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

That won't do.

Sometimes, achieving happiness requires a bit of greed and a spirit of adventure.

This is especially true when there are many competitors and the target is so outstanding.

Saeko left her room and headed towards the hot spring.

Night fell.

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 hotel's public hot spring area has separate baths for men and women, cleverly separated by heavy bamboo curtains and artificial hills.

The women's hot spring area is spacious and elegantly decorated.

Several hot spring pools of varying sizes emitted wisps of white steam, and the air was filled with a mild, pleasant sulfurous smell mixed with the fragrance of herbs and trees.

The pond is decorated with pebbles and green plants, creating a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.

Perhaps because it was still early, or perhaps because the hotel didn't have many guests, the hot spring was not crowded and seemed empty and quiet.

The girls, wrapped in large white bath towels, occupied a medium-sized hot spring pool on the right side. They slowly sank their bodies into the hot spring water, leaving only their shoulders and collarbones exposed.

"Ah..." Almost simultaneously, several soft sighs of satisfaction and relief rang out.

"It feels like... not just my body, but my soul has been soothed as well." Rikka buried her chin in the water, only her comfortably squinted eyes showing, and sighed in a muffled voice.

"Hmm... indeed." Yukino couldn't help but close her eyes slightly at this moment, her long eyelashes trembling in the rising steam, and her face showing a rare, completely relaxed and gentle expression.

"Ugh, pure bliss~" Eriri sighed softly along with her.

After soaking for about ten minutes, Saeko took the initiative to speak to Eriri: "Eriri, let me help you scrub your back."

"..." Eriri's whole body was still soft and relaxed from soaking, and her mind was a little too relaxed, so it took her a while to react to Saeko's words: "Ah, thank you, but no need, Saeko-nee, it would be too much trouble for you."

"It's not too much trouble. Actually, I have my own little scheme in mind. I was thinking of helping myself after I help you."

"Oh, I see. Then just tell me directly. Why are you being so polite with me?"

Eriri, without suspecting anything, got up and followed Saeko to the bathing area.

The hot spring pool is only for simple bathing; this is basic bathing etiquette.

Watching the two of them walk away, Rikka seemed to sense something and subconsciously said, "Yukino, don't you think that Eriri and Saeko seem to be closer than before this time?"

Upon hearing this, Yukino slowly opened her closed eyes: "Their relationship has always been quite good. Eriri once told me that she was actually very envious of both of us having older sisters, and Saeko-senpai's appearance perfectly fits the image of the perfect older sister in her mind, caring for and tolerant of her."

"Eh, Eriri actually said something like that?" Rikka was a little surprised.

“Yeah, so there’s no need to be so surprised.” Yukino’s tone softened again, and she narrowed her eyes again.

"Yukino, do you need me to scrub your back?"

"Hmm, if it's not too much trouble for you... but I'd like to soak a little longer, the warm hot spring water is so soothing to the body."

"Same here, let's soak a little longer together..."

Saeko walked a short distance and then glanced back discreetly. Yukino and Rikka in the hot spring hadn't followed.

She confidently led Eriri to the bathing area.

To protect guests' privacy, chest-high, natural-colored wooden doors separate individual shower cubicles, creating relatively independent small spaces.

Each cubicle contains a shower head, a small wooden stool, and a wooden shelf for toiletries.

Saeko opened one of the doors and followed Eriri inside.

Turning around and closing the door, Saeko naturally took off the towel wrapped around her body, hung it on a hook to the side, and turned on the tap to start a simple rinse.

Eriri stared at Saeko's body with a flushed face. As expected, no matter how many times she saw it, she was always amazed.

This well-proportioned, healthy, vibrant, and feminine body... truly resembles a work of art.

Even if it's just myself, my own mother can't compare to anyone else... This is truly too tragic.

Saeko quickly finished washing up, sat on the bench, and said to Eriri, "Then I'll leave it to you."

"It's alright, it's no trouble at all." Eriri quickly picked up a towel and came behind Saeko, gently wiping her: "How's this pressure?"

"It's okay if it's a little heavier."

"Ok."

"It's very comfortable. I'll help you in a bit, it's only fair."

Eriri smiled and became even more focused on her work.

The small cubicle fell silent for a moment, with only the soft sound of towels rubbing against skin, and the warm air enveloping them.

After a moment of silence, Saeko broke the silence once again.

“There’s no one else here.” Saeko spoke, her tone calm and direct: “I’ll be blunt, Eriri.”

"Hmm?" Eriri paused slightly in her wiping motion.

"Tonight, I'll create an opportunity for you." Saeko didn't turn around, but her words clearly reached Eriri's ears.

"Huh?!" Eriri's heart skipped a beat, and she almost dropped the towel in her hand.

"Don't worry, I won't force you to do what Shiyu did last night from the very beginning. Everything has to be done step by step. I just want you to experience something you haven't been able to confirm before, and also to confirm your own feelings."

