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

Yuan Qianye laughed even more heartily: "It's nothing, I just wanted to remind you, think back to my debut novel, what genre was it again?"

Yukino didn't need to think back at all; she knew him all too well, having spent so much time with him.

—【The Astrological Murder Mystery】, his debut work, won the Edogawa Rampo Award upon its release. Its ingenious plot twists and layered reversals opened up a completely new path for the long-dormant world of classic mystery novels, leaving countless people amazed that "mystery novels can be written like this!"

When Yukino was abroad, she would often sit alone at the table or lean against the bed late at night, silently savoring that novel at least five times.

She couldn't be with him during that time, but at least she had his words to keep her company.

And now that he's suddenly bringing this up, it means...

"What I'm about to say is just me talking to myself because of my professional habit. You could also consider it my curiosity and reasoning practice about 'unknown events,' so Yukino, you don't need to pay any attention to me. Just pretend you didn't hear me."

Yuan Qianye returned to the stove, put the cooked soup aside, and took out a frying pan to slowly fry the fish that had been marinated in advance.

"So, first we need to sort out the current situation."

As he fried the fish, he recounted the story in a manner reminiscent of analyzing a case.

"Yukino's unusual behavior today was as follows: from the moment you walked into my house twenty minutes ago, you were very taciturn and showed no intention of communicating with me. When I offered to help you with your bag, you showed obvious resistance and backing down. Later, when you passed by me in the not-so-narrow corridor, you subconsciously turned your body slightly to the side."

Rewinding to the present, to what just happened between us in the kitchen, your unwillingness to answer my questions and your attempts to avoid eye contact with me lead to the same conclusion. The specific reasons are unknown, but you are definitely resisting interaction with me.

This is strange. I didn't do anything excessive or offensive to you; I just wanted to chat with you.

Why is this happening? The existing clues are still too few to draw a decisive conclusion, but we can first rule out my involvement. I haven't seen you for a while, and all our communication via messages has been nothing more than formal discussions about polishing and revising the novel manuscript. I'm quite certain that there are no problems with those contents.

I did my morning exercise and worked up a sweat, but I showered and changed my clothes, so there shouldn't be any hygiene issues.

Yukino took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm: "Just because you write mystery novels, you want to become a famous detective in real life? You're really childish, Chiyo.

“I already told you, this is just my own speculation for fun, you don’t need to pay attention to me.” Yuan Qianye readily replied, his tone still light: “Oh right, after you’ve chopped the vegetables, could you please peel those peas over there as well?”

"..."

Gen Chiya continued speaking to himself, his interest growing stronger: "Now that we know the current situation, let's rewind to the time in the living room. On the spacious sofa, Rikka was sitting on the far left, Eriri was next to her, and you were sitting a short distance away from Eriri."

This situation alone might not prove anything; it could simply be a coincidence. However, in your subsequent conversations with Rikka and Eriri, you were natural with Rikka but awkward around Eriri. This awkwardness is very similar to your unnaturalness when facing me, making it hard not to overthink it.

Yukino placed the chopped vegetables into a plate, cleaned the cutting board expressionlessly, and then picked up the peas to start shelling them.

She was determined not to engage with him and wanted to see how long this guy could keep talking to himself.

"With these clues, making inferences becomes much easier."

Gen Chiya continued to unravel the mystery,

"Based on my conversation with Eriri when she first came in, we know that everything was normal when you went to her house this morning. So it's quite obvious that, to some extent, the so-called 'time of the incident' and 'location of the incident' can be basically determined. Combined with the clues we just deduced..."

What could possibly make you act unnaturally towards both me and Eriri after leaving Eriri's house?

Considering Eriri's complete ignorance of this, and her naive belief that Yukino's weakness is due to motion sickness or fatigue, it's highly likely that she either didn't see anything at all during the 'incident,' or she wasn't even present at the scene..."

"enough!"

The playful smile on Yuan Qianye's lips had not yet faded, and he was softly reciting his conclusion when he was abruptly interrupted by Yukino's suddenly raised voice.

