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

She had a strange feeling that he probably wouldn't change much in the future.

She likes this sense of security that comes with consistency, and if possible, she hopes that this situation will continue indefinitely.

"The gifts you sent before were all delicious. I know you've been very busy lately, so once you're done, I'll treat you to dinner as a way of returning the favor and celebrating your success. My mom once took me to a really good French restaurant, and I think you'll enjoy it too."

"Okay, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Yuan Qianye smiled and agreed.

We chatted briefly for a few more minutes.

He hung up on the sixth call from Hayasaka Ai.

Yuan Qianye breathed a slight sigh of relief and was about to turn around and go back to the living room when his phone rang again.

This time, the caller ID on the phone screen read "Touma Yoko".

…………

Volume 1: 149: Does a Mom Who Plans Everything Like It?

On holidays when she doesn't have to go to school, Touma Kazusa always sleeps in late, usually until at least 10 a.m., a habit she's had since elementary school.

But today, she got up very early, which was unusual for her.

At least that was the case for her; she got up and washed up around 8 a.m. and came to the living room.

Then she saw her mother eating breakfast at the table, looking at her with a rather ambiguous gaze and winking at her playfully, as if hinting at something.

Touma Kazusa pretended not to see and went to the dining table.

Mom had also prepared her breakfast.

Aunt Shibata usually comes over a little later in the morning on weekends.

As an accomplished professional pianist, Touma Yoko cherishes her hands dearly, so naturally she wouldn't cook herself.

Therefore, breakfast is simply white toast, taken out of the refrigerator, and served with sweet jam.

Both of them are sweet tooths, so they were quite satisfied with this rather simple breakfast.

They used up half of the 300-gram net weight of jam in one meal.

After dinner, the two sat on the sofa, tacitly agreeing to each other, and turned on the TV.

Touma Yoko glanced at the clock on the wall, then turned her head to look at her daughter, suddenly smiled, and slowly said, "If it were me, there's still time. I could just go and find him. If he really wins the award, I could congratulate him and let him know that I'm happy for him too. If the result is disappointing, I could comfort and encourage him, say some nice things, and let him know that no matter what, he's number one in my heart."

Although she did not name names, her words were quite clear.

But Touma Kazusa remained unmoved, as if she hadn't understood what her mother was saying. She tucked her flowing, shiny black hair behind her ear and used the remote control to change the TV channel.

Eh...

Touma Yoko sighed helplessly.

She felt helpless, but there was nothing she could do.

She herself is a person who dares to love and hate in matters of the heart. Even in junior high school, she dared to take the initiative to approach the opposite sex she liked.

How come when it comes to her own daughter, she completely transforms into a helpless little quail?

It's not that I don't have feelings for them, but I do really like them, yet I'm too timid to take the initiative to get closer.

My silly daughter, you're practically pushing good men away...

Time slips away quietly.

The moment the Edogawa Rampo Award was announced, Kazusa stood up abruptly.

Although her facial expression remained relatively calm, her sudden, uncontrollable movement of standing up and her tightly clenched fists betrayed the fact that she was not at peace with herself.

Watching the judges enthusiastically praising Qianye's novel on the TV screen, Yaozi murmured, "It's time for a man to be in the house."

"?!!!"

Upon hearing this, Kazusa suddenly turned around and looked at her mother with surprise and suspicion.

The mother met her daughter's gaze and smiled as if nothing had happened, saying, "Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Mom, what...did you just say?"

"He didn't say anything."

"You clearly have it!"

"What are you saying, kid? You must be hallucinating."

Yoko did not admit it and quickly took her phone.

What are you going to do?

"Nothing much, just make a normal phone call to congratulate her, and also... don't glare at Mom with that scary look."

That's because you just said something so nonsensical!

Yoko dialed the number, held the phone to her ear, and said to her daughter, "You should also congratulate Chiya later. The Edogawa Ranpo Award is really impressive."

"Need not."

She'll naturally bring it up next time they meet.

"Ah, I'm on a call right now. Even congratulations have to be queued up. But that's not entirely unexpected."

Yoko hung up the phone dejectedly.

Kazusa then left the sofa.

Seeing this, Yoko's eyes lit up: "Kazusa, where are you going?"

"Practicing the piano."

"..."

