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

Toka knew perfectly well that Chiya felt guilty about what had happened before, and this was his way of asking for forgiveness and trying to cheer her up.

The problem is that she never blamed him for anything, so there's no question of forgiveness.

Actually, if we're talking about Toka's attitude last time... it's more accurate to say that she witnessed his almost fanatical yearning and infatuation with her, which warmed her heart and gave her a sense of satisfaction—a feeling of being strongly needed and cherished, a sense of fulfillment and security.

Apart from the fact that her body was indeed sore and weak for the next two days and she didn't want to move, it had no other effects on her.

Even the restaurant's front-of-house manager and several familiar waitresses unanimously praised her for her improved skin condition recently, saying she looked radiant and more beautiful. They all asked her for the skincare brands she used and her skincare tips.

Shika found it difficult to talk about this. She didn't usually use facial skincare products in private, and as for skincare tips... she could never get all of Chiya's products to work, so a considerable amount would end up on her face each time. Could this be categorized as a so-called "skincare tip"?

There's simply no way to share it.

Therefore, she could only brush it off with excuses like going to bed early and waking up early and eating more vegetables.

"Alright, enough talk. Let's try it first. This dish is a real treat. I got home at four in the afternoon and was busy until recently. Consider this a rating of my cooking skills. You have to do me the honor."

His words left Shihua with no choice but to reluctantly sit down at the table.

Yuan Qianye lifted the lid of the small earthenware jar for her. In that instant, an extremely rich aroma of wine and meat mingled and overflowed, bursting out with the heat and instantly filling the entire restaurant!

Shihua, who was about to mutter, "If you keep feeding me like this, I'll grow into a big fat person sooner or later," suddenly stopped.

All words of refusal were silenced by the overwhelming, exquisite fragrance.

She took the white porcelain spoon that Yuan Qianye handed her, dipped it into the earthenware pot, and gently stirred it.

The golden, oily broth contains abalone, sea cucumber, tendon, shiitake mushrooms, dried scallops, and more...

“Buddha Jumps Over the Wall…” she softly uttered the specific name of this legendary SSR dish.

Yuan Qianye pulled up a chair and sat down next to her, leaning his elbow on the table and smiling at her: "It's like a youthful version of a half-finished Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. After all, from preparation to completion, it only took me a little over five hours."

He wasn't being modest in his words.

Indeed, for the authentic and meticulously prepared famous dish Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, the selection of ingredients is subject to very high standards and meticulousness.

For example, when choosing abalone, you should select dried abalone, preferably South African dried abalone or Yoshihama abalone, in order to achieve a soft, sticky, and chewy center after soaking.

Sea cucumbers of the spiky variety are preferred, with bottom-sown spiky sea cucumbers or Neon Kanto sea cucumbers being the best. These two types of sea cucumbers are generally elastic, providing diners with a better taste experience.

In order to provide the broth with a deep seafood essence, the scallops must be selected from the best large pieces, and there can be no carelessness.

This is just the initial selection of ingredients. After considering the complex processes of ingredient processing, broth preparation, and simmering, it is perfectly normal for this dish to take three or four days to prepare.

If we strictly follow tradition, it's not impossible that it could take a whole week.

Therefore, the dish that Gen Chiyo spent a mere five hours to complete can indeed be called a youth version.

However, despite what he said, the dish in front of him did not lose any of its appeal.

Shihua scooped up some soup with a ladle and slowly tilted the ladle.

The bright broth was already thick and gelatinous. It didn't drip down in small drops, but rather flowed down in a continuous, crystal-clear golden line, shimmering under the light.

Shihua aspires to become a renowned chef in the future, so she naturally understands the complexity of this dish.

The image of him spending the sweltering summer heat in the kitchen, soaking, simmering, and stewing food, flashed through my mind, all for his own sake.

A warm feeling welled up in her heart.

"Thousand Nights..."

Just as Toka was about to say something, moved, Rikka, smelling the fragrance, rushed out of the room in a flash.

Her eyes immediately lit up as she moved closer to the dining table, her slightly open mouth seemingly ready to spill saliva: "Sister, haven't you always been worried about gaining weight? If you're not going to eat this, give it to me!"

