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

In the rather chilly early morning air, the hot tea in his cup was steaming, rising noticeably upwards.

A tall, upright young man stands against the backdrop of an elegant courtyard, with birds occasionally gliding low overhead, and a red sun rising on the horizon outside the courtyard.

It just feels like…

The wind is very gentle…

The sky is very blue…

The sun is warm…

All things in the world…

May we both be well...

The quiet boy, combined with the current atmosphere, makes the whole scene appear serene, beautiful, and Zen-like.

It feels like he could become a Buddha at any moment...

—Of course, if you ignore the expression on Qianye's face at this moment.

He is laughing.

It's not that kind of smile, but a smile that comes from a wide range of emotions, a genuine joy that emanates from the heart, and that expresses happiness.

Yukino and Kasumigaoka were positioned diagonally behind him at the moment, so they could even see that the corners of his mouth were stretched so high that his prominent apple cheeks were clearly visible.

Kasumigaoka now understands why Yukino seemed so concerned just now.

When I woke up early in the morning, I saw Qianye sitting here quietly, with a smile on his face that was cheerful but also seemed a little strange, which was really hard not to notice.

When Chiyo won the kendo competition before and held up the trophy in front of the camera, her smile was never as cheerful, happy, and radiant as it is now.

Eh?

happiness?

strangeness……

Why do I have this feeling and use such adjectives?

While Kasumigaoka was still wondering, Yukino had already stepped forward.

Before Kasumigaoka came out, she had already been standing quietly here observing for several minutes.

Even her childhood friend, with whom she grew up, couldn't offer a reasonable explanation for her childhood friend's unusual behavior, and shared similar doubts as Kasumigaoka.

Since it's not very easy to tell, the only option is to ask the person directly.

The approaching footsteps finally brought Yuan Qianye back to his senses from a meditative state.

He tilted his head, maintaining that bright smile.

Yukino, who was walking over, and Kasumigaoka, who was following behind her, both instinctively covered their eyes with their hands.

That smile is dazzling!

It felt like his whole being was radiating light, just like the sun!

Good morning, Yukino and Utaha.

His tone was not much different from usual, except that it was so gentle that it was somewhat eerie.

Faced with this situation, Yukino and Kasumigaoka surprisingly looked at each other and exchanged a brief glance.

Kasumigaoka shook his head slightly at Yukino, both of them with serious expressions, sitting on either side of him.

“Chiya…” Yukino glanced at Chiya again, hesitating to speak.

"Hmm?" Yuan Qianye looked at her with a smile.

"What's wrong with you? Did something happy happen?"

"It's something to be happy about..." Yuan Qianye's smile remained unchanged as he slowly drank the tea in his hand.

Kasumigaoka, who was standing nearby, quickly took the teapot and refilled his cup.

After Yuan Qianye thanked her softly, she replied, "...I am indeed very happy. Like now, coming out with everyone, being able to see each other as soon as I get up early, and thinking about the activities we will do together later, I feel genuinely looking forward to it. I also truly feel that being able to live healthily and experience this kind of life is really a blessing."

Alive...

Life……

It was just a very ordinary group trip, lasting only two days and one night.

How could something so trivial give you such insights and elevate it to such a profound level?

Yukino and Kasumigaoka found it somewhat unbelievable.

But then, as Yuan Qianye met their earnest gazes from the left and right, his eyes were filled with sincerity and warmth.

This immediately convinced them of the truth.

Although this high-level topic came out of nowhere, it did not prevent them from showing great respect.

"Yukino, Utaha, I truly feel so grateful to have you two by my side. Please continue to guide me in the future."

The next moment, Yuan Qianye put down his teacup, took a few steps back, placed his hands on the ground, lowered his head slightly, and bowed to the two of them in gratitude.

"?"

No, what's going on so early in the morning?!

At that moment, Yukino and Utaha both seemed a little flustered, even though the strange sense of déjà vu was becoming more and more obvious.

But hearing his words, which sounded like a revelation of his "true feelings," it was impossible not to be moved.

