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

"Yes... the introduction itself was fine, but the gentleman who was in charge of reception at the time, who looked to be in his thirties and very capable, turned to me after hearing Qianye's introduction, bowed slightly to me very politely, and said something like, 'Assistant, thank you for your hard work, please take care of me for the rest of the trip'..."

Eriri paused, as if she were back in that moment when she was so embarrassed she wanted to dig her toes into the ground.

"When I saw that the other person was clearly a generation older than me, and their attitude was so formal and polite, I suddenly panicked and felt unworthy of it, and really embarrassed! In a moment of impulse, without thinking much, I blurted out, 'Ah, no, it's no trouble at all! Actually, I'm just a temporary... you know, I'm just here to help out today... not a formal assistant...'"

Eriri let out a painful cry.

"Hmm—! As soon as I said that, I immediately felt that the staff member's gaze towards me and Qianye... became a little subtle! It seemed to be a little inquisitive, and also a little like he understood?

Although Chiya naturally took over the conversation at the time, smiling and saying to the gentleman, "She's rather modest, thank you for your help today," she managed to smooth things over...

But I really shouldn't have said that! I should have just kept my mouth shut, nodded, and smiled! Ugh, I was so stupid!

Based on Yukino's tone and Eriri's words, one can roughly imagine the scene at that time.

Based on her insight into interpersonal relationships, the subtle changes in the staff member's eyes were probably an attempt to determine the more specific relationship between Eriri and Chiya.

For example, whether she is a close female student, a friend, or has a more personal relationship, rather than being disrespectful.

However, given Eriri's already tense state of mind and her excessive concern for Chiya's reputation, any subtle reaction would be magnified and interpreted as a sign that she had messed up.

Yukino herself didn't think it was a big deal, but given Eriri's personality—cheerful and lively in front of familiar friends, but reserved, cautious, and overly concerned about others' opinions in unfamiliar environments or when facing older people—this experience of saying something wrong might indeed make her think about it repeatedly and find it hard to hold a grudge.

If she isn't properly comforted, she'll definitely be depressed and melancholy for a long time afterward. Yukino knows her better than anyone.

However, Eriri seems to have not finished speaking, so let's save the words of comfort for last.

"And then, there's the most, most, most embarrassing part!"

Eriri spoke with a tone of utter frustration and regret.

"In short, the staff member behind me was probably trying to make it easier for me to come and go, and kindly prepared a temporary visitor assistance tag for me, which I obediently put on."

Later, after Qianye finished his makeup and went through the process, and was about to start recording the show in front of the camera in the studio, I waited for him in a quiet corner, just as we had agreed beforehand.

And then! Right in the middle of the recording, while Qianye was talking to the host on stage, someone suddenly walked up to me and started a conversation!

"To strike up a conversation?"

Yukino raised an eyebrow slightly. Although the possibility was very small in that situation, it was no exaggeration to say that Eriri's appearance could passively increase the chances of it.

"I'd rather it was a flirtation."

Because that would make things much simpler, and she could simply and directly refuse!

Eriri said with a sense of despair, "The other person is a middle-aged man who looks to be around forty or fifty years old, wearing a suit and exuding a powerful aura."

He walked over, formally introduced himself, and then handed over a business card, saying that he was the head of the news department of the TV station and the person in charge of some kind of documentary program.

He said that after watching Qianye's performance and speech on stage, and learning about Qianye's previous achievements, he felt that Qianye had a positive image and interesting experiences, so he wanted to invite Qianye to collaborate on a long-term, follow-up personal documentary.

They documented his daily studies, work, and life, and then produced a motivational coming-of-age documentary, which would later be broadcast on television.

"You wouldn't... bypass Qianye's wishes and agree or refuse him directly, would you?"

"No, no! How could I dare! But my response was disastrous; I stammered and panicked, which probably embarrassed him terribly!"

I was completely stunned! My mind went blank! Such a formal and important matter had suddenly fallen into my lap!

I...I had absolutely no idea what to do! All I could do was frantically say to the man, "I...I'm so grateful for your invitation! But...but this matter...I...I can't make the decision...This...this needs to be asked of Chiyamoto himself...I...I'm just here to help out temporarily..."

Eriri, mimicking her own stammering and incoherent speech from back then, let out another painful wail.

"Um—I even forgot that I should politely accept the other person's business card first! I just stood there dumbfounded, not knowing where to put my hands!"

My expression must have been absolutely ridiculous! The head of the news department, however, was quite cultured. After listening to my incoherent rambling, he wasn't angry at all. He just smiled and said, "I understand. Please pass on my message. Here's my business card; you can contact me anytime." Then he placed the card on the chair next to me, nodded, and left…

But the smile and look in his eyes when he left… I bet he thought Qianye's assistant was incredibly unprofessional! Qianye's reputation has plummeted because of me!

Yukino guessed that Eriri was probably blushing right now because of the repeated rejection of today's experience in her mind.

But there really is no other way.

Eriri's original intention was simply to accompany Chiya and help him with some trivial matters within her ability, but she was unexpectedly drawn into a formal work meeting.

If one has decent eloquence and interpersonal skills, a brief explanation can resolve the misunderstanding, and adding a message to pass on the message later can easily end the conversation.

The problem is that Eriri is definitely weak in this area. Given this, coupled with how much she cares about Chiya's feelings, it's no surprise that she would become so nervous in the above situation, resulting in a worse performance than usual.

Having learned the specific reasons why my childhood friend had become so disheartened and lost his usual energy and vitality, the next step is the usual routine of addressing the root cause.

