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

To some extent, even a one-sided crushing defeat is insufficient to describe the brutality of the battle; it was a bloody and cruel affair where every encounter resulted in an instant and annihilation.

Simply changing into a slightly more revealing gymnastics outfit caused him to lose control of his desires and become unable to restrain himself.

If she were to wear a pure white wedding dress later on... the image was too beautiful for him to bear; he felt it might even lead to someone's death...

Moreover, Shika's physical abilities are already quite outstanding among ordinary girls.

Her foundation from practicing rhythmic gymnastics since childhood gives her more endurance, strength, and flexibility than the average person.

If Toka is already so overwhelmed under these circumstances, what will happen when he faces Yukino, who is even weaker, or Kazusa, who can also be described as a homebody...?

Yuan Qianye dared not think any further.

Compared to Toka, the two of them, especially Yukino who has been frail and sickly since childhood, are probably not even bronze level in that aspect. It feels like they just finished the tutorial and went straight to face the six-time world champion, the Great Demon King. Just one look at him would make the base explode.

Thinking about it this way, the future of the couple's interaction life looks bleak.

But... the necessary intimate interactions can't be omitted.

So the only option is to have others help share the firepower?

For example, let someone with a good physique like Saeko or Haruno take the lead and hold the line first, and then when the battle has eased up a bit, feed the most precious part directly to Yukino...

Regardless of whether Saeko and Haruno are willing or not... this scene seems to exist only in some unspeakable fantasy.

As things stand, just imagining the scenario and opportunity for the second young lady to accept him makes him feel that the hope is slim, let alone the exciting gameplay of "multiplayer online multiplayer".

As Yuan Qianye's thoughts wandered further and further, his mood became increasingly pessimistic.

"Chiya?" Rikka waved her small hand in front of Chiya's eyes, interrupting his reverie. "You suddenly froze, what are you daydreaming about?"

"Ah, I suddenly thought of an idea that I could use in my new novel." Yuan Qianye quickly snapped out of his reverie, calmly picked up his rice bowl again, took a mouthful of rice, and smoothly changed the subject: "By the way, you made plans to go shopping with Eriri this afternoon, right?"

“Yes, not just me, but Yukino too.” Rikka nodded, her tone light.

“I see.” Yuan Qianye nodded knowingly.

Regarding Yukino's situation, he received a detailed message from Haruno shortly after saying goodbye to the Yukino family last night.

She recounted her mother's conversation with Yukino to him verbatim, her thick cotton-padded coat letting in a lot of drafts.

As for Chiya, in addition to feeling gratified and grateful for the deeper meaning behind Mrs. Yukinoshita's actions, he was also nervous and apprehensive.

I wonder what the shrewd woman's reaction will be when she finally learns of his true ambitions and how he has already developed such an intimate relationship with her eldest daughter.

Sure enough, before that happens, one must continuously strengthen oneself and develop one's strength to a certain level before everything is exposed, so as to have the ability to resist uncontrollable forces.

"Have fun, and you can also take this opportunity to discuss where you'd like to go on vacation this summer."

"Shall we decide?"

"Well, after all, this vacation is to make you happy. You've been studying very hard lately, thank you for your hard work. Eriri and Yukino have also helped me a lot during this time, assisting with my novel and helping me with the filming of the movie. So, this is a reward for them and also a way for me to express my gratitude. Therefore, naturally, your preferences will be the priority."

"Wasn't the whole film made because of my request?"

"Aren't you my sister too? The favor you owe is naturally the favor I owe."

"Oh, right." Rikka thought for a moment, and felt that the logic made sense, so she smiled happily again: "Eri and Yukino will definitely be very happy, especially Eriri, she started looking forward to it during the semester just like me! Oh right, there's one more thing, Chiya, you haven't forgotten, have you?"

"what's up?"

“I told you before, Eriri’s parents are going back to the UK. She doesn’t want to go back with them, but her mother is worried about leaving her alone at home. So she will be staying with us for a while.”

"Oh, that's not a problem. We have no problem with that at all. She's welcome to move in anytime. It's just that our apartment only has three rooms, so she might have to squeeze in with you. Actually, I'm wondering, Yukino should know about Eriri's situation, right?"

"I know."

"So she didn't say anything?"

After all, she had such a good relationship with Eriri. Before she met Rikka Saeko and the others, Eriri was her only female friend. When they were little, the three of them put their hands together and made a vow to "be together for the rest of their lives".

"Yukino invited Eriri as well, but Eriri... well... she was a little reluctant."

"Oh?" These words made Yuan Qianye think a lot for a moment.

But Rikka's next answer instantly made him realize that he had overthought things.

"It's a very simple principle."

Rikka put down her bowl and chopsticks, raised one index finger from each hand, and began to compare and analyze.

"On one side are my friends living under the same roof, the oldest of whom is only a few years older and is in college, so there is almost no generation gap between us."

On the other side, my friend's parents were both at home, with my friend's mother being there most of the time. And every time she visited, she would ask about my recent studies, which gave off a... well, slightly oppressive atmosphere of elders.

If it were you, Qianye, where would you choose to stay temporarily?

Chiya hadn't considered it from that angle, but Rikka's explanation was indeed easy to understand, so he nodded in understanding. However, he still had a question: "Did Yukino's mother seem very oppressive? I don't think so. In my eyes, she has always been a very elegant and kind elder."

"That was only for you!" Rikka picked up her chopsticks again and complained irritably, "The guy who's always number one in the grade, shut up!"

