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

The previously tense and exciting competition has now turned into a silent struggle of constant attempts and futile efforts.

The atmosphere at the scene gradually turned into a subtle, suffocating sense of isolation.

Eriri initially managed to cheer Yukino on, but later she hung her head, no longer surprised by Yukino's defeat; she had become numb to it.

Everyone present agreed that Saeko Busujima was very strong, but before today, no one knew that she was so strong that it was almost like science fiction.

Is this really a human?

The eighth game felt like the end was getting further and further away.

The theme of today's entire match, I don't know when, shifted from the outcome between Utaha and Yukino to how to defeat the great demon king guarding the scene before us.

…………

Volume 2: Chapter 121: Being with Qianye... is really quite comfortable (6k) (4)

It was 4:23 PM.

Seeing that Yukino and Utaha's eyes were gradually becoming confused and numb due to the continuous setbacks, and even revealing a trace of self-doubt and confusion.

Finally, Yuan Qianye could no longer remain silent and watched, and took the initiative to declare the near-massacre of the match over.

Continuing this is pointless; Saeko's strength is on a completely different level from theirs, utterly unreasonable.

As long as she is determined not to throw the game, this match will never end.

Although both Yukino and Utaha are inherently competitive, this time, after being unilaterally and forcefully terminated by Minamoto Chiyo, they were both unusually obedient and did not object or insist on continuing.

They simply sat silently in place, their eyelids lowered, a palpable sense of oppression surrounding them.

Seeing this, Eriri carefully approached Yukino, gently took her arm, and whispered, "Let's go back to our room and rest for a bit." She then got up with Yukino and walked towards Rikka's room.

Rikka understood immediately and ran to Shiho's side, took her arm, and led her to her older brother's room, away from this sad place.

Today's defeat was a huge blow to them, and they all felt heavy-hearted. They need time and space to process it on their own and let their turbulent emotions gradually calm down.

As for the result of this best-of-nine match... it no longer seems important at this moment.

The memory of being treated like a helpless child, easily and repeatedly humiliated, has a shock and sense of shame that far outweighs the initial desire for victory born out of momentary spite.

Today's experience will likely remain a nightmare for them for a long time to come, one that they will be unable to shake off.

Watching the two figures leave dejectedly, Saeko felt a little guilty, even though she had achieved her goal: "I'm sorry, Chiya, did I go a little too far?"

Yuan Qianye shook his head: "It has nothing to do with you. This is their own choice."

If we were to investigate this strictly, he might bear a small part of the responsibility for fueling the fire.

But perhaps the greatest responsibility lies with Yukino and Utaha themselves, who are both so stubborn.

If they hadn't started arguing so fiercely in the first place, they wouldn't have been taught such a terrible lesson by Saeko.

"However, I don't regret it at all. On the contrary, I'm quite happy. This way, I can say that I truly participated in the experience of interacting with everyone. When I look back on it in the future, I won't be an outsider." Saeko seemed quite happy.

Yuan Qianye noticed that her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her amethyst-like eyes were narrowed into long arcs.

Based on his understanding of Saeko, his interaction with Yukino Utaha just now didn't seem to involve even a tenth of her true strength; it was merely a warm-up.

Therefore, it's impossible to be tired, which means...

Is she acting so cheerful because she's excited?

He successfully and properly "disciplined" Yukino and Utaha, satisfying his sadistic desires.

Chiya's memories drifted back to her first meeting with Saeko when she was in junior high school—in the darkness of night, she beat a criminal who was following her to the point of committing a crime half to death with a wooden sword. Her hair flew in the wind with the precise and powerful attack, and her face was stained with blood. That smile, which was a mixture of sharpness and a kind of extreme pleasure, could be described as "madness"!

Since they started dating, Saeko has always shown him the utmost gentleness, tolerance, and virtue, making him almost forget... that this daughter of a prestigious kendo family is a combination of sadist and masochist.

"Congratulations!" Yuan Qianye said with mixed feelings.

I don't know whether to be happy for Saeko's satisfied "integration" or to mourn for the enormous "psychological trauma" Yukino and Utaha have suffered.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was getting late. "I'll go prepare dinner. As for the two of them, let them have some peace and quiet for now. It's good for them to experience some setbacks now and then."

"I'll prepare dinner. As for Qianye... I think it would be better if you went and talked to them now. Also, please pass on my apology for me."

Now, Chiya Minamoto feels that if any of the other girls around him were half as considerate and understanding as Saeko, he would be willing to marry them all and support them for the rest of his life!

Gen Chiya put his arm around her waist and said in an unusually serious tone, "I will seriously consider how to make it up to Saeko."

Saeko covered her mouth and chuckled: "Don't worry about it so much. I was just acting according to my own will."

"Then I'll go. Keep dinner simple, don't make it too complicated."

"Hmm... wait a minute, Chiya." Saeko suddenly called out to him, pointing to Rikka's room: "Let's go check on Yukino's situation first. Compared to Utaha, who has been trying various strategies, Yukino was focused on breaking through me head-on. So I had no choice but to subdue her directly. I used too much force several times, so she's probably still in pain in some parts of her body."

"Row."

"It would be best to also bring a first-aid kit or ice packs."

"I don't think Yukino is injured either."

"That's not the point."

Saeko stood with her hands behind her back, her eyes gleaming with shrewdness.

Yuan Qianye instantly understood her hint.

Whether or not someone gets hurt is not the point; the key is the act of "caring" itself, and the opportunity that may be created to bring people closer.