For the next twenty minutes, Yukino empathized with Eriri from her own perspective, taking into account Chiya's situation, and comforted her in her own way.

However, the combination of these events today has brought Eriri an overwhelming sense of frustration and shame.

It was like a series of punches that depleted her "confidence" health bar, knocking her out on the spot.

Therefore, even the usually effective Doraemon had little comforting effect today.

"Sigh... I still think I'm just too useless. It has nothing to do with whether or not you have professional assistant experience. It all comes down to your personal ability. I'm sure if it was you, Yukino, who was there instead of me, you would have performed much better than me."

You're so smart and quick-witted, you can definitely handle all sorts of unexpected situations perfectly, unlike me, who just stammers "uh-huh" when something happens, then stands there stiffly with an awkward smile like a fool.

Eriri's tone was filled with resentment and anger at her own lack of ambition!

Ok?

Eriri's words seemed harmless at first glance, but they quickly made Yukino think of something.

Because all this time, that guy has been trying to invite her to replace the absent Miyoko-nee and assist him with his work arrangements for the next period of time through various explicit or implicit means.

Could it be... that Eriri was hired by that guy to act as a mediator?

The thought flashed through Yukino's mind, but she dismissed it just a second later.

The reason is simple: Eriri wouldn't agree to that guy's request in private, but would instead invite him indirectly like this.

From another perspective, even if Eriri is soft-hearted and truly persuaded, it's impossible for her to be a skilled actress who could so naturally and flawlessly perform such a scene in front of her. This simply doesn't fit her straightforward and innocent personality.

Yeah, I was overthinking it.

"That's just your assumption about me. Actually, I don't know much about Qianye's work either. If something unexpected happens, I might also panic. I still think the most important thing is your concern for him and your desire to help. I'm sure that even if you feel your performance today wasn't perfect..."

"It's shameful," Eriri corrected her sullenly and dejectedly, her self-esteem still at rock bottom.

Yukino gave a helpless, wry smile and rested her forehead on her hand: "Alright, even if that's the case, I'm sure that Chiya never said a word of blame to you from beginning to end, or showed even the slightest expression or attitude that he felt you made things difficult for him or embarrassed him, right?"

Although he's a womanizer who should be tied to a cross and roasted, Yukino still has absolute trust in him when it comes to understanding others' feelings and being tolerant of her friends.

“Hmm…” Eriri couldn’t deny it.

Qianye didn't. On the contrary, when she was most flustered, he would always take over the conversation at the right time or give her a reassuring look.

When she mentioned these things later, I just laughed it off and told her not to worry about it.

Yukino's voice was even gentler, like a mother patiently comforting a child who was feeling down.

"So don't think too much and put pressure on yourself. Staying up late is bad for your health. Anyway, go and rest now. If you have any worries, call me tomorrow. I will listen carefully to what you have to say."

Perhaps it was Yukino's calm and reassuring words that finally had some effect, or perhaps it was the release of her emotions after confiding in someone; in any case, Eriri's voice sounded a little lighter than before.

"Thank you. Um... it's so late, I really can't stay up any longer. I have to get up early tomorrow to prepare breakfast for everyone, so I'll say goodbye now. Goodnight, Yukino."

"Okay, goodnight Eriri."

Eriri hung up the phone on the balcony of her apartment.

The night breeze was very cool, brushing against her slightly flushed cheeks and somewhat disheveled hair.

Before her lay a dazzling, boundless night view, where the lights of countless homes and the flowing river of cars intertwined to form a sea of ​​light, distant yet bustling, which miraculously calmed her mind.

She held her phone, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

As expected, it has to be Yukino. Every time I talk to her, no matter how troublesome or tangled things are, I can sort them out, find a way out, and my mood becomes much calmer.

It's so wonderful to be able to be friends with Yukino, and even to have naively and earnestly set a deadline of "forever".

"I told Rikka I was calling my parents, she should be asleep by now..."

Muttering to herself, Eriri turned and went back inside.

As she was about to go straight back to her room, she noticed a sliver of light shining through the gap under Qianye's door.

He's still awake...

Are you still working, or reading?

The words I had just confided in Yukino, the most important comforts about my feelings, and the clumsy yet incredibly real thought in my heart to do something for him, were now ignited by this ray of light, mixing into a strange courage.

As if guided by some unseen force, she tiptoed to the door that was letting in light.

My heart started racing again, involuntarily.

She raised her hand, her fingertips hovering in the air for a moment, and then, with a hint of hesitation, gently knocked on the door in front of her.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Three soft sounds rang out clearly in the quiet night corridor.

In the room, Yuan Qianye, who was leaning against the headboard, stopped what she was doing, quickly pulled the thin blanket next to her over herself, and said to the maid who was on the phone, "Wait a moment."

…………

Volume 2: Chapter 130: The Maid's Great Satisfaction

"Rikka?"

"No...it's me, Eriri."

Eriri's soft voice drifted in through the crack in the door.

To be honest, given Yuan Qianye's current situation, the timing of her arrival was somewhat unfortunate.

However, he put his phone down for the time being and locked his tablet screen.

He said "Wait a moment," closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself into a calm state before getting out of bed and slightly bending over to open the door.

Eriri didn't notice anything unusual, but looked at him somewhat embarrassedly: "Chiya, you weren't asleep, were you?"

"No, I'm just on my phone. Come in and talk to me if you need anything."

"No need, I won't disturb your rest. I just have a few things I really want to say to you now, no matter what."

"Uh, okay."

"..."

Eriri fidgeted with the hems of her pajamas in her hands, lowered her head slightly, and prepared her next words.