"Go away, go away." Yuan Qianye waved his hand dismissively first, answering on behalf of Shihua: "There wasn't much left after it was cooked. I only tasted it myself, and I served you a big bowl and ate it all. Now there's only this much left, so of course it's all Shihua's."

Gen Chiya had his own ideas.

He himself has an exceptionally good physique, so there's no way he can just self-destruct by starving himself or getting sick and making his physique worse.

So after much thought, the only solution I could think of was to improve the physical condition of the women around me. But getting them to the same level as me felt like a pipe dream.

But the goal of narrowing the gap between their physical abilities and his, and being able to withstand more of his loving dragon thrusts, is still worth looking forward to and is entirely achievable.

To achieve this goal, besides regular exercise, the only other way is through careful dietary supplementation.

Rikka, unwilling to give up, said, "Maybe my sister was busy all day, or she had a late-night snack before leaving get off work, and now she doesn't have much of an appetite?"

After saying that, she immediately gave her older sister a bright, pleading look, as if to say, "Please."

When Shika received such a gaze, she was naturally unmoved and even wanted to knock her on the head.

"Look at your face, it's getting rounder and rounder, and you still have the nerve to say that to me."

Tohka withdrew her fingertip that had been poking Rikka's cheek, and quickly turned her head toward the living room.

"That pile of empty snack bags and the nearly empty bottle of Coke on the coffee table are also the fruits of your labor today, right? After eating so much, you still have the nerve to think about my midnight snack? Do you really want to become a little fat pig?"

"What does it matter? It's not that big of a deal..." After being mercilessly scolded, Rikka's ahoge (cowlick) drooped listlessly.

Yuan Qianye found it amusing and also felt a little sorry for her. He couldn't help but reach out and pat Rikka's head: "This isn't some expensive or unattainable rare dish. At most, it's just a bit troublesome to prepare. If you really like it that much, I'll make it again tomorrow. Hmm... I'll buy more ingredients and make more at once. After it's done, I'll put this in the fridge so you can eat it for all three meals a day. I'll let you eat your fill until you're sick of it."

"It's a deal! It's settled then! I'll go to the supermarket with you tomorrow morning! Eriri can also try some~" Hearing this, Rikka regained some energy, but as she left, she was still incredibly tempted, turning back every few steps. Her big, cute eyes were quite expressive at that moment, as if she were bidding a tragic farewell to some unparalleled delicacy.

Toka was unmoved by this. She didn't care about ordinary things and just gave them to Rikka, since Rikka was her younger sister and it didn't matter.

But this small bowl of food today was specially prepared for her by Qianye with great effort.

Food is just the surface; what's more important is the sentiment behind it. How can you not enjoy it yourself and let that little glutton eat it all?

…………

Volume 2: Chapter 115: Quietly Discovering Their "Interaction Diagram" (7k)

July 20th, Friday, early morning.

Inside the Sawamura family mansion.

"You don't need to touch the main power switch. I've already turned off the main gas valve. I've checked all the other windows in the house and made sure they're tightly closed. Before you leave, just remember to close the window in your room. Also, make sure to double-lock the front door with the key. Don't forget that. And also..."

"Oh dear—okay, Mom!" Eriri drawled out her words with a hint of exasperation, "I know, I'm not a little kid anymore!"

"That's just how you see it. In my eyes, you'll always be a little kid."

Mrs. Sawamura smiled and lightly flicked Eriri's forehead, then continued with her meticulous instructions.

"When you stay at someone else's house for a while, remember not to throw a tantrum. It's one thing to embarrass your mother by being treated like an ill-mannered child, but it would be a real loss if someone you care about disliked you. Do you understand?"

Eriri blushed and didn't answer, her eyes darting around, putting on an awkward look as if to say, "I don't understand what you're saying, Mom."

Mrs. Sawamura didn't mind; how could she not know her own daughter? That's how she always is.

She turned around with a smile, looked at Eriri's bed which was covered in clothes and messy, and said with emotion, "It's so nice, so enviable. The relationship has lasted since you were so young. I wish your father and I had known each other since we were little."

"Darling! The car we booked is already parked at the door!" came Mr. Spencer's urgent voice from downstairs.

They are about to depart for the airport to catch a direct flight to the United Kingdom.

This trip will last at least half a month. Since his daughter is not choosing to come along this time, Mr. Spencer has decided to take this opportunity to enjoy some time alone together.

