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

Yukino and Kotori sat facing each other.

As usual, during their free time, good friends from different schools would meet up.

Toka recalled that the last time the two met was during spring break.

Now, looking at Yang Nai, who is talking eloquently in front of her, she can only feel that fate is truly a wonderful thing.

I first met this young lady from the Yukinoshita family, but I never imagined that we could develop such a friendship.

Unexpectedly, the two of them hit it off after a few interactions, and this was probably the first time in my life that I had made a close friend.

In truth, this is all thanks to Qianye; without him, I wouldn't have been able to gain such a precious friendship.

Thousand Nights...

Wait, why am I thinking about him again!

"Hey!" Yukinoshita Haruno stared at her friend with dissatisfaction. "Hey Toka, were you even listening to me? I'm enthusiastically recommending this treasure shop that I cherish. Even if you're not interested, it would be polite to at least show some feedback!"

Shihua subtly brought her thoughts back to the coffee table in front of her: "Who said I'm not interested? I'll go check out those shops you mentioned later."

You could browse around the vinyl record store and experience it, and as for the ramen shop, you could try the food. If it's really good, you could consider making a copy for Chiya to try...

And Mom, Dad, and Rikka!

"But your expression just now, as if you were daydreaming, clearly meant you were thinking about something else." Yang Nai rested her chin on her hand, feigning displeasure.

"I've always been like this, you know that, right?" Shihua decided to play dumb.

She picked up the black coffee that Yang Nai had highly recommended and took a small sip. The first sensation upon entering her mouth was only bitterness, but after savoring it carefully, a slight caramel sweetness quickly emerged, and the final aftertaste included some nutty and fruity notes.

"It tastes good." Shihua slowly opened her eyes wide.

"Of course, it's the place I recommended." Yang Nai was quite pleased with himself, and his relaxed smile returned to his face.

With her in a good mood and the simple opening remarks smoothing things over, Yang Nai could finally indulge in her own little pleasures.

Well, that's not the whole story. More importantly, I really need to do something for my sister who is overseas and not by my side right now.

Yang said with a cheerful smile, "Hey hey hey~ Toka, I recently discovered something very interesting."

"..." Shihua looked over helplessly, her eyes even showing a hint of disdain.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I've wanted to say it for a long time, but I've been holding back."

"what?"

"Yono, whenever you have a bad idea, you always make it seem like you're doing it intentionally."

"Huh, is there?"

"Leaving aside the ambiguous and soft prefixes in her voice when she speaks, her squinting eyes that unconsciously close with her smile are also very obvious. Although it is cute, there is no need to do that in front of me. We are friends, aren't we? Just say what you want to say."

Shika put down her coffee cup and said so sincerely.

Yang Nai was taken aback at first, then chuckled thoughtfully.

"That's true, but since you noticed this a long time ago, you could have reminded me sooner."

"I had some reservations before."

"concern?"

"I wonder if our relationship isn't good enough, and I wonder if saying these things directly will make you feel embarrassed or unhappy."

In other words, now there is absolutely no such concern.

The purity of their friendship has greatly improved at this stage, and they are no longer worried that such a small matter would ruin their relationship.

"I see."

Yang Nai nodded slightly, understanding her meaning, and felt even happier.

In a sense, for Shika, who usually keeps most of her thoughts to herself and is somewhat "repressed," the fact that she can speak so frankly right now is indeed proof that her thoughts have been accepted.

"Then I'll be frank. Actually, something very interesting happened at my school recently, and you'll probably find it interesting. It seems to be related to you to some extent."

"What do you mean by 'seems'..." Toka complained, then asked, "...So, what is it?"

Yang Nai placed her hands on the table, her ten fingers interlaced and lightly resting against her chin. If only she hadn't been wearing a pair of reflective glasses, the famous scene would have been repeated.

"You know that Saeko-chan and Utaha-chan actually enrolled in my school this new semester and became my juniors, right?"

Shihua nodded: "Of course."

She not only knew, but she also knew it from three different sources.

There's my younger sister Rikka, my adopted brother Chiya who isn't related to me by blood, and... Chiya's diary.

"It's good to know. In fact, the two of them became prominent figures in the school as soon as they enrolled. They were praised as the two unattainable beauties of Zongwu High School. One is a scholar and the other is a martial artist. They are both outstanding in their respective fields. Their reputation seems to have reached the ears of the staff and teachers. It seems that quite a few people in my third year also have feelings of admiration for them in private."

As he spoke, Yang Nai let out a barely perceptible sigh, his face filled with melancholy.

Back when she first entered the school, she was admired and pursued by boys of all grades thanks to her outstanding academic, athletic, and networking abilities. She was a true star on campus.

Now that graduation is approaching, the attention he receives has plummeted, and he is being neglected.

