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

Kasumigaoka Utaha had no appetite at the moment; her mind was filled with the pressure of her virgin work being canceled.

She picked up her chopsticks, intending to eat a quick bite and head straight home to put all her effort into revising the upcoming second volume.

She is proud by nature, and now that she has finally seized the opportunity, how could she be willing to let it slip away!

Just as she picked up her chopsticks with this mindset, a young man walked over to the table.

Her clean and tidy attire, and her captivating appearance, made it hard to look away.

He wore a reserved and polite smile, his shyness tinged with a hint of excitement.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Kasumi Shiko from [Love Metronome]?"

…………

052: Some things have changed.

"What are you looking at?"

After exchanging several strange glances with Eriri and Rikka, who were sitting at the same table, Yukino finally couldn't help but ask directly.

"Oh, it's nothing. You guys eat your food, don't worry about me."

Yuan Qianye kept his eyes fixed on his phone and answered without looking up.

Yukino was still dissatisfied with his reaction, but she couldn't say anything about it.

While using your phone at the dinner table is considered impolite, it was really insignificant for a group of friends to be together.

But the key point is that Gen Chiya's behavior is not like that of someone who normally uses a mobile phone.

After he entered the store and patted Rikka's head, he quickly took out his phone and stared at it, swiping it rapidly.

It was as if they were looking at something extremely important.

His gaze was focused, and his lips moved slightly from time to time, but no sound came out, as if he was trying desperately to remember something.

After Yukino asked him, Rikka, who was standing next to him, secretly glanced in his direction, then typed on her phone and sent the message to Yukino and Eriri.

The screen is full of text; he looks like he's reading a novel.

Why do I have to read this novel while I'm eating? I just got back to China...

Yukino herself didn't realize that she was somewhat dissatisfied, but she didn't say anything and stopped paying attention to Chiya.

Instead, following up on Eriri and Rikka's earlier questions, she began to recount her daily experiences studying in the Eagle Country.

However, she always kept a sliver of attention on Yuan Qianye, because she felt that the scene before her eyes seemed familiar.

It's just that it's been so long, she can't remember it right now.

Five minutes later, Yuan Qianye put his unlocked phone into his pocket and suddenly said, "I saw a famous person. I'll go talk to him. You guys take your time eating. Don't worry about me. I'll be right back."

Under the watchful eyes of the other three, he immediately stood up and walked towards another table not far away.

Eriri looked completely bewildered: "What's going on?"

Rikka peeked her head in that direction: "A famous person? Which one?"

Yukino frowned. She remembered the tactic of taking out her phone first and then striking up a conversation!

Back when this guy was coaxing Eriri, wasn't he using the exact same method he just used?

She put down her chopsticks, appearing to be the calmest of the three: "Don't rush, let's take a look first."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After Chiyo Minamoto greeted them, both Kasumigaoka Utaha and the editor were taken aback.

The editor, being a seasoned adult, reacted much faster. Instead of immediately responding, she asked with feigned curiosity, "May I ask who you are...?"

When asked this question, Yuan Qianye suddenly showed the awkwardness of a young man, and quickly explained, "I'm sorry, I really like the book 'Love Metronome.' I was sitting over there, and I just heard you call her 'Kasumi Shiko-sensei,' and I thought to myself, 'What a coincidence...'"

So they were his fans.

He had only recently started out and had sold just two thousand books, while the entire population of Tokyo exceeded fourteen million!

The probability of them meeting in real life... well, you can only say that fate is truly a wondrous thing.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's previously low spirits were lifted by this unexpected little incident in her life.

She glanced at the editor, shook her head without mind, and then spoke gently to her fan: "I am indeed Kasumi Shiko, it's nice to meet you."

Gen Chiya perfectly captured her excitement: "I can't believe it really is you, Kasumi Shiko-sensei! I really, really love your work. The characterization of the male protagonist and the delicate portrayal of the female protagonist's inner thoughts are both fantastic! The way they meet is also incredibly cleverly designed, right from the opening scene when they enroll in school..."

He recounted a series of scenes from the movie "Love Metronome" without pausing, in incredibly detail!

This made Kasumigaoka Utaha lower her last bit of defenses and realize that he was indeed her fan.

Midway through her speech, Yuan Qianye was invited by the editor to sit down together.

In her opinion, it's not necessarily a bad thing that such a die-hard fan would appear at this moment.

Even if it's temporary, it's good to ease Ms. Xia Shizi's mood and let her know that her writing still has admirers, which can help her rebuild her confidence.

As the communication deepened and Minamoto Chiyo calmed down a bit, the personal impression he gave Kasumigaoka Utaha improved.

