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

"Thank you so much." Gen Chiyo's gaze drifted to Yukino, who remained silent. "I learned about your company's helpful nature from many students at school who had received help from the Service Club, which is why I wanted to give it a try. Now it seems that it is indeed trustworthy."

Yukino raised her eyelids and glared at him with displeasure, while Gen Chiya smiled and looked away.

Yukino thought this man was incredibly cunning. Since she couldn't reason with him directly, he actually came up with the idea of ​​using the founding principles of the Service Club to his advantage.

Moreover, judging from his smooth and decisive reaction of turning around and leaving immediately after I refused, he must have anticipated this and had planned this in advance.

When did this person become so scheming?

No, he seems to have always been like this; he's shown this tendency since he was very young.

She schemed to tutor others, and then tricked me into going on stage with Eriri to perform in that magical girl cosplay stage play that I still feel ashamed of even thinking about it now...

He has always been adept at using seemingly legitimate reasons to pull others into his rhythm.

"Without further ado, I'll get straight to the point. I've come here to ask everyone in the Service Department for their assistance in completing... well, you could say it's a task."

"Oh?" Eriri showed just the right amount of confusion, behaving like a perfect straight man. She glanced sideways at Yukino: "So what exactly is it?"

"In my spare time, I engage in literary creation out of interest and to supplement my family's income."

"Wow—Yuan-kun is really amazing! He's the same age as us, yet he has such amazing interests!" Rikka exclaimed, nodding her head in amazement, becoming the atmosphere-maker.

Hey, hey, hey, that's enough, you guys, that's a bit too much.

Didn't you see the Second Miss's brow twitch again?

Gen Chiya coughed lightly, put his fist to his mouth, and gestured to Eriri and Rikka with his eyes to slow down their movements slightly before continuing to speak at a faster pace.

After all, this plan is mainly just a formality; the most crucial aspect is the opinion of the key parties involved.

"I've recently encountered some creative difficulties. It's not that I'm lacking inspiration or don't know what to write, but rather that I have to balance studying and working outside, which leaves me with very little time for creative work."

Eriri, mimicking Minamoto Chiya, crossed her hands on the table and nodded knowingly: "So, Minamoto-san, the request you want to make is for our Service Club to help you with your creative work, is that right?"

“That’s right, please help me, everyone. I really need your help right now.” Yuan Qianye bowed slightly to them.

"We already told you there's no need to be so polite, we did receive your request!"

Eriri really wanted to just agree right away, but the problem was that it wouldn't make any difference if she did agree.

But so far, Yukino hasn't responded or expressed her opinion, which is a bit difficult to handle. We need to think of a way to get her involved in a way that she can't avoid.

It wasn't convenient for Qianye to speak up, so we had to let her come.

Yukino might complain about it afterward, but there's nothing that can be done. It's all for the sake of the unbreakable friendship between the three of them!

Anyway, given my long-standing friendship with Yukino, if I cling to her arm, act cute, say a few nice things, and plead with her a bit, she'll definitely forgive me quite easily!

"Um... Minister, we should help Yuan with this request, right? He's really having some trouble, um..."

When Yukino's cold gaze fell upon her, Eriri immediately fell silent. Her apologetic smile turned pitiful, and her eyes shone with a pleading light. Rikka, standing beside her, also offered her assistance with the exact same expression.

In this situation, Yukino suddenly felt powerless. The fact that three people were dealing with her alone left her with no way to retaliate. Her forced indifference could not last, and she could only sigh and let it dissipate into thin air.

“I have three questions.” Yukino met Chiyo’s gaze, and although her tone was icy, she finally made a statement, the meaning of which was self-evident.

As long as the subsequent conversation satisfies Yukino, the request will undoubtedly be fulfilled!

finally……!

You have to keep it up, Qianye (brother)!

Eriri and Rikka exchanged a glance, and her pitiful expression instantly turned into one of encouragement for him!

"Ask away." At this stage, Yuan Qianye no longer acted as deliberately as before.

Yukino looked him straight in the eye: "Is there really no one else around who can help you? I want to hear the truth."

Yuan Qianye readily agreed: "Yes, but she has her own job and doesn't have time to help. Besides, even if she did have time, I wouldn't ask her to help."

"What's the reason?"

"Is this the second question?"

"..."

Yukino remained silent, reached out and picked up the novel she had been reading, lowered her eyes and opened it, giving off an attitude of "If you don't cooperate, please leave."

As the one being asked for help, she held an absolutely dominant position and didn't indulge him at all.

"Hey, just kidding, don't be angry." Yuan Qianye smiled and shrugged, then said seriously, "The reason is simple. It's not just this time that I need help and that's it. My plan for the future is to put many of my ideas into writing. If everything goes smoothly, I should publish no fewer than four novels every year until I graduate."

How many?!

Eriri and Rikka, who were listening in, were both stunned, and their subconscious movements of starting to count on their fingers were quite identical.

No fewer than four books a year, which means... one novel every three months?!

Wait, Qianye (bro), are you going to turn into a tentacle monster?!

For Eriri and Rikka, who usually struggle to write even a few hundred words, it was simply unimaginable what Minamoto no Chiya's brain was made of, and where he got so much content to write about!

Yukino was also quite surprised by this. Although she was quite dissatisfied with her childhood friend's casual attitude towards relationships, her worries outweighed her other emotions at this moment: "Being too eager for quick success is not a good thing."

Yuan Qianye's tone was relaxed, yet also firm: "You know me. I don't speak empty words, and I never fight a battle unprepared."

Yukino's gaze fell on Minamoto Chiya, and she remained silent for a while, her expression thoughtful.