Hey, the little quail is still the same little quail...

It's not that practicing the piano is bad, but there are obviously more important things to do right now than practicing the piano.

Yoko has always cherished and been very proud of her daughter, who inherited her talent in music, until a boy named Minamoto Chiya entered their lives.

After he appeared, she would occasionally feel a little melancholy towards her daughter.

It's not the kind of feeling of resentment towards someone's lack of competitiveness, like "Look at other people's kids..."

Rather, it was the helplessness of knowing that one's daughter had an unusual affection for someone else, wanting to help her from behind but not knowing how.

"Wait a moment."

"what happened?"

“There’s no rush to practice the piano.” Yaozi patted the sofa, gesturing for her to sit down. “Come here first. It’s been a long time since we, mother and daughter, have had a proper chat, hasn’t it?”

Kazusa looked suspicious and muttered, "What's there to talk about?" but she still obediently sat down.

Yoko reached out and affectionately pinched her daughter's cheek.

Kazusa pushed her hand away and asked, "What do you want to talk about?"

Youzi didn't reply directly, but turned her gaze to the still-on television: "I always thought that although Qianye was a very excellent kid, he lacked planning for his future. From my perspective, he was wasting his hard-won talent. But now it seems that I was wrong. He planned everything out early on. What he wanted was perhaps far beyond what any of us could imagine."

Kazusa frowned, looking slightly puzzled: "What do you mean?"

Yoko still didn't answer the question directly, but continued to speak on her own: "As for Chiya, his academic performance has always been at the top of his grade since elementary school. After entering junior high school, his sharp edge burst forth and he won two national youth kendo championships. After learning piano for a short time, he was able to compete on the same stage as those who had been learning piano since childhood and achieved quite good results. Now he has also made achievements in the field of literature and won the Rampo Award in one fell swoop."

"Mom, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"I want you to face up to the achievements Qianye has made so far."

"I know all of this."

"It's not enough to just know; we also need to understand what these honors he has achieved represent."

What does it represent?

Isn't that obvious?

Kazusa's eyes flickered: "That shows he's very outstanding."

“Although it’s a bit broad, it’s definitely true.” Yoko counted on her fingers: “His excellent academic performance shows that he is intelligent, his kendo championship proves that his physical strength and reaction speed are also superior to his peers, his ability to master the piano in a short time proves that his comprehension and adaptability are extraordinary, and all of these, when combined with the virtue of ‘persistence,’ and winning the Ranpo Award, further proves that he has outstanding talent.”

She paused at this point.

Like a patient and encouraging teacher, seeing that Kazusa seemed to have grasped something, he asked, "So, what conclusion can we draw by summarizing all of the above?"

Kazusa's face, which was no less striking than a model's, was slightly flushed. Her long, slender, handsome, and sharp eyes were now slightly lowered, giving her a very gentle appearance.

She didn't reply, but her mother's words were so clear that she obviously already had the answer in her heart.

It's strange, I didn't think anything of it before.

But after her mother pointed it out so explicitly, Kazusa suddenly realized that her only friend seemed to be really powerful, even to the point of being inhuman.

Seeing the change in Kazusa's expression, Yoko smiled with relief, knowing that her words had finally had an effect.

Although I didn't expect my daughter to change significantly because of what I said, at least it made her clearly aware of these things, which can be considered a big step forward.

"Good cake shops always have long queues outside, and they sell out if you go late. Popular restaurants also have no seats if you make a reservation late, and you lose the chance to get in. Most things in this world are like this. If you don't act in advance and wait until the crucial moment to make a move, it may really be too late. Kazusa, you're so smart, you know what I'm talking about, right?"

"...!"

Kazusa knew exactly what her mother was talking about.

But discussing my teenage thoughts with my mother was still a bit too embarrassing.

So she neither answered nor nodded, but got up and quickly walked away again, using practicing the piano as an excuse.

"Eh—"

She seems to understand, but she still can't get over the psychological hurdle.

Yoko was very melancholy.

If you like someone, just confess to them directly, just like you did when you were young.

He gazed at her with wet eyes, and the distance between them slowly closed. They started by holding hands, then embraced, and finally kissed in a romantic atmosphere.

With this combination of attacks, Qianye definitely won't be able to withstand it.