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

Meanwhile, it took several days for Yuan Qianye to give any concrete response.

But in the end, it was just a simple lunch out, and that was it.

Yukino, who knew he was busy preparing for two competitions at the same time, understood that he was very busy and that this was normal.

But being ignored like this back in reality, the second young lady was indeed somewhat uncomfortable.

However, after learning indirectly from Eriri and Rikka that Kasumigaoka Utaha had also been busy preparing for the Soubu High School entrance exam and hadn't seen Chiya for very long recently, she felt a little better.

If everyone is in the same situation, then there is no problem.

One more year, just one more year and I'll be back...

It also happened during the spring break.

After a day of choosing, Toka arranged to meet her sister Haruno, as usual.

Yang arrived at the park on time and saw Toka from afar.

But upon closer inspection, they were taken aback.

Today, Shihua didn't come alone like before; she brought her younger sister along.

The youngest little sister is lying in the stroller.

…………

Volume 1: Chapter 165: The New Friend and Kazusa's Encounter (3/15)

"Hey, you brought this little guy with you today."

Yukinoshita approached, squatted down in front of the stroller, and without any hesitation, smiled and picked her up into her arms.

The little guy's body was soft and squishy, ​​and he smelled of milk. Yang Nai felt her maternal instincts being stirred up.

“My dad has been very busy with work lately, and my mom has been taking care of her. I thought I could give my mom a break from work once in a while.”

Shihua pushed the stroller along the path in the park.

Yang followed beside her, carrying little Chiyo in his arms.

Chiyo didn't show any fear or resistance in Haruno's arms, giggling innocently.

"This little guy isn't shy at all! Or is it that my naturally friendly personality works on babies?"

"She was simply happy to be able to go out and see unfamiliar scenery."

"Well, if that's the case, maybe she'll become a traveler or photographer in the future."

"It would be too arbitrary to judge based on this alone."

"Children's instinctive behaviors when they are young often predict, to some extent, what they like most or what they are good at. Otherwise, why would there be such activities as the birth of a child since ancient times?"

The term "birth" is a uniquely Japanese expression.

However, its form and significance are similar to the "first birthday celebration" in major Eastern countries, both taking place on the child's first birthday.

The various items obtained during the "first birthday celebration" are placed around the child, and the child's future career or personality is predicted based on the items they choose.

"Not everything passed down from ancient times has a scientific basis. The newborn is just a spectacle. We can take this opportunity to make the one-year-old baby the main character. After all, babies can't talk at this age, so we have to find ways to make them stand out."

Just as Toka finished speaking, little Chiyo, still learning to speak, uttered a mumbled "MAMA~" to Haruno.

Yukinoshita Haruno was taken aback, then looked at her friend with excitement: "Did you just hear that?!"

Who said they can't speak properly? That's excellent! It's just that their way of addressing you isn't quite right.

Takanashi Touka was also staring blankly at Chiyo.

This little one had never uttered a specific word like that before, at least not from what she had noticed.

At that moment, Chiyo gently patted Hinano's chest with both hands, waving her arms and legs and calling out "MAMA~" in a childish voice.

Yukinoshita became even more excited and immediately picked up little Chiyo and spun her around slowly.

This made Chiyo laugh even harder.

"Hey Toka, judging from your reaction, could I be the first person Chiyo has ever addressed correctly by name?"

"……Um."

Although she was reluctant, Toka nodded.

"Ah, does this little cutie like me more than her real older sister? Otherwise, why would she be so excited to see me and have such a strong urge to speak?"

"Stop being so cocky, make her call out a few more times."

Shihua took out her phone and turned on the camera.

Yang understood immediately and did as instructed.

Chiyo was very cooperative.

Shihua successfully recorded her speaking and then quickly sent it to her parents.

"Oh, you even sent it to Qianye."

When Yang Nai came over, she saw Toka operating her phone.

"After all, he really likes Chiyo. Every day when he gets home, the first thing he does is come over and hug her."

"For a boy his age, that's really quite rare."

"He values ​​his family a lot."

"Good."

Yang observed Toka's expression with a smile, then changed the subject without saying anything more: "Toka, how is your friend?"

Shihua locked her phone and put it in her pocket, asking in confusion, "My friend?"

"Look, it's that friend you told me about before, the one who said she didn't understand what love was, and wasn't sure if she liked someone else. How is she doing now? Has she figured it out and decided to be honest about her feelings? She also said that she realized her feelings were just a temporary illusion and is planning to give up."

