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

Instead... a whole three pieces.

Three fallen leaves of different sizes were precisely pierced through the heart of the leaves from bottom to top with a bamboo pole, like candied hawthorns, and neatly strung together!

The courtyard was deathly silent.

If Hattori Heiji was genuinely convinced of Minamoto Chiya's abilities just now, seeing this scene now makes him completely submit.

In front of Yuan Qianye, he felt like a green recruit.

I was originally planning to show off to him my various sword techniques, which, while not as strong as his, were quite impressive in terms of skill.

But looking at the current situation, let's just forget about it.

It's best not to humiliate yourself in front of a real monster.

However, he did not leave. Instead, he developed a stronger interest in and respect for Minamoto Chiya and Busujima Saeko.

On the other hand, Kazuha Toyama and Utaha Yukino also get along well.

Eriri and Rikka, seeing Chiya's cool moves, became interested and jumped to the center of the field, wanting to try it out themselves.

As the sun gradually set, the planned itinerary of visiting the surrounding stalls and enjoying the beautiful sea view was fulfilled, and the two friends from Osaka accompanied them along the way.

On the way, Hattori Heiji and Minamoto Chiya started talking about novels, and the two became increasingly compatible.

It wasn't until nightfall that we returned to the hotel and had dinner together in the communal restaurant before parting ways to rest in our rooms.

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.

"Eri, stay with me for a bit."

On the way back to her room, Rikka suddenly grabbed Eriri's hand.

Before she could react, Rikka quickly spoke to the others.

"Something came up, we'll be right back."

"Don't go running around," Yuan Qianye reminded her.

Rikka obediently agreed and turned to leave.

Eriri was led by the hand to the hotel lobby.

"Rikka, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"I bumped into that very kind lady before, and I felt a little bad about just a verbal apology. The water mochi I had for dinner was so pretty and delicious, I wanted to give her a portion."

"Oh, I see."

Rikka and Eriri arrived at the front desk.

Rikka described the woman's general appearance to the receptionist and made it clear that she meant no harm and wanted to ask for the woman's room number.

The staff member was somewhat embarrassed after hearing this. Although the reason was valid, they couldn't very well disclose the guest's privacy, even if the guest was a VIP who had checked into the hotel. This was a matter of principle concerning the hotel's survival, and they couldn't violate it.

"How about this?" Eriri suggested from the side, "Why don't you just make an internal call and contact that lady? We can talk to her directly over the phone, and that should be fine, right?"

That's no problem.

The clerk nodded, checked the check-in records, and dialed the corresponding indoor phone number.

The call was answered after a while.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Matsui? I'm so sorry to disturb your rest... It's like this, two young female guests said they accidentally bumped into you today, and they wanted to apologize..."

The front desk clerk gave an explanation.

Rikka and Eriri waited patiently in front of the stage.

After a while, the receptionist covered the microphone and spoke to the two of them: "Ms. Matsui said she's fine, no need to be so polite. Also, she would like to ask for your name."

Without hesitation, Rikka, who met her gaze, told her directly, "My name is Takanashi Rikka."

"Understood." The shop assistant put the phone back to his ear, answered Ms. Matsui's question, responded a few more times, and then hung up.

"Ms. Matsui asked me to convey that Takanashi is a good girl, so there's no need to dwell on her affairs. Also, everyone's life has its own ending, so live your life well and don't worry about it. Finally, she wishes you goodnight."

"……Thanks."

Rikka thanked the receptionist and then walked back with Eriri, seemingly lost in thought.

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.

Leaving the lobby, I walked down the corridor back to my room.

Eriri looked at her friend who was deep in thought beside her and gently touched her shoulder: "It's okay, Rikka, it's enough that you've conveyed your feelings."

She thought Rikka was upset that her apology hadn't been conveyed.

Rikka shook her head: "No, I was just thinking about what that older sister relayed to me. Don't you think the way she spoke... was a little strange?"

"Oh, now that you mention it, that's true." Eriri recalled what had happened that afternoon: "What that older sister said seemed very philosophical and thoughtful. Could she be a writer like Chiya?"

"I feel the same way, but it's good to have confirmed that she's really okay. I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight." She stretched, feeling relieved, and her mood brightened again.

"Speaking of which, I've been sleeping with you every day for a while now, and I'm getting a little tired of it. Tonight I'm going to sleep with Yukino."

"Huh? That's what I should be saying! Yukino is mine. Everyone knows that in the summer, she's cool and comfortable to hug, like a human walking cooling pillow."

"Come on, I spoke first, so of course I have priority!"

The two of them jogged back to their room, laughing and jogging.

