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

"Sister...are you asleep?"

"Not yet, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing, I just wanted to talk to you."

"..."

Shihua turned over and, by the dim light of the streetlamp outside the window, met her younger sister's bright, timid eyes.

Her heart softened, and she reached out to gently pinch her younger sister's soft cheek, chuckling softly.

"Don't worry, Mom and I will always be by your side. Everything is the same as before, except now there are two more people who care about us. You've met Uncle Yuan and Qianye, haven't you? They're very good to us. They're good people, aren't they?"

"..." Rikka nodded silently.

Shihua patted her head: "Go to sleep quickly. Tomorrow we'll clean up the new house together. You're not allowed to slack off, come and help."

"elder sister……"

"Ok?"

Can I sleep with my arm around yours tonight?

"Phew—I can't do anything with you. It's just for one night, you're not a little kid anymore."

Thank you, goodnight sister.

"Okay, goodnight Rikka."

…………

023: What happened to the promise of a lifetime?

After Takanashi and her two daughters officially moved in.

Chiya Minamoto's life has undergone a great change.

The most direct consequence of this is that he no longer has to worry about feeding his family.

Comrade Lao Yuan's cooking skills are limited; the dishes he makes are edible, but they are far from delicious.

Therefore, the father and son used to eat out or order takeout most of the time.

It's convenient, but it's expensive and not very healthy.

This daily routine changed after Chiya learned cooking skills from Yukino Himeyukinoshita from Number One.

Around the time she was in first grade, Chiyo Minamoto started cooking at home.

When Lao Yuan first saw his son prepare a table full of dishes, he found it hard to believe.

However, he was fooled by the excuse that the school had cooking classes and that he was a reincarnated culinary genius.

So for many years, Yuan Qianye has been the one cooking at home, and this has continued to this day.

But those days came to an end when he entered sixth grade.

"Good morning, Qianye. It's still early, you can sleep a little longer. I heard from your dad that you used to be in charge of cooking at home, that's really amazing."

"But now that we have a nanny, you don't have to work so hard. Just tell me what you want to eat, don't be shy. I'll take responsibility for taking care of you from now on."

Following her body's biological clock, Yuan Qianye subconsciously got up early and came to the kitchen.

What awaited him was no longer a cold stove and ice pot, but Junko Takanashi's gentle and quiet smiling face.

Things are not quite the same as before.

Although I'm not quite used to it yet, it feels pretty good overall.

With another woman taking charge of the household, the home has indeed become much warmer.

Aside from not having to worry about cooking anymore, Yuan Qianye also doesn't have to worry about any other household chores.

He has mild obsessive-compulsive disorder and is quite particular about hygiene.

Even so, the house that Takanashi Junko cleaned was completely flawless to him.

Aunt Junko perfectly embodies the virtues of a traditional Japanese Nadeshiko woman: kind-hearted, gentle, and capable both in public and in the kitchen.

Yuan Qianye got along very well with her. Although he couldn't change his way of addressing her so quickly, he had indeed gradually come to regard her as family.

However, apart from her, he wasn't as close to the other two, Takanashi Touka and Takanashi Rikka.

Now that the new semester has been going on for a week, he and the two of them have barely spoken a few words except when it's absolutely necessary.

Takanashi Touka was alright; Minamoto Chiyo thought she was probably like herself, just simple and not very talkative.

Judging from her behavior of never deliberately avoiding communicating with him at home, and occasionally even taking the initiative to knock on the door and call him to take a shower and eat.

Given more time, they will surely become more familiar with each other and no longer be as distant as they are now.

However, there's a slight problem with Rikka Takanashi.

Yuan Qianye could clearly sense that his younger sister, who was a few months younger than him, was intentionally or unintentionally avoiding contact with him, both at home and at school.

Private Yucheng Elementary School, lunch break

Gen Chiya took her lunchbox and went to the school rooftop.

Yukino Yukinoshita and Eriri Sawamura had been waiting for him there for a long time.

Upon seeing him arrive, the two women tacitly separated, leaving the middle of the bench empty.

However, Gen Chiya showed no intention of sitting down.

He gazed at the distant scenery and silently opened his lunchbox.

Yukinoshita and Eriri exchanged a glance.

Eriri asked, "Is things still not going well with your sister?"

She and Yukinoshita learned about the fact that Minamoto Chiyo had gained three more family members on the first day of school.

At first, the two of them put themselves in Yuan Qianye's shoes and worried about him for a while.

After all, the word "stepmother" in most novels and films is often associated with a negative and unpleasant character.

However, as time went on, they found that Yuan Qianye didn't seem to mind the matter too much and even seemed quite happy about it, so they gradually relaxed and stopped being so cautious.

"Mm." Yuan Qianye nodded, picked up a sausage and put it in his mouth.

After Rikka Takanashi transferred to this school, she was assigned to Class 3.

Chiya Minamoto has a good impression of Aunt Junko, and therefore considers Rikka to be one of his own.

I didn't want her to feel lonely in the unfamiliar new environment.

He thought that he would take her along during the beginning of the semester, and that it would also be a good opportunity to introduce her to her peers Yukinoshita and Eriri as friends.

Once she gradually became familiar with the new school, he wouldn't have to worry so much.

His idea was good, but its implementation was not so smooth.

Just like how she retreats to her room after eating at home, when Takanashi Rikka sees Minamoto Chiya at school and tries to greet him, she seems very awkward, only giving him a perfunctory reply before making up some other excuse to leave.

For the first time in so many years, Gen Chiya began to doubt his own personal charisma.

Yukino thought for a moment and advised, "Don't be in such a hurry. After all, you've only just started living together. It's normal that she doesn't know how to treat you. Give her some time, and she'll adjust on her own."

"I'm not in a hurry now. When I passed by Liuhua's classroom just now, I saw her chatting and laughing with a few girls. It's good that she can make friends."

Behind him, Yukinoshita and Eriri exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.

"By the way, Chiya and Yukino, which junior high school are you planning to go to after graduating from elementary school?"

Eriri's bringing up this topic wasn't unexpected, since they were now in sixth grade and it was indeed time for them to consider this matter.

Knowing her two friends' plans, she could go back and tell her parents so she could make arrangements in advance.

Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita paused, the lingering smile on her face vanished, and her expression subtly darkened.

Eriri didn't notice the subtle change in her facial expression at first, until Chiyo turned around and said, "Let me tell you."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"..."

Yukinoshita shook her head, then smiled again: "Eriri, after I graduate from elementary school, I will go to junior high school abroad."

Eriri was struck dumb, and her chopsticks fell from her hand: "Go...go abroad? That...that means...we..."

Yukinoshita couldn't bear it, but she still spoke the truth: "Yeah, we probably won't be able to go to the same school anymore."

Eriri, looking anxious, tried desperately to salvage the situation: "But...but, didn't we make a promise..."

"Yes, it's a promise. We'll always be friends. Besides, I'm only leaving temporarily. After finishing junior high abroad, if everything goes smoothly, I'll come back to study high school, and then we'll be able to meet again."

"..."

Eriri pouted, looking extremely sad, and her eyes were also a little red.

With her childlike nature, she couldn't heed Yukino's words of comfort.

She was convinced of only one thing: she would not see Yukinoshita for the rest of her three years of junior high school.

"Here, take this." Yuan Qianye suppressed a laugh and reached out to take Yukinoshita's bento.

Yukinoshita glanced at him unhappily.

When he looked at the pitiful Eriri again, his gaze turned to helplessness.

Having no other choice, I could only hold her hand and awkwardly continue to comfort and coax her.

…………