She quickly spoke again: "My second question is, just like you hired Ms. Kudo to work for you, you could have hired someone more professional to help you, couldn't you?"

"This idea is indeed feasible, but it involves a very important issue of trust. After all, I am handing over an unpublished manuscript to someone else. Admittedly, I can use contracts to bind and protect my rights, but human nature is difficult to truly understand and is unpredictable. There is always the possibility that I might suffer trouble or even loss."

At this point, Yuan Qianye's tone softened, and the slight smile on his face faded. He looked at her very seriously and said...

"But if I'm asking you for help, we know each other very well and I trust you completely, so I won't have any such concerns."

Meeting his sincere gaze and hearing his words that seemed to convey exceptional trust, Yukino's heart skipped a beat for a moment.

However, since we grew up together and spent so much time together, we had developed some resistance to it and recovered quickly.

"The third question..."

Eriri and Rikka's hands, which were trembling, were tightly clasped together under the table. As things stood, the situation was clear: Yukino had already accepted Chiya's first two answers, and only this last question remained. Victory was just around the corner!

"...As I just said, I don't think my literary skills can offer you any help."

"Regarding this point, I think you're overcomplicating things due to your preconceived notions."

Gen Chiya gestured to Eriri, who immediately understood and handed him the manuscript of the novel he had brought.

Gen Chiyo casually unfolded a page and handed it to Yukino, gesturing for her to look.

"I am not a great writer, and my writing style is not particularly outstanding. The literary awards I have won before are more due to the story structure and puzzle design."

He didn't say anything more after that, and Yukino naturally understood.

And that was indeed the case. Following his lead, Yukino turned her gaze to the manuscript of the novel. She noticed that his choice of words and phrases was not particularly ornate, but rather he sang the plot and the characters' dialogues in a very smooth manner.

Hmm, I also found a typo and a punctuation error.

Based on what he said, and considering the circumstances, it seems I really can be of help...

Seeing this, Chiyo added fuel to the fire, her words becoming even more earnest: "I'm serious, Yukino. I'm genuinely facing a problem, which is why I'm asking you for help. I understand that you have some opinions about me, but putting that aside, we've been friends since childhood, haven't we? The beautiful memories of the past shouldn't be so cheap, right? So, for the sake of our friendship, and for the founding principles you set when you established the Service Club, please help me this time."

Eriri and Rikka didn't need any further instruction at this point. They flanked Yukino on either side, saying nothing, and just put on the same earnest, pleading faces as Chiyo.

Under the intense scrutiny from three sides, Yukino ultimately couldn't hold out any longer and was persuaded.

She sighed almost inaudibly and nodded: "...I understand."

"Okay!" Eriri hugged her immediately.

Rikka also gave a high five to the smiling Chiya.

After finally calming Eriri down and stopping her from rubbing against her, Yukino spoke to Minamoto Chiya again: "But this is the only time. You are not allowed to use this trick again."

“Okay.” Yuan Qianye agreed with unusually quickness.

It's said to be a favor, but if he handles it properly and keeps producing creative content, keeping this special commission in a state where it can never stop or end, then it's not impossible for this to become a lifetime.

"I'll take the original manuscript back tonight. After I've read through all the contents, I'll communicate with you via message. Then you can explain clearly what specific help you need me to provide." Yukino's attitude was swift and decisive after she officially agreed to help.

"Final exams are coming up soon, so there's no need to rush. It's better to focus your energy on reviewing right now. You'll be busy during summer vacation after the exams. Of course, since you've already agreed to help, I won't be polite to you afterwards."

"It depends on the situation. I may have other commitments in my daily life, so I can't always prioritize your needs."

"It's alright, I'm not in a hurry. I also trust Yukino's character. Since she promised, she won't just do it half-heartedly."

"You've already succeeded, so there's no need to say any more nice things to flatter me."

"I was just stating the facts..."

Finally... they finally returned to the natural atmosphere of their interactions!

Eriri watched the two communicating smoothly, just like a child seeing her arguing parents make up. For a moment, she actually felt like crying!

Overjoyed, she couldn't help but raise her hand and suggest, "The Service Department has been established for almost a semester now, and with the pressure of studying, there won't be much time left. How about we get together for dinner sometime? How about tonight?"

Yuan Qianye smiled and said, "That's a good suggestion, but I have plans for tonight. How about we reschedule for tomorrow?"

…………

Chapter 099: A Long-Awaited Expression (6k)

On Friday afternoon, as agreed upon the previous afternoon.

After school, the members of the Service Club walked out of the school together.

The location for the get-together was a newly opened buffet restaurant with a good reputation for evening meals, located two stops away from the school.

They set off shortly after school and arrived at the restaurant quite early. It was only a little past five o'clock when the waiter led them to their seats, which was not yet lunchtime, so there were not many customers at the restaurant.

This is a good thing, because it means we don't have to queue up to get limited-edition dishes, and Yukino doesn't like crowded and noisy places either.

The four of them sat down by the window.

Chiya Minamoto and Rikka were on one side, while Eriri and Yukino were on the other.

The third-floor location offers a nice street view thanks to the height difference.

"Here are your receipts. Your dining time is two hours. You are entirely self-service. Please be mindful of food waste. If you need anything, please press the service bell. We hope you have a pleasant dining experience..."

The waiter smiled throughout the entire meal and left immediately after explaining the dining details.

Eriri and Rikka couldn't wait. They put down their schoolbags and planned to drag Yukino to the restaurant to see what delicious food they could find.

Gen Chiya tore open a wet wipe on the table to wipe her hands and called out to them, "Yukino and I have something to talk about. You two go ahead."