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

After a satisfying lunch, the group explored other parts of the city in the afternoon as planned.

We took a cable car, tried ice skating, and went to Happo Pond, known as the "Neon Alps Postcard," to take photos.

The itinerary was packed yet fun and fulfilling.

Dinner was at a local restaurant specializing in river fish dishes.

The thick black stone slabs were heated to a scorching heat by the charcoal fire. Freshly caught fish from the nearby streams were simply seasoned with coarse salt and placed on the slabs, roasting them until the skin was crispy and the inside was snow-white and tender, preserving their original freshness.

Paired with locally made mountain grape juice, the sweet and sour flavor is a perfect match!

On the third day after that, the itinerary became more flexible.

Yukino Erino and Rikka, along with their friends, visit the Hakuba Art Museum and other anime pilgrimage sites that Erino has always wanted to visit.

Meanwhile, Chiya met up with Kazusa, Saeko, and Utaha, who had gone off on their own the day before. In the morning, they visited local cultural heritage sites and experienced snowmobiling at a snowfield set up in the jungle.

After having Wagyu beef hot pot for lunch, Kazusa took the initiative to leave and go back to the hotel to find Miyoko.

Meanwhile, Chiya Minamoto, Saeko Utaha, and the other two went to a hot spring resort far from the hotel and booked a private bath.

Amidst the rising steam, the three of them soaked in the natural hot spring.

The sky was getting dark.

Outside, snowflakes drifted down, mingling with the white mist rising from the hot spring pool, creating a uniquely tranquil atmosphere.

They leaned against the warm, smooth rocks, gazing up at the dim sky where light snow was falling, chatting aimlessly about everything under the sun, without touching on any worries or trivial matters, simply to relax their minds and enjoy this rare moment of tranquility.

This pleasant feeling lasted until evening.

After enjoying an exquisite kaiseki meal at the hot spring inn, night had already fallen.

It's getting late, time to head back.

The kind of delightful development that Gen Chiya had hoped for did not occur.

Shiyu can accept the three of them soaking in a hot spring together, but the three of them together... "spending the night" or something like that.

Last time, she finally convinced herself to accept Saeko's suggestion of a threesome, but then the accident involving Hayasaka Ai suddenly happened.

That completely dampened her spirits and disrupted her rhythm.

Now, the courage she had painstakingly built up has dissipated, and she can no longer convince herself to accept it again so quickly.

It seems that we can only take it one step at a time as time goes by.

Yuan Qianye is not in a hurry; that day will come eventually anyway.

Soon it was the fourth day of the training camp.

Gen Chiya got up early and met up with Yukino Saeko. Together with the members of the Shuchiin student council, they organized the students from both schools to board the bus in an orderly manner and head to a campsite located deep in the mountains that they had booked in advance.

Today's schedule is also very packed.

At 9:30, we arrived at the campsite, held a brief entry ceremony, and received a detailed safety briefing.

At 10:30, under the guidance of the campsite staff, we learned how to use the outdoor stove and distributed ingredients and cooking utensils, officially beginning to prepare lunch on our own.

There is free time after lunch.

At 2 p.m., student council members, class committee members, and volunteers helped set up the venue for the evening bonfire party and prepared the props and routes for the courage test.

Prepare dinner at 5 p.m.

At 6 p.m., the bonfire party will be officially lit, and the exciting test of courage will also begin at the same time.

The event is expected to conclude at 8 p.m., with the ultimate goal of ensuring everyone is safely back at the hotel to rest before 10 p.m.

The specific plans have all been arranged in advance.

This is a rare opportunity for group interaction, and everyone is looking forward to it.

Knowing that there would be a "test of courage" event that night, which would allow one to legitimately get close to someone they like or have a crush on, made it even more exciting!

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.

Due to the continuous snowfall in recent days, the mountain roads were slippery, and the bus drove very slowly and cautiously.

Outside the window was a world covered in silver, with fluffy snowflakes hanging from the tree branches, like a fairy tale.

We arrived at the campsite a little later than scheduled. However, this was not a problem, as the activity plan already included plenty of flexibility.

Get off the bus and assemble to count the number of people.

The student council reminded everyone to pay attention to safety and not to go far from the campsite. If you want to go for a walk or take photos nearby, remember to go in groups of three or more before the outdoor camping activity officially begins.

Students from each class quickly set to work in their pre-assigned groups, and the semi-open-air stone stove area immediately became lively.

The students in the food preparation group ran to the storage area next to the bus and lined up to collect various food items packed in boxes.

The fire-starting team members were busy collecting charcoal from the campsite staff, while others ran directly to nearby forest clearings to collect some dry branches for emergencies.

The odd-job team started to fetch water and clean the cooking utensils and stove.

Meanwhile, the cooking team busily began processing the ingredients, preparing them for cooking.

The campsite was bustling with activity for a time.

In the once quiet woods, many birds took flight.

With everything arranged, there was no need for so many people to keep an eye on things. So now, only Minamoto no Chiya and Shinomiya Kaguya were taking a leisurely stroll around the edge of the campsite, which could be considered a patrol to prevent any possible accidents from happening.

"I heard that Chairman Yuan's family owns a very impressive restaurant. I imagine your cooking skills must be quite good as well. Have you thought about showing off your skills later?" Kaguya Shinomiya took the initiative to start the conversation.

Yuan Qianye shook his head: "I think I'll pass. I've never tried the earthen stove here that can't be controlled by gas, so I really don't have the confidence to try. Besides, everyone seems to be very interested in this event, so it's fine to let others prepare while I eat what's ready."

