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

He was eating breakfast while scrolling through his morning messages on his phone. Judging from his slightly upturned eyes, relaxed brows, and the relaxed and cheerful aura around him, he was in a very good mood.

Eriri took a closer look at his still slightly damp hair, his handsome profile that looked even more refreshed after his bath, and his shoulders that showed off his strong features.

Her cheeks flushed as she fell into deep thought.

Could my massage last night have contributed to his current state?

Such reverie was interrupted.

Rikka, standing beside her, nudged her waist, her voice laced with amusement as she whispered, "Shall we continue after we get back tonight?"

Eriri immediately turned her squinting gaze to the television, trying to make her reply sound natural: "We'll see, we'll see."

"Okay~" Rikka didn't insist.

Everything seems to be going smoothly.

She felt that coming back tonight might allow for some further developments.

For example, the more specialized massage systems that require the use of essential oils.

After finishing breakfast, Yuan Qianye called out to the two, "Let's go."

Rikka and Eriri had already changed their clothes, and the three of them went out together.

After taking a taxi back to their doorstep, Eriri and Rikka were waiting in the car. After getting out, Chiyo went inside and quickly brought out little Chiyo, who was carrying a mini bag and wearing a sun hat.

After getting back on the bus, we headed directly to the aquarium.

The process of taking the children out to play is simple and unpretentious.

Although it wasn't as lively as when Yukino and Utaha were both there, it was still heartwarming enough.

Because it was summer vacation, the aquarium was crowded with families with children or groups of students.

To prevent Chiyo from being pushed around by the crowd or not being able to see the exhibition, Chiyo carried her on his shoulders for almost the entire time.

Let her hold her head and move between the various exhibition halls according to her preferences and directions.

Rikka had a camera hanging around her neck, but she rarely pointed the lens at the aquarium exhibits. Most of the time, she focused on Chiyo, Eriri, and Chiya. By the end of the day, her camera battery was completely depleted.

Eriri also completely immersed herself in this atmosphere, carrying the snacks and drinks she bought for Chiyo with one hand, and keeping tissues ready in her other hand to wipe away the sweat from Chiyo who was having a great time.

Well, she would occasionally hand Chiyo juice or something to her when her hands were full of Chiyo's ankles.

Rikka's subtly detached stance, holding a camera, gave Eriri a subtle sense of being part of a family of three.

And so, the joyful day quickly came to an end.

It was past five o'clock in the evening.

The setting sun had shed its midday heat, and the outdoor temperature dropped accordingly, bringing a comfortable coolness to the breeze.

After playing all day, Chiyo, completely exhausted, is now fast asleep in Chiyo's arms.

"You guys sit here and wait for a while. I'm going to the restroom, and when I come back, we'll go straight to get a taxi."

"Ah."

Gen Chiyo handed little Chiyo to Eriri to hold, and then quickly left.

Eriri withdrew her gaze from his departing figure, looked at the adorable sleeping Chiyo in her arms, and couldn't help but smile, gently pinching her nose.

Seeing this, Rikka picked up her camera and recorded the scene.

Eriri looked up at her helplessly. After a day of shopping, her energy was low, and she still couldn't bring herself to complain.

He simply remarked with a sigh, "I feel like Qianye will be very tired today."

Rikka nodded and sat down next to her: "After all, this little thing is either carried or carried on his back most of the time."

Eriri sighed softly, "We can go straight back later, but Chiya still has work to do."

"There's nothing we can do about it. His schedule is always very tight. But there's no need to worry too much. According to him, he enjoys this kind of arrangement. He says he feels fulfilled and doesn't feel like he's wasting his time."

At this point, Rikka suddenly stopped speaking.

She reached out and gently took the sleeping Chiyo from Eriri's arms, holding her securely in her own embrace, and without warning offered another suggestion for the subsequent arrangements.

"I'll take Chiyo back myself later. As for you, you'll have to take the place of Miyoko-nee, who's not with Chiyo right now, and follow behind him to see if you can help with his work. Anyway, you don't have any other plans later, right?"

…………

Volume 2: Chapter 129: Eriri Wants to Show Concern (6k) (8)

"So... after going to the aquarium today, you also went to the TV station with Qianye?"

"Yes, it was Rikka who suggested it. I think it might be able to help a little. I was thinking that since Miyoko-nee hasn't been by his side lately, I can't do some complicated things, but I should be able to get things for him, or buy him drinks or bento boxes if he's thirsty or hungry."

"I see."

"Ah...ah! Um...Yukino, don't overthink it! Well, you see, I've been staying at his house for a while now! I feel a little embarrassed that he's the only one taking care of me...so I thought I'd help him as much as I could, even if it's just something small that I can do! That's really all!"

At 11:30 p.m., the bedroom was dimly lit. Yukino leaned against the headboard, holding her phone, listening intently as Eriri recounted her day's events.

She couldn't help but chuckle, and also felt that Eriri's attempt to cover up the truth was unnecessary.

Even if she hadn't accidentally seen those R-rated paintings before, she had long ago noticed that Eriri had unusual feelings for her childhood friend, Chiya.

This is not Eriri's fault at all. After all, given his excellence, whether in academics, talent, appearance, personality, or his increasingly apparent abilities and sense of responsibility.

