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

I also paid Shiwa and Eriri for their help before. It has nothing to do with the depth of our friendship. It's just a matter of course that I would receive payment after doing the work.

Even Rikka, because I've been entrusting her with managing my social media accounts, I give her a monthly stipend under the guise of pocket money, so please don't refuse.

After finishing speaking, Gen Chiya looked at Eriri.

Eriri nodded hurriedly, "That's right! Every few months, Chiya would regularly transfer a sum of money as payment for my illustrations to the account he gave me! And it's been like that ever since!"

"..."

Yukino fell silent.

She didn't want to accept the money, feeling that talking about money when helping friends would make them seem distant.

But in this situation... if she doesn't accept it, it seems to make Eriri's position, which has already accepted it, somewhat awkward, as if she is the only one who is particularly aloof.

really...

Yukino sighed softly to herself, her voice low and gentle: "Whatever."

Gen Chiya and Eriri looked at each other and smiled, then gave each other a light high five.

"Then it's settled. Send me your bank account details later."

"Ah."

"Now that the Second Miss has earned her first substantial and memorable salary, shouldn't we celebrate it?"

Yukino: "?"

Eriri immediately realized, "Ah! Speaking of which, there's a restaurant I'm really interested in that I'd like to go to!"

"That's such a coincidence, it's perfect timing for Yukino to treat us."

"Hey, you two..."

"Yeah! I think so too. Yukino isn't a stingy person, she must have been thinking about treating us to a meal a long time ago."

"Let's not delay, let's do it now, it's the right time..."

"I'm pretty free lately, anytime is fine..."

"..."

Yukino, speechless, sighed silently, resting her forehead in her hand.

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 same day.

night.

A lavish banquet is being held at the Shinomiya Villa.

The banquet hall was brightly lit, and melodious classical music flowed gently.

Gentlemen and ladies dressed in elegant evening gowns chatted in hushed tones as waiters moved among them carrying trays of champagne.

"Haasaka...Haasaka...!"

Kaguya Shinomiya frowned slightly, raised her voice a little, and called out softly again before pulling the maid, who was clearly distracted, back to reality.

Hayasaka Ai snapped out of her daze, her previously lifeless eyes quickly regaining their clarity and focus. In public, she immediately gave a slight bow, displaying impeccable maid-like manners: "Young lady, is there anything I can do for you?"

Kaguya Shinomiya leaned closer and lowered her voice: "The shoes I'm wearing tonight are so uncomfortable, they keep rubbing against my heels."

"I'm so sorry, please come with me, I'll help you with this."

After she helped the young lady back to her room, Kaguya sat on the edge of the bed and lifted her skirt.

Hayasaka Ai knelt down and took off her shoes.

Sure enough, the heel area was rubbed raw and red, and there were even faint signs of broken skin.

"Has it been hurting for a long time, Miss?" Hayasaka Ai's tone was somewhat self-reproachful.

"At first I didn't feel anything, but when I started walking around while accompanying my brother, greeting other guests, I started to feel something was wrong."

"I'm sorry, this was my oversight."

"I didn't mean to blame you. Besides, this isn't your responsibility."

As the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, she has a designated person in charge of her attire for formal occasions such as banquets.

Hayasaka Ai shook her head: "In any case, I am in charge of leading them. If this oversight makes you uncomfortable, it is my dereliction of duty as the head maid."

Kaguya Shinomiya looked at Ai Hayasaka's businesslike demeanor, taking all the blame upon herself, and curled her small toes helplessly: "It's just the two of us in private, so don't even think about it. But your sister still suggested that if I'm able, I should try to get it done."

"elder sister?"

"Hmm—'Even the smallest and most insignificant experience in your life may have an unexpected impact on your future,' that was her exact words. I think she made a lot of sense, so I thought I'd give it a try."

Eriri, having recovered her composure, nodded vigorously in support: "I think it's great! And Chiyo, you're already very capable, so becoming the student council president won't be a problem for you!"

“Right?” Yuan Qianye winked at her: “Most importantly, the student council room is also very nice. There’s a heater in winter and air conditioning in summer. There’s also a separate archive room inside, where you can fit a folding chair. We’ll have a place to take a nap during lunch break.”

“Indeed.” Eriri’s eyes lit up even more upon hearing this, and she even imagined a wonderful tea party in her mind.

Yukino didn't mind pouring cold water on them at this moment: "Don't just think about the benefits. Since you're in that position, you must be prepared to take on the corresponding responsibilities."

Gen Chiya said confidently, "Yono-nee also told me about this. She said that based on her experience as student council president for many years in elementary, middle and high school, even if you are still in office as student council president, there are reasonable... well, a more relaxed solution."

