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

But they all breathed very rapidly.

They all adjusted their mindset.

“That’s about the restaurant too,” Toka said slowly.

At this moment, Yuan Qianye was in a state of impatience and wanted to say that the restaurant was fine no matter what, but Shihua was very firm and had caught him by the handle. He had no way to resist and could only listen passively and slowly follow her rhythm.

"Okay, restaurant, continue."

"Because of the TV series, our restaurant's reputation has increased, and it has become a hit online for a while. In addition to the usual increase in customer traffic and turnover, our restaurant's ratings on major food recommendation apps and websites have also improved a lot. The word-of-mouth has continued to spread, which has attracted some professional restaurant bloggers and food critics."

"Oh, you mean those guys who don't eat properly but instead have a camera or their phone propped up on the table, feasting on themselves or giving off a pretentious critique, right... Do they even pay for their food?"

Shihua couldn't help but laugh at his words: "What do you take them for? How could they come here to dine and dash? Our restaurant's current success and reputation are partly due to the bloggers and critics who were very satisfied after dining there and spontaneously promoted and recommended us online."

"Alright, Toka, what exactly are you trying to say? Let's... speed things up, okay?"

"The day has finally come when you feel this way. Now... do you understand how 'awful' you were to 'treat' me like that before?"

"I'm sorry, I admit my mistake, so is that okay? You can take your time explaining the rest, just go ahead and..."

“Among these restaurant review bloggers, there was a very elegant elderly couple who came together.” Shihua ignored his urgent pleading and continued, “After they finished their meal, they specifically sought me out and handed me their business cards. They said they were directors of a seafood company and thought my cooking was very good. They wanted to recommend me to participate in the Japan Asian Culinary Challenge.”

"A cooking competition?" Yuan Qianye struggled to pull a little bit of his thoughts out of the vortex.

"Yes, it is considered one of the more prestigious and professional culinary competitions in China. Although it is named 'Asian,' this year's competition is mainly aimed at domestic chefs."

Many head chefs from well-known restaurants in China, as well as renowned gourmets and culinary researchers, will likely participate.

The competition will comprehensively assess culinary skills based on four dimensions: preparation, cooking process, plating and innovation, and taste and texture of the dish.

The on-site judging process and the final results will also be broadcast online and on some food-related TV channels after post-production.

"Where will the competition be held?"

"In Kyoto."

"When is the match time?"

"Because it is carried out in several rounds in a row, if I am lucky enough to stay until the end, it will probably take more than ten days."

Yuan Qianye remained silent for a while.

It's not that I'm unhappy, but rather that I'm processing this information and thinking about the issues that arise from it.

In this brief silence, his restlessness seemed to subside somewhat, replaced by a deeper concern.

"Does Shihua really want to participate?"

"Yes, the more I get involved in cooking, the more I realize that there is no end to learning in this field. I want to meet more different chefs and learn other skills and knowledge from them to improve myself."

“Sure.” Yuan Qianye replied almost without hesitation, “If you want to go, then go.”

"You agree?"

"What do you mean by 'I agree' or 'I disagree'?" Yuan Qianye chuckled. "This is Toka's life, so you can arrange it yourself. At most, I can only give you some advice from the sidelines. Of course, whether to listen or not, and ultimately the decision, is still yours. I never intended to restrict or dominate your life."

“I don’t feel that you’re restricting me, Qianye. From the moment I accepted you, half of my life was given to you, so I have to discuss any plans with you in advance.”

“Ten Flowers…” Her sincere and affectionate words deeply moved Yuan Qianye.

She reached down with both hands, but Toka noticed and gently bit her as punishment.

"Wait a little longer."

"I can't wait any longer!"

It's about to explode!

Even so, Yuan Qianye took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down: "...Don't worry, I'll arrange the time and accompany you."

"You can't come with me, and I never intended for you to come with me."

"?"

"I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."

"Huh? So urgent?"

"After all, the qualifiers are just a few days away, and there's no time to waste. But don't worry, I'll arrange everything at the restaurant before I leave, so it won't affect normal operations."

"I'm not worried about that..."

"Don't worry about the competition. I originally planned to wait for your approval, then go home to pack my clothes after finishing the dinner rush at the restaurant tomorrow and head to Kyoto overnight. But after Mr. Yukihira found out about my decision, he asked me to come see him tomorrow. He didn't say exactly what he wanted me to do, but I think he probably wanted to give me some last-minute training before the competition."

The "Teacher Yukihira" that Toka mentioned is the owner of the popular restaurant Yukihira, which was introduced to her by Touma Yoko to improve her cooking skills.

The owner's culinary skills amazed Yuan Qianye, who had tasted his cooking.

