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

Yukino didn't answer immediately, but tilted her head slightly, watching her friend draw circles on the sand with her finger.

Eriri is an easy-going girl who is usually very straightforward. She wears her heart on her sleeve and has a hard time hiding her feelings.

Therefore, with a little observation and thought, Yukino could easily guess her truest thoughts based on her understanding of her.

Although the circumstances are completely different and the nature of the cases is entirely incomparable...

But Eriri, she must have unconsciously and arbitrarily placed herself into a role in today's tragic event.

From her own perspective, she probably felt that she was very similar to the bad woman next to Ms. Matsui Yuki.

They are both seniors and juniors who have a close relationship at school.

She also harbored feelings of affection and infatuation that went beyond ordinary friendship towards the lover of that senior.

There's an urban legend, though it's not entirely true, that claims a wife deduced her husband's infidelity simply by observing the changes in his sexual positions and how he patiently comforted her afterward.

Without any other concrete evidence, she castrated her husband that very night while he was asleep.

That's not the worst thing. The worst thing is that the wife guessed correctly.

"You never even said 'I love you' to me, yet that blond idiot beat you to it. Ha, in the end, you're still the long-time childhood sweetheart. You definitely hold a much heavier place in your heart than me, this newcomer, right?"

“You’re wrong.” At this point, Yuan Qianye had to correct her: “I have clearly said I love you countless times, so many that I can’t even count them.”

Shi Yu glanced at him sideways: "Oh? When I had to hold your neck tightly with both hands, wrap my legs around your waist, and was so overwhelmed by you that I could only rise and fall with your movements, crying and begging you to be gentler and slower, the 'I love you' you said to me while you were panting in my ear could count?"

Although it's a bit inappropriate to talk about these things now.

But Yuan Qianye absolutely adores the way Shiyu is making suggestive jokes while she's in such a cold and aloof state right now! The contrast is just too amazing!

"Why can't it be considered? I think what is said at that time is often the most genuine expression of feelings and the least controlled by reason."

"If that's really the case, then the fact that I even called you 'Dad' back then doesn't mean you've truly become my biological father."

Yuan Qianye hesitated for a moment, then, as if making a difficult decision, said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Shiyu, if you're willing, I'd... Ouch, ouch, ouch..."

Kasumigaoka's expression turned even colder as she pinched his stomach.

Her face was gloomy, and she leaned closer, looking like a sickly sweet devil, and asked slowly in a soft yet eerie tone, "Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

"About for forgiving me?" Yuan Qianye guessed.

"Yes, I want to forgive you, but before that, I want to follow Ms. Matsui Yuki's example and punish you, the philanderer who openly flirts with other women in front of his girlfriend." Shiyu's fingertips poked at his chest, moving upwards to his Adam's apple.

"...What do you want to do?"

"Don't worry, I won't kill you first. I'll kill you first and then commit suicide, and ask someone else to cremate us together. Then, I'll put our ashes in a box for burial, so we can be together forever."

Shi Yu's eyes were lifeless, and she chuckled as if she were broken, cupping his face in her left hand.

For some reason, an extremely terrifying image uncontrollably flashed through Yuan Qianye's mind.

His own lifeless head, with its eyes wide open, was carefully and gently held in the hands of Shi Yu, who was dressed in white and had a sweet smile.

Her face covered in blood, she gazed at "him" with deep affection, placed a kiss on his cold lips, then pulled him tightly into her arms, pressing her cheek against his lifeless face, and sighed contentedly... entranced...

goo...

Gen Chiya's Adam's apple bobbed.

"I'm sorry, Shiyu. I'll try to see things from your perspective more often in the future."

Yuan Qianye softened his tone and took the initiative to apologize, a familiar tactic of retreating to advance.

He wasn't backing down; he just felt he really needed to take responsibility for Shi Yu's little emotional outburst.

His heart was already divided in two.

Of course, that was from Shiyu's perspective.

If we include Toka and Haruno, it should actually be divided into four.

If we continue calculating to the later stages, it wouldn't be surprising if it were divided into five or six parts.

Shi Yu tilted her head, staring at him with a scrutinizing gaze, her words carrying a hidden meaning: "Just an apology?"

Sensing that she seemed to want to move on from the matter, Yuan Qianye quickly said, "Of course I will make amends. Shiyu, just tell me what kind of compensation you want! How about this, when we get back later, I'll treat you to the hotel's signature floral sauna, plus a full-body essential oil spa. I've heard the techniques are top-notch and can completely relax your mind and body. It's incredibly comfortable! How about it, just to help you relax?"

Shi Yu looked at him quietly for a few seconds, the dangerous look on her face slowly fading away: "No need for that. I'll come to you tonight. You'll have to repeat what you said to that idiot today to me a hundred times."

If this matter can be resolved so easily, then it couldn't be better for Yuan Qianye.

However, he suddenly stopped just as he was about to nod subconsciously.

Shi Yu narrowed her eyes: "What?"

"Um, Shiyu, I can actually tell you right now."

"No need, I'll tell you when I come to see you tonight. Is there a problem?" Her tone carried a hint of pressure again.

Yuan Qianye immediately replied, "No problem, I'll wait for you tonight."