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 lunch, Rikka obediently took her plate to the kitchen to wash and put it away, and didn't forget to feed Blackwing some dried fruit and milk.

Meanwhile, Gen Chiya quietly pushed open Toka's door again and took a peek.

She was still asleep, and sleeping very soundly. Yuan Qianye went over and touched her forehead, but she showed no signs of waking up.

He had previously worried that Shihua's busy work at the restaurant would exhaust her health, but now it seems that his worries were completely unnecessary.

The real culprit who burdened her was himself.

What a tragedy...

Feeling even more reflection and pity, Yuan Qianye couldn't bear to disturb her, so he quietly left the room again.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Liuhua took her parasol, slung her small crossbody bag over her shoulder, and put on her sandals by the entrance, her toes tapping the ground lightly as she habitually did.

"Are you sure I don't need to stay and take care of my sister?" she asked finally to confirm.

"I told you I'm not going out today, don't worry." Yuan Qianye leaned against the wall, her tone relaxed.

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you. We might be eating out for dinner later, do you need me to bring you and your sister anything?"

"It's enough that you're thinking of it. We have everything at home, so you don't need to bring anything. Just remember not to come home too late and be careful."

"Well, I know!"

After watching Rikka leave full of energy, Gen Chiya returned to the empty living room.

He twisted his neck from side to side, stretched his arms, and did a few simple warm-up exercises.

In the past, he defined exercise as just being moderate, and never thought about pushing himself to the limit.

But today, after seeing his own astonishingly high numbers that had grown without him even realizing it, he suddenly wanted to test where his limits were in all aspects.

So let's start with the simplest thing: jump rope.

Yuan Qianye held his breath and focused his gaze on the second hand of the wall clock in the living room.

The instant the pointer returned to zero, he suddenly exerted force on his wrist.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

The jump rope in his hand instantly became a blurry afterimage, the extreme speed bringing with it a sharp whistling sound, exploding in the living room with a series of dense, crisp sounds like firecrackers! The air seemed to be cut apart by the high-speed swinging rope!

The black-winged creature, which had been dozing on a coffee table not far away, was startled by the sudden, terrifying commotion. Its feathers bristled, its survival instinct instantly kicking in. It frantically flapped its wings and flew to a more distant dining table, glancing back at him with lingering fear.

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.

July 19th, Friday morning.

Final exam results have been officially released.

To alleviate excessive competition and protect students' mental health, the school uses a grading system of "A", "B", and "C" to record the specific grades for each subject on the final exam report.

As for Yuan Qianye, it goes without saying that he received a uniform "A" from beginning to end without any suspense.

As for Rikka, apart from getting an "A" in history and English, she got "B" in most other subjects, but unfortunately got a "C" in math and chemistry.

She was fully aware of this; Qianye's perfect score of "A" was because the upper limit was only "A".

Her two "C" grades were probably because even if she failed, the grade wouldn't be lower than "C".

Even so, Rikka was still quite happy when she received her report card.

It depends on the specific comparison. Her achievements are certainly not comparable to those of her sworn brother, but compared to her previous achievements, she has made significant progress this time.

Of course, the most important thing was the evaluation written by the homeroom teacher, which was full of satisfaction and encouragement for her improvement in the final exam.

It's not easy! Her homeroom teacher is usually so strict with her, always finding fault with her, but at the end of the semester, she finally gets to be treated like a human being.

In this way, she can safely pass the test with her sister and won't be forced to go to tutoring classes. She can also freely spend her summer vacation as she pleases!

"I am back."

That evening, as soon as Shika stepped into the house, Liuka immediately showed her her report card.

Toka took the papers, quickly scanning the grades for each subject. Then she looked at Rikka, who seemed to have an invisible tail wagging happily behind her, and said in a calm tone, "You passed, but don't go crazy during summer vacation. You still need to do your homework properly. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"Understood!" Rikka saluted with one hand, then immediately turned around to grab her phone and go find Eriri.

Her parents' official departure date is tomorrow, which means Eriri can move in with her tomorrow. Her best friend can come over to play with her and chat late into the night. Just thinking about it makes her happy.

Now I need to confirm the details with Eriri. Tomorrow I only need to bring a change of clothes. She has already thoughtfully prepared toothbrushes, towels, and other toiletries.

"Toka, you're back." Yuan Qianye heard the commotion in the living room and came out of her room.

Shihua nodded at him, her gaze gentle and natural. However, when she saw him head straight for the kitchen, her natural expression slowly turned into a helpless smile.

Sure enough, the next moment...

"Come quickly." Yuan Qianye brought out a small earthenware pot from the kitchen, placed it on the dining table, and beckoned to her: "Try the good stuff I prepared for you today."

"..." Shihua walked over helplessly. As soon as she got close, she smelled a very strong fragrance even before opening the lid.

The aroma was quite unique, rich in savory flavor yet not greasy at all. It even whetted her appetite after a long day of work in the smoky kitchen.

However, she looked up and met his gaze the next moment, gently tucking her hair behind her ear: "Qianye, you really don't need to prepare midnight snacks for me every day. I'm fine now, really."

Ever since a few days ago, when Qianye's frequency of operation, which was comparable to a pile driver, caused her to lie in bed for a whole day before she could recover slightly, this scene in front of her has become a regular occurrence every night.

He still has work commitments during the summer vacation, but since he doesn't have to go to school during the day, this period is free, so he can always get home before evening.

After returning home, he didn't think about resting, reading, or writing; instead, he devoted himself to studying recipes.

These past few days, every night when Shihua comes home, she is always greeted with a carefully prepared "treat" from him.