Girls of the same age... no, perhaps it should be said that any woman with normal aesthetic sense and basic emotional needs would probably find it difficult to completely resist his charm.

"I understand."

Yukino's calm and composed tone reassured Eriri on the other end of the phone.

"That's good……"

"However, it's probably not just these things. Eriri probably has some other worries she wants to tell me."

Yukino slipped on her slippers and left the room to go to the kitchen to get some water.

Hearing Eriri say that, she had a feeling that this phone call would probably last for a while.

"Yukino, you really know everything, even though I haven't said anything yet."

"Because we are friends, this level of understanding is nothing."

Yes, setting aside those deep-seated secrets about someone that are difficult to confide even to one's closest friends... that's certainly true.

Yukino silently added this sentence in her mind.

Eriri sighed the next moment: "I... I did something wrong again today. It's one thing for me to be stupid, but I also made Chiya feel embarrassed and embarrassed him."

"What exactly happened?"

"It's like this... Qianye's work this evening was filming a pre-recorded interview program at the TV station, the one to promote the drama that's about to premiere."

"Mmm." Yukino responded softly, fulfilling her role as a listener in a gentle tone, just like when she often received phone calls from Eriri during her time abroad.

"The TV station is huge, and there are so many people. As soon as I went in, I even saw members of the currently popular girl group Strawberry☆Parade... Uh, sorry, I'm getting off-topic. Anyway, after Qianye and I arrived at the TV station, a staff member led us to a studio."

Then someone started to do Qianye's hair and makeup, and during this time, someone from the production crew handed him a script and quickly discussed the general flow of the recording, the questions that might be asked, and the expected direction of his answers.

"Hmm, that sounds interesting. It must be a very interesting experience for you, Eriri."

Following Eriri's account, Yukino couldn't help but think of the time when Chiya surprised her in the Eagle Country.

Because of his own company's contract work, he also came to the United Kingdom, which gave him a rather unforgettable surprise.

She even went to the filming location to accompany him at that time.

Although the environment was noisy and busy at the time, the feeling of being by his side, watching him focus on his work, and the gentle gaze he cast at her during work breaks, all stirred a secret sense of beauty in her heart.

At that time, she naively thought that their relationship might soon undergo a rather unusual change, and that it would naturally progress as they grew up, just like the various couples she had seen at school. She even worried about the development of that relationship.

For many nights, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, her mind filled with complicated emotions. She struggled with how to explain to Eriri, who had grown up with her and also relied on Chiya, if the day ever came when they were honest with each other and their relationship progressed further.

However, not long after that, as she entered high school, Gen Chiya directly confessed to her the almost absurd reality that he already had girlfriends, and more than one.

Looking back now, Yukino realizes how incredibly naive and ridiculous she was back then.

Those sleepless nights, those cautious hopes and anxieties, all seemed so wishful thinking in the face of cold reality.

It was probably from that time that she stopped liking Qianye's gentleness so unconditionally as before.

Because his gentleness was so abundant, it wasn't just directed at her alone.

"Interesting...it really is very interesting to be able to accompany...be by Qianye's side! Seeing the specifics of his daily work is quite fun."

This is the first time I've realized that most of the interview programs on TV with those impressive promotional slogans like "deeply exploring the real private lives of celebrities" and "hitting the heart of the guests" are actually pre-programmed.

Just like in TV dramas and movies, once they step onto the stage, both the hosts and guests have their own scripts. Even seemingly impromptu revelations and genuine expressions of emotion may be pre-designed segments.

"The primary considerations for TV stations and program producers are ratings and program effects, which are directly related to advertising revenue and subsequent cooperation. In order to control the pace and avoid awkward silences or uncontrollable remarks, it is common practice in the industry to communicate in advance and set a general framework. Complete improvisation and authenticity are rare in mainstream TV programs, as the risk is too high."

"Hmm...that's where the problem lies."

"what happened?"

Yukino poured herself a glass of water.

Mrs. Yukinoshita then came from her room to the kitchen with an empty cup, as she was taking care of her husband who was thirsty after drinking too much at a social event that evening.

Seeing that her youngest daughter was on the phone, she gave up the idea of ​​striking up a conversation and instead just moved her lips slightly.

Although she didn't say anything, Yukino still managed to read out what her mother wanted to say based on her slowed-down lip movements: "Is it Chiya?"

Yukino shook her head and moved aside from the water dispenser.

There was also a sense of inexplicable embarrassment and annoyance.

Because she heard a barely perceptible sigh coming from her mother's lips.

"When I, this naive guy, asked him these questions on set, other staff members at the TV station overheard me. I felt like they were giving me strange looks, like they were laughing at me in their hearts, saying things like, 'You don't even know this? You're such an amateur...'"

Oh, so it was just something like this...

Yukino breathed a slight sigh of relief upon returning to her room.

She thought something even more serious and irreparably embarrassing had happened.

"As for these things, Qianye wouldn't care. Everyone has areas they're not good at and things they don't know. There's nothing shameful about that. Those staff members see all sorts of situations every day. They won't care about you because of such a small thing. It's probably just your overthinking and misconception."

"It's not just that. When we first arrived at the TV station, when Qianye introduced me to the staff who were in contact with us, he introduced me as his assistant, just as we had agreed beforehand."

"There's no problem with that."