"That's true." Kaguya covered her mouth and smiled faintly.

"..." Yuan Qianye glanced at her, who was behaving quite like a lady. He didn't show it on the surface, but he was really quite helpless.

Who would have thought that Kaguya Shinomiya, who seems so harmless to him now, would secretly be so scheming to outdo him?

Just because he beat her in a piano competition so long ago, she still can't let it go and is always thinking about regaining her dignity.

He even kept asking his beloved maid to come up with a solution.

It's already hard enough for them to serve and take care of your daily life. It's really too much to add this kind of troublesome extra pressure on them!

This forced her to go to great lengths to make herself happy before she dared to cautiously ask for her help, hoping for her cooperation...

No, wait, it seems I should thank this young lady instead...

If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have been able to persuade the usually shy maid to engage in such passionate interaction with him under bright lights and with her sense of shame at its peak...

Chiya recalled her tryst with Ai Hayasaka the previous night.

It feels like just yesterday night, so this training camp trip wasn't a complete waste.

"Don't even mention me. I heard that you, President Shinomiya, come from a wealthy family and have professional chefs take care of your three meals a day. Today, the lunch here was made by the students themselves, so it's definitely not as good as your professional chefs, and it's not even as good as a regular restaurant on the street. I wonder if you can get used to it."

"President Yuan, that's going too far. Do you think I'm some pampered, ethereal girl who doesn't know the ways of the world?"

"It was just a joke, don't take it too seriously." Yuan Qianye readily agreed.

"After today's activities, we'll be heading back tomorrow afternoon," Kaguya said, gazing at the snow-covered mountains in the distance, her tone tinged with emotion.

"Yes, it feels like time really flies, but anyway, everyone had a lot of fun at this event. On behalf of everyone at Subu High School, thank you to everyone at Shuchiin Academy, especially President Shinomiya for your meticulous planning."

"Thank you on everyone's behalf... That's quite a responsible thing to say. So, Mr. Gen himself, did you have a good time on this trip?"

“Of course.” Yuan Qianye’s smile was sincere.

"That's good." Kaguya nodded, seemingly casually mentioning, "After the bonfire party starts tonight, there will be a dance party. I wonder who you will invite to dance with you? Vice President Yukinoshita or Secretary Busujima?"

"Please allow me to keep this a secret, because I haven't decided yet myself."

"I see..." Kaguya hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a gentler tone than before, "...If President Gen has any free time at that time, I wonder if you could spare ten minutes to keep me company?"

coming.

From seemingly insignificant small talk to tentatively mentioning dance partners, and now finally getting to the point, the real agenda has been revealed.

Gen Chiya feigned confusion and quietly waited for Kaguya to continue.

"Well, actually I'm really interested in the courage test activity tonight, but if I'm alone, I'm a little... unaccustomed to it. It's not that I'm scared, it's just that girls are naturally not very good at this kind of thing."

Kaguya tilted her head to look at Gen Chiya, as if scrutinizing his expression. After confirming that he did not show any mocking expression, she felt slightly relieved, lowered her head slightly again, and revealed a pitiful and touching expression.

At this moment, Minamoto Chiya thought of what Hayasaka Ai had said while nestled in his arms the night before—

"The young lady will probably make good use of her advantages as a girl, pretending to be cute and weak, and needing protection, and invite you, Qianye, to accompany her to the test of courage."

When the time comes, Qianye, don't just agree all at once; that would seem too fake.

You need to think about it for a while, come up with some seemingly reasonable excuses to ask or question her, and then pretend that you can't refuse her and can't refuse. This way, her suspicion will be minimized, and everything will go more smoothly.

It's no wonder they've been together since childhood; Hayasaka really knows Kaguya Shinomiya inside and out.

Gen Chiya then did exactly as the maid suggested.

"A test of courage... Why didn't President Shinomiya invite Fujiwara to come along? You two are good friends, aren't you?"

"How should I put it... I don't know if Chairman Yuan understands this principle: when it comes to some issues that are difficult to talk about, sometimes the closer the person is to you, the harder it is to be frank with them."

"Ah, now that you put it that way, I think I understand."

"You understand. I don't want to involve my friends because I'm afraid they'll see a vulnerable side of me that I don't want them to see. As for that, inviting President Yuan is no problem."

You're not from our school, and after spending time with you these past few days, I know you're a very gentlemanly person. You would never gossip about a weakness that a lady wouldn't be good at, would you?

Putting everything else aside, in terms of both acting skills and speaking ability, Kaguya Shinomiya's performance was impeccable.

It's really perfect.

From the initial gradual build-up to the subtle, small request, and now, with the pitiful expression of "I can only rely on you now," revealing the sentiment that "only you can help me now"... it's truly a series of interconnected steps!

If he were in her shoes, nine out of ten men in the world probably wouldn't be able to harden their hearts and refuse her.

After considering it for a while, as if after a mental struggle, Yuan Qianye nodded in agreement.

But it wasn't because of Kaguya Shinomiya's performance, but simply because of the maid he liked.

Just as she said last night, as long as he could reveal a slight flaw that would satisfy Kaguya Shinomiya, her subsequent work would be much easier.

"That's great!" Kaguya Shinomiya was pleasantly surprised, but quickly composed herself, coughed lightly, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you, Gen. If Yukinoshita or Busujima misunderstand, I'll help you explain."

Yes, very good. This statement naturally prevented him from bringing others along.