Gen Chiyo looked at her with some surprise. Yukino's eyes were filled with panic and embarrassment, her face was flushed unnaturally, and her chest rose and fell slightly due to the fluctuation of her emotions.

This was the first time in all these years that he had seen her so distraught…

Wait, no, this isn't the first time.

Flipping through the chapters of memories in his mind, Gen Chiya copied and pasted Yukino's embarrassed and annoyed reaction into the search bar and pressed enter. Soon, many images with a similarity of over 80% popped up in the database.

She put her hands on her head after losing the exam, reluctantly meowing as she dressed up as a cat; he coaxed and tricked her into wearing a magical girl cosplay outfit, and she was filled with shame and indignation...

At first, Yuan Qianye just thought that since he had nothing better to do, he could just find a topic to joke with the second young lady.

However, he did not expect that the second young lady's reaction would be far greater than he had imagined, which made him even more imaginative, and his curiosity and desire to explore became even stronger, and his thoughts spread even more rapidly.

But before that...

"I'm sorry, I crossed the line a little." Yuan Qianye's smile faded. "Even the best of friends should have some boundaries. This time it was my fault, I went a little too far with the joke, please forgive me."

His sudden and sincere apology caught Yukino off guard and surprised her.

She stared at him blankly, realizing that she had just lost her composure. She had been completely distracted by his words about "time of the crime" and "crime scene," and had lost all control, which led to her feeling guilty and her outburst of unease.

This was completely unlike her usual self, but there was nothing she could do. Eriri's drawing, so undisguised and with such emphasis on certain parts of her body, had really shocked her.

Yukino calmed her breathing slightly, her lips moved slightly before she spoke in a low voice: "You...you don't need to apologize, it's just...that's really a girl's private matter, and I really can't explain it to you."

"Okay, I understand. I won't ask any more questions."

“…” Yukino nodded silently.

"That's enough then, let's not discuss this topic anymore." Yuan Qianye tried to put an end to the matter and turn the page.

But Yukino looked at him, observing his calm expression, and recalled his reasoning that had almost touched on the core of the matter, and felt something: "Because... you've actually realized something by now, haven't you?"

Yuan Qianye flipped the fish fillet in the frying pan over, and the golden and crispy side sizzled perfectly.

Instead of answering immediately, he asked in return, "How can I answer in a way that will make you feel better?"

Yukino sighed softly, as if giving up on something: "Never mind... that's enough."

“I’m sorry.” “Chiyo…” Yukino’s tone was somewhat complicated, “…You are indeed very smart.”

Yuan Qianye smiled gently again and shook his head: "This has nothing to do with intelligence. I just know you too well."

"..." Yukino was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond to those words.

The red tide, which had just begun to recede, seems to be making a comeback after people have come to understand the deeper meaning behind this statement.

She gently shook her head, repeatedly reminding herself of the fact that he already had girlfriends, and more than one.

Only then did I manage to regain a calm and rational perspective.

She thought about what Qianye had just said; if he could ask that question in that way, then the specific answer was self-evident.

She didn't know exactly how much he had guessed correctly, but whether out of pride or shame, she didn't want to find out anymore.

Now, she just wants to figure out one last thing.

"About Eriri..." Yukino's voice was low and tense.

“What she said to me from the entrance hall was, ‘We’re all crammed together again, it’s not very comfortable, and with the weather so hot, it’s no wonder Yukino is a little irritable and in a bad mood.’ She didn’t notice anything wrong, so you can rest assured.”

Yukino sighed helplessly. She made it sound easy, but from her perspective, it wasn't so easy to let go.

She suddenly felt even more sorry for Eriri, not only because she had inadvertently invaded her privacy, but also because Chiya had noticed her emotional fluctuations.

Although Eriri herself may not have realized it, it still indirectly caused her to lose face.

"Don't overthink it," Yuan Qianye suddenly said out of the blue.

Yukino: "?"

