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

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Yukino pressed her slender hand against her forehead and gently shook her head.

She let out a long sigh and solemnly closed the original text of the novel in front of her.

After returning home, she spent about four hours reading the book.

At this moment, her eyes shone like fireflies in the night, showing no signs of fatigue and shining exceptionally brightly.

It's now 1 a.m.

In fact, given her reading ability honed since childhood, she wouldn't normally need this long to read a novel of only 180,000 words.

If she wanted, she could finish reading it in less than two hours using speed reading.

But because this is a novel by Yuan Qianye, not to mention that this novel is so wonderful.

As she read, she couldn't help but immerse herself in the story from time to time.

Based on the facts and evidence that have emerged, we should consider who the murderer really is.

The result was naturally a lack of clues, with several cases linked together.

The suspect, who claimed to use astrology and alchemy to combine body parts of six young women into a "perfect woman's" "physical constellation" to achieve immortality, was murdered after leaving behind this mysterious notebook.

After that, a series of murders followed, dismembered bodies were found all over the country, and there were cases of home invasion, rape, and murder. Years later, a Japanese policeman confessed...

Yukino believed she deserved to be considered intelligent among her peers, but she had absolutely no clue whatsoever in the process, and couldn't even find any connection between the cases.

And as she read to the end, the truth was revealed.

She trembled all over.

It really sent chills down my spine and made my scalp tingle, and even my little feet involuntarily curl up together.

In recent years, some detective novels have often deliberately created suspense and concealed some important clues.

Ultimately, the result either feels like a promising start but an anticlimactic ending, or the revelation of the mystery lacks impact and falls far short of being truly amazing.

But Gen Chiya's novel is different; he fully unfolds the case from the very beginning, detailing every aspect in detail.

This ensures that the reader is always on the same starting point as the detective protagonist.

By peeling back the layers of the mystery, progressing step by step, until the final answer is revealed.

It gave people the feeling of thoroughly enjoying a feast of words.

It makes one reflect on how I failed to understand such a simple trick.

But no matter what.

Thank you for your hospitality...

It took Yukino about half an hour to take a shower and calm herself down during that time.

As her childhood sweetheart, Yuan Qianye was innocent and pure, and he had achieved many accomplishments in the past.

First place in the class, honors in kendo, honors in piano...

All of this made her genuinely happy for him. Although she didn't say it aloud, she couldn't help but think, "He's really amazing," and a sense of competition began to emerge within her.

But after reading his novel today, she learned for the first time what it meant to be deeply moved and emotionally stirred.

After taking a shower and returning to her room, Yukino picked up her phone. There were several messages on it, all from Eriri. The last one was around 10 p.m., simply saying "Goodnight".

Yukino always puts her phone on Do Not Disturb mode when she's reading, so she didn't notice it just now.

I'll explain the situation to Eriri tomorrow.

Yukino unconsciously opened her chat window with Minamoto Chiya. She knew it was getting late, but after reading his novel, she had an urge to chat with him.

Besides, their relationship doesn't seem to require so much consideration...

With that thought in mind, she no longer hesitated. Leaning against the headboard, she typed "Are you asleep?" in one breath and sent it, then immediately locked her phone and put it aside.

It was as if they were doing something extremely guilty, and were terrified of being discovered.

A few seconds later, her phone screen lit up.

She picked it up and took a look.

[Yuan Qianye: I knew you weren't asleep yet.]

Then another one followed.

[Yuan Qianye: You've finished reading, right?]

For some reason, looking at the messages he sent, Yukino could actually imagine the exact expression on his face when he typed them.

I probably chuckled unconsciously, just like I am now...

Yukinoshita typed a reply.

[Yukino: Yeah, I just finished reading it. It's a very exciting mystery novel, at least for me... It's the most amazing plot I've ever seen. Eriri's illustrations are also beautiful. The moment I saw the illustrations, I immediately understood the culprit's methods.]