After that, everyone went to the hot springs for a bath and came back at 10:43.

After a day of playing and having fun, it's about time to go to sleep.

From above, the room layout resembles a horizontal "目" (eye) character, indicating the sleeping arrangements for the night.

On the far left, Utaha and Saeko share a room, in the middle, Yukino, Rikka, and Eriri share a room, and on the far right, Minamoto Chiya is alone.

Yuan Qianye and his two nominal girlfriends were separated by a room in the middle.

This arrangement was proposed by Saeko herself.

Shiyu was naturally not very satisfied with this, but thinking of Saeko's handsome and efficient skills in saving everyone from flying knives that afternoon, as well as her calm and reliable aura, she felt a sense of relief.

She pursed her lips, but ultimately didn't say anything more, which was considered tacit approval of the arrangement.

It's late at night, and the lights are off.

The room was well soundproofed, but not completely sealed.

Chiyo could vaguely hear the cute exclamations that Yukino, who was being teased by Eriri and Rikka next door, made from time to time, and her mind began to wander.

Thinking that he still had several days left on the trip, he didn't feel any urgency and closed his eyes, falling asleep without realizing it.

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.

The next morning, under the influence of her biological clock, Yuan Qianye woke up precisely at a little after six o'clock.

The summer morning light had already shone through the washi paper sliding doors, casting a hazy glow over the room.

He quietly got up, changed into simple sportswear, opened the door, and prepared for his routine morning run.

Coincidentally, just as he opened the door, the door to the room to his left was also gently pushed open.

Saeko Busujima was also dressed in a neat sportswear outfit, with her long hair tied into a neat ponytail at the back of her head.

The two exchanged a smile, nodded in tacit agreement, and quietly left the room area, starting their morning run along the winding asphalt road next to the hotel that led to the beach.

The air at the beach in the early morning is crisp and carries the salty smell of the sea.

The air is so fresh, unlike near the apartment where you can sometimes smell car exhaust when jogging along the roadside in the morning.

They returned to the hotel at 6:40 a.m. after their morning run.

Yukino woke up, but Eriri and Rikka were still asleep.

Saeko went to the bathroom attached to the suite to wash up.

Both Chiya and Yukino wanted to take a bath, so they walked together toward the hot spring.

The corridor was quiet and deserted in the early morning, except for the soft sound of their footsteps.

“That was a miscalculation,” Yuan Qianye suddenly said.

"Huh?" Yukino looked at him, puzzled.

“I should book a suite with a private hot spring in the courtyard, just like the hotel Eriri booked before. That way, we won’t have to go to the public bath, and we can all take a bath together without any hassle.”

"..."

Yukino didn't want to pay attention to his obviously stupid suggestion.

Just as they reached the fork in the road leading to the bathhouse, they encountered two familiar figures again. "Anime Crossover, Who Isn't a Childhood Friend?" ranked highly in the readers' poll for best derivative fanfiction from Youxiang Bookstore!

They greeted each other and then went into the men's and women's baths respectively.

After thoroughly relaxing in the hot spring, Yuan Qianye went to the rest area outside the bathhouse, bought a can of chilled milk from the vending machine, and gulped it down.

The cool liquid slid down my throat and into my stomach, creating a wonderful contrast with the warm body I had just soaked in the hot spring. It instantly brought a refreshing and invigorating feeling, making me want to let out a satisfied sigh!

Everything was so relaxed and carefree; this is what a vacation should feel like.

After leaving the hot spring, the four of them chatted and laughed together, planning to invite others to go to a restaurant for a meal.

"ah----!!!"

Suddenly, a shrill scream came from not far away!

The smile on Hattori Heiji's face vanished instantly, replaced by extreme alertness and sharp eyes. He rushed towards the direction from which the scream came almost reflexively!

Yuan Qianye's heart sank suddenly, and he followed suit as quickly as possible.

As they rounded the corner of the corridor, the two saw a female server slumped in front of an open door, covering her mouth with her hand, trembling all over, her eyes filled with fear!

The next moment, Hattori Heiji went straight to the door of the room and looked inside, his pupils dilating.

Following closely behind, Gen Chiya also arrived at the door at this moment, his gaze passing over Hattori's stiff shoulders and landing inside the room.

His expression turned extremely serious at just one glance.

The room was in chaos, and a woman was lying face down in the middle of the tatami mat.

A large area of ​​dark reddish-brown bloodstains was soaked on the tatami mats beneath her and around her!

The woman remained motionless, her long hair disheveled and partially obscuring her face, while the skin on her exposed arms and neck was a lifeless, dull gray-white.