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

"For the time being, I share the same thoughts as you, Eriri. After graduating from high school and entering university, I will continue to pursue kendo. Whenever I have time and interest, I will participate in various competitions to challenge different opponents and improve myself. However, I think this phase will be temporarily suspended after I graduate from university."

"why?"

"After all, I've already thought it through. As soon as I graduate from university, I'll start conditioning my body and actively preparing for pregnancy."

Saeko Busujima, in a rather nonchalant tone, uttered words that made Eriri cough uncontrollably.

"Prepare! Pre ...

Saeko gently reminded her, "You're overreacting, Eriri. Rikka will notice something's wrong."

"I'm so sorry!" Eriri took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down a little.

However, this news is indeed quite explosive!

News about people trying to conceive right after graduating from university... in itself, isn't anything special.

The problem is that Saeko is only a second-year high school student. She is now planning her future more than five years in advance as a high school student!

"Actually, there's no need to be so surprised. It's not just me; Shiyu has the same idea."

"That fat woman too?!"

Eriri couldn't help but chuckle at Kasumigaoka's nickname: "Yeah, that fat... no, Utaha too. She's the same as me. We've already confirmed and thought it through in our private chats. If everything goes smoothly, we should both get pregnant around the same time, so we can take care of each other then."

After all, it was our first time experiencing something like this, so it's understandable that we were a little nervous and worried. But if we had good friends around who were in the same situation, knowing that they were in the same predicament would lessen the psychological pressure somewhat.

They've actually thought of this much?!

Eriri had no doubt that if she continued to ask deeper questions, Saeko could even provide further details about daily childcare routines.

However, after hearing Saeko's answer, there is now something else that is even more important to her.

"Saeko-nee, since you've thought about what happened back then, how are you going to handle your relationship with Chiya... and that fat woman?"

"Relationship management?"

"Well, so... how do you plan to convince your father to accept this relationship between you two? Now that you're planning to have a baby, there's no way you can continue to hide it like this, right?"

"Indeed, but it's okay. If my father had known everything at first, he definitely wouldn't have been able to accept it. But he liked Qianye so much and had long wanted to adopt him as his godson. So when he found out that I was with him and pregnant with his child, even if he was angry and dissatisfied, he could only accept it. After all, I was his only daughter, and the baby was his grandson. For the sake of his grandson, he could only acquiesce in the end."

"This...this can't be what they call 'making the rice undone'..."

"Yes, that's a very apt description. Since the die is cast, there's no point in him objecting anymore. Although my father is a very traditional and rule-abiding person, he will always put me, his daughter, in a more important position than those rules and regulations. I have that much confidence."

In addition, Shiyu is in a similar situation, but she is slightly different from me. She feels that when she can no longer keep it a secret from her parents and is forced to tell them the truth, she may not be able to convince them so easily.

She had also anticipated the worst-case scenario: her parents might be very angry, and it was not impossible for her to be kicked out of the house and have her ties severed. She had already thought about it.

If things really come to that, she can only temporarily leave her parents and live with Qianye, and then slowly repair her relationship with them after the baby is born.

Parents' psychology is easy to understand. Their initial intention is always for the good of their child. After seeing that Shiyu is still happy and content even though she persists on what they initially thought was a 'wrong' path, they will likely gradually let go of some of their prejudices.

Generally speaking, most things won't be a problem if given time.

When Saeko said these words, her eyes shone with an extremely bright and positive light.

Eriri, who had been listening silently to the side, was stunned.

The information in Saeko's words was not much, but the future plan that Saeko had made with that fat woman long ago shocked her.

They were extremely serious, and they had firmly tied their futures to Chiyo's...

Saeko gently shook her head: "It seems we've gone a bit off-topic. Let's not talk about this anymore. I think Eriri, your ideas for the future are also very good, but you should be bolder in adding more of the scenes you desire to your life."

"The scene I envision..."