Unconsciously, both of them blushed, but due to the strange atmosphere, they were extremely shy, like newlywed brides, and put their hands together in front of them as a formal return greeting.

"Ah, Yukino, Utaha, you're both up. Good morning."

The one who broke the eerie atmosphere at that moment was Saeko Busujima.

She was wearing the casual clothes she had brought with her; her tight jeans showed off her long legs, and her white shirt was stretched taut. She looked at everyone, her hands holding a towel to dry her wet hair, clearly having just finished showering.

"Good morning, Saeko."

Good morning, Saeko-nee.

For some reason, Shiwa and Yukino both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time and quickly responded. Taking advantage of Saeko's appearance, they also got up and left from the corridor in the courtyard, returning to the living room.

Compared to Chiya Minamoto, Saeko showed no unusual reaction, casually remarking, "Everyone got up pretty early today."

Yukino looked into her room: "But Rikka and Eriri are still sleeping soundly."

Kasumigaoka crossed her arms and said, "Let's not wake them up for now and let them sleep a little longer. Anyway, the plan we made last night was to start at nine o'clock, so it's still early."

Everyone nodded.

Saeko then said to Chiya, "Chiya, I'm all better now, you can go take a shower."

"Ah."

The strange occurrence seemed to be just a fleeting moment; after Saeko appeared, Gen Chiya immediately returned to normal.

Unlike when facing Yukino and Utaha, when Chiya Minamoto got up and walked towards the bathroom, he simply nodded slightly to Saeko as he passed by her.

Yukino frowned as she watched his departing figure.

At this moment, Shiyu didn't feel there was any problem.

She had been harassing the Yuan family for a while, so she knew very well that, although not every day, Chiya did have the habit of taking a shower early in the morning from time to time.

Shiyu sat down in the living room with Saeko, took the towel from her hand, and helped her dry her hair, while asking, "Saeko, when did you get up?"

Saeko gave a vague answer: "I'm not sure, I didn't check the time, what's wrong?"

Kasumigaoka tried to sound as casual as possible: "Nothing, just asking. Did Chiya get up when you got up?"

"Yes, we greeted him. It was quite unexpected that he would get up so early."

"Did you notice anything strange about Chiya today?"

"That's weird?"

Saeko looked puzzled, glanced at Yukino, and then turned to look at Utaha.

She looked thoughtful, then shook her head.

"I haven't found anything, Shiyu, what do you mean by asking this all of a sudden?"

Kasumigaoka shook her head: "That's probably just my imagination, don't worry about it."

Yukino didn't stay in the living room any longer. She went to wash up first, and then went to Kasumigaoka.

After Yuan Qianye finished showering, it was past seven o'clock.

Rikka and Eriri, those two lazybones, are still in bed.

"Shall we have breakfast first, or wait until they get up and then we can eat together?" Yukino asked the others.

Kasumigaoka shrugged: "I'm fine with anything."

Saeko didn't answer, but just looked at Chiya Minamoto.

Yuan Qianye pondered for a moment: "If you're hungry, you can eat first. Don't order my portion. I usually like to practice my swordplay for a while after I get up, but I'm not used to stopping today. I'll go for a jog instead."

Saeko immediately responded, "In that case, I'll go too."

Yukino looked the two who had already gotten up suspiciously back and forth: "You just finished showering and now you're going for a morning run?"

Yuan Qianye nodded quite naturally: "Yes, if you control the rhythm and breathing well, you won't sweat so easily, and your body will feel very comfortable once you get warmed up."

Given his exceptional physical condition, it does make sense...

"It really feels good to get your heart rate up and your blood flow faster. Yukino and Utaha, why don't you join us?" Saeko extended an invitation at the opportune moment.

She was so calm, while Yukino, who had felt something was off since waking up this morning, thought she was just overthinking it.

“That’s good. Regular exercise is definitely good for your health.” Yukino took Saeko’s outstretched hand and stood up.

Kasumigaoka was also pulled up by Minamoto no Chiya.

"Wait a moment, I'll go change my clothes."

"Me too, it'll be over soon."

Both young women, who were interested in literature, turned around and went back to their rooms.