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

"I think I may have been speaking too vaguely and too implicitly all along, always with hints and roundabout ways."

That's why you've never fully grasped my true thoughts, and it may even have caused unnecessary misunderstandings and stress.

I apologize for that; I wasn't clear enough.

Saeko lowered her head slightly after she finished speaking.

what?

Eriri was completely stunned. She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. The meaning behind this apology was too complicated. Whether she accepted it or not, she felt there was a big problem!

After apologizing, Saeko continued earnestly, "Regarding Chiya, if another woman approached him, harbored inappropriate thoughts about him, and took action, I might be angry, sad, and unable to accept it."

But if it's Eriri, I'm totally fine with it, I'd even welcome her, you could say..."

Saeko stepped forward, closing the distance between the two.

A faint, sweet fragrance emanated from her, which Eriri could smell very clearly.

“…I really hope you will do that.”

Yinglili: "!!!"

There was absolutely no chance for Eriri, who was completely caught off guard and whose face was contorted with shock, trembling uncontrollably and looking rather comical, to think and understand.

Saeko continued, "Tonight, after everyone is asleep, I will go to Chiya's room to find him."

Eriri's face was so red it was almost bleeding, her eyes darted away, and she dared not look at Saeko at all. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat!

Why, why did I suddenly tell her this?! This kind of thing...

Saeko, however, seemed oblivious to her embarrassment and took her hand directly.

Then Saeko leaned slightly forward and whispered her final invitation into Eriri's flushed ear.

“I hope you can come with me then.” Saeko’s eyes shone with a deep and gentle light in the dim light. “I can demonstrate for you.”

boom--!

Small plumes of fireworks shot into the sky not far away.

At that moment, Eriri also felt as if something invisible had exploded in her mind.

…………

Volume 2: Chapter 139: Saeko-nee is really going to take action!

Yukino Yukinoshita originally planned to wait until Eriri returned with the fireworks before trying to ease her sorrow.

After all, she knew her childhood friend very well, ever since they first met.

Chiya and she rescued the whiny and timid Eriri from some kind of invisible school bullying.

Over the years, Eriri has grown up a bit and can now hide her soft heart and present a reassuring image to the outside world.

However, that was ultimately just an illusion, and it couldn't hide her gentle and kind nature, which was easily swayed and influenced by the outside world.

This isn't to say it's bad. Yukino saw through this very point, which is why she agreed so readily when Eriri made that vow and promise of a lifetime.

Overall, she is a somewhat naive but also very kind girl.

It makes you want to protect her without even realizing it.

Ok……

However, her interests subsequently diverged somewhat.

I started to get interested in the adult content, like drawing doujinshi...

The innocence may have faded somewhat, but as long as the foundation of kindness remains unshaken, there's not much of a problem.

Yukino reminisced about all the moments she had shared with Eriri along the way, recalling their close relationship during elementary school, and how Eriri had kept her company and comforted her on countless lonely nights when she was far away in a foreign country...

I can no longer tell or even realize when I started to develop this doting, pet-like attitude towards my friends.

Or to put it more directly.

A rational, mature person naturally feels a pure emotion towards a naive, innocent person, similar to that of an elder towards a younger person.

In conclusion, Yukino felt that she still needed to protect Eriri.

It's just a little strange...

"Come look at the camera, smile more happily. I plan to print out the photos and put them in my album when I get back."

Yukino, who was being cuddled by Rikka and leaning against Toyama Kazuha for a selfie, reluctantly posed for another commemorative photo before turning her gaze somewhat concernedly toward the direction Saeko and Eriri had left in.

The fireworks stalls aren't that far away, so why haven't those two people come back yet?

Not long after this question arose, Saeko and Eriri returned.

Saeko distributed the fireworks she had bought to everyone.

As a result, Yukino, who had been spared by Rikka, returned to Eriri's side and then keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Eriri had only been gone with Saeko for about ten minutes, and now that she had returned, the melancholy and sadness she had been feeling about the previous incident had completely disappeared.

Not only that, but her face was flushed, and she was acting coy and hesitant, as if she was trying her best to suppress and hide some extremely expectant emotion.

Although she tried hard to appear nonchalant, her incredibly watery eyes and the way she kept fidgeting with the hem of her clothes revealed her changing state of mind.

Yukino observed Eriri, then looked at Saeko, who was chatting naturally with Kasumigaoka without any apparent abnormality.

What exactly happened between those two?

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.

After the fireworks on the beach ended, it was 8:10 p.m.

Everyone returned to the hotel, concluding the day's activities and preparing to rest.

Yukino had no answer to the question that had always lingered in her mind.