Turning around, Saeko looked at Eriri, whose movements and facial expression had both frozen in place. She leaned closer, her hands naturally extended and clasped together, seemingly hinting at something.

"Some things are meaningless to just observe and imagine with your mind. It's not enough to just talk about them. Whether they are suitable for you, whether they are in line with your expectations, and whether they are compatible with your body, you have to experience them yourself to know."

"Huh?!?!"

"Hehe, Eriri is really quite cute. I know that this kind of thing may be a little hard to accept at first, and making a decision is never an easy thing, but don't worry, as I just said, I'm not asking you to make a decision right away. I just want to help you confirm your feelings."

"Wait, wait a minute, Saeko-nee, I don't understand what you're saying at all!"

"It's very simple. Tonight, I'll create something that will allow you to experience it firsthand."

The latest chapter of "A Thousand Nights' Chance" has been updated! Come to Youxiang Study to catch up!

"ah?!!!"

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems tonight. As for Shiyu, you saw how much trouble she caused last night. She still hasn't recovered, so I can predict that she'll be resting early tonight. She doesn't have the energy to bother or cause trouble."

Saeko is helping Eriri calmly analyze the situation.

But Eriri could not possibly accept it so easily!

"That's not the question!"

"Are you worried about Qianye? Actually, there's no need to worry. You know very well how much Qianye cares about you, and you also know that if you made the request, he wouldn't refuse at all."

Eriri covered her face with her hands and squatted down: "I already said, no, that's not the problem!"

Seeing this, Saeko also squatted down to be at eye level with her, and suddenly changed the subject: "Eriri, have you heard of the happy time theory?"

Eriri slowly raised her head: "The theory of happy time?"

"Ah."

Saeko nodded firmly and began to narrate slowly in a calm yet captivating voice.

"A person's life is actually very short. If you take away the childhood when you don't know anything and the time when you are old and may have difficulty moving around, the time that a person can truly control and experience the world is at most seventy or eighty years."

And within those seventy or eighty years, nearly a third of the time is spent unconsciously sleeping. The truly conscious, effective time a person has to experience and create memories in their lifetime is actually far less than we imagine.

Eriri was moved by Saeko's narration; her voice possessed a strange power that allowed people to listen quietly.

"This theory suggests that if we can find our own happiness earlier and identify the person and lifestyle we want to spend our lives with, then we can naturally immerse ourselves in happiness for a few more years, or even more than a decade."

Moreover, life is full of too many variables and unknowns. We cannot predict whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. Just look at Ms. Matsui Yuki and we should understand.

Natural disasters, man-made calamities, diseases, accidents... we never know when these uncontrollable events will suddenly strike and disrupt all our plans.

Even if you've planned everything meticulously, envisioned the future, and carefully nurtured the present, a sudden unforeseen event can still shatter all your expectations, turning every "later" into nothing at all.

Actually, Saeko could have continued speaking, but seeing Eriri deep in thought, she stopped in time to avoid going too far.

A person's...life...

Eriri suddenly recalled that Christmas Eve many, many years ago at Yukino's house, when she, as a child, took the initiative to propose a vow to Chiya and Yukino to stay together for the rest of their lives.

What thoughts and courage drove me to say those words back then?

She lowered her head silently again, her whole body trembling slightly, as if she were going through a very intense internal struggle.

Saeko didn't rush her, giving her a quiet environment and ample time to think.

Finally, Eriri, who had been pushed along by her all along, took a small step forward this time, relying on her own straightforwardness.

She raised her mouth, her eyes still trembling and wavering, but her expression was clearly different from before: "Saeko-nee, are you... serious?"

Saeko's smile grew even brighter: "Of course."

"Then you..." Eriri took a deep breath, as if gathering more courage: "...What are you planning to do tonight?"

Saeko's eyes gleamed with a look of relief, like that of a child she had always cared for finally growing up: "Yes, we really need to plan this carefully. I have an idea, why don't you listen to it..."

…………

Volume 2: Chapter 149: Don't be shy, enjoy yourself (8k) (2)

At the night market stalls, Chiyo easily found the same model as Eriri's damaged watch, paid for it without hesitation, and returned to the hotel.

On the way, he held the unopened watch in his palm and examined it closely.

The cartoon-style dial features subtly designed squid-shaped hands with slender tips and rounded protrusions.

Based on his aesthetic sense, he really couldn't understand why Eriri would like this cartoonish watch with such a subtle design for the hands.

I guess it's because I've spent too much time with Rikka that I've picked up some of her hobbies of liking these strange and unusual things.

But it's not a big deal. Everyone has different preferences. We should understand and respect that.

Gen Chiya put the watch back in his pocket, imagining Eriri's happy expression when she received it, and his mood improved somewhat.

Actually, it's still very early, not even seven o'clock yet.

Even on a regular school day, this time wouldn't be considered late, let alone now that it's a holiday and there's no need to worry about getting up early the next day.

There's still plenty of time; it feels like there's so much to do tonight...

As he breathed in the salty sea breeze, Gen Chiya's thoughts drifted silently.