Since this master chef has taken the initiative to offer his help to Toka, and given Toka's already impressive culinary skills, she will likely achieve some success in this cooking competition.

Even if things don't go perfectly, as she said, she could learn skills or knowledge from other opponents that she hadn't noticed, which would actually be quite satisfactory.

“I’m still a little worried about you going to Kyoto alone. If it’s not feasible, I’ll have Miyoko go with you,” Minamoto Chiya said, offering a compromise.

"What are you going to do if I take over your assistant and manager? Don't worry, I'm not alone. Numaguchi-san and Matsuda-san will be with me."

The two people Shika mentioned, Yuan Qianye also knew; they were a front-of-house receptionist and a kitchen chef responsible for plating at the Night Moon Restaurant, respectively.

Shihua explained, "The competition will be conducted in teams, so you won't be worried with them by my side, right?"

"Since you've already said all that, what else can I say? It's just that you left a little too quickly, which is why I'm only just coming back."

"So that's why I came to find you on my own initiative." Toka's voice was tinged with coquettishness as she finally touched his chest and poked her head out from under the covers.

Yuan Qianye finally managed to hug her as he wished: "So this is your parting compensation after feeling guilty?"

"That's not it..." Tohka's gaze shifted to the side: "...It's because you've been gone for so long...I kind of wanted it too..."

The voice was very soft, but who wouldn't get annoyed by what they said?

Driven by Chiya, Toka's melodious murmur, like a song, melted into the warm summer night.

Then, at that moment, Yuan Qianye suddenly paused and made a loud shushing gesture towards Shika.

Shihua immediately realized what was happening and buried her head in his chest, asking softly, "What's wrong?"

Gen Chiya replied in a low voice, "There seems to be a sound outside. It sounds like Eriri or Rikka got up in the middle of the night."

It wasn't just a coincidence; through her God-like perspective peering out, Gen Chiya had confirmed that it was Eriri outside.

If she hadn't slipped and let out a brief scream as she walked through the dimly lit corridor past the bathroom door to the toilet, Yuan Qianye wouldn't have noticed that she had left the room at that time.

After all, when he's doing something that makes him extremely happy, it's not that he can't, but that he's unwilling to spare even a tiny bit of energy for defensive matters.

Upon hearing this, Shihua froze, immediately shrinking into the blanket in nervousness.

Yuan Qianye found it amusing: "It's nothing, he's probably just going to the bathroom, and he'll go straight back to his room when he's done."

Shihua replied anxiously and in a very low voice, "Don't speak!"

The two of them listened intently to the sounds outside from inside the room.

As Minamoto Chiyo had said, Eriri went into the bathroom, then came out feeling a bit more relaxed, preparing to return to her room.

Just as Gen Chiya, who had been silently observing the whole thing, breathed a sigh of relief, Eriri slowly returned to his room.

How strange, do you all have to come looking for me tonight?!

"Shihua, did you lock the door when you came in?"

"Wh...what do you mean?!"

Eriri's footsteps seemed to stop at my door; it looked like she was about to come in.

"ah?!!!"

"Keep your voice down, my sister! Did you lock the door or not?"

"It seems... no, no... I was planning to leave right away, but coming in was a sudden idea later."

Well done...

Oh well, it's my fault for not thinking of that beforehand.

Yuan Qianye is feeling increasingly unwell.

"What to do, what to do, what to do..."

Shihua is starting to panic.

"It's okay, don't move, just shrink back in."

"What should we do... If she comes in, she'll definitely be discovered..."

"You won't be able to find out. Just bury yourself in my arms and I'll pretend to be asleep. Even if Eriri comes in, she won't be able to wake me up, don't worry..."

The two spoke at a rapid pace.

Even after being comforted, Toka was still somewhat lost, but at this stage it seemed that there was no other way but to do as Chiya had said.

She huddled under the covers, curling up into a ball, and was held in Yuan Qianye's arms as he lay on his side.

"Don't move at a time like this! What if Eriri finds out?!"

"I want to too!"

But the body is out of control.

And if you have anyone to blame, it's your despicable body!

And how long do you think I endured this before you arrived?!

Eriri gently knocked on the door, then leaned in so close to the crack that she whispered, "Chiya, are you asleep?"

There was no response, which is to be expected, as it was already past 2 a.m.

Eriri, having failed to get anywhere with her probing, was prepared to leave as she had originally planned, but for some reason, she didn't go.

Instead of leaving, he swallowed lightly, as if he had made up his mind.

She turned the handle and easily pushed open the door, then slipped inside smoothly.

The movements are very similar to the previous Shi Hua, even to the point of being nine-tenths similar.

Eriri gently closed the door and patted her rapidly beating heart.

I hesitated for a moment, but then I came in anyway...