"Well, both Shiyu and I spent many sleepless nights thinking about it before finally making up our minds. So you can take your time to think about these things, there's no need to rush. And now, there's a good opportunity."

"A good opportunity?"

"Yes, do you remember what I told you at noon? It's not just about the level of friendship between Minamoto Chiya and Sawamura Eriri."

"Eh! Now?!" Eriri understood what Saeko meant; she wanted to prove herself to her!

“Well, it’s a rare opportunity after all.” Saeko pointed to the watch on Eriri’s wrist and asked, “Is this watch important? We’ll need it as a prop later, and it might get damaged.”

"Well, it's not exactly precious." The watch on Eriri's wrist was bought the night before she arrived when she went to browse the local stalls with everyone.

It was just an ordinary ocean-themed digital watch, but because the hands were quite cute—long and thin with a subtle semi-circular squid at the top, like a goldfish—she bought it on a whim, driven by some kind of wicked sense of humor.

Eriri continued, "We bought it together before, it didn't cost much, have you forgotten?"

Saeko nodded; of course she hadn't forgotten, but she still needed to confirm beforehand: "Could I borrow it for a bit?"

“Sure, but what are you planning to do, Saeko-nee?” Eriri unbuckled her watch strap.

"I'll prove to you how important you are to Qianye, far beyond just friendship. I'll throw it into the sea later, and you'll cooperate by looking a little sad. It would be even better if you could look teary-eyed. Just show Qianye that's the side of you that's coming."

Hearing Saeko say that, Eriri, who was about to hand the watch to Saeko, suddenly pulled it back and held it tightly in her palm against her chest!

Saeko looked at her, puzzled: "What's wrong, Eriri?"

Eriri immediately retorted, "What do you mean? This is definitely not going to work, Saeko-nee!"

"Oh?" Saeko's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile to Eriri's reaction.

"Without even thinking about it, if that kind of situation really happened, Qianye would definitely jump in without saying a word! But this isn't a swimming pool; the ocean environment is so complicated. What if something happens to him here!"

"I don't think Qianye would do something so reckless as to disregard his own safety. Perhaps he has other solutions, like asking the crew for help or something."

"That won't do either. It would be a waste of time and energy for him to go to great lengths to find other people to help me. He's already very busy and tired. He finally got to go on vacation and relax this time. How can I let him go to such great lengths for such a trivial matter of mine!"

Eriri finished speaking excitedly, only to find that Saeko's smile was gradually deepening.

"Eri is such a kind and good girl, no wonder Chiya likes you so much."

After being told that by Saeko, Eriri belatedly realized something.

Saeko then spoke up, specifically addressing Eriri: "But Eriri, you seem to know quite well just how much Chiya is capable of for you."

Eriri shyly turned her head to the side: "I... I don't really know... it's just that we grew up together, so I know him very well..."

Ah, here we go again. This situation where, when it comes to crucial moments, one subconsciously avoids and denies their own feelings.

Is this what they call tsundere (a person who is arrogant and aloof)?

While cute, this personality trait isn't exactly a good thing when it comes to romantic relationships.

"Since Eriri is worried that it would be too troublesome and might put Chiya in danger, let's settle for the next best option."

"Settling for second best? What are you planning to do now, Saeko-nee?"

"I already said I need to prove something to you, so just do as I say."

"Can I refuse now? Actually, I feel that some things don't need to be proven..."

Eriri felt a little regretful because she didn't really want to trouble Chiyo, especially since she had caused him trouble because of her.

"Dame~"

But it was no use. Eriri was eventually persuaded by Saeko, who said that she had some other follow-up plans. In the end, Eriri obediently cooperated and put the watch back on.

Before officially launching the plan, Saeko reiterated that Eriri's wristwatch was of no importance to her, then grabbed her wrist and forcefully slammed the watch face against the railing.

The next moment, Saeko instantly got into character and apologized to her very solemnly.