"Also, I feel like I might be too busy in the kitchen by myself, so please pass on a message and ask Eriri to come and help out as well."

"Okay, I understand."

Gen Chiya took two steps closer, and under Saeko's slightly surprised gaze, he lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead.

Saeko paused for a moment, then gently touched her forehead where she had been kissed, a tender and happy smile spreading across her face.

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.

In Rikka's room.

Yukino sat at her desk, her expression calm, but her aura exuded a melancholy.

She was indeed very frustrated. She could frankly admit that in terms of physique, or rather, pure combat strength, she was completely incomparable to Saeko Busujima.

This is an objective fact, and she accepts it.

But what she couldn't accept was that, despite giving it her all, she couldn't even manage to spill a single drop of tea from the other person's cup.

In that case, what do all the falls, pain, and sweat I shed while learning Aikido count for?

It all felt like a waste of time; all that practice was pointless. In the end, I ended up just like Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had no experience whatsoever, getting completely crushed by Saeko.

This realization made her feel more frustrated than simply failing, and even gave her a sense of emptiness, as if her self-worth had been denied.

"Um... Yukino."

Eriri rubbed her hands together, carefully approaching her and trying to comfort her in the most soothing tone.

"Actually, I don't think it's shameful for you to lose to Saeko-nee. Think about it, she's a national-level kendo champion, just like Chiya! In terms of fighting skills, she's undoubtedly at the top level among her peers!"

Think about it, how many female high school students are there in the whole country? If you meet her... it's like me meeting you in academics, there's absolutely no chance I could beat her, so you don't need to worry so much. It would be strange if you actually beat her. There's no such thing as a perfect person in the world, good at academics and athletically talented... um, you know..."

She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly remembered an exception—someone who was both the top student in the grade and a kendo champion—and quickly skipped over it.

"Anyway! I really don't think you need to care! Look on the bright side, even if this match doesn't count, the final result is still that you're one point ahead of Kasumigaoka. You beat her, which is enough, so there's no need to be disappointed. Therefore, let's celebrate our victory... Yay~"

Eriri tried her best to cheer up her best friend, but to little avail.

Finally, she raised her hands, but only received a polite but somewhat reluctant pat in response from Yukino.

She clearly hadn't taken Eriri's words to heart and was still wallowing in her own emotional low.

"Thank you, Eriri. Actually, I'm fine. You don't need to worry so much. I'm just a little tired, so I thought I'd just be alone for a while."

"Ah, yes, it's true, you must be tired after such a long competition. I won't bother you anymore. Do you need me to massage your arms or..."

"Knock, knock, knock!"

A knock sounded on the door, followed by Yuan Qianye's voice: "May I come in?"

Eriri glanced at Yukino, and seeing that she didn't have any special reaction, she immediately smiled and said, "Sure."

Gen Chiya pushed open the door and entered. His gaze swept over Yukino, whose eyes were lowered, and he chuckled before turning to Eriri and saying, "Saeko is preparing dinner in the kitchen. She said she can't manage it all by herself and would like to ask you to help out."

"Huh? Me?"

Eriri pointed to herself, somewhat surprised, but quickly met the look in Minamoto Chiya's eyes that clearly said, "Leave it to me."

She instantly understood and nodded obediently: "Ah... okay, I'll go right away."

"I'll go help," Yukino stood up. "Eri isn't very good at this."

"No! You just said you wanted to rest by yourself for a while!"

Eriri reacted quickly, immediately stepping forward and gently placing her hands on Yukino's shoulders, pressing her back into the chair, her tone carrying an undeniable firmness.

"You just get some rest! Leave dinner to me and Saeko-nee!"

She didn't give Yukino another chance to argue, immediately turned around, and gently closed the door behind her as she left.

After Eriri left, the room fell into a brief silence.

Chiyo didn't speak immediately, and Yukino remained facing the desk without turning around.

Chiya Minamoto came to Yukino's side and placed the first-aid kit on the desk.

She pulled over the chair that Eriri had just been sitting in and sat down in front of Yukino.

It wasn't until he raised his hand and reached for her wrist, which was resting on her knee, that Yukino finally reacted, instinctively pulling her hand back and asking, "What are you doing?"

"What can I do?" Yuan Qianye asked matter-of-factly. "I'll take a look at your wrist. You must have suffered quite a bit just now."

"I'm fine," Yukino said stiffly.

"Whether it's something or not, we'll only know after we see the details."

Yukino stared at him warily: "Instead of checking on your girlfriend first, you insist on trying to get physical contact with another girl here under a seemingly legitimate excuse, especially when there's only a wall separating you..."

She waited a moment, then suddenly realized: "I understand. You're enjoying the sense of transgression in this. You can't go back to your first meeting with Saeko when you were in junior high school without doing this—in the dark of night, she beat a criminal who was following her to the point of committing a crime half to death with a wooden sword. Her hair flew in the wind with the precise and powerful attack, and her face was stained with blood. That smile, which was a mixture of sharpness and a kind of extreme pleasure, could be described as 'madness'!"

Since they started dating, Saeko has always shown him the utmost gentleness, tolerance, and virtue, making him almost forget... that this daughter of a prestigious kendo family is a combination of sadist and masochist.

"Congratulations!" Yuan Qianye said with mixed feelings.

I don't know whether to be happy for Saeko's satisfied "integration" or to mourn for the enormous "psychological trauma" Yukino and Utaha have suffered.