While they were still on the beach, she briefly probed Eriri, but didn't get the answer she wanted and was simply brushed off.

Although she still cared a little, perhaps when she left, Saeko noticed that Eriri's emotions were not quite right, and then comforted her in her own way, resolving her inner conflict.

Hmm... although Eriri's reaction doesn't quite match up in some ways.

However, Yukino doesn't want to pry into other people's privacy, even if Eriri is her best friend.

Therefore, I can only convince myself not to care so much, as long as the result is good.

Feeling this way, Yukino grabbed the yukata provided by the inn and, like everyone else, was dragged along by Rikka to soak in the hot spring.

Saeko, who had been hinted by Chiya to go back to the beach earlier, pretended to suddenly realize that she hadn't brought her towel halfway there. After realizing this, she told everyone to go ahead, while she went back to her room alone.

She was alone with Yuan Qianye.

"...That's about it." Yuan Qianye briefly summarized his conversation with Shiyu on the beach and also mentioned Shiyu's request.

“Shiyu is coming to see you tonight… Hmm, I understand.” Saeko lowered her head slightly in thought for a moment, then quickly accepted it: “I will cooperate, you don’t need to worry.”

"I'm sorry, Saeko, but I made plans with you first."

“We don’t need to worry about that much before. Besides, I was willing to let Shiyu join in the first place. This level of involvement can’t even be called a concession. At most, we just need to make some adjustments to the schedule. Anyway, we have plenty of time for this trip, and we’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future.”

So understanding, gentle and considerate.

Chiya really didn't know what to say about this. Now she was just more and more grateful that she had met Saeko in the first place, and she couldn't help but go up and hug her.

Saeko, resting her chin on his shoulder, was also enjoying the hug while pondering her arrangements for Eriri.

After a brief moment of thought, I realized my initial intention—the key was to make Eriri understand her own thoughts.

that's all.

She came up with a second, more flexible solution.

Well, it might seem a bit strange, or even a little perverted, but it's still feasible.

To prevent Chiya from finding out in advance and objecting, Saeko decided it was best not to tell him beforehand and to act alone when the time came.

“Actually, I can understand Shiyu’s feelings quite well.” Saeko wrapped her arms around Minamoto Chiya’s waist, her body swaying slightly involuntarily.

"I'm sorry about what happened during the day. I should have put your feelings first."

"No, I'm not referring to the fact that I'm a little angry with you for holding Eriri's hand, like Shiha. I'm referring to the fact that she, like me, wants to come see you tonight."

Gen Chiya slowly released his mouth, looking at Saeko with a puzzled expression: "Hmm? What do you mean by that?"

Saeko chuckled and explained, "Shiyu must be just like me, completely captivated by your dashing figure today, Chiyo, as you identified the culprits and exposed their schemes."

"?"

Yuan Qianye was a little confused by this answer; he himself didn't think it was a big deal at all.

Seeing his confusion, Saeko continued to explain: "Girls are like that, you know. They can easily fall in love when a man they like says something nice to them, does something that moves them, or shows them a cool side."

"Does Saeko think I look handsome today?"

"Yeah, you're already pretty handsome normally, but you're exceptionally handsome today, like you've become several times more handsome. That's why I originally arranged to meet you tonight."

However, remember to coax Shiyu well tonight. Actually, I don't think she's that angry. She's probably just using this seemingly 'I'm angry' excuse to crave more attention and care from you. Make sure to satisfy her tonight, but remember not to be as harsh as you usually are.

"rest assured."

Chiya understood this matter.

Not to mention that Shiyu was already in the wrong today.

Considering only the other people in the same suite, it's unlikely he would have tormented Shi Yu so badly.

Being specifically instructed by Saeko on something like this still made Minamoto Chiya somewhat uncomfortable.

"Alright, I need to go find everyone now. I've been here too long, and it'll look strange if I don't go soon."

As Saeko spoke, before leaving, she deliberately stood on tiptoe and pressed her soft lips against Chiya Minamoto's lips.

All she wanted was a quick break, but Gen Chiya wasn't satisfied. Just as she tried to back away, he grabbed the back of her head and pressed down on her, wasting another minute of Saeko's time.

After Saeko left with a flushed face and small, quick steps, Chiya Minamoto breathed a sigh of relief. After staying in the room for a while to calm his nerves, he also took a yukata and a towel and went to take a bath.

Tonight is no different from last night.

After everyone finished showering and returned to their rooms, Yuan Qianye asked the inn to bring over slices of honeydew melon and watermelon.

Except for Yukino, who didn't eat and seemed quite concerned about her figure, everyone else ate very happily.