As expected, the soft apology attracted Rikka, and also drew Chiya and Yukino, who were originally in the cabin.

"The boat was rocking a bit just now, and I lost my balance, no?!"

Eriri had no doubt that if she continued to ask deeper questions, Saeko could even provide further details about daily childcare routines.

However, after hearing Saeko's answer, there is now something else that is even more important to her.

"Saeko-nee, since you've thought about what happened back then, how are you going to handle your relationship with Chiya... and that fat woman?"

"Relationship management?"

"Well, so... how do you plan to convince your father to accept this relationship between you two? Now that you're planning to have a baby, there's no way you can continue to hide it like this, right?"

"Indeed, but it's okay. If my father had known everything at first, he definitely wouldn't have been able to accept it. But he liked Qianye so much and had long wanted to adopt him as his godson. So when he found out that I was with him and pregnant with his child, even if he was angry and dissatisfied, he could only accept it. After all, I was his only daughter, and the baby was his grandson. For the sake of his grandson, he could only acquiesce in the end."

"This...this can't be what they call 'making the rice undone'..."

"Yes, that's a very apt description. Since the die is cast, there's no point in him objecting anymore. Although my father is a very traditional and rule-abiding person, he will always put me, his daughter, in a more important position than those rules and regulations. I have that much confidence."

In addition, Shiyu is in a similar situation, but she is slightly different from me. She feels that when she can no longer keep it a secret from her parents and is forced to tell them the truth, she may not be able to convince them so easily.

She had also anticipated the worst-case scenario: her parents might be very angry, and it was not impossible for her to be kicked out of the house and have her ties severed. She had already thought about it.

If things really come to that, she can only temporarily leave her parents and live with Qianye, and then slowly repair her relationship with them after the baby is born.

Parents' psychology is easy to understand. Their initial intention is always for the good of their child. After seeing that Shiyu is still happy and content even though she persists on what they initially thought was a 'wrong' path, they will likely gradually let go of some of their prejudices.

Generally speaking, most things won't be a problem if given time.

When Saeko said these words, her eyes shone with an extremely bright and positive light.

Eriri, who had been listening silently to the side, was stunned.

The information in Saeko's words was not much, but the future plan that Saeko had made with that fat woman long ago shocked her.

They were extremely serious, and they had firmly tied their futures to Chiyo's...

Saeko gently shook her head: "It seems we've gone a bit off-topic. Let's not talk about this anymore. I think Eriri, your ideas for the future are also very good, but you should be bolder in adding more of the scenes you desire to your life."

"The scene I envision..."

"Well, both Shiyu and I spent many sleepless nights thinking about it before finally making up our minds. So you can take your time to think about these things, there's no need to rush. And now, there's a good opportunity."

"A good opportunity?"

"Yes, do you remember what I told you at noon? It's not just about the level of friendship between Minamoto Chiya and Sawamura Eriri."

"Eh! Now?!" Eriri understood what Saeko meant; she wanted to prove herself to her!

“Well, it’s a rare opportunity after all.” Saeko pointed to the watch on Eriri’s wrist and asked, “Is this watch important? We’ll need it as a prop later, and it might get damaged.”

"Well, it's not exactly precious." Eriri's watch was bought the night before she arrived, when she went to browse the local stalls with everyone. "Anime Crossover, Who Isn't a Childhood Friend?" ranked highly in the Yuuka Bookstore readers' poll for best derivative fanfiction!

It was just an ordinary ocean-themed digital watch, but because the hands were quite cute—long and thin with a subtle semi-circular squid at the top, like a goldfish—she bought it on a whim, driven by some kind of wicked sense of humor.

Eriri continued, "We bought it together before, it didn't cost much, have you forgotten?"

Saeko nodded; of course she hadn't forgotten, but she still needed to confirm beforehand: "Could I borrow it for a bit?"

“Sure, but what are you planning to do, Saeko-nee?” Eriri unbuckled her watch strap.