"If you're going to be lazy, then be lazy. What do you mean by a more relaxed solution?" Yukino sighed helplessly, raised her hand to rub her temples, and said with a hint of exasperation, "Really, what bad things has your sister taught you? Don't take her words to heart. If you get into trouble, you'll be the one who suffers."

Gen Chiya smiled dismissively: "I think this is the wisdom of Haruno-nee as a senior. Yukino, don't you have too much prejudice against your sister?"

"It's just that we think about things differently, but... I'm surprised you'd talk about something like this with your sister."

"After all, I have business dealings with your company, and it's common for me to deal with Sister Yang Nai. Occasionally, after work, we'll have dinner together, and naturally, we'll talk about all sorts of things."

After so casually glossing over the topic, Yuan Qianye suddenly seemed to remember something.

"By the way, I'm so grateful to you for helping me proofread and polish my novel before. Thanks to you, the novel received rave reviews as soon as it was released, and the sales and word-of-mouth were both very good. I've been wanting to thank you formally for a while. Let's have dinner together sometime, it's on me."

Yukino refused almost without hesitation: "No need, you can spend more time with Eriri instead."

"Don't drag me into this kind of issue all of a sudden, I'm fine!"

Let alone eating together, even after the meal, Eriri would be perfectly fine with any other interactions between them!

In fact, this was exactly what she hoped would happen, because if Yukino could join in, she and Yukino together wouldn't be afraid of that jerk at all!

It might just turn around and make her furious!

Eriri quickly stepped closer and urged, "Chiya means well. Go ahead, Yukino. We all saw how hard you worked during that time. Pick a restaurant you like. Didn't you say before that there was a Chinese restaurant with a panda theme that you were interested in? Take this opportunity to try it out."

Yukino shook her head, still sticking to her own idea: "'Malice' succeeded entirely because of Chiya's own literary skills. My role in it was dispensable, so it's unnecessary. Besides, Chiya and I are friends, so there's no need to be so polite."

Seeing that he couldn't reason with her, Yuan Qianye didn't insist any further: "Then I'll skip the dinner invitation, but you did help me and put in your own effort, so you should accept the compensation. Hey! Don't rush to refuse, it's all reasonable and you deserve it."

I also paid Shiwa and Eriri for their help before. It has nothing to do with the depth of our friendship. It's just a matter of course that I would receive payment after doing the work.

Even Rikka, because I've been entrusting her with managing my social media accounts, I give her a monthly stipend under the guise of pocket money, so please don't refuse.

After finishing speaking, Gen Chiya looked at Eriri.

Eriri nodded hurriedly, "That's right! Every few months, Chiya would regularly transfer a sum of money as payment for my illustrations to the account he gave me! And it's been like that ever since!"

"..."

Yukino fell silent.

She didn't want to accept the money, feeling that talking about money when helping friends would make them seem distant.

But in this situation... if she doesn't accept it, it seems to make Eriri's position, which has already accepted it, somewhat awkward, as if she is the only one who is particularly aloof.

really...

Yukino sighed softly to herself, her voice low and gentle: "Whatever."

Gen Chiya and Eriri looked at each other and smiled, then gave each other a light high five.

"Then it's settled. Send me your bank account details later."

"Ah."

"Now that the Second Miss has earned her first substantial and memorable salary, shouldn't we celebrate it?"

Yukino: "?"

Eriri immediately realized, "Ah! Speaking of which, there's a restaurant I'm really interested in that I'd like to go to!"

"That's such a coincidence, it's perfect timing for Yukino to treat us."

"Hey, you two..."

"Yeah! I think so too. Yukino isn't a stingy person, she must have been thinking about treating us to a meal a long time ago."

"Let's not delay, let's do it now, it's the right time..."

"I'm pretty free lately, anytime is fine..."

"..."

Yukino, speechless, sighed silently, resting her forehead in her hand.

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 same day.

night.

A lavish banquet is being held at the Shinomiya Villa.

The banquet hall was brightly lit, and melodious classical music flowed gently.

Gentlemen and ladies dressed in elegant evening gowns chatted in hushed tones as waiters moved among them carrying trays of champagne.

"Haasaka...Haasaka...!"

Kaguya Shinomiya frowned slightly, raised her voice a little, and called out softly again before pulling the maid, who was clearly distracted, back to reality.

Hayasaka Ai snapped out of her daze, her previously lifeless eyes quickly regaining their clarity and focus. In public, she immediately gave a slight bow, displaying impeccable maid-like manners: "Young lady, is there anything I can do for you?"

Kaguya Shinomiya leaned closer and lowered her voice: "The shoes I'm wearing tonight are so uncomfortable, they keep rubbing against my heels."

"I'm so sorry, please come with me, I'll help you with this."

After she helped the young lady back to her room, Kaguya sat on the edge of the bed and lifted her skirt.