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

Under the rented beach umbrellas, Yuan Qianye made a final confirmation question to the girls sitting on the beach chairs, some holding shaved ice or ice cream.

"Yes—" the group answered in unison, but with a clear meaning.

"Okay, I'll go buy the tickets. You guys wait here and rest for a while."

“Brother, I’ll go with you.” Rikka caught up with him: “Can we choose the color of the jet ski we use? I just saw that black one, it looked so cool, I want to ride that one.”

“We are guests, and such a reasonable request should not be refused.” Yuan Qianye felt there was no problem.

"Great!"

The brother and sister chatted as they walked away.

The remaining girls were facing the sea breeze.

Shiyu's long hair was blown up, and a small strand unfortunately got stuck to the ice cream in her hand.

Shi Yu frowned slightly and reached into her pocket, only to find that she had already used up all the tissues she had brought with her that morning.

Seeing this, Yukino discreetly took out a tissue from her pocket and gently nudged Eriri with her shoulder, gesturing for her to look at Utaha and reminding her that this was a good opportunity to thank her for her previous help.

Seeing this, Saeko, who had already reached into her pocket, quietly withdrew her hand and pretended to be completely unaware, gazing at the distant seascape.

The sea is so blue, the sky is so clear, the scenery is beautiful!

Eriri blushed slightly after being reminded by Yukino, and a hint of embarrassment and confusion flashed across her face.

However, she is not the kind of person who doesn't repay kindness. On the contrary, she cares a lot about it. Once she is sure that someone has helped her, she will express her gratitude in her own way.

She had this quality from a very young age, and that's what she did after being helped by Chiya and Yukino.

But because they were too young at that time, their behavior and thinking were not mature enough. What they thought in their hearts was one thing, but what they actually did was another.

The end result was that she wanted to express her gratitude but didn't know how to do it. As a result, every time she found Yukino or Chiya, she would hesitate and not be able to say anything for a long time. After this happened many times, even the usually aloof Yukino was amused by her.

After many visits, and knowing her kind nature, we naturally became friends over time.

Eriri has grown up now and is no longer the little kid she used to be. She has naturally matured in expressing gratitude after receiving favors, and the way she shows it has become much more mature.

So she didn't hesitate for long. Seeing Kasumigaoka staring at her cream-covered hair and scoffing, she silently took the tissue Yukino handed her and walked over to her.

As the footsteps drew closer, Shiyu looked up and saw Eriri looking down at her.

He turned his head to the side, but handed over the tissue: "Here, you can use this."

Her voice wasn't loud, and her tone wasn't particularly enthusiastic; in fact, it was a bit harsh.

Shiyu glanced at her, then took it: "Thank you."

Is he really that frank?

Eriri suddenly realized that this guy wasn't as difficult to deal with as she had always thought.

As long as we can put aside our hostility and communicate frankly, she can speak properly.

The new knowledge made Eriri feel a little more relaxed: "Um, I should also thank you."

"What?" Shi Yu paused in her hair-drying motion, as if she hadn't heard clearly, or as if she didn't understand what she was referring to.

"Regarding my fever yesterday, you gave me your cooling patch. To be honest, I'm very grateful. It was a great help."

Eriri spoke haltingly, her voice growing softer and softer until it was almost a mosquito's hum, fully revealing her embarrassment and discomfort.

Kasumigaoka Utaha listened to her stammering thanks, her face showing no particular expression, and she didn't even raise her head.

She spoke slowly and calmly: "No need. If you have the heart for it, please take good care of your health and don't cause trouble for the people around you, especially other people's boyfriends."

"!"

Eriri was instantly silenced by her blunt remark. She opened her mouth, but found herself speechless!

His face turned bright red instantly, visible to the naked eye!

Shiyu glanced at her indifferently, taking in her embarrassed and indignant appearance, but did not continue speaking. Instead, she turned to Saeko and said, "Saeko, I'm going to the restroom."

“Okay.” Saeko Busujima nodded with a smile.

Having received a response, Shiho stopped looking at Eriri, stood up, brushed off any non-existent grains of sand from her body, and gracefully walked away without looking back.

Watching her leisurely departing figure, Eriri, a beat slower, stomped her foot in anger: "I knew it! I just can't get along with that girl! Who does she think she is? The president of the country? Just a few cooling patches! I'll buy a whole case of them to return to her; I don't want to owe her a favor!"

Yukino sighed silently, resting her forehead in her hand. So it really is like this...

Saeko, on the other hand, silently curled her lips.

Putting aside the still unpleasant atmosphere between the two of them, Eriri's current strong voice at least proves that her physical condition has recovered quite well.

This is something to be happy about.

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 brother and sister who went to buy tickets returned quickly.

"You've come all this way, don't you really want to go and give it a try together?"

When Rikka asked them again, both Yukino and Utaha shook their heads in refusal.

Yukino and Utaha are both the kind of girls who don't like to make a fuss, so things like jet skis are definitely too much for them.