First of all, his good looks are undeniable. Secondly, he has a great personal charm and a unique appeal that makes people want to keep their eyes glued to his face.

Although he seemed somewhat enthusiastic when he first met me, he has now restrained himself well.

Of course, most importantly, he maintained his boundaries throughout, only discussing her work and never overstepping his bounds to try to explore her privacy.

Kasumigaoka Utaha has always greeted such a discreet and devoted fan with a smile.

She hadn't been this happy in a long time.

"...I just overheard that the sales of the Love Metronome aren't doing too well, but I hope Ms. Kasumi won't be discouraged. Your work is amazing, and gold always shines. My personal strength is insignificant, but I will continue to support you."

Before parting, Chiyo's words of encouragement prompted Kasumigaoka Utaha to bow her head solemnly in response: "I will do my best. Thank you for your support."

"Then I won't disturb your work any longer. But, Ms. Kasumi Shiko... could you please sign your name for me?"

Since I'm playing the role of a fan, I naturally have to play it fully.

Kasumigaoka Utaha readily agreed to this trivial request with a smile.

Fortunately, the editor had paper and pen with her. She carefully signed her pen name, stood up, and handed it to Yuan Qianye with both hands.

Yuan Qianye thanked him and accepted the gift, then turned and left without looking back.

When he was near Kasumigaoka Utaha, the golden exclamation mark above her head did disappear, but now that he's left, there's no notification that the mission is complete.

As expected, mere words of comfort and encouragement are not enough to achieve the desired effect.

Yuan Qianye pondered for a moment without getting impatient, and silently returned to his original seat.

Yukino, Eriri, and Rikka stared at him without moving or saying a word.

Yuan Qianye glanced around and found their reaction quite amusing. Knowing that if he didn't explain, the three of them would probably be in a real bind, he made up a reason that was half true and half false: "I've recently become fond of a light novel, and the person I just talked to is the author of that novel."

So that's how it is...

Eriri asked curiously, "What novel is it?"

"Love Metronome".

Eriri silently repeated the book title in her mind, planning to buy a copy when she got back so that she could have something in common with Chiya.

After learning the reason for her sworn brother's unusual behavior, Rikka stopped worrying and started eating seriously.

Only Yukino still harbored doubts, but with the other two present, she couldn't ask too many questions.

The moment she saw him at the airport, she knew in her heart that their relationship had not changed with time and distance.

But looking at it now, sure enough, something had quietly changed in a place she herself hadn't even noticed.

…………

053: I'm sorry I couldn't get Lord Chiya to use his full strength (7000) (1)

After lunch, the four of them accepted Eriri's invitation to go to her house to pass the time.

The main reason is that Eriri was very surprised after Rikka told her that Chiya had worked at a bar!

I was stunned by Rikka's matter-of-fact statement, "The law stipulates that minors cannot drink alcohol, but it does not stipulate that they cannot mix drinks!"

Eriri thought about it carefully and realized that it made sense! This statement also applied to her!

So, with similar theoretical ideas in mind, she decided to reveal the secret she had been struggling to tell her friends for a long time today!

There were no adults at the Sawamura house, which made the other three guests feel less constrained.

Eriri went to the kitchen to get snacks and drinks for everyone.

After entering the house, Rikka went straight to the bathroom.

She felt that she shouldn't wear such thick clothes when going out on hot days in the future, as the amount of sweat she produced was truly astonishing.

My chest and stomach are sweaty, I need to wipe them off...

In the living room, Chiya Minamoto and Yukino Yukinoshita were left alone together.

The two had been separated for some time, and now it was a long time since they had last met... a long time indeed.

But the friendship we built up from kindergarten shouldn't have faded so quickly.

The two sat together on the sofa, with a subtle distance between them. Without any further probing, Yukinoshita went straight to the point: "What happened at the Japanese restaurant just now wasn't what you described, was it?"

"You're not a fan of that author, just like Eriri was back then. Before you struck up a conversation, you were glued to your phone, just researching and finding common ground to convince the other person, right?"

Gen Chiya smiled. As expected, Yukino had noticed. However, given his obvious actions earlier, he hadn't intended to hide it from her. Therefore, he nodded quite frankly: "That's right."

Snow looked puzzled. She could understand and explain Eriri's actions that time.

After all, the bullying incident was right in front of her, and she wouldn't have chosen to remain indifferent in her place.

But honestly, given her age and experience at the time, she probably couldn't have seen the real problems deep in Eriri's heart, and she probably couldn't have done better than Minamoto Chiya.

But this time... she was puzzled by his sudden similar behavior towards a stranger she had just met.

Having been together for over six years, even if Chiyo couldn't fully understand Yukino's inner thoughts, she was pretty close to it.