Shiyu hummed softly, seemingly in a better mood, and turned to join the others in setting off fireworks.

Yuan Qianye watched her retreating figure, raised his hand to rub his temples, feeling that this was even more mentally taxing than solving a case.

Thinking that he would have to find an opportunity to explain the situation to Saeko later and help her understand a little, he thought he would be able to do so.

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.

On the other side, Eriri and Yukino were squatting together.

Eriri's last slender incense stick had burned to its end; the small flame flickered a few times before emitting its last glimmer of light.

Then it quickly dimmed and shrank, turning into a tiny dark red dot of light that fell onto the sand, leaving only a wisp of almost invisible smoke and a trace of charred blackness.

"It's all done," Eriri murmured.

Yukino looked at Rikka and the others and said, "I'll go get some more."

"No need, sigh..." Eriri sighed softly.

"What's wrong?" Yukino keenly sensed her friend's melancholy.

"It's nothing, I've just been thinking about what happened at the hotel today."

"Do you think it's terrible?" Yukino thought instinctively. After all, someone had indeed died because of it, and the weight of life was truly something to feel sorry for.

"Not that one." Eriri shook her head, stuffing the sparkler she was holding into the empty sparkler box.

"I was thinking... when Ms. Matsui Yuki left this world, she must have been very, very sad when she made that final decision, and she must have struggled and suffered for a long time."

After all… no matter what those two people did later, no matter how hateful they became… for a very long time before this, they were the closest and most trusted people to her.

Betrayed by both her husband and best friend, and then having to face illness and despair alone in the final days of her life, ultimately choosing to end it all that way... Sigh..."

In the end, Eriri sighed softly again.

Yukino didn't answer immediately, but tilted her head slightly, watching her friend draw circles on the sand with her finger.

Eriri is an easy-going girl who is usually very straightforward. She wears her heart on her sleeve and has a hard time hiding her feelings.

Therefore, with a little observation and thought, Yukino could easily guess her truest thoughts based on her understanding of her.

Although the circumstances are completely different and the nature of the cases is entirely incomparable...

But Eriri, she must have unconsciously and arbitrarily placed herself into a role in today's tragic event.

From her own perspective, she probably felt that she was very similar to the bad woman next to Ms. Matsui Yuki.

They are both seniors and juniors who have a close relationship at school.

She also harbored feelings of affection and infatuation that went beyond ordinary friendship towards the lover of that senior.

Eriri's paintings kept flashing through Yukino's mind again.

Although many days have passed, it was only a fleeting glimpse back then.

But for some reason, the content of those paintings, the details of the human body's veins, and especially the ferocious, almost abstract dragon... all lingered in her mind for a long time.

The memory of that scene is like a thorn in my side; every time I think of it, it flashes before my eyes with extreme clarity!

Yukino shook her head very slightly.

The light on the beach came from the side streetlights on the adjacent road, which made the area somewhat dim, thus naturally concealing the unnatural blush on her face.

This environment made the second young lady feel at ease.

"As for Ms. Matsui Yuki, what considerations and struggles she went through before her death are not important. What is important is that she did act according to her own ideas and succeeded. I think that is enough."

Eriri smiled slightly: "Yukino values ​​the result more than the process."

Yukino rested her finger on her chin, her expression serious: "That's not entirely true. Both are quite important, and it's not a matter of choosing one over the other. In my eyes, the ideal situation is to enrich the process with fulfilling experiences, and then use that to lead to a more solid result. For me, that's the most..."

Suddenly realizing she had rambled on about something unimportant, Yukino coughed and stopped herself in time.

She hadn't forgotten her goal of comforting Eriri, which was to achieve her goal without revealing that she understood Eriri's true feelings—a slightly difficult task.

However, for Shera A, who has comforted Eriri countless times, it's not a difficult task. She just needs to be careful with her words of comfort and not be too obvious.

Just as Yukino was about to speak, Saeko walked over with a smile and squatted down beside them: "The fireworks we just bought are almost finished, let's go buy some more."

Their conversation was unexpectedly interrupted, but it didn't matter. Yukino thought she could find another opportunity to talk to Eriri later.

She and Eriri stood up together, and Saeko then said, "Yukino, Eriri and I will go. Rikka is still waiting over there to take a selfie with you."

Yukino looked in the direction Saeko pointed and sure enough, Rikka was waving her hand vigorously in their direction.

Yukino didn't think much of it, said "Then I'll leave it to you guys," and turned to go to Rikka's side.

Saeko followed Eriri toward the fireworks stall.

The two walked side by side, and Eriri felt inexplicably nervous, her body stiffening slightly.

"Eiriri." Saeko suddenly spoke.

"Yes!" Eriri straightened her back almost instinctively.

Saeko stopped and looked directly at her.

The dim streetlights shone from behind her, outlining Saeko's tall figure with a soft halo, and making her facial expression appear somewhat deep and unfathomable in the backlight.

Saeko noticed Eriri's nervousness but didn't react in any particular way, simply gazing at her gently with her beautiful eyes.

“I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve said to you since we met, especially during this time… about Chiya, about us, about you.”

Eriri's heart started racing involuntarily, and her breathing slowed down.