him...

After seeing that he could produce three outlines with such a high degree of completion in such a short time, she was completely impressed.

I have a feeling that even if Chiya were to venture into other areas of literature afterward, she wouldn't be surprised at all...

Ultimately, the answer Kasumigaoka gave after much hesitation was the same as the answer in Minamoto no Chiya's heart.

At this point, he finally decided on the novel he would be entering in the competition: Shimada Soji's "The Tokyo Zodiac Murder Mystery".

Although this novel did not win any significant awards, its brilliant mystery core is enough to secure its place in the world of mystery novels.

It has had a profound influence on later works, and has been copied and referenced by various film, television and animation works.

For example, Kaneda…, boy…, Death God Elementary School Student… This also indirectly confirms the classic nature of its tricks.

At least after reading the award-winning works in this world, Yuan Qianye felt that this book would have no problem overpowering all others and winning the award.

Rikka and Eriri returned from grocery shopping quickly.

Saeko Busujima, who had received an invitation call from Chiya Minamoto, also came to the Minamoto residence to cause trouble shortly afterward.

Unlike Eriri, she knew that Chiya was writing a novel and that Kasumigaoka had moved in a few days ago.

However, her mindset was completely different from Eriri's; she didn't think it was a big deal.

They do live under the same roof, but it's not just the two of them. Uncle Yuan seems to be away from home occasionally because he's participating in the recording of some TV program.

But with Liuhua, Shihua, and Auntie all there, there's absolutely no need to worry.

Lunch was prepared by Chiya Minamoto and Saeko Busujima.

Kasumigaoka and Eriri wanted to help, but both of them were skilled in the kitchen and worked together so well that they couldn't get involved at all.

There was nothing they could do. Kasumigaoka played with the crows, while Eriri and Rikka stayed quietly in the living room watching TV and waiting for lunch.

Both Chiya Minamoto and Saeko Busujima are good cooks; lunch was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

There were no elders in the family, only peers, so there was no need to worry about anything, and everyone chatted casually.

"Try the new dishes I've recently learned to make and give me your feedback." Saeko Busujima, who finally took off her apron and sat down, didn't pick up her chopsticks right away. Instead, she brought out a large bottle of oolong tea and filled everyone's water glasses.

As always, she was virtuous and kind, treating people with gentle warmth and expressing her emotions openly and appropriately, without making anyone feel uncomfortable. Yet, she always managed to take the lead, just like the female protagonist, without anyone even realizing it.

Although she herself did not do it intentionally.

Eriri picked up a slice of grilled meat, and her eyes lit up after tasting it.