In fact, some of the word choices and sentence structures in the original novel are quite beautiful, making one want to read them again and even copy them down for future reference.

However, considering that Kasumigaoka Utaha had helped with the proofreading of this novel, Yukino deliberately didn't mention that aspect of its merits, but instead praised the novel's story, design, and illustrations.

[Minamoto Chiya: Is that so? That's good.]

[Yukino: I haven't read many detective novels, so my evaluation may not be very professional and only represents my own feelings.]

[Yuan Qianye: It's alright. Now that you say that, I feel much more confident.]

Yukino shrank her head further under the covers, only her eyes peeking out as she stared at her phone screen with a crescent shape.

Just as she was about to type something else to send, a video chat suddenly popped up on the other end.

Yukino was startled and hung up almost instantly.

[Yuan Qianye: ?]

[Yukino: I should be asking the questions, why did you suddenly invite me to a video chat?]

[Yuan Qianye: I don't really have any particular thoughts, I just feel that it's easier to communicate by talking directly than by typing.]

[Yukino: Can't that voice message work too?]

[Yuan Qianye: Human expressions are also an important medium for conveying information. I'd like to know how you'll specifically react after reading my novel.]

[Yukino: I might have been right when I finished reading the novel half an hour ago, but now my mood has mostly calmed down, so you can't see anything at all.]

[Chiya Minamoto: I have something important to tell you.]

[Yukino: You can write such complex novels so brilliantly, let alone just a simple summary of a single event.]

Damn it, you're so stubborn, aren't you?

Gen Chiya chuckled at Yukino's reply.

You can't just say, "I just want to see you right now."

Straight balls are good, but they shouldn't be used indiscriminately.

However, sometimes, the more unfulfilled certain desires are, the more we crave them…

If you don't want to turn on the video, then don't; there are other ways anyway.

It even offers a more intuitive and comprehensive perspective.

Yuan Qianye switched to God's-eye view, continuously zooming in from the perspective of his own room, penetrating the roof, and rising into the air.

The night view of the Tokyo metropolitan area unfolds before my eyes, the lights twinkling, it's quite beautiful.

Some areas were shrouded in a gray haze, those were places he hadn't yet explored and hadn't unlocked.

He dragged his gaze to Yukino's house and slowly walked to Yukino's room.

Instead of going in directly, I first peeked inside through the window.

Yukino was leaning against the headboard, her hair draped over her shoulders, holding her phone and smiling happily.

Without any inconvenience, Yuan Qianye openly and completely peered inside.

He rarely does this kind of thing normally, but he did it today because he really wanted to confirm something.

He kept typing and chatting with Yukino while looking at her.

[Yuan Qianye: Alright, you've finished reading the novel. Didn't you discover anything else?]

[Yukino: Other discoveries? You mean, are there hidden subplots in the novel?]

[Yuan Qianye: While it is indeed related to the novel and there are indeed hidden elements, it doesn't refer to the novel's content. Didn't you notice anything else?]

Yukino looked at the message sent by Minamoto Chiya, thought for a moment, and quickly understood his meaning.

She threw back the covers and got out of bed, her fair, jade-like feet slipping into slippers. She went to her desk, turned on the lamp again, and opened the original text of the novel that Yuan Qianye had been holding in a blue folder.

She glanced at it briefly and didn't find anything unusual.

Until she turned to the last page.

Inside the blue folder, there is a layer of white opaque plastic tightly attached to the inside.

She hadn't paid attention to this when she finished reading the novel.

Now, she deliberately inserted her finger and, sure enough, touched something.

She held it up in front of her eyes and slowly opened them wide.

It was a movie ticket.

The date is next month, and the time is around 6 PM.

She remained at her desk, still holding the movie ticket, silently examining it for a long time.

Holding the movie ticket, she slowly returned to the bedside and sat down. She took a deep breath and typed with trembling fingers.

[Yukino: What's wrong? Can't find anyone to watch a movie with?]

[Yuan Qianye: Do you have time?]