"Coming!" Mrs. Sawamura replied to her husband, then put her hands on her beloved daughter's shoulders. "The gift Mom prepared for your visit is on the coffee table in the living room. Remember to bring it when you go to Chiya's place later, understand?"

"I know everything. You already emphasized it three times last night! Hurry up and go, don't keep the driver waiting."

Eriri pushed her worried mother downstairs, helped carry their luggage, and saw them to the door.

During this time, not only Mrs. Sawamura, but also Mr. Spencer kept reminding her of the etiquette and matters she needed to pay attention to when disturbing other people's homes.

However, he didn't think as much about his daughter's boarding arrangements as his wife did.

Although the news that his daughter was going to stay with Chiya initially stirred up some complicated emotions in him, his subtle worries dissipated almost entirely after he learned that his daughter would be sharing a room with her best friend Rikka and that there would be another older sister living under the same roof.

With friends of the same age by your side and reliable older people nearby, this arrangement sounds as safe as it gets, and there shouldn't be any problems.

"Have a safe trip! Remember to message me when you arrive to let me know you've arrived safely!"

Eriri stood by the roadside waving, watching the car drive away, then put her hands on her hips and let out a soft breath.

She went back inside. Her parents had already taken some of their belongings, and the large mansion suddenly seemed much emptier and quieter.

However, Eriri did not feel lonely at all; instead, she was filled with a light and joyful sense of anticipation.

For the next period of time, I can spend every day with Qianye... ah, no, that's not right!

I'll be able to spend every day with Rikka! Just thinking about it makes me so happy!

Eriri's cheeks flushed slightly, and her expression unconsciously became a little awkward. She stood alone in the middle of the living room, unable to suppress the corners of her mouth from turning up, letting out a few silly "guhehe" laughs.

It took her a while to come to her senses. With light steps and her pigtails swaying, she almost hopped up the stairs to the second floor.

"Ding-dong-"

As soon as I reached the second-floor corridor, the clear sound of the doorbell rang from downstairs.

Eriri's first thought was that her parents had forgotten something and had turned back.

She hurried downstairs, opened the door, and to her surprise, Yukino and Rikka were standing outside.

Yukino's outfit today is a little different from her usual style.

She wore a light blue long-sleeved shirt, paired with an elegant white long skirt, white ankle socks with lace trim, and beige mid-heel sandals. Her smooth black hair was unusually tied into a neat single ponytail, with the ponytail falling from her left shoulder and gathered diagonally to her chest. She also wore a small white beret, and the delicate face peeking out from under the brim complemented her outfit perfectly, making her look both fresh and unique.

Rikka continued her usual style, wearing an intricately designed and meticulously detailed Lolita-style long dress, mainly in black, with layers of skirt, paired with black over-the-knee stockings and round-toed leather shoes. She also carried a parasol decorated with delicate lace and bows, and her signature ahoge (cowlick) stood up as spiritedly as ever.

Looking at her outfit, it's really hard to tell whether she felt hot or was deliberately seeking this unique sense of coolness.

"Good morning, Eriri." Yukino smiled and nodded gently to Eriri in greeting.

"Since I thought you might have a lot of luggage and it would be inconvenient for you to carry, I asked Yukino to come and help. Are you surprised?" Rikka closed her umbrella without any ceremony and stepped into the door first, her tone light and natural.

"It's a surprise, but if you're not coming, you should have let me know in advance. What if we miss each other?" Eriri said this, but her heart was warmed by her friends' thoughtful gesture, and she was very happy. She hurriedly bent down to get their slippers.

Rikka snorted: "Yesterday when we went shopping together, didn't you tell us your aunt and uncle's boarding time? You also said that you would pack up and get ready to leave after seeing them off? We timed it perfectly, how could we miss it? Your aunt and uncle have already left, haven't they?"

"Yes, they just left and you arrived right after."

Yukino steered the conversation back on track: "Let's get this over with quickly. It's very hot today, and it'll get even hotter by noon."

"okay."

Rikka volunteered: "Just let us know if there's anything we can do to help."

"I can take care of the tidying up myself. You two can just wait for me downstairs while you drink some herbal tea."

“That won’t do.” Rikka refused outright: “Yukino and I are already here, and we can also take this opportunity to see how Eriri is developing recently.”