Indeed, the new generation surpasses the old, and a new generation replaces the old.

"Anyway, these are just gimmicks created by some meddlesome boys. It seems like this happens in every school."

In fact, at her school, Toka had also heard from other girls that those bored boys had given her the inexplicably shameful title of "Goddess of the Gymnastics Club".

To be honest, Shihua didn't feel happy about being talked about like this by a group of people she didn't care about.

This inexplicable praise didn't even compare to the pleasure and happiness she felt from a casual "delicious" compliment when Qianye came home to eat her cooking.

It seems like Chiya will finish work early today, so I need to get home early to cook dinner; I can't stay out too late here...

wrong!

Why are you thinking about him again, Takanashi Touka!

It's just once in a while, it's not like he can't cook for himself!

"Toka?"

Yang looked at his friend, who suddenly slapped his forehead hard, with a puzzled expression.

"It's nothing, you can continue."

Shi Hua gulped down a large mouthful of black coffee, using the bitter taste to focus his attention.

“Oh…” Yang Nai withdrew her suspicious gaze and continued her previous topic: “In short, Saeko-chan and Utaha-chan, as the newly crowned school beauties, naturally attract a large number of suitors.”

"Well, after all, they are both very beautiful, and they could easily debut as fashion models right away."

"As for Saeko-chan, she successfully defeated two suitors in a row, one of whom was the captain of our school's judo club. This has deterred other men who admire her, thus resolving the problem."

"Oh? What about Shiyu?"

Toka seemed to already know what Haruno was going to say next, but since her friend had been laying the groundwork for so long, she felt it would be better to just listen to what she had to say.

"Shiyu-chan is really something. It seems she has a boyfriend. Since she's already taken, the boys at school naturally don't have any other ideas."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Judging from your reaction, it seems you already knew." Yang Nai didn't seem surprised.

Shihua nodded; there was nothing to hide.

"So that person really was Chiya?"

The information that Haruno received at school was that Kasumigaoka Utaha had a boyfriend from another school, and that boyfriend entered the school wearing a mask.

Although his face was not visible, witnesses said he was tall and had a good temperament, so he must be a handsome man.

Yang was unsure, which is why he ostensibly started by sharing interesting things with Toka, but in reality, he was seeking a definite answer from her.

It's all for my cute little sister, there's no other way.

“It’s Chiya,” Toka answered readily.

In similar circumstances, she learned of this news in two ways: Qianye casually mentioned it to her, and he recorded his confession in his diary.

Yang Nai continued, "So, are those two really dating?"

Toka slowly stirred her coffee: "No, just like you said, Shiho is troubled by too many suitors in her new environment. That's just an act that Chiya put on to help her solve the problem."

"I knew it..."

If the two of them were really dating, their adoptive sister wouldn't be able to remain so indifferent.

After reflecting on this, Yang Nai smiled and said, "Qianye really does tell you everything."

Compared to being teased like that at the beginning, Shika can now control her emotions well, regardless of what she's thinking, and reply calmly.

“My father works away from home for long periods of time, and my mother needs to take Chiyo with her to take care of the family shop. She is also often away from home. Most of the time, it’s just me, Rikka, and Chisato taking care of each other. We are a blended family, and we value this hard-won family bond. We naturally share our thoughts and feelings with others without any reservations.”

"How enviable!"

"Don't you have a cute little sister too?"

“It was really cute when I was little and liked to stick to my side all the time, but now, it’s a completely different story.”

Yang Nai stretched lazily in her seat.

"Since we've come this far, what's your opinion on Chiya's situation, Toka?"

"What do you mean, how do you see it?"

“Look, he’ll be going to high school soon. At that age, he’s already so outstanding and handsome, and girls like him. As his older sister, don’t you care about his future relationships? After all, his future girlfriend could very well be your family member.”

Shihua considered it seriously for a while, then shook her head: "That's his own business, and he should decide everything. My opinion is not important."

"But you are, after all, his beloved and important older sister, and your thoughts should be able to influence his decisions to some extent."

"..." Toka looked at the smiling Haruno and sighed: "You just promised me that you would just say what you want to say, but it turned out to be all roundabout... What exactly do you want to say?"

"Haha, you figured it out..." Yang Nai tapped her head lightly: "My little sister and Qianye grew up together since they were little, they know each other better than anyone else, and their personalities complement each other perfectly. Although she is currently abroad, she will be back soon, and then they will be back to how they used to be, always by each other's side. Don't you think their innocent childhood friendship is wonderful?"

If everything goes smoothly, my relationship with Toka will also be elevated to a higher level. We'll not just be best friends, but sisters! I really look forward to that kind of future.

After saying that, Yang Nai's eyes sparkled: "So... what do you think, Toka?"