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

"Who knows?" The old hunter shrugged. "But the on-site investigation did reveal that there was no human blood, but a large amount of bear blood was found."

"That's probably just a coincidence. When the bear pounced, it probably ran into some sharp rock or broken branch..." The young hunter scratched his head, still finding it hard to believe.

The group chatted idly as they searched.

Suddenly, one of the hunting dogs following them stopped, its ears perked up, and it barked threateningly at a dense thicket not far ahead!

Something's up!

The hunters fell silent instantly, their expressions hardening as they quickly went on high alert.

They skillfully spread out, raised their hunting rifles, and lightly placed their fingers on the triggers, signaling the hunting dogs to scout ahead, while they themselves cautiously moved in a fan shape to encircle the bushes.

The bushes were carefully parted by the hunters using the barrels of their guns.

When they saw what was behind the bushes, all the hunters who had gathered around gasped in unison, their eyes widening instantly!

A huge bear lay silently among the fallen leaves and mud, a tree trunk deeply embedded in its wide-open mouth. The blood around its mouth had long since congealed and turned black. The bear's eyes were wide open, but the pupils were cloudy and unfocused, clearly indicating that it had been dead for some time!

…………

235: Kaguya: I just wanted to repay a debt of gratitude! (5k)

"...Good afternoon, viewers. I believe you have all heard about the bear attack that occurred in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture some time ago through various channels."

Many people may still have doubts: is it an unbelievable fact, or a rumor that someone has deliberately exaggerated based on hearsay?

Today, our station specially invited several eyewitnesses and related personnel of the incident, and dispatched multiple reporters to conduct in-depth on-site visits. We finally found decisive evidence that can end the controversy, all to restore the most authentic process of the incident to our viewers.

Next, we will first connect with Dr. Kazuyoshi Oki, a professor at the Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, and a renowned expert in bear ecology, to ask him to give us a brief explanation of the harmfulness of wild bears and why our country encourages bear hunting under certain circumstances.

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.

Yuanjia Apartment, living room.

The television screen was lit, playing an exclusive news program titled "The Deep Dive into the Nagano Prefecture Bear Attack Incident!!!" with a series of exclamation marks that were visually striking.

Rikka had been waiting in front of the TV for a long time, excitedly clutching the remote and shouting towards the room, "Sister! Come quick! The show has started!"

"Coming." Toka responded and walked out of the bathroom.

She had just finished showering; her long, wet hair was simply wrapped in a towel, with water droplets still dripping from the ends.

She dried her neck with another towel as she walked over and sat down on the sofa.

She, who is usually not very interested in this kind of social news, was unusually focused today, just like her sister.

The reason is simple: it concerns her most important person, Chiya.

In truth, this was a completely undeserved disaster.

Since more than ten days ago, when Qianye, who was on a school trip, encountered a thrilling and dangerous situation in the mountains at night, the news spread and he was questioned and even attacked by a considerable number of people online.

The comments section was filled with sarcastic remarks such as "He doesn't even bother to think before he talks," "He's desperate for fame," and "He went to such lengths to fabricate this whole lie just to promote his new book and make money."

In short, many people believe this was a self-directed farce.

There were even some self-righteous people who said, "Even if you really encountered one, there's no need to kill it! The bear was just hungry and looking for food; it was trying to survive, what's wrong with wanting to live!"

These outrageous statements make it difficult to discern whether they are genuine sentiments from netizens or the result of someone who can't stand seeing Yuan Qianye doing well, is jealous of his high popularity affecting certain people's interests, and thus hires online trolls to launch a public opinion attack!

However, these voices did cause some trouble for Yuan Qianye.

This is the first major public opinion storm he has encountered since becoming famous.

While it won't cause any serious damage, the buzzing gossip is as annoying as flies.

As a result, he, who originally did not want to become famous through this incident, was forced into the center of the vortex.

After careful consideration, he accepted the advice of his respected mother-in-law, Touma, that "if you have done good deeds and have a clear conscience, you should not remain silent, but seize the opportunity to clear your name and make a name for yourself."

As a matter of course, he accepted the invitation from TV Tokyo, with whom he had a long-standing good relationship, to make his first official appearance on a special program since the incident.

This is the program with the "LIVE" live broadcast icon in the upper right corner that the Takanashi sisters are currently watching.

There are many high-ranking officials within TV Tokyo who have good personal relationships with Chiya Minamoto.

Therefore, the tone of the show naturally leaned towards him.

The fact that the opening doesn't rush to narrate the event itself, but instead emphasizes the danger of wild bears through the words of experts, reveals a clue.

It's not about waking up those weirdos and idiots who think "animal life is more valuable than human life".

The goal was simply to set the tone from the outset, guiding the public, who lack independent judgment, to distinguish right from wrong.

"Hopefully this program will work," Toka said with a worried frown.

On television, the experts connected online are now explaining in detail the threat that wild bears pose to humans, and mentioning the "Sanmao Bear Incident" that once shocked the nation.