Yang Nai still smiled slightly, and as she asked the question, her other free hand gently poked Chiyo's cheek, showing that she didn't seem to care much, as if she had just asked the question casually after suddenly thinking of it.

Shihua glanced at her sideways, then stretched and yawned in the nice weather.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to her about it since. After all, it's a matter of her privacy, so I don't feel comfortable asking her directly."

Yang Nai feigned surprise: "Hey, we're clearly good friends, why are you bothered by such a trivial matter?"

Toka replied calmly and naturally, "It's precisely because we're good friends that we need to be extra careful to protect this precious and hard-won relationship, isn't that right?"

This answer seemed to be referring to her good friend, but in reality, Yang Nai had already understood the meaning behind her words.

Yang nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with Toka's point of view.

She didn't say anything more and left the topic at that, otherwise it would just be her one-sided gossip, which would only make her more annoying.

I'm sorry, Yukino. At least I tried my best, but in the end, you still have to rely on yourself.

"By the way, I heard from Yukino that Chiya is going to participate in the Kendo Jade Dragon Flag competition again soon."

"Yes, it's the day after tomorrow. After the Jade Dragon Flag competition, he has to go to participate in a piano competition."

"I guess most of your family members who are free will go to the event to cheer him on," Yang Nai guessed.

Shihua shook her head: "He doesn't want us to go. He said the competition is too long and it will be too noisy at the venue. It's better to wait for his good news at home."

"Good news? This means they already knew in their minds that they would win the championship."

"Although he didn't say it explicitly, I think it's true based on his confident demeanor."

"As last year's champion, he certainly has the ability and confidence to do so."

"Ah."

"He's also very handsome, and he just won the Rampo Award and published a book. He's always in the news."

"..."

During what was originally a smooth conversation, Toka seemed to suddenly sense something and did not answer immediately this time.

She didn't try to hide it, tilting her head to thoughtfully observe her friend.

Yang Nai looked at her with a smile: "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?"

Toka tilted her head slightly and smiled, "Yono, you seem to be particularly interested in the topic of Chiya."

Yang Nai asked casually, "Really?"

"Yes, if you think about it carefully, you seem to have been actively bringing up topics about him during our previous meetings."

"Is that right?"

He first asked himself this question, then Yang shrugged slightly.

"Actually, that's normal. If we don't consider our family relationship, my relationship with Chiya is much longer than yours with Toka. We've known each other since he was in kindergarten. So, you could say we're childhood friends."

Shihua replied in a serious tone: "Yes, indeed, childhood sweethearts who are three years apart in age."

Yang Nai leaned closer, displeased, and nudged her lightly with her shoulder: "Even if there's a three-year age gap, we're still childhood sweethearts. Besides, it's only a three-year age difference. Why do you make it sound like we're from completely different eras?"

"I never meant that. By the way, how's Yukino doing lately? Chiya's been really busy lately; we haven't seen her come over for a visit this spring break."

"You changed the subject so abruptly." But despite that, Yang Nai still answered honestly, "What else can I say? Same as always. Still not very talkative, and cold to people I don't know well. When I was little, you could call that cute, that made me quite unique."

But now she's almost in her final year of junior high, and things are getting a little worrying. The Yukinoshita family will need her help in the future, and if she continues like this, she won't be able to become a responsible member of society. Although my mother hasn't said anything, I can clearly sense that she's also concerned about this.

"It's still a long time before Yukino takes over the family business. I don't think there's any need to rush. As she encounters more things and people in the future, she may grow and her personality may change."

"Thank you for your kind words, but she's also facing some issues right now, and we really can't afford to be slow."

"What do you mean?"

Yukino Yukinoshita did not answer immediately. Instead, she first put little Chiyo back into the stroller before replying, "It's about body shape."

Shihua was still puzzled: "Please explain it more clearly."

Yang Nai puffed out her chest forcefully: "You mean here."

Toka's mind automatically conjured up images of Yukino's figure, and she couldn't help but chuckle, "You really are... Just let things take their natural course, and make sure you get enough nutrition. There's no use in being anxious."

"But the reality is quite unusual. Yukino was like this when she first went abroad in the first year of junior high school, and she's almost in the third year of junior high school now, and she's still the same. There's been no change at all."

Upon hearing this, Shihua felt it was a bit of an exaggeration: "...For something like this, visual estimation is definitely inaccurate."