“For creators, we often take situations, examples, or characters from our own lives and use them directly in our works because it is very convenient. This is actually quite normal and understandable, so there is nothing to worry about.”

Yukino: "?!!!"

Is this guy a roundworm?!

Yukino's surprised expression was noticed by Chiyo, who laughed even harder, but quickly changed the subject: "Okay, really, let's not talk about this anymore. Hurry up and shell the peas, then beat five eggs for me, add a little milk and mix well. I'm going to make tamagoyaki later."

Yukino didn't reply, but simply nodded silently, quickening her movements.

For the next twenty minutes, the two simply worked together tacitly to prepare lunch, each busy with their own tasks. The only sounds in the kitchen were the clanging of spatulas, the rinsing of water, and the cooking of food. Everything was peaceful.

Then, the phone that Yuan Qianye had in his pants pocket suddenly rang.

"Do me a favor and get my phone out so I can answer it." Yuan Qianye raised his hands, which were covered in disposable gloves and minced meat, and turned slightly towards Yukino.

After the exchange and the subsequent silent cooperation, Yukino's emotions had basically calmed down. She was washing grapes for dessert by the sink when she heard this. Without thinking much, she took a kitchen paper to dry her hands and prepared to help.

But when she walked to Qianye's side, she suddenly stopped and a look of embarrassment appeared on her face.

There was no particular reason; it was simply because Yuan Qianye's phone was in his pants pocket.

Her sudden pause caught Yuan Qianye's attention. After thinking about it, he could understand, since she was similar to Eriri, possessing a contrasting tsundere and shy nature.

"Never mind, I'll do it myself," Yuan Qianye said, preparing to take off her disposable gloves.

"No need." But Yukino seemed to have made up her mind and stepped forward first.

She lowered her head slightly, reached out and gently lifted the hem of his apron, while her other hand quickly and somewhat stiffly reached into his pants pocket and took out his phone. During this process, her fingertips inevitably touched his side through the fabric, bringing a slightly warm sensation.

"It's an unknown number." She tried to sound calm, but she couldn't quite pull it off naturally; her voice still carried a noticeable tension.

"Take the call, put it on speakerphone."

"Ah."

Yukino did as she was told, and after the call connected, she brought the phone close to Chiya's mouth.

"Is this Hoshino Eiki Co., Ltd." a polite male voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Yes, I am the receptionist at Xingye Yonghui. My surname is Xiaolin. May I ask who you are?" Yuan Qianye's voice instantly switched to a calm and professional tone.

Yukino raised an eyebrow slightly as she looked at him.

"This is Yuexiatang Culture Co., Ltd. We would like to inquire about the process for commissioning a manuscript from your president, Mr. Minamoto Chiya."

"Thank you for your call and your interest in cooperation. Regarding the specific details of contacting President Yuan, I can convey your initial intentions or provide you with a more direct working communication channel. You can find our online contact information on our official website, Xingye Yonghui, where you can find our publicly available work email address and online contact account. You can also send a more detailed proposal or project summary directly to the president's publicly available email address, and we can discuss further details online later..."

Yuan Qianye answered clearly and fluently, his voice revealing a composure and competence that belied his actual age.

For some reason, seeing him so focused on his work and handling things so well, Yukino's chaotic thoughts, filled with shame and embarrassment, gradually subsided and quietly transformed into another indescribable emotion.

"...Okay, if there are any matters that require my assistance in confirming or relaying, please feel free to call me again at any time. I won't take up any more of your time today."

"Thank you for your help."

"I wish you success in your work, goodbye."

Gen Chiyo gestured with his chin, and Yukino hung up the phone.

"Xiao Lin?" She looked at him with amusement.

Yuan Qianye replied matter-of-factly, "Of course it was made up. I can't let the other party know that I, the head of the company, personally answered the phone, would that completely undermine my prestige?"

"Where's Miyoko-san?"

"She had something to do, so I gave her the day off."

Yukino nodded thoughtfully, and then Chiya turned to the side.