Shiyu lay back on the beach chair: "You guys have fun, don't worry about me, I'm going to take a nap."

Yukino smiled and picked up the camera, rotating and lengthening the lens: "I can see you all from here, and I'll take lots of pictures for you."

Rikka felt quite regretful about this, and from her perspective, she still felt that when going out to play, the whole family should be together.

However, from another perspective, this also has its advantages. You can't rush things... no, you can't finish hot tofu in one bite!

Hmm? Something feels off.

Rikka shook her head, giving up on figuring things out and prioritizing her enjoyment of the trip.

After saying goodbye to Yukino Utaha, who volunteered to stay on the beach to wait, the other four of them walked together toward the pier where motorboats were moored.

Staff members put life jackets on them and began to give them detailed instructions on the basic operation and control of the motorboat, as well as the general range of activities after boarding.

Eriri listened with some nervousness as she listened to the details about the throttle, steering, and other specific operations of the motorboat.

Girls naturally find mechanical things a bit harder to handle, and so did her mother, who seemed to have a lot of ups and downs when she got her driver's license.

However, Eriri soon realized that she didn't seem to need to worry about it.

As she followed the staff to the dock and finally stopped in front of a group of jet skis, she suddenly realized that Qianye had rented a two-person jet ski, which could carry two people at the same time. One person only needed to be in front to accelerate or turn, while the other person just needed to sit still.

Rikka noticed Eriri staring at the two-seater jet ski and seemed to realize what she was thinking. She leaned closer and whispered, "Because two-seater jet skis are more cost-effective, and I'm actually a little scared to ride one. I think you feel the same way, Eriri, so I suggested that you rent one. We can just sit in the back."

Eriri gave her a thumbs up, saying it was the right choice!

However, what happened next quickly stunned her.

After saying this, Rikka immediately went to the dock and, with the help of the staff, sat on the back of a black motorboat. Then she pounded on the driver's seat and invited, "Saeko-nee, come on over!"

Saeko responded and boarded the jet ski with a much more graceful posture than Rikka had just done.

The staff confirmed that everything was ready.

"Then we'll try to set off first and wait for you up ahead." Saeko said, twisting the accelerator.

Water vapor rose from the sea surface, and the two rushed towards the middle of the sea in an instant.

Wait, wait a minute!

Shouldn't it be you with your brother and me with Saeko-nee?

The only response Eriri received was Rikka's increasingly excited "whoosh" as it faded into the distance!

Gen Chiya sat on the jet ski and reached out to help Eriri.

Seeing that she remained motionless on the shore for a long time, her arm dangling in the air, he asked in confusion, "Eri?"

"Ah...ah! Here it comes!"

Actually, given Eriri's long-standing relationship with Minamoto Chiyo, she wouldn't have been so stunned by such a trivial matter.

She might even feel extra happy to be close to him.

The key issue is that Saeko had previously led him to witness and play with Chiya's... well, you know... and then that horrific accident happened in such a short time...

Therefore, he is currently in a state of "guilty conscience".

But it's okay, Qianye doesn't know anything, so as long as I don't show any abnormality, there won't be any problem at all!

Eriri convinced herself of this, and with her face flushed and limbs stiff, she finally sat down in the back seat with his help.

"Hold me tight, Eriri, we're ready to go."

"okay."

"Everyone says to hold on tighter." Yuan Qianye took her hands, which were just clutching the hem of his clothes, and pressed them against his lower abdomen, clasping them tightly from both sides.

Without giving her a chance to hesitate and say anything more, he twisted the throttle and sped off toward the center of the sea.

“It’s already started…” Yukino murmured to herself as she waited on the shore.

She raised her camera, but because Chiya and Saeko were driving a speedboat at a very high speed, and the camera she had wasn't a professional one that could capture high-speed movement, the photos she took were all rather blurry.

She looked through her photos in the archive, deciding to wait until they slowed down a bit before continuing to shoot.

Sitting on her beach chair, she glanced at Shiyu. Instead of closing her eyes to take a nap as she had said before, she also gazed intently at the distant sea.

Yukino looked away, thought for a moment, and finally couldn't help but whisper, "You did a good deed, so why can't you just accept other people's thanks?"

Shiyu was somewhat surprised and looked at Yukino, clearly not expecting her to take the initiative to talk to her at this time.

She chuckled softly: "Don't you know the situation between her and me? Is it really necessary?"

The sea breeze blew again, bringing with it the damp, salty smell and the faint sound of laughter in the distance.

A subtle silence fell between the two once again.

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.

Jet skis are a lot of fun.

Eriri's initial trepidation was quickly replaced by a more intense sensory stimulation the moment Genji started the motorboat and plunged into the vast sea, and then vanished without a trace.

The vast, boundless blue ocean, the crystal-clear azure sky, and the refreshing sea breeze that seems to blow away all worries... Nature possesses this magical power to easily influence people's emotions and temporarily cast aside their troubles.

After their half-hour jet ski experience ended, the four of them slowly returned to shore.