The male brown bear named "Kasa-kake" had attacked the village several times, causing a tragedy that killed seven people and seriously injured three others!

"Don't worry, sister!" Rikka said confidently, "Chiya has undoubtedly done a great thing this time! It's those incompetent guys who can't stand seeing others do well who talk badly about him behind his back out of jealousy!"

She got some inside information from Miyoko.

This program will present decisive evidence to silence those accusations of orchestrating the whole thing and turn public opinion around!

"And what's more, there's another key figure who will stand up for Chiya this time! It's absolutely a done deal!" Rikka blinked, keeping everyone in suspense.

"A key figure? Could it be..."

"Hehe, sister, don't guess anymore, just keep watching and you'll find out!"

Rikka hugged the cushion with a grin and turned her attention back to the television.

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 live television program proceeded as scheduled.

After the experts explained the dangers of wild bears, the host took over the conversation and, combining reports from various reporters outside the studio, began to recount the whole story of this bear attack.

Through the lens, viewers saw the specific mountain forest environment where the incident occurred, the location where the bear's carcass was initially discovered by the hunters, and photos and videos that, despite being lightly blurred, still roughly indicated the bear's state of death.

Next, the program connected with the hunters who initially discovered the bear carcass.

From them, the audience heard more specific descriptions of the scene.

Subsequently, officials with official backgrounds, including the head of the local police station, representatives from the hospital that received the injured, and staff from the forensic department, appeared on camera.

They accepted interviews with reporters, adding details from their respective professional perspectives to present the event to the public in a more complete and comprehensive way.

"...Everyone, please look, this piece of dead tree trunk pierced through the bear's throat, puncturing its blood vessels and trachea, ultimately causing it to die from suffocation and blood loss."

Facing the camera, the staff of the forensic department showed a transparent evidence bag containing the crucial piece of tree trunk.

The trunk was mostly soaked in blackened blood, looking rough and horrifying.

The reporter then raised the most crucial question circulating online: "There's a view online that this incident might be a staged publicity stunt. Do you think that's possible?"

"Absolutely impossible." The forensic expert answered decisively: "I participated in the entire examination and autopsy of the bear carcass. The bear's fatal wound, as I just said, was caused by a birch branch, which is extremely common in Nagano Prefecture, inserted into its mouth."

This perfectly matches the account of the incident given by the person involved, Yuan Qianye. Furthermore, there is even more crucial direct evidence.

"Oh? What kind of evidence is it?"

"Please look here, everyone." The forensic expert pointed to one end of the tree trunk in the evidence bag.

The camera zooms in as Lin Yi cries, giving her a close-up.

That was the other end, opposite the bloodstained tip that had pierced the bear's mouth.

According to Yuan Qianye's description, the situation was urgent. He picked up the dry branch, held the end with his palm, seized the opportunity, and thrust it into the bear's mouth with all his might.

As you can clearly see, despite its relatively blunt end, the surface of this untreated twig is still rough and sharp enough to be considered sharp even to delicate human skin.

Therefore, Yuan, who made that move, was inevitably injured as a result.

"what do you mean……"

"That's right, at the relatively intact end of this dead tree trunk, we were able to clearly extract human blood."

Yuan's hand was indeed injured at the time, and he went to the hospital for treatment.

After comparing blood samples, the bloodstains on the evidence matched perfectly with those of Gen Chiya.

"I see……!"

This concludes the outdoor interview segment for now.

The scene cuts back to the studio.

Another key figure in this incident, Yuan Qianye, finally appeared halfway through the program.

He calmly took his seat in the guest section after being introduced by the host.

Facing the camera and the host's questions, he used the simplest and most straightforward language to sincerely describe his truest thoughts and actions when the incident occurred.

He admitted that he never intended to kill the bear; his only thought from beginning to end was to protect himself and the safety of those around him, nothing more.

This unassuming honesty, even bordering on forced, is all the more convincing and moving.

Near the end of the program, the host played a pre-recorded video clip.

The girl's face in the video was blurred out, and her voice was also specially processed, but judging from her clothing and figure, she was clearly a young woman.

"Hello everyone, I am one of the two victims in the recent bear attack incident in Nagano Prefecture."

I don't usually pay much attention to online or television discussions, so I was unaware of the recent controversies surrounding Gen Chiya.

It wasn't until a friend reminded me that I realized how many people were speaking ill of him.

I cannot understand it, nor can I remain indifferent. Today, I must say something here.

Gen Chiya... He saved my life when I was completely lost and my legs were weak, unable to escape on my own. He will always be my benefactor..."

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.

"...He will always be my benefactor, and his sincerity, kindness, and courage are beyond question."

"I vouch for this with the reputation of the Shinomiya family; he is undoubtedly a hero, and certainly not the despicable person who would stop at nothing to gain fame, as some people have speculated..."

"enough."

"Yes."

Inside the solemn meeting room of the Shinomiya family's villa.

As the bald man in the main seat finished speaking, a servant quickly closed the laptop from which